The Onewheel GT S-Series is Future Motion’s first ever high-performance board. Its a racing board that features a 113-volt drivetrain and a redesigned motor, providing two times the torque for greater confidence in the ride and better control at all speeds. This power is delivered in a lighter and lower form factor, thanks to a 5mm reduction in ride height via Lowboy footpads and a two-pound weight reduction overall. The price is steep however – starting at $3,200 USD.
GT S-Series Improvements Over the GT
With the new 113 volt drivetrain, the GT-S is equipping with a new controller, BMS, a new motor as well as ultra-high power molicel P45b battery cells. Torque on the GT S-Series doubles allowing for higher top speeds (25mph / 40kmh) and some uphill climbing like you have never seen on a Onewheel.
The motor assembly has been totally revamped with optimized windings, stronger curved neodymium magnets allowing for better space efficiency and upgraded premium NSK bearings from Japan. The GT S-series is essentially a total power upgrade on the GT but still maintains the same exact form factor of 9.5″ × 11.5″ × 29″ (24cm x 29.21cm x 74cm).
The GT S-Series has dropped two pounds largely due to the batteries. Coming in at 33lbs, the GTS is compensating the decrease in range (yes there is a slight decrease) for the added power. The reported range on the GT S-Series is 16-25 mi (24-60km). While this is still plenty of range, it is about a 20% range reduction from the Onewheel GT (20-32 miles / 30-52km).
So, is the 113V drivetrain, increased top speed, performance tire, lowboy footpads and a two-pound weight reduction worth the trade off for a decreased range, I think so.
The GT S-Series comes with tiffany blue accents on the hub, rails, and optional bumpers and fender deletes.
Holding on to the 6.5″ Hub
It is interesting to see Future Motion keep the 6.5″ hub. Most of the community had gripes with this hub size for several reasons. First, its proprietary. Commonly, we can find 6″ tires as they are a standard go-kart sizing. With the larger hub, more importantly you lose some of that sidewall height which is our suspension on a Onewheel. Shaving that down made for a more rigid ride. That being said, these boards are coming standard with the Performance tire (PT).
There is a growing movement for larger sidewalls such as the big tire gang extended rails which allow for larger tires. Many riders consider also swapping the 6.5″ hub back to the 6.0″ for the comfort they were used to. It will be interesting to see if the trade off in their PT tire can compensate for the loss in sidewall on their S-Series boards.
Factory Team Working in the Shadows
Recently, Future Motion announced their Factory Team which is comprised of an all-pro team. They apparent have been working on this board in its concept stages. With the skillset on hand, its hard to argue that this model line of the GT won’t check off the boxes for most riders.
Essentially, this is the first board built by Future Motion with professional riders on site and on hand throughout the production.
Price Hikes on Onewheels
During the debut of the Onewheel GT and Pint X, the price of the original Pint increased. In similar fashion, the price of the GT, Pint and Pint X have increased in price again. The stock GT will now cost $2,300, Pint X will cost $1,500 and the original Pint at $1,050 USD.
I want to believe the added price will help keep some value in our used Onewheel models as we all consider purchasing the GT-S Series. However the price of the GT-S is rather steep. This is not a small step but one giant leap for mankind! Starting at $3,200, The GT S-Series is now pricing in line with larger EUC’s and used vehicles. While the comparisons are weak, its simply to point out that the GTS commands a hefty price tag for the upgrades.
Personally, I really want this board. The added power is giving the Floatwheel ADV some competition now. It smokes it in power (113V vs 84V) and its lighter. You have Haptic Buzz which will likely come in much later due to the higher top speeds but the price is a tough pill to swallow.