Onewheel Trail Etiquette

One of my favorite things to do with the Onewheel is to explore as many trails as I can find. Desert trails, mountain trails, forest trails, and any other trail that is rideable. You might find me riding trails, smiling ear to ear while floating. Maybe even mapping paths to share with the Onewheel community, and of course, the Onewheel AZ members. As much as I love riding the trails, I also think it’s important to understand Onewheel trail rules and etiquette.

Stewards of Trail Stoke

The mods of OWAZ aka the Stewards of Stoke, really try to model being a considerate Onewheel rider. As a new device, and regulations in the gray, it’s favorable for the community to be seen in a positive light. One bad apple could literally spoil the whole bunch. I believe the Onewheel community at large and surely the I.O.W.A. ( International One Wheel Association ) understands the importance of taking individual responsibility when riding and basic Onewheel trail rules. It is up to each of us to make good decisions when interacting with the public on the streets and trails. Hikers, horse riders, mountain bikers, and rangers will all be watching us, so make sure you understand the rules of the trail.

What are the Rules of the Trail

A lot of Onewheel riders understand trail systems from other activities like mountain biking, snowboarding, and hiking. There are also riders that have never experienced any trail systems. There are a few general rules that I would consider your go-to Onewheel trail rules.

General Trail Rules:

1. Leave the trail as you found it. If you accidentally peel out and leave a dug out area, fill it as best as possible.
2. Don’t Litter.
3. Be Kind and Courteous to others. Smiling and saying hello goes a long way.
4. Be careful near corners on a single track.
5. Slow down when passing others to reduce the dust output. This is a huge importance, as a group of Onewheelers can kick up a considerable amount of dust. Kicking up major dust is a bad look and no one likes to get dusted.
6. Alert others when you are silently creeping from behind.

Onewheel Yield To Rules:

Overall, the Onewheel is the newest kid on the trail scene. Horseback riders, mountain bikers, and hikers have been building and paying for the work to be done on a lot of trails we love. There are also safety reasons for why one yields to the other.

1. Horseback Riders – Yield to No One: Due to a horse potentially getting spooked by a Onewheel, bike, or hiker, it is usually considered respectful to stop and wait on the side for horse riders to pass. If a horse gets spooked it can cause physical harm or death to a rider. Be especially safe around horses.
2. Hikers – Yield to Only Horses: Hikers are expected to yield to horses. Onewheel riders and Mountain bikers should slow down and be careful when letting Hikers pass. Blasting into, or dusting a hiker is definitely not a good look for the Onewheel community.
3. Mountain Bikers – Yield to Horses, and Hikers: Mountain bikers must yield to horses and hikers due to the danger present when speeding around trails. Because Mountain bikers have invested so much effort into making these trails rideable, it is a sign of respect to give bikers the right of way.
4. Onewheel Riders – Yield to Horses, Hikers, and Bikers: Onewheels can boost their 25-pound frames pretty quickly, which can be dangerous to others. Animals are like WTF, Hikers be like WTF, and Mountain Bikers surely are like WTF, when they see a Onewheel crushing trails. I hope they are WTF’ing out of amazement and admiration versus disgust.

To finalize, be the rider that makes the Onewheel look awesome to horse riders, hikers, bikers, rangers, police, and the public at large. It’s up to each of us to do our part to ensure that our children will get to experience the stoke of the float. Now go shred some trails and get a worthy pic so you can put together your Onewheel trading card pic.

If you like the design and want to support respectful trail logic I added it to the threadless store.