Get Fit Over 40

Today’s post is a bit of a mix between tech, toys, and staying active. I took my newly acquired MagWheel T3 out for a proper shakedown ride while having the DJI Neo 2 drone track and follow me for most of it.

The goal:

See how this used MagWheel T3 actually rides
Find out what kind of real-world range I can get
Decide if it’s worth upgrading with a VESC controller (and maybe a new battery) and turning it into a “poor man’s OneWheel GT”.

MagWheel T3 vs OneWheel – First Impressions

Visually, the MagWheel T3 looks a lot like a OneWheel. Big central hub motor, single wheel, board on top. But the ride experience, especially with the original controller, is very different.

My MagWheel T3 is an older, pre-VESC model with the stock MagWheel controller.
Newer MagWheels and Trotters often come with VESC controllers, which give a ride much closer to a OneWheel in terms of smoothness and responsiveness.

Right now, my board feels:

Jerky compared to a OneWheel
A bit unpredictable in long turns (the nose can suddenly dip more than you’d expect)
Awkward when mounting and dismounting until you get used to its behavior

On a OneWheel, the board won’t really engage until you’re level on the footpads. With the MagWheel T3, it starts at an angle and slowly comes up to level while you’re already on it. That alone takes some getting used to.

But the big selling point:
I picked this thing up used for about $195. For that price, I was expecting some compromises and probably a tired battery.

Riding Characteristics – The “Buck and Chuck” Factor

This board is fine on smooth pavement and mellow paths. Where things get sketchy is:

Bumps, roots, curbs, and rough patches
When you’re going faster and hit something uneven
When the board starts a rocking or “bucking” motion

Instead of just a straight-up nosedive like a OneWheel can do when pushed too hard, the MagWheel tends to rock back and forth. If you overreact to that movement (like overcorrecting a fishtail in a car), you just make it worse and increase your chances of getting tossed.

What I’ve found helps:

Stay relaxed and don’t over-correct
Slow down for bumps and curbs
Accept that this board takes more skill and finesse than a OneWheel, especially in stock form

By the end of the ride, I was noticeably more comfortable. I could roll up small curbs and deal with chunks of rough pavement as long as I kept my speed reasonable and didn’t panic when it started to “buck”.

Battery, Range & Power – How Did It Actually Do?

Let’s talk numbers, because that’s where this ride got surprisingly positive.

The MagWheel T3 I have:

Runs a 60V system
Battery is around 6Ah (~300Wh)
Has a 1500W hub motor (roughly double the rated motor wattage of a OneWheel GT on paper, though controller and voltage/amps matter more than that number alone)

Remember, I bought this used. The previous owner told me he was only getting about 15 minutes of ride time, and it felt underpowered. When I picked it up, the tire was basically flat – my pump read 0 PSI. So he was likely riding on a almost-flat tire, which absolutely murders range and performance.

On my test ride:

I rode about 8.5–9 miles total
At 8.25 miles, I got my first 25% battery warning beeps
I purposely ended the ride on a good note instead of running it right down to empty

Based on that:

I’m comfortable saying I can get about 10 miles of real-world range out of this used battery
With a fresh, higher-capacity battery (say 8Ah or so), I could probably push that into the 12–15 mile zone

For context, a OneWheel GT has:

Higher overall battery capacity (around 9–10Ah)
Slightly higher voltage (around 62–63V)

So the GT will still win on range, but this MagWheel T3 is shockingly decent, especially considering its age and price.

Speed & Safety

I didn’t try to break any land speed records here.

I got the MagWheel T3 up to almost 15 mph
I never hit speed warning beeps during the ride
The board clearly has more top-end speed available

For me personally:

Around 15 mph already feels fast enough, especially on a board I’m still getting used to
At that speed, if you bail, you still have a chance to run it out and not completely destroy yourself
Once you start pushing into the 20+ mph territory, crashes get more serious very quickly

With a VESC controller installed, this board should easily and safely do 20+ mph, but again, that doesn’t mean you should ride it there all the time—especially if you’re using it for casual cruising and just staying active outdoors.

DJI Neo 2 – Smarter Follow & Obstacle Avoidance

The other star of this session was the DJI Neo 2, which tracked me almost the entire ride.

A few highlights from how it behaved:

It can track from the front or rear, and has rear cameras for obstacle sensing
It will rise up a bit higher as you go faster to reduce the risk of running into ground-level obstacles
When it sees trees or obstacles, it adjusts its position and height to avoid them
Unlike the older Neo I had, the Neo 2 is much better at:
- Staying in front instead of constantly drifting behind
- Finding a safe way around you and obstacles, then reestablishing its position
- Avoiding branches and objects instead of plowing straight into them

There were a couple of moments where the Neo 2 dipped, dodged, or swung wide around trees and then found a way back in front of me. The older Neo would have given up much sooner or smacked into something.

Overall, for follow shots and solo riding footage, the Neo 2 is a big upgrade in terms of intelligence and obstacle avoidance.

Why I’m Considering the VESC Upgrade

Here’s where the MagWheel T3 gets really interesting for tinkerers.

Right now:

The stock controller is the weakest link
There’s no app, no real-time battery readout, no way to adjust ride feel
I’m basically guessing battery capacity from range and beeps

A VESC controller upgrade (around $300–$350 CAD by the time it’s in my hands) would give me:

App support to monitor voltage, amps, temps, etc.
The ability to tune tilt, nose dip, aggressiveness, and smoothness
A much more OneWheel-like ride quality
More control over how the board behaves under acceleration, braking, and cornering

If I throw:

~$200 for the board (what I already paid)
~$300–$400 for VESC and possibly a new battery

I’m still only in for around $600 CAD total, depending on how far I go. That’s for something that can ride similarly to a OneWheel GT, which costs well over $3,000 in Canada and locks you into their ecosystem (ship it back for nearly any major repair or battery work).

If you enjoy modding and doing your own repairs, the MagWheel/Trotter/VESC route is a much more open platform.

Final Thoughts – Worth It?

For $195 used, this MagWheel T3 is an absolute steal for me:

The frame and hub are beefy and very solid
The 1500W motor has more than enough power
The range is better than expected, even on an older battery
With a VESC controller and maybe a better battery, this thing could easily become my budget “GT alternative”

Is it perfect out of the box? No.

It’s jerkier and less predictable than a OneWheel
It requires more skill and patience to ride confidently
You have to learn not to overreact when it bucks or rocks

But for someone like me who enjoys tinkering and doesn’t mind a learning curve, this MagWheel T3 is a fun project board and a very capable ride once you relax into it.

If you come across one of these used at a good price – and the motor and frame are solid – it may be worth grabbing, upgrading the controller, and, if needed, the battery. You’ll end up with something that can hang with the OneWheel GT in many ways, for a fraction of the price, and you’ll actually be able to work on it yourself.

And hey – it got me outside, moving, balancing, and having fun for over an hour. That’s what GetFitOver40 is all about: staying active in ways you actually enjoy.

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