MagWheel T3 Gozmilo FOCstrot V2 VESC Upgrade Kit – Worth the Work?

I picked up my MagWheel T3 a while back for $195, which is a crazy deal for a one-wheel style board… assuming it works.

The previous owner thought the battery was shot because he was getting terrible range and low power. After I got it home and had a closer look, I realized the real problem was much simpler: the tire was almost completely flat.

I pumped it up and suddenly the board woke up. Range went back to normal – easily around 10 miles, maybe up to 12 – which is right in line with what you’d expect from the stock 7Ah battery. So the good news: the battery and motor were fine. The bad news: the original non-VESC controller definitely wasn’t the best.

Why Upgrade to a VESC Kit?

The older MagWheel / Trotter style controllers work, but they’re not exactly smooth or confidence-inspiring—especially if you’re used to riding a Onewheel.

People say once you get used to the stock controller it’s okay, but for me it never felt like that “locked-in” Onewheel feeling. The board was rideable, but not something I fully trusted or really enjoyed pushing.

That’s where the Gozmilo FOCstrot V2 VESC Upgrade Kit comes in.

A VESC controller lets you:

• Get a much smoother, more Onewheel-like ride

• Fine-tune how the board responds (stiffness, tiltback, acceleration, etc.)

• Calibrate everything properly for your specific board and riding style

The kit cost me $350 USD, and by the time you factor in exchange to Canadian dollars and a bit of shipping, I’m into this build for roughly $650 CAD total. For a board with a solid battery, a powerful motor (around 1500W), and a VESC brain, that’s still very good value compared to a lot of ready-made boards or eeven entry level used OneWheels.

What Comes in the Gozmilo FOCstrot V2 Kit?

The kit is designed to be mostly plug-and-play for the T3:

• FOCstrot V2 VESC controller (pre-wired for this style of board)

• New front double sided sensor footpad

• Spacer plates that sits on top of the pad so you have a flat surface for the grip tape

• Grip tape sheets that go on top of that spacer plates

• New on/off power switch (latching type – stays in when on, pops out when off)

• LED light strip font and back

• Screws and hardware for mounting everything

The only thing that arrived a bit sketchy was the front LED strip – the wires had been pulled off in transit. I tried to solder them back on, but my soldering skills and cheap soldering iron didn’t do me any favors. I probably cooked it. I’ve asked Gozmilo to send a replacement strip so I can clean that part up properly.

The Install: Mostly Easy… Until I Broke the Software

Physically, the install isn’t that complicated – it’s more time-consuming than technically difficult:

1. Open up the board and remove the old controller.

2. Install the new VESC controller in its place.

3. Install the new power switch (the VESC requires a proper on/off latch, not a momentary switch).

4. Replace the LED strip (rear LED worked fine, front one will be swapped once I get the new strip).

5. Swap in the new foot sensor plate and top plate, then add the grip tape.

Where things got interesting (and frustrating) was on the software side.

The FOCstrot V2 controller is pretty new, and I ran into some firmware mismatches between the controller and the VESC Tool. The result: the motor detection and setup routine wouldn’t run properly. The system wasn’t recognizing the motor, so I couldn’t complete the normal calibration process.

While troubleshooting, I basically overwrote the original build that came preconfigured for this exact wheel. That meant I lost the nice, easy, “plug-and-play” setup that would’ve sped everything up.

To recover, I had to:

• Find a compatible VESC firmware build online

• Flash it to the FOCstrot V2

• Manually go through and re-configure all the important settings for the MagWheel T3

That meant motor setup, current limits, angle limits, and especially sensor and accelerometer calibration.

Dialing in the Ride – Calibration is Everything

At one point in the process, the board was technically working, but it felt awful:

• The nose adn rear would dive way to easilys

• The board felt mushy and loose

• My inputs didn’t translate cleanly into what the board was doing

I also had a couple of hard falls while testing bad settings, which is not something you want, especially once you’re over 50 and don’t bounce the way you used to.

The big turning point was getting the sensors and geometry properly calibrated:

• Leveling the board correctly

• Making sure the accelerometers knew which way was “up”

• Setting sensible tiltback and angle limits

• Tightening up the responsiveness so it didn’t “wash out” or nosedive under load

Once those pieces were dialed in, the board completely changed. It went from sketchy and unpredictable to smooth, stable, and confidence-inspiring.

Now it genuinely feels very close to a Onewheel in how it rides – maybe even snappier in some ways, and the best part is I can see and tweak everything in the VESC/reFloat app.

First Real Ride – How Does It Feel?

Once I got it all running properly, I took the T3 out for a proper test ride with my DJI Neo 2 drone tracking me.

A few ride impressions:

• Smooth power delivery – no jerky surges, no sudden weird dips

• Stiffer response – I’ve tuned it so the nose doesn’t drop much, even going up hills

• Confident carving – corners feel predictable instead of “will the nose randomly dive this time?”

• The board now feels like something I can trust, not just something I’m “managing”

I still ride within reasonable speeds. On one-wheel type devices, I’m happy in that 15–20 mph (25–30 km/h) zone at most. Once you start going much faster, any fall becomes a lot harder to run out. For me, especially at my age, it’s about fun and longevity, not trying to set land speed records.

Was the Upgrade Worth It?

Short answer: yes – for the right person.

If you:

• Want a smooth, Onewheel-like ride

• Don’t mind doing some tinkering and learning software

• Like the idea of fine-tuning your board instead of being locked into factory profiles

…then the Gozmilo FOCstrot V2 VESC upgrade is a really solid option.

If you want something you just unbox, charge, and ride with zero setup, a VESC build may not be for you. There is a learning curve, and if you mess up like I did and overwrite the original build, you’ll spend some time digging yourself out and learning as you go.

For me though, that learning was part of the value. I now understand:

• How a VESC one-wheel style board is set up

• How to calibrate sensors and geometry

• How to tweak settings to match my riding style and comfort level

So now I’ve got a $650 CAD VESC MagWheel T3 that rides great, feels safe, and didn’t cost anywhere near what a brand-new premium board would.

Will I keep it long-term? We’ll see. If it starts bucking me off again, maybe not. But right now, I feel very confident on it and I’m really happy with how it turned out.

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MagWheel T3 Range Test – Poor Man’s OneWheel GT with DJI Neo 2 Drone Follow

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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