Difference between revisions of "Tips for beginners"

Welcome to Onewheel.Wiki! We're glad you're here. Whether you are contemplating purchasing a Onewheel or you already own one, this site will give you all the information you need!

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Tips from Jeremy Gavin

1. Read the manual 2 times :)
2. Only power board on when on a level surface and make sure nothing is on the foot pad sensor. Many use the "push test" to ensure the board is on and ready. Once powered on, wait a few seconds, then push the wheel to ensure there is resistance. Good to go, otherwise turn off and back on.
3. Charging: to avoid an arc/pop when plugging in for charging, put charger in board first, then plug charger into the outlet. Reverse this process when board is fully charged.
4. Charge board: check battery voltages see picture one and two. Almost all batteries should be 3.64 one or 2 off no big deal. This doesn't happen often but if your board has been sitting on a shelf for months you may have this issue. Fix run battery as low as possible and put on charger for 24 hours. I plug mine in at the end of the day and leave it plugged in overnight doing this has kept my cells balanced.
5. Check tire pressure:20 psi is whats recommended if you're big boned like me you can go higher. I ride 20-22 some have gone higher some ride lower. The key thing is you want to make sure it's not super low like 12 psi.
6. Get your safety gear out: Don’t become a statistic; gear up. This is a completely new experience it is not a skateboard and it's not a snowboard. Do not assume that you can just grip it and rip it. At the very least wear a helmet.
7. Find a large wide open area: No cars, No people, Flat area, No mystery pot holes.... I recommend a soccer field. If your board goes more than 5 feet without you on it, contact Future Motion immediately. It is critical that the foot sensors are working correctly!!!
8. Bring a friend, follow the directions for dismount, heel lift will be tough in the beginning. Use your friend to help with your balance as you heel lift, wait for the motor to click off. Safety note: never take your front foot off first ever!!!! If heel lift does not work jump off. IF you need to jump off for dismount; come to a complete stop, load your legs, and jump off. When done correctly the board will not flip over on its side, it may move 1 or 2 feet due to the fact you're jamming the sensor with weight.
9. There are 2 different camps on which ride mode to start in: It’s been beaten to death but regardless of which one you start in ride slow try to get a feel of how fast your going when leaning forward lean with your foot not your whole body weight. The more you can keep your weight back you will limit the risk of nose dive, but the more time you spend the better you will get, but also keep in mind the board can feel very stable and then you can lose control.... You have all the time in the world to go FAST. Take your time.....
10. Always remember OneWheel is amazing technology, but at the end of the day it is only One wheel! Accelerating too fast and uphill is the highest risk of Nose Dive. Let the board gain speed, this is not a Ferrari it's more of an rx-7 or s2000 it's all about the curves baby.
11. I probably forgot something but start with that....
12. Make sure to check out the different Onewheel Communities! Welcome to the family!

The Dismount

One of the trickiest things you'll learn to do when starting to Onewheel is the dismount. Just like a bike, your board will be hardest to balance on the slower you go, and you need to be at pretty much a full stop to dismount. You may need to hop off in the early days, but it's best to learn how to do Future Motion's suggested method by lifting your heel to disengage the motor. Remember two key things:

1) REALLY lift that heel up to make sure your foot clears the center part of the sensor, or the middle line on the Plus. If you're still covering any part of that half with your foot, the motor will stay on.

2) As you lift your front foot's heel up, experiment with pressing down your back foot's heel a bit. Coordinating a press of the back heel with lifting your front heel can neutralize the shifting weight and make you less likely to wobble and fall off.

TIP: It may be helpful to lift the forward heel by simply bending the forward knee while at a stop. To understand, try standing on flat ground with both knees slightly bent as though you were standing on the board, then bend the front knee by itself (keeping the rear knee in the same position) and the front heel should naturally lift from the ground and move weight onto the ball of the forward foot. This should also naturally transfer some weight onto the heel of the rear foot to counteract the transfer of weight onto the ball of the front foot (as described in "2").

Here is a great video tutorial by Chris Richardson demonstrating the various dismount techniques and explaining some of the common pitfalls: https://youtu.be/R3z1KvJLXPQ

Pushback in the Riding Modes (By: Onedemonium)

Both the Onewheel and Onewheel Plus offer different riding modes to choose from. While the differences in ride characteristics are endlessly debatable, the primary function of the different modes is to help the rider limit top speed. However, it's important to remember that, regardless of the mode, it is still possible to exceed the top speed of the mode that is chosen. In each mode the Onewheel will attempt to warn the rider that they are approaching the top speed in the chosen mode with tactile pushback by elevating the nose.

Original Onewheel Modes

Classic - Max Velocity 12mph:

Pushback in Classic mode generally begins between 8-10mph depending on rider weight, tire pressure, grade, battery level, etc. The pushback is pronounced and unrelenting as it is trying to prevent the rider from exceeding the 12mph speed limit of Classic mode. Riders who are unfamiliar with pushback and lacking balance skills may start to experience what feel like speed wobbles relatively quickly in Classic mode. If the rider wishes to ride faster than the 12mph Classic limit, then they should switch to Extreme or Elevated modes.

Extreme - Max Velocity 15mph:

Pushback in Extreme mode generally begins between 12-13mph depending on rider weight, tire pressure, grade, battery level, etc. The pushback is less pronounced than in Classic mode and will allow the rider to press beyond the 15mph speed limit, and then will somewhat lessen allowing the rider to attain speeds beyond 25mph. It's important to remember that beyond the 15mph speed limit the rider becomes more and more responsible for maintaining their own balance as velocity increases, therefore, rider balance skills are essential to avoid sudden nosedives at speeds beyond the onset of pushback.

Elevated - Max Velocity 15mph:

Pushback in Elevated mode generally begins between 12-13mph depending on rider weight, tire pressure, grade, battery level, etc. The pushback is less pronounced than in Classic mode and will allow the rider to press beyond the 15mph speed limit. However, the pushback in Elevated mode when combined with the already elevated nose can result in the tail dragging when traveling on flat ground at higher speeds. In this situation it can feel impossible to slow down as the tail is already dragging and no longer allows the rider to shift weight further backward to brake normally; the rider must carefully remove pressure from the nose and allow the board to slow naturally; as the board slows, pushback will lessen and the board will level. Also important to note is that, because the nose is already elevated in Elevated mode to assist in climbing steep grades, riders may not feel the pushback at all when climbing, so it is important that they already possess the ability to correctly assess their velocity. It's also important to remember that beyond the 15mph speed limit the rider becomes more and more responsible for maintaining their own balance as their velocity increases, therefore, rider balance skills are essential to avoid sudden nosedives at speeds beyond the onset of pushback.

Onewheel+ Modes

Sequoia - Max Velocity 12mph:

Pushback in Sequoia mode generally begins between 8-10mph depending on rider weight, tire pressure, grade, battery level, etc. The pushback is pronounced and unrelenting as it attempts to prevent the rider from exceeding the 12mph speed limit of Sequoia mode. Riders who are unfamiliar with pushback and lacking balance skills may start to experience what feel like speed wobbles, or worse, the tail continuing to drop while they accelerate. The simultaneous acceleration and tail drop are most likely due to an inexperienced rider's natural instinct to fight against the dramatic pushback and level the board by pressing on the nose. The rider fighting the elevated nose causes the board to pushback harder to prevent the rider from going beyond the mode's maximum speed. This results in a feedback loop of acceleration and continuing tail drop which can feel uncontrollable. The only solution is to relax, gradually reduce pressure on the nose and shift weight to the tail; the board will then start to level and slow, but it takes time and room to ride it out. It's important to realize that, due to the powerful OW+ motor, sudden accelerations off the back of bumps or from shifts in rider weight can quickly accelerate the board into this dramatic pushback at the lowered speeds of Sequoia mode. Therefore, it's essential that if the rider wishes to ride faster than or near the 12mph Sequoia limit, they should switch to Cruz or Mission mode.

Cruz - Max Velocity 15mph:

Pushback in Cruz mode generally begins between 12-13mph depending on rider weight, tire pressure, grade, battery level, etc. The pushback is pronounced and unrelenting as it attempts to prevent the rider from exceeding the 15mph speed limit of Cruz mode. Riders who are unfamiliar with pushback and lacking balance skills may start to experience what feel like speed wobbles, or worse, the tail continuing to drop while they accelerate. The simultaneous acceleration and tail drop are most likely due to an inexperienced rider's natural instinct to fight against the dramatic pushback and level the board by pressing on the nose. The rider fighting the elevated nose causes the board to pushback harder to prevent the rider from going beyond the mode's maximum speed. This results in a feedback loop of acceleration and continuing tail drop which can feel uncontrollable. The only solution is to relax, gradually reduce pressure on the nose and shift weight to the tail; the board will then start to level and slow, but it takes time and room to ride it out. It's important to realize that, due to the powerful OW+ motor, sudden accelerations off the back of bumps or from shifts in rider weight can quickly accelerate the board into this dramatic pushback at the lowered speeds of Cruz mode. Therefore, it's essential that if the rider wishes to ride faster than or near the 15mph Cruz limit, then they should switch to Mission mode.

Mission - Max Velocity 19mph:

Pushback in Mission mode generally begins between 15-17mph depending on rider weight, tire pressure, grade, battery level, etc. The pushback is less pronounced than in Sequoia and Cruz modes and will allow the rider to press beyond the 15mph speed limit, and then will lessen allowing the rider to attain speeds beyond 25mph. It's important to remember that beyond the 15mph speed limit the rider becomes more and more responsible for maintaining their balance as velocity increases; therefore rider balance skills are essential to avoid sudden nosedives at speeds beyond the onset of pushback.

Delirium - Max Velocity 20mph:

Delirium mode is still the big question mark. Just Released. Details coming soon.

Elevated - Max Velocity 19 mph:

Elevated mode on the Plus has just been released. Details coming soon.

* For more information about pushback and how to avoid nosedives, look here: Riding_technique

Mods