Onewheel First time riding guide and travel log

In an attempt to provide new riders and potential purchasers information on riding the Onewheel+, I have divided this article into two sections with different types of information detailing the same thing: how it feels to ride a onewheel. The first section is a list of tips that I have accumulated from researching, riding, and by reading the onewheel manual. The second section is a detailed account of my experience and what I learned after riding for a set amount of distance. My experience will differ from others but I hope these two distinct sets of information will help people understand how the board will feel like to ride without have the experience of riding it.

Tips

Tips for before you get on the board:

Wear protection, at least head and hand/wrist protection

Wear flat shoes

Set board down so sensor pads are up (natural rest state of the board)

Start off near a wall and get onto the board and bring it to level slowly

First-timer tips:

Keep both feet flat at all times. Never lift feet to reposition or anything. If you step off with the wrong foot you will be thrown off

The easiest way to get off is jump off with both feet at the same time

look where u want to go. Dont look down or some other direction you dont want to go

Lets try that again tips:

Make small movements and weight shifts

It helps to keep legs stiff at first to get used to the board

Try using your shoulders to shift weight to accelerate board (this will come in handy when going up your first hill)

Take it slow but keep moving. You get the best balance while moving like on a bicycle.

I like this tips:

Believe me, the board is very reliable and trustworthy

Work on bending your knees and loosen your legs

Let your lower body take the bumbs and shocks

Board naturally wants to carve so let it

Dont fight the wobbles and slow down when it happens. Try not to stiffen when it happens.

Onewheel riding log:

First few km:

Found it way easier to ride than expected. Dismounting is nerve-racking since jumping off with both feet easiest way to get off the board. It is always a successful way to dismount. That one time you try to step off with one foot you are doing a hard split.

I found the most comfortable riding position is to have my feet planted in the middle of the pads. At first I have been riding with stiff legs but now Im trying to bend my knees more.

Im experiencing wobbles. One wobble topled my board but I was able to jump off in time. Im bending my knees but its still scary. Max speed is 10 km/h.

10km

Iv been more comfortable in my stance and moving more on the board. I feel less afraid and lose and as a result less wobble.

I found jumping off the easiest and less stressful way to get off, but as a result my board tips over and gets scatched. For a new board its quite beat up.

20km

My legs are more lose and im not afraid when the onewheel tilts and my ankles tilt with it. I just let it happen.

I found my lower body (hips, ankles, legs, knees) taking all the wobbles and bumbs making for a pleasing ride.

Im carving a little harder but my speed still hasn't passed 15km/hr.

I found if my toe is too far off the pad I have less control especially when trying to turn heel side.

30km

Moved to cruise digital shaping mode.

My legs are very lose and the board and I can ride a full charge with small breaks. Im still trying to carve harder.

I finally understand the kickbacks. Trying to go up a hill that was too steep a final kickpack before the nose planted. Luckily, I was motionless so I was not thrown off the board. Got another kickback because of an overcharge. If I didnt have the app I would have never guessed that.

40km

Letting my legs take even more vibrations is creating a smooth ride. I try to carve as much as possible, I found this to help reduce wobble and shakes even more.

I let 6 other people try the board and with simply saying “look where you want to go” they were able to command the board to go exactly where they wanted. 2 of them asked me in excitement “how did it know I wanted to do that?”. All of them, even people who did not try the board, thought it looked hard, but It wasn't untill they got on the board that they realized they didn't have to balance on the board.

50km

Dont fight the wobbles. Its incredible how much faith I have in this device that only has one wheel.

I get many kickbacks when going up hills. I just dont know the limit of the board and maybe I never will because knowing the limit would involve the nose planting and me getting thrown off. I dont want to be thrown off at 20 km/h.

Finally made it over 20km/h after hovering at 18km/h. The nose picked up after 20km/h. I dont know what that was about but im assuming it meant you are going too fast down this hill and that i should slow down.

60km

Flat shoes make a big difference. Much easier to turn the board with flat shoes and my feet feel more planted on the board.

My feet are very lose and im carving hard. I think my stiff feet before was what was giving me all that leg fatigue. I can now ride down to %30 without stopping.  

The pint was annouced and I would love Future Motion to introduce the new way to get off the board. Im still jumping off. 

75km

Hit the “speed limit” on the cruz shaping mode. Only allows me to hit 20 km/h and then the nose tips up and I slow down. Might be ready to move up to a new shaping mode as im very comfortable on the board.

Took the board on a long ride to see how far I can push the battery. I was pleased that I could make it to the local market in the next town but not much farther. This is where I see the XR being a better product. The + could greatly benefit in the extra range and %10 increase in battery and truly make it a practical rideable instead of a toy.

Was riding and checking the app when I hit a bump in the road that sent me into a death wobble. I needed to use me whole body to absorb the wobble. I imagine myself looking like Danny Devito walking around as the Penguin in the old Batman movies. I still dont know how I wasn't ejected off the board at 20 km/hr.

100km

Switched to ‘mission’  digital shaping mode because it was suggested by my friends in the onewheel subreddit. What a difference! First off, the board turns so much easier. It feels so much more natural to ride. I dont feel like im fighting the board to turn. The board is so much looser under my feet. With a simple flick of my back foot I can turn the board with ease.

I just feel like I have more control. On this one turn where the road angles my board always used to turn left, but in ‘mission’ I can maintian a straight vector with the board. Turns feel so much more natrual in this mode.

I think foot fatigue will be less than in ‘cruz’. I also feel like this will help prevent death wobbles because me and the board will be fighting against them less, but that just entirely speculations.

Kickbacks are less frequent and less agressive. I was definitly hitting the limits on the ‘cruz’ riding mode and the board would agressively let me know that.

This new mode brings the joy, and a little bit of fear, back of when I first started riding the onwheel. I can feel that the board is a little faster, and maybe because the kickbacks are less aggressive, more power. I look foraward to riding more in ‘mission’.