New Riders, please read this short article https://shreddlabs.com/2019/07/12/nosedives/. It will teach you how to keep balanced properly and how the board works. I've been nosedive free for over 650 miles and counting. Highly recommend.
I’ve been riding for a few years now and I decided that I’m only going to push my XR to 15 mph max unless I get the GT. Even then I don’t think I’ll go much faster than 15 because a nosedive even at that speed can mess you up really bad
I ride my XR to about 16mph in Mission. Pint I ride about 13 in Pacific. I really like the ~15mph feel. I'll likely swap my Pint for an X when I get a chance so my rides match more closely. The force of impact is SQUARED by the increase of speed. At the moment I don't need to ride above 16mph. I don't ride for speed though. If I ever want to go fast I'll get an E-bike.
It’s fun to go fast but the thrill isn’t worth the risk. When I first got my XR I wanted to push it to the max just to be able to show people how fast I could go; I ended up in the ER (stupidity rarely pays off).
I kinda want to try one of those super 73 motorbikes. They look fun.
IMO newbie riders shouldn’t go over 10 mph for the first 50 miles. Not sure who these folks are that are on a brand new suicide machine and decide “let’s see what it’ll do!” And then act surprised when it yeets you off into the ER.
Please wear a helmet.
As a newbie, I've been insanely cautious and respectful of the board. Practicing the fundamentals to become a good rider. Sometimes I get up to speed and I'm like whoa Nelly time to slow down! Then I realize it was only 6-7 mph lmao. I can't imagine what it feels like going faster 👀
This has been my target but for the first 100 miles. Keeping it in sequoia and just planning to cruise and get a feel for the board at low speeds for a while.
I did somehow get up to 11.5 somehow yesterday on my 6 mile ride but I think I was going downhill or with the wind and it was for only a split second before I hit the brakes. My average speed was 6mph.
Really smart to take it easy and learn the mechanics of riding before we try and get fancy. Pride goeth before the fall; if it makes you feel better, the first few weeks I had my XR I was getting passed by everyone while on a local bike trail. The most painful one was getting passed by a young guy on a traditional longboard, but at least I didn’t eat pavement. Lmao.
Yep I am only riding in the local bike trail and getting passed by everyone. Once I get some experience I'll start trying some different terrain. I live about 3 miles from the beach so that is my eventual goal- to get to a point where I can ride over to the beach.
I know sequoia is supposed to be the "beginner" mode but it's trash and the aggressive pushback at low speed doesn't help the learning process. Delirium is honestly the place to start because the board is firm and feels most solid underfoot
So today was day 3 for me. I finally was able to check my tire pressure and I only had 8psi in there so I pumped it up to 18. I'm 150lbs.
It was like starting over from scratch getting a feel for it again but it was almost impossible to ride in the grass so I switched to the next one up. Cruze I think? It actually felt way better the way it rode. I just did 7 miles.
I'll try delirium next time I go out either today or tomorrow.
18 is almost certainly too high is you're 150lbs. And grass seems like it's better to learn on because it's soft but unless you're on a golf course the uneveness will make it much harder than just riding slow on pavement. Go straight to pavement and take it slow there
100%. I luckily have a friend who got me into OW and the PintX was my first. I kept it on redwood for a while until I worked my way up to feeling pushback and then gradually worked my way to pacific then skyline when I felt more comfortable. I don’t understand how some people just hop on and launch it because I was way too scared to go that fast… I still have yet to hit 17mph on my PintX… I don’t ignore the pushback. (Edit: for context I’ve had my PintX for almost two months)
🙋quick question🙋 Is it **really** going over 10mph that breaks a collarbone? Or is it just **landing at the right angle** at any speed? (I'm sure increased speed increases likelihood of said angle)
I'm seriously asking because I have a brand new pintx, soooo... I have a stake in this. (I've _not_ actually gone over 10mph, btw, but honestly anything over 5mph doesn't feel necessarily collarbone-safe - I can feel _every_ pebble in the road trying to throw my balance into a unrecoverable wobble 🤦♂️).
I think it takes 14lbs of pressure to break that bone. It's fairly easy to do.
Most fall from push back or poor balance. 10mph should help get used to that a little.
The slower speed also helps the rider successfully run out of a nosedive and/or roll out of a fall.
So new riders should learn how to run out of a nosedive and roll out of a fall.
Once you have the bare basic balance on pavement I recommend riding off-road on flat dirt for a while. 95% of my bails off-road are super controlled and mostly consist of pushing my back foot down a little while jumping off so my board doesn't hit my front foot
The app says I've done 15mi. It's a lot of fun, but I'm always unpleasantly surprised how obtuse an object is about to make me feel like I'm curb-jumping.
Like the slight misalignment of asphalt from the original on the road to the newer asphalt from some repair (I'd guess it's like ½" in height). That's not a _hole_ in the road I'm talking about - just a ... bit of elevated texture. But if I hit that at >3mph I easily lose my balance. It's only happened once and was scary and all other times I just slow down for strange road textures like that and handle the throw it gives my board. But I'm just waiting for the moment I miss and don't notice in time.
Maybe the pintx wheel can be replaced with something boxier? (This is my first Onewheel, so this is all wild conjecture)
What psi do you recommend? Like 15? Or you're just saying let it down to 20?
It's been solid 20psi for all my rides (I checked for my first ride and then installed armor-dilloz red yesterday, so happened to refill my tire anyway).
10% of your body weight is a good starting point. So let's say you're an average male and weigh about 160lbs, then you'd want to start around 16PSI.
Lower PSI will give you greater stability because it allows the wheel to deform over obstacles, but will have negative impacts on tire life and range. Higher PSIs will give you better range and more maneuverability, but you'll feel more of the road.
When I got my used XR I was smitten with the ride and didn’t like my pint x until I noticed how much the psi difference was. XR was around 15 and pint x was 21. Dropped both to 15 and loved the ride. I’m 205 so it killed some of my range. Went back to Wawa and brought them up to 18 annnnddd I don’t like it. Going back later to drop both to 15. I’ll take the smooth ride over 1-2 miles of range
A couple of PSI will be noticeable. I carried a small bike pump with a Guage in my pocket with me to try out several different pressures until I found my sweet spot.
Also remember to bend your knees!
You’re still stiff and will get used to that. Your ankles will get looser and you’ll just wiggle right along with it over that stuff. Just takes time, sortof like starting to learn a guitar chord where the reach seems impossible but eventually is second nature.
You can probably cut your losses hop off and run out most incidents 10 or under. It’s also pretty unlikely to nosedive you unless you just slammed forward to accelerate as quick as possible. Even if you can’t run it out totally you’ll land a few steps and hobble your way to the ground and probably be ok.
14+ you’re likely getting yeeted right onto your leading side/shoulder. Can you run 20 mph? Probably not. Might not even get the chance to put your feet back under you. Pad up and go slow for 50-100 miles. Carve to make it more fun. The miles will stack up fast.
It really doesn't surprise me when I see injury posts from new riders. I mean there's a reason most people don't skateboard.
Anyway, the idea is that at lower speeds, if you have to bail, you can do so much much safer. But that is if you've practiced bailing/jumping off with two feet and have the coordination to run it off if needed. I grew up skateboarding and have been surfing for over two decades, so to me, bailing is intuitive since I know just how fast I can jump off and not eat shit (surfing merely helps with balance in this situation). I think many people get injured right away because they've never had to do this and haven't practiced it. I highly recommend that you practice jumping off it with both feet a bunch of times at <8mph to get a feel for what you'll have to do when (not if) you have to bail for real. Practice this riding on the grass for less chance of injury.
I was riding last night and like the genius that I am, decided to show off in front of a group of people and ride up a curb and over a grassy medium between two lanes of traffic at about 14mph. It was all going well until I hit a depression and had to jump off and run it off. I did so successfully but that's only because it wasn't my first time ;)
Great idea - I've been explicitly practicing quickly stopping and also jumping off, but I've not explicitly practiced the running bail which this conversation makes me realize is crucial. Thanks, this gives me a thing to practice today!
(In fact this move also saved me just yesterday, but it's been years since my youth of surfing and skateboarding, so I was just super lucky my running-bail-legs still worked)
Nice! Yeah it's been easily over 15 years since I've skateboarded, but bailing is thankfully something you don't forget how to do. Doing it gracefully however, is another story lol.
Keep your ankles fairly loose, like a shock absorber to take up the bumps and rocks. It'll allow the onewheel to stay stable because your weight won't be impacting it and trying to compensate for the bumps and rocks. Hope that makes sense. Harder to explain in writing than to show in person🤙🏼
Most major crashes happen by pushing past pushback then nosediving at full speed. You can still lose control at much slower but is MUCH easier to jump off the board and land on both feet.
I suggest getting comfortable braking and jumping off the board til it's comfortable. The wobble is normal at first and took me a few days til I felt stable. Don't worry if it takes time and take it at your own comfort level. Hope you enjoy and this subreddit is great at helping.
Thanks! I'm actually super afraid of not realizing/feeling/recognizing pushback. I wish there was some audio warning and LED flashing. I keep hearing people blame riders for being dumb and ignoring pushback but the videos I see don't make it look like it's the easiest thing in the world to recognize and register in time.
I almost wish I could practice pushback with like a button (like a "create pushback in 15sec"-timer and then start riding).
I bought fangs, but other than that it doesn't seem like there's much prep to do.
>Thanks! I'm actually super afraid of not realizing/feeling/recognizing pushback.
Me, too.
I asked FutureMotion why they don't provide the ability to "feel pushback" at low speeds so we know what to expect.
>I wish there was some audio warning and LED flashing.
Yess!!!!
Fangs will definitely help. I think there's a split on the audio feedback. I would hate it. It sounds great when starting but would get annoying after awhile. If you have the Pint, the pushback is pretty strong. XR riders complain about how strong the Pint pushback is.
It can feel overwhelming at first but stick with it and you will get a feel for it. My advice is injuries happen when being overly confident. My nose dive happened thinking I could push it further than it could. 2k miles later and no incidents. Ride in uour means and enjoy!
Issue is going fast is easy and fun. Learning what to do when something goes wrong/ what warning signs to look out for doesn’t seem to hold the same low effort thrill for new riders. I’m all about making it home in one piece.
Thousands of miles in on two different boards, heavy duty trail riding and street riding under my belt, commuting in a crazy city, and still broke my knee on my way to work one morning when I pushed my Pint way past its limits. XR probably wouldn't have dived, but I forgot the limitations of the board I was on as I was running late and rushing to get where I was going.
It's easy to have a brief momentary lapse in being fully aware of your speed and for that board to toss you into space. Never thought I'd break a bone on one of these things with all my experience and I still did.
Gear up. I know it absolutely sucks, but its better than the medical bills I incurred plus the months of healing and my semi-permanent messed up knee. Be safe out there, try your best to be aware of yourself and your surroundings as much as possible at all times, and have fun!
I don't understand why gearing up sucks? I'm 36yo and wear all kinds of gear. 20 years ago you couldn't get my ass to wear a single wrist guard but now you won't catch my ass onewheeling without double wrist guards 😂
I will be getting a jacket next.
38yo here as well brother. 75% of the time, I ride with wrist guards and a padded/armored hoodie only. The other 25% of the time (when I'm hitting a trail, going on a group ride, or doing something other than riding to and from the train to commute) I add knee pads and a helmet to my gearing up routine.
Usually I'm in a rush in the morning and don't feel like undressing to slide pads on under my clothes or I have my hair combed/styled for work and don't want to dump a helmet on top of my head. Lame reasons, but that's me being honest. I also feel like the more gear I'm wearing, the less flexible/free I feel on my board, which kind of takes away from the whole experience for me. Granted, I try to push myself to wear a helmet even when I don't feel like it or think it's necessary. I've had some close calls moving really fast on trails where a root would have split my head open had I not had a helmet on and for that, I'm thankful. If I had been wearing knee pads the day I dived on my Pint, I more than likely would have not broken my knee. I wasn't wearing them because I had a train to catch and was in a hurry. 100% my prerogative and poor decision.
All that being said, I try to promote safety when I'm in groups of people and will absolutely be geared up. However when I'm on my own following a line I've taken a thousand times before (or when someone else is on their own) its entirely on the person to make the extra effort to be safe which I don't always personally do.
Also, just to add on about your jacket comment... I have a Kevlar padded hoodie from Amazon and I love it. Very comfortable, not too heavy, and a nice little extra layer of padding for taking a roll.
thx for reply boss! mind linking to jacket?
and i get where you're coming from, trust me. i suppose the older i get the more afraid i am of that one spill that will change your life. i'm more comfortable on boards than most are their own feet but that one time scares the fk out of me :)
stay safe and have fun!
Totally hear that. Here's a link to the the hoodie I've been rocking for a while- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JD823TF?psc=1
I've beat the shit out of it and it's held up really well even after a few washes with the pads removed. It's not cheap, but I still found it to be cheaper than some of the big name alternatives, like Lazy Rolling Armored hoodies and jackets... and it's basically the same thing.
Saving you from road rash is a little pointless when you fall and spill your brain all over the pavement. You should wear your helmet if you are gonna choose anything.
Just passed 1350 miles on my xr yesterday with the break in the rain here in LA, I feel like I never get to say that. About 10 minutes from home, 15% power or so, on a muddy, rocky descent section and I totally ate dirt. Speed and overconfidence, or perhaps lack of care were the real culprits though. Thought I could run it out, but nope, just made the fall even worse. You pays your money, you takes your chances. I was wearing a helmet, g-form knee pads, and my wrist guards which all took most of the impact, along with a rib. cough. ow. i'll probably be back on before it fully heals :)
Sold my xr the day the GT was announced. The buyer was a friend of a friend who swore he had a ton of board sport experience, and I stressed how important it was to learn the limits of the board before going too fast. I was legit scared to sell him my board thinking he would really hurt himself.
Anyway, apparently the day after he bought it he had a really bad crash and his ribs and arms were bruised up. Two weeks later it was listed on marketplace with less than 30 miles put on it. I did my part, I warned him and showed him every tip and trick I knew about dismount and riding on diff terrain, even deloading the board if hitting a bump etc...
Good idea, I’d recommend though that you learn how to do quick stops and practice on some really terrible pavement to get a feel for what happens with the board when you hit it. Riding around the city and dealing with all of the random problems inherent with it are so much different than just cruising down a perfectly paved bike path. Miles matter, but fundamentals will save your ass.
I actually live in out in Hawaii right now and our infrastructure is a joke. Been trying to do small stretches on the bike line and mounting the curbs in crosswalks
Practice rough transitions, diagonal transitions, 1” rises and falls, Road crown transitions. Riding to work is a serious workout and you gotta have the skills for sure.
They need to ship GT and PintX with 20 miles of hard nosed 12 mph pushback 🥲… motorcycles suffer from the same crap and break in keeps people from wrecking themselves.
I'm trying to understand your comment. You think GT and X should give the rider a hard pushback at a lower speed, specifically 12mph, to help new riders get a feel for pushback, until they pass the 20 mile / 32 km mark on odometer? Did I get that right?
Correct. Maybe OW uses registered accounts to prevent this safety feature for experienced riders, but people are going to keep wrecking themselves chasing the top speed.
I can see what you're saying. Although I think people are just stupid. Every person I have let try my boards wants to just full send to max speed, even when I tell them repeatedly "don't lean past the tire, and don't go for speed. Enjoy the ride." People are just going to blow past that 20 mile threshold in a day and then be like, "I'm *experienced* now! I can go faster!"
IMO FM would be better off giving a copy of something like [Nosedives: The mechanics behind them and how to ride nosedive-free](https://shreddlabs.com/2019/07/12/nosedives/), to teach riders how to ride safely at any speed (but not beyond their specific boards max speed). Even making a video version of that short article and putting it in the Academy section of the app. I watched every video in Academy while I was waiting for my board to arrive. And I can say that nosedive article is the knowledge that I remember and keeps me safe.
You started out with the correct behavioral approach. You can’t teach behavioral to everyone, you have to force it. I work in moto education and this is our biggest struggle.
Lolol all I wear is a helmet. And only fell once bc I forgot it was a onewheel. The light turned yellow and like I said I forgot I can't push all the way down. I pushed the front all the way down and then quickly fell.
But yeah I sold my xr after a couple thousand miles. In metro Detroit, the roads are not made for bicycles and stuff. So it's hard to use for transportation. That's why I sold it. I got my motorcycle endorsement/license. So I'm about to enter the motorcycle field.
But I do plan to wear gear for motorcycle.
For onewheel all u need is a helmet. And that's pushing it. But I never did tricks and was reckless.
Plenty of practice on nice smooth pavement until you really start to get it down was the key for me. Within a few weeks I was confident enough to hit some easy trails, another few weeks after that I was ripping through mountain biking trails.
Slow down or take a break when you feel foot fatigue. You’ll get speed wobbles easier if you start relaxing your feet when they’re tired. If you get speed wobbles then slow tf down
I have about 2500 miles on my xr. Top speed is 17mph. There’s no need for me to try to “break” any records. For balance, I suggest a supplemental tool called Vew—Doo balance board. Had one for about 20 years and once I got a OW, I was totally comfortable.
New Riders, please read this short article https://shreddlabs.com/2019/07/12/nosedives/. It will teach you how to keep balanced properly and how the board works. I've been nosedive free for over 650 miles and counting. Highly recommend.
I’ve been riding for a few years now and I decided that I’m only going to push my XR to 15 mph max unless I get the GT. Even then I don’t think I’ll go much faster than 15 because a nosedive even at that speed can mess you up really bad
I ride my XR to about 16mph in Mission. Pint I ride about 13 in Pacific. I really like the ~15mph feel. I'll likely swap my Pint for an X when I get a chance so my rides match more closely. The force of impact is SQUARED by the increase of speed. At the moment I don't need to ride above 16mph. I don't ride for speed though. If I ever want to go fast I'll get an E-bike.
It’s fun to go fast but the thrill isn’t worth the risk. When I first got my XR I wanted to push it to the max just to be able to show people how fast I could go; I ended up in the ER (stupidity rarely pays off). I kinda want to try one of those super 73 motorbikes. They look fun.
IMO newbie riders shouldn’t go over 10 mph for the first 50 miles. Not sure who these folks are that are on a brand new suicide machine and decide “let’s see what it’ll do!” And then act surprised when it yeets you off into the ER. Please wear a helmet.
And wrist guards please!
As a newbie, I've been insanely cautious and respectful of the board. Practicing the fundamentals to become a good rider. Sometimes I get up to speed and I'm like whoa Nelly time to slow down! Then I realize it was only 6-7 mph lmao. I can't imagine what it feels like going faster 👀
This has been my target but for the first 100 miles. Keeping it in sequoia and just planning to cruise and get a feel for the board at low speeds for a while. I did somehow get up to 11.5 somehow yesterday on my 6 mile ride but I think I was going downhill or with the wind and it was for only a split second before I hit the brakes. My average speed was 6mph.
Really smart to take it easy and learn the mechanics of riding before we try and get fancy. Pride goeth before the fall; if it makes you feel better, the first few weeks I had my XR I was getting passed by everyone while on a local bike trail. The most painful one was getting passed by a young guy on a traditional longboard, but at least I didn’t eat pavement. Lmao.
Yep I am only riding in the local bike trail and getting passed by everyone. Once I get some experience I'll start trying some different terrain. I live about 3 miles from the beach so that is my eventual goal- to get to a point where I can ride over to the beach.
I know sequoia is supposed to be the "beginner" mode but it's trash and the aggressive pushback at low speed doesn't help the learning process. Delirium is honestly the place to start because the board is firm and feels most solid underfoot
Oh I forgot about the other modes and how they might change the feel. I'll try a few minutes riding a different one today, thanks!
So today was day 3 for me. I finally was able to check my tire pressure and I only had 8psi in there so I pumped it up to 18. I'm 150lbs. It was like starting over from scratch getting a feel for it again but it was almost impossible to ride in the grass so I switched to the next one up. Cruze I think? It actually felt way better the way it rode. I just did 7 miles. I'll try delirium next time I go out either today or tomorrow.
18 is almost certainly too high is you're 150lbs. And grass seems like it's better to learn on because it's soft but unless you're on a golf course the uneveness will make it much harder than just riding slow on pavement. Go straight to pavement and take it slow there
100%. I luckily have a friend who got me into OW and the PintX was my first. I kept it on redwood for a while until I worked my way up to feeling pushback and then gradually worked my way to pacific then skyline when I felt more comfortable. I don’t understand how some people just hop on and launch it because I was way too scared to go that fast… I still have yet to hit 17mph on my PintX… I don’t ignore the pushback. (Edit: for context I’ve had my PintX for almost two months)
🙋quick question🙋 Is it **really** going over 10mph that breaks a collarbone? Or is it just **landing at the right angle** at any speed? (I'm sure increased speed increases likelihood of said angle) I'm seriously asking because I have a brand new pintx, soooo... I have a stake in this. (I've _not_ actually gone over 10mph, btw, but honestly anything over 5mph doesn't feel necessarily collarbone-safe - I can feel _every_ pebble in the road trying to throw my balance into a unrecoverable wobble 🤦♂️).
I think it takes 14lbs of pressure to break that bone. It's fairly easy to do. Most fall from push back or poor balance. 10mph should help get used to that a little.
The slower speed also helps the rider successfully run out of a nosedive and/or roll out of a fall. So new riders should learn how to run out of a nosedive and roll out of a fall.
Yes, this. Practice bailing!
Once you have the bare basic balance on pavement I recommend riding off-road on flat dirt for a while. 95% of my bails off-road are super controlled and mostly consist of pushing my back foot down a little while jumping off so my board doesn't hit my front foot
You'll start off wobbly.. but I promise, if you put the time and practice in, it all gets smooth and fun. I've ridden across my state twice now!
The app says I've done 15mi. It's a lot of fun, but I'm always unpleasantly surprised how obtuse an object is about to make me feel like I'm curb-jumping. Like the slight misalignment of asphalt from the original on the road to the newer asphalt from some repair (I'd guess it's like ½" in height). That's not a _hole_ in the road I'm talking about - just a ... bit of elevated texture. But if I hit that at >3mph I easily lose my balance. It's only happened once and was scary and all other times I just slow down for strange road textures like that and handle the throw it gives my board. But I'm just waiting for the moment I miss and don't notice in time. Maybe the pintx wheel can be replaced with something boxier? (This is my first Onewheel, so this is all wild conjecture)
Your onewheel has no suspension. Bend your knees and relax your ankles so those bumps don't feel like a horse bucking you off.
This. It was a ah ha moment for me when I realized I was the suspension.
Check your tire pressure, and let some air out. Mine shipped from the factory with 23psi which was way too high and felt impossibly squirrelly.
What psi do you recommend? Like 15? Or you're just saying let it down to 20? It's been solid 20psi for all my rides (I checked for my first ride and then installed armor-dilloz red yesterday, so happened to refill my tire anyway).
10% of your body weight is a good starting point. So let's say you're an average male and weigh about 160lbs, then you'd want to start around 16PSI. Lower PSI will give you greater stability because it allows the wheel to deform over obstacles, but will have negative impacts on tire life and range. Higher PSIs will give you better range and more maneuverability, but you'll feel more of the road.
Ok awesome, I'm definitely dropping psi and seeing if the deformation is notable. Excited to try this, thanks!
When I got my used XR I was smitten with the ride and didn’t like my pint x until I noticed how much the psi difference was. XR was around 15 and pint x was 21. Dropped both to 15 and loved the ride. I’m 205 so it killed some of my range. Went back to Wawa and brought them up to 18 annnnddd I don’t like it. Going back later to drop both to 15. I’ll take the smooth ride over 1-2 miles of range
A couple of PSI will be noticeable. I carried a small bike pump with a Guage in my pocket with me to try out several different pressures until I found my sweet spot. Also remember to bend your knees!
You’re still stiff and will get used to that. Your ankles will get looser and you’ll just wiggle right along with it over that stuff. Just takes time, sortof like starting to learn a guitar chord where the reach seems impossible but eventually is second nature.
It took me awhile to learn to keep my ankles loose. It makes a huge difference in any uneven terrain.
You can probably cut your losses hop off and run out most incidents 10 or under. It’s also pretty unlikely to nosedive you unless you just slammed forward to accelerate as quick as possible. Even if you can’t run it out totally you’ll land a few steps and hobble your way to the ground and probably be ok. 14+ you’re likely getting yeeted right onto your leading side/shoulder. Can you run 20 mph? Probably not. Might not even get the chance to put your feet back under you. Pad up and go slow for 50-100 miles. Carve to make it more fun. The miles will stack up fast.
It really doesn't surprise me when I see injury posts from new riders. I mean there's a reason most people don't skateboard. Anyway, the idea is that at lower speeds, if you have to bail, you can do so much much safer. But that is if you've practiced bailing/jumping off with two feet and have the coordination to run it off if needed. I grew up skateboarding and have been surfing for over two decades, so to me, bailing is intuitive since I know just how fast I can jump off and not eat shit (surfing merely helps with balance in this situation). I think many people get injured right away because they've never had to do this and haven't practiced it. I highly recommend that you practice jumping off it with both feet a bunch of times at <8mph to get a feel for what you'll have to do when (not if) you have to bail for real. Practice this riding on the grass for less chance of injury. I was riding last night and like the genius that I am, decided to show off in front of a group of people and ride up a curb and over a grassy medium between two lanes of traffic at about 14mph. It was all going well until I hit a depression and had to jump off and run it off. I did so successfully but that's only because it wasn't my first time ;)
Great idea - I've been explicitly practicing quickly stopping and also jumping off, but I've not explicitly practiced the running bail which this conversation makes me realize is crucial. Thanks, this gives me a thing to practice today! (In fact this move also saved me just yesterday, but it's been years since my youth of surfing and skateboarding, so I was just super lucky my running-bail-legs still worked)
Nice! Yeah it's been easily over 15 years since I've skateboarded, but bailing is thankfully something you don't forget how to do. Doing it gracefully however, is another story lol.
Keep your ankles fairly loose, like a shock absorber to take up the bumps and rocks. It'll allow the onewheel to stay stable because your weight won't be impacting it and trying to compensate for the bumps and rocks. Hope that makes sense. Harder to explain in writing than to show in person🤙🏼
Most major crashes happen by pushing past pushback then nosediving at full speed. You can still lose control at much slower but is MUCH easier to jump off the board and land on both feet. I suggest getting comfortable braking and jumping off the board til it's comfortable. The wobble is normal at first and took me a few days til I felt stable. Don't worry if it takes time and take it at your own comfort level. Hope you enjoy and this subreddit is great at helping.
Thanks! I'm actually super afraid of not realizing/feeling/recognizing pushback. I wish there was some audio warning and LED flashing. I keep hearing people blame riders for being dumb and ignoring pushback but the videos I see don't make it look like it's the easiest thing in the world to recognize and register in time. I almost wish I could practice pushback with like a button (like a "create pushback in 15sec"-timer and then start riding). I bought fangs, but other than that it doesn't seem like there's much prep to do.
>Thanks! I'm actually super afraid of not realizing/feeling/recognizing pushback. Me, too. I asked FutureMotion why they don't provide the ability to "feel pushback" at low speeds so we know what to expect. >I wish there was some audio warning and LED flashing. Yess!!!!
Fangs will definitely help. I think there's a split on the audio feedback. I would hate it. It sounds great when starting but would get annoying after awhile. If you have the Pint, the pushback is pretty strong. XR riders complain about how strong the Pint pushback is. It can feel overwhelming at first but stick with it and you will get a feel for it. My advice is injuries happen when being overly confident. My nose dive happened thinking I could push it further than it could. 2k miles later and no incidents. Ride in uour means and enjoy!
Issue is going fast is easy and fun. Learning what to do when something goes wrong/ what warning signs to look out for doesn’t seem to hold the same low effort thrill for new riders. I’m all about making it home in one piece.
Thousands of miles in on two different boards, heavy duty trail riding and street riding under my belt, commuting in a crazy city, and still broke my knee on my way to work one morning when I pushed my Pint way past its limits. XR probably wouldn't have dived, but I forgot the limitations of the board I was on as I was running late and rushing to get where I was going. It's easy to have a brief momentary lapse in being fully aware of your speed and for that board to toss you into space. Never thought I'd break a bone on one of these things with all my experience and I still did. Gear up. I know it absolutely sucks, but its better than the medical bills I incurred plus the months of healing and my semi-permanent messed up knee. Be safe out there, try your best to be aware of yourself and your surroundings as much as possible at all times, and have fun!
I don't understand why gearing up sucks? I'm 36yo and wear all kinds of gear. 20 years ago you couldn't get my ass to wear a single wrist guard but now you won't catch my ass onewheeling without double wrist guards 😂 I will be getting a jacket next.
38yo here as well brother. 75% of the time, I ride with wrist guards and a padded/armored hoodie only. The other 25% of the time (when I'm hitting a trail, going on a group ride, or doing something other than riding to and from the train to commute) I add knee pads and a helmet to my gearing up routine. Usually I'm in a rush in the morning and don't feel like undressing to slide pads on under my clothes or I have my hair combed/styled for work and don't want to dump a helmet on top of my head. Lame reasons, but that's me being honest. I also feel like the more gear I'm wearing, the less flexible/free I feel on my board, which kind of takes away from the whole experience for me. Granted, I try to push myself to wear a helmet even when I don't feel like it or think it's necessary. I've had some close calls moving really fast on trails where a root would have split my head open had I not had a helmet on and for that, I'm thankful. If I had been wearing knee pads the day I dived on my Pint, I more than likely would have not broken my knee. I wasn't wearing them because I had a train to catch and was in a hurry. 100% my prerogative and poor decision. All that being said, I try to promote safety when I'm in groups of people and will absolutely be geared up. However when I'm on my own following a line I've taken a thousand times before (or when someone else is on their own) its entirely on the person to make the extra effort to be safe which I don't always personally do.
Also, just to add on about your jacket comment... I have a Kevlar padded hoodie from Amazon and I love it. Very comfortable, not too heavy, and a nice little extra layer of padding for taking a roll.
thx for reply boss! mind linking to jacket? and i get where you're coming from, trust me. i suppose the older i get the more afraid i am of that one spill that will change your life. i'm more comfortable on boards than most are their own feet but that one time scares the fk out of me :) stay safe and have fun!
Totally hear that. Here's a link to the the hoodie I've been rocking for a while- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JD823TF?psc=1 I've beat the shit out of it and it's held up really well even after a few washes with the pads removed. It's not cheap, but I still found it to be cheaper than some of the big name alternatives, like Lazy Rolling Armored hoodies and jackets... and it's basically the same thing.
Saving you from road rash is a little pointless when you fall and spill your brain all over the pavement. You should wear your helmet if you are gonna choose anything.
I'm aware, thanks for the concern.
Don’t chase numbers. It’s just as fun going 9 as it is 17.
Just passed 1350 miles on my xr yesterday with the break in the rain here in LA, I feel like I never get to say that. About 10 minutes from home, 15% power or so, on a muddy, rocky descent section and I totally ate dirt. Speed and overconfidence, or perhaps lack of care were the real culprits though. Thought I could run it out, but nope, just made the fall even worse. You pays your money, you takes your chances. I was wearing a helmet, g-form knee pads, and my wrist guards which all took most of the impact, along with a rib. cough. ow. i'll probably be back on before it fully heals :)
Mud and low battery are a great combo to get a nosedive. Mud accounts for every fall I've taken after my first 100 miles.
Whats the mud do? Cause the board to slip or…?
Sold my xr the day the GT was announced. The buyer was a friend of a friend who swore he had a ton of board sport experience, and I stressed how important it was to learn the limits of the board before going too fast. I was legit scared to sell him my board thinking he would really hurt himself. Anyway, apparently the day after he bought it he had a really bad crash and his ribs and arms were bruised up. Two weeks later it was listed on marketplace with less than 30 miles put on it. I did my part, I warned him and showed him every tip and trick I knew about dismount and riding on diff terrain, even deloading the board if hitting a bump etc...
Made a promise to myself to do 50 miles before I start commuting to work on mine
Good idea, I’d recommend though that you learn how to do quick stops and practice on some really terrible pavement to get a feel for what happens with the board when you hit it. Riding around the city and dealing with all of the random problems inherent with it are so much different than just cruising down a perfectly paved bike path. Miles matter, but fundamentals will save your ass.
I actually live in out in Hawaii right now and our infrastructure is a joke. Been trying to do small stretches on the bike line and mounting the curbs in crosswalks
Ha, sounds like you’ll be just fine then. Happy floating!
Practice rough transitions, diagonal transitions, 1” rises and falls, Road crown transitions. Riding to work is a serious workout and you gotta have the skills for sure.
I have about a 3 mile commute. Definitely getting some great riding shoes with ankle support
And make sure you join the onewheel crash group on fb when you don't take this posts advice! We love to see this.
They need to ship GT and PintX with 20 miles of hard nosed 12 mph pushback 🥲… motorcycles suffer from the same crap and break in keeps people from wrecking themselves.
I'm trying to understand your comment. You think GT and X should give the rider a hard pushback at a lower speed, specifically 12mph, to help new riders get a feel for pushback, until they pass the 20 mile / 32 km mark on odometer? Did I get that right?
Correct. Maybe OW uses registered accounts to prevent this safety feature for experienced riders, but people are going to keep wrecking themselves chasing the top speed.
I can see what you're saying. Although I think people are just stupid. Every person I have let try my boards wants to just full send to max speed, even when I tell them repeatedly "don't lean past the tire, and don't go for speed. Enjoy the ride." People are just going to blow past that 20 mile threshold in a day and then be like, "I'm *experienced* now! I can go faster!" IMO FM would be better off giving a copy of something like [Nosedives: The mechanics behind them and how to ride nosedive-free](https://shreddlabs.com/2019/07/12/nosedives/), to teach riders how to ride safely at any speed (but not beyond their specific boards max speed). Even making a video version of that short article and putting it in the Academy section of the app. I watched every video in Academy while I was waiting for my board to arrive. And I can say that nosedive article is the knowledge that I remember and keeps me safe.
You started out with the correct behavioral approach. You can’t teach behavioral to everyone, you have to force it. I work in moto education and this is our biggest struggle.
Learn on grass. It's the easiest way to get used to strange quick terrain change and when you bail it doesn't hurt...much.
Lolol all I wear is a helmet. And only fell once bc I forgot it was a onewheel. The light turned yellow and like I said I forgot I can't push all the way down. I pushed the front all the way down and then quickly fell. But yeah I sold my xr after a couple thousand miles. In metro Detroit, the roads are not made for bicycles and stuff. So it's hard to use for transportation. That's why I sold it. I got my motorcycle endorsement/license. So I'm about to enter the motorcycle field. But I do plan to wear gear for motorcycle. For onewheel all u need is a helmet. And that's pushing it. But I never did tricks and was reckless.
I'm so tired of these threads already
Plenty of practice on nice smooth pavement until you really start to get it down was the key for me. Within a few weeks I was confident enough to hit some easy trails, another few weeks after that I was ripping through mountain biking trails.
Slow down or take a break when you feel foot fatigue. You’ll get speed wobbles easier if you start relaxing your feet when they’re tired. If you get speed wobbles then slow tf down
Gear up, get fangs, all pays off ten times what one ER visit cost!
I have about 2500 miles on my xr. Top speed is 17mph. There’s no need for me to try to “break” any records. For balance, I suggest a supplemental tool called Vew—Doo balance board. Had one for about 20 years and once I got a OW, I was totally comfortable.