Foot sensor pad in the back?

[Dark_Knight]

Greetings friends.

I just recently joined the Onewheel club and today makes day two of riding...
Now I've had a street skateboard for years and making the switch to a onewheel seemed like the next step for my adrenaline fix.
The question is although I just started riding I find it easier to ride with the Foot sensor pad in the back (or behind me) will this cause any issues down the line?

[thegreck]

@Dark_Knight Usually people will suggest riders learn to ride sensor-front, but a lot of people feel more comfortable with it in the back.

I like to have it up front mainly so I can more easily check my footing while I ride to be sure I'm still on the sensors after hitting a bump. I also think it's a bit easier to dismount with the sensors in front.

But if you're able to deal with those issues with the sensors in the back, you should be fine.

[jordo]

@Dark_Knight I've had a few conversations with support about this. You'll probably notice that pushback behaves a little different when you ride with the sensors in back. You might also find that Elevated mode is even more 'nose up' when you ride with sensors in back. I'll ride this way when I've got a long hill to climb, gives me the most clearance to step on the gas.

[njcustom]

I kind of like the idea of the sensor in the back because I like to adjust my front foot alot while moving.. however I notice my rear foot lifts off the board at times which shouldn't be an issue with the sensor but I don't like taking chances.. I bought extension wires to move the sensor to the back so that the heavy end of the board is still in the rear..but i never did it because of my rear foot lifting..

[Dude]

I prefers sensor in front for similar reasons as @thegreck . I find my back foot lifts off the board when corning fast, and tight turns.

[T-CAT]

I prefer to use the board with the sensor in the front for similar or same reasons as others who have already spoken. It's easy to visually check foot placement with the sensor in the front, allows easier dismounting, and allows safer steering for me. I tend to steer primarily with my back foot and the heel and toes are doing most of the job along with a bit of body lean in the desired direction. I keep my front foot planted and try not to adjust too much although I do lean a bit from/to heel to toe on that foot (as only one sensor needs to be activated when going fast enough), but it's not moved nearly as much as my back foot when controlling the board.

[thegreck]

@jordo Interesting info on that!

[Dark_Knight]

@jordo Speaking of push back i've noticed i get it more when riding with the senor in the back. for me i just have to be more mindful of how i'm distributing my weight. as for riding elevated i have yet to try it out.

[Dark_Knight]

@thegreck It's funny you say that because i always tell other people that the sensor goes in the front lol
and i will agree that when it comes time to dismount it is a bit of a pain but this can also be because i'm on day 3 of this onewheel ride experience with that said i have yet to attempt many hills

[Dark_Knight]

@njcustom i have the same issue i adjust my foot often i used to do it a lot while skatebording so i feel like that habit is just going to follow me... so have the sensor in the back allows (at least for me) better control since i'm free to move my foot. Granted riding this way (for me) you have to be more mindful of weight distributing.

[jordo]

@thegreck it's a pretty significant difference in angle. Next time you've got something steep to climb, put it in Elevated with the sensors in back and let me know what you think.

[marcelo]

I had a crazy idea the other day. Instead of foot sensors, a clip attaches the front shoe to the board. Anyone here ride bicycles? The clip pedals are a must in mountain bikes when riding off-road, bumpy or rocky surfaces. Easyly deattach by twisting your feet. If the OW sensor is replaced by a clip pedal, it would activate the board if the front foot is clipped and deactivate 1 or 2seconds after unclipping the front foot. I think even little jumps with the board would be possible

[kwatts]

@marcelo nice, like board bindings or clipless peddles - maybeee.. i wouldn't trust any "clip on" or some other glue mess, seems something best for actual screws. i do like the idea ... and it'll make for smooth jumps/bunny hops, at least, until the OW gets confused and locks up the wheel when you land ;) + 1

[mrb]

@njcustom said in Foot sensor pad in the back?:

...move the sensor to the back so that the heavy end of the board is still in the rear<

you are on to something.

disengaging the rider presence switch with either foot is fine for me. i usually maintain the switch in the front in order to keep the heavy end in the back if i'm going to reach pushback speeds. i will jump to switchfoot rather than reversing or rotating to switchfoot.

consider the issue of overweighting the front near top speed or when going downhill. it helps to keep your front foot close to the wheel and your rear foot far back. stick your ass as far back as it will go to shift your weight some more. bend your rear knee to weight back further--ride elevated--the battery out back increases the fault threshold for balancing further still.

pump the throttle keeping your mass rearward to allow for speed. now--reconsider which foot you would like responsible for keeping the board alive.

[mrb]

even with all the posturing i suggest and the sensor in the back i still have my weight forward in order to accelerate.

i still want the switch in the back.