I finally got my OW!

30 August 2016, 17:32 UTC

Now I need a larger apartment.

30 August 2016, 17:49 UTC

Put that thing out so the whole world can see it. Don't keep it shut up in a closet.

30 August 2016, 17:58 UTC

Yup that is for sure a small apartment, do you have to sleep standing up?

30 August 2016, 18:15 UTC

@Aaron-Broward-FL LOL... You beat me to that one....

30 August 2016, 18:21 UTC

@RLY welcome to the club! If those are your OW riding shoes, we wanna see the rest of the outfit ;)

30 August 2016, 18:23 UTC

@rly Welcome! Let the OW journey begin.......

30 August 2016, 18:46 UTC

@Bgrave If I lived by myself, I probably would! As it is, it doesn't really match the rest of the decor...

@Aaron-Broward-FL @LidPhones You know what they say about Manhattan apartments... https://www.google.com/search?q=closets+bigger+than+manhattan+apartments

@groovyruvy I'm happy to oblige and show the rest of my outfit (taking up what's left of my tiny space after OW):

But more seriously, I've been thinking of getting the funny-looking shoes recommended by @Aaron-Broward-FL and some others. I'm not sure if I want to risk my drivers (not pictured) just yet.

@LidPhones Thanks! I've managed to connect with another forum member in my neighborhood but she (and it seems like most everyone here) first practiced in a "friendlier" locale. For safety's sake, before I hit the streets (I'm too lazy to carry it to the park and @thegreck's handle is arriving tomorrow) I might practice on my rooftop:

30 August 2016, 18:52 UTC

I figured it was NYC ;) don't fall off the roof :) your going to want to start off in a spot where you have some room to fall and the board to go flying.... For sure not on the sidewalk near cars or people.... :)

Unless your an experienced board rider. Or have superior balance skills. Starting off any flat shoes or sneakers will work. The shoes I recommend don't really help till your off and rolling... Which takes at least a session or 2. :) first time out just focus on controlling the board.. Learn to control it in small areas :)

Not that you should EXPECT the board to go flying... But just in case.. I don't know your skills and some people don't come off it the right way :) better safe than damaging stuff or people :)

30 August 2016, 19:25 UTC

I can carve down most black diamonds on a board with relative ease but I've never, ever been on a skateboard before in my life. I'm a little nervous about skinned knees and navigating around cars, less so about flying (me or my board) off the 28th floor... we'll see...

30 August 2016, 19:26 UTC

@RLY I have the same background as you and picked up the OW without too much trouble. I'm sure you'll do great! But it's definitely better to err on the side of caution in the early days ;)

30 August 2016, 19:31 UTC

@RLY This is easily the closest I've gotten to snowboarding. You'll be fine. I would practice your dismount before you even start going. Just wheeling an inch or two back and forth and then your dismount. I waited til I had understood the board a decent amount before I dealt with the dismount - was a mistake lol. You look real cool riding it til you have to stop and fumble with it.

30 August 2016, 19:33 UTC

@Aaron-Broward-FL said in I finally got my OW!:

your going to want to start off in a spot where you have some room to fall and the board to go flying.... For sure not on the sidewalk near cars or people.... :)

During one of our LA meetups, we randomly saw some dude trying out his friend's Onewheel for the first time. He was riding barefoot on a narrow sidewalk that ran alongside a heavily trafficked road. I told him he should probably find a safer spot to learn, and he said "Don't worry about it!"

Well, I'm not going to say after that I secretly hoped he'd accidentally ride into oncoming traffic, because that would be evil! However, if, God forbid, that were to happen, at least I could rest easy knowing at least I had tried to help the bastard.

31 August 2016, 02:02 UTC

@1woman1wheel @hustle Great - thanks!

31 August 2016, 02:46 UTC

@thegreck said in I finally got my OW!:

@Aaron-Broward-FL said in I finally got my OW!:
...
During one of our LA meetups,...

On an aside:

Hey @thegreck , I'll be in SanO (San Onofre) all week on the the week of the 11th until the 15th for camping/surfing. Wanna come down if you have any time? Show me what's what? I'm still so n00b, lol. :-P

31 August 2016, 07:38 UTC

@RLY Welcome to the family ;-)
Hustle said it, practice the dismounts first, and standing still on the board. After you have mastered these 2 things, you're good to go anywhere you want.

31 August 2016, 13:40 UTC

I received mine yesterday and I have to say spending a lot of time on this board before turning it on has given me a full understanding and respect for the device. Thanks to everyone for all the information and @fabuz for your dope videos.

31 August 2016, 14:06 UTC

@Wrex I don't think I'll be able to make it (that's a pretty decent ways from me), but thanks for the invite and have fun! I've yet to ride mine on the beach. Look for hard sand, and try not to get it wet, just in case.

31 August 2016, 14:31 UTC

@Hubbitron you're welcome buddy and thank you very much! Can't wait to see your own videos :) :) ;)

31 August 2016, 19:27 UTC

@thegreck said in I finally got my OW!:

@Wrex I don't think I'll be able to make it (that's a pretty decent ways from me), but thanks for the invite and have fun! I've yet to ride mine on the beach. Look for hard sand, and try not to get it wet, just in case.

That's kewl, just throwin it out there. Thanks for the advice :-)

31 August 2016, 20:32 UTC

First impression: I got what I paid for. Snowboarding on a dry land tesla. Single pad dismount is extremely difficult. It would much prefer to start in the other direction than shut off. Going to practice more balance without moving.

31 August 2016, 20:52 UTC

@Hubbitron It gets easier trust me :)

1 September 2016, 23:38 UTC

@Polle At your suggestion I practiced dismounts (and standing still) a little bit on the roof before I hit the streets.

I still need more practice, though. My OW came 2 inches from being run over by a car after a poor dismount at a busy intersection during rush hour.

2 September 2016, 00:02 UTC

@RLY said in I finally got my OW!:

@Polle At your suggestion I practiced dismounts (and standing still) a little bit on the roof before I hit the streets.

I still need more practice, though. My OW came 2 inches from being run over by a car after a poor dismount at a busy intersection during rush hour.

-------- my reply starts here

The first few weeks are all about control.... Keep away from cars :)
After that you will be golden :)

2 September 2016, 02:57 UTC

@RLY I agree with @Aaron-Broward-FL ... I rode it in parks, bike paths, residential streets, and my backyard for a couple of months before attempting to ride through the city. Maybe overly cautious, but I was glad I did. It's good to know what you're doing when riding around a lot of cars who's drivers are rarely paying attention.

Another thing you should practice is stopping at a moments notice. If you're always prepared to stop, you're also a lot less likely to have sudden nosedives from having your weight too far forward.

2 September 2016, 03:04 UTC

@Aaron-Broward-FL @thegreck I live in the city so I have to ride through the city to get to anywhere (unless I want to confine myself to the rooftop). I'm going to practice control, dismounts, and stops -- specifically, how to suddenly stop at a moment's notice, not take a nosedive, AND not have my board keep going without me. Any suggestions?

Next up on the agenda after that: carving like I would on snow.

2 September 2016, 03:06 UTC

@RLY Well, I would always have to drive to the parks and bike paths. I'm guessing this is the type of city living where you don't have a car?

2 September 2016, 03:13 UTC

@thegreck Yup. There's an Enterprise CarShare in the garage of my building, but I don't have a car. If I can survive the 4 avenues to Central Park, and remember to exit the park at the correct street (I missed by 7 streets today and had to navigate those blocks through rush hour), I'm relatively comfortable.

2 September 2016, 08:30 UTC

@RLY said in I finally got my OW!:

I still need more practice, though. My OW came 2 inches from being run over by a car after a poor dismount at a busy intersection during rush hour.

Yeah, this confidence doesn't come after 1 afternoon, but it will come anyway, so stay put! :)

2 September 2016, 13:38 UTC

@RLY I remember a day when my board looked that clean and shiny..

2 September 2016, 16:02 UTC

@RLY wow you got the best practice spot on that roof, those tiles look like they have great traction for slow motion carving and what a view! The more you ride slow and confined the more confident you'll be out in public.

I'd suggest working on toe side circles, heel side circles then figure 8s, all up on that roof.

2 September 2016, 19:39 UTC

@Polle I'm comfortable now with the dismount. As I was riding through the park my feet got tired so I Googled and found https://archive.owforum.co.uk/topic/256/newbie-real-world-beginners-manual This tip from @utsu helped tremendously:

Getting used to that "1 second off" for the foot sensor before the motor disengages drove me crazy at first, but I started understanding it.

@ahxe45 Yea... it doesn't look like that any more...

@Dmonicle I got tired of slow and confined already... I hit a new top speed of 19.5 mph in the park today.

7 September 2016, 01:58 UTC

@groovyruvy said in I finally got my OW!:

@RLY welcome to the club! If those are your OW riding shoes, we wanna see the rest of the outfit ;)

@groovyruvy I wore these today because I wanted to see if I could ride my OW in work clothes:
0_1473213380737_1_447148-BALLY-Black-leather-Drouet-loafers.jpg

Not uncomfortable... but I think Springblades would be more economical, even if it doesn't match the rest of the outfit.