Eboard Beginners Guide
So there are few differences between an electric skateboard and its unpowered cousin. Skateboards came first and don’t forget it! They’re the founding fathers of the electric skateboard world and must be respected. Phew, glad thats over, but apart from being closely related they ride almost the same too.
On an electric skateboard theres no need to push for drive – thats all controlled with via the wireless controller. However its always good to push start as it helps the motor out and lets you gain your balance too. Plus braking is controller at your fingertips. Heres a bit more info about riding an electric skateboard.
Learning mode
So all of our electric skateboards have 2 riding modes (changed by how you turn on the controller). 1. is learning/fun mode – turn on the controller normally and this will limit your top speed to about 10mph. 2. Top Speed mode – hold the accelerator all the way forwards and turn on the controller, allowing you to travel to top speed.
Learning mode is great for just that, learning. You’ll never travel faster than you can run essentially so if you’re in trouble you can always hop off and jog off the speed. A cruise control mode on our electric skateboards means that you can set your speed and enjoy the ride, pull the brake on to deactivate, easy as that.
Balance
Just the same as for a normal skateboard but balance really comes in to play when you’re braking and accelerating and they’re essentially opposites. When accelerating you should have 60% of your weight over the front prepared to lean in to your back foot when you accelerate. For braking you want your weight towards the back (with feet full width apart still) prepared for it to transfer to the front when you brake.
Turning
Electric skateboards handle just like longboards- wait what? So the commonly used term is ‘electric skateboard’ but most have reverse kingpin trucks so handle like longboards – better for cruising and carving. They handle in just the same way in that your weight is used to turn left and right. Our Max-Eboard Carver is great for eboard beginners as it has a concave deck which means that carving is easier as your foot sits in to the electric skateboard deck allowing a more aggressive heel and toe point for turning. Flatter decks are more comfortable to stand on but not quite as good for carving but it all depends on rider experience and what they want from an electric skateboard.
Braking
If you’re travelling at speed on a skateboard and want to stop you either jump off, footbrake or power slide (you can toe slide but thats only really used by level 1000 downhillers). With an electric skateboard you can brake using the hand controller, there is a slight delay which you get used to. You want to shift your weight to the back of the electric skateboard and be ready for your leading foot to take your weight when the braking force throws you forwards. Learning basic skills like foot braking is always going to improve your riding skill and is good to learn rather than being wholly reliant on the electronic brake.
For eboard beginners the best piece of advice is take it slow, practice braking at slow speeds and build up with confidence. Oh, and always wear protection!
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