Here are four additional considerations.
Location
To enjoy an excellent riding experience, it is a great idea to scout a good location to ride.
For Street boards:
- Smooth areas can create a nice comfortable ride. Something with minimal or small concrete expansion joints, or a nice newly asphalted road.
- An area free from debris such as branches, twigs and stones. This can help prevent accidents or reduce wear on the board's parts.
- Avoid areas with high congestion from cars or pedestrians.
- Avoid areas with high hill gradients that are not suitable for your board or your experience level.
- Avoid areas with large debris or numerous small debris
Places like broad water pathways, bike paths, empty carparks or newly built developments can be excellent locations for a street e-board. If you don't have access to these kinds of locations, find what works for you and your location. Just remember to have fun and be safe!
Hills
Riding down hills can be an exhilarating experience. It can also be very dangerous. Always keep safety in mind:
- Wear appropriate safety equipment (helmet, elbow, knee and wrist pads).
- Never ride down a hill that your experience level does not fit.
- Never ride down a hill that you cannot comfortably foot brake to a stop on.
Ask yourself the question, "If the brakes stopped working on this hill, can I stop the board and myself safely?" If the answer is "no," seriously reconsider riding down that hill.
On the flip side, if you are riding up a hill. Pick a hill that is suitable for your boards gradient rating. Keep in mind that hill climbing is a very high strain activity for the board. You may notice large amounts of 'Voltage Sag' on the remote controller and a reduced maximum range of the board. This being compared to the specifications if hill climbing is apart of your regular ride. The board may even lose power completely if ridden up a hill that is too steep or with a weight that is too high. This is normal and should recover after plugging the board back into the charger.
Board
The electric skateboards are designed to be quite robust, though it is very important to treat the board with respect to get the most out of your board. It is an expensive device and should be treated as such:
- Do not drop off gutters
- Do not drop the board from any height
- Avoid large debris that could impact the trucks, or get caught in the motor cables or battery compartment
- Avoid riding on surfaces that are not suitable for the board
- Do not ride the board with more than one rider
- Do not ride the board over the weight limit
- Avoid impacts or scraping to the components
- Avoid handling the board from the rear truck to prevent accidental damage to the motor cables.
Weather
It is important to have an idea of what my be ahead for the day when planning a ride.
- Check the hourly weather forecast before a ride.
- Check the local weather radar for any signs of incoming rain.
- Seek shelter immediately if it begins to rain. If you get caught out, dry wipe the water off the board. Dab dry the deck and grip tape. If you think water may have gotten into the compartment, contact our support team.
- Avoid going out straight after rain. The riding surface is still likely to have a significant amount of water present and you would be surprised how much water can be kicked up off the riding surface and onto the boards compartment.
- Avoid riding over water that is on the riding surface, such as running water from a car wash or sprinklers.
- Don't forget to apply sunscreen on high UV index days
- Wear a windproof jacket/pants if it is cold and windy
These are four additional riding considerations. Check out our other Blogs for additional tips on riding or safety.