For previous posts in the series, see the archive.

One of the features of the Onewheel is that it has several different riding (or “shaping”) modes. These modes control some aspects of how the board handles, as well as the board’s top speed. Some modes seem definitely more targeted at beginners, whereas other modes seem more like different tradeoffs that might be a matter of personal preference even for experienced riders.

I started in Sequoia mode, and spent my first 25 Onewheel miles (spread over about 5 days) in that mode. Sequoia is the gentlest/safest mode with a stated top speed of 12 mph, similar to my previous electric skateboard the E-GO2. Readers of this blog have probably been able to deduce that I’m a fairly cautious Onewheel rider; I like to take things slow until I feel comfortable. In this case, I wanted to feel confident cruising around in Sequoia before moving on to Cruz and the more advanced modes; and it was reassuring to know that in Sequoia my speed couldn’t accidentally get out of control before I felt ready to handle it.

My instincts — and soon the speedometer on the companion phone app — told me that the pushback in Sequoia actually seemed to kick in at a speed slower than the 12-13 mph top speed I was used to on my previous board. Pushback is the mechanism by which the board forces you to slow down if you’re reaching the top speed; the front of the board pushes up against your foot to get you to lean onto your back foot and slow down. It turns out, according to the wiki page “Tips for beginners”, that in Sequoia mode, pushback starts at 8-10 mph depending on conditions. (By the way, that wiki page has a bunch of other useful advice, and is probably worth a read if you’re a beginner just starting out.)

Moving up to Cruz mode was no problem at all once I felt confident with Sequoia. The only discernible difference for me was the higher top speed, and the correspondingly higher cruising speed that is possible while staying under the boundary of pushback. In Cruz mode, I found myself running into the pushback much less; in Sequoia, it wasn’t uncommon for me to feel the pushback and have to slow down. This could be because of the ~12mph cruising speed I was used to from my previous board, which fits comfortably in the boundaries of Cruz mode but definitely exceeds the limits of Sequoia.

However, as I encountered more advice online, I became aware that many experienced riders recommend beginners skip Sequoia and Cruz altogether and start directly in Mission. One reason for this seems to be that the pushback in Sequoia and Cruz can be confusing for new riders, and even dangerous if you don’t realize what it is and end up trying to fight it. I didn’t have this problem — on the contrary, I found the pushback intuitive, and enjoyed the peace of mind of knowing the board would keep me under a given speed while I was learning — but others say that even new riders should find it very easy to control their speed themselves in Mission, and just choose to not go faster than they’re comfortable. It wasn’t clear from the sources I found whether there were other significant differences between Sequoia/Cruz and Mission other than the top speed.

So, after only a few miles in Cruz, I decided to try Mission and see if the experience was any different. I had enough experience on my Onewheel by then that I felt confident I could control my speed and didn’t need the Cruz pushback in order to do so. (The fact that I rarely hit the pushback in Cruz seemed to be additional proof of this.) I wasn’t ready to try to hit Mission’s top speed of 19mph — I’m still not — but that doesn’t mean I can’t ride in Mission.

I flipped back and forth between Cruz and Mission a couple times to compare. And it’s possible I’m imagining it, but I think the board does respond more quickly in Mission mode than in Sequoia or Cruz modes, which leads to more intuitive operation. I feel like I have even better control of the board in Mission thanks to the quicker response. Or maybe I’m imagining this difference, and the handling is identical between the three modes. Placebo effects can be strong, after all.

In conclusion, for other beginners out there, I think it’s a valid decision either to start in Sequoia and work your way up, or to start directly in Mission. The decision should probably depend on the person — how much you feel confident in controlling your speed yourself, whether you find the pushback in Sequoia and Cruz confusing to handle correctly, how much previous experience you have with board sports, etc. I can’t really say more on the topic, as (1) I started learning in Sequoia and don’t know what it would have been like to start directly in Mission, and (2) I’m still very much a beginner and am just learning the Onewheel myself. So I hope this post has been helpful in providing my perspective, but for any further discussion, I’ll definitely defer to those more expert than I.