After some more thought and a couple modifications to the old wheelchair, I returned to the skatepark for some more testing. I fixed the front casters to see what type of handling loss there would be if the front two wheels weren't free. I was thinking about redesigning the footrest and front casters to work more like a skateboard truck. This would allow for better straightline stability forwards and especially backwards, and also provide an area to grind with. But, with the wheels the size they were it made it very difficult to turn with them fixed. It seems like that idea isn't going to be worth the sacrifices it would require.
I then spent some time looking at how to drop in on a little 3 foot quarterpipe. To start it was very difficult to position the chair with the front wheels over the coping. It requires the user to approach in a wheelie position all the way up to the edge. For an inexperienced user this is very difficult. When I got into position and leaned in to drop in, my weight seemed way too far to the front, and as I dropped I quickly fell forward. Though with experience I'm sure this could be corrected, the chair's weight distribution seemed like it could be better optimized for skatepark usage. As other users tried to drop in they experienced the same issues.
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