Letter to Evolve Longboards

Dear Evolve Longboards,

First of all, let me thank you. I tweet and instagram about your board constantly. I show it off to kids in neighborhoods all over Florida. I’m one of the first people to commute to work in (or should I say on?) an electric vehicle. I ride every day. I’ve put over 500 miles on my board! Every day someone on a bus or in an elevator sees my board and asks about it. You’ve truly got an amazing product. I just put a deposit down for the Carbon Series. I can’t wait for it!

I always try to ride safe. I’ve got El Wire on my backpack, as well as a red bicycle light. When it’s dark outside, I carry a flashlight in one hand. Sometimes I wear even more cheap LEDs, just to make sure I’m noticed.

But twice now, I’ve almost been run over. Both times, the driver was too busy looking for oncoming traffic on his left, to look for pedestrians coming from his right (in Australia, I’m sure the reverse situation is the dangerous one). It taught me a valuable lesson. If a person doesn’t look, they can’t notice the lights. I’m sure you’ve had a few close calls, yourself.

Which led me to look for a horn. Ideally, a loud horn. One that I might carry in the ‘flashlight’ hand, the hand not busy with your remote. An actual car horn would be idea. Which is when I found out about a product like http://loudbicycle.com/ (which still isn’t shipping).

You’re in a unique position. Because no one is making horns for longboards. But electric longboards are *perfect* for car horns. You’ve got the space for the horn, just under the board. You’ve already got a big battery to power the horn. And you’ve already got a controller with buttons.

Literally, it is a ‘bell and whistle.’ But your board is already the best out there. With the addition of a car horn, it could also be the safest. I don’t usually write letters telling CEOs how to design their products, but this addition is a perfect fit. It can literally save lives and prevent injury. Not to mention, it would be a great way to get me to shell out the bucks for a *third* board from you.

Sincerely,

Justin Diamond

electricskateboardenthusiast.blogspot.com

Honk for Safety

Merry Christmas, fellow electric skateboard enthusiast. It should come as no surprise to you that I am a writer before I’m a skater. For years, I’ve written poems and short stories and even a novel or two. Only to have them largely ignored and unread.

After Sanjay emailed me, I felt something special. Something that, as a writer, I hadn’t felt before. I felt writing take on a form a communication. Not just me, typing words for you. But a two way street. It was a great feeling.

It also made me question the very idea of storytelling. For years, I told stories to the keyboard, to little result. Ah, but write a blog, or a letter, and suddenly it’s a shared experience. An experience that makes a change.

It made me want to devote more of my time to letter writing. Maybe it’s in the cards for me to be among King and Crichton and Rowling. But maybe it’s not. Maybe I can do good in this world, with my writing, through *letters*.

Here, my cause has presented itself. Because the truth is, I got lucky. I could have easily been run over twice. Sure, I could ghetto rig a car horn to a glove, and that would work satisfactory. But there’s a better way to do it. Any electric skateboarder out there already has a board that could have a horn mounted to it. We already have remote controllers that have room for an extra, horn button.

I stand here with you, at the dawn of a new era of skateboards. When the board costs around a thousand dollars, and the horn, a hundred or less, we have to measure the benefit. Adding a horn to our electric skateboards *will* save lives. It *will* prevent injury. And I *will* write letters to the top manufacturers of electric skateboards, in an attempt to save life and prevent injury. Will you stand with me?

Evolve Longboards, Boosted Boards, my letters are on the way. Let’s make the new generation of skateboards not just faster and cooler, but safer than the orthodox boards they’re replacing.

Car horn for you bicycle ... er electric skateboard

So after almost getting run over again the other day, I decided it was time for a change in how I commute to work. I already have plenty of lights and LEDs and flashing things to get attention. The problem is, you can only see these lights if you actually look in their general direction. And from my experience, in this most dangerous of situations for an electric skateboarder, the drivers never actually *look* my way.

The answer then, is clearly, a horn. Not just any horn. I’d need a loud horn. Preferably, a horn that sounds just like a car. Well, it didn’t take much looking around the web to find just what I wanted:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lansey/loud-bicycle-car-horns-for-cyclists

The problem, is that this horn, much like the Boosted Board, is a kickstarter. The company hasn’t actually sold anything yet. The guy wants $100 for the horn. But he doesn’t know when he’ll ship. Oh Kickstarter, how I love and hate thee.

Well maybe there’s a way I could make a horn on my own then? After all, most people are making bike horns. And I need something that I can hold in my hand, or somehow use while skateboarding.

http://lifehacker.com/add-a-car-horn-to-your-bike-so-other-drivers-hear-you-l-493211073

I’ve found a few other youtube videos of people who made their own car horns for their bicycles. But it looks like more work than I’d like to do. And the end product might be messier than I’d like. Have you heard of a car horn that one might use for electric skateboarding? If so, *please* let me know @maulakai on instagram or twitter. Until then, I’ll probably wait for Loud Bicycle to get their product onto shelves.

Almost run over

LED Lights for safety - $25

Electric Skateboard - $1000

Hearing a woman scream when she almost runs you over - Priceless

I was skating to work the other day, when, for the second time, I almost got run over. I guess it’s pretty good that I’ve had so few brushes with death. After all, I’ve rode my board over 500 miles already.

But I have learned a few things about skateboard safety. Interestingly, both times were almost the exact same situation. A car is making a right turn, from a less busy street onto a more busy street. They’re more concerned with looking to their left to see if it’s clear for them to turn onto the street. I’m approaching on the sidewalk, to their right. They never look to their right for pedestrians.

It’s kind of a shame, but I think as car drivers, we’re all guilty of this. We know we should look to our right for pedestrians. But most of the time, there aren’t any. So we look to our left and think, hey, I’ll look right *before* I actually touch the gas. Which evolves into, looking right after giving it some gas. Which evolves into just going without ever really looking.

Either way, my lights are ineffective in this situation, because the drivers aren’t looking to their right in the first place. I’m not sure if I’m going to incorporate an air horn into my safety arsenal, but future electric skateboarders beware. Cars turning right seldom *look* right.

Sanjay of Boosted Boards Reads My Blog!

Last week I wrote about how BoostedBoards.com is being deceptive. How they use a very sexy picture of a longboard, when they know full and well that the product they ship won’t look like that.

Well imagine my surprise when Sanjay, the man behind BoostedBoards, emailed me! Even more surprising, he told me I was *right*.

There’s precious little substance in his email. After I stopped fangirling about someone important actually reading my words, I realized this was more sales pitch than anything. He doesn’t want to lose a customer. And I don’t blame him. But I’m still waiting to see the picture on their homepage change. I’d love to report that. And I’m still waiting to hear the specs on the battery they plan to include. Now that would be news.

About all Sanjay could tell me was that his board will try to balance the look and feel of the board, with the actual battery life. :/

I wrote him back asking what is, for me, the million dollar question. The question that may have started this blog in the first place. How did you get the length of six miles as the range of your board? Were those calculations made by the engineers in the lab? Did you hand the board to a novice rider and have them make a trip? (this is how I would do it)

I’m still waiting for an answer from Sanjay. But if BoostedBoards is anything like Emad, I don’t ever expect to find out.

Can one slide on an electric?

My longboarder friend invited me to skate with him this weekend. The best from our local skate shop would be there. I showed up as fast as I could.

The group of us met in a parking lot on a hill on UF campus. Everyone but me was practicing their slides. These guys wear gloves with hockey pucks velcroed to their palms. They can then slide on their hands, and incorporate that into their skating.

With a remote control in one hand, I can’t even attempt to do what they do. (hint hint electric board makers -- we need a controller we can use while wearing slide gloves)

I watched as they did maneuvers to slow or stop themselves as they rolled downhill. In addition to all sorts of tricks. Balance and flipping, these guys would do more to their boards with their feet, than you or I could do with our hands. It was incredible to watch.

All I could do was roll down, and use my brakes. Or use the motor to skate back up to the top of the hill, passing everyone else who had to walk.

The inevitable question came when I asked, “Can you slide on *my* board?”

The best of the group considered it. He kicked my board with his foot, pushed it around to test the weight.

“No, it’s too heavy, I wouldn’t even try,” was his answer.

Boosted FTL

I have an Evolve electric longboard. The plan was to wait until Boosted finally starts selling boards, and to buy one of theirs. But then I realized something.

Let me rewind to the other day, when I went to a local pawn shop. Instead of pricing their warez, they wound up asking me all about my skateboard. The inevitable question came up. How much for the board?

Keep in mind I paid $1400 for it. The website marked them down to $1200. I now see them going for $1000 as a Christmas special. A thousand, I told them. Mostly in the battery. This board has a 10 mile battery. You can get the board a lot cheaper if you only need a 3 mile battery.

Back to the present, and my girlfriend bugging me about getting her own board.

Now, the Emad board claims 7-10 miles, but only goes 3. The Evolve board claims up to 20 miles, but only goes 10. The Boosted board claims 6 miles. How far would you expect that one to go? Probably three miles, right?

Consider how Boosted has that sexy picture of a slim skateboard on their front page. Then look at their blog and see that all of their current prototype boards are much, much fatter. Boosted is trying to give people sexy looking boards. And it appears they can do it by skimping on the battery. By giving their customers less of the most expensive part.

So I went on the Boosted website to see what kind of battery they were advertising. They don’t even say! Imagine I buy a Boosted board, so that I can ride with my girlfriend. But she can only go 3 miles, while I want to skate for another 7. That would suck, right?

The only conclusion you can come to is that Boosted will skimp on their batteries. At least compared to Evolve they will. They’re certainly being dishonest when they continue to use that sexy pic on their homepage, when they know the final product will be much more bloated.

So it was decided that I would buy another Evolve board. Carbon series, bitch!

Red Rock Motor > Evolve Motor

Yesterday I went for my first night time skate session with the Red Rock guys.

I should start by saying that these guys are all more experienced skaters than me. But I said in a previous post that I thought the Evolve board had a stronger motor. Despite trying my best, they all left me eating dust. Up hill, down hill, they were faster. Was it due to my inexperience? Or can Red Rock simply provide more power for less money? Seems Red Rock has the power.

After coming home, I had a sad experience. A group of Mexicans who live next to me were all coming home on their bicycles. They wore lights, and had just pulled into the apartment on their bikes while I parked my car. After a long ride, they lingered outside, doing the usual thing. Locking their bikes. Taking off their helmets. Talking about the ride. I have no idea where they came from, but probably it was work.

Then they all saw me, coming home. Driving. Only to open the trunk and take out my electric skateboard, and backpack with El Wire. It was somewhat humbling. They ride bicycles out of necessity. I burn gas just ride my longboard for fun.

Such is the American way. Hey, at least I commute on my board.

By the way

Yesterday, as I was riding home on my board, I had the moment I’ve been waiting for.

Ever since a pedestrian decided to take a step to his left for no reason, knocking me off my board, I’ve been vocal about my intention to pass. I see a horn in my future. But until then, I’ve been shouting “Excuse me!” like it’s nobody’s business.

I came across a couple running side by side. I shouted “Excuse me!” The man jogged over to the side.

“By the way, you can use the bike line.” said the woman.

“I *can’t*. A cop pulled me over and gave me a ticket for using the bike lane. By the way.” I shouted back to them.

It was a great moment for me, as I felt the tension. I knew the moment would happen, and last night was when it finally came.

But wait, there’s more.

Today, riding to work on the sidewalk, I saw the same cop who pulled me over, in the same place. Only this time, I was riding on the sidewalk.

Goodbye Emad

Goodbye, Emad.

When Emad finally returned my skateboard to me, I knew I’d had enough. My complaint? That the board only goes three miles, while the box advertises seven to ten. They told me the 225 weight limit on the box was what the board could withstand without breaking. But that to get seven to ten miles, I’d have to weigh more like 125-150. Those numbers appear nowhere on the website or the box. They had one of their guys test my board, by riding it on a five mile track. Not twice around for ten miles. Once around, for five miles, and told me the board was working.

I disputed the charge on my credit card. I’d kept records of the board and of my returning it three times. The credit card company gave me full credit for the board. $425. Then the scooter shop I bought the board from, asked me to return the board to them. Which I did.

Normally this would be the end of the story. But mine has a bit of a twist. When my mother heard that I returned the board, she was sad. She wanted the board. It rides like a tank, and that made it the only skateboard in the world she could stand on with confidence. The only board she could ride.  She called the scooter shop and bought the board ‘as is’ for $200.

I bought a board for $425. Returned it for $425. Then my mom bought the same board for $200. I picked up the same board the next day. What a crazy world we live in. This only goes to show, that while Emad boards are cheap and made in China, and lie on the packaging, they do serve a purpose. They are great beginner boards. Great boards for our elders.

Kickr

So I’ve found some of the other electric skateboarders in my city. Namely, the man behind Red Rock Board Shop, and his friends. Together this weekend, the five of us all went on a cruise around town. It was awesome.

Zipping around as a group, we finally got to yield the power that most longboarders only dream of. Light changes before you can quite make it? No problem for our critical mass. The cars had to wait for us! We even found a large parking garage, with perfect surface, no speed bumps, and completely empty! How the gods of the boards shine upon us!

If you want to see some of it, check out my Instagram. I took some of my most liked vids ever, due to the Weekend Hashtag Project being #whpwhatmovesme

While we were there, I learned about a new Kickstarter. It’s called Kickr.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/424686603/kickr-electrify-every-longboard?ref=live

It’s kind of like the Rubbee, but for skateboards. It’s a very simple motor that doesn’t use a drive chain. It attaches directly to the skateboard wheel. It attaches and comes off very quickly and easily. For an elegant devices that can turn any board into an electric board.

One of the biggest differences is that it doesn’t use a remote controler. Instead, it has a pressure pad to step on in order to throttle.

But the only downside is that there aren’t any brakes. This makes me sad. Brakes are perhaps my favorite part of electric skateboards. They are a major selling point, because they make boards *safer*. They gives me confidence going downhill. They allow me to charge the battery (a little).

Kickr is basically a board with more power, but no brakes.

So for an experienced longboarder, the Kickr is the best thing since slide gloves. But for someone who only ever rode on electrics with brakes like myself, it’s really a deal breaker. I trust that in the future, however, they’ll add the brakes in, and I’ll sing praise of their more elegant design.

Red Rock FTW

This weekend I met up with Aaron, the mastermind behind Red Rock Board Shop. If you didn’t know, they’re a small company that makes the one component in an electric skateboard you can’t find anywhere else. The custom trucks. http://www.redrockboardshop.com/

Together with another friend, the three of us engaged in my first ever, electric only shred session. I had the carve of my life!

First thing I noticed? His boards were light. Much lighter than my Evolve board. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to weigh them. Because a Red Rock Board involves buying so many parts from other manufactures, I’m sure he’s picked his parts with weight in mind.

The next big advantage is that the motor sits behind the wheels. I’m not really sure how big of a deal this is. But on my Evolve board, the motor sits in front of the wheels, and this simply doesn’t feel optimal. Even the new Evolve model changes the motor to the rear, so kudos to Red Rock for getting that part right.

Riding the board was remarkably similar to the Evolve board. I want to say the motors Evolve uses are ever so slightly stronger than the motor Aaron had on the board he let me ride. But when you consider his board was about $400 less … well the Evolve motor isn’t *that* much better.

And it really isn’t fair to knock the motor, because if you wanted a stronger motor, you would just buy a stronger motor and use that one. It’s the beauty of Red Rock Board Shop. You get to decide exactly what you want on your board.

The only real drawback to Red Rock is waterproofing. There isn’t any. Not that you’d want to take an electric out in the rain. But I’ve splashed through puddles on my Evolve that would make me worry on a Red Rock. Also, the waterproofing seems to act as a muffler for the motor. Other than that, the Red Rocks are very comparable boards, for ⅔ the cost.

There is a slight issue about where the battery goes. The board I used had the battery on top of the board, which limited my foot space. You also have the option to mount the battery on the bottom of the board, which is more standard. Or to run a cable and keep the battery in your backpack. When I build a Red Rock, I’m probably going to have the battery sticking out of the back of the board -- like a dog’s tail. This should keep it out of the way, and also help onlookers to identify me as an electric longboarder.

If you’re a skateboarder who wants to upgrade his board, then Red Rock Board Shop is the place to go. If you’re a father who wants to work on a project with his son, Red Rock Board Shop. If you want an electric board, but want to keep the bill under a thousand -- Red Rock Board Shop.

Pivot Cuffs

So the other day, I’m carving home. Going past the volleyball courts, where the biggest downhill is. I used to break like a sissy there. But after riding on Hawthorne Trail, I’ve matured. Instead, I was thinking, this isn’t much of a downhill at all. I looked to my right, at the volleyball courts. College girls in short shorts a plenty. I enjoyed watching one serve a ball before looking back at the road.

At which point I saw the curb at the end of the downhill. Oh yeah, I thought. That’s the reason why I usually break. Not for the speed, but for the transition to the road. I hit that transition a little faster than usual. It didn’t feel like a big deal, except at that moment, something in my board changed. A wobble that shouldn’t have been a problem had me off the board. I came close to falling, but managed to stay on my feet, and laughed as I picked up my board, and continued home.

I finally got around to taking my board to the shop. Freeride Surfshop, just a few blocks away from UF campus. Their man behind the counter spotted the problem in a second flat. It was my pivot cuffs. I’d blow out three, and either completely lost the fourth, or my board never had a fourth. Either way, my board was fixed in no time flat and I headed home.

Back at that same downhill, something was different. There was a barricade up … for no apparent reason. Along the downhill, a bunch of sand that looked completely out of place. I don’t mean to be some kind of ego maniac, thinking all those obstacles were put there for my ‘safety’. But why else would they be there?

I wonder if any other longboarders have a similar story?

Balance, Evolve, and Boosted

So I’m riding with my longboarder friend again, trying to master the art or riding downhill without hitting the breaks.

The secret, he tells me, is to lock my legs in a funny position with my feet very close to the front of the board. I’ve seen him do it a million times, but for me the technique seems to need some work.

No matter how close I inch my feet to the nose of the board, no matter how I lock my legs, I hit about 20 miles an hour and I feel the wobble, and puss out and hit the brakes.

After the run, I let him try my fancy new Evolve Longboard and guess what? He felt a bit of a wobble, too. Then a lightbulb goes off in my head. Maybe it’s not my technique that’s wrong. Maybe its the board.

While he was riding my board, I took a few kicks of his board. I couldn’t help but notice how balanced it was. My board almost can’t be balanced. It has this asymmetric brushless motor and truck on the rear wheel. Inherent to its design, it really can’t be balanced.

Then another light bulb went off in my head. Boosted Boards. They’re currently the only electric skateboarding company that I’m aware of which has both rear wheels motorised. At first, I wondered why they would go with such a radically different design than their competitors. Supposedly, if you have two motors, it gives some kind of elaborate engineering problem with turning.

But what about balance? Supposing they fixed the turning problem, their board would be perfectly balanced. It makes even more sense when you consider that they’re based out of San Francisco, where there are downhills a plenty.

Now, suddenly, I want my boosted board. Of course, they’re not even shipping their first run until next year. By then, I could have an Evolve Carbon Fiber, if I wanted.

Emad Fails Again

The first board I bought was the Emad 400w Concrete Carver. It advertises a 7 - 10 miles range. But I soon learned that it didn’t have enough juice to take me to work and back. (I live 3 miles from work)

Shortly afterwards, the controller broke. I sent the board back, and they fixed the controller. But now the board could hardly even make it to work one way. I tried to get the board fixed, but nothing worked. Until I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. After that, the owner, Jerome Claxton, promptly took my board in for repairs, where they installed a new battery.

But the board still never went much more than 3 miles for me. And that’s being generous, as the board really ‘limps’ when its charge gets low. I sent the board in a third time. But Jerome, aka Emad, claims it is working just fine.

His logic? That I’m too old for the 400w model, and that I should have purchased the 600w model. Despite the fact that I weigh 170 pounds and the board says it can carry a load of 225. He put an employee of his, who weighs 150 pounds, on the board, and had him go 5 miles on the board around the lake. Then, he declared my board to be in working order.

How Jerome Claxton can bullshit this hard, I’ll never know. 75 lbs under weight, and half the advertised distance, and he thinks everything is fine.

TL;DR

The bottom line about the Emad 400w board is simple. It’s a very heavy board, which is good if you’re a beginner. The weight makes it easy to step on and off from. It’s cheap, which is good for anyone. But it won’t go half the range of what the box claims. Use it, have fun with it, if you want a good idea about how far you can go, please watch this youtube video I made, draining the battery from full, going once around my neighborhood. It’s not really a watching video, just a documentary on the battery life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5N57j964Dc&feature=c4-overview&list=UU9SqB3KdC5gse8Fv2RNRnsQ

Hawthorne Trail

This weekend, for the first time, I went long boarding with a friend. Until now, I’ve just been a nub on his new toy. But finally, I had a real skater, showing me the good spots and, in general, how the sport is done.

We went to a Hawthorne trail, mostly bicycles. The advantage to this place was that there are plenty of hills.

I honestly don’t know how orthodox skateboarders manage to kick their boards. I still don’t really know how to do it. But my friend, he managed to kick, even up the hills, like a pro. All the while, I didn’t even break a sweat, simply squeezing the trigger of my skateboard.

He would prove the winner going down hill.

I’m still somewhat of a pussy when it comes to down hills skating. The first time I ever stood on a skateboard, I was in a parking garage. And quickly ate asphalt when I tried going down the ramp. The time after that, it was Center drive on UF campus. Similar result.

So there on Hawthorne trail, on a downhill, I still had some fears. Even giving me a head start, I didn’t really want to use my accelerator at all. Soon I found my self using the break. Then holding the break for the entire wild ride. My friend passed me. He’s good. Even manged to do a few tricks while he was at it.

From using the app MyTracks, I’ve been able to determine that I don’t feel comfortable going any faster than about 18 mph. He went over 25!

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hzcXVjgDF6E