Boosted Commute

So I’m back. Off of vacation, back in my normal routine. We’ve found the Boosted remote, and I’ve finally had a chance to take it on my usual commute to work and back.

All I can say is: Wow! Whatever problems I’ve had with the remote, when I first used it, are gone. I’ve actually come to prefer the Boosted remote. And not just because of the handy battery indicator.

It seems to work better in my right hand. I’m never sure what the proper hand for holding a remote is. There are no wrong answers, I guess. Personally, I like to switch things up, and practice with both hands.

But the button. Placed at where a trigger would be. You have to push the button in order to use the motor. But if you just push the button, it acts as a small break. It always makes me with of my friend who taught me how to longboard. He would hold his hands out, as if he were being crucified, and ‘air break.’ Even though you’re using the motor to do it, I like having that button there. Because it’s true, much of the time when you’re longboarding, all you need is a slight break in order to stay safe.

Yesterday gave me the perfect chance to make use of the dual motor design. I walked outside of work, at the bottom of a small hill, to see that the cross walk at the top of the hill had just changed favorably. I hopped on the Boosted Board and shot up the hill, faster, stronger than I’d ever done it before. I held out my hand like a Jedi, to ask a turning car to stop for me while I zoomed across the intersection. What a rush!

Those dual motors really carry their weight when you’re going up a hill. That much was obvious, even before I got my hands on a Boosted Board. But what I hadn’t realized was how useful they can be for going down a hill. Because when that ‘air break’ trigger button isn’t enough, you can always dial the wheel back for added stopping power. Unlike previous, single motor electric skateboard designs, the Boosted design allows me to fine tune just how fast I go downhill. Which really is something. Especially since classes just start, and there’s (switch to Australian accent) “Heaps of students clogging the footpaths.” (back to normal speech) There’s a lot of students on the sidewalks.

The other obvious, but great thing about my Boosted Board is that it’s lighter, and much more of a shock absorber. I was flabberghasted at how well it handled going over tactile pavement. It handled it almost as good as a board with all terrain wheels. I suspect this may be due to the Loaded Deck, but I’m not sure. Either way, the board handles literally every situation better, faster, and with more precision than a single motor board.

Yesterday’s ride had tons of leaves, branches, and tree material littering the campus. I always feel cautious about riding over that kind of stuff. It was very tempting to reach for my all terrain board for the ride. But I didn’t. I used the Boosted, and she handled those rough sidewalks quite well. Top marks.

Because I like to take the bus to work, the Boosted Board continues to be the board I reach for in the mornings. If you’re looking for a last mile vehicle, to supplement your commute and allow you to leave your car behind, the Boosted Board is likely to be first on your list.

I don’t think I’d mentioned it before, so I’ll say it now. After reading the Boosted webpage, I found that some earlier model boards have red and orange led indicator lights on the battery, instead of red and green. My board is one of these. So it has been charging and operating perfectly well. I tried to take a picture of these lights, but they don’t photograph well.

TL;DR Boosted Boards are the high end sports car of electric longboards. They’re lighter, smaller, and easier to carry, especially on a train or bus. The dual motors handle going up and down hills in a way a single motor never could.