Boosted!

So, it happened. My Boosted Board is here. The board from the Ted talk that got me into skateboarding in the first place. In my hands. Looking sexy.

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you already know that. I was surprised, how great the board looked. The orange, Orangatang In Heat Wheels. Next to my Evolve Snubnose, it is clearly the aesthetic winner. When I’d carry around my Evolve board, people would ask me if I built it myself. Partially because the battery is zip tied onto the board. But also, even when the battery still held, because it looks like a really nice job someone would have done at home.

The Boosted Board doesn’t have that problem. As a matter of fact, on my first ride on the Boosted. Going the same route, same time, commuting to work like I do every other day, someone saw me skating and yelled, “Is that the Boosted?” I yelled back, “Yeah.” This board is famous!

The remote. Let me devote a paragraph to the remote. It’s small, it’s sleek, and again, it makes the Evolve remote look like an older children’s toy. The Boosted remote charges via micro usb, the Evolve uses triple As. It’s a small detail, but combined with the Loaded Deck, and the lack of a big black battery box, the Boosted is clearly the newer, cooler toy.

I did run into a problem. I plugged the remote in to charge, along with the skateboard. A couple of hours later, the remote was done charging. The board was not. But the manual says that the board should charge in ninety minutes. I wasn’t sure what time I plugged the board in, so I waited. After I was sure it had been charging for four hours, still no green light. I unplugged it, and checked the battery life with the remote. It reported a full charge. Knowing what I know about these batteries, the potential fire risk, I left it unplugged. The board appears to operate as normal, with the exception of no green light when it should be charged.

First ride on the board I noticed that the beginner mode is almost a joke. The board goes so laughingly slow on beginner mode, it’s literally faster to walk. Advanced mode, however, will knock your socks off.

One of the big questions I had about the Boosted Board, was whether or not it could go up Center drive. Center drive, for those who don’t know, is the biggest hill on the University of Florida campus. I typically avoid it, simply for being too steep and dangerous. My Evolve board can go up Center most, but not all of the way. My first ride, with the Boosted, I went up center. Easily. So quickly, I almost shit my pants.

If there was any doubt before, let me put it to rest. The Boosted Board is the superior quality board, and for twice the cost, it should be. If you’re a larger rider, or if you expect to use the board on steep hills, you’ll want a Boosted Board hands down. It’s also lighter. And because of the battery design, it can be carried under your arm, a position I never found comfortable for my Evolve board.

But there is one thing I don’t like about the Boosted. Surprisingly, it’s the new sexy remote. It’s not the size or the charging -- I like those just fine. It’s the operation. It’s not quite so intuitive. You have to squeeze a trigger button as a safety, then roll a wheel forward to go. The problem is that there’s no comfortable way to do that. I wish it had a simple trigger to squeeze and go forward. While this feels like a small detail, to my mind it’s huge.

The Evolve remote allowed me to squeeze the trigger and hold a certain amount of tension. From there, I could cruze without a care. The Boosted remote makes you constantly aware of the throttle. Also, the Boosted  has less of a natural roll to it. Which is to be expected, due to the double motor design. For some reason, pressing the trigger button applies a small break to the board. Meaning if you’re not giving it gas, you’re giving it breaks. Kinda sorta. It’s hard to describe, but the Boosted remote is complicated, and far less intuitive than I had hoped.

The Boosted also has one more great advantage. It’s balanced. When my friend took it down Center, he got no speed wobble whatsoever. Bottom line, the Boosted is clearly the winner for hills. It’s the kind of board you would expect someone from San Francisco to build.

It’s a great board, and I’m going to be sad to let it go when my time with it is over. Hopefully, more video to come. Thank you Boosted, and thank you, fellow Electric Skateboard Enthusiast.