Repairs

So over the weekend, I finally decided to repair my old Snubnose from Evolve. I did it using the technique I should have used from the state. I used duct tape. Honestly, that stuff works great. I don’t know why I tried so hard to attached the battery pack without it.

The other repair the board needed was the belt needed to be tightened. If you look at their old, discontinued Snubnose model from the bottom, its got a lot of surfaces that run at 90 degree angles to the surface. After adjusting the position of the motor to tighten the belt, it became clear to me how the belt got loose in the first place.

Letting one of my friends ride it, they probably tried to clear a speed bump or some such thing that they couldn’t. This would have caused the motor to smack against the rock or speed bump. Which would have knocked the motor back a centimeter or two.

I’ve long thought the solution to this is to have the motor up and behind the board, like Evolve did with their Bamboo Series Two. But it’s also interesting that my Boosted board doesn’t have that problem. Even though the motors, battery, and electrics are under the board, they’re designed much more aerodynamically. So that if you hit something, you’re more likely to bounce off than to get stuck. Also, I’m a better skater, I guess that has to factor in somewhere.

After noticing the tear in the belt of my Boosted Board, I emailed Boosted. They said the belt probably doesn’t need to be replaced, but gave me a link to where I can buy new belts for $25.

After keeping a close eye on the tear in the belt, I’ve come to the conclusion that they’re probably right. The tear doesn’t look like it will be much of a big deal. But it’s still a scary thing to skate around on, to know that it’s your face on the line, in the event that it is a big deal.

I showed the tear to a friend at work, whose dad used to repair vacuum cleaners. He said he’d seen plenty of belts like that. His advice to me? “Wear a helmet.” I don’t wear a helmet. So yeah, I’m probably going to order the new belt, but continued to skate around on it anyway.

About the same time, I also emailed Evolve asking about the motor intermittently cutting out when on high gear. So far, no response.

This weekend, I also did a not so random act of kindness for myself and the neighborhood. You see, every day, the most dangerous part of my skate is when I go down 20th avenue on my way home. There’s a bike lane on this two lane road, but the traffic is so close, it can be scarey sometimes.

But what makes the whole situation even more dangerous is a particular intersection which has been littered with … nails! It’s hard to believe but true. One day, while skating down the bike lane in front of some of the ghetto apartments, I ran over debris. The next day, I took more notice and saw nails. I figured someone would clear them up eventually, but nobody did. So Sunday morning, after fixing my Snubnose, I skated over with a broom and swept up the nails. Yay me. You’re welcome.