Choosing a longboard / recommendation

[Ozan]

Dear longboard geeks ,

I am completely new to longboarding / skating. I fell in love with the electric longboards after I have seen them under some vloggers. I love walking and therefore I want to have a fellow longboard which will travel with me for long-distances. Unfortunatelly, because of the location I live in, I have limited choice for decks. Commercial e-boards are far beyond my budget. The features I want my fellow traveler to have are;

to make 35 km per hour
60 km per charge
climb the hills with a slope of 30 - 40 degrees
not to be taller than 90 cm

It may be better to buy all the parts seperately but as I mentioned earlier I do not have many options here. I haven't visited physical stores yet. So far, I have found this board in the link. I think wheels are small for my purpose. So what do you think about it?

http://www.oxelo.co.uk/surf-fish-longboard-80cm-id_8229840

 

[r3volved]

Someone is going to say it, so I'll just be the first...35kph for a noob-longboarder is suicide. I've only been riding for 3-4 years and I wouldn't feel comfortable at those continuous speeds...To each their own though - you might feel super comfy right away - just make sure you're aware of what 35kph actually feels like.

What are your streets like? Will you be travelling on *smooth* pavement or sidewalk? Or rough roads and sidewalks?

The 70mm wheels are pretty average size for a longboard. I ride 76mm 80a zombie hawgs right now and they are pretty rough on our sidewalks and our crap streets...The biggest wheels I think I've seen are around 80mm. You might want to consider pneumatic wheels if that's still 'small' for you.

60km distance might also be a problem...you might be able to pull it off with a single motor. Enertion's pro4 space cell is 360Wh and they describe as:

The Pack is 360Wh based on 36V nominal voltage. Approximately 40km range, 2hrs+ run time on Dual motor Eboard. This can vary depending on conditions & rider weight.

If you've never skated before, I would suggest getting a used board first to see if you (and your ankles and knees) actually like it. You will also want to familiarize yourself with stopping - without power - in the case of a run-away board.

As far as decks go, you're going to need something that's fairly long to fit your required Wh. The space cell enclosure itself is 560mm X 205mm X 31mm. To pack any more Wh into an area like that, you'd likely have to route out and reinforcing the middle of your deck so your cells are a bit counter-sunk into the board.

If you're leaning towards external belt-drive, trucks with rounded hangars (like those found on Paris tucks) will require a weld to secure the motor mount from rotating. Squared hangars are easier to use universal mounts without 'metal work'. I think Enertion has their own trucks - they look similar to bears or calibers. I think they (or an ES member) also made inserts for adapting to different hangars.

 

[Ozan]

@r3volved Thanks for the detailed information. Of course I plan to gradually reach that speed . I want to get the decks and wheels first so I can familirize myself with longboarding. While doing so, it is better to get the most suitable type of wheels, deck and trucks for the future e-board project, that is what I am concerned about at the moment.

Our roads are mostly asphalt and there are smooth pavements on the seashore. However, I have to longboard on rough roads which are not quite smooth.
Even though I want to use softer wheels to reduce the vibration, I don't consider using pneumatic wheels as they make the longboard look like an RC car. Maybe I can have a spare cell on my backpack for 60 km uninterrupted journey with the speed of 30 kph.
I want the deck to be as short as possible to carry it around easily for long distance travelling (getting on the buses, trains, planes etc.)

Now I need to focus on choosing the right board beforehand, so I will not have to replace things later on since I am on a tight budget. I need your help and thank you for doing so!

PS. Good point on truck shape, I will consider squared ones.

 

[r3volved]

I have gullwings and they're definitely not shaped kindly for a mod.

My first attempt on my first longboard, I got going down a hill at Mach 5 with my dog beside me and half way down to the T intersection I kinda realized that I didn't know how to stop...I survived and stayed up but as close to shitting my pants as I've been in 30 years. Went straight home to google 'how to stop a longboard'.

I'm not powered yet, just shanks ponies. I'm pretty sure this is my 4th year on the board and my second real dedicated commuting with it. I don't downhill, just commute and it has taken until this spring to hit my comfort level to control on any road and condition.

I'm 34 and late starter but it's so wicked fun when you find a nice long smooth path!!

Keep up the updates. I'm jonesing to electrify.

 

[WeeChumlee]

Ho Ozan

To cut to the chase - I am afraid you are being unrealistic.
You want fast, light, small and huge range. (And 40°slope? I think you mean 40%)
Once they invent a battery with many more times the capacity presently available, no problem, Until then 60km is going to be a dream unless you want a tank instead of a longboard.
There are an awful lot of build threads on here, I would advise to read a few. You will then have a better idea of what is possible, what you may need and how to do it.
Once you are that far I am sure we would all be willing to answer any specific questions you may have.

 

[Ozan]

@WeeChumlee

Maybe I can have a spare cell on my backpack for 60 km uninterrupted journey with the speed of 30 kph.

An example: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=68181

I have been doing research about e-board for last 2-3 weeks. And I don't think my plan to be an unrealistic dream. It is a dream which can come true as long as I want it. So keep your pessimism to yourself mate By the way, currently I am focussed on choosing the right board, I know that it is very early to ask which motors\ batteries I need when I don't have enough knowledge about them.

@r3volved
I have checked the gullwings. They are really off-topic trucks for an e-board A life-saving advice there in your message, and It will help me a lot as a beginner.
I will keep the thread updated once there is a progress.

 

[sl33py]

I have been doing research about e-board for last 2-3 weeks. And I don't think my plan to be an unrealistic dream. It is a dream which can come true as long as I want it. So keep your pessimism to yourself mate

Wow. A whole 3 weeks of reading?

Your expectations are a bit unrealistic. You said you are on a budget as well. Making it even harder to keep it light/fast/miles.

Let's break it down a bit to help out.

30-40% hills - you will need dual motors unless you are 100lbs soaking wet in wool. A dual 63mm setup is HEAVY (and totally worth it).

Mileage - you'll want swappable batteries for 30miles. This at least makes the board lighter. You might actually want two battery swaps to make the board light/thin and still get 30mi. 10mi is totally doable w/ small/light batteries.

speed - 21mph is the easiest part. I set my gearing for 25 and rarely go that fast, but have been to 30mph (stupid fast). I've also had an unexpected "get-off" at 18-19mph - not the most fun. You are not running it out... Wear at least some wrist guards and helmet if not full pads.

what's your budget? Target weight of board? I'd say you will be lucky to stay 15-20lbs even with battery swaps.

Am i giving you some grief - absolutely. But we can help if you are willing to listen to folks experience here building boards and not just writing about them.

HTH - GL!

 

[WeeChumlee]

MY dear chap, I am not being pessimistic, I am being realistic.
I am trying to help, but if you wish us to keep that to ourselves then why are you asking?
You mentioned 60km single charge, for a small. budget board - that is not a dream that is unrealistic.
Sure you can easily make it 15km and carry 3 spares on your back but batteries are heavy so not the most comfortable of ideas.
Trucks - stick to what you must have read - if your have been doing that for 3 weeks. There are many build threads and most specify which trucks they use and why. (Are you going to make the motor mount yourself or buy one?)
Board - well, big enough to fit all those batteries you are going to need for your desired distance - what design is purely preferential choice.
Motors and ESC, well I could go on but as you have been researching so much over the last weeks I would presume you already know.

 

[Ozan]

@WeeChumlee
I am Ozan, nice to meet you! I don't think you represent the whole forum users here, so the subject 'I' would be the perfect fit here, thanks for the details though. I may do the motor mount myself as being familiar to milling, turning because of engineering backgorund.
From what I have read, A w shaped stiff board with 8,5-9 inches widht is a good choice. But the problem is getting one with affordable price. If the shippings from USA were not 80-120 USD I would consider ordering from there since there are much more variety at affordable rates. By the way, I love the low board designs, but I guess it is hard to turn them into an e-board, I don't say unrealistic!
I haven't read about the motors much so with the ESCs.

@sl33py
You may be right about the difficulity of achieving a longboard setup with this spesifications, but I don't understand what is wrong with keeping the expectations high?! Yes I have been reading about e-board recently and I know I need more info about it, that is why I am here.

I don't mean 30mph I mean 30kph and it is about 18mph if I am not wrong. I dont want my board to exceed the weight of 7 kg (15-16lbs). I plan to use LiFePO4 batteries because of their durability and safety. I think I have to build them by myself, too.
About the batteries I have read that there are two ways of connecting them with each other. One is with that spot-weld machine and the other is with a basic soldering iron. But I guess soldering iron method uses different plate material which can be soldered to the cells.

What about the wheel size? What can I do to keep the wheel size big while avoiding the bitings? And every truck (brand) has its own custom wheels or do the wheels interchangable between different trucks?

 

[Vanarian]

Hi Ozan,

To begin with you need to tell us about your estimated budget. If you have 500$ for example don't even try to expect 60km range + 30km/h + 30° incline ability, that is unfortunately unaffordable with just 500$ and no parts at all. The electronics needed to achieve this will absolutely get you past this budget.

You should also start by telling us which country you're from, you never know a forum member might be able to help you. Are you in South America? Europe? Africa? Asia? Depending on where you are, there are plenty of possibilities.

If you're able to engineer your own mounts, that's good you'll save some precious hundreds of dollars.

Guess what, building a Lifepo4 battery with the range you seek will cost you a whooping 400-500$ minimum. You can actually get a quality DIY battery made from Li-Ion cells like LG, Samsung, Sony or Sanyo and get away with less expenses and less weight. Don't get me wrong, I'm a pro-lifepo4 but I'm just telling you the facts for your future listing.

Here is my advice : Get some nice Paris trucks, do your mount around it (you'll have plenty of models to work with, that's the good point). Now get a 63mm motor between 150 and 300Kv, use a gearing like 15/44 ratio. If budget is limited, build a pack out of LG HE2 or HE4 (2.5Ah and 20A continuous per cell). You want to climb hills, so you want high voltage, I suggest Torqueboards ESC and a 37/42V setup. Your battery pack should be 37V and 15Ah at least, that's 10S6p = 60 cells. Get a balancing 10S charger or a 42V power supply and a BMS on top of batteries (Bestech has decent ones, over the forum you'll find way better options if you go this route).

This should get you closer to your goal. Notice that to determine the weight, electronics motor included should weight max 3.5Kg. Add your board weight on top. And I think you at least 600$ in electronics here.

 

[WeeChumlee]

Dear me..
If you are going to try be patronising you should at least get it right.
"I" was trying to help and yes I do not speak for the forum but I do know they are helpful and "we" would generally answer specific questions.
The more you write though shows how little you have researched. A general predicament and I do not mind that as we were all there at the beginning. Yes, we. Most though don't go slagging people off straight away and professing how much they have read and then go on to show the opposite.
I still hope you do finish a board and post the results here. I am sure, if you would allow me to make the assumption, that forum members will help you. As we got off on a bad footing I shall keep out of it. If I may make a suggestion, take advice in the nature it is given, even if it if criticism. Trying to be a smartass generally does not go down too well.

 

[206monkey32]

Ozan
-I'd say 3-4 months of reading....minimum......while you read you can plan and save......

 

[chuttney1]

I will chime in to give you a perspective hoping you can think creatively to apply the knowledge given here by others with experience. I will try to keep it short. My story. I have been building my 2nd eboard for 4 years. Those are 4 years and counting of learning how to make a board that will last long.

Several things I learned are:
-This project can get really expensive if you do not set a budget
-The amount I have spent so far is a much as buying a gaming desktop with a killer graphics card and a core i5 processor with 16 gb of ram and an 7200 rpm hard drive; $1606.65
-The deck material be it laminated wood, carbon fiber, aluminum, or fiberglass affects the final weight and riding characteristics of the deck
-Li-ion cells need a battery management system (BMS) and charger
-Li-ion cells in bulk are not cheap and you must make sure the supplier is giving legit cells. It stills add more weight
-The longevity of li-ion cell are dependent on how fast you charge and discharge. Range is a factor of how many cells you have in series and parallel.
-I estimated my final setup will be close to 25 lbs
-Motor choice is dependent on what you plan to do


Having predefined requirements can help make sure you stay in budget and be done in a timely manner. I have not and it's really starting to affect the time I set aside to do projects like this as I am about to graduate from a university. I would like to move on from doing projects to actually working.