Hey guys, I had been looking at getting an E-board for a long time, the prospect of a light portable means of transportation seemed like a dream come true.
After months of research and saving up I decided to get a Carbon Street as it had the best range.
In March I received the board and in the first day found I could only go 2/3 miles before it ran out, I started to email the company and they said that I shouldn't be having issues as the board is great. So I rang them and described the problem, they told me to take the board apart and make sure there isn't a loose connection.
I did so, undid the wires, reconnected them and still the issues persisted.
After 4/5 phonecalls and a skype session I arranged to have the battery pack shipped to Gibraltar, after a week I got an email to say they received it but it was soaked (I had rode the board on moist roads but nothing major.) also the main guy was going away and couldn't look at the board for two weeks.
By this point I had rode the board about 10 miles over 5 days when I had it.
Weeks go by and then I find out they are shipping the battery back as is and they just cleaned it as there was no real issues other than one cell needed charging.
Alarm bells are going in my head, I've paid a lot of money for this.
I get the battery back and give it a spin, I can now get about 8 - 10 miles on the board, then on the second day of having it back the drive belt breaks, £20 for a new one from the site as there are no cheaper alternatives anywhere.
Another week goes by and I get the belt, another day or two of riding and the board grinds to a halt again. This time its the internal electronics that have come loose and need soldering. I've had enough by this point and ask for a refund by long email, they dance around the problem and say its a great board and I shouldn't be having any issues as no-one else is.
Five phonecalls later and finally a full response by email saying that I can't have a refund because there was moisture on the battery case the time when I first sent it back.
I realised at this point I wasn't getting any money off of them and to their credit they did send me the backpack and a t-shirt for my problems, I still wanted an eboard though and wasn't forking out for another one.
I bought a soldering kit and a load of wire and built my own eboard.
I took all the electronics and battery off of the board (which you can buy here http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=69814) and took off the trucks and wheels.
I attached the trucks to my old reliable bustin complex deck, now because I wanted the electronics to be safe and the board can touch the floor if bounced on hard enough I decided to wire everything to a backpack.
I know, I know, its a tethered board but so far I've found many benefits of doing this.
Using the back compartment of the evolve backpack I placed all the parts on a bit of cardboard and its kept safe on my back (I had to fold the battery in a way so It would fit) and made a one and a half meter cable running to the motor.
It wasn't easy and I've had a lot of issues (and it obviously is less convenient) but I've learnt a lot from this project and it seems to run better than the carbon did out of the box, plus I can throw the board about a bit more without worrying about the battery and circuits.
I'll gladly post some pictures if you guys want to see!.
I'm sure most people won't have the same issues I've had but this good for people wanting to buy an eboard thinking they will be able to return it if they don't like it because it won't be that simple.
After months of research and saving up I decided to get a Carbon Street as it had the best range.
In March I received the board and in the first day found I could only go 2/3 miles before it ran out, I started to email the company and they said that I shouldn't be having issues as the board is great. So I rang them and described the problem, they told me to take the board apart and make sure there isn't a loose connection.
I did so, undid the wires, reconnected them and still the issues persisted.
After 4/5 phonecalls and a skype session I arranged to have the battery pack shipped to Gibraltar, after a week I got an email to say they received it but it was soaked (I had rode the board on moist roads but nothing major.) also the main guy was going away and couldn't look at the board for two weeks.
By this point I had rode the board about 10 miles over 5 days when I had it.
Weeks go by and then I find out they are shipping the battery back as is and they just cleaned it as there was no real issues other than one cell needed charging.
Alarm bells are going in my head, I've paid a lot of money for this.
I get the battery back and give it a spin, I can now get about 8 - 10 miles on the board, then on the second day of having it back the drive belt breaks, £20 for a new one from the site as there are no cheaper alternatives anywhere.
Another week goes by and I get the belt, another day or two of riding and the board grinds to a halt again. This time its the internal electronics that have come loose and need soldering. I've had enough by this point and ask for a refund by long email, they dance around the problem and say its a great board and I shouldn't be having any issues as no-one else is.
Five phonecalls later and finally a full response by email saying that I can't have a refund because there was moisture on the battery case the time when I first sent it back.
I realised at this point I wasn't getting any money off of them and to their credit they did send me the backpack and a t-shirt for my problems, I still wanted an eboard though and wasn't forking out for another one.
I bought a soldering kit and a load of wire and built my own eboard.
I took all the electronics and battery off of the board (which you can buy here http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=69814) and took off the trucks and wheels.
I attached the trucks to my old reliable bustin complex deck, now because I wanted the electronics to be safe and the board can touch the floor if bounced on hard enough I decided to wire everything to a backpack.
I know, I know, its a tethered board but so far I've found many benefits of doing this.
Using the back compartment of the evolve backpack I placed all the parts on a bit of cardboard and its kept safe on my back (I had to fold the battery in a way so It would fit) and made a one and a half meter cable running to the motor.
It wasn't easy and I've had a lot of issues (and it obviously is less convenient) but I've learnt a lot from this project and it seems to run better than the carbon did out of the box, plus I can throw the board about a bit more without worrying about the battery and circuits.
I'll gladly post some pictures if you guys want to see!.
I'm sure most people won't have the same issues I've had but this good for people wanting to buy an eboard thinking they will be able to return it if they don't like it because it won't be that simple.
