Metro-board has a 450 watt continuous motor, 900 peak
with plenty of power. That equals 1.2 horse power.
bottom line The board goes faster than I need it to go
and though they say 16 miles per hour top speed I have
clocked 18.64 mph on level ground and over 25 mph on
down hill runs because unlike the other boards this
board allows you to coast, ( a major stealth advantage
and saving/charging batteries ) The board has about the
same torque as any other board but at less than half the
weight. The board is user programmable in its power
intensity and also very important, the owner is really
friendly and easy to contact with questions. It uses a
infrared wireless remote which is much safer in my
opinion due to almost no possible interference on the
road. Plus Ilan the owner is working on a
Lithium Powered
Electric Skateboard for the future editions.
light
nickel metal hydride powered electric skateboard.
Today metroboard went head to head with an e-glide 44
and it was impressive. Less than half the weight but the
same torque and almost same top end as the e-glide
though. I do weigh a bit less than the other rider to be
fair so technically the e-glide electric skateboard is
about 1 mile per hour faster than the metro-board
electric skateboard. The metroboard went faster off the
line at its top power setting and was just about as fast
on top end speed then a board weighing more than twice
it weight. I was surprised. This is like putting Sugar
Ray Leonard in the rink with Mike Tyson in his prime for
twelve rounds and having it come to a marginal win based
on points at the end of the bout.
To me the weight of a skateboard is critical because I
use the board for commuting. The boards remote is very
stable and well tuned and comes with lights both front
and back and a horn. The only small drawback is at low
speeds about 7 mph or less the boards braking curve
works but is a bit slow to react, but truth is at lower
speeds you can just use your foot to stop or in an
emergency just hop off the board if necessary. Now this
comment on the low end brakes may be just be a personal
preference of mine to be honest it is a skateboard after
all and your feet have been used to stop them for the
past 50 years. At top speeds the brakes work very well
which is when you really need the electric brakes.
Reaching customer service is essential in this arena. My
rule is if I cant reach a real person when I call or if
I leave a message and I don't get a call back within a
reasonable amount of time, I don't buy the board.
Going to a mall and carrying a fifty pound board was
hell for me and basically made me only ride for fun and
that was not the only reason I got a
powerboard.
With the Metro-board motorized skateboard I had no issue
going to an outdoor mall and carrying the metro-board
electric skateboard for blocks.
The metro-board so far is my favorite for daily use.
It is very light, it has a turn radius of about twelve
feet or three feet if you kickturn and I can actually
carry it with relative ease. Oh yeah btw, another cool
thing, Metro-board will build on your own custom deck.
I used a
Madrid
skateboard "Liquor Store" as a base deck and
reshaped it a bit more like the explosion model then got the premium wheels as well because they absorb
shock a lot better than standard wheels. The premium
wheel really
make a big difference because at higher speeds it rides
a lot better and is even more stable with less
vibration. Spend the extra money on premium wheels, you
won't be let down. This board is a full custom deck. Its a
pool style bullet shape, a cross between a Dewey Webber long board for the tail and Early 1980's
Madrid Explosion Spoon shape for the nose with the nimh batteries
that will take you about 12 miles per charge. The
skateboard only weighs 22 lbs. or for you metric minds
about ten kilos.
2-20-2010
So I figured I would
give a quick update on the board now as it is going on it's
second year with me. The thing is a tank. So far I have not been
stranded once! I have gone off of curbs a few times due to them
coming at me too quick and choosing to just jump down them
instead of bailing on the board. Though it is not recommended,
in a pinch has survived. Tech support has been great and the new
bag they offer comes in handy according to a friend of mine. I
use a strap as a handle but I will review the bag once I use it.
So overall I am very happy with the board for all of its
intended uses.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
8-3-2008
Metroboard electric skateboard
review continued
Tonight I took the metro-board.com's electric skateboard on my
trials run. It is a twelve mile one hour course with mainly flat
city sidewalks and really smooth Los Angeles area streets.
Metro-board.com's board made the full run with no power loss at
all. I think it would have gone some more distance but to be
honest I was tired out. Full day surfing with the kids and then
electric skateboarding. Long day.
The course is ideal for
electric skateboarding and it will also remain undisclosed
for now. Sorry guys but I promised my riding buddies I wouldn't
spill the beans on this one. Kinda brings you back to the old
pool days. You might pay with skin if you show up with a friend
that hasn't been "made." I put it up against my control which is
an eglide with new batteries.
The course covers an average level street about most of the
time, a slightly hilly park about one mile or so and of course a
mall parking lot and some sidewalks. The terrain is all paved
with about a 50 percent tarmack and 45 percent concrete riding
surface with some tile maybe 5 percent and super smooth museum
surface similar to an indoor super market.
The board handled the course really well it had excellent
stability and great torque even at level five which is its
default power level.
On the really steep section I did hear some clicks when I was
trying to brake but I think the gradient was way above the
standard six degrees (drive belt was a bit loose) as the
manufacturer recommends re tightening after thirty days, so that was my fault, the
ground clearance was a bit small for some of the sidewalk
entrance areas but there is a built in skid plate that protects
the drive belt so all went well. Much appreciated engineering
design, well thought out.
I am a bit surprised at the board to be honest. A board this
light could handle this course. I kept thinking ok when is it
going to break.... When is it going to break?
But the thing just kept going. I have the 12 mile Nimh
metroboard electric
skateboard so it is the top of the line for now. But at any
rate to keep up with the super stable e-glide.com board is just
amazing, the thing ways half the weight!
Well done!!! I give the Metroboard motorized skateboard a full
fledged Hang loose brada!!! Keep building em like this one. I
cant wait till the Lihium electric skateboard version hits the
market.
Jan 23 2011
Metroboard is finally due for an overhaul 2.5 years
roughly and probably my fault it broke, not bad. I was
coasting on a southbound hill and I realized I had left
my board off. The board makes different sounds for
different things. i.e. when it's battery dies it makes a
sound kind of like a dying R2 droid. When it is off and
you are coasting it makes another sound so I knew it was
off. I hit the on switch while coasting and it lurched
forward a little and then turned off (don't do this). I
took a small spill but nothing major.
Nevertheless it is time to send
it in. As part of my out in the open full disclosure
policy, at this point the owner at metro-board.com knows
well who I am due to this blog.
Regardless he has been very helpful to me with the
board. Usually responds within a few hours to emails
etc... Not all board companies did that before or after
this blog. Generally I figure I get about 1.9 years
average per board before you need something. This one
went 2.5 years almost to the day. I think the batteries
are still good but if I am sending it in I may as well
do a full battery overhaul (keep your batteries before
sending it out) I may get a few months out of them but
it is not worth taking a chance getting stranded and
double shipping these heavy parts around. I just replace
them after two years to be safe if I am sending them in.
I will send him the battery box and controller. I know
the motor is still good. The motor on my first Gen X24
lasted for over eight years.
P.S. Check out that 80's old skool Burton snowboard nose
popping up. ;-)
E-glide Electric Skateboard Review
Now
this is a great company that has stood the test of time.
The board is very similar to the exkate ex24 but a bit
more reliable due to different electronics and a hard
wired gun throttle-braking device. The "brain" or motor
controller is similar to a 1208 series Curtis controller
but E-glide uses a proprietary controller instead.
E-glides are super reliable so far. Great customer
service and that really is major plus. Service and
sustainability of the board is a key issue because these
are not cheap once a company goes under your are left
with an unusable board, you really cant push most of
these boards because they are too high for one and way
too heavy plus the motor usually has drag unless it is
lit up with electrical power.
The board is controlled by a stable wired gun
potentiometer. So it has a gradual accelerator with
graduated braking. Top speed is 20 miles per hour and a
range of about 12 miles, though I think I may have clocked way
higher speeds on downhill runs.
0 to 20 mph hour is not a puffed up sales statement.
These boards really have the amps and torque necessary
to push you to 20 miles per hour in 4 seconds. Be sure
to bend your knees point your front foot a bit forward,
ground your back foot and be ready to lean forward then
slowly hit the throttle if you want, but be careful. I
have heard stories about people getting thrown off the
boards etc..
The new rubber wheels E-glide offers soften the ride
quite a bit which is big plus and you don't have to
worry about pebbles making you skid to a halt because
the board just plows right over anything I have come
across on the road.
One of the major drawbacks of the Exkate x24 was the
wheels were very hard urethane and at higher speeds the
road vibration was pretty bad. Not so much of an issue
with the e-glide that has the new Goodyear rubber
wheels.
Nice and smooth, so on this review I would say spend
the extra money and buy the E-glide 42 Special with
rubber wheels because the stock ones are pretty hard
urethane. Also, consider the dc 36 if weight is an issue
and distance is not.
E-glide 42 special is my top pick for the e-glides
Cons: really in this case the weight of the board is
an issue for a commuter because it can be really
cumbersome to carry it on a Subway or down an out door
mall road like the Grove in Los Angeles or the Promenade
in Santa Monica CA, in which you are not allowed to ride
in. They have a prototype Lithium powered board but the
reliability has not been confirmed over time yet so Dave
at E-glide will
not give the green light on it. This really is a plus in
my opinion. Better to do it right or not at all seems to
be E-glides motto and in the end reliability is key for
safety and customer satisfaction. Good job.
To wrap it up.
Truth is I am torn between the e-glide for the super
smooth stable ride and excellent braking all around and
the Metro-board for its commuter friendly weight high
torque motor and other safety features. If you found
this
electric skateboard review useful let me know.
The Exkate x24 (now "Altered" Skateboards)
Electric Skateboard review.
My board is not working right now and I
am a bit upset. They had some motor issues with the 600
series, I have heard that it is fixed with the new
controllers. Again controllers have to be dependable and
they come from who knows where. It probably isn't
Exkate's fault
to be honest these things happen with electronic boards
but it is a real bummer when it is bright and sunny high
season and your board is dead. When these boards are
dead it is often just completely not operational. You
can't push the Exkate I have.
Call during business hours pacific standard time and
you will have a better chance of getting someone on the
line vs emailing the Altered electric skateboard
company. Not sure what is up, but it took a while for me
to get someone on the phone and I didn't get return
emails. Emails are faster and all around
good business practice who knows maybe my email to them got lost in
cyberspace.
Still exkate is a good electric skateboard when
operational. I think they should extend the warranty on
the 600 watt motors if they are burning up due to an over amped power
curve. Just my humble opinion.
The Exkate electric skateboard had a lot of torque
and a great top speed of about 20 miles per hour. I
could not believe the power density of this board. It
handled well and was really stable at top speed. It had
a range of a realistic 10 miles every day riding and
could pull me up signal hill in Long Beach. For those of
you in the know it is very steep. They have done
downhill skateboard and luge races on it for years.
Cons
The only major draw back for me was the weight of the board and
the durometer of the cherry bomb wheels. I have heard they may
have fixed them on the latest models out August -
September 2008. I think it weighs just over 50 pounds!
So you really cant use it in a situation where you would
end up carrying it in a mall for a long distance or
something to that effect and a slightly large turn
radius. I cant turn the on a residential street easily.
Sometimes I would get off and have to scoot the board
left or right with my foot and get back on to do a
simple u turn. The wheels are hard urethane so you
really feel the bumps. All in all a really fun board and
I am grateful to Louie who started this great experience
in board culture. Truth is I need to review one of the
newer models because I think they may have worked out
some of the kinks I mentioned.
Electroboard Electric Skateboard review
The Electroboard. This thing was a beast!!! Really
strong. Super heavy, great torque but now out of
business. One of the major drawbacks of electric
skateboarding is that you really shouldn't beat the
boards up because of the electronics and the weight can
snap axles.
This didn't apply as much to the Electroboard. The
one I had came ready for off road 18 miles per hour
riding! Jumping curbs, even going down stairs was o.k.
It had dual posi traction via a worm gear and a car
style rear end direct drive transmission. I beat this
thing up for 3 years till it needed overhauling. It
lasted me an extra 3 years thanks to another company
that cares about their riders actually riding the boards
consistently David at E-glide, a really great guy and
board sport company.
I'm not going to talk up the electroboard too much
because it is no longer available and it had a major
flaw. Service was almost non existent for long periods
of time. When Electroboard was around to pick up the
phone it was ok, but just not great because the board
would sit for months in non operation as a result of
very spotty attendance from the electroboard electric
skateboard shop. The company folded and I was lucky
enough to have met the guys at e-glide to help me keep
it operational for a few more years. In the end, with
these boards you really should try to get extra parts
for them. An extra controller, gun and drive belts or
gears if possible. Batteries are not an issue as
voltman
can get most Sealed Lead Acid Batteries and Battery
Space can supply everything else.
The motors on these boards are pretty strong and last
a long time its really the electronic brains are hard to
source/replace and usually the first to go bad in my
almost nine years experience with powerboarding. If a
company folds you could get the Curtis 1208 for $150 at
best and you also need a controller programmer for a
whopping $200 and for that you could just about buy a
whole new board for a hundred more the throttles are
usually 5k ohm potentiometers which are cheap pots
available at most electronics stores but you have to
know how wire stuff up to fix them.
I will post the Freeride 600 electric skateboard
review next for now I am hitting the surf!
Freeride Electric Skateboard Review
8-5-2008
I got the 600 watt 36 volt model. Truth
is the board is just not my style. It works fine but I
am just not connecting with the board at this time. It
may be the deck shape or the weight. Im going to reshape
it more along the lines of an e-glide 42 special and
swap in some lithium batteries and give it another go.
So I will update on this board later.
8-14-2008
Reshaped the Freeride, looks much cooler now, I will
post picts soon. I still need to change the batteries
though and tighten the trucks then give it another try.
All three babies in a row... The now Modified Exkate -
The
Metroboard and Freeride electric skateboard (reshaped).
Aren't they cute
|
Freeride with long goofy nose |
|
That's all for now.
Happy Boarding,
Steven Earth Metz.
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