Since I can sometimes be a bit on the ‘verbose’ side, I am going to do my best to keep this as short as I possibly can, while still providing all details I feel need to be said. That being said, here’s a super-short Bio: 50+ years, 230lbs (working on getting back to 180-195), size 8.5 shoe.
First board is BF G2 Black, and I luv it…not really fast, fantastic maple deck, fairly lightweight, and outstanding for distances less than 11mi (less than 9mi at current weight). Now, I want something with MUCH higher range. Narrowed options initially to Ownboard Zeus, B-One TITAN Carbon, Eovan GTS Carbon Super, and Meepo Hurricane. Quickly eliminated Hurricane, due to DPK trucks & way-to-short range. Then eliminated TITAN (even though it has the highest range of these four), due to…uh…let’s just say “company problems”, to make it simple. This leaves the GTS Carbon Super & Zeus, both of which have great reasons to ‘get’…but, also ‘very good’ reasons for going with “the other”. Here’s what I like, and dislike, about each:
GTS – Like: VESC6, ESC programmability, stronger acceleration & braking, price, customer service
Dislike: DKP trucks (less stability), lower range, remote
Zeus – Like: TKP trucks (greater stability), excellent range
Dislike: poor/underpowered acceleration & braking, customer service, “locked”/proprietary ESC
If you understand the difference between “existing” and “truly living”, I’ll say that “happy” is equivalent to “existing”. Yes, I could buy either of these, and be “happy”…but, just being “happy” isn’t ‘good enough’ – I’d MUCH prefer to be “truly living”. Which leads me to my ‘dilemma’. As I see it, I have three options:
- Buy one of the two pre-built boards (but which???) mentioned above, or
- Buy a DIY package & build what I want (or, at least, very close to it), or
- Buy everything needed, individually (part-by-part), to build exactly what I want
Where options 2 & 3 are concerned, this is where I would need some (ok, a LOT of) help. So…what do I want? That’s easy…but, accomplishing it might not be. My “goal” is a street/AT board with a semi-flexible (maple, maple-composite, etc) deck, Li-Ion battery in the 850-925Wh (ie. approx 19.2Ah) range, capable of reaching at least 20-25mi (maybe even 30mi) on 6” pneumatics, and at least 25-30mi (maybe even 35mi) on 120mm CloudWheels. I’m not overly-interested in speed, but a max speed of at least 30mph shouldn’t be out of the question (for long rides, such as the monthly “Bike Coalition” & group Esk8 rides, I’d probably be traveling an average of 12-15mph, with short ‘spurts’ maxing out around 20-25mph). I still know very little about Esk8s…and absolutely noting about building an Esk8…but, the first time I pieced together my own RC Class 3 crawler from nothing but spare parts, it came out quite good (was middle-of-the-pack (out of 50 people competing) at Scale nationals), so, with the right information from those who know far more than I could, I feel confident I can do this. As for ‘parts’ (again, based on someone who knows nothing about building an Esk8), here’s my “thoughts”:
A CF deck might not be the ‘best’ idea (due to my weight…yes, it would support my weight, but I’ll also feel every bump, crack, and hole in the road), and a bamboo deck would be WAY too flexible. So, a maple deck (same material as my G2 Black) is probably best. It makes no real difference whether it’s a ‘drop through’, or standard (underside) mount, design…tho, I’d probably prefer underside mount. Since it wouldn’t be CF (ie. no built-in ESC/battery compartment), it would, obviously, use a bottom-mounted ESC/battery enclosure…but, it needs to be large enough to contain an approximatly 19.2Ah 21700 (12S4P…or 12S5P/12S8P, if such would fit) pack. For stability, TKP or RKP trucks are best. I’d prefer to avoid DKP trucks (partly due to my weight, and partly due to the ‘purpose’ of the Esk8 – ie. long, somewhat slow rides). Motors should, obviously, be 6374 170Kv (slightly lower/higher Kv is acceptable). Lastly, as for ESC, it would need to be a VESC6, or equivalent.
As I said, I don’t even know if it’s possible to accomplish what I “want”…but, if it’s possible, any suggestions/recommendations would be GREATLY appreciated. “Interesting” how much all this is reminding me of the first time I decided to piece together my own RC crawler…lol
I know I said I’d “do my best” to keep this ‘short’…but, a last-minute addition, albeit ‘odd’, idea did pop into my mind…something that’s kind-of a cross between buying a “prebuilt” board, and “piecing together” a board…so, I thought I should probably add it, as see what people thought, and if they might suggest any ‘modifications’ (such as a different deck, battery, trucks, etc) to this ‘odd’ idea. Say, I were to start with the WowGo AT2 deck (or another, but similarly-composed deck), and a flexible 21700 12S4P 19.2Ah (or one of similar capacity) Li-Ion battery/enclosure (the WowGo AT2 10S4P 14Ah pack is “nice”, but too low of a capacity), add TKP trucks & motor mounts (from whichever brand “works” best), and then source the motors & VESC from ‘whomever’ (maybe Eovan)? Does anyone even make a flexible 21700 12S4P (or 5P/8P) Li-Ion battery/enclosure with an approximate 19.2Ah (850-925Wh) capacity?
