I’ll say I don’t like bindings at all. They make the board bigger and harder to carry and they’re more dangerous if you have to run off or roll it out.
It really comes down to what you want to use your board for. Are you building a commuter board for street use to get you from point A to point B, or are you building a toy to use for group rides?
Please explain how the inclusion of bindings immediately makes it a toy.
Some people enjoy riding offroad.
As someone who uses a board with bindings to get to class this is just a bad take. It gives me the utility of a kicktail while still having a big and comfortable board. I haven’t taken that board to a single group ride and most of my miles are either offroading or going to class.
Also what??? No? My top box is larger than my bindings.
I’ve started something I shouldn’t have LOL.
I do plan on taking it off-road. I’m not sure how that’ll feel with/without bindings. Just seems to me that if you have to fall and you’re stuck to the board, that could be even more dangerous of road. I imagine some giant boulder or something that you can’t move yourself to avoid because you’re stuck to the board.
On the other hand, would a bumpy off-road throw you off the board without bindings?
I think I’ll experiment with open bindings. Since they’re not as involved as regular ones, I think it’ll be nice to 3D print it. Then I can make it so the holes align for the other foot straps I was using.
Also, I believe @b264 called it a toy with bindings since you’re off-roading probably for fun. But if you’re using it for commuting, then you don’t have the same need for bindings as the road is smooth and you can bail properly if you fall.
I can also see why it would be harder to carry, the foot straps do get in my way a little when handling the board as opposed to when it was a nice flat side.
Oh you sweet summer child… Brian tends to think anything that isn’t a short board on large urethane wheels with a 99.9% waterproof enclosure that you can still put into a child size shopping cart is a toy. He builds purpose driven effective esk8 tools only.
Different strokes for different folks is a beautiful concept 
Back to bindings though… it’s the vertical terrain difference and bonus lean where the bindings really shine. I can run a tighter bushing setup with bindings without sacrificing turn. Also, if you hit a decent sized dip or drop in the grass/woods, the board will fall faster than your body can react and you’re just floating, pre-crash, hoping your foot falls back on to the board. Can get sketchy but also fun.
The oneness you get with your board from bindings though…
Diversity is a beautiful concept.
There are only a few members expressing drastically different opinions and building very different kinds of machines. Taking input from as many different & unique sources as possible can often be best when making decisions.
Hmm, I think balancing is harder since I made this a compact board (only 2 feet long). So perhaps the foot strap is essential for off-roading.
@b264
Lmao. I was actually trying to waterproof my enclosure. The enclosure itself is water tight, but I’m making air holes for cooling. I was looking for a breathable yet waterproof material to cover the holes with. I purchased a fabric that claimed this… it was definitely water tight, but definitely not breathable. I’m also considering getting some regular nice breathable fabric and using a waterproof spray-on coat.
Can’t go off-roading and risk all my components getting destroyed with a little splash!
That is a plus. I tightened them up quite a bit so that it wouldn’t wobble at high speeds. This must be how riding a motorcycle feels, always one mistake away from eating the biggest piece of road you’ve ever had. I have a helmet, need something for knees and elbows later.
It does help. I always find myself needing information that only real experts would know. Listening to a lot of opinions and experiences helps narrow down what I’m looking for :3
I haven’t read this full thread in detail but I saw this go by and remembered this thread and thought it might be relevant:
The code for what I wanted to achieve is in this thread somewhere, all done :3 I’m not sure how similar that would be to the LISP code I did.
Btw, skateboard is all done. Just finished today actually. Only issue I have is figuring out how I want to mount the battery reader. If I had 3D printed the enclosure it wouldn’t be an issue, but oh well, this one is working fine. Anyway, nothing my rotary tool can’t solve.
Look into ‘gore vents’
Those look pretty cool, never heard of them. Don’t think they’re the right fit for what I was going for though.
But looking at them got me thinking. I think I could have done a smarter job with the air flow, making many tiny holes instead of a few big ones.
Also, rotary tool worked wonders. Had the battery level indicator in there before I knew it!
Took the officially done skateboard for a late night (or early morning) ride.
Question first:
How much can I tighten the bushings? Can I tighten them too much? I want to have better handling at higher speeds, but I’m a little worried I’ve already tightened them quite a bit.
Anyway, the ride went well. Bending at the knees is important I learned LOL. I have the motor speed limited in software and it’s still super fast, plenty of torque. Which it was two wheel drive so it was more balanced, but would definitely want a weaker motor if I was gonna have two. This motor by itself is more than overkill. 5kW is powerful!
I also had my first official fall. There was a speed bump, I thought I could take it, I went slow. Suddenly, bam, I’m jolted and fall. I’ll eventually get use to it and do it alright, that’s not the issue. The issue was the foot straps.
It felt like suddenly having the rug pulled from under me. You’re strapped in, which makes even low speed falls a lot more dangerous that they should be. I fell forward so there no real way to fall properly while anchored to the board.
However, I don’t want to forgo footstraps, they provide great handling. I’ll definitely have to look into those half securing foot straps - will probably print my own.
3D printing has proven itself. I created a test hook as shown in CNC Kitchen on youtube. With the right parameters, I created a hook in regular PLA that I literally hung from and it did not break. I even jumped into it before hanging on and it wouldn’t break. Strong stuff - just need as many lines as possible in the direction of the load. Now I’m using PLA+, which I’m sure I’ll be able to use to create amazing functional parts.
Speaking of 3D printing. I created a custom mount for the ESC. I was worried the ESC might get a bit too hot for the PLA+, so I annealed it too. The research shows that it can more than double its heat resistance! 3D printing is just one of the best things I’ve ever done. It’s making my life so much easier.
I was worried that my upgrades and messing around with settings would degrade the printing quality, but I’ve got a good handle on things and the print quality is as amazing as ever.
Awesome to hear the initial feedback!
Theres the problem, it’s like hitting a pebble on small urethane wheels. The slower you’re going, the more you’ll feel the rug pulled out feeling. It’s hard to say go faster on a new board with new bindings but that will mitigate a lot of the bumps.
Also, keep the weight predominantly on your front foot when riding. This will keep the speed wobbles down as you get faster.
One thing that really helped me early on was pre jumping the cracks and bumps in the road. If you push down into the deck just before you hit the bump, you’ll hit it while the board is flexing back up (less weight on the board) and the bumps won’t feel nearly as severe.
I never really figured this part out. Every time I’ve done it I’ll clear the front, but I hit the rear pretty much exactly on the down swing. Is it just a case of go faster, or is it dependent on wheelbase?
Go faster definitely helps along with hitting the spring as close to the bump as possible so you’re in the “up” position for longer. When I hit a speed bump, I’m basically jumping the deck but without lifting the wheels off the ground. Stomach, legs, and back are all lifting the board.
Makes sense, I’ll try it next time. I’m no stranger to falling. Use to have a mountain bike, my only goal was to go as fast as possible. Some nasty falls lmao!
I’ve been finding that I naturally started putting weight on the front foot more, so I suppose that is the right move. I still wanna tighten the bushings though.
The skateboard will be fine, but once I shift my feet or anything at higher speeds it just wants to wobble. The wobble is very small, but obviously going that fast you’ll feel it. The bushings are already compressed a bit, but I guess I’ll tighten them up a bit more. Let’s hope that’s not a bad idea.
Worst case scenario I buy some harder bushings?
You trade ease of turning for a more responsive rebound and stiffer trucks,
IMO if you want stability, focus on truck angle, it will do far more than bushing choice,
For bushings, focus on the amount of shquish (turning radius) you can get and the amount of rebound to center.
Can say that I haven’t had an issue turning after tightening it up, especially with foot straps. Something I’ll figure out later I guess.
You mean the angle the truck was installed? Admittedly I bought my own wood and the angle of the trucks aren’t 100% perfect. But wouldn’t be able to tell without a digital angle reader.
The initial wobble I had going around 20mph was fixed by tightening the bushings. This wobble feels exactly the same, just a lot more subtle. It only really happens when I start moving, which is to be expected, but I want some freedom of movement without worrying about the board wobbling.
Look into angle risers and split angle setups. Having a shallower angle on your rear and closer to 45 degrees on your front can really help your stability at higher speeds while maintaining carving responsiveness. Check out @RipTideSports thread on bushing setups, he definitely upped my carving and handling game a whole bunch.