My Esk8s. A journal of sorts

rafaelinmissouri · December 28, 2022, 5:20pm

Man oh man.

Riding makes me happy!!!

I got to ride yesterday and it was so nice to get out and roll around.

We had finally escaped the Arctic blast and got to just above freezing.

So I got out and did 9 miles on the Gravel Flux.

I’m stoked my boards and clothing have evolved to the point that I can enjoy a ride on a day like yesterday.

The Gravel Flux is really awesome to have for wintry roads.

And it was sunny and nice. But it was still 32f.
But my gear kept me warm the whole time.

Mostly the roads were clear so I could ride freely.

On patches covered in snow the board was doing really well so I went and rode trails that were mostly covered.

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I have gone out in snow and could not make it 30 feet and I have had days like yesterday when traction was really decent.

I had well worn MBS 9 inch tires very much on the squishy side.

zero_ads · December 28, 2022, 7:16pm

Any chance of mounting those inwards?

rafaelinmissouri · December 28, 2022, 7:35pm

Well. Dude.
I don’t think so with the IdeaTB mounts.

They are quite long.

There is a good bit of height to these trucks so BN mounts may work mounted inward.

rafaelinmissouri · December 28, 2022, 7:55pm

I have to appreciate the insanity of Missouri weather.

It’s 56 degrees and sunny out.

So I went and took the Third Demonseed on it’s mayden voyage.

For 7 miles.

Just before I slapped the MAD precision washers on the road side of the Razillian Trucks.

I missed the low low vibes!!!

The board felt really good.

I need to spend some time on these trucks to give better feedback but my initial impressions are pretty good.

They seemed quite predictable for DKP trucks and I had no scary twitches.

I love the divey feeling carving at low speeds and the tight turning circle.

I know DKP trucks are not for everyone… But they definitely have a place in my heart.

I only got up to 25mph but the tucks felt really steady at that higher speed.

I love it that after all these years and slapping a thousand configurations of boards together I still manage to screw up really silly stuff…

And one motors was not tightened down enough…

rafaelinmissouri · December 28, 2022, 8:06pm

Oh yeah.
I suppose it would be good if I mentioned I got the Demonseed put together last night…

All I had to do was mount the enclosure and hook up the electronics.

Putting inserts on this deck was a little tricky.
I use M5 ones.

And I had to drive these in… Back out a bit and then send them to get flush.

These 2 are not so good

This one is as good as it gets for me…

The only hick up I had was that I had to reposition the Unity and tape it down a second time because the power button was not reaching.

Behold the rats nest.

There are a few things I wish were different as I was building this…

The EBoosted enclosure would be a thousand times nicer… But let this be proof that I don’t buy all the parts I want… And sometimes I have a smidge of self control.

I used new Flipsky 6374 motors on here… But really I would have preferred 6354s to keep it lighter and better Free roll…
But the motors did feel great.

And finally the 10s4p 30q pack needs to be something else…
Probably a P42A 12s3p.
I may in fact have to chase that down.

But overall it was really pleasant to finish slapping this together last night.
And I really enjoyed the ride today.

So stoked to have this back.

ISOgone4good · December 28, 2022, 10:41pm

I love seeing a good Demonseed build!

The Eboosted enclosure+ heatsink is definitely they way to go at some point.
Rocking Eboosted enclosure + heat sink/12s5p/Stormcore 60D/Reacher V4 6385/BN270/IdeaTB Mounts/6" pneummies/Davega X/Robogotchi+GPS/VX1 Remote

rafaelinmissouri · December 29, 2022, 2:12am

You got the composite deck too right? Yours holding up ok?

Lots of leverage on the drops here with these DKPs.

ISOgone4good · December 29, 2022, 4:59am

Yep, same deck as you. Graphic and all.

It’s holding up well however I run top mounted as I worry about the noses breaking for some reason. Crazy enough my Demonseed went under the tire of a truck and took zero damage just about.
My Rayne Nemesis which I have pushed a few hundred miles and 2500mi with a bkb kit since 2016 has held up through a lot of abuse. No delam and stress fractures to be seen.

Rayne decks are built extremely well and can last a long time so I wouldn’t worry. Atleast the composite fiberglass/bamboo do. Can’t speak for their other constructions

rafaelinmissouri · December 29, 2022, 5:17am

You saw up a ways one of my 2 Canadian maple ones started delaminating…

But again.
Big guy
DKP yonder out.

Most stress possible…

rafaelinmissouri · December 31, 2022, 1:07am

It’s nice enough to ride… But I am feeling lazy today.

I went out for a tiny bit on the GT.

And I rode the Rayne Crush for a second in front of the house…

But no epic rides.

I’m tinkering and hopefully will get some good progress on the Gravel Boi.

rafaelinmissouri · December 31, 2022, 3:51am

Alright.

I plugged and chugged and made some good progress this evening.

I carved up and poked holes on the junction box.

I then proceeded to attach it to the deck.

I am using 4 threaded inserts with M5 bolts and Butyl.

There is some gasketing under to dampen impact and deal with the concave.

And some butyl to hold it all down.

Then I broke out the big drill bit and punched some big holes through the Deck…

I just recently got my first corded Dremel. And it is sweet. I had been using an old failing battery one for a long time…

I got some help from the little dude.

I went on to put in some more inserts for the abs sheet that will protect the cables.

And then I went on to start messing with and taping down the cables.

And look at that. Cables up in the enclosure.

And finally more gorilla tape.

The pannell will have to wait until I get some M6 bolts for the inserts ob the Tommi Boi.

It’s really getting close now…

But I have to redo/extend the phase leads on the Unity…

And that is where I decided to take a break.

rafaelinmissouri · January 9, 2023, 2:36am

We left off here back on December 30th and I needed to do some soldering.

So I did and proceed to finish up the box on the Gravel Boi.

Getting the wires tucked in to be able to close the junction box was all kinds of sketchy…

It is tight, tight, tight in there.

But with some gentle pressure I managed to get the 6 bolts on the lid tightened down and I went for a ride at 2 in the morning…

The Gravel Boi came out to be a delightful set up.

It totally reminds me of a smaller Gravel Flux.

It’s feels smaller and more nimble than the Gravel Flux.

It had a great balance between power and speed.

The 8 inch Clever knobbies at 20 psi on the Hubbas felt really good.

Great impression out of the gate.

Oh. And once again green and white Riptide Bushings are killing it for me!!!

rafaelinmissouri · January 9, 2023, 3:03am

The 31st was a really pretty nice day and I ended up getting a bunch of riding in.

I started getting warmed up on the Crush.
And again this ride on freshies is remarkable.

So glassy. So quiet and seamless.

Then i took the Gravel Boi out for it’s daylight mayden voyage and did about 16 miles and it totally killed it.

See how it is still clean here…

But I did get it around some gravel for it to earn it’s name.

This set up felt really good both on the road and on the Gravel and dirt trails I hit.

And it went off curbs almost as well as the Gravel Flux does.

b264 · January 9, 2023, 3:19am

This is so awesome. What did you wear on your front and back hands for this ride?

b264 · January 9, 2023, 3:23am

This is such a beautiful machine.

rafaelinmissouri · January 9, 2023, 4:21am

On colder days like this one I have been rocking the heated gloves on my front/remote hand.

And my back hand is usually the 1Protect long fingered glove. Which is not really super warm. B

rafaelinmissouri · January 12, 2023, 4:46am

I love riding these things.

However long it’s been now 6 plus years.

I rode a bunch today.
My legs are shot.

But I am so stoked I got out.
I even explored some new paths I had never taken before.

I rode a ton last year. 4300 miles!!!

Way more than in 2021 and even 2020…

Switching to working from home with a flexible schedule was a huge deal.

I went and rode 8 and then 7 miles just on my lunch break today…

And almost every day I pick up the kids from school on the Gravel Flux which is just the freaking coolest.

I think the Onewheels were a great addition.
They added a whole new layer of fun and a lot of little rides…
A lot of little rides… Including getting on the Pint X inside the house constantly…
It has become my favorite house balance board…

I managed to get the Demonseed DKP and the Gravel Boi going so I closed out the year with 12 running set ups…

Which is a lot of boards to break…

But I am riding a ton and that is good.

The tinkering and the obsession I have mixed feelings about.

I have no major plans for builds coming up.

I have a few upgrades I plan on doing.
The new MBS stuff for the Flux…
A new pack for the Demonseed and one for the Omakase…

And that is it…

I want to get all the cool stuff that is out…
It’s want to make the Flux high voltage…
I want 3links on the Khymera…
I want a 3links Red Ember build.
I want a thunderrails Vesc Onewheel build…

But all that is pie in the sky…

I just need to keep riding all the boards I have and enjoying myself and if anything work on maintenance of my body…
God knows that need some work.

m_oliver1 · January 12, 2023, 12:13pm

I am not at all jealous of the roads you ride, the trails, the boards, even the dumb one wheel…the fun your kids have on the boards or even the air conditioner in your garage. I feel better now, looking forward to seeing tomorrows adventures!