Prologue:
I have been wrestling with the idea of publishing this build thread. In an effort to put myself out there and being willing to talk about my circumstances, here goes nothing.
I’m 39 years old, happily married with a family of two kids. Ever since I saw Casey Neistat cruise around NYC on a boosted, I knew that I had to have one. The price was outrageous at the time, so I found my way over to the esk8.builders forum. From there I built my first electric skateboard, then my wife and kids wanted one too. It’s been a family affair for over 2 years now.
I was recently diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma cancer in my colorectal region, lymph nodes, liver and lungs. There have been almost no symptoms, so this took us completely by surprise. There aren’t any family members with cancer on either side of my family. I have no pain, haven’t been sick for years and don’t feel fatigued at all. This was discovered during a somewhat routine colonoscopy.
There isn’t a clear estimate of how long it’s been there, or how much time I have left to live. We are attacking this aggressively with 3 different chemotherapy treatments, IV therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The general message that we received was that if I was in my 60s-70s, the treatment would be focused on prolonging what life I have left. Since I’m young and healthy, they believe that I can withstand more aggressive treatments that will increase my odds of beating this cancer.
The Build:
I’ve always wanted to build an urban carver, but have always lacked the funds to do so. That’s what happens when everyone in your family wants to ride 
Last summer I was able to save up enough money to finally make it happen, so I connected with @rafaelinmissouri to take advantage of his sage building discipline and advice. A few weeks later Flux Motion launched their DIY pre-order sale, so naturally I jumped on the opportunity.
This building experience has been a great mental distraction and escape. When building, the worries and stress of everything happening around me seems to fade away. This thing will literally be my vehicle of hope going forward, as I plan to make many more quality memories going on family rides.
The Deets:
- Flux Motion DIY deck and enclosure - $280
- MBS Metal Matrix II Trucks - $198
- MBS Rockstar II Hubs - $60
- Kenda K909 200x50 tires - $65
- Moon gear drives - $285
- TB 6380 190kv motors - $160
- 12s8p 30Q battery with Smart BMS (spot welded by @thisguyhere) - $596
- TB Torque6 VESCs - $270
- Flipsky Antispark Switch - $50
The Pics:
When the deck arrived, I had to toss on my son’s TB 110 wheels just to see what it looked like. This deck is so bad ass (especially without the logo):
Grip tape and motor mounts installed:
Wheels assembled and installed:
P groups spot welded and PCBs soldered in place:
P groups placed in the enclosure:
Series connections done:
BMS balance leads installed:
The last step is to buy motors and run through the VESC tool setup process. Once that is done, this build should be ready for the maiden voyage. Will be hoping for many chances to ride this Spring, as long as the weather and my health provides the opportunity.
Thanks for reading and for joining me on this journey.
Joshua
I’ll put that on the wish list along with 5 other boards that I want lol.
