100 mile range (The Big Boy Toy Project)

I did 20miles on my 532wh battery and I had alot of power left still had 42v left on my 12s. I do not want anything bigger honestly 20 miles straight killed my legs on a carbon deck how did you do 100miles lol

Well 1st of all, I use a maple skateboard deck, using a real skate deck is sort of really important and overlooked sometimes (I overlooked it initially too), I use Avenue suspension trucks and even tried giant soft wheels, it takes the edge off the jarring and vibration that causes all that pain in your legs and allows you to extend your range.

The deck is the primary means of suspension on any skateboard, a stiff deck will not be comfortable (also decks with tons of shape and contours will be uncomfortable too, flatter is better) but will be precision in it’s control and leverage, such as a heavy and stiff 9 ply maple downhill deck. Cruising and dancing setups use a flexy flat deck, and long distance pumpers use a flexy deck tuned to their weight and use the rebound to propel them.

Once you have the proper deck dialed for your weight, including the weight of the components it will feel much nicer than any stiff deck, and full CF decks make no sense at all, that’s a wonderful way to increase pain, they would only be beneficial to a downhill setup, they offer zero vibration damping and even resonate making the issue worse. There’s a reason skateboard decks are religiously made with maple and certain woods, and have been for decades, skate companies have already tried all sorts of gimmicks through the 60’s and 70’s, but what works, is what works and wood is good.

The deck is the primary means of suspension, but you have to tune it right or it doesn’t work, Trampa and AT boards use a very flexible deck with a lot of travel due to the camber, this is needed when off road (like those foot straps to hold you on, lol) and is overkill for the streets, but it’s perfect if you wish to go 100 miles and enjoy it too. I bet it’s cushy and nice but I personally work in the medium of “skateboards” (I have a kicktail problem too) and have zero experience with AT or off-road decks and setups. I don’t ride or build with pneumatic tires at all. But there’s a million options, a Loaded dancing deck, or Subsonic deck tuned to your weight would do wonders. Any deck where you can select at least one-of-three options for flex . If the deck builder really knows what they are doing, they will ask you what flex you wish to have (typically 1, 2, 3), and then ask your weight as well. That’s when you know the company knows what they are talking about! They then use some magic and something strange called math to build your deck for you personally and it’s worth the money. Spend $200 on a deck? People do all day, sure, but make sure it’s from a company that can make it right if you want to experience why decks are tuned to people.

I personally have access to really nice precision suspension trucks from Avenue so this adds a lot more to the equation and makes up for the lack of camber and travel in my deck, I would say the Avenues are my secret sauce and they provide additional travel that is tuned and stable. The truck design takes the shock and vibration from the axle, not the pivots, and it bypasses the bushings entirely passing through a sturdy and adjustable queen-pin which also keeps the hanger centered at all times. When I say precision suspension prototype trucks, I really mean, game changing innovation that I’m so lucky to have available to me.

There’s just a few main parts to a skateboard, I don’t stray from them and I’m the last guy to be sold on gimmicks, trust me when I say these are the best trucks, bar none, for any longboard skateboarding, not just electrics, they are real precision race trucks meant to bomb mountains, I just convince the dude they would be rad for electrics too. If you want the best electric skateboard, 1st, find the best skateboard parts and start there. Do not think of the deck, trucks and wheels as an afterthought to the power system, these things are the heart and soul of a skateboard and they should be the best you can get. After-all, you gonna put a motor on it right?

I also use something called the Loaded Pushin Cushion on my 50-mile board, this is a vibration damping foam that goes under your griptape, it’s great for long distance pushing but this stuff takes away from the skateboarding experience a little with a loss of feeling on the deck itself, I am actually omitting it from this 100 mile build and opting for a wood grain, with map of my favorite trails glassed in clear and DIY epoxy based clear griptape. I have found some really nice options for skateboarding specific insoles for my shoes instead of using the Pushin Cushion under the grip tape. While testing different insoles, I found that they are a better option than taking away the feeling and control from the surface of the deck. Look up Sorbothane if you want to get into the finer details of making 100 miles pleasurable.

I have tried different wheels and I believe trying to use wheels to aid in vibration damping is a poor idea, for long distance eskating the wheels are too important to the equation, they effect efficiency and effectiveness of your power system…a softer wheel will roll slower than a harder one, and I find the Abec11 in Classic thane, not reflex, and 90mm is the best wheel for me at the moment (sweet spot for my setup of 15/36 gearing on 125kv). The guys here say I should run a 44 tooth wheel pulley and some say a more powerful motor with twice the wattage will do the trick.

Parts are being made now for all us guys who want to put miles on the 107mm wheels. When I tried the 107mm for a few hundred miles, I enjoyed the reflex thane alot actually and the increased size made up for the lower roll speed of the thane itself. I actually have reflex 85mm BigZigs on a garage race DH deck, sticky stuff and love it’s traction actually, it was nice and soft and I liked that part but they are so wide for my needs it’s just unneeded friction, not to mention the gearing issue with turning a 107mm wheel when you run a 15mm belt, there’s simply not a lot of parts yet and people are working on it. I prefer the 90mm Classic, It’s thinner contact patch and harder thane lends a lot to long distance riding where a softer wheel doesn’t add that much vibration damping and takes efficiency away, the effects are extremely minimal to vibration damping, and nothing like the benefits of a proper tuned deck or suspension trucks.

There’s also something to be said about bushings and how well they are tuned for long rides as well, you want a good return-to-center and a balance between rebound and function. On a typical rkp truck the bushing do “give” a little and provide their version of vibration damping. I have found the new Riptide Krankz to be perfect for this. they made them so you can tune the preload more than other bushings, meaning the kingpin bolt actually does something now when you adjust your bushings. A symptom of a bushing like this is the added rebound that lends itself well to carrying the added weight of electric components and still self centers well.

Bring on the questions and feedback, lemme have it dudes…

Oh and here’s a picture of Jay, cus I like playing skateboards…

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Batteries have been laid out and mocked up, Brian from Helter Skelter Hybrids has been laying up a carbon fiber and wood structure I have all the electronics now to solder up so I’ll post some pics as I work and bench test. The trucks are done and there’s a batch of 15mm 40 tooth wheel pullies being made somewhere around these forums and I pre-ordered already. I’m already looking to the next project any suggestions?

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Next board should be a long range dual motor that does your 50 mile run at 25mph. Costs Lotta watts :wink: but riding an esk8 at <18mph surely can drag a bit no?

Love your idea of a trail map on the grip tape!!

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jesus bro… you have too much time :rofl:

lol, I know right? But it’s not me man, this 100 mile board is being build in three different shops, including a longboard deck manufacturer, a truck factory and then in my garage for all the soldering and electronics. Hobbyking threw in the drive kit and helped with batteries for testing as well. It’s taken three shops, 4 companies and 3 dudes working many weeks so far to get it to this point and I really love seeing my design come to fruition, lol…we are determined to make it rad by balancing between the culture here and the existing skate culture, taking design cues from both and combining them…when pro downhill riders come through the shop, as they always do to pick up new product or get things worked on, they see this thing sitting there and there’s no hate in the world that can overcome their curiosity, that’s the idea here…

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Pround as hell to say Abec11 has joined the party…

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So I have (10) of those ebay 36v hoverboard packs I am interested to see how you wired it all together. wondering how you did the on/off switch as well as how you are charging them? let me know. oh and do you have a voltage readout.

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How many miles should i get with 18 packs :smile:

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YA buddy, now that’s a battery!!

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If my math is correct, 3.6v x 2.2Ah x 20 cells x 18 packs = 2,851.2 Wh. 2851.2 Wh / 10 Wh/k = 285.12 km 285.12 km x 0.621 km/mi = 177 miles :astonished:

That’s gonna have to be two day ride to drain that beast.

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I don’t know Derek well, only chatted online with him recently, but he took my challenge of riding 100 miles and he ran with it, his passion, knowledge, skills and riding ability will be missed. He has a lot to contribute to this idea.

When I began talking about building a 100 mile board and training here in the forums, he most likely looked at himself in the mirror and said “that’s easy” and reconfigured his existing setup to go for a 100 mile run and he put on his headphones and rode and just did it. Derek is at home on the board.

His passion for actually riding and just getting out there and shredding is something I can relate too. He is a knowledgeable and helpful member of the DIY community and his account and post history is rich with information. When I got into this just a short time ago, I wanted to be like Derek, out with the wind in my hair spanking miles and routes through the real world and smashing records.

The news hit me hard, so I went for a ride and did what he might do, shred some miles…I thought about this silly project, and how intrinsically meaningless it is. I have decided to change the name of this project in honor of the 1st dude who rode 100 miles on a single charge and in honor of all the big boys, and their toys.

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ive got 10 of these things, have any of you guys wired these up yet? I wonder how they are performing on boards!

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what are u gonna power with that? A dang surfboard

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lol close enough

Brian has been doing the outer layers of carbon fiber, keeping the lines all straight on this lumpy deck is hard…she will be a looker that’s for sure…I’m not typically into carbon fiber, but when it’s the real deal and functional and wrapping baltic birch and maple, then ok, I think carbon is pretty damn sick looking, lol…

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Yummy.

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