In cycling we have what are called weightweenies. The name refers to people that care about the weight of their bikes. Some try to lighten their bike without compromising functionality or durability while others are often going to extremes to shed few grams. I belong to the first category but I am often impressed by the ingenuity of the second category. Although I understand that power and range for electric skateboards cannot come without weight, I am curious if any of you have managed to build a light yet powerful board without making too many compromises. So show us your ultralight builds.
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Wouldn’t call myself a weightweenie; more just that I like nice bikes 
. My S-Works tarmac weighs about 6.5kg (14lbs), and that’s with some 60mm carbon clinchers. Hate to say it but my racing days are very much behind me, so its been sitting round collecting dust. Still ride my commuter (CAAD10 with SRAM Force 1 groupset) to work every day, so haven’t lost all form just yet.
How’s the saying go… “light, cheap, good; pick any two”? Can’t come up with a similar analogy for esk8s, it’s more a “fast but heavy”, or “slow but light” type scenario. Fast board needs heavy batteries and motors, and I’m not sure there’s much you can do about it. That said I’ll be going for weight in my next build. The 12kg my Trampa weighs really hampers it’s utility; it’s still great to ride.
Ideally I’d like my esk8 to weigh as much as my bike. Current weight budget goes something like;
- batteries: 2kg
- motor(s): 1kg
- ESC/BMS/wires 0.8kg
- wheels: 2kg (cause I really like my 107 ABECs)
That leaves like 1-2kg for deck/trucks/enclosure/motor mounts while keeping in the rough sort of weight range 
. Maybe a compromise is in order (lipos, diff wheels). LY Tripplebeam with some Aera k5s 
Compared to cycling I do like how much cheaper esk8s are.
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it is specified kind of,
1 x 30Q: 4.2V * 3Ah = 12,6Wh
Weight: 48g
You can say you need about 10 Wh per kilometer single setup and about 20Wh/km (depends on rider weight, ride style and so on.
So this means basically you need for 1.5 km at least about 75g of battery. but think that you need at least 6S which means 6 cells minimum. your board will drive more efficient the more voltage your battery has.
motors are pretty much all in the same weight range, from 400-800 gramms depends on power and quality.
ESC still overall pretty much the same about 500-800g for 2.
The deck makes about the most of the weight in my eyes, i am using the landyachtz evo and this thing is so fu**ing heavy. 11 or 12 ply thick maplewood… jeez no one told me this.
then, trucks, you need two, they weight about the same for caliber/ 180mm trucks. 218mm TB are slightly heavier but not that much.
wheels… 83mm dia vs 107mm dia makes a difference, depens on ride style.
so thats it, basically every boards weights the same because you cant really change that much, beside the deck, light trucks, one motor and optimized battery
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I feel your pain. I have an S-works Tarmac SL2. With the 46mm carbon tubular rims (I have sold all my clinchers and use tubular even for the training wheels) it weighs 6.2kg. When racing I had to weigh the bike to bring it up to the 6.8kg limit. I have found the use of a spreadsheet very helpful if you are to have any chance to hit your target weight. Here is an example spreadsheet for the bike
Maybe it would be a good idea to start a database with actual weights of components so than when someone plans a build he can have an idea on the final weight.
Even my steel road bike (8kg) is going to weigh less than my eskate 
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I have to disagree. A few grams here and a few grams there can easily make 2-3kg difference in the end. Sure the battery is most of the weight but there are many other areas to shave weight. I am sure not all wheels of the same diameter weigh the same and this goes for pretty much every component. Even the wiring can make a big difference in the final weight.
cheap polyurethane/ harder polyurethan e.g. makes a difference in weight.
cheap/light screws make a difference
using much glue makes a difference
bad wiring makes a difference
im talking about “quality builds” where you do not need much glue because everything fits in place
Of course. This is why everyone gets to choose what parts he wants to put on his board.
Not everyone has the same needs/wants from a build. A board that may be too flexy for a 100kg guy might be just fine for someone who weighs 65kg. Anyway I am not saying you can go from 12kg to 6kg for a board with the same type of battery. However shedding 1-3kg should be achievable without too many compromises.
It’s a great question @taz - I used to run a bike shop and folks would put tremendous time and energy (and money) into shaving weight off of their bicycles. If you make every choice based on reducing weight, it adds up to a very lightweight ride.
My opinion - esk8 doesn’t have enough advanced product offerings yet for people to dive in and think too much about weight - where are the titanium hardware kits and carbon fiber truck assemblies? Hollowed-out urethane wheels?
Once a larger array of aftermarket parts start to emerge, and we agree on a few more standards for part development, I think building a lightweight esk8 will become a goal for a lot more people.
Lightweight battery cells will probably drive this more than anything.
Personally - I have never considered weight reduction, beyond avoiding lead-acid battery packs. To me, the difference between a 15 lb board and 25 lb board is just a slightly better workout when I lug it around. My current build is 14.7 lbs and a lightweight in terms of range.
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My longboard without any esk8 stiff weighs 10 pounds.
I tell myself Its like a bigger car it will stay on the road better 
thing is bikes reduce weight because it makes it easier for you to keep pushing hard when you are riding the bike but esk8 are not manually operated we have motors to do the pushing we dont feel the weight unless were carrying it around.
a small lighter board would be more convenient in a school campus where you have to keep it with you but you are constantly stoping for class and going other places.
the faster i go the lighter the deck feels under my feet
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Definitely true on the self propulsion of the board making weight less of an issue. Personally use my board between trains pretty often so having something that isn’t super clunky or heavy for going through turnstyles or up and down the stairs was something that led be to getting a lot shorter board than what I started with. You make some sacrifices in stability but gain in tight turning radius going with a shorter board so there are definitely a lot of ride/experience factors to account for beyond simple weight with regard to boards. Also being a pretty short and lightweight guy myself it feels awkward carrying a big long board with big ol’ batteries and motors sticking out of the side (put a hole in my original longboard just to make carrying it and hoisting it over things less awkward).
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I think a large source of weight is the batteries and motors. Problem being the weight/power and range ratio of batteries is pretty much fixed, and motors actually rely on having more copper mass in order to dissipate heat well which is the main factor in power output. So I imagine it’s pretty hard to actually make those components any lighter.
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On absolutely no build I have done so far… Have I considered weight, with the exception of
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my office cruiser… I want it around 12lbs max… As I don’t wanna lug a heavy board up and down the building…
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And the trampa I’m starting, as I intend to get airborne with it…
Other then that…weight doesn’t mean much to me…
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I’m a weightweenie, and I will forever sing the praises of weight reduction. My daily driver board is 13 pounds with a 10s4p monster battery and a single 149kv 6374 motor. 83mm wheels, honestly wish I could go smaller on the wheels for more torque and efficiency!
Furthest I’ve taken it so far is 20 miles with 750 feet of elevation gain, according to google miles.
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I agree that weight is on an eskate is not as important as on a bike when we are talking recreational use. However going up and down stairs on the subway and buildings can easily take its toll with a 12kg board. Can it be done? Sure. I lugged my 11.5kg Brompton for years until I sold it and got the super light model which was 10.5kg. It did not make a world of difference but it sure was noticeable. If I needed an eskate for commuting only I would probably go with something in the 6-7kg range.
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Hi guys, I’m very new to this community and I’m still waiting for my first esk8 to be delivered (LaCroixDSS60). I have some experience with “analog” longboards, not anything competitive just cruising around. And from all the boards that I tried in the past 7 years, I always tried to lighten it up the most I could. A light board I found is so much easier to carry on and off of sidewalks, stairs etc. So as soon as I discovered the Loaded decks I was sold! It’s a huge difference! And with our miserable streets in Montreal a little flex is almost mandatory. And so I was wondering why don’t more manufacturers look into the bamboo option ? Again I’m the guy who never owned an e board so I’m just throwing this out there, is cost the only reason ? And I saw a bunch of posts going around of hollow solid tires, would be fun to see some of those military style prototype wheels with no air in different sizes.
Just think of it this way the heavier your board and the more you carry it the more bulky your arms will become. Sounds like a win to me 
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On my first board I didn’t pay too much attention to weight since the goal was to get it running, it was heavy, I had to make two steel rail to reinforce or my deck would break, 10,5kg total
On the second it was the main goal, besides climbing hills on my commute better On the CAD model I have every component with the actual weight, screws, washer, mounts, 3D printed pieces, etc in the end the board ended 80g heavier than predicted, I guess due to glues and tapes and a few wires I didn’t model. It is 7680g total dual 5055 Instead of 63xx
Battery I didn’t have many choice due to the current demand, so 10S3P
My future plan is a 10S1P with dual hubs and an integrated enclosure, or maybe even one wheel belt drive with a 6355 to be absolute feather weight
Smaller wheels also help shave a lot of grams
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1 30Q is not 12.6Wh because it does not operate at 4.2V during the entire discharge cycle. It’s closer to, but not exactly, 3.7V * 3Ah
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