First Esk8 build for my commute

What’s up guys, I am slowly putting together parts for my first Esk8 to replace my Segway that I currently use on my 6-7 mile daily commute. I live in SoCal so I commute this way year round. Though the weather is dry 98% of the time there is an occasional wet day. I’m looking for a very reliable build that I can troubleshoot and fix myself. I am planning a single motor build to begin with but plan to run a dual diagonal when I have more money to dump into it. My commute is mostly flat and I weight 200 pounds. Here’s what I’m looking at:

DECK - not sure yet, looking at something in a longboard style (39" +) that I can run up to 107’s on or possibly the Ollin deck but not sure and it’s kind of steep. I really like the look of the RedEmber decks but it’s going to come down to cost of main components before a really nice deck for now.

TRUCKS - Caliber IIs

MOTOR MOUNTS(s) - Dickyho

VESC - looking at the Ollin after reading a few reviews on here but am open to suggestions. Not against anything except junk that won’t last!! I have looked at Focbox and the dual from flipsky that’s on sale right now but the negative reviews scare me a bit. I don’t mind starting with a single and adding a second for quality if need be.

BATTERY - 10s3p or??? @psychotiller lives just over the hill from me so maybe I will talk to him and figure something out. I’m looking for something with decent speed when I’m out just riding around but good range so I won’t have to worry about charging it every day. As long as it’s faster than my painfully slow Segway I will be happy (10.9 mph) :tired_face:

MOTOR(s) - looking at TB 6374 190kv or 6380 170kv or quality equivalents due to my weight and single motor use at first.

collections/electric-skateboard-motors/products/electric-skateboard-motor-6380-170kv

collections/electric-skateboard-motors/products/electric-skateboard-motor-6374-190kv

DRIVE - Im torn between belt and chain, I like the longevity of chain but haven’t found a lot of people on the forums running it. The noise doesn’t bother me nor does the upkeep. Being a High school Mountain bike coach with 2 kids that race I’m always in the garage messing with things so keeping the sk8 up isn’t an issue.

WHEELS - Probably Abec flywheel’s between 90 &107mm not clones. Or Ollin Popoca’s for their stealthiness.

REMOTE - not sure on this, it seems most of them have their issues. I thought about the Hoyt puck but I’m just not sure …

BLUETOOTH - read the write up on the Metr-pro this morning and it sounds Awesome. With all the features it has I think it would work great for monitoring everything from my phone andake it easy to adjust if need be without opening up the board.

This board will be used as my primary transportation during the week between the bus, train and work/home. That’s why I like the dual diagonal set up for Ballance while carrying it. Im not ultra worried about weight, my Segway is 26# now. Please throw any ideas at me that you may have. I have started purchasing the basics like trucks and mounts but that is as far as I have gotten.

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the hoyt remote discount will go away soon… the reviews seem great so far. even if you dont like it im sure some one will take it off your hands on the fourm. good luck with your build!

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I don’t really think chain will be a good idea for first build. And go with the 6374

My first build is a single 6374, chain board. Given all the trouble people around here are having with tooth skipping, I am very satisfied with my chain setup. But aside from avoiding tooth skipping, the biggest reason I went with chain is that it allows me to achieve a higher gear ratio (I’m running 27:9, as opposed to a more typical 40:16) without ground clearance issues (despite my small 76mm wheels), which means I can pick a higher Kv motor and run higher current (80A through a 192 Kv 6374 vs 60A through a 150 Kv 6374), and use a higher voltage 12s battery, to achieve more power at the wheels, while still keeping my top speed at a moderate 25 mph. Higher power in a lower speed range means more torque for climbing and braking, which is very useful for my 94 kg frame in this hilly, Bay Area terrain.

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Where did you get your chain set up???

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I bought some #25 chain ($8) and a 9t sprocket pre-bored to 8mm from ebay ($5). I drilled some holes in a 27t sprocket ($8) to fit it to my wheels. I 3d printed some spacers to get everything to fit right ($free), but these are basically no-load parts so you could conceivably do this a lot of different ways.

Another good option might be to use the wheel sprocket from this kit. Personally, I think the high tooth-count on the 14t motor sprocket that comes with this kit is stupidly high, but the wheel sprocket and chain could be useful.

Get the 170kv 6380 if you plan on future dual diagonal otherwise try some 6355 motors for dual rear

Why don’t you climb over that little hill and try some different boards and components out before you make any decisions?

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@psychotiller That would be Awesome Thanks, I will definitely take you up on your offer!!!

I agree with this, if you want to use chains for a street board this kit is great, for like $12 you can use the wheel sprocket and chain and then order a 12t or 10t sprocket for a few bucks. It’s a easy setup with a lot less room for alignment errors. Here’s some picks of my chain boardsimage image image

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I would go with the 6374, the 6380 just adds extra weight. A 10s4p would probably be the minimum battery for minimal voltage sag, and I would recommend a FOCbox, but just a Torqueboards Vesc will work fine for what you want

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@pat.speed thanks for the pics and how you set yours up, do you have many issues with it while riding??

@Jake2k17 I’m leaning towards the 6374 just for a bit of weight savings and not seeing a ton of performance difference. I guess my biggest reason for the 6380 is heat build up, after reading so many posts about people overheating their motors I’m looking to avoid most problems that may come up. I haven’t looked into the TB VESC’s but I will now. Thanks!

Yeah, I don’t think you will really overheat the 6374 or 6380, unless you live in a hilly area in which case you should be going with a dual motor set up

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I haven’t had any problem with them while riding, the biggest if any would be stuff flicking up into them but that happens with belts too.

I will mention that if buying the kit with the 4 hole pattern you will need to redrill two of the holes into the triangle pattern to match abec cores, it’s quite a simple job and popping a bearing into the sprocket middle hole then placing the sprocket bearing and wheel onto a 8mm rod (8mm drill bits work well) makes alignment a breeze. You will have to buy some new bolts, I can’t remember the exact size but M4 will match the locknuts supplied with the kit. A retaining ring can also be made for the outside of the wheel by getting a 45mm washer and drilling the same 3 hole bolt pattern into it.

Happy building :smiley:

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My build has changed quite a bit from what I originally planned, after meeting up with @psychotiller I have a Hummie deck coming, 12s4p by @psychotiller with one of his enclosures, 97mm Super flys, dual FocBox, and Surfrodz trucks, I’m trying to decide between the mini remote, the Hoyt puck or the new waterproof remote from the current GB. Because of it being my primary transportation I need it to be reliable and well built. I’m Looking forward to getting the rest of my parts and getting it put together hopefully this month.

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What a shocker!! :joy: Good on you. Absolutely the best thing you did was to climb that little hill.
That will be a build to be proud of.

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Yeah it was an eye opening experience meeting with him. Rode a couple of different boards with different setups and realized exactly what I wanted from my build. Also made me realize that it’s worth spending the money the first time for parts that work and not mess around with sub par parts.

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I actually laughed out loud when I read that post. You’re lucky to have such a quality builder on your doorstep. Definitely the way forward to build quality first time round because it will only cost you more if you don’t. Good luck with the build and obviously do a full build thread with pics

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