Lightweight Commute Build Advice

Hello everyone,

I am very new to this space and only decided to go for a full custom build today. I’ve been researching all day and just wanted to get your advice on the build I’ve mocked up.

So this build will be my first ever electronic skateboard and will mainly be used for commuting around Auckland CBD, NZ. The area is pretty hilly so I really just want it to be lightweight, have decent range and a good amount of torque. I really don’t need to go above 15mph and I’d like this to be quite discreet so I don’t get caught out by any cops. I’m also on a bit of a budget however reliability is still important to me. For reference, I’ll probably be around 95kg riding around with gear and a bag full of books. The steepest hill in the area has just under a 25% hill gradient.

Now for the build:

This is what I’ve taken inspiration from. I’m sort of going for a light version of this build. An “s” version if you will.

I’m throwing some old longboard trucks onto an old skateboard (because I don’t wanna mess up my nice trucks that are on my nice longboard). Wheels are pretty generic too. All those parts are in good condition and should hold up fine (wheels will be new).

The electronics side is where things get tricky for me. I’m currently looking at two 5065 180Kv motor to be paired up to a 6S3P 21.6V battery pack. Not to sure about how many mAh I’ll be needing yet (still doing some research on it but I’m looking to get an average of 10 miles out of it). I’m not sure if those motors would work for what I intend so I’m wondering if I’d need to up it to a double 6368 170Kv system.

I’m also trying to figure which ESC to get. Any recommendations would be great, just remember I’m very new to this so the easier and more reliable it is, the better. Being able to customize is nice however reliability and value for money are key right now.

I’m also pretty unsure about how many amps the battery should be able to output, so any help with that would be great too.

Thank you in advance for any advice or feedback. I really appreciate the help!

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Welcome to the ESK8 forum, @rohanelavia. I like watching Kami Juin’s build videos. Very relaxing. I’m fairly new to this myself, so I dont have much in the way of recommendations. Except maybe some pneumatic mountainboard wheels for a smoother ride vs solid wheels. Up to you of course.

I can answer these. A 6s3p battery pack will not help you go up 25% graded hill and will be a tad too weak for dual motors. You will want a 10s battery pack. A 10s2p would be a better choice for hills and may get you 10 miles at most. As for esc, the most recommended is a stormcore 60D. But if you’re going for a decent one, a makerx DV6. You can get cheaper options, but these are future proof and can help you when you decide to change your set up.

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Thank you! Do you think the motors will be alright with the setup you’re recommending? I may have to go for a 5055 or 5045 motor depending on what’s available because they seem to be much harder to get a hold of than 63mm motors. I’d really like to try and mount the motors under the board instead of off the back, which is why I’m trying to run smaller motors.

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The motors are no issues. It’s the battery. If you got a good esc and battery, the motors will be okay. The lower the kv, the better it is for torque, which gets you up hills.

But that depends on your weight entirely with smaller motors.

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Okay sweet, thank you for your help Leon!

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No problem.

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Hi again, those VESC are starting to make the build really expensive. Would a focbox tenka work as well? I can get one for under 200 usd

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I have no knowledge on that esc to be honest with you and might be a gamble. But if you’re not looking for an very expensive build, you can try your luck with the xenith or the makerx. The xenith are usually out of stock and the Makerx is about $200. But the gamble is the no return.

It’s up to you.

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Sweet, thank you!