"Pennicklees cares not for speed!" | FWD 27" Penny Nickel | Caliber II & 90mm | Enertion Mount+SK3 260kv-14/36 | TB 12s ESC | Winning Remote | 6s Lipo

Here is my take on the mini cruiser. I got inspired to build one of these Penny boards to serve a few purposes. First, I wanted a board small enough to stick in a backpack, so I could grab my board, helmet and bag in one swoop, with one hand and at a moment’s notice. I don’t ever want to be without something to ride or show off at any time. Next, I was just curious to try out one of the Penny boards, because of their miniature form factor, but the 22" version seemed too small, so I started looking for the Nickel sized 27" board. Found a “Hosoi” model on Craigslist for $50, and the build was on. Also, I wanted a board small enough to carry in my backpack for longer rides, as a backup board and/or backup battery, in case something goes wrong with my main board, and I’m not left stranded or pushing home. I’m gonna have to keep working on that to reduce weight though, and maybe ditch the 90mm for 83mm wheels, or go to a single hub motor, since it weighs in at about 5.5kg (12lbs) right now and that’s a little more than I want to strap to my back.

After a few push rides, I started to see why some people thought these boards were too small to be safe or stable when motorized. And at 20+mph, I agree that this thing would probably SYF in short order, but at 10-15+mph, I find it to be totally rideable and quite fun, maybe because it’s slightly more challenging. I felt like front wheel drive would be better for this type of short board, so it doesn’t try to shoot out from under you as easily, and so far so good. One thing I have noticed though, is that the single wheel drive with a 260kv 6355 14/36 is a bit too powerful at times, and can upset the balance of the board when turning if too much throttle is applied. So, eventually, I’ll probably move to my dual Jacob or Hummie hub motors and VESCs, but for now, I’m experimenting (the best part). I’ve got a single TB 5055 280kv sensored motor with 16/36 gearing on deck to try next, which I’m hoping will temper the power and torque to make the single drive more rideable as also reduce weight. But for now, here she is in all her glory.

I hereby present to you “Pennicklees, Goddess of portable Esk8 cruisers and Koi fish imitators.”

14 Likes

Nice!! Any torque steer with FWD?

Yeah, a little bit. It’s only really noticeable if I’m carving hard toeside and give it too much throttle. I kind of buried my commentary on that subject in my post, but basically I’m going to switch to a smaller 5055 motor with taller gearing to try and reduce the torque. It feels like it’s already got more than enough power for what I want it to do, so I’m hoping it still works well with the smaller motor. Next up, I will try my hand at the VESC, for the first time and see if I can fine tune the power delivery.

Lol scary ain’t it lol

1 Like

Just the one time when I tried to power too hard through a corner and the drive wheel tried to pull the board back straight while I was still leaned over and turning. Had to eject and run it out. Luckily was only going about 10mph though. 15mph+ on this thing is plenty fast for me. Feels a lot faster when you put a rocket on a toothpick. :joy:

4 Likes

Lol take one battery out and try it at 3s

2 Likes

And you might wanna think abt moving the drive to the rear … that will help with that oddness

Ollin has a peppy little 5065 that sound like it would work well. I have a couple and they have lots of power

What do you think is the cheapest someone can build the nickel board for?

That is… excluding the deck’s price, including trucks / wheels/ electronics?

I assume for even cheaper nickel board, car esc could be used and maybe even 3-4s battery as @Michaelinvegas suggested…

1 Like

Or he could drop the Kv so it doesn’t wind up as fast …to a 149kv

I think he said he has enough torque already :smiley: but who knows

Lol 3s then lol

All I know is that I ended up taking my apart …it was too scary for anyone else to ride except me. It takes a little while to feel confident to get above 15mph on a board that small lol

It was too much effort to concentrate on riding that thing lol

hah maybe it should have wider wheelbase… I think I maybe saw one made using longer axles but im not sure.

Non the less… i think even riding it at 12-15mph is good enough considering its small size and weight…

It’s the short wheel base … it make a huge difference

4s might be ok with a little taller gearing to hit 15mph, but I think 3s would be a bit too slow four me. I’m trying to shoot for a setup that can go ~20mph, but actually ride around 12-15+mph for the most part. I want to keep a little headroom in case I want to go “really fast”.

IMO, The short wheelbase is definitely the limiting factor for stability at higher speeds, with the narrow deck width being second, but between 10-15mph, it’s pretty fun and only moderately sketchy at times. Lol. I think the 90mm wheels help a lot since they roll over a lot of cracks and rocks pretty well.

Last night, I swapped in a TB 5055 280kv 16/36 83mm setup, so I’ll report back on how that goes. I may try switching to rear wheel drive, but for now with FWD, I like the fact that if my board tries to take off without me and puts me in an involuntary wheelie situation, the drive wheel comes off the ground and instantly checks my acceleration. Plus, I feel like having that extra weight in front, helps stabilize the front end a bit.

1 Like

Lol well that sound like a plan maybe even an 18t lol

I’ve done 4s …def doable … cuts the torque immediately…so it’s safer … but stil can take you close to 20mph … slower…but gets darn close

1 Like

My only real issue with 4s is that most of my slim batteries are 3s, and my only 4s batteries are the 2" hard case bricks, that won’t fit my sammich box.

97mm wheels might fit though. I’m still amazed that the 90’s fit with no wheelbite.

I have a 22" penny and I would be scared shitless to go faster than 15mph on it. I love it for flat ground because it is a challenge, but it is scary going downhill because of how quickly I hit high speeds. Footbraking gets awkward when my foot is more than half the length of the board. haha.

Kudos to you, it looks like fun!