i do not have any hills here it is more than flat here and i actually do plan on waiting a bit before changing the speed i only have ridden the board three times once a week ago and two times yesterday but i was a bit surprised that already the second time riding the top speed (which i did not even reach the first time) did not really feel scary even though i have to say i was practicing in an empty area and i would think that the surrounding are a big factor
This is the right question to ask. I doubt many people here commenting have, unless there are people who do downhill longboarding or have taken their normal longboard on a long descent a few times. Everyone just wants the fastest board, until they fall lol.
To all of you Iād say you donāt need to go that fast. I think when onloop set the limit to 27ish mph thatās actually perfect. The body evolved to travel no faster than about 25mph and at that speed (even if you have knee pads and a helmet) a fall will seriously mess you up to the point where you wonāt be E-skating for a while. If youāre going any faster and you hit something, your bones and organs simply canāt handle the forces without CE approved armor. And I believe you lose 1mm of flesh for each mph you are going above 25 mph without leathers. If there is anyone here who has went down at 25+ mph without leathers on Tarmac, Iād like them to chime in. Iām sure their opinion about raising speed might be different.
The fastest Iāve gone was ~52 mph downhill in Colorado on my landyachtz EVO (a DH specific board that is extremely stable at high speeds). I had a triple 8 full face, gloves with pucks, and cheapo set of leathers with armor in knees and elbows. I had to build up to that by gradually going on bigger hills.
Fast forward to today when I prefer E-boards rather than traveling to Colorado to find hillsā¦Iāve hit 38 mph on an electric board and I can say it feels just like hitting 52 mph on that EVO downhill. In fact I can say I was more confident on the EVO going 52 mph vs going 38 mph on an Eboard that canāt have a very low center of gravity due to the hardware under the deck and doesnāt have bushings/wheels/trucks set up for DH speeds. Esk8 are much more prone to speed wobbles than boards set up for DH, your footing and balance has to be perfect above 30 mph.
Going 27 mph on a raptor will give you the same sensation as hitting 40 mph on a DH board that you feel like you have more control over. I can say that if you feel comfortable handling raptor max speed in a straight line and while turning, you can easily do 40 mph on a board set up specifically for DH because thatās more manageable in my opinion.
For those modding raptors and trying max speed runs that will exceed 27 mph I would say leathers are highly recommended if you value having skin. I would also advise to tighten your trucks (specially the rear ones) a bit more than usual. If you feel like you are about to get the wobbles, relax and do not stand upā¦ Stay low and keep your head straight and focus on following a line.
@Mr_Mahal looking forward to seeing your video of you maxing out the raptor. And if you want a lot of views try a manual (basically a wheelie) at max speedā¦ That will be a cool video lol.
Nicely said @photorph about the dangers of higher speeds. The details about losing flesh thoā¦makes me really nervous. Iām going to be extra cautious just thinking about that.
increasing wheel diameter will increase your top end but it will also increase the startup torque required to get you moving and will affect your hill climbing ability as well to some degree. Itās all about achieving the balance you are looking for because there are tradeoffs with every decision you make.
Am i the only one around here who just likes to cruise at sane speeds around 20mph and below?
You want me to die eh? Lol
Thanks for the info, definitely good to know for my clothing choiceā¦might go ahead and order that abrasion resistant jacket when the raptor comes around
Everyoneās comfort level and skill is different, Iāve never done downhill before so of course idk what itās like going through 0 go 50mph, but of the one time I did bail it was during night and because I didnāt know my route as well as I thought, I kinda freaked myself out after going over a bump and basically ended up just jumping off. That said, Iāve come close many times before but my balance saved me.
One thing Iād need to do before going max speed on any of these boards is learning how to foot break properly as I never really got good at it (barely needed to with the BBs speed, I could always run off).
The reason I want to go faster is because the BB has proven to me that 20mph isnāt shit, and unless Iām going DH itās not even fast enough to warrant a speed tuck or crouchā¦ Cyclists pass me, cars cut in front of me because Iām going too slow. I like to be on the road and when you canāt even go the speed limit it can be difficult to enjoy it when youāre the slowest one on the road and regarded like an average city bike commuter. I donāt need to go 30mph, but itās more about having it available too meā¦
Iām with you on the comfortable speeds.
correct, as does increasing the teeth on the motor pulley. it puts more load on the motors.
My advice is to leave the raptor as isā¦
Yep, but a wooden (or CF) board with 4 tiny wheels without airā¦ hard to compare that with a car or a bike. Racing/keeping up with cars or bikes shouldnāt be the goal, because a bike is wayyy more stable than any skateboard and of course a car Iām not even gonna mention. Youāre in a lot more danger going 25 mph vs a biker going 25 mph. Most bikers average speed is 12-18 mph though, so even 20 mph should be enough to pass them. Hard care road bikers can hit 20 +. Lance armstrong averaged 25 mph. So with the raptor (or the GT) you can take out any cyclist in your area, but youāre in a lot more danger than they are going full speed.
I donāt want to race cars or bikes (although off the start I do enjoy taking off quicker), itās more about not impeding traffic when Iām on a one lane street. As you may know the ābike laneā that most streets have that isnāt clearly designated has a lot of debris in it which is dangerous to ride on with any board. So I tried to keep as close to the shoulder of the road as possible without riding over it. Still, cars will tend to honk at me occasionally or speed around me like Iām kick pushing in the street lol this is only on some roads but it really bothers me as I know what itās like to have to go below the speed limit in a car to accommodate a cyclist that I canāt pass.
Well I must live near some hardcore bikers or my BB was defective because it doesnāt take much effort for cyclists around here to pass me (on flats at least). Itās not always the case but itās happened enough to get annoying.
I understand the danger rapidly increases as I get to 25mph and further, Iām not going to be hitting that constantly since there is traffic that I have to adjust to and for that I will go slower. But there are enough times when the road is open and literally there are no cars or people in sight to where I can just max out without fear of hitting something or someone. When I get my board Iāll record my commute for you guys as you donāt seem to really understand my environment
Iām totally in to that to. Thinking of a good way to mod my future Raptor for lower speed instead
Ya, 25mph seem to be the sweet spot, less injuries too compare to 30+mph.
Iāve ridden the Marbel going at supposedly 25mph top speed before. It didnāt really felt that much more faster than the BB, thatās the reason why I want to increase the speed. But if raising the speed will reduce the torque Iād much rather keep it as is, I think having a high torque in a city commute will be a lot more fun than high speed.
At the end of the day I wonāt know what speed is too fast until I try it. All I wanted to accomplish by asking was knowing if there was a simple way to do it, and it seems like there isnāt without some compromise so Iāll likely just keep it as is or get a sports bike and leathers for more thrill
Keep in mind guys Iām young and still in the dare devil phase in my life
I have the same opinion like you even if I left the dare devil years behind me. In this dare devil phase I have done some downhill stuff with speeds of over 80 kph and a fucking halve shelve on my head So the Raptors 45 kph are very enjoyable for me and usually I go full throttle all the time. On my daily fun ride I cant avoid a street with a lot of traffic. The max speed is set at 50 kph so Iām slightly to slow to swim in the traffic without annoying someone. In my opinion the sweet spot in terms of max speed is 55 kph. The Raptor has so much torque that Iām sure it still climbs hills like a champ. The reason why I havenāt done anything yet, is that the main part of my favorite track is uphill. In numbers it is a 6.5 km street where I climb 400 m with crazy hill sections. It is so much fun to eat hills like nothing. The Raptor has so much torque you canāt imagine how fast you accelerate to top speed. This board is so much fun with the kick tail Is fits perfect for every situation. Tight turns in the city and ridiculous fast speeds downhill. It really is a great board and I love it. Iām interested how you like it when you get it.
agreed; similar speeds to our ride around in Jax.
I canāt wait to freakin ride here in Australiaā¦ if my damn remote didnāt break.
@cmatson I have got an almost finished BadWolf V2 and a working TorqueBoards small remote. I can lend one to you if you want. I am not back in Melbourne for a week or two though. I will be back when you are back and if you donāt have a remote by then I will lend you one.
My board just needs a bit of motor wire soldering and it is up and running. Been having a break with eboard building for a bit.
No worries man, thanks for the offer though. Iāve got it figured out-
Anyways, how abut the raptor experience?
I might be able to ride a test mule when I visit Enertion hqā¦ Idk we will see though!
What do you mean? Are you talking to me? If you mean that you get to try a raptor, that is sick as!
Just trying to pull us back on target
Oh ok. Should I delete our conversation so it doesnāt sidetrack the thread?