On 10th July, Loaded and Unlimited announced that they will be (or rather, have been) joining forces. Like some sort of power-ranger fusion, Unlimited X Loaded allows the combination of Loaded skate parts with the electronics of Unlimited and voila, an electric skateboard is born.
This is pretty sweet as Loaded’s status in longboard wares needs no further introduction and we already know the Unlimited kits are pretty great from our review of its prototype version.
Wait, what is Unlimited?
For those who are not familiar with Unlimited drive kit. Unlimited is a booster drive kit which allows you to convert any skateboard into an electric skateboard.
While the most famous product in this category would be Mellow drive, we, however, think Unlimited might actually be better. Again, to understand how we arrive in this conclusion, you can read our review of Unlimited Race kit where we made a direct comparison of Unlimited to the famed Mellow drive.
Solo Kit
Omakase Solo
Cruiser Kit
Icarus Cruiser
Tesseract Cruiser
Race Kit
Icarus Race
Tesseract Race
There are 3 lines of unlimited kits:
Solo ($769) – (or $949 with Omakase complete)
One Battery.
One Motor.
Cruiser($1099) – (or $1349 with Tesseract or Icarus complete)
Two Battery.
One Motor.
Race Kits ($1349)- (or $1599 with Tesseract or Icarus complete)
Two Battery.
Two Motor.
The beauty of Unlimited Kits is that it allows flexible configuration according to your need. Let’s say you have a Race kit which has 2 ESC and 2 batteries – when in need for maximum portability, you can choose to run 1 ESC and 1 battery, which will give you the lightest set-up with 1 extra battery ready to be swap in; when in need for maximum range, you can choose to run 1 ESC with both batteries essentially running the ‘Cruiser’ set up and squeeze every mile out of it.
What changed:
For those who had known about Unlimited, what’s the news after this 2 walked down the aisle? I mean, even before this we could have bought an Unlimited kit and buy a loaded complete separately, so what changed?
Unlimited Kit’s PU sleeve for the hub wheel is now made out of the same happy thane formula of the Orangatang wheels. Great. You also get Caguamas with Loaded Jehu V2 Bearings for the none motor wheels, (3 for Solo and Cruiser, 2 for R Kits). This also means that the wheel has been slightly upsized from 82.5mm to 85mm.
In addition to the improvement, there is also a price drop of around $100 for Solo and Cruiser, while Race kit became 50 bucks pricier. Considering Loaded completes cost around $350, buying an Unlimited complete set-up will save you another $100 as compared to buying them separately.
Last but not least, the last and most important news to come from it all is that Unlimited kits are finally available for purchase. You can check out Unlimited X Loaded here.
While the competition in the budget electric skateboard segment has always been red hot, no company seems to put much thought into the short-board variant. Take the previous gen Meepo Mini and it’s longboard variant Meepo V2, they are just the same board with a different deck.
While the same story goes with Mini 2 ER. This time, however, as the deck of Mini 2 is the star of the show, Meepo Mini 2 is no longer hiding under the shadow of its longboard counterpart and one could even say it will steal the spotlight. (and also, the ESC is different, it’s Hobbyingwing.)
It’s good looking right?
Just one glance and you will be able to tell that Meepo Mini 2 tries to be Boosted Mini. It uses the same dish shape deck, and opt for a similar graphic design. This results in a morally grey but aesthetically pleasing product. I am sensing this will divide the viewers, half of you will be disgusted by the move, the other half will be liking it.
Meepo Mini 2 ER
This the specs of the Meepo Mini 2 and ER (in bracket):
Mini 2:
Top Speed: 24mph/ 39kmh
Range: 11mil/ 18km
Weight: 16lbs/ 7.2kg
Charge Time: 2hrs
Price: 449USD with shipping included.
Mini 2 ER:
Top Speed: 29mph/ 46kmh
Range: 20mil/ 32km
Weight: 18lbs/ 8kg
Charge Time: 2hrs
Price: 629USD with shipping included.
Features for both: 2 hub motors, regenerative braking, handles up to 30% slope, NR remote (with built in torchlight), swappable PU.
Unboxing
As what I’ve received is a very early review unit (No.002) to be exact, mine doesn’t come with the new Boosted look-alike design. In fact, I felt a bit let down for not getting the prettier version, so I guess I know where I stand on the issue of design copying.
The board came with a T-tool some stickers and hand bands. The remote that comes right out of the box for me is an NR remote, which is cool. I wish Meepo would include a regular generic remote too, though, as NR remote can’t be pocketed, and as portability is one of the key things when it comes to a shortboard. Later I found out that, the inclusion of NR remote is, temporary, once the N2 remote is available, that will be in place substituting the NR remote.
Mold for N2 remote.
Riding
Experience:
Acceleration
and Deceleration
The first thing I notice riding the Mini 2 ER is that, this thing is powerful.
The acceleration is thrillingly fast, ridiculously fast, it beats Boosted Mini S and Wowgo 3 in a drag race! This thing is ridiculously powerful I tell ya, my pal calls it Mini Raptor. It hits its marketed top speed in no time, 29mph(46kmh)!
Although fast, Mini 2 is still perfectly smooth as expected from a Hobbywing ESC. The braking is strong and smooth. Although all are using Hobbywing ESC, Mini 2 ESC is smooth and strong like the Backfire G2T’s unlike Wowgo 3’s which is a bit tamer. I like my brake strong.
It was at that moment I realized that: Mini 2 ER is not Meepo V3 in with smaller footprint, it is Meepo NLS Pro on a Boosted Mini deck. Think about it, it uses the same Hobbywing ESC and same 244wh battery as the NLS Pro. The only difference is deck and wheel size.
Stability
& Maneuverability
Shortboards are not generally my favorites as I can’t do tricks, can’t utilize kicktail as good as any skater would, and aside from portability, why would anyone sacrifice the stability of longer wheelbase for no good reason?
Unlike my experience with other shortboards, however, Mini 2 ER rides like a longboard. The heaviness of the board, the larger wheel, the shredder trucks with new bushings that give more a floaty feeling and the bigger wheels comes together to give a very stable ride. The deck is also broad enough for me to feel nice and stable. I love broad decks. I can ride to the top speed, which is a ridiculous 29mph(46kmh) mind you, and only felt wobbly at the very peak of it. That’s without me needing to tighten the trucks. Who rides that fast on a shortboard anyways!
On the other hand, this also meant that unlike most shortboards which is made to be more agile, Mini 2 ER felt more ‘momentous’. It carves comfortably like a longboard but doesn’t change direction as crisply as a shortboard. Tight corners are still easy to navigate thanks to the short wheelbase and the kick tails, it just doesn’t feel crisp.
I think this is also one of the differences between Meepo Mini 2 and the Boosted Mini. Boosted Mini felt agile, while Meepo Mini 2 felt like a short longboard (am I allowed to put it this way?)
Vibration
While the riding the board has been more fun than expected, vibration handling of Meepo Mini 2 is only average, as expected from a hub motor shortboard where you stand directly above the trucks. It is not atrocious thanks to the thick riser pad and maybe the bushings, unlike some boards that are stiff as steel.
Riding on poor terrain is uncomfortable but tolerable. 3/5 or B grade.
Range
Meepo Mini 2 ER came with Samsung 40T in a 10s2p setting, making it an 8AH pack that total to 288wh. This is the same battery pack found in the new NLS Pro.
The base version of Mini 2 without the extended battery is using a typical 4.0AH 144wh set-up. According to my previous experience with other boards with a similar set-up, should give you around 9miles (14.5km) of range.
Top speed was tested separately. Unlike Samuel James who crashes every other week, I am much more reserved.
*Rider weighs around 176lbs (80kg) and was riding in a mostly flat area in a warm climate.
A closer look at the parts:
Deck
The deck of Meepo Mini 2 shouted Boosted Mini. A side by side comparison reveals that the only similarity between these two is the dimension and the shape. Even then, this is a great deck following the design principle of Boosted Mini’s.
Meepo uses 7 plies Canadian maple for this short deck. The dish shape concave are comfortable for the feet, and the deck is pretty broad at 9″ (22.8cm).
As mentioned, there isn’t much room to allow for flex, as the electronic component occupied the whole length of the board. The final version of Mini 2 doesn’t come with a tail guard, yet.
Component Enclosures and ESC
Flipping the deck onto it’s back, we see the typical 2 enclosure set up. Mini 2 uses the same casing as the NLS and V3.
The enclosure is made out of plastics, not aluminum. There is a heat sink in the ESC enclosure. It looks pretty, no more generic parts.
Wheels
As expected, these are the same hub and wheel that you can find on the Meepo V3. The front wheel is of 78A durometer and the back is the normal stiff hub that we are so used to.
I am guessing the choice of 90mm over the size of 80 or 83mm wheels is of 3 main reasons. Reason one, the majority of Meepo riders prefer larger wheels to combat unpredictable road condition. You may not agree on this but most people still prefer big wheel over smaller wheels for more ease of mind when rolling over stuff. Reason two, hub motors are stiff, and giving it extra 10mm helps to soften vibration by a little bit more. Reason three, 90mm hub have more power in them, and Meepo Mini 2 clearly values power over finesse.
In my opinion, not using 83mm wheels is one of the reason the board felt a tad bit less agile as compare to, for example, Boosted Mini. The need to use a higher riser to prevent wheel bites also means a slightly higher ride height.
Trucks
In my NLS review, I complained about how Shredder trucks felt too soft with the stock bushing. Macroon bushing seems to be able to address that. At least I find no need to swap the bushing.
For those who don’t know, I think Shredder truck is the best truck we have outside of branded stuffs, and the new bushing definitely further improve that experience.
I’m no expert in bushing so please take my opinion here with a grain of salt: I felt Macroon bushing is soft and floaty, it give a comfortable control, but not that zealous in returning you to center, which leads to the feeling of less agile and more momentous. I am not saying that is a negative thing, it’s just different. Again, don’t quote me on the bushing stuff.
Remote
This is NR remote type B.
It doesn’t pair with your LingYi ESC board -V3, NLS, but pairs with all Hobbywing ESC boards -NLS Pro, Classic, City Rider etc.
It has 3 speed mode with different top speed. It has a torch light built in for night ride. It has a reverse button, but you have to hold it to activate it.
Don’t be fool by the look, NR remote felt surprisingly comfortable in hand. The throttle dial is big, springing and comfortable.
The only downside of NR remote is that it don’t fit easily in the pocket.
According from what I learnt from Kieran, Meepo Mini 2 is going to ship with the new N2 remote once it is available, in place of the NR remote. N2 is a look-alike of Boosted remote, but we haven’t got any details on that yet.
Verdict
Meepo Mini 2 ER is obsessed to be the most powerful board in a 30-inch body, and I think it is. For enthusiasts that love speed and torque and want it in a compacted package, Meepo Mini 2 ER fit the bill, maybe even better than Boosted Mini X. I thought I would never pick a shortboard for a cruise or group ride but with Mini 2 ER, I would.
On the other hand, an 18lbs(8kg) body means it is not going to be the most portable companion for someone to travel around with. It is heavy. This is the exact situation with Boosted Mini X. The base version Meepo Mini 2 at 16lbs/ 7.2kg is a bit lighter and slightly more suited for portable use, mirroring Boosted Mini S.
Let me put them side by side below for ya.
Granted, those who are browsing Boosted probably have very different needs than those shopping for a Meepo. All things considered, I can say Meepo Mini 2 ER is pretty damn good.
Earlier this week Kieran announced that the Mini 2 ER will be using the LingYi ESC (the same in V3) while the Mini 2 will be sticking with the Hobbywing ESC.
With the changes, you can expect the following:
Acceleration in drag race = Similar Acceleration smoothness in pro mode =-5%
Braking strength = significantly increased
Braking smoothness = Depending on which braking mode you choose, similar in mode 1.
Other changes,
remote with screen and telemetry (MR remote, bye bye N3 remote)
The kick to turn on feature will be available on Mini 2 ER. (This is very important for me as I use it for multiple short rides with stops in between, no need to bend down to reach for the power button is a god-send.)
It seems like 2019 is the year of $599 & All-Terrain line-up. Late June, Ownboard join the party with their own version of AT board in Carbon AT. After putting it up for pre-sale for nearly a month, it is now officially available.
From the appearance, Ownboard Carbon AT heavily resembles to Evolve Carbon series. As a matter of fact, it has almost the same spec as the new and highly anticipated Evolve Carbon GTR.
Here’s the breakdown. Ownboard and Evolve both are rocking 14AH battery which translates to 19 miles(31km) of range. Both use double kingpin trucks that pair with big wheels, with Evolve’s 7″ pneumatic while Ownboard went with 6″ honeycomb. If length matters to you, the carbon deck that Ownboard uses is slightly longer measuring in 40″ while Evolve is an inch shorter. Both markets similar top speed which is 22mph(36kmh) for Evolve vs 23mph(38kmh) for Ownboard. While Evolve is clearly superior when it comes to customer service, polish and brand reputation, Ownboard Carbon AT is arguably better on paper as it uses bigger 6368 motor (vs 5065) and better Sanyo cell (vs Samsung 35e).
While early reviewers (cough cough Daniel Kwan cough) seems to like the board quite a bit, we are still waiting to hear more feedback from the eskate community. I for one, am interested to see how well Ownboard Carbon AT performs, seeing this is the highest price product coming from a Chinese budget brand.
Oh, by the way, you will need to resort to some DIY solution in order to switch from AT to street wheel set-up. The switch is possible if you can find a belt and pulley set that’s compatible with Ownboard Carbon AT. Currently, there is no in house solution from Ownboard but I suspect it will be developed in the future.
So, what do you think? Would you pick Ownboard Carbon AT over Evolve Carbon GTR? Does Evolve worth the extra $600?
In the heart of one of the world’s most alluring cities,
electric skateboarders from across the globe will make their way to Paris,
France for the 2019 Electric Skateboarding Cup, the largest electric
skateboarding event in Europe. Together, ESK8FR and the Carve Electric
Skateboarding UK Group have coordinated the jam-packed, three-day festival
spanning from July 11th-13th.
The 2019 Electric Skateboarding Cup will consist of two race competitions: one of street competition and one all-terrain competition across the beautiful Auvers sur Oise, made famous by the painter Vincent van Gogh.
On Friday, July 12th urban street races will take place on closed-off roads through the city of Auvers sur Oise, a competition that will require precise riding skills that go well beyond just having a fast electric board.
The all-terrain races, on the other hand, will take place Saturday, July 13th. This event will be held in a unique underground tunnel system that is certain to be a lifetime experience for all riders.
For electric skateboard riders who are not interested in competing in these two races, a casual entry ticket option is available to allow riders to watch all event races and enjoy all of the other event activities, including a non-competitive group rides through beautiful Central Paris and Auvers sur Oise allowing riders to experience the local heritage.
When not competing with one another, riders will have the opportunity to push their equipment to its limits or to participate in impromptu sliding sessions, longboard dancing or similar events to allow riders to showcase their skills beyond racing.
Sponsorship booths will be available for riders to test out products, snag some gear, or to have the opportunity to ask sponsors any questions you may have.
Also, There are prizes!
The 2019 Electric Skateboarding Cup is open to riders of all
experience levels.
If you haven’t got your ticket yet, you can snag one today on
the It’s Electric France website. Prices range
from 15€ to 80€ depending on events you would like to participate in.
View the most up to date 2019 Electric Skateboarding Cup
schedule of events here.
Update: Yecoo team reached out and notify that they have taken the feedback to heart, and is in the process of addressing some of the lowlights. For now, the battery has already been upgraded to an even larger 10s5p 36V 11Ah Samsung battery, with a plan to further upgrade to a 15Ah & 17.5Ah option. The grip tape design was also revised and looks to the better now.
Yecoo, a Chinese brand previously unheard of reached out to us to review one of their product Yecoo GT. I’ve never reviewed a budget 2 in 1 before and enthusiastically agreed to it. Who doesn’t like a good 2 in 1, could Yecoo GT hold a candle to the Evolves?
Yecoo GT Review
Right off the bat, my test show the marketed spec has been slighty inflated. So the chart and below is the tested specs of the Yecoo GT:
Top Speed: 21mph (35kmh)
Range: AT – 6miles (10km) 83mm – 10 miles (16km)
Weight: AT – 19.6lbs (8.9kg) 83mm – 16lbs (7.3kg)
Charge Time: 5hrs
Features: 2 belt motors, regenerative braking, handles up to 20% slope, swappable PU.
Price: 599USD with shipping included.
Build Quality
First thing first, let’s go through the superficial stuff.
Packaging
Everything is pretty rudimentarily packed. I love how the square foams are cut out and place around the wheels to keep the board in place in the box, I think it’s cute.
The package did come with a full set of 83mm wheels and it’s set of belt and pulley. I am happy that it is included.
Other than that, we have all the usual stuff, T-tool, remote, and chargers.
Update: The packaging has since then received a much needed improvement.
New looks and packaging for Yecoo GT
Deck
Yecoo GT’s deck is a pretty standard generic long board deck with handle cut out. Being generic doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s pretty comfortable.
It has a little nice concave to it and a tiny bit of flex to it.
Component Enclosures and ESC
Flipping the deck onto it’s back, we see the typical generic 2 enclosure set up. These are the plastic enclosure made famous by the original Meepo board. Inside them, houses the LingYi ESC and a 6s4p battery pack.
Knowing this pairing, some of you should already know what the performance would be like, but please read on!
The new battery enclosure for Yecoo GT is much bigger, due to bigger battery.
Wheels
The AT wheels are a set of 150mm silicon wheels. It’s not pneumatic tires. They are big, heavy, and they actually perform pretty well in rough terrain.
Being a 2 in 1, you can easily switch to the street set-up. The board comes with 83mm street wheels that are pretty meh in quality but of course it is up to you to switch to anything with a flywheel core.
Motor
The motor on the GT is a pair of 1000W 5065 outrunner motor.
Trucks
This is a pair of 250mm trucks that are used in many Chinese budget AT boards, they are okay.
What’s seems to puzzling to me is the use of barrel and cone bushing here. Granted that helps the board to turn more but it felt pretty weird riding tall with an AT set-up, yet the truck is so soft and unsteady. I have to tighten the trucks a bit for the ride to be steadier, that is to the detriment of maneuverability and increasing the turn radius; hard to get it right.
On the contrary, I find the truck set-up very comfortable on the street setup. Barrel and cone bushing gives a good amount of lean, wide truck, and low riding height make the board stable.
Remote
Pretty commonly used remote. It has 3 speed modes and 3 brake strength.
You can toggle between the speed mode by using the slides on the side of the remote. Brake mode can be toggled by pressing the power button while holding the throttle all the way back.
My suggestio, just stick with the lowest brake mode.
Capability
Range
While the marketing material rated the board as 6AH, I was dissapointed to learn that it was actually a 6s3p set-up. This means that Yecoo GT has a 144wh battery pack, which is the size of all base version Chinese budget board uses.
The AT wheels set-up got me 6.5miles (10.5km) before the battery ran out. The Street set-up with 83mm wheels got me 10miles(16km).
I would expect worse from a 144wh battery on a belt drive but I guess limiting the top speed and power does help to get more range out of the Yecoo GT.
*I weigh around 154lbs (70kg) and was riding in a mostly flat area in a warm climate.
Update: With the upgrade to 10s5p 36V 11Ah Samsung battery, the range and torque should see significant improvement.
Speed and Torque
I could only reach 21mph(35kmh) with the street set up. With the AT-setup, I manage to reach a little bit less than that and hit 20.8mph(33.5km).
While I would like to be able to go faster in the street set-up, I am not looking to push the speed limit in AT, as riding high off the ground with a loose truck feels pretty sketchy!
23% hill, can’t get up
With a 6s4p set up, I’m betting the torque is gonna take a hit, and it did. On the AT set-up, Yecoo GT is unable to climb through a 23% graded hill. It almost can, almost.
Riding Experience:
Acceleration
and Deceleration
Yecoo GT uses an older version of LingYi ESC and it has similar behavior. The smoothness of acceleration is pretty fair in street set up but in the AT set up the board seems to have trouble deliveing enough power to the motors, hence a slow throttle push will result in a ‘hesitant start’.
Braking curve is not the most intuitive with low brake strength initially and sudden ramping up of brake strength, when the throttle was pulled further back.
You can choose different brake strength in the setting by pulling the throttle back and pressing the power button, however, I don’t see the need to go beyond the lowest mode, as higher brake strength would just accentuate the problem.
Stability & Maneuverability
On the topic of stability and maneuverability, the nature of 2 in 1 presented Yecoo GT a dilemma.
Generally speaking, AT set-up would have a ‘tighter’ truck set-up to allow more stability, as you know, you will be riding quite high off the ground and in all kinds of terrain. This is why true AT trucks are often so difficult to turn. On the other hand, you will want a street set-up to have a loose truck, that allows you to have plenty of leans so you can have as much fun carving as possible.
In my opinion, Yecoo GT is set-up to be a pretty good longboard. I love wide trucks, and while 250mm trucks on 83mm wheels are a bit of overkill, that is the kind of overkill that I enjoy riding. The street setup is pretty maneuverable and very stable, thanks to the super wide truck. The barrel and cone bushing also allows the board to lean and turn easily.
Going from street setup to AT setup however, the story changed. For me, the AT set-up ride too high for my comfort level; plus a barrel and cone sacrifice stability for more turns and it just made the board unsteady.
Vibration & Terrain
Besides learning that I love wide trucks, the second thing I learned from Yecoo GT is that 6.5″ silicon tires are pretty good. It handles vibration and challenging terrain pretty well, almost as well as the standard pneumatic tires.
If you feel comfortable with the riding high off the ground and the inconsistent control behavior in AT set-up, Yecoo GT actually is pretty good in getting you through places.
Stones
Poor roads
Verdict
Everything about the Yecoo GT is pretty raw. From the packaging to the design to the control.
It is both too underpowered to be good AT board and too uncomfortable for a regular cruise ride. The big 6.5″ wheels are good enough to handle some really treacherous road, as long as you can stay on it.
As a street set-up, GT is a comfortable ride competing well with the most entry-level budget board. It is, however, not priced at the entry level. Yecoo does have another product, GTS, which address some of the shortcomings of GT by using 10s3p battery pack and double barrel bushings for a more stable ride. So perhaps look that way?
Anyways, you can use our discount code ‘ESKATEHQ’ to receive a free battery upgrade when buying a Yecoo GT.
