Propel EV is a company that dedicates itself to making off-road suspension boards. Last year (2020), they introduced their brand with Propel X4s ($2299)—a giant heavy-duty monster of a board and then this year (2021) released the Endeavor Series: the Propel Endeavor S at $1199 and Endeavor Pro at $1999.
Compared to the X4s, the Endeavor boards are slightly smaller in size and are two-wheel drives instead of All-Wheel Drives. With that being said, I would still classify every one of them as huge heavy-duty all-terrain vehicles because, well, that’s what they are!
We’ve reviewed the Propel Endeavor S last time. And spoiler alert: despite having some flaws, Endeavor S was still an awesome board for anyone looking for an off-road suspension board without spending two grand.
To check out our review for Endeavor S, click here.
Today, we’re going to focus the spotlight on Endeavor Pro.
We’re pretty excited to try this out for a ride but first things first—let’s take a closer look at the upgrades.
ENDEAVOR PRO VS ENDEAVOR S
Endeavor Pro shares very similar specs with the Endeavor S except for a few upgrades. Here are three main upgrades worth pointing out:
One: instead of a maple composite deck, Endeavor Pro has a carbon fiber deck that’s 10/10 in the design department. The engraved logos are slick! The board is stiff with a wide concave.
Two: Endeavor Pro also has a bigger battery. We’re talking about 12s5p VS 12s3p on the Endeavor S.
And three: from a LingYi ESC in the Endeavor S, Endeavor Pro uses Flipsky VESC paired with a VX2 remote. For those unfamiliar with VESC, this speed controller is commonly used for DIY boards. It’s highly configurable and always silky smooth.
To check out our unboxing for the Propel Endeavor S and Endeavor Pro, click here.
Using VESC would allow the Propel Endeavor Pro to have a higher range, top speed, and a significantly improved riding experience. We will talk about that in detail later.
Now that we have gone through the difference between Endeavor S and Pro, let’s look at Endeavor Pro’s specs alone.
Build and specs
- Deck: carbon fiber deck; stiff; wide concave
- Board weight: 43 lbs/19.5 kg
- Wheels: 200 MM 8-inch rubber pneumatic wheels; two-wheel drive
- Shock absorber: adjustable 350lb coil over shocks
- Motors: 2 x 6374 belt motors
- Batteries: Samsung 25Ah/1110Wh, 12S5p
- Hill climb: 38%
- Electronic speed controller: 12s Flipsky 4.2 VESC
- Marketed top speed: 31 mph or 50 km/h
- Tested top speed: 31 mph or 50 km/h
- Marketed range: 71 KM for 75kg or 50 km for 100 kg rider
- Tested range: 39 miles or 63 km for a 90 kg rider.
First, let’s pick up where we left off and look at the brain of the board, the VESC. Endeavor Pro started by using 12s Flipsky 4.2 with a Flipsky v1x remote. The ongoing chip shortage means VESC is hard to come by, and there was a shortage of Flipsky 4.2 VESC. During the VESC 4.2 shortage, Propel upgraded all the placed orders to VESC 6.6 with no added cost, and decided to keep both VESC options available going forward.
Don’t worry! Since Propel has configured the setting of both VESCs to be the same, both versions with different VESCs are expected to have similar performance, at least this is what we were told. This also means, if both options were available, I would rather choose to save $100 and go for the VESC 4.
With VESC, Propel Endeavor Pro loses the push to turn-on feature that Endeavor S has. It would be a significant drawback if the power button was placed below the deck, but fortunately, Propel has the great design sense to place that button right on top of the deck, saving you the trouble of becoming Elastigirl in The Incredibles.
Powerful motors handle heavy-duty off-road riding very well
Speaking of superheroes and superpowers, Endeavor Pro uses 2 x 6374 belt motors. The board’s motors are powerful and not that noisy. This is the same set of motors as the one on Endeavor S, and we already know that they can handle heavy-duty off-roading very well.
Unique suspension system
For the wheels, Endeavor Pro uses 200 MM 8-inch rubber pneumatic wheels. Both Endeavor Pro and S use a suspension system that’s different from the X4s. In both setups, each truck has its own dedicated suspension system and can move up or down independent of the others. It is notable that Endeavor Pro’s “trucks” work better than what Endeavor S has installed. We’ll explain further during the riding experience.
Tested range meets marketed range
The batteries are 12s5p with 1110 watt-hours and 25 Amp-hours. The tested range is 39 miles (63 km) for a 90 kg rider. This is insane! Propel was true to their marketed range. Even Endeavor S which has a lower price range has a tested range of 26 miles (42 km). Pretty sweet!
The top speed is 31 mph (50 km/h) which the board can hit easily and quickly.
This board is definitely a monster but every monster has a weakness. Endeavor Pro, though rugged, is not waterproof. We, unfortunately, found out about that the hard way.
Before we get into the riding experience, let’s just take a moment to appreciate how beautiful and polished this machine is. The attention to detail is almost unexpected on a board that’s meant to be ridden in very harsh conditions.
Riding experience
Now, on to the abuse!
Our first question when testing this out was, what improvement in the riding experience does the Endeavor Pro make when compared to Endeavor S? The answer is EVERYTHING. Everything’s better, and the reason is obvious. The VESC made a lot of difference.
Flipsky VESC for the smoothest control
Our biggest complaint of the Endeavor S is the rawness of the speed control, and the Endeavor Pro avoided that downfall by using a VESC. “Avoiding the problem” is actually an understatement. The smoothness of control is one of the best qualities of Endeavor Pro.
As often is the case, an ESC upgrade makes a huge difference. There are 3-speed modes on the Endeavor Pro, and all of them are intuitive and smooth.
Endeavor Pro’s smooth control makes the ride supremely enjoyable and more comfortable. Being stronger yet smoother means the Endeavor Pro reaches its top speed fast. Even faster than the already stupidly strong Endeavor S, yet does so in a smoother manner. No more sudden jolts and jerks!
Strong and smooth braking with reverse
The brakes are strong and smooth, too. The braking control is very accurate and strong. It can come to a complete stop and ‘lock’ the wheels when going down a steep incline. On a flat surface, keeping the throttle on full brakes, and the Endeavor Pro will start to reverse at a slow speed after a small pause. This function makes three-point turns easy and is helpful when you slightly overshoot your stop.
The improvement of speed control from upgrading to VESC is easy to explain; what wasn’t easy for us to explain was the smoother turning ability.
Turning the Propel Endeavor Pro should be as hard as the Endeavor S, as they use the same trucks, but that wasn’t the case.
After messing with the truck settings on both boards, the difference is pretty significant. The Endeavor Pro felt much easier to turn. It’s not to say that the Endeavor Pro is an agile board with amazing carving experience, this is just impossible for any all-terrain suspension board; yet somehow, the Endeavor Pro is easier to turn than most suspension boards.
Could it be since Endeavor Pro is slightly heavier than Endeavor S, and the added weight makes the truck easier to turn? We’ve no exact answer but that’s the theory that we are going with.
Better than typical all-terrain off-road suspension boards
Next, let’s talk about how well the Endeavor Pro does in off-road situations. Obviously, being an off-road suspension board means the Endeavor Pro is better than a typical All-Terrain board when it comes to handling road vibration. In off-road and regular road situations, the suspension system will cushion off any road vibration completely. This is what we enjoy most about the board – going full throttle, enjoying the speed, and not be bothered by any road condition.
The motors are plenty strong to challenge any uphill trails, however, you would need to put some thought into it when approaching a bump or crack. You see, while most parts of the board have plenty of clearance, the spot near the back pulleys doesn’t have much ground clearance. If you are not careful while going up a bump, the back pulley might get caught, get stuck, and leave you flying forward. This is obviously a flaw shared by the Propel Endeavor S and a problem that the bigger X4S does not have.
To check out our review for the monsterboard Propel X4s, click here.
We also broke our external antenna on one of our rides, probably after bumping it into something. It left us with a shorter connection range for the remote, which doesn’t actually cause any problem to the riding experience or usability, or board safety.
Antenna Antenna gone bye bye
THE SUMMARY
Now, let’s summarize.
Propel Endeavor Pro is an amazing all-terrain suspension board. If I were to nitpick, I would point out that the board couldn’t handle as harsh terrain as something like the Propel X4S could due to the lower clearance near the back wheels. I’d also warn you to not ride it into a pool as we did.
However, some minor nitpicks wouldn’t be able to shadow just how beautiful and powerful this machine is. It has massive power, amazingly smooth and intuitive control, a massive range, and almost no limits to where you can ride on.
Need I remind you that Propel EV is also a company with a great reputation for taking care of its customers?
THE VERDICT
So, here’s the verdict,
For anyone who wants an electric skateboard for a city commute or carving fun, anything from Propel EV would likely be overkill and a mismatched choice. But, for someone who is looking for an off-road suspension board, the Propel Endeavor Pro is an easy recommendation, if you have the budget.
In fact, we’d recommend Endeavor Pro over the Endeavor S because it is just so much more fun to ride with, the VESC alone would’ve made the upgrade worth it, and maximized the enjoyment you can get out of these powerful machines.
If you are interested in buying the Propel, be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and use code: “ESKATEHQ” to receive 3% off during check out.
It will help you get a small monetary discount and help us out too. On top of that, you’ll be tagged as an Electric Skateboard HQ customer and probably be treated better. Cheers!
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