By now, you should have heard about the Evolve Renegade, the $2,499 mountain-style board with Trampa deck and suspension trucks.
But hold your wallet if you are in the market for a carbon fiber board with a Trampa-style deck because there is a new board by a new brand that offers something similar for a lot less.
This new brand is aptly named On My Way EV, and it’s on its way with its debut board Cavalry.
Unboxing of the OMW Calvary
OMW Calvary is another premium heavy-duty All-Terrain Board
OMW Calvary is pretty similar to the Evolve Renegade, a premium board designed to have a ton of power and a lot of battery and to handle rough terrains.
Similarly, it uses a flexible Trampa-style deck.
Similarly, it is rocking 12s4p Samsung 50S battery ( 864WH – 20AH)
Unlike Evolve Renegade, however, the Calvary is using DKP Trucks, meaning it wasn’t a hardcore off-road board but instead was designed to be as easy to turn as possible.
While we are still working to put the Calvary through the paces, it looks very very promising and is an alternative worth considering before pulling the trigger on the pricey $2,499 Evolve.
Plus, OMWEV is a new brand that is eager to prove itself, while Evolve (with all its good and bad) put a premium tax on its board. While both boards have comparable specs, the Calvary is almost $1000 cheaper at $1,599 (launch price).
If you are interested in buying the OMW Calvary be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and use code: “ESKATEHQ” to receive $30 off during checkout. 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!
Comparison Specification of OMW Cavalry vs Evolve Renegade
While Meepo’s original City Rider might have flown under many people’s radar, it was a board that I was really fond of. It was Meepo’s first board with all-terrain wheels, and it was launched with an affordable $749 price tag.
I love that board because I am generally pretty lazy, and when I need an All-terrain wheeled board to get around poorly paved city roads, the City Rider is the easiest board to use and maintain. It has hub drives that don’t require maintenance and airless tires that don’t need to be pumped and won’t get punctured. And while the board wasn’t as powerful as it looks, it stood out as being a hassle-free board to own.
The new Meepo City Rider 3, however, might have a different identity than the original City Rider. By switching to belt-drives, the $899 City Rider 3 actually has more similarities to the Meepo Hurricane Series, the company’s current flagship model, more than it does the earlier City Rider models.
Meepo City Rider 3 Specifications:
Price
$899
Battery
12s3p Molicel P42A 544Wh
Controller
12s Lingyi ESC
Top Speed
29 mph / 48 kph
Range
21miles / 35km
Deck
W Concave Canadian Maple and Bamboo
Motor
3500W x 2 Belt Drive Motors
Net Weight
30.4 lbs/ 13.8kg
Deck: 8 ply Canadian maple + 2 ply bamboo
Starting with the deck, City Rider 3 uses this beautiful minimalistic grip tape design. The transparent grip tapes show off the polished sand-blasted Canadian maple underneath. It’s made of a combination of 10-ply Canadian Maple and Bamboo. However, the board-length aluminum enclosure installed beneath the deck makes the deck extremely stiff.
The deck features a nice W concave. Like most all-terrain boards, this is a double-drop deck that’s good for reducing riding height.
ESC and Remote: 12s Lingyi ESC and Meepo M4s Remote Combo
For the ESC, the Meepo City Rider 3 uses a 12s Lingyi ESC, which has a push-to-turn-on feature and comes with four-speed modes and four brake modes. It’s interesting to see Meepo choose LingYi on this one since, as of 2023, it’s no longer allergic to using Hobbywing ESC on its boards. For those who are new, LingYi ESC is known to have a fourth-highest speed mode that is typically more aggressive and a little less smooth than the Hobbywing ESC. I guess we will know how well it works for City Rider soon.
This ESC pairs with the standard M4s Meepo remote, which is the same remote used with the Meepo Hurricane. It has a display to show the speed, battery life and other data.
Battery: 12s3p Molicel P42A 544Wh
The Meepo City Rider 3 uses a 12s3p Molicel P42A 544Wh, which is a step down from the Hurricane’s 12s4p configuration in terms of battery capacity. It’s advertised to run for 21 miles(r35 km), but in our tests, we managed to hit 16 mile(25 km) range riding fast. This is about what we’ve expected from the 12s3p 544wh battery, so we can’t say we were disappointed.
Motor: 3500W x 2 Belt Drive
For the motors, Meepo decided to shake it up by switching to the tried and true belt drive motors. In previous installments, the City Rider 2 used a planetary gear drive, while the first City Rider went with hub drives. I’m not sure what is the rationale behind switching over to belt drive; perhaps it is to streamline the productions as Meepo also has stopped using gear-drive in its other products for now. These are the same exact motors as the one on Meepo Hurricane, and they are huge, 3500W a piece. The top speed is 30 mph(48 kmh), which is similar to the Hurricane.
Trucks And Wheels: Double Kingpin And 150x150mm Honeycomb Rubber Airless Wheels
As for the trucks, Meepo sticks to what works and uses the same double kingpin trucks as on the Hurricane. We already know that they work well and have a good balance between stability and responsiveness.
For wheels, these are 150x50mm Honeycomb rubber airless wheels. Airless wheels are great for the lazy, as you don’t have to worry about tire pressures, and it won’t get flat tyred. The ride feel is still as good as traditional pneumatic tires, but I’m sure AT-purists will hate to not be able to play around with the tire pressure.
The board weighs 30.4lbs (13.8 kg), It is heavy, and the handlebar that was on previous city Riders is sorely missed.
Riding Experience of City Rider 3
The first thing we wanted to test was the speed control. LingYi ESC is just like a box of chocolate sometimes; you never know what you’re going to get. Some versions of it were perfectly smooth and indistinguishable from the perfect standard set by Hobbywing ESC, while the other versions were rough like it was 2017 again. Fortunately, this time, it is a good one. The City Rider 3’s speed control is flawlessly smooth and virtually identical to the Hobbywing ESC.
We are comfortable with staying on 4th-speed mode all of the time and prefer to keep our brakes mode on 3rd-brake mode.
While the City Rider 3’s speed control is great, the power is not. The City Rider 3 doesn’t have the insane power and torque that can take the board off-road while going uphill, so we could be wrong, but we’re starting to assume that it was designed to be ridden in the city. It’s a bit of a bummer; I suppose, we’re just accustomed to Meepo packing insane power onto all of their boards.
The board can get to top speed, but it takes a while to get there. It is obviously strong enough to climb any regular hill, but it certainly doesn’t blast through them like a Hurricane. For comparison, the Propel Pivot S felt 10% stronger than the City Rider 3, and Meepo Hurricane Vader felt twice as powerful.
It turns out that while City Rider 3 has the same motors as the Hurricane, it is significantly less powerful than the Hurricane since its ESC has a lower output. Yet another good example is that motor wattage only paints a partial picture of a board’s power.
While City Rider 3 wasn’t powerful, it certainly was comfortable. It starts with the deck. The deck is undoubtedly the highlight of the board, and we especially love the W-Concave this deck has. It is super comfortable to stand on. It is easy to tell where our feet are and keep them secure at high speed. It feels like Meepo and Exway are two of the Chinese brands that have the best decks on their boards.
Another big part that helped with ride comfort was certainly the big 150mm wheels. They are less cushy than pneumatic wheels and absorb less vibration but work well enough to smooth out vibration on rough roads. For us, riding pneumatics is clearly preferable, but owning one? That is up for debate. Going airless eliminates the inconvenience of maintaining pneumatic AT tyres, which include checking tyre pressure and replacing them when they get punctured.
And going double kingpin also helped with ride comfort. The board is fun for carving and super easy to turn thanks to the double kingpin trucks. It allows for a tight turning radius and makes U-turns possible. Similar to the Meepo Hurricane, the City Rider is also pretty stable at high speed; it just takes a while to get to the top speed.
The Verdict – Meepo City Rider 3 is great, but not for off-roading.
The $899 City Rider 3 can no longer make the claim that it is the most affordable AT board, as its predecessor previously could, because there are so many fantastic options on the market right now. When comparing boards with AT wheels, veteran Eskater would probably scoff at City Rider 3 middle-of-the-road power and go for something more thrilling like the Hurricane or the Propel Pivot.
Beginner or casual riders would, however, appreciate City Rider 3 for how comfortable and relaxing it is to ride. City Rider 3 fits the bill nicely if you don’t want to go off-roading but still need a big-wheeled board to manage tough city streets. Whether you are going uphill or downhill, riding on good roads or over potholes, sticks, and stones, Meepo City Rider 3 will keep you comfortable. After all, why pay more for off-road power if you aren’t doing off-road? At the end of the day, who can not love a $899 12s3p AT board that rides really well?
If you are interested in buying the Meepo be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and use code: “ESKATEHQ23” to receive $5 off during checkout. 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!
On July 2023, Propel, a brand that’s gained quite a following for its powerful off-terrain suspension boards and its top-tier post-sales service, is now stepping into the 2-in-1 arena with the Pivot S and the Pivot GT.
There are many boards out there that have adopted the Evolve formula (Double drop deck + DKP trucks + 2 in 1 wheel), but we haven’t seen any brand make one at the price that Propel is selling Pivot S for.
Pivot S starts at $799 for the base version and $999 for the 2-in-1 package. (The 2-in-1 package comes with both the 97mm street wheels and the 155mm wheels.)
Now, a lower price means nothing if Propel skimmed on the specs, but this doesn’t seem to be the case here.
Propel Pivot S – Specifications
Price
$799 (Street) $999 (2 in 1)
Battery
518Wh, 12S3P, Lishen LR2170SA
Controller
55A LingYi ESC
Top Speed
36mph(60kph)
Range
97mm: 26.5miles (44km) 155mm: 54 miles (87km)
Deck
Carbon hybrid BVR Unibody
Motor
2×6374 Motors/ Belt Drive
Net Weight
25.3lbs (11.5KG)
Deck – “BVR Deck”
At first glance, the Pivot S’s double-drop deck immediately grabs your attention with its carbon fiber and fiberglass build. It has that sleek, unibody design with no unsightly enclosure sticking out. Propel called this deck BVR “Bad Vibe Reduction” deck and said that by including fiberglass in the deck material, it would dampen road vibrations. Will it work? We shall see.
On the deck, there is the foam tape padding which gives a helping hand in cushioning those road vibrations on this stiff deck.
Foam grip tape
It’s around 43 inches long and 10.7 inches wide, broader than most longboard decks. And while it does have a sweet concave, the center of the deck stays pretty flat.
ESC (Electronic Speed Controller) – LingYi ESC:
Flipping the board over, you’re met with easy access to the ESC compartment, which can be popped open with five screws. Propel went for the LingYi ESC in this model, and currently, it’s paired with the standard LingYi ESC remote.
5 screws to access the ESC
It’s rather jarring that a premium carbon fiber board ended with the most generic and cheap looking remote, but luckily a new remote is on its way to replace this one soon. We’ve seen the prototype, and it’s better. Anyways, this is just a cosmetic issue, as the generic LingYi ESC was functionally perfect, no connectivity issues, durable, good battery life.
something better-looking will replace this remote, soon.
As always, the LingYi ESC comes with ‘push to start’ features meaning the board fires up as soon as those back wheels start rolling. Like other boards with LingYi ESC, you get to choose amongst 4 acceleration modes and 4 braking modes separately, and we will talk about how they felt later.
Battery – Lishen LR2170SA
The Pivot S draws its power from a 12S3P pack with Lishen LR2170SA, 21700 cells. These cells, like those found in other premium boards such as the Exway Atlas Pro and Evolve Hadean.
This gives the board a healthy 518Wh battery, similar to Exway Atlas, and bigger than Evolve GTR’s 504Wh battery.
Propel also went further by adopting a Printed Circuit Board Assembly design with its battery, which eliminates wires. The benefit of the PCBA design is that the battery pack will be more durable, as wire could get dislodged from vibrations.
Range – A healthy 27 miles
The marketing range is 27.3 miles (44km) with 97mm wheels; and 15.5 miles (25km) with 155mm wheels.
As usual, Propel did not exaggerate the range; our range test with 145lb (65 kg) riders yielded an impressive 14 miles (22km) on the 155mm wheels.
Double-Kingpin Truck – We’ve seen them around.
The Pivot S, like all 2-in-1 electric skateboards, has a double-kingpin truck. It appears to be one of those off-the-shelf double kingpin trucks that work well and are widely used.
Motors – Definitely Powerful!
The Propel Pivot S is powered by two 1375W belt motors. These are huge 6374 motors, and they are incredibly powerful. The board’s top speed is an impressive 37 mph (60 km/h), though we only got up to 28 mph (45 kph) before it got too scary for us. Keep in mind, at high speeds, double kingpin trucks can get wobbly.
Wheels – 97mm or 155mm
The base version features 97mm PU wheels, while the optional $200 upgrade offers 155mm wheels with a Bravura alloy hub.
Accessories – Lights & Pull bars
Pivot S, like many of Propel’s boards, came with integrated brake light, which lights up during brakes. The $999 two-in-one option also comes with a pull bar which you can install.
It should be noted that the board may only be pulled when it is in the AT configuration; pulling it in the street configuration will cause the motor to scrape the ground.
In street wheel configuration, the board shouldn’t be pulled.
You can also buy a headlight kit, which can be integrated into the board, but it’s an additional $150 investment.
Spec Summary:
Propel Pivot S (Street) – $799:
A 12s3p carbon fiber board built with high-quality materials from a brand recognized for excellent customer service feels like a value at $799. In reality, there isn’t another product that compares. A better match would be the $849 14s2p Backfire Zealot S2 or the $999 12s3p Meepo Voyager X. Both boards are more expensive and, as you will see, provide different riding experiences. They also are not carbon fiber electric skateboards.
Pivot S as a carbon fiber two-in-one all-terrain electric skateboard, on the other hand, competes directly with the similarly priced Exway Atlas at $999. Both have a 518wh battery, and the devil is in the details when it comes to choosing between the two. So let’s next talk about how the board rides.
Riding Experience of the Propel Pivot S:
The Pivot S, like many other electric skateboards debuted this year, is focused on power. When you equip a skateboard built for propelling AT wheels upwards with 97mm urethane wheels, you get a skateboard with plenty of power.
Fortunately, the latest version of LingYi ESC has pretty smooth controls. The first three acceleration modes are, as always, pleasant and easy to use, while the fourth ‘PRO mode’ feels too powerful for the average street rider.
When the throttle is pushed, it punches strongly. Adrenaline junkies will enjoy it, but most riders won’t need to switch to PRO mode unless they’re riding in an all-terrain setup.
The stronger brakes are another advantage of the LingYi ESC. On an incline, LingYi ESC can better stop the wheels, whereas Hobbywing ESC usually can’t hold the board in place and will roll down the slope. This function will be useful if you plan on doing some uphill longboarding, and the Pivot S certainly offers plenty of power for uphill runs!
Besides the nuances of LingYi ESC, the board rides pretty much as well as one would expect from what we’ve seen on paper. The double-drop carbon fiber deck reduces ride height, and we always enjoy riding near the ground.
Some reviewers mentioned that the deck may be too wide and too flat in the middle, and it was uncomfortable for them as they couldn’t feel the deck concave when riding. We don’t share that opinion. The deck is comfortable for us, so I guess this is pretty subjective.
Pivot S’s large, stiff deck helps with the board’s stability, which is important because the dual kingpin trucks can feel wobbly at high speed.
You might feel more comfortable at high speeds if you’re a better rider than us or tighten the trucks further, but I’d recommend against having twin kingpin trucks if your primary goal is to ride quickly. These trucks are undoubtedly great for carving.
BVR “Bad Vibe Reduction” – Still lots of Bad Vibe
Let’s talk about the vibration now. Even with Propel’s best efforts, even going as far as branding the deck THE “Bad Vibe Reduction” deck, foam grip tape, and those massive 97mm wheels, stiff decks feel terrible on uneven roads. We can hear rattling noises and feel road vibrations in our knees. This is just part of the bargain when getting a carbon fiber street setup, so be prepared.
However, switching to the 155mm all-terrain wheels makes a huge difference. They absorb a lot of road vibrations while maintaining a low-to-the-ground ride experience. It’s quite nice. We’d go so far as to suggest that the AT setup is a must-have for anyone who rides on unpaved roads regularly.
Propel Pivot S versus Exway Atlas:
As previously said, the Propel Pivot S with 155mm wheels will almost certainly be compared to the Exway Atlas. In their all-terrain configuration, both boards will set you back $999.
In comparison, the Exway Atlas has a smoother ride thanks to its Hobbywing ESC and precision CNC-forged axles. It also appears more sophisticated, thanks to its style and abundance of add-on accessories. However, the Propel Pivot S has greater power, while the Exway Atlas has a reputation for being an underpowered all-terrain board. Propel also appears to offer stronger post-sale service at the moment.
Propel Pivot S Verdict:
Once again, Propel didn’t disappoint with the Propel Pivot S. It is a powerful board built well by a reliable brand. For $999, the 2-in-1 package is a pretty good deal for anyone looking for something similar (and better) to the Evolve Carbon GTR.
When it comes to value proposition, the 97mm street set-up of the Pivot S is even better.
Unlike the 2 in 1 setup, which has competition, the street setup Pivot S is virtually unparalleled at $799. There is no other board that comes close to matching the value offered by the Pivot S. If you want a carbon fiber board with double kingpin trucks, Propel Pivot S should be the first choice for anyone shopping in this price range.
If you are interested in buying a Propel, be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and use code: “ESKATEHQ” to receive 3% off during checkout. 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!
Acedeck is a brand new electric skateboard founded in 2022, and they’re not playing around. It entered the market with an all-terrain beast with top-tier specs and looks ready to go head-to-head with the likes of Meepo Hurricane, Exway Atlas, and Ownboard Zeus. It’s pretty funny to us that Acedeck even went along with the Greek God naming trend and named its board after the Greek God of War (not Kratos) – Ares X1.
In this review, we’re going to take a look at the $2049 Acedeck Ares X1 4WD version. Before we challenge the board with real-world scenarios, let’s run through the build and specs real quick!
Marketed Range: 22 miles (35 km) in 4WD; 40 miles (65km) in 2WD
Motors: 6348 3500w Belt
Marketed Top Speed: 37 mph (60 km/h)
Trucks: 11-inch traditional kingpin
Wheels: 8-inch pneumatic
First thing first, let’s talk about the deck. Ares X1 uses a wide concave carbon fiber deck with a beautiful marble finish at the bottom. Carbon fiber decks don’t flex and Acedeck worked this out by installing huge 8-inch pneumatic wheels.
These all-terrain-friendly wheels make sure the board can handle rough terrains. The rims of the wheels are CNC aluminum which should help the board remain stable at speeds.
There are two 12s customized Hobbywing ESC for this board, each of them supporting the powerful belt drive motors. The ESCs have a smart turn-on feature with 4-speed modes.
Powering the board is a huge pack of Molicel 14s4p 870wh 16.8 AH battery pack that gives the board a marketed range of 22 miles (35 km) when using 4WD or 40 miles (65 km) when using 2WD.
During our test, our 155 lbs rider managed to get 24 miles or 38 km riding the board aggressively. Kudos to Acedeck for keeping it real with the range.
Although the range wasn’t mindblowing, we’re still pretty satisfied with its stamina considering that it’s a powerful 4WD board with power-hungry motors.
Insane Top Speed
Speaking of motors, the Ares X1 is using big 6348 3500w belt-driven motors so that’s a total of 14,000w of power which is insane. The board is marketed to go up to 37 mph or 60 km/h but we only have the guts to push it to 31 mph or 50km/h.
Ares X1 reaches 31 mph with ease, so we think the board could probably hit the 37 mph it promised, but to be honest, 31 mph is enough for most of us. On a side note, the board also handles that speed with good stability.
The secret to that stability comes from the 11-inch wide CNC’d traditional kingpin trucks. Most all-terrain boards copied the Evolve formula and used double kingpin trucks for their all-terrain board. Double Kingpin trucks allow easier turning for the board and serve fun carving.
While this is great when you are riding slowly, riding above 30 mph on double kingpin trucks can be dangerous if you don’t have the necessary skills. With that said, we totally agree with Acedeck’s choice of sacrificing a little bit of carve-y-ness for a lot more stability here.
Acedeck Ares X1 Ride Experience
Now that we have an overview of the specs, let’s ride this monster!
As expected, this board has insane power with super punchy and smooth acceleration. You will still need to be careful not to be thrown off the board when you hit that acceleration.
The same goes for braking, the braking is smooth but because it’s 4WD, it’s insanely strong. So, keep in mind to lean back when you brake hard.
At first, we feel that this kind of power is a waste because it’s simply too much for most people to handle. But, we completely changed our mind when we took the Acedeck Ares X1 up on a super steep mountain trail. While boards like Meepo Hurricane struggle with overcoming hills, we managed to just blast through the same steep inclines without breaking a sweat on Ares X1.
And, comparing Ares X1 to the non-pro version of Atlas 4WD, we feel the Ares X1 has double the Atlas power. It makes a lot of sense since the God of War should be more powerful than the Titan that holds up the sky.
4WD also means you have a better grip. This will come in handy when carving or when riding through wet roads as you have less chance of skidding. So, if you don’t ride aggressively, you can consider the 2WD version instead and get a much better range with it.
Riding experience on the Ares X1
The wide carbon fiber deck felt pretty comfortable to stand on and does a good job of securing our feet on the board. The traditional kingpin trucks, on the other hand, keep the board’s profile more stable rather than carve-y. When we compare the carving experience to the double kingpin trucks on Exway Atlas, we feel that the Ares X1 is less fun to carve. But, when comparing the stability, Ares X1 wins—hands down.
We tried to change into 115 mm rubber wheels just to check if this will boost Ares X1’s carving ability. Lo and behold, the Ares X1 instantly became a carving machine. The traditional kingpin trucks carve nicely with a good return to the center.
The combination of 4WD, lower center of gravity, and rubber wheels allows reckless carving without worrying about skidding. We recommend the 115 mm rubber wheels if you don’t usually venture off-road and want maximum carving experience with the board.
Off the road, the 8-inch wheels are comfortable enough. It also absorbs most of the road vibrations well. But, when riding on rough rocks, you can still feel the bumpiness of the ride as the board lacks any kind of suspension. Obviously, a bamboo deck would be better in this case but hey, you can’t have it all.
Acedeck Ares X1 VERDICT – Best AT Specs for the Price
Now, to summarize:
The Ares X1 4WD is a powerful all-terrain electric skateboard that focuses on having the best specs you can have with your money. However, since Acedeck is a new brand, we do have reservations about the durability and post-sales service.
Our review unit, like some prototype boards, did come in with battery and remote issues. Nevertheless, Acedeck was proactive in helping us troubleshoot and fix these issues. So far, words on the street are that the company seems to be doing rather well in after-sales care, but only time can tell if they can keep that up.
With that said, if you don’t mind taking the risk to go with a new brand and want a carbon fiber board with insane power, good range, and stability, the Ares X1 should be on your list to consider. After all, it has the performance and the ride quality to justify the price.
If you are interested in buying the Acedeck, be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and use code: “ESKATEHQ” to receive $40 off during checkout. 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!
Hardcore eskaters will probably tell you that a high-performance electric skateboard should be a Trampa build. These are boards made of flexible carbon fiber with a high camber deck, big pneumatic wheels, and runs with super powerful belt or gear drive motors. More often than not, there is also an electronic box on the top side of the deck.
While a Trampa build may not be the sleek and polished look that appeals to casuals, it is an iconic design that promises super-high performance.
Now, Ecomobl, a brand known for specializing in making affordable all-terrain electric skateboards, just made its very own electric mountainboard with this iconic look. This is the Ecomobl Telum, a $1799 electric mountainboard.
And yes, $1799 is considered affordable for an electric mountainboard with this build and specs. Let’s run through them real quick!
Ecomobl Telum Build and Specs
Deck: carbon fiber deck; flexible with high camber; comes with detachable foot bindings
First, let’s talk about the carbon fiber deck. As we mentioned in the intro, Trampa is responsible for all the hype on this kind of deck. It is flexible with an exaggerated camber arch to absorb road vibration. The board comes with foot bindings that can be installed on the deck. The footbinding is worn with an easy and simple locking mechanism, just strap them on or off the board and voila, it’s done.
ESC Enclosure Above the Deck For Maximum Ground Clearance
Unlike your typical pre-built electric skateboard, mountain boards usually don’t put an electronic enclosure below the deck. This was done to maximize ground clearance. Instead, the electronic box is placed on top of the deck, right in the middle.
There is certainly a lot of juice packed inside this ‘lunch box’. Powering the board is a 768 wh battery pack with good Samsung 40T cells in 12s4p configuration. This battery pack is marketed to provide 23 miles or 37 km of range. During our test, our 155 pounds rider managed to get 30 km when riding aggressively.
For the ESC, Ecomobl Telum uses a customized 12S Lingyi ESC with 4-speed modes and 4 braking modes. We will talk about how they impact the ride later.
Ecomobl Telum’s Signature Planetary Gear Drive at 30MPH
Ecomobl Telum kept its signature planetary gear drive system which can be found on most of their boards. These 7000w 170 kV 6382 motors allow the board to go to 48 km/h or 30 mph which we managed to hit with ease and comfort as the board is very stable.
Speaking of stability, the board uses super-wide 20-inch trucks. This allows the board to be stable at faster speed modes but also means that it’s not going to be easy to turn. So, this is where the footbinding comes in clutch as it allows you to lean aggressively to turn the board.
And, if that’s not enough, you can jump to turn but definitely commit to your leg days since the board weighs 39 lbs or 17.6 kg.
Integrated Front and Tail Lights for Superb Night Rides
Ecomobl Telum also comes with integrated front and taillights. These lights are more useful than you might think, and they are super bright. Look! It’s even brighter than some car’s headlights.
And, having an integrated lighting system is super convenient. For starters, you don’t have to charge them separately. Plus, you don’t have to worry about them dislodging when going off-road. The red tail lights also light up when you apply brakes. The lights can be turned on or off by long pressing the reverse button.
Now that we have an overview of the specs, let’s ride this monster!
The first topic is about control. The control is punchy with its powerful acceleration but frankly, a bit rough. This often happens when Lingyi ESC is combined with powerful motors.
You can feel the slight jerkiness when the gear drive accelerates. One workaround that can be done is simply staying in a lower acceleration mode, which will be gentle, yet powerful enough for any incline.
Speaking of power, these 7000w planetary gear drives are super strong—strong enough for the steep incline of mountain trails.
The braking is nice and strong, too. As mentioned, its strength can be adjusted independently from the acceleration modes.
Spring Suspensions as the MVP
The wide carbon fiber deck felt pretty comfortable to stand on but the MVP of the ride is actually the spring suspensions. These spring suspensions absorb a lot of shocks which is very important when doing trail runs. On normal roads, you won’t feel anything no matter how bad the pavement is.
The foot bindings also have a major part in the ride. When riding on mountain trails, it provides the necessary stability and also prevents the bouncy deck from throwing you off like a trampoline.
The 20” wide trucks are hard to turn but the foot bindings allow us to put as much of our 165 lbs body weight to force the turn. And, to do some mini-hops if all else fails.
Off the Road Will Always Be Home
Obviously, the natural habitat for Ecomobl Telum belongs off the road. The clearance of the deck makes rolling through rocks a walk in the park. This might be subject to change, but our Ecomobl Telum came with 8-inch airless wheels. These are beefy wheels, but we can still feel the road vibrations when riding through harsh pebbles and small stones.
We changed the wheels into 9” pneumatics and liked them a lot more. The rides are noticeably smoother during off-road rides. Good thing is that the 9” pneumatics wheels are now the default option at the moment.
Ecomobl Telum VERDICT – Affordable and High Quality
Now, to summarize:
The ECOMOBL Telum is an affordable off-road suspension mountain board that doesn’t skim on polish, specs, or performance. It has 2 main weaknesses. First, a powerful but slightly harsh acceleration, which kept some of us at lower speed mode. And second, it’s tough to turn, which is kinda part of the deal when getting an off-road suspension board. The board is not made for tight quarters and certainly not for carving.
With all that said, the Ecomobl Telum did well in what it was designed to do, which is off-road riding. After all, when running up mountain trails, stability is preferred over maneuverability while power takes priority over silky-smooth acceleration.
So, should you buy it?
No, if you are looking for an electric skateboard for the city.
Yes, if you are looking for a board that can bring you to places—or mountains—that you have never been to.
Or perhaps, you are looking for a monster that you can count on to outrun and outlast the pack on group rides. That, Ecomobl Telum can do very well, at a very good price.
If you are interested in buying the Ecomobl, be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and use code: “100offcode” to receive 5% off during checkout. 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!
