Tag: All Terrain

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Chargiot Bomb – Boom or Bust?

Foreword and Introductions

Chargiot was not a brand under my radar when they first approached me to review this particular product – Chargiot Bomb. Apparently, they have been around for almost a year now, selling via Amazon and resellers such as www.ElectricSkateHQ.com (which has totally no connection with us, I am serious in this one.)

Initially reluctant to take on the review as I have just done one on a very similar product in Yecoo GT, Alex from Chargiot assured me that this is not a regular DIYeboard AT setup. This is something with a much more powerful battery, as well as motors which come with an App that allows tuning of the ESC. So I took the review.

After putting this big guy with flamboyant graphic design through its paces, these are my thoughts on it.

Chargiot Bomb

These are the marketed specs of the Chargiot Bomb:

  • Top Speed: 30mph/ 48kmh
  • Range: 15mil/ 24km
  • Weight: 22lbs/ 10kg
  • Charge Time: 4.5hrs
  • Features: 2 x 2400W motors, regenerative braking, handles up to 30% slope, Remote with telemetry, All Terrain ability, Bluetooth speakers.
  • Price: 999USD with shipping included.

Unboxing

Despite the very “in your face” design of the site and the board, the box and package come as plain as it could be. The board is well protected with foams and that’s all that matters really.

The board comes with a bash guard, a T-tool and the charger.

Riding Experience:

Acceleration and Deceleration

Chargiot Bomb uses LingYi ESC and as its typical fashion, it comes with 4 acceleration modes and 4 braking modes. Chargiot added a little bit extra by allowing further adjustment of acceleration and braking (another 4 levels of adjustment on acceleration, braking and gearing).

Straight out of the box, Chargiot had all the settings adjusted to the highest power and that translated into less than perfectly smooth acceleration and weak to suddenly strong braking.

same issue here.

After failing to use the application from android and ending up borrowing an iPhone to adjust the setting, I managed to find a setting that I can live with.

With the adjusted setting, both the acceleration and braking are okay. It’s not perfectly smooth but not jarring either. Average, I would say. One particular trouble that I have is the board will give a jolty start when accelerating from a stop. Chargiot Bomb couldn’t transit from a halt to moving smoothly.

Stability

That said, however, my biggest gripe on the Chargiot Bomb is not the control but the set-up of the board. Most importantly, the biggest of all deck choice. Chargiot picked a 38.5 inches(98cm) deck with Kicktail, and while having a kicktail is one of the unique features that Bomb has, having a kicktail eats into the length of the wheelbase. What’s worse, one couldn’t practically place one’s foot on top of where the truck is because the AT wheels will bite into your shoes and the functional wheelbase is even shorter. At the end of the day, I was forced to ride with a stance not wider than I can have on a shortboard, which doesn’t help with balance.

The problem is compounded with the fact that Chargiot Bomb was pretty tall. It sits on 6″ wheels on a double riser. I felt as if I was riding on heels, and I don’t have the training of what Sookie has to do so.

One way to reclaim a wider stance is to rest the backfoot on the kicktail all the time. That did allow a more stable control and as the Bomb is heavy, you won’t get unwanted wheelies happening to you. However, this patch is not ideal for me as I find that it tired out my leg a lot faster and made turning difficult. On top of that, every minor adjustment of backfoot is wheelbite by shoe waiting to happen.

To compound the problem further, the truck uses a barrel and cone set-up which are pretty soft and made it wobbly at a highish speed. There is always the option of tightening the truck but that will instead make turning difficult. I never attempted to challenge the top-speed of Bomb, 18mph(30kmh) is about the highest I dare to go.

I’ve reached out to Chargiot complaining to them about the design and they’ve informed me that it was a conscious choice to allow the board to be more compact, and for the kicktail to have an extra benefit to be easily draggable (which is totally true… the height and handle on the kicktail made dragging it around so much easier; but I shouldn’t have more fun dragging the board around than I have riding it, should I?)

I totally get what they are trying to do.. I just completely disagree with it. In my opinion, an all terrain set-up and portability should be two mutually exclusive concepts. Trying to accomplish both of these will inevitably leave you in no man’s zone, which unfortunately is where I felt the Bombs are right now.

Chargiot team told me that they are planning to offer other options of wheels kits selections (eg. MBS 100mm), which by theory would address most of the issues I have with it. This would improve the board by eliminating wheel bites by shoes and allowing a wider stance, all while still being a capable semi-AT board.

107mm Flywheel set-up

So Chargiot sent me a set of 107mm flywheels. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a perfect system set-up, as the wheel pulley that I have wasn’t playing nicely with the 107mm wheels and the rest of the motor systems. The two pulleys are not aligned properly, resulting in skip belts. (I think.)

However, I am still able to get a general ride feel on the 107mm’s and I should say, the improvement is as much as expected.

The riding height is much lower and it felt much stable, though I still limit myself below 22mph(35kmh) as it got wobbly for me beyond that.
There was no longer wheel bite by shoes, and you can use the full length of the wheelbase as a standing platform now. 107mm wheels still allow semi-AT uses. For example, it crosses sharp speed bumps without issues and is comfortable on the poorer roads.

A change of wheel doesn’t improve on the speed controls, but it did improve on every other aspect of the ride. I honestly think Chargiot should put 107mm set-up as default, instead of going for the AT version.

Manoeuvrability

I know I said the truck was loose and wobbly, but it is pretty difficulty to turn due to the heaviness of the board. Again, I think this is something that improved significantly after changing to street wheels. Kickturns on the Bomb is pretty difficult to execute due to its weight. A better skater might incorporate it into normal rides but I know I can’t.

Vibration and Terrain capability

Despite my unhappiness with how the board handles, I have to say that it fights through terrain quite well. The 6″ honeycomb wheels and double riser soaks up small vibration completely and rolls through stones, sand, sticks and whatever without any issues. 107mm flywheels are A+ in handling rough pavement too, as expected.

The Bomb would have been a very good vehicle to roll through rough trails in AT if only it allowed a wider stance (deck swap?), but semi-AT uses with 107mm is pretty fine.

Range

I get around 14miles(23km) of range on the Chargiot Bomb.

10S5P 36V, 11Ah, 396Wh Samsung battery pack give me a 14miles(23km) of range. As I couldn’t test the top speed, I didn’t notice any significant sag until the very end of it.

On 107mm flywheels, 12miles(19km) only drain the battery to 66%. Wow.

*Rider weighs around 165lbs (70kg) and was riding in a mostly flat area in a warm climate. 

A closer look at the parts:

Deck

The deck is 7ply maples + 1 ply bamboo. The kicktail is not as functional for me as I thought it would, as the board is heavy and difficult to kickturn (this will change if you ever switch to 100mms). The handle cut out on the tails make the board very draggable when not riding. If there is such a prize, Chargiot bomb would win the prize for being the most draggable eskate ever.

There isn’t much concave on the deck.

Component Enclosures and ESC

The aluminum enclosure, though looks to have generic origin, has some fun spin on it. The ‘radioactive patterns’ are actually LEDs and can glow at night to help you to be seen. Inside the enclosure is also a Bluetooth speaker, which is not of the highest quality, but allows you to blast music to announce your presence.

Wheels

6″ honeycomb wheels works pretty well, almost as well as pneumatic wheels. I like them.

Trucks

Chargiot Bomb uses the generic mountainboard trucks that can be found in DIYeboard. It’s 250mm in hanger width. The stock bushing is a barrel and cone bushing which I blame for the truck unstableness. My opinion is that this set-up put the truck in a no man’s zone. Not turny enough for agility, yet not stable enough for high speed. On a 107mm, a correct tightness and bushing set would work fine, but it was never awesome.

Remote

This is the face of LingYi ESC now. It has a screen for telemetry, which shows current speed, battery and other settings.

The remote itself is pretty comfortable on hand and provides stable connection. As mentioned, there are 4 speed modes available separately for both acceleration and braking. The reverse function is available too.

Verdict

Can an all-terrain board be compact too? I don’t think so.
Chargiot Bomb in its default AT setup proves that you can’t have your cake and eat it too. The big 6″ airless honeycomb wheels are not comfortable on a kicktail deck that is limiting on the standing platform.

On a set of 107mm wheels, however, the board did achieve what the Chargiot team designed it to do.
107mm allows for semi-AT uses.
The shorter wheelbase with kicktail does allow the board to be more compact and allows the board to be dragged around like a luggage bag.
The battery and motor are big and powerful enough for torque and power.

Unfortunately, as the board felt pretty raw overall, be it in control, looks, the ride feels or even the phone app it uses, it couldn’t make it to the top of our list when it comes to boards to recommend.

Checkout Chargiot Bomb by clicking here.

Posted on by Zafrie Izzat Zakaria

Bajaboard releases Bajaboard S2

On 10th October 2019, Bajaboard announced the Bajaboard S2.

For those who are new here, Bajaboard is an Australian brand famous for its super expensive off-road electric skateboard. It is actually, pushing the limit of what can be defines as an electric skateboard because many had felt it rides more like an electric vehicle than your typical eskate.

On the left, S2; on the right, G4

They have made a few changes this round

This new Bajaboard is notably smaller than the previous G4/G4X.
This makes the S2 is much more portable if you need to transport it in cars or on public transport. That is, as portable as something that weighs 35lbs(16kg) can be.

Bajaboard is renowned for its stability thanks to its proprietary shock-suspension design, making it one of the best off-road vehicles. The new S2 uses a brand new mono-shock suspension design, which should improve on that of the previous versions. In addition to the coil shocks, lighter air shocks are now in play!

The S2 has a few key difference as compared to previous versions

Key Differences in the Bajaboard S2:

  • S2 has 8″ tyre option, as well as the 10″. Larger for extra ride height off-road, smaller for better efficiency on the tarmac.
  • Comes with super bright headlight, tail/brake lights, and INDICATORS.  Make your commute that little bit safer.
  • Lighter than the G4, the lightest possible weight is 15.5kg (34lbs). It is more suitable for bunny hops and jumps if that’s your thing.

The Bajaboard Specs:

  • Top speed: 53kph – 32mph
  • Range: 30km – 18mi
  • Weight: 16kg – 35lbs

For any Bajaboard model, there is the option of customizing possible by the ‘build your S2 board’ system offered by the site. The options include a bigger motor, 8 inches VS 10 inch wheels, bigger battery, and foot binding option. You can also buy the standard built.

Pricing

Full Price for the Bajaboard S2 is USD 3299

Considering the price, you should know that the Bajaboard S2 is one of the most premium products in electric skateboard space, right up there with Lacroix and Trampa custom builds.

Luckily, the preorder for the Bajaboard S2 price will be cheaper at USD 2399

It is only slightly cheaper than standard build Bajaboard G4, which is now selling for $2899. Price is not inclusive of shipping, as the company is from Australia, overseas buyers should be expected to pay hundreds on top of the listed price for shipping.

Shipping

Bajaboard is currently only offering to ship in October. While we generally advise against pre-ordering any eskate, seeing that its Bajaboard we are talking about here, it’s up to you if you want to grab the pre-order price and pull the trigger.

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Yecoo GT – Does this budget 2 in 1 worth your time?

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.

Visit Yecoo Board by clicking here.


Posted on by Paxson Lim

Lacroix releases Lacroix Nazare, Lonestar and Jaws

On 19th June, after weeks and weeks of teasing, Lacroix finally releases the details on the new Lacroix board, no, boards. Lacroix unrevealed three new products, Lacroix Jaws($2499), Lacroix Nazare ($3299) and Nazare Lonestar ($3999).

  • Little boy
  • Fat man

The original Lacroix Prototipo has been touted as the best premium production electric skateboard. Now that the Prototipo is no longer available, Lacroix Jaws took over the torch while the new pair of Nazare boards raises the bar even higher (the price too.)

You can visit the product page to appreciate the vision and inspiration on which these two beasts were created. However, as I am not as poetic, I’m just gonna walk you through the number.

Thank god, it’s not the one we seen on Reddit.

And of course, with insane price, come insane numbers.

The Nazares

The Nazare is housing a 1089wh,12s6p pack of Sanyo 20700B cells in it’s 35lbs (15.5Kg) body. The Nazare Lonestar weighs even heavier at 45lbs (20.5Kg) for it houses an even bigger 2178wh, 12S12P battery pack (also Sanyo 20700B cells).

Lacroix Nazare has a marketed range of 37miles (60km). On the other hand, Lonestar has so much range, 50 miles(80km), that the Flipsky VX1 remote would run out of battery before the board would, and that’s why Lacroix is going to send you two VX1 remote with the Lonestar. Pretty crazy when they put it this way.

Other than the battery, weight, and range, the other features seem to be similar between Nazare and N.Lonestar.

Here’s the run down:

  • New Deck that is still very wide and very flexible.
  • New trucks with RipTide powered bushing.
  • Dual 6389 – 190kv motor.
  • Enertion Focbox Unity
  • Max speed that is too high for them to disclose.
  • 8 inch Kenda tires
  • 2 x 2000 lumen LED removable front lights.

Range, Weight and Price are all literally off the chart.

The Jaws

The Jaws is the entry level Lacroix, if $2499 can be called as entry level.

It uses a smaller 726wh battery in 12S4P configuration, same Sanyo cell, and hence the range is all lower but still respectable 24miles (38km). Jaws is of course, lighter at 26lbs (11.5kg).

Another downgrade from the Nazare is the use of MBS Matrix 2 Pro truck instead of Lacroix Hypertrucks which can be upgraded by shelling out an extra $549 – which at that point ($3048), you might as well as buy the Nazare?

Oh, and Jaws don’t come with frontlights.

Jaws share the look of Nazare.

There is currently no real photo picture of the deck with grip tape on, you will have to email Lacroix team and ask why they don’t have that picture yet if you want to have a sneak peek of it. =D [email protected]

What do you think about the new Lacroix? Do they get your vote as the best premium electric skateboard? Are they worth your kidneys? Let us know!
Leave a comment below to get a chance to win a brand new Lacroix Nazare Lonestar I’m just kidding.

Check out the new Lacroix! Lacroix Nazare, Lacroix Nazare Lonestar.

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Meepo City Rider Review – You asked, they delivered

For the review of the 2023 new Meepo City Rider 3, please click here.

Foreword and Introductions

On 28th April 2019, MeepoBoard announced something that many Meepo fans have been waiting for – their version of the All-Terrain electric skateboard.

Meepo City Rider while not marketed as an all-terrain board, features a 6-inch airless tire that could, in theory, handle rough terrains; at least the rougher roads on a city street. This is probably what most of the Meepo fans were asking for, not an affordable Trampa but more of an affordable Lacroix.

So the 719 dollar question is, after long being the go-to option for anyone looking for a budget electric longboard, can Meepoboard recreate the magic for the AT segment?

Meepo City Rider Review

These are the specs of Meepo City Rider:

  • Top Speed: 22mph (35kmh)
  • Range: 15mil (25km)
  • Weight: 28.7lbs (13kg)
  • Charge Time: 4.7hrs
  • Features: 2 hub motors, regenerative braking, handles up to 30% slope, 6-inch airless wheels.
  • Price: 719USD with shipping included.

Build Quality

Packaging

Meepo’s unboxing experience is pretty standard. A box, plenty of foams to protect the products, and some mask shift A4 paper printed manual.
It’s not quite the Apple unboxing experience but everything was quite neat.

Deck

The City Rider uses the same deck as the one found on AWD GT.
It is a drop-through deck with the tiniest amount of micro-drop.
The deck is pretty wide with good concave, and has a fair amount of flex.

Longtime readers probably know that I have a thing for drop-decks and haven’t yet found one that I don’t like. Of course, this deck is no exception.
City Rider’s deck is wide enough to pair with the wide trucks. The flexibility is right where I want it too. Flexible enough to eat up vibration or terrain changes without turning the board into too much of a trampoline.

Component Enclosures and ESC

Meepo City Rider uses two enclosure set- ups, per usual.
This time, however, it’s aluminum.

No fancy design, no USB port, just two steel box holding the component safe. Pretty industrial design, that suits the theme of the board.

Inside the enclosure houses a big pack of 10s4p battery and Hobbywing ESC! Rejoice!

Wheels

City Riders comes with 6″ airless rubber wheels.
All 4 of them look the same, both hub wheels and normal wheels.
Going in without doing any homework, I thought this was a 4 wheel-drive set up. Alas no, it is just dual wheel-drive.

More on how the wheels impact the riding experience later.

Trucks

Instead of using a double kingpin like most of its competitors, City Rider again uses Shredder trucks.

I will talk about its performance later but I would guess the truck is probably the reason why City Rider is marketed for city rides instead of all-terrain uses. It looks robust but I would never trust a steel rod to get air-time like Cédric Okp.

Capability

Range

Can 10s4p Samsung 35E 14AH (504WH) power a board with 6″ tires to the marketed 15mil(25km) range? Well turns out it can!

I think the range was helped by the fact that the top speed was limited to a modest 20mph(35kmh).
There is no significant reduction in top speed until the very last few minutes – something I came to expect from every board in 2019.

*I weigh around 154lbs (70kg) and was riding in a mostly flat area in a warm climate. 

Speed and Torque

According to Strava, I did manage to go over the marketed top speed and hit 24.6mph/39kmh when the battery is full. After that, the top speed was consistently 20mph/35kmh as per marketed specs.

I was doubtful of the 30% incline claim that Meepo made, so I took the effort to try it on the steepest incline I could find. I did a stop-n-go test on a 23% incline, and the dual 650W motors were almost able to overcome it. Without stopping, City Rider can climb through the 23% incline without much issue.

Riding Experience:

Acceleration and Deceleration

The City Rider uses customized Hobbywing ESC, enough said?
Both the acceleration and braking are as smooth as they can be.

Braking is smooth and with enough strength; it still can’t stop the board completely down a 15% incline but it almost can, almost.

Of course, the board doesn’t take off from the starting line as fast as belt-drive AT set-up would be able to.

Stability & Maneuvrability & Vibration

Maneuverability is where City Rider absolutely shines. Even without using double kingpin trucks (which some people hate anyway), City Rider is very agile.

You can easily maneuver it around obstacles, potholes, and traffic cones very easily and comfortably. Or you can always just choose to ride over them, potholes I mean, not traffic cones.

I would say the board is more agile than some lower end street-wheel longboard that I’ve reviewed, and obviously much more so than a mountainboard like the Trampa.

It is so easy to carve in, I think Meepo should have named them City Carver instead, too bad, name taken.

Wide trucks and a modest 25mph/35kmh top speed means the board will never challenge your sense of balance. The story is different of course if you insist to bring the City Rider out of the City.

Riding on grass and stone trails, you get a sense of City Rider wasn’t designed for that. Rough trails tend to throw me off the deck due to the bounce of the deck, the regular trucks and of course, no foot bindings. After half an hour of playing around in the park trails, I decided that this is the case of “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”

What is the comfort level when riding over rougher but flat terrain though?

While the 6-inch airless wheels perform amazingly to get you through ramps, cracks, and stuffs; the comfort level is not comparable to pneumatic tires.

Pneumatic tires absorb some of the bumps, the airless wheel is not soft and did none of that. Just think of it as a very big urethane wheel.

With that said City Rider is designed to handle the worst terrain found in a city setting and this set-up did exactly that, it is all you need in a city environment.

Remote

The City Rider comes with the typical Hobbywing remote, which needs no further explanation.

It is also compatible with the Night Ride remote type B, which despite its look, is actually very comfortable in hand and practical in use. NR remote doesn’t come in the box and requires separate purchase.

Customer Service

Meepo customer service is still the same old, same old. Some swear by it, some swear at it. Consistency is definitely an issue but they at their core has every intention to resolve every customer service issue.

You can reach them via email, via Facebook or if all else failed, leave a message here – that will definitely bring attention to Kieran and the team.

Verdict

As you can tell, I am a huge fan of the City Rider. I think it solves the problem it set out to solve perfectly, which is, to be the board that’s agile for a city environment and at the same time able to handle the worst road condition a city commute may face. The riding experience simply left nothing for me to nitpick.

However, as we often associate AT setup as rugged, plowing, and powerful; I feel like it is important for me to emphasize that City Rider is not that.
It is a comfortable ride that handles poor terrain, has pretty good torque to drive the 6-inch wheel, but it is not a mountain board, don’t expect the performance of a $2000 Trampa build. It definitely can’t do trail riding, don’t even think about it.

All in all, priced at $719, it is safe to say that City Rider is currently the most affordable and the best deal for someone looking for a really big wheel.

(And it’s $599 for US buyer who are willing to wait for sea shipping.)

Check out Meepo City Rider Here