January 16, 2023January 16, 2023 by Ziyad Khairi

Exway Flex Pro Review – Punchy, Powerful, and Game-Changing?

Exway Flex Pro is the upgraded version of the Exway Flex ER. At $930 USD, it’s supposed to be faster, better and most notably, a lot more powerful.

by Electric Skateboard Malaysia

Exway also updated its mobile apps, the ExSkate, which is now more functional and has a prettier user interface. Exway Flex Pro also comes with a fast charger which is the latest gallium nitride. The GaN charger supports dual charging which we will talk more about later.

What we really want to talk about is the Exway Flex Pro’s peak output power at 2520W. Can it surpass its rival, the Meepo Voyager X, in ride experience and overall build? Let’s first go through the specs!

Exway Flex Pro Build and Specs

Deck: Flexible Composite; bamboo, maple, and fiberglass
Electronic Speed Controller: Exway Latest Gen ESC 3.0; R3 Remote
Batteries: 345Wh; Domestic 18650 cells
Marketed Range: 25 miles (40 km)
Motors: 2520W Belt
Marketed Speed: 31 mph (50 km/h)
Trucks: 8” Proprietary Trist Trucks
Wheels: 90*64mm 76A Durometer
Other Features: ExSkate App, 210W GaN (gallium nitrate) fast charger

Starting with the unboxing experience, Exway Flex Pro’s packaging is decent but the goodies inside make it special.

The R3 remote is the latest from the Exway Flex Series. Exway updated the look with an ergonomic design and added features like route tracking, online and offline firmware updates, and Bluetooth 5.0. It now charges by USBC and what I like the most is that it shows the trip meter and odometer.

You also get the new gallium nitride (GaN) fast charger which is super sleek and beautiful. The fast charger can be combined with two more chargers like this one to get a full battery status in just one hour.

This is a game-changer in eskate builds although we weren’t able to test it out because our cable for it isn’t ready. Once it works, you should be able to charge the board and continue your long-distance ride.

Another board that can help you with range anxiety is the Exway Flex ER. Read the review here.

Premium Board Design

Looking at the design, the Exway Flex Pro looks strong with a black and gray theme just like the Boosted Stealth. For me, the design is a bit dull on the top side but beautiful on the bottom side. The polish of the board screams premium and the little details look nice.

The new flexible composite deck has a nice concave that will secure your feet in place. Its flexibility acts as a suspension and can allow the board to conquer rough road vibrations. The wheels are also bigger at 90mm, so this should also have an effect in cushioning your ride.

New ExSkate App to Customize Board Settings

Exway has designed the new ExSkate App for The Flex Pro and the Atlas Pro. The Exskate App allows you to customize the ride settings of the board and also shows the board’s information such as board temperature, mileage etc. For those who hate to install extra apps, fret not, you can also change the settings using the remote.

Exway Flex Pro Ride Experience

Exway Flex Pro is suitable for beginners that love speed. Cruising on rough road conditions won’t feel so bad because of the flexible deck. The bigger wheels are also nice.

All Exway boards are very water resistant—from the X1, X1 Pro, X1 Max, or Atlas, all of them have very good water resistance and can be used on rainy days with no technical issues. Exway Flex Pro is also water resistant but we don’t recommend riding through deep puddles. You should also be prepared for rusty bearings if you’re going to take on a few puddles.

For context, check out our Exway X1 Pro review here.

The new ESC should give you more power. We think you will definitely feel the kick on this board. Exway Flex Pro can go from 0 to 25 mph (40 km/h) in just two seconds. Amazing!

Compared to its rival the Meepo Voyager X, Voyager X still has a stronger power. Although, the smooth brake on Exway Flex Pro is something some of us prefer. The default break mode on the app is set at 3 but you can change it to 5 if you want to break immediately.

Exway Flex Pro with Meepo Voyager side by side

As for the trucks, you guys know how we like Exway’s Proprietary Trist trucks. It’s very nimble and doesn’t wobble. It’s fun to carve and the return to the center is pretty good.

Reaching the top speed is a little scary on rough roads. If you try going from 12 to 25 mph (20 to 40 km/h), the standard truck setting is perfect. In spite of that, we managed to hit the marketed top speed at 31 mph (50 km/h), and going up a steep incline wasn’t any trouble.

Considering all the specs, Exway Flex Pro should be great for your typical commute. The maneuverability is smooth and the board glides well which is important in urban areas. It’s a really nice board with punchy acceleration and break.

Exway Flex Pro rough road — when it is rough

Exway Flex Pro wet road — when it is rough

On smooth roads, the Exway Flex Pro is a killer. You can install bigger wheels if you want some cushion on pebbled roads.

If you’re looking for a board with even bigger wheels, check out our Maxfind FF Belt review here.

Exway Flex Pro VERDICT – Expensive, worth the price?

Exway Flex Pro is undoubtedly a very good ride by a very good brand. However, is it that much better than the $749 Exway Flex ER? Let’s put it this way, is it worth it to pay more and sacrifice a little bit of range for more power?

You see, the range of Exway Flex Pro is 25 miles (40 km) while Exway Flex ER is 28 miles (45 km), but the difference in range is just because riding faster drains the battery quicker. While the difference in range is insignificant, the power on Exway Flex Pro is so much stronger and the acceleration so much more thrilling. I think it’s justified paying a little bit more for it.

And obviously, the add-ons that Flex Pro has and Flex ER don’t make it a very sweet deal. Slightly better deck, upgraded ExSkate app, new and faster chargers, and 90mm wheels are all things that make Exway Flex Pro one of the better buys right now.

If you are interested in buying the Exway, be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and use code: “ESKATEHQ” to receive $15 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!

September 26, 2022October 12, 2022 by Ziyad Khairi

Exway Flex ER Review— No more range anxiety!

Remember back in the day when Boosted ruled the market and established how flexible decks are equal to smooth rides? Alas, Boosted is no more but many brands are still trying to carry the legacy.

Exway, a brand known for delivering amazing post-sale service (much like the late-Boosted), almost came close to reviving Boosted with the Exway Flex. The board has a nice flexible deck, silky smooth control, and polished build. This is the Boosted experience at just a fraction of the price, and we loved it very much.

The Exway Flex still had room for improvement, though. Like the Boosted, its kryptonite is the mediocre specs — especially in the range department.

So after a few years, Exway finally decided to jack up the Flex and fix the range with a 345 Wh battery. This new $800 board, ‘creatively’ named Exway Flex ER, does have some other improvements besides a battery boost. Let’s see if these are worth flexing by diving right into specs.

Exway Flex ER Build and Specs

Deck: Wide flexible composite deck made of maple, fiberglass, and bamboo; less concave and flare
Electronic Speed Controller: 12s Hobbywing ESC; 4-speed modes, smart turn-on, in-app customization feature
Battery: 21700 4000 mAh 3.6 V high discharge li-ion cells; 12S2P; 345 Wh
Marketed Range: Hub – 28 miles or 45 km; Belt – 27 miles or 43 km
Motors: Hub – 5230; Belt – 4230
Marketed Top Speed: Hub and Belt – 28 mph or 45 kp/h
Trucks: Proprietary Trist Truck 8” Reverse Kingpin
Wheels: 85*56mm 76A

As usual let’s start with the highlight of the board — the deck itself. The deck is still the same composite deck made up of maple, fiberglass, and bamboo. This gives the board a super flexible vibe with a few tweaks on the board’s concave.

Exway reduced the deck’s concavity to make it flatter, wider, and less flared. The original deck was pretty aggressive, and we think this tuned-down version will be more widely accepted. Anyhow, we certainly love this new deck for ‘all its curves and all its flexes’, as it makes a smooth and stable ride.

We also noticed there’s a slight change on the grip tape of the deck. The deck now sports a new design that exposes the bolts underneath. This makes it easier for the users to add or remove extra accessories to the board without damaging the grip tape. Exway is known for creating thoughtful design choices like these.

The orange wheels and deck also makes the board look more and more like the traditional Boosted. Exway is bringing nostalgia while still mixing their brand’s personality in it. Overall, the Exway Flex ER feels more polished and refined than the original one.

Hobbywing ESC In-app Customization Feature

As for the ESC, Exway uses a customized 12s Hobbywing with 4-speed modes, a smart power-on, and in-app customization feature. Inside the app, you can change your preference and adjust the acceleration and braking strength of the board.

Moving on to the motors, a hub and belt version is available. Exway designed the board in a way that allows easy switching between the two systems. There is little reason to buy both systems, but the option to change your mind regarding the drivetrain is obviously a very welcome one.

Marketed Top Speed Achieved

In this review, we tested the hub version of the Flex ER. This board uses dual 1000W hub motors marketed to have a top speed of 45km/h or 28mph. We are happy to report that we managed to hit the top speed claim during our test!

The board also comes with standard 85mm Urethane wheels which aren’t particularly interesting but are still a good pair of high quality and rebound wheels.

The trucks are still Exway’s Proprietary Trist Trucks. We are quite familiar with it as Exway has put them on most of their boards. These are reverse kingpin trucks that span 8 inches in length, and we consider them one of the really good trucks in terms of responsiveness and stability.

If you want to see the Trist Trucks in action with shortie Exway Wave, click here.

60% Increase in Battery

Now, let’s head into the biggest upgrade of the board which is the battery. The Flex ER has received a huge 60% bump in battery size over the previous model and is now equipped with a 345Wh battery as compared to 216Wh on the previous one.

This is a massive step up over the old one. Exway also marketed it to have a 45km or 28miles range as compared to 17miles or 27 km on the old one.

These are huge claims by Exway, so we just had to test the limits ourselves. We pushed the board to its maximum capabilities and ran it fast through hilly areas. Our 150 lbs or 70 kg rider managed to hit 22 miles or 36 km on the Flex ER which is impressive.

If the board was ridden on a flat road most of the time, we’re pretty confident we can hit at least 25 miles or 40 km of range without a problem.

Fast Charger Right Off The Box

Another thing we highly appreciate from Exway Flex ER is the free fast charger right off the box. Not every brand includes that by default.

The Flex ER also comes with a bash guard pre-installed, which keeps the edge of the deck safe and secure right from the factory. The board is rated as lp55 water resistant and weighs in at 8.3kg or 18 lbs.

That’s a wrap in terms of specs and build quality! Let’s see how all of those translate into the riding experience.

To check out our OG Exway Flex review, click here.

Exway Flex ER Riding Experience

Like all Exway boards, the acceleration of the Flex ER is very smooth. The customized Hobbywing ESC is proven to be super smooth with plenty of power. Bear in mind that we are testing a hub version of the Flex ER. Torque and power aren’t usually the strength of a hub system, and Exway addressed that by going with a pair of big 1000w motors.

For context, most really strong hub boards use 500w motors. While wattage alone doesn’t tell a full story, it does show Exway is putting some emphasis here. The torque and power will become even stronger if swapped to the belt version.

Keeping the Old Flex-y Deck

Next, let’s talk about the ride feel. Even if the concavity of the deck was toned down a little, it is still significant and did a good job securing our feet.

We hear a lot from the eskate community that the original Flex has a profound concave they call “flare.” This flare makes people with bigger feet feel uncomfortable. Though, we did not experience that since we only wear US-size 10 shoes. This update will be much appreciated by the bigger riders out there.

While toning down the decks concave may split the room, the flexibility of the deck is universally loved. The Flex ER is still as flexible as the old Flex with its good old smoothness and fun carving.

Of course, the Trist trucks play a big part in delivering a fun carving experience, too! Turning and maneuvering with the board felt effortless. The truck also had a good return to the center.

Right out of the box, the trucks are a bit loose. If you want more stability at high speed, we recommend you tighten the trucks a little bit. After adjusting the trucks by a few turns, the board should handle its high speeds. Although this is never the board’s specialty, you would want a board with a stiffer deck, and a truck that leans toward stability if high speed riding is your thing.

As we are testing the hub version of the board, we did feel the strong vibration when we hit rough roads and terrains. Nevertheless, the flexy deck did help a little bit in terms of absorbing those road vibrations.

We recommend upgrading to 105mm Cloudwheel Donuts if you are living in an area that has poor road conditions. Otherwise, the riding experience is very very fun on smooth roads.

To learn more about Cloudwheel Donuts, click here.

Voltage Sag Is No Longer A Problem

The Exway Flex ER Hub isn’t exactly a beast when it comes to power but it does maintain good torque even when running low on battery. Compared to the original Flex, the voltage sag is no longer a problem. With 15 % battery left, we still managed to climb a pretty steep hill our old Flex cannot handle.

Exway Flex ER Final Verdict

To summarize, for $800, Exway Flex ER gave a polished riding experience on top of the polished look. Its flexible deck, carvy trucks, and silky smooth control make it an amazing board that is a pleasure to ride. The same profile also means that the board is not meant for drag races and high speed. Bouncy decks and twisty trucks don’t exactly spell “stability at high speed.”

While the specs and battery size are usually the weak links of Exway boards, the Flex ER proves to be an exception. A range of 28 very enjoyable miles for $800 is great, if not amazing. It is worth noting that going with the belt version means you will lose quite a bit of range, but again, 345Wh will still get you very far.

On that note, for anyone unsure about going belt or hub, it is always wise to choose the belt version for smoother rides and better torque. Only go with hub motors if you want to be stealthy with maximum range, or if you absolutely hate belt changes.

So, should you buy Exway Flex ER? Well, it certainly sets a standard for a board at $800. Considering there aren’t many boards that price around $800 at least just yet, the question perhaps should be, why shouldn’t you?

If you are interested in buying Exway, be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and use code: “ESKATEHQ” to receive $15 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!

July 28, 2020August 14, 2020 by Sophia Tung

Exway Wave Review – Bye Mini

Follow the discussion on Reddit here

Forward

I’ve written about many Exway boards in the past. In fact, I’ve just written about the Exway Flex, which you can find here, and I have also written previous reviews of the X1 and X1 Pro. By this point, my general impressions of Exway boards are basically the same, so it’ll be useless for me to keep rehashing the same thing.

I do have a few things I do want to talk about though, so let’s run through them.

Boardiness

If you haven’t guessed from the pictures and title, yes this is a shortboard, and that means several things. If you’re thinking about buying this board, you already know about the tradeoffs inherent to a shortboard.

The ridefeel will be way different than a longboard. Due to the differences in wheelbase and deck construction compared to a longboard, the Wave feels very direct and nimble. The deck has a nice bowl shaped concave that really keeps you locked in and help your feet place properly, and the kicktail is just long enough to be useful while not getting in the way. The Trist trucks really come alive with the new shortened wheelbase, and I had no problems feeling confident on the thing.

Due to the increased squirreliness of the Wave, Exway has limited the top speed to around 22mph. I personally think that’s plenty fast on a shortboard. Again, you’re really not buying this thing to go racing. Power delivery remains the same as other Exway boards; that is to say it’s smooth and handles just fine.

Swappability and Battery

Exway has done quite a few innovations here I think. It’s apparent they’ve thought about how everything goes together.

The elephant in the room is the swappable battery pack design. Exway has gone for a slide and click design for their 10S2P Sony VTC6 “smart” battery packs. The main concern with swappable packs in general is and has always been the latching mechanism. You either go too risky (see Mellow’s battery pack falling out debacle) or too annoying (Ride Unlimited’s design that requires screws). I think Exway has hit upon a fairly good mechanism here. Depressing the (very firm) latch allows the battery to slide out sideways along a rail instead of the same direction as gravity and vibration. The battery connectors themselves are recessed and fit tightly when pressed together. There’s a hidden USB charge port that’s usable when the battery is off the board. Exway has also promised a flight ready 10S1P pack variant. Overall I’m liking this setup.

Range testing the Wave produces fairly favorable results. Of course we know that manufacturer range estimates aren’t going to be what you get on a day to day basis, but I got around 7.5 miles (12 km) of hard riding (full throttle, hard takeoffs and brakes) in a hilly area weighing around 125lb (57kg), so I think if you’re just cruising in a flatter area 10 miles (16 km) or so is not an unrealistic figure to expect. It goes without saying that the test was performed will all settings turned all the way up. This makes it the longest range shortboard I’ve tested.

Amenities

The Wave has a surprising amount of amenities for a shortboard. Exway has seen fit to add an integrated RGB tail light standard. This will be a big plus for night riders. By default the tail light comes on red when braking and show increasingly rainbow patterns when accelerating, but you can also adjust light patterns in the app to have it be uh, more tame, or turn it off completely if you’re a boring Debbie Downer.

What’s more, Exway has taken a page out of Boosted’s Mini X playbook by using a semi-transparent tail puck so the tail light can shine through and light it up. The effect is pretty striking and you won’t be out $230 just for some tail lights and a transparent tail puck.

Exway also included a front light on the review units, but the front light is a $30 add-on regularly. It’s a shame it isn’t a standard add-on, it would have really completed the whole look I think. The front light is fairly bright and similarly integrated, with a double click on the remote to turn it on and off. Both the front and tail light intensities can be adjusted in the Exway app as well.

Of course, the Wave has the other usual Exway amenities as well. Remote on/off, smart battery preservation, cushioned griptape, etc. As with the Flex, Exway has chosen not to use the magnetic charge port that’s present (and seemingly becoming a bigger pain than it’s worth) on the X1 and X1 Pro.

Riding The Wave

The Wave is a good board. As a person who doesn’t normally ride or enjoy shortboards, I have to say I’m pretty happy with it. With the Wave, I think Exway has hit two out of three major market segments. They have a general consumer board in the Flex and a short range travel-able board with the Wave. It remains to be seen how the all terrain board pans out, but I have no doubt they’ll succeed with that one as well.

Indeed, what worries me isn’t Exway’s technology prowess. It’s their logistical prowess and customer support. Over the last few months, I’ve seen Exway struggle to deliver the Flex to consumers. Only now, two months since the projected ship date, are delivery reports starting to trickle in. I’d love to see Exway step up their delivery game with the Wave deliveries and communicate more with customers moving forward.

Anyways, pending delivery, I wholeheartedly recommend the Wave for shortboard enthusiasts. Of course, I’d like to spend more time with the Wave, but so far so good.

If you are interested in buying an Exway, be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and uses code: “ESKATEHQ” during check out.
It will help you get a small monetary discount (-$20) and helps us out too. On top of that, you’ll be tagged as an Electric Skateboard HQ customer and probably be treated better. Cheers!

March 5, 2020July 27, 2020 by Sophia Tung

Exway Flex Review: The People’s Board

Follow the discussion on Reddit here

Forward

As a reviewer, I ride and test a lot of boards. From the cheapest of boards built to make a quick buck to the most expensive of premium boards with enough power to knock your socks off. I’ve also built and fixed many-a-board: ones that have enough torque to spin the wheels throttling from a standstill no sweat, ones that can theoretically reach 70MPH. I’m no stranger to eskates of all different kinds, and I’ve seen this market grow and evolve in countless surprising ways.

In my time, I’ve found that there are highlights and lowlights of each and every board. As a reviewer, my job is to explain all of these points to you so you may make an educated purchasing decision. Every single board has a price to value ratio, and I make recommendations based on that ratio.

The ideal ratio would hew closely to 1:1: Good value at good price. Many boards have gotten close, and a couple have hit the mark, with most falling short, with OK value at OK price or bad value at bad price. However, one thing I have never said is “this is the board you should buy” for any category.

Until now.

If you’re looking for a board under $1000 USD, at $650 to $700 the Exway Flex is the board you should buy without question. Let me tell you why.

Flexway

Yes, we all know this is a missed opportunity. Let’s digress from that and look at the product itself.

The Flex is a budget board. Which normally would mean low grade components and subpar build quality. This is absolutely not the case here. The Flex is actually a premium board disguised as a budget board.

Let’s start with the deck. True to the Flex’s name, the deck is fairly flexy, yet retains good rebound and not too much torsion. There are extreme wheel flairs which mean you can install fairly large wheels, probably over 100mm, however the flairs may be polarizing for some if you don’t like that kind of thing. I personally liked bracing against them on acceleration and so did most people who tried it, but there were a couple people who couldn’t get super comfortable with the flairs.

PC: Scott Dred

Key to the drivetrain is Exway’s new truck, called Tryst. Previously, Exway had used customized versions of Seismic’s Aeon truck, which were and still are one of my favorite trucks. Now, Exway has designed their own truck, no doubt for cost saving and ease of manufacturing. However, that’s not to say these forged and CNC’d trucks aren’t a force to be reckoned with. Beyond retaining a responsive, accurate ridefeel, they support standard bushings, which opens up a whole new world of tuneability beyond Seismic’s offerings. That being said, the bushings that the Flex came with have great rebound, and paired with Exway’s precision cup washers (sold separately, but seriously, you gotta try precision washers, from Exway, Array, or otherwise), offer a precise, stable carve that I really enjoyed.

Paired with Exway’s second generation urethane and cushy griptape, the Flex honestly just rides awesomely. I have no qualms recommending this board just based on ridefeel alone. But that’s not all.

Best Bang For Buck Electronics

Just because the Flex is a “budget board” by Exway’s own admission, doesn’t mean they’ve cut corners on the electronics in the board. I think it’s actually quite the opposite. It sort of feels like Exway is willing to let this board have razer thin margins while maintaining quality of life features typically found only in boards above the Flex’s price bracket, just to get people on this board and talking about the Exway brand. Not a bad strategy as far as I’m concerned, and I believe it’ll work out well for them.

To the surprise of nobody, the Flex uses the same ESC as its previous boards, thereby retaining all the previous smarts. Remote on/off makes sure you never press a power button on your board again. Telemetry right on the remote paired with the bright OLED display offers up a clear view of essential statistics like remaining battery and current speed. App integration and Exway’s constant and responsive firmware updates ensure your board is infinitely adjustable and always up to date. There was an issue with brakes being too soft when the Flex’s battery dropped below 20% as well as slightly too aggressive at lower speeds, but Exway quickly released an update to fix the issue. A testament to their responsiveness. If I really had to nitpick, I could only really complain about the lack of USB-C charging port on the remote and maybe an odometer? Other than that I’m pretty content.

As far as battery technology, to my knowledge, this is the first board to ship with Sony’s VTC6 cells. They’re high discharge cells, which means you can pull a lot of current from the pack (more torque) compared to a similarly configured pack built from a cell like the Samsung 30Q, which most more powerful production boards tend to use. Sony VTC6s also have similar capacity per cell compared to the 30Q, so the overall capacity of the pack is similar to one made from 30Qs. During range tests, I consistently got 13ish miles of hard riding (full throttle 98% of the time, lots of hills, hard start/stops). I weigh around 130lb, add about 7-8lb of gear to that and you’ll get my riding weight. I think that’s really good for a 12S2P in San Francisco.

Sample Ride: burned 58% riding 7.3 miles on hilly terrain full throttle almost all the time

Exway’s calls their 12S2P battery pack a “smart battery”. This apparently means the pack can set optimum settings for itself, such as discharging to half charge automatically when just sitting not being used. I haven’t had a chance to test this but I mostly trust Exway with their claims. The pack also has a capacity indicator now so you can sort of gauge how much battery you’ve got left. It’s also swappable, though you do need to unscrew 6 screws, so really only “swappable” in the sense that you can swap, but it’s a bit of a hassle.

One thing to note about the battery pack is that it doesn’t retain the magnetic charging port that can be found on the X1 and X1 Pro. While I loved those convenient charging ports, Exway says this is to improve reliability as those magnetic charging ports had a higher failure rate than they would like. That being said, this means you could buy an off the shelf fast charger, though I believe there is a charging current limit as my 6A charger kept getting rejected by the BMS.

Speaking of swappable, let’s talk about drivetrain. In a really smart usability and no doubt financial move, Exway retained the hot swappable drivetrain. This means lower manufacturing cost for Exway, and more possibilities for the end user. Exway has two drivetrains available to Flex riders: belt drives called Riot V2, and hub motors. Swapping is as simple as removing the kingpin nut, unplugging the connectors, and swapping the trucks. No need to make the same dumdum mistake I made and remove the entire back truck and accidentally stretching the grip tape by trying. Just remember to toggle the drivetrain settings in the app. Easy Peasy.

Yes, I Know,

The similarities to the Boosted Dual+ aesthetics do not go unnoticed. However, I think the similarities are only on the surface. Upon actually riding the two boards, I think you’ll find that they are actually two totally different animals. The Boosted is more of a mellow, cruisy feel, whereas the Flex is a more direct, powerful feel. When I did drag races between the Boosted Stealth and the Flex, they had comparable torque off the line but the Flex had the advantage in top speed and ultimately won every heat. You would think that that’s contrary to how I said each board rode, but I think that just goes to show how much the rest of the hardware on each board influences the feel.

Marginal performance differences aside, I honestly feel that after Exway launches the Flex, there will be no point in spending the extra money on a Boosted Board anymore. The Flex goes longer on a charge, has more features, is lighter, and is way cheaper than Boosted’s top of the line offerings. Boosted’s aftersales service quality has dropped quite a lot since their heyday as has been reported by many frustrated users all over the internet, and even though Exway’s aftersales service is based in China, it’s actually been reported and observed to be quite good. So if you’re looking for the best balance between a commuter, go-faster, and fun carver, why consider anything else?

Why indeed

If you are interested in buying an Exway, be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and uses code: “ESKATEHQ” during check out.
It will help you get a small monetary discount and helps us out too. On top of that, you’ll be tagged as an Electric Skateboard HQ customer and probably be treated better. Cheers!

August 14, 2019December 23, 2019 by Sophia Tung

Exway X1 Pro Riot Review – Hello Torque

You know how sometimes you really like something and you use it a lot, like every day a lot? That’s me and my X1 Pro. I use it every single day for commuting to work, for running errands, for going to eat, for groceries, everything. I love this board. But you know, I always thought there was a little bit something missing. “you know what?” I would think, “This board needs belt drives.”

My wish was answered when the Riot kit for the X1 Pro came out. It’s a very impressive piece of kit. It comes in a nice box with the drivetrain already assembled for forward mount and all the tools and screws you could possibly need packaged very securely. There’s also an instructions manual with clear steps explaining how everything fits together. The kit also comes with new 2nd generation Exway wheels that have improved urethane and profile.

And also these cute stickers

Let’s talk Riot specs

Since my last review, the Riot specs have changed. Here are the new specs:

Dual 5255 motors with 4235 stators (for reference 5065 motors have 4035 stators)
~~200KV~~ 160KV winding
1:2.57 gear ratio
~~35MPH~~ 26MPH top speed
~~255-5m-10~~ 255-5m-12 belts
Rear mountable for better pothole and curb clearance

When I reviewed Riot last, it was still a prototype and Exway was still trying to figure out a good balance. If they had gone to market with the original motor KV, the Exway would have been the fastest production board on the market. However, Exway decided to lessen the motor KV for more torque, which I appreciate as well. It’s a fine balance act between the two, and I don’t envy manufacturers having to make these decisions and sticking with them forever.

Installation

As soon as I received the kit, I immediately installed it on my X1 Pro. I was excited to have belt drives and full urethane on one of my favorite boards.

The installation was simple and straightforward. Slightly peel back the griptape above the back trucks to expose the four baseplate screws, and unscrew them.

The drivetrain simply comes off. Now simply pop Riot on and use the new slightly longer screws provided with the kit to screw them back in. Don’t forget the rubber riser!

But wait, the remote is telling us something

Don’t forget to change your board settings to Riot mode in the Exway app. I love Exway’s attention to detail.

Oh also, Exway’s 2nd generation wheels come in clear and they’re great. They don’t really yellow at all.

Now that it’s installed,

It’s time to ride!

The first thing I immediately noticed was the increase in torque. Off the line, the X1 Pro Riot is significantly more torquey. Braking is also significantly more torquey as well. Before on hubs, the brakes will stop you. But now, they will seriously stop you. I’m able to come to a full stop on steep SF hills without free mode on. That’s an accomplishment on any board.

The ride quality and handling is also significantly improved as well. I feel like a lot of people don’t realize how much of a difference hubs vs full urethane is. A lot of times I see people online talking about belt versus hubs, and in my opinion one of the main things they miss is handling. Most people might not care, but assuming the same exact bushings setup, truck setup, and urethane durometer, the hub setup will loose out on handling. The reason for this is because with a full urethane wheel, depending on the size, you have at least three or four times the amount of urethane to compress when riding. But on a hub motor, you have that one outer layer of urethane, then you hit the solid hub motor can. This means that you will have less grip (less urethane to deform), lower rebound, (again, less urethane to deform), less road imperfection absorption, etcetera.

Ahem. Please excuse my rant.

This isn’t to say that there aren’t some caveats

The standard configuration that Riot comes in has the motors mounted under the board, otherwise commonly known as forward mounting. There are a couple advantages to this configuration, most notably it’s still generally “stealth” looking if you don’t look closely, and you can still kick your board up by the tail into your hand. However, on the Exway, it sort of hinders access to the charge port. This is not to say it’s not completely unreachable, just slightly more difficult to reach.

In front mount, the charging port is partially hidden behind the motor.

There is another configuration supported by Riot, called rear mounting. Basically this means you flip your motor mounts around so that they’re sticking out the back. This is easily done by taking the drive cover, wheel, belt, and wheel pulley off each side, unscrewing the big clamp screw on the side each mount, and turning the mount around until the key sits properly in the keyway in the rear mount position. I must say I’m a fan of Exway’s mount design, especially since it’s for Seismic trucks. I love Seismic trucks.

Anyways, in this rear mounted configuration, port access is no longer a problem. However, now another slight inconvenience arises. You can now no longer easily kick your board up by the tail. To be honest, for me this is a big inconvenience. I use this board for lots of situations where I need to quickly pick it up, and bending down often to pick the board up off the ground gets tiring real quick. I know I’m lazy, but, well, there it is.

Another caveat of the Riot kit is that it’s quite loud. Personally I’m ok with this and like it a bit, but for some people it might be a deal breaker. There is also the issue of belt induced kickpush resistance, however I would say if you tension the belts properly on your kit, you shouldn’t have any big issues. As a general rule, the correct tension should be 3mm of give when you press down on the belt with one finger lightly. There is also a very slight reduction in range in my testing, but i’m talking about near statistically insignificant reductions, so I’m saying this as a warning rather than a true caveat.

All in all,

I think the Riot kit is worth it if you live in a hilly area or if you are a chunkier individual in need of more torque. I also think it’s worth it if you want great ride quality. So what about me? For me, I think I’ll swap back to hubs because bending down every time I want to pick the board up is getting to me. I know I did wish for a proper belt drive for the X1 Pro, but alas, I’m just too lazy.

Click here to check out the Exway X1 Pro Riot (Asia), (USA).