Tag: MeepoBoard

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Meepo NLS Pro Review – Goodbye Hobbywing.

Following the recent announcement on NLS Pro switching over to LingYi ESC, I figured that an updated review of the board would probably be helpful.
(Just to clarify things up, I did my NLS Pro review by upgrading the internal of NLS to NLS Pro, so I didn’t have the new shock-absorbing griptapes.)

Introduction to NLS Pro

As many already know, NLS Pro is the upgraded version of the original NLS which was priced at $599. It is a hundred bucks more expensive than the now-discontinued NLS, but it has a few important upgrades. The new NLS Pro has a much bigger battery and a new ESC. That means higher speed and smoother control.

It also gets a few upgrades on the parts among which includes upgrading the bushings used to macaroon bushing, change and rechange of ESC and use of a shock-absorbing layer of griptape which would help to make the ride even more comfortable. (I don’t have it)

So it’s ESC was changed twice

The first change to Hobbywing ESC was a celebrated move, but the recent announcement of yet another ESC change to the new iteration of LingYi ESC is a move that I took with mixed feelings. In my V3 review, I mentioned that LingYi ESC of the V3 came very close to Hobbywing ESC in terms of smoothness and was superior in braking, however, that 5% difference in smoothness does translate to an absolute refined experience vs a smooth ride with some grain to it. 

While the brake is indeed improved with the switch to Ling Yi ESC, the complaint on Hobbywing’s ‘weak’ brakes is one that I heard from friends who tried mine NLS Pro but a view I do not share. After trying countless Hobbywing boards from the 1st gen Hobbywing in the likes of Wowgo 2s, Ownboard W1s, and coming to the 2nd gen AKA Turbo generation Hobbywing like the Backfire G2T, Wowgo 3 and NLS Pro; Hobbywing ESC on NLS Pro is amongst the strongest with no sacrifice on smoothness. 

Although I see why those who are accustomed to strong brakes may find the brake on this Hobbywing ESC weak, I see that as nitpicking and am pretty sure most wouldn’t mind. But what to do, what’s done’s done.


It is important to point out that braking strength in LingYi ESC is adjustable. 1st brake mode offers the same tame brakes of the Hobbywing ESC.
2nd brake mode and above are smooth but significantly stronger. I personally would not go to mode 3 or 4 as I find them excessively strong for safe use.

Another interesting talking point after the change to LingYi ESC is that the 4th acceleration mode (AKA Pro mode) gives a more thrilling and punchy acceleration. I put both ESC on a side by side comparison and it was clear to me that punchier acceleration doesn’t equate to faster acceleration. New LingYi felt aggressive, but it wasn’t exactly faster. Hobbywing ESC in the old NLS Pro is smooth yet as fast as the new LingYi ESC on Pro mode, which becomes smooth only after the initial jerk. This is not to say that LingYi ESC wasn’t good, it’s just that the old Hobbywing ESC is freaking good.

To summarize, the ESC changes give NLS Pro yet another personality change. It converts NLS Pro from a calming comfortable ride to something more edgy and thrilling. Less boring, some had said. (For me? Boring is good.)

While the changes in control may make some happy and some sad, I’m pretty sure the addition of ‘push to turn on’ feature following the ESC change is going to be universally welcomed. ‘Push to turn on’ is a super underrated feature and I’m sure anyone who had tried that feature feels the same.

Handling

Aside from my disagreement on the change brought by the latest ESC change, NLS Pro is pretty awesome in any other aspects.
Having a bigger 100mm wheels and a very flexible deck reduced vibrations from rough roads as much as possible. Many hate hubs because of that thin urethane layer, big hub wheels in NLS Pro addressed that as much as any hub board could.
The most frequent complaint on the original NLS is the wobbliness, which I notice could be solved by changing to a harder and better bushing. With the NLS Pro, Meepo addressed the issue by upgrading to a better bushing that they named as Macroon. 100a Macroon bushing solved the wobbliness for me while still allows the NLS Pro to carve comfortably. This double tall Macroon bushing actually works better than my purple nipples on the shredder trucks (probably because nipples are not double tall bushing and shredder trucks were supposed to pair with double tall. =P). I’m no bushing expert, so I can’t explain why it works so well but it does work, NLS Pro now carves like a dream and still handles top speed like a champ.

Speaking of top speed, this board goes 32mph (51kmh). Crazy! I was able to hit that too! But honestly, 25mph (40kmh) is where my comfort zone ends and although NLS Pro is pretty stable even when pushed to the limit, no way I am staying there.

Wowgo 3 has been dubbed the best carving board of the mid-tier segment with its buttery smooth control and Paris truck set-up. With that said, to compare the smoothness and carving between Wowgo 3 and NLS Pro when it was with Hobbywing ESC is like splitting hair. I personally will take Hobbywing NLS Pro over Wowgo 3 as best carving board.

Just hear me out, Hobbywing NLS Pro is every bit as smooth while much more powerful than the Wowgo 3. It has faster acceleration and stronger brakes. Deck on NLS Pro is more flexible and to me felt better than the one on Wowgo 3. Wowgo 3’s Paris trucks theoretically should be better than the Shredder trucks with Macroon bushing, but honestly, I couldn’t tell. Again, it is like splitting hair. The real difference will be in the wheels size, 100mm wheels on the NLS Pro VS 90mm on Wowgo 3. Smaller wheels ride closer to the ground while with 100mms on NLS Pro I float abit higher.

However, now with LingYi’s NLS Pro, the 5% loss in smoothness after the switch to LingYi ESC lose the new NLS Pro that comparison due to that tiny setback in smoothness. It’s now have significantly better brakes, but on the question are “which one is most buttery smooth?” Wowgo 3 retook the crown.

Specs

When it comes to specs and number, Meepo NLS Pro is without a doubt, one of the best.

Using an 8AH pack of Samsung 40T in a 10s2p setting (288wh), the NLS hits 20miles (32km) range and that 32mph (51kmh) top speed for me. This number is pretty high up there compares to any boards and outside of those high premium boards, only Raptor 2 can best that numbers!

As always, Meepo might not win it all in terms of refinement and polish but it has without fail always having the top performance in its class.

Again, 100mm wheels are practically semi-AT

Conclusion

So, what is the verdict for the NLS Pro with LingYi ESC?

At $699, the NLS Pro is amazing both on paper and in actual riding.
It outperformed its peers in both top speeds, acceleration, and range.
It has good strong brake and control that leans on the aggressive side.
It is very enjoyable in both aggressively ride or comfortable carve.

What more can you ask for?
(Me: I want that 5% of smoothness in acceleration back…)

Check-out Meepo NLS Pro here.

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Meepo Classic 2 leaked

As we all know, Meepo products have the iteration cycle of a fruit fly.

6 months after the Meepo Classic was released back in December 2018, Kieran is now already testing the updated version of the Classic 2.

Apparently, Classic 2 is going to be an upgrade over the original Classic and hence the price point, which is going to be moved up from the entry-level price of $400 to somewhere around the $649 price point.
As of today, reviews of the Classic 2 by KAMi JUINs are already available on Youtube.

What changed?

The most obvious change on the Meepo Classic 2 is that it is now using a flatter single enclosure and larger 97mm wheels. Both of these are great news because bottoming out was the number 1 complaint of the original Meepo Classic. With these changes, the Classic 2 now has a 4inch(10.5cm) ground clearance.

The bigger wheels also should bring on a higher top speed. KAMi JUIN’s test put the top speed to 28mph or 45kmh.

The battery size also has more than doubled from the 4AH(144wh) to 10.5AH(378wh), which by my estimation, should take you more than 20miles (32km) in a single charge.

In regards to the remote, my guess is Meepo is going to ship Classic 2 with the NR remote until the new smaller N2 remote becomes available, much like what they are doing with the Mini 2 series.

Other than that, most of the parts have been kept the same with minor updates. The Hobbywing ESC used in the Classic 2 is likely the newer version that is now used on NLS Pro, which gives stronger braking. The trucks have also been updated with newer Macroon bushing.

To think about it, the only thing that Classic 2 is sticking with is the same drop-through maple rocker deck with nice concave, which is my favorite deck from any Chinese brand. (Yes, more than NLS, Wowgo 3’s or Ownboard’s).

Summary:

Despite the likely price of $649, Meepo Classic 2 is shaping up to be the board that has the best value for money proposition. This is after considering that Classic 2 will have a 378wh battery pack – a battery pack that is larger than Meepo V3 with ER battery (288wh), which is selling only $30 cheaper. And, with the gap between LingYi ESC and Hobbywing ESC closing, the difference between V3 ER and Meepo Classic 2 might very well just come down to which deck suits you best.

What do you think about Meepo Classic 2? Let us know in the comment section below.

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

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Meepo Release Meepo Mini 2

Following the announcement of Meepo City Rider, Meepo NLS Pro, Meepo V3, MeepoBoard announced another new product – Meepo Mini 2 on the 31st May.

The new Mini 2 saw a refresh in design. The short-board deck obviously took inspiration from the Boosted Mini, using a short deck with a “Deep Dish” concave. Judging from how well the Boosted Mini was received, Meepo fans probably would be very happy with the new deck choice.

  • previous gen Mini
  • Mini 2

As compared to the previous gen Mini, Mini 2 has a longer wheelbase, allowing more stability. It is also broader to eliminate wheel bites by shoes.

A very important thing to note is that Mini 2 is no longer just a shortboard variant of their regular longboard (v2/v3). Though most of the parts are shared, the Mini 2 uses MEEPO FOC ESC (Hobbywing ESC) while V3 uses customized LingYi ESC.

On paper, I expect Mini 2 to have a much smoother acceleration and braking as compared to the V3, which focuses on power and torque.

Meepo Mini 2 comes in two variants, the standard variant and the variant with an extended battery. The standard Mini 2 will cost $429 (including shipping) and the Extended Range variant will cost $629.
(They probably should just call them Meepo Mini S and Meepo Mini X, or is that going too far?)

Mini 2 will come with the Night Ride remote. There is a remote with a screen (N2 remote) in development and will be open for purchase when it is available.

The board will start shipping from China on 9th June.

Interested but on the fence? Stay tune for our full review!

Click here to visit MeepoBoard.

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Meepo releases NLS Pro

Update: Check out our NLS Pro full review by clicking here.

The Meepo NLS is already well known for being one of the most comfortable rides among electric skateboards. However, the crew at Meepo has just outdone themselves with the newly released Meepo NLS Pro. The new board has several notable upgrades to it including an increased power by 30%, added range up to 20 miles, and some atheistic improvements for a relatively small $100 increase to the price tag.

old NLS
new NLS PRO

To build upon the well-loved Meepo NLS, the Meepo NLS Pro deck uses the same deck, which is a combination of three layers of bamboo and two layers of fiberglass. What Meepo adds on the new PRO, however, is a thick, shock-absorbing layer of grip tape, providing an additional layer of comfort for the rider. The added grip tape also helps to conceal the wire running along the top of the deck, which though doesn’t impact the ride, is an absolute eyesore.

With looks aside, the three speed Meepo NLS Pro doesn’t require a turbo mode for a temporary increased torque to allow the board to reach its marketed top speed of up to 32 mph(51kmh). The switch to a better Samsung 40T battery also means that NLS Pro now has an increased range of 20miles(32.2km).

Significant performance upgrades aside, the most anticipated change still has to be the switch to customized Hobbywing ESC. A less than perfect control has been the Achilles heel of the original NLS, and switching over to Hobbywing ESC will promise a perfectly smooth acceleration and braking.

It’s worth noting that NLS Pro will come with some pretty useful accessory including a free-standing skateboard rack and extra macaroons bushings (83A White, 96A Blue).

Meepo currently has the Meepo NLS Pro in stock and advertises shipping from their China base warehouse within three business days.

Expect a full performance review of the Meepo NLS Pro by us in the coming weeks.

Update: Check out our NLS Pro review by clicking here.

Click here to check out Meepo NLS Pro.