Uhhh, does this still apply if it’s your second…errrr 4th board?
why not? 
could be a lot worse, it could be strippers AND boards…
Uh, who told you about my other addictions?
Haha!!
1000chars
Ha ha! I wonder how an eboard would go down in Soho this time of night…
Just being singles with you just in case lol
Vegas Board had mind of their own 
A dirty mind at that lol
Ok back on topic…
You mentioned that …
What were your apprehensions? What were the debates you had? What stopped you in the first place? And what made you commit?
I’m a big guy - 110kg / 240lbs, so at first it sounded like I was too heavy to do it. Then I read this post from @torqueboards and got over that.
I wasn’t sure if there was enough online support to see it all through. Got over that… 
i’ve got a “vintage” RC background from many years ago [I’m selling all my Tamiya stuff btw - if anyone wants to buy This is to fund builds!], and I love snowboarding, so the first thought was this was gonna be easy… then I started looking into the electrics and realised that things were much much further than the knowledge I had (at the time), specifically around how to do a battery / esc / gearing setup right for me, and then how to solder everything together (I haven’t used a solder for 18 yrs). Reading this forum has really helped get over that. The various people here selling kits has helped too - much easier to get everything together.
Probably the biggest one was how I would do a build on the kitchen table. We live in London in a mid-tarrace house where space is a premium, so I don’t have a garage with a bench & tools, and my folks (my Dad is super technical and has everything I would need including milling / solder / motor / welding etc) live halfway around the world. My car is parked in the road, and our garden shed if full of bikes & baby stuff… So to do this I would need to be able to put things together pretty quick as I can’t leave stuff lying around for weeks. So the key things here were time & space.
I think this is probably the single largest factor for mainstream adoption - most people don’t have the skills, space, time or inclination to build something themselves -> they’d rather buy it.
The last debate was cash. This hobby isn’t exactly high on Maslows hierarchies so I wanted to feel like if I splashed the cash it was something that could stick, and I’d get good value from that spend. Example: I ride my bikes on weekends, and my commuter (cannondale hybrid) to work, so I’ve paid for them already in saved tube tickets and weekend fun. I wanted the board to do the same so that I could keep doing it… I spoke via email to a few guys I found online (not here), and they all wanted over £1k for a build, which I thought was too much for getting started, and I now know they were using cheap Chinese parts! The fuckers!
So this is how it all happened to commit…
One wknd I was reading this forum, and then swopping onto ES, when I found @beetbocks and his Facebook page for Alien Power Systems. I saw that he was selling his own personal rig to fund another project, and it was at a price which felt like a reasonable investment which could be recouped if I didn’t like riding it. So I messaged on FB to ask if it was available, it was, I offered to buy, and it was all done a week later.
So now I’ve got a good 2nd hand build which has introduced me to everything and shown me that: a) I can ride a single motor, and still go fast enough to think about life insurance b) It does shorten my commute to under 30 mins door to door (fucking A!) c) I can have fun on it in the evenings and weekends, not just getting to and from work d) I can snowboard without snow
And now I’m hooked. Think I’ve gotten over my fear of the electrics, and feel confident enough to start exploring.
I’m reading everything I can, soaking it all up like a sponge, and starting to think about how I can build something that is personal, that has my stamp on it So one night @bur was selling some of his parts, so I snapped them up. Then @LEVer was selling his two Tacon BigFoots, so I snapped them up. So now I’m saving for the next batch of parts (ESC / battery) and build stuff, and am gonna focus on a build that I can do in one day once all the parts arrive (generally work 4 days per week, so could do the build on a Friday and my wife wouldn’t know the difference!).
The Trampa offroad builds are hugely exciting for me - I’ve got two massive parks right on my doorstep, which would be awesome on the weekends.
But more than anything, I’m enjoying the process of research & discover -> figure out build spec -> get parts -> put together (still to do) -> enjoy! For someone who has made a living pounding keyboards for a long time, it’s refreshing to be pulling out the tools I grew up in a factory with
And then lastly - I’ve already had requests to do builds (it really does sell itself), which I’ve declined 'cos I’m not taking someones safety into my hands just yet (so I’ve sent those folks here), but also love the idea of crafting something and then passing it on.
OK - time for bed. Hope that all makes sense!
3 Likes
HA! love it. Maybe i’ll build one of these “newfangled” esk8 boards! hehehe
Nothing like a huge grin after a good skate! Had the Marbel out Thursday and did a quick 4mi w/ top speed 22.6mph. (parking sucks so park around the corner of Alki and ride in for dinner and back after).
It’s so cool to hear how people get inspired
Good story … Wish it was over a beer lol cheers mate 
A W E S O M E ! ! ! Love the read and just makes me stoked. Tons of great info out there (here, ES, elsewhere) - and the part i love most is learning and trying new things. I’ve modded XBox and tons of hardware builds (watercooled PC’s, etc.), but esk8 definitely got me hooked on tinkering. From the electronics and getting better at soldering - to hot-air and reflow ability… to shop tools and composites… SO MUCH TO LEARN! and Fun. I have really been enjoying CF/GF epoxy lately and finally feeling like i halfway know what i’m doing!
Congrats man - great read and story!
1 Like
Lol I posted so crap to trade for e-sk8 stuff lol ain’t no shame in it lol
Hope you post your build…
e-MTB is the next evolution or revolution IMO
I love it @oneafrikan I haven’t ever regretted pushing through barriers and building my esk8, I think a lot of us face similar challenges. When I get home from a ride, I’m calm and happy. The impact is similar to meditation but a lot more fun!
I love tinkering I built this racing drone from scratch at school for a project and loved every second of it. But then the year ended and I couldn’t keep it so I need a new hobby and drones aren’t really allowed in my community my friend wanted to get a boosted board and I wanted to ride with him so I thought I’ll just see if building your own e board was an option and found this site I was hooked instantly I have been reading for the last 2 and a half months and still learning I ordered every thing for a build and have been anxiously waiting for parts from enertion i.e. Scp3 but from what I’ve been read well worth the wait and cost
I want to do a build tread when I get everything and get lots of feedback
Currently my favorite builders are longhairedboy whitepony and Michaelinvegas one of these days I wanted to build a sick whip like you guys Hahahaha but I have to build some experience before I even attempt anything like tht
And glad to hear it quenches my hunger to carve with a snowboard 
1 Like
This so different than RC cars, quads, and planes…don’t get me wrong those all come with a huge sense of accomplishment and satisfaction after the build is done…sure you get to control them…BUT E-sk8…You get to fucking ride them!!! That’s friggin sick in my book.
Life’s too short to push
2 Likes