Here’s a quick outdoor video showing how loud the gear drive is… Not sure if this is comparable to other drives out there cos I haven’t heard any of them in person.
Didn’t manage to go very fast either as the park was quite busy this morning.
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Sounds slightly noisy. Is it in FOC or BLDC?
Also, how do you like the gears compared to belts? Worth the extra hassle?
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FOC, noise is all in the gears…
Of course the camera being right next to the motors makes it louder than it actually is.
Other than belts being quieter, I wouldn’t touch belts again. Less efficient, prone to slippage, add an idler but that makes it even less efficient. Not to mention the mount becomes longer and thus needs more supports.
Really my only gripe is the noise… It’s not screamer but it certainly doesn’t allow me to sneak up on unsuspecting pigeons…
FYI traffic noise will drown this, as will the noise of riding on rougher surfaces. I didn’t get death stares from joggers but they definitely knew I was around… (again can’t ninja around with spurs).
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Seems like it might get a bit loud at high speeds. That said, this is sweet build and it’s yours, if the noise doesn’t bother you, then you’re good to go.
Yup gets a Tie Fighter squeal when it gets zippier
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Now downsizing the AT setup back to use on flywheels…
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Wow! That’s some next level stuff! Good job!
I find the noise good. Unlike some ESk8’s that have to be stealth for legality reasons, I like being loud or at least being heard. I want ppl to know I am there, I don’t want them accidentally riding in front of me, or jogging into my path, etc.
BUT that is JMHO. I know people love the quiet FOC mode setups. I do have a hub setup like that, but I actually like that whine! Also, I appreciate the crazy joggers giving me death stares and the kids waving, LOL! I am a rather big kid in that way.
In other words, I need this! Great work @ervinelin
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I tend to agree about the noise…within reason. I want to be heard approaching, helps avoid potential mishaps while riding through high pedestrian traffic areas…especially near the beach. They’ve actually done studies that show loud motorcycles are statistically safer than quiet motorcycles, because motorists can hear them coming. I imagine a similar statistic could potentially be applied to louder esk8s, because pedestrians and bicyclists can hear them approaching.
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exactly what I was thinking when I was writing my last reply. I had exhaust on my R6 and Ninja for that reason. Well yeah of course performance, but mostly for a safety standpoint. I had to make most of these fools in Northern VA aware as I battled the mindless texting fools in their SUV’s. My bike was noticeable on the streets when I needed it to be.
Thus the reason I guess I like the noise of the esk8 boards. Also the reason I really like BLDC. I like the noise. I haven’t heard a board that is obnoxious, although I am no where near as skilled at building or around enough people that have been around many different boards. So my knowledge is limited to a few chinese replica’s, cheap Chinese DIY kits, boosted, evolve and a couple of solid envious builds. 
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What is your opinion, if you have one yet, of the board itself. How does it feel/ride? Have you ridden a Trampa or Evolve for comparison sake?
I agree… In fact I usually have to slow down and tell them I am passing them. But this is loud enough that they do it automatically without being alarmed.
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I only can compare it to my other two decks and whatever esk8 I have tried. I have not ridden a Trampa so I don’t know.
Compared to my jet spud and loaded tesseract this is just completely different.
My only gripe or maybe personal preference is the lack of noticable concave where your feet touch the deck… Again my spud and Tessy have very pronounced wheel wells which give me a very solid indication of foot placement while providing a platform for me to stomp on when I need to make very tight turns.
The LaCroix however doesn’t have this pronouced concave or wheel wells at the toes or heel. So i am having some trouble carving as hard as I am used to.
Compared to an AT evolve, evolve feels like a solid plank of wood… Not fun…
That aside, it’s suddenly so much easier to ride without constantly having to look at the ground ahead. But that’s more due to the wheels than the deck I suppose.
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Thank you for the info.
Noob here but looking at a Lacoix complete. Their site doesn’t show anything on gear drives which I think is the right move for my needs hence why I think your setup looks amazing! Is it possible to convert the DSS60/DSS50+ complete into a gear drive such as yours? @ervinelin are you able to switch sizes of pneumatics as well? Sound isn’t a problem for me, I want the reduced maintenance of gear drives but would like to be able to switch from AT Pneumatics to 107mm street wheels as well!
Why would you think geared drives are right for you? Gears come with their own set of problems.
As for swapping from stock to geared yes it’s possible of course, just change the mounts and pullies.
As for dropping down to 107mm no, the deck wont allow it, minimally is 7" or 6" wheels with risers if I am not mistaken.
Also the geared drive will not work for 6", clearance will be poor for 7".
Thanks for the insight! I feel that gear drives offer the least amount of maintenance as you only really need to use lubricant on the gears as opposed to swapping out belts and checking the tensioning and positioning and having the gears enclosed prevents debris from finding its way in-between the gears and damaging them. True that each drive train type has its pros and cons though I haven’t seen any deal braking issues for gear drives, Just concerns with noise and the pricing. It’s possible that I may not have seen any posts about frequently occuring problems with gears but I think it may also be due to the small amount of gear drives currently out right now as compared to belts or hubs.
I have yet to delve deep into DIY-ing as my budget is for the Lacroix but thats about the biggest mod I see myself doing on it so I didn’t know that the mounts would need to be changed as well thanks for that.
Alright thats no problem if the 107’s won’t work due to clearance though not sure how someone on the forum is able to get the 107’s in his photo to clear the enclosure enough off the ground(thats how I started to entertain the idea)
Could you elaborate why the 6" wouldn’t work? also, clearance for 7" in terms of the height from the ground? so does that only leave 8" for it?
Appreciate the help in answering my questions!
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I think properly setup gears should be fine… but my 3D printed drive train might not be the most durable.
As for wheel size. Pat and Arch were the ones which said 6" might be too small (if I remember correctly).
7" clearance I meant for the gear cover, should still work but I haven’t made measurements for 7" wheels.
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oh alright I understand. I think having a 3D printed drive train is really interesting and could save significant amount of cash before transitioning to a CNC version.
As for clearance from the gear cover it shouldn’t be too difficult I feel with such wide Caliber 2 trucks but You’d be the best to figure that lol I know a friend who has a 3D printer but I’ve got no experience using one myself though seeing your build does give me hope that it may be possible for me to do something similar! How is the ride so far and how do pneumatics feel on it as compared to urethanes? I saw your photo of converting the setup for flywheels, how did that work out?
These are very large pieces and takes days to print them all. Yes saves cash but I have been having some issues with them likely owing to them being not as rigid as CNC mounts.
I have the smaller version running a single drive off caliber trucks pushing 90mm flywheels. So far so good but cant expect much from single drive. Also it’s my lunch time board so it doesn’t do anything crazy…
8" pneumatics are COMPLETELY different from urathanes. You can just power through everything - twigs, leaves, cracks, cobble stone, manhole covers, everything! You won’t even notice them!
What this translates to is not only a more comfortable ride but also a safer one without having to constantly scan the ground ahead for potential obstacles.
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