Should I buy a cheap pre built long board or buy parts separately?

Right so I am planning on building an electric long board but I currently only own a normal street skating board. So I was wondering would it be better for me to buy a cheap long board and save money and change out the trucks and wheels later for the build. Or if i should just put in the money for a good quality long board and just try and save more money for the build later.

Here is an idea of what the cheap board would be: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Longboard-Original-Atlantic-Rift-Complete/dp/B014IUGLP0/ref=sr_1_4?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1464035131&sr=1-4&keywords=longboard

And here is an idea of what my custom build would be:

Board: http://www.longboardsuk.com/decks/landyachtz-drop-speed-2011-deck-only.html

Grip Tape: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mob-Skateboard-Longboard-Griptape-36/dp/B00VGL33JM/ref=sr_1_1?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1464492158&sr=1-1&keywords=longboard+grip+tape

Wheels: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orangatang-Kegel-80mm-Orange-Wheels/dp/B00H9KRC46/ref=pd_sim_sbs_200_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=41-wh6qQshL&dpSrc=sims&preST=AC_UL160_SR160%2C160&refRID=M2HCHKKR22VX29J0YSMF

Trucks: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Caliber-Fifty-Inch-Longboard-Truck/dp/B00J5J6ENE/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464384963&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=CALIBER+II+TRUCKS+TRUCKS+FIFTY+CALIBER+9"%2F50+RAW+Set+of+2+Trucks

Bearings: I will just use my bones red bearings from another board I have.

And just a little more information I don’t mind waiting some time before I can continue my build, I don’t have much money so I planned from the start to have my build bought in sections.

Any advice would be great. <3

There are two good ways to go here

  1. Since you are already planning on building the electronics, you might as well go all out and build the deck yourself. Than just use Paris trucks, ceramic bearings, and orangatang kegel wheels
  2. Save money and buy a high quality board. Cheap deck with expensive (and dangerous) electronics is a bad idea
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I’m assuming that the Paris trucks will be better for adding the drive train later on?

But thanks for replying i will go ahead with building the board my self :smiley:.

Those cheap complete longboards come with really crummy trucks,bushings,bearings and wheels. You probably won’t find motor mounts that will fit those Chinese trucks anyway. Best to go with your customer build. Caliber II trucks are very good. Sturdy, stable and easy to find replacement bushings and pivot cups for. And there are plenty of motor mount options that support Caliber trucks. 50deg 10" or 44deg 10" if your planning to go really fast. I have used Bones Reds, Bones Reds plus, Bones Swiss Six and Bones Swiss Ceramics. And my advice is just use the Bones Reds because there the cheapest and the others did not seem noticeably better to me.

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For an electric board, I recommend 90mm wheels like the Abec 11 Flywheels which come in softer durometers like 75a and 78a which smooths out your ride noticeably. They also help to dampen road vibration. This is good for your electronics and for your ride experience. I’m running Abec11 90mm 75a myself and love the smooth grippy feel. If you prefer a smaller wheel, Abec also offers 83mm 75a The advantages of the larger wheels are faster top speed, more ground clearance for batteries and they roll over rocks,cracks,speed bumps etc.

Yes, Paris trucks because they work with almost every mount (same goes for Caliber II’s, like what @Namasaki was saying) . Perfect if you don’t know how to weld. I’m glad that you are choosing to make your own deck, I think it’ll mean more in the end to say you made every last bit yourself. Have fun!

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Here are some top quality motor mounts for Caliber trucks product/single-bolt-on-motor-mount-only/ http://www.enertionboards.com/electric-skateboard-parts/carbon-fiber-motor-mount-enertion/?setCurrencyId=4

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I was thinking 80mm would be enough but I will need to check what my local skate shops and see what they have on offer will look around for the Fly wheels though.

Yeah I’m already having a lot of fun doing the research I can’t wait to get everything together and build it :smiley:.

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If you want a kind of tutorial on making the deck and simple electronics, I recently created an Instructable on making a simple electric longboard. Here’s the link: http://m.instructables.com/id/DIY-Electric-Skateboard-Extremely-Simple/

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another thing I forgot to mention. When considering wheel size, you want to consider the size of wheel pulley your using and what the belt to ground clearance will be. Rocks can sometimes find there way under the belt pulley instead of the wheel.

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Oh thanks this will be helpful and I like the detail that it goes into.

If you have any more questions, I’m on the forum every day. Cashing in for the night.

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Here is an example of a 90mm wheel with a 36T pulley

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You and @Namasaki have been super helpful thanks <3 if I have any more questions I will be sure to send a message :slight_smile:

I 2nd anyone recommending 90mm abec 11 fly wheels. They also make 97mm abec 11 fly wheels and even 107mm abec 11 electric fly wheels!!! Depending on what motor you use it can be make attachment simpler, make your ride smoother, and add greater distance between the road to your belt which will help keep it safe.

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