People that go that fast on a longboard need to be in full leathers, gloves and a full helmet. Even 30 mph is just too sketchy for my tastes. I’ve gone 33mph on mine and it was not about enjoying the ride, it was about surviving the ride just to see how fast the board would go. I’ve pretty much come to my senses after a couple close calls. IMO, 15-20 mph is fast enough. But I have to agree that in the land of hills, the 4WD is King!
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Couldn’t anyone argue the same thing about motor cycles that go 160 mph+? More electronics doesn’t necessarily mean more failure, because your reducing loads and stresses on parts. I draw less amps per vesc, my motors draw less amps, which means they stay cooler and aren’t put through the same stress, does more really mean more risk of failure? Or does it alleviate the abuses that many builders do to their electronics, thus reducing the chance of failure?
I agree it gives you more places to fuck up when your assembling, but If you are careful, and know what to do, you can avoid the assembling problems, and then you have more electronics to pick up the failure of 1 piece.
Here’s another idea: What if controllers had 2 receivers that communicate via different protocols (2.4 ghz and bluetooth for example), that could determine when the signal in one is lost and seamlessly transferred over to the other?
It’s more complicated, and you do introduce more places for something to happen, but if done correctly, it could eliminate drop outs.
Redundancy systems are complex by nature and can introduce new problems, but that doesn’t mean you don’t put them there. I can point to plane crashes were a redundant system caused the crash, but they have saved way more than they have caused. And feel they can do the same in electric skateboards.
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You know, i’m reading this hyperbole about 4wd hub motors and redundant control systems and in spite of the fact that i’m an IT professional by trade I can’t shake the most basic of human responses to the issues presented here… LEARN TO SKATE!!!
I don’t care how many fail safes and redundancies you have designed in place, there is no technological replacement for skill on a skateboard. There isn’t an electronic failure on a 30% decline that a properly executed heal side slide won’t get you out of safely, quickly, and without injury. We’re building devices that can propel a human to incredible speeds with relative ease, and sometimes it feels so easy that it convinces relative newbies to believe they’re better on a board than they really are. That FALSE sense of confidence is DANGEROUS.
DON’T SKATE BEYOND YOUR SKILL LEVEL!!!
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Its true that it’s up to the rider to understand how to skate. I’ve been riding on normal board for 10 years pretty much daily, never been a long boarder though. The only reason I didn’t get seriously hurt the first time I feel at high speeds is because I know how to fall at high speeds. But leather would have been nice, I got torn up. A foot drag at 45 mph is a lot scarier then when going 20 mph. Not saying it can’t e done (cause I saw that video on video of the guy foot braking at 40), but it’s damn ballsy, and above most riders level.
I’m not at all sure on this, but is simply splitting the controller input out to all 4 ESCs an option? That way if any one blows, the other 3 will always work. Not sure on what negative side effects that would have compared to the master slave thing though, if nothing else you’d have to reconfigure all 4 whenever you make a change.
All valid points but I wouldn’t be to game performing any kind of slide in traffic. The fact that you can now achieve speeds that only steep hills could provide on just about any road/bike path such, manoeuvres don’t carry over
I dont get what you are saying here, a properly executed slide doesnt apply on a bike path or a road for what reason? Cars? Pedestrians? If you ever find yourself hurtling out of control at high speed down a path with pedestrians and cars present and you dont know how to stop yourself you have not only endangered yourself but others as well and shouldnt have been skating at that speed in those conditions to begin with.
Agreed 100%. A slide isn’t always the best solution, but a simple foot brake is something every esk8er should be able to execute without a second thought if they lose brakes.
My biggest fear is my brakes engaging unexpectedly followed by uncontrolled acceleration.
If you lose your brakes, your biggest worry should be the extra wear on your shoes.
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IMO The +30mph way of thinking only achievement will be to speed up the process of regulation by the DOT in regards to eBoards.
Every time we use our boards the community we live in is watching some people think is cool other think this is super dangerous.
In SF as in NYC the urban speed limit is 25 MPH !!! So why try to hit 35 mph or car speed and be breaking the law all the time.
if you need to commute then leave 5 min earlier.
All is need it is a high speed accident and a politician trying to make a name for himself. For us to have to register this vehicles with the dmv. And then all of us will be f**k, including vendors.
So guys come on, let’s be safe if you need the power of a 4x4 that’s OK, but at least limit the speed in the VESC.
We just need to look all the regulation the UAV (Drone ) community is dealing with. Just because of the irresponsible behavior of a small number of its members. Satisfy your need for speed in a private track just don’t do it in public roads.
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That is exactly the point, you shouldn’t be traveling electric or otherwise at a speed your not comfortable foot braking IMHO
It’s pretty telling that the people here who have had an incident think that 20mph is a perfectly good top speed (I’m in that group) and those who, I’m guessing, haven’t want to go 45mph 
No skateboard will be safe at 45 mph. Full motorcycle racing leathers and a motorcycle helmet is the only way I’d attempt it. Actually I wouldn’t attempt it at all.
If I’m not mistaken in large trucks the brakes fail on rather than fail off. So if you lose pneumatic pressure in the braking system a spring will lock the brakes up. and the air pressure actually keeps the brakes unlocked.
You could do something similar with a very small circuit that attaches to each motor - when it fails to receive a “live” signal it PWMs the leads together so drag is slowly introduced bringing the board to a safe stop. This could be a module physically attached to the motor to avoid the broken lead issue.
DougM
going 30 plus mph is important to me. I had motors before that did it but now only do 28mph. I have a couple straight smooth well lot runs I like to go as fast as possible on public roads. Illegal ? Yes. Am I going to hurt anybody but myself? Probably not. A crime in which it’s pretty unlikely it’d hurt anyone but myself. Consensual crime as they call it. I fell off going 28 last month t wasn’t that bad and I was shockingly good. Banged my head but wear a helmet. Luke on the other hand doesn’t even wear a helmet. To each their own and some people like heroin.
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That’s correct, a slide isn’t always going to be the ideal solution but without taking in to account the immediate surroundings the basic decision between a slide and a foot brake comes down to skill level and 1 simple factor… speed.
A foot brake is the safer, simpler, and more effective maneuver when traveling at slower speed. By that I mean 15mph or less. Above about 20 MPH a foot brake becomes increasingly dangerous with a quickly narrowing tolerance for error and imbalance and the slide becomes the much more effective, safe, and less technically challenging maneuver.
Lets take THIS image for example… presumably of Chaka since I stole it from his website. I hope you don’t mind Chaka, its for safety man! Aside from the epic gangster flannel, most people probably notice the full face helmet and little else. What stands out to me though is that Chaka is a guy who is known for riding at high speeds, and in this photo he’s in a high speed cornering stance and wearing slide gloves. He’s clearly a guy who understands and respects what’s required to safely and responsibly operate a board at the types of speeds we’re talking about.
Here is where you and the others trying to go +30 MPH are dead wrong. The way things works is some or several guys get hurt or kill in high speed accidents and the rest of us will be hurt as well with a bunch of regulations and that are unwelcome. Just because some of you want to go crazy on public roads. You know you can go to a private track or parking lot and go wild.
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While I agree with you, this is just how the world works.
It may not be a bad idea for insurance companies to start offering protection to riders and those around them, especially if they are going to be going high speeds in public areas…because whether we like it or not someone will ruin it for everyone else. People forget to think of the consequences of their actions, especially when it has become so easy to pay for limited liability for our actions, meaning an insurance company will foot the bill.
Once upon a time I would have been the one rocketing down the roads and mountains, and it took a few serious injuries to dummy me up…luckily no one else was ever involved in my learning curve. Too many people with the ‘you only live once’ attitude, myself once included…these days it is more about self preservation.
Life is far too much fun to end it plastered up against a car or tree, or worse yet taking the life of another and having to live with it.
What speeds are we talking about for starters. Do you draw a line at 25 and say over that is u safe or shouldn’t be legal? Different states have different laws. Here in Californi I think it’s 20 mph but still the gt and boosted advertise higher and are around going faster than the law states and no one says a peep. There is no safe speed but the legality, I don’t feel a need to go slower and be legal for the sake of the greater eskate community. I don’t consider others when I break any Consensual crime as there’s no victim but potential myself. If someone were to see me and complain about the speeds being too much there is already a law in place to deal with me individually. That’s like telling farrarri owners that they’re ruining it for drivers in general. But as far as residency being desirable. It’s more expensive. I also don’t know if I fee it’s necessarily safer. In a way it obviously is as if one motor dies there’s another but you could look at it as another possible disaster
CA is actually 15mph tops
I call this a motorcycle or scooter at those speeds i want real brakes…
Well, there’s 3 problems here.
Nobody cares how fast you go until you hit somebody. If you paste a kid going 30 mph and broadcast media picks it up that will be it for this sport - we’ll be regulated into oblivion. Remember, these are motorized vehicles. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on trails whatsoever. I ride trails all the time but I slow way down any time I pass other people and I crawl past kids. People see this and appreciate this and that’s why there aren’t cops waiting for me at the end of the trail.
Not everyone who gets an electric longboard is going to learn to slide brake. Especially boards with pneumatic tires. You can argue that they should, but they won’t.
Your theory about Consensual crime is the same argument that motorcycle owners argue about helmet laws. The problem is not that they kill themselves, the problem is when they don’t kill themselves but spend the rest of their lives in care facilities at taxpayer expense.
Also, look at the average age of an electric longboarder - you guys are (correct me if I’m wrong) almost all college kids. Hell of a bad time to get a severe brain injury.
Like it or not every one of us is an ambassador of our sport - the way people see us as individuals acting in public is the way they will see the sport as a whole.
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If motorcycle guys want to ride without a helmet fine with me. The burden on the taxpayer, they can cut the military.
I don’t plan on plowing any kid on a road. If kids appear in the middle of the road while I’m going by at 30 we will both get injured and it’ll be his fault. You need to stop random kids from walking across the road
I never slide brake and don’t plan to learn. I’m either using my brakes or bailing into a slide