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THE HIGHLIGHTS
This is a 26.8mph/43.2kph top speed, 16.6mi/26.7km range, 20% hill grade board that cost me $864 AUD! That's insane! I would not have thought that was possible just one year ago! A close rival spec wise might be the Evolve Bamboo GT. Having owned both I would choose this kit over the Evolve any day of the week! My reasoning - the spec difference is trivial, the quality difference is arguable, the 10s5p kit packs a torque and acceleration hit that Evolve has lacked since their R2 firmware update, the 10s5p kit uses bottom shelf 18650 cells that are still better than Evolve's generic pouch cells, onset battery sag is much better (later in the ride) with the 10s5p kit and it's considerably cheaper by a large margin.
This kit has a super raw, aggressive and untamed power curve, which I quite enjoy. I mean, smooth is nice, but every now and then you want something that puts the fear of death in you (but in a good way). Some people might call this a lowlight, but I'm a bit weird.
I have been and always will remain a fan of the Winning/Nano-style remote and other awesome little features like smart turn on, which is included on all DIYeboard ESC's.
THE LOWLIGHTS
Almost all of the lowlights I included in my Riptide R1 review are still applicable here. They include:
Lack of a belt tensioning system. The dual belt drive system is a complete sub-assembly from an overarching OEM. This complete sub-assembly lacks any kind of belt tensioning system. This is likely to have an adverse (faster) effect on the rate of wear of belts and even the drive gears.
The noise. This dual belt drive system is not a quiet system. Most belt drives are on the louder side compared to hubs, but this is next-level!
The ESC/braking. This ESC also suffers from a strange type of "double braking" effect, where the brakes initially slow your motors' RPM's down to a certain rate, then the second stage kicks in, which can be kind of abrupt and catch inexperienced riders off-guard.
Also, a note on quality: I already covered this in a previous section, but this is not the highest quality kit in the world. It certainly performs well above its price tag, but performance certainly doesn't equal quality.
In well over 100km of riding I personally haven't experienced any problems at all. But that could just mean all my problems are piling up and are just around the corner! Many other riders have had nothing but trouble with their kits, which puts me on high alert. The thing with these boards is you should check every nut and bolt every ride. Avoid riding on wooden slat bridges and underpasses or other abusive terrain. Street boards are meant of bitumen and concrete. Stay vigilant and treat your gear with respect and it's more likely to treat you with respect in return. I'm hoping this philosophy keeps this board in tip-top shape for the medium to long term...
SO, WHO IS THIS KIT FOR AND SHOULD YOU BUY ONE?
This is actually a tough one. I certainly achieved what I wanted to achieve when I set out on this project. I built a "Riptide R1" with twice the performance for significantly less cost. It performs exactly as I expected and wanted it to. On that basis alone I highly recommend this kit, but that doesn't mean it's automatically for everyone. It's by no means perfect. Far from it.
I can't recommend this kit to inexperienced riders. The ESC is just way too raw! If the insane torque isn't going throw you off, the challenging braking system certainly will. Inexperienced riders are far better off with something like a Meepo/Wowgo/Ownboard/Verreal (or similar).
Experienced riders who might get a thrill out of the untamed wildness of this kit are far more likely to be preoccupied with their own higher-end DIY projects. This makes the target demographic for this kit a bit of grey area.
If you're an experienced rider who wants a back-up board with more guts than a Meepo/Wowgo/Ownboard/Verreal (or similar) and want to do it cheaply, quickly and easily, then maybe you should consider this kit. If you're intrigued by DIY but aren't entirely sure on where to start, a kit like this could be the starting point you're looking for. With the basic esk8 environment laid out for you, you can upgrade each component on an as-needs basis.
I've come close to selling this board once or twice, but I've never quite been able to let it go. It's just too much damn fun! It gives me a thrill most other boards around this price-point (and even a few in much higher price-points) can't come close to!
It's a challenge to ride in a lot of ways. There's a learning curve to it. It requires an amount of taming. But once you "get it," it's good. It's very, very good!
How long it lasts is the million dollar question.
Read the full review at https://www.samjadelaide.com/diyeboard-10s5p-dual-belt-kit-100km-review.html