New Bamboo GT range issues

Hi Everyone,

I'm a complete noob when it comes to (electric) longboards. I've had the Bamboo GT for only a few days.
So far the ride has been great. The range, however, is a complete mystery. I see lots of people posting the question on this forum regarding the maximum achievable range.

My question is: What is a reasonable minimum range? I've had 4 rides so far and it seems the range is not what it should be. Before I start stalking my vendor or Evolve I would appreciate your input. Is this normal? What could be wrong?

Setup:

-Bamboo GT
-Stock AT wheels
-Rolling starts
-I weigh 85kg
-100% Flat terrain
-New and smooth asphalt
-Running in Eco mode for 90% of the time 10% in Fast mode
-Maybe 4 or 5 traffic lights along the way
-Temperature = about 5 Celcius
-Belt tension seems OK.
- 5 charging cycles

Result:

Range 13,9 km
Average speed 15,6 km/h
Max speed 31 Km/h

I know I shouldn't expect the advertised range but this is a bit underwhelming.

 

Just giving you my comparable figures from my bamboo GT.
I weigh 75kg
Live at the top of the hill (heading out on the board but I catch the bus coming up the hill)
Roll around in GT mode with lots of throttle
Cruising speed~30kph
Undulating terrain on sub-optimal road surfaces
Running 97mm wheels with 32 tooth drive gear.
I can get 12 km easy, before the battery starts complaining.

Here's the good part. When the battery does start complaining, you still have heaps in the tank. As in I made it 2km uph a steep hill and 4 km along the semi flat before another hill before I made it home.

Quick tip. When it vibrates, don't release the trigger.

 

8 miles is about right... If you work hard and push starts your board and slow way down on the hills you can push up to 16 miles. But throttle management is the key!

 

Managed 16.8 Km or 10,4 miles today in 100% eco mode speed tucking the whole bloody way. Averaging 19km/h

Temperature seems to be the biggest limiting factor. 11 degrees C or 52F today. I did a few rides with temps closer to freezing (1 or 2 Celcius) and de range completely dropped off the cliff to 8,5 km

All in all, I'm getting closer to the spec range with higher temps. I was hoping the 20km range would be more indicative of an average ride, instead of an optimal scenario. Let's hope it will get better-come spring.

 

Lero78,

I think the biggest thing that is keeping your range down is the AT wheels. They are super smooth and roll over about anything but cost you range. The batteries in the GTs aren’t the newer 18650 and the cold does wear on them. My only point with that is come spring, if you ride much, between the cold and charge cycles the battery isn’t going to give you the range you are getting now. So with the new smooth asphalt get a set of 97s and depending on outside temp your range should double. Staying in Eco can be tough (at least for an impatient person like me ;-) and with you being on flat terrain you should be able to use Fast or GT mode without sacrificing much range. Carving while using the remote can decrease range but carving while not using the remote and on a slight decline can keep you moving. You don’t have hills so nothing too really mention there so…. the wheels and throttle management already mentioned is IMHO your best bet. Enjoy yourself and Ride On!

 

Hi xrayturner,

Seems my range issues have just been solved. Police pulled me over and confiscated my board today. Had it for a month or so.
I was cruising at 40km/h with my new 97's on an empty bicycle path at 23:00. The district attorney will decide if I'll get it back (slim chance)

Does anyone have some spare motors, an ESC and a remote for sale? So I can build a new board from the spare parts I have laying around.

Thanks, everyone for the support so far. It was fun while it lasted. Riding is an addiction!

 

That sucks! Where do you live? I wanna know what cop takes a board! There are very grey laws in most places!

I happen to keep my local laws on my phone for that reason!

 

I Live in The Netherlands. Unfortunately, the law is pretty clear here now. Without insurance and government vehicle type approval you cannot ride any sort of motorized vehicle on the public road. This also goes for kids' toys such as hoover boards.
Police can be lenient and let you go. I've had a few turning a blind eye. The fact of the matter is they have the right to issue a hefty fine (+/- 400USD and confiscate the board.

The government was open to allowing more electric vehicle types on public roads but about a year ago 4 toddlers where killed in a tragic accident when a train hit an electric vehicle. Oss rail accident - Wikipedia. Investigation showed the government among others, made mistakes in the vehicle type approval process, in a push to get more sustainable modes of transportation approved.

although a skateboard is a totally different type of vehicle. The government policy is to generalize and consider them dangerous. The current public discourse, as well as the political debate, is mostly uninformed (or non-existing). I would be happy with a speed limit or some sort of a licence. I'm afraid Electric skateboards will not be legal here for the foreseeable future. If you want to go electric you'll have to buy a Tesla.

 

Lero78

Wow. I am so sorry to hear that. “Motorized” definitely hasn’t been modernized for many local laws. I have been pulled over a couple of times now and the last time was told not to ride in the street even though I was just crossing the street. He wanted me on the sidewalk and gave me a hard time about my helmet. That is when I switched to a real motor cycle (half) helmet. I am seeing more eboarders than ever before in my area so we will see. Technically the motorized bikes fall into the same category but seeing they have pedals and the motor is an “Assist” makes it much less likely an ebiker will be pulled over. If you like the open air maybe a Zero motorcycle could be an option. For me they are so quiet it worriers me people just won’t hear you. You can always pull out the old push skateboard but it really isn’t the same. I hope you get your skateboard back and everything works out in the long run.

 

I am so sorry!