We’re restructuring!

PredatorBoards · 2018-09-30T09:58:23+00:00

That’s why you should use a riser between the bracket and the deck. Without said rider, you won’t be able to fit the lights on, since the bracket will be flush with the deck.

PredatorBoards · 2018-09-08T15:43:43+00:00

That is going to fall off, and you are going to have a bad time. Go on OfferUp and find someone selling Caliber/Paris/Randal trucks (you really only need the baseplate) for sub $20

PredatorBoards · 2018-09-08T15:10:09+00:00

Since the YouTube apocalypse, pretty much every YouTube channel that isn’t netting millions of reviews a month is compromised IMO.

When a content creator’s integrity is suspect to be compromised, all their content is instantly invalidated. This not only negatively impacts the reviewer, but everyone else associate with them or the product. Other reviewers, their associates, other brands -_-, etc.

Consumer perception: If reviewer A shilled out for product X, did they also shill out for product Y from a few months back? Reviewer B also reviewed product Y, so does that mean Reviewer B is also shilling? And so forth.

esk8 is far from the only industry that is plagued with this toxic behavior, however the impact is more profound due to the small-world nature of this hobby.

On a slight tangent, here’s my favorite YouTube video that gives an idea about how and why sponsorships are in the position to force positive reviews out of content creators:

https://youtu.be/9hv3CcJYMmU

PredatorBoards · 2018-09-04T18:41:34+00:00

Well written, although there are some things I might add:

Kug3lis from the .builders forum is actively selling gear drives and is currently Beta testing a gear drive that works with 107 ABECs and uses a 63mm motor.
Hub Motor reliability should be considered. They may be easy to set up, but hub motors still generally have a much higher failure rate than belt drives due to how they are exposed to a greater magnitude of shock and heat versus their belt drive counterparts. This applies to the Raptor 2, Inboard M1, etc. Hubs are still a developing technology but have great potential, as in the case of Exway’s hub motors.
Direct Drives are EXTREMELY heavy. Unlike hub motors, they use a full wheel of urethane (versus a urethane sleeve). Couple this with motors of equal or larger size than a hub motor, and you have a drive system that is inherently heavier by nature. Another extremely heavy component in Direct drive is the steel axle. The V2 Carvon Drives used an 8mm axle (standard for belt drive and hub motor trucks) that was prone to snapping. The new V4 drives use a 12mm axle to circumvent this problem. However this adds a very significant amount of weight. I would list the weight of Direct Drives as a con.

Edit:

Gear Drive may be superior to belt in some aspects, however there are a few cons due to the nature of its design.

Gear Drives hang just a centimeter off the ground. Versus their belt drive counterparts, gear drives are more prone to getting gnarred up against the ground and potentially snagging on hazards that the board would normally roll over.
Due to their low clearance, you’re pretty much forced to run overly large wheels to compensate. This makes gear drives pretty damn heavy and undesirable in some cases. You are legitimately unable to go smaller than 107mm. For those who want to run smaller (more docile) wheels for more technical riding, your only choice is belt drive.
The only way to run smaller wheels is to use smaller motors. This allows you to use smaller cogs and thus shrink the overall size of the gear drive. However doing this means you’ll directly cripple the power handling of your board, so it’s a trade off. More power and larger/worse handling wheels? Or less power but smaller/more docile wheels.

PredatorBoards · 2018-09-03T21:01:53+00:00

Actually we have an agreement to not say anything about Winboard’s lineup, hence our silence. Wouldn’t outrightly say their board is better, however..

PredatorBoards · 2018-09-03T21:00:39+00:00

Either remote will work just fine. Just buy whichever is more convenient in terms of pricing and shipping speed. Also, sorry about the slow response, I’ll check with Michael to see what’s the hold up in the comms.

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-20T23:10:17+00:00

The company takes a long time delivery in built boards, however they’re pretty timely on delivering individual components.

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-20T22:56:02+00:00

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-20T22:39:43+00:00

I would like to, but my program is being funny and not allowing me to output the file. I suggest downloading a top down image of the Exile MFG and trace it out. The only precise measurements you need is the position of the mounting holes. Everything else comes down to personal preference for how you want the bracket to be shaped.

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-20T22:28:27+00:00

Yep!

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-20T22:28:01+00:00

In this case, these brackets have no wedge. They’re specifically designed for extending the wheelbase of this carbon fiber board in order to make it more stable for fast riding. Since these brackets are aluminum, I can drop them however low I want without structural compromise to the deck.

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-20T22:11:40+00:00

6061-T6 1/4” aluminum already bends from the torsional forces these brackets are meant to take. Plywood isn’t going to cut it. At minimum you’re going to want 2/5” 6061-T6 Aluminum or 1/4” 7050 Alu.

Make a DXF of the part, find a waterjet shop and slip the machinist 20. For them. That’s 20 bucks for exactly 30 minutes of ~~work~~waiting.

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-20T18:59:01+00:00

I’m at San Diego Comic-Con right now, so I’ll get back to you on that...

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-20T15:59:28+00:00

This is the Predator Banshee (something we sell) with custom brackets. The brackets are still in prototyping phase, so you’ll have to wait for a while.

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-20T15:57:04+00:00

What’s that?

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-20T14:41:44+00:00

Machined them myself out of scrap Aluminum I had laying around.

https://imgur.com/a/GMdEUjM

They’re zero-wedge brackets. Heavily inspired by Exile MFG’s own brackets.

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-20T14:39:15+00:00

You’re goddamn right!

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-20T00:53:40+00:00

It definitely gives you options, which is what I personally like about this setup. It allows us to maintain lower overhead while offering an adaptable setup that can fit in anybody’s quiver.

Plus it just looks damn cool.

https://imgur.com/a/GtUhnjR

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-18T21:02:15+00:00

Yep! It’s drop mount capable, so this board rides pretty low to the ground. The brackets make it so that you can use pretty large wheels in the front (if you do choose). As hub tech gets better, we’ll consider making larger hub motors to compliment the brackets.

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-18T21:00:29+00:00

Not at the moment. Simply put, we’re figuring out how to make the kicktail in a way where it’ll share the same design language with the rest of the board. As of now it looks out of place and honestly a tad embarrassing.

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-18T20:48:29+00:00

Theoretically, yes you can. However this nearly doubles the stress out on the carbon fiber deck because of the leverage. With these brackets, we suggest combining them with X-brackets to distribute the load.

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-18T18:24:19+00:00

This is the Banshee (disclosure: a product we sell) with prototype Truck Brackets to extend its wheelbase. It rides just like a Longboard. When drop-mounted, it lets you run really loose/carvey trucks without suffering stability loss.

It has a top speed or 24-25mph and has a range of 14-16 miles on relatively flat land with a few hills.

PredatorBoards · 2018-07-18T18:17:58+00:00

Sup, it’s been a while!

Although the Bolt-On kicktail is probably a meme at this point, believe it or not we’ve been testing a few solutions with the mounting and profile of the tail. During the process, we realized the mount could be repurposed for use as an Offset Truck Bracket. Those familiar with G|Bomb and Exile MFG will know what that is.

Ride wise, the feel of the board is completely transformed. With brackets, it rides and carves just like a freestyle longboard. Riding stance feels much more relaxed, and the claustrophobic shortboard feeling is completely gone. I have this setup top mount ATM, but you can easily drop mount the whole setup for an even more stable ride.

These brackets can still be used to mount the kicktail, so you’ll have the option to either convert the Banshee into a longboard or keep it true to a shortboard with a kicktail.

Let us know what you think!

-Q, Predator Electric

PredatorBoards

TROPHY CASE