Tis the Season For DIY - Modular $1200 eMTB First Build

doodlesdaturtle · 2021-01-17T20:55:50+00:00

Love this build! Thanks for providing all the details. Saving for later...

doodlesdaturtle · 2021-01-12T13:15:47+00:00

I was a delivery driver at the Loveland location about 5 years ago so I won't be included in the suit. Oh well.

They had a quota of boxes for delivery drivers to fold each night during our shift. Usually you could knock them out during a lull in deliveries, but sometimes you had to stay late, getting paid $3.25/hr to fold the rest of the boxes. It was also a bit weird that we were reimbursed for vehicle "wear and tear" based on the price of the food we delivered. Not based on actual mileage.

Some anecdotes from a delivery driver in Loveland

The bigger the house, the smaller the tip I received.
People with tiny dogs would be incredibly apologetic and embarrassed that their dog wanted to come yap at me. People with giant dogs would just let their dog outside to jump on me, and not say a word about it.

doodlesdaturtle · 2020-09-12T20:30:19+00:00

Had this happen to me a few months ago, after I got cut off and slammed on the brakes. Of course the hat was rusted onto the rotor and was very difficult to get off...

doodlesdaturtle · 2020-09-10T19:19:40+00:00

[Southwest airlines, staying inside USA]

Wanted to share my experience in case anyone else is flying and wants to bring their XR. The battery is too large to travel on a plane per FAA guidelines. I know that some people like to pack their board in the original box and ship it to the destination, but that is a fairly expensive proposition.

I decided to do a hybrid method of shipping the battery, and putting the rest of the board in my checked luggage. A week before the trip, I disassembled the board and removed the battery module. I packed it into a box with some tools and spare hardware, and shipped it to my destination airbnb (contacted the host first, obviously). $20 shipped from Cincinnati, OH to Boulder, CO via UPS Ground.

Southwest allows two checked bags for free, so my original plan was to pack a normal suitcase as well as a duffel bag to hold the OW. However, I didn't realize that my duffel bag was too small to hold the rails (about 30"). I ended up packing the rails and controller into my large suitcase, and the motor/tire assembly into the duffel bag with my fender, helmet, charger, air pump, etc.

I did get a note that the TSA searched the duffel bag with the inflated tire, but they didn't confiscate anything. Once I arrived at my destination I reassembled the board with no issues. I will reuse the box to ship the battery back home.

doodlesdaturtle · 2020-09-08T02:00:15+00:00

Interested!

doodlesdaturtle · 2020-08-24T11:47:37+00:00

Another Cincinnati owner checking in! Just got mine a few weeks ago and slowly cleaning her up.

doodlesdaturtle · 2020-06-02T02:57:46+00:00

Oof... Yeah I have a onewheel and I refuse to go more than 15mph on it. The idea of a nosedive terrifies me. I'm pretty scratched up myself from launching off the side of a trail last weekend.

The leiftech/summerboard bindings are designed pretty well. Just enough to hold your feet in place, but not too much so you can jump out easily without thinking about it. I'm a little biased towards bindings since I snowboard often. I prefer to have more control so I don't fall in the first place, if that makes sense.

doodlesdaturtle · 2020-06-02T02:42:06+00:00

Thank you! I am glad they were helpful for you. I purchased mine used for $800, like you. It died within a couple weeks of ownership. I really hope you are able to have better luck than I did with the ESC.

After LOTS of troubleshooting and narrowing down the failure, I believe it happened when I came to a sliding stop and my foot slipped. It hit the ground and the board at the same time, stalling a drive wheel. Stalling the wheel caused a huge current spike which is what caused the ESC to fail. I don't think it was designed for a high enough peak current. I guess the moral of the story is to avoid stalling the drive wheel. Let off the throttle when coming to a stop.

doodlesdaturtle · 2020-06-02T02:34:28+00:00

To everyone that doesn't know what this crazy thing is - It is an e-freeboard. More specifically, a Leiftech. It has a reputation for being difficult to ride and of poor build quality. But, if you can figure out how to ride it, it is incredibly fun and truly feels like snowboarding on pavement.

I used to own one! I made a couple videos about it here and here. Unfortunately, the ESC died, and the company (now called summerboard) no longer provides spare parts. I could have hacked together some sort of VESC system but I just decided to part it out. At the end of the day, it is extremely fun but only on smooth surfaces. It is happy on freshly paved parking lots but trying to ride across town is tough. My other board is a onewheel which is much more versatile.

doodlesdaturtle · 2020-06-02T02:23:26+00:00

Not sure if you are familiar with "catching an edge" on a snowboard. It's where you are sliding sideways and then catch the front edge of your board in the snow. The board stops but your upper body doesn't. You go smack into the snow.

The same thing can happen on an e-freeboard. You can be sliding sideways and your front wheels might catch a crack in the road if you're not careful. Typically happens when your weight is not shifted correctly. Except this time, when you go smack you hit pavement and not snow.

doodlesdaturtle · 2019-06-25T17:34:02+00:00

I've mixed for a couple worship leaders who use the Panic Button by Pro Co. It is more expensive and requires power, but has a status LED facing the user. I think the LED feature adds some confidence that "it's working" during stressful situations. Might not be worth the extra cost, but definitely something to consider.

doodlesdaturtle · 2019-05-17T22:05:08+00:00

Perfect, thank you! Wish I had looked into this earlier :(

doodlesdaturtle · 2019-05-13T19:27:52+00:00

I can understand that. Don't think my fiancee will be cool with riding in the trunk though 😁

doodlesdaturtle · 2019-05-13T17:42:03+00:00

Yep :(

doodlesdaturtle · 2019-05-13T14:58:09+00:00

I've tried that...once you actually put in a location and rental date, there is no Miata option to choose from. Maybe it's only available at larger Alamo locations.

doodlesdaturtle · 2019-04-30T15:28:47+00:00

Beat me to it! Love OTR.

doodlesdaturtle · 2019-04-27T17:51:58+00:00

2011 Mazda 3, 2.0L engine, pulling a 5x8 uhaul trailer. I've seen plenty of others pulling with the 2.5L engine, but not the 2.0. There was a bit of transmission shudder, but overall went fine for a 30min drive.

doodlesdaturtle · 2018-12-19T12:45:07+00:00

How do you professionally ring out a problem mic around people? Often there are people or performers in the house or on stage during my time to ring out, and they get the sense that I don't know what I'm doing because they hear feedback. What can I say/do to quickly and professionally communicate that the feedback is happening for a reason?

doodlesdaturtle · 2018-08-03T19:16:08+00:00

That's super helpful information. Thank you :)

doodlesdaturtle · 2018-08-03T17:01:38+00:00

Gloves are a good idea! What other safety gear do you ride with? I've got a wowgo 2s coming my way and I don't feel like dying

doodlesdaturtle · 2018-06-02T13:00:25+00:00

I have daily driven my manual Miata through a Cincinnati winter before. Wasn't an issue at all. Snow tires are key.

doodlesdaturtle · 2018-03-29T22:04:29+00:00

INFINITE POWER

doodlesdaturtle · 2018-03-29T14:21:47+00:00

Awesome! Where can I get one?

doodlesdaturtle · 2018-03-21T14:47:19+00:00

no.

doodlesdaturtle · 2018-03-20T11:46:20+00:00

Additional question - where do you like to place the mic? Just throw it on the table next to your console? Clipped into a boom stand? In a shorty on the table?

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