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Boosted gets a new CEO as the company tries to grow beyond electric skateboards
- philfrasty 9y agoThese guys got the foot in the door at the right time when Vlogging on YouTube really took off. Perfect example to showcase the benefits of a product in a (mostly) natural way. With a single channel making millions of views each day it seems like a (short term) good customer acquisition strategy. Wondering if sustainable growth mid/longterm though?!
- komali2 9y ago>splendiferously why
- komali2 9y ago>We will, without question, continue to innovate in the electric skateboard category, and we have a lot of exciting things in the works,” he says. I mean, not much has changed in the "things on wheels" category in a long time. All are just modifications of things that already existed - razor scooters were just smaller form factor scooters, longboards were just longer skateboards, etc. Then we stuck electric motors on it. I mean, what else can you do other than find new things to stick electric motors to? And I guess make things smaller/more foldable, lighter, whatever.
- mastermojo 9y agoBoosted board owner here, I did a market research survey a while back asking me about my opinion on electric skateboards, scooters, bikes etc. Pure speculation here, but there's a chance they go into bikes. Bikes are a much bigger market segment than longboards.
- brianwawok 9y agoe-bikes feel pretty saturated right now. You can get very pricey made in america brands, or very cheap made in China brands. What is there niche?
- thrownblown 9y agoI thought the fixie scene was saturated in 2007.
- komali2 9y agoMid-level pricing America brands manufactured in Mexico?
- morganw 9y ago> very pricey made in america brands, or very cheap made in China brands Trek, Specialized and Cannondale all manufacture in China. Waterford and Vanilla don't make electric bikes. Even Stromer, with $10k bikes, only does final assembly in Switzerland with Chinese components. Maybe you meant that historically-North American-branded expensive e-bikes (with in person support at local bike shops) vs. came-out-of nowhere brands with poor support and great prices? [Schwinn, Cannondale, GT & more are owned by Chinese conglomerates] The middle path seems to be smaller North American aggregators/assemblers that sell direct or to bike shops that aren't tied to big-Co. exclusives (if thou wants to carry Specialized, thou shalt not carry XYZ) such as Rad Power and Juiced.
- mastermojo 9y agoI mean I personally feel like there is a brand vacuum. There isn't really a 'Tesla' of e-bikes right now. And something like 30-40% of Dutch people bike, so it definitely doesn't have to be niche.
- traverseda 9y agoWell, off the top of my head... Add some ML, get luggage/groceries/whatever that follows you. Use omni-wheels, correct for user error, make safer devices that are harder to fall off of. Self-balancing fold-away rollerblades? How does the market change when your wheels are something you put on in the morning and don't take off all day? Like shoes. Use a rocker-bogies to make curb-climbing practical (electric skateboards that can climb right up a flight of steps?). Dynamic shock absorbers that read the terrain in front of it, and provide steady performance over rough ground. Maybe curb and stair-climbing. Those wheels from snowcrash.
- ihuman 9y ago>Self-balancing fold-away rollerblades? How does the market changes when your wheels are something you put on in the morning and don't take off all day? Like shoes. Like Heelys, but "smarter"?
- traverseda 9y agoI was imagining more of a bracer sort of thing. Bigger wheels, self-balancing, straps to your shin. Better ankle support since these things are going to be powered. Not built-in to your shoes, so you don't need to replace it as often and you can stash it if for some reason you don't want to look like a weirdo. Bigger wheels, probably just one wheel per foot, probably self-balancing. Jump and flick to deploy or stow, large single-wheel moves to the back of your leg when stowed. But yes, I suppose like heelys.
- komali2 9y ago>Those wheels from snowcrash Who do I give all my money to for this edit: regarding " get luggage/groceries/whatever that follows you," I do recall now my first day in San Francisco seeing someone on a jog near the wharfs with a little robot on wheels following him with his keys in a bucket on it. Looked very homemade.
- traverseda 9y agoI suspect dynamic shocks and a few more wheels are a better solution. A row of like 6 wheels on the leading edge, offset from one another, should be able to accomplish a lot of the same things.
- elmar 9y agoI remember when asked on interview what was one of the most promising startups from previous YC batches Paul Graham saying that was Boosted, probably the early vision never materialised.
- pfedigan 9y agoI bet Casey already has the new longer lasting battery
- primitivesuave 9y agoOne thing I love about the Boosted board is the modular design. For example, if the belt from the motor to the wheel breaks, you can buy a relatively inexpensive kit from their website that contains a new belt, four screws, an Alan key, and a link to a 10 minute Youtube video guiding you through the repair process. Their customer service is also outstanding and super responsive, which is especially important when your customers are shelling out over a thousand dollars for your product.
- Relys 9y agoBoosted hit peak market growth and they know it IMHO. They got in early and had a lot of high profile YouTube Vloggers repping their brand. Unfortunately I think it will be very hard for them to compete with what's currently coming out of Shenzhen. Source: I own an eboard that's like a third of the price with more or less the same specs. Unless you're dealing with a premium carbon fiber frame there is absolutely no reason to pay over $600 for an eboard.
- gamegoblin 9y agoCan you make any recommendations for quality boards at that price point? I have twice now gotten halfway through ordering a Boosted Board but quit before finalizing the purchase because I couldn't stomach the price. If there is something that is similar in specs but $500 I'll order one today.
- tschwimmer 9y ago+1 to the above. I'm looking for alternatives but they seem to be even more expensive.
- Swizec 9y agoI have a Boosted[1]. There's a lot of competition but when you look at specs, they don't really quite make it. They're either slower, or can't do hills, or take longer to charge. Build quality on Boosteds is amazing as well. Thing's build like a tank. With my usage pattern (commute to gym and back 4 times a week), it pays for itself every 4 months. And yes, it gets me there faster than a bike or using public transit. Even Uber is just 3 minutes faster (on a 15min trip) because of traffic. [1] I actually have two. If anyone wants to buy my old Gen1 for half price, ping me.
- grepthisab 9y agoWhat do you do with it when you get it to the gym?
- 9y ago
- Marinlemaignan 9y agoi'll never understand that need people have to not exercise anymore.. even more on a skateboard... Wall-e here we come.
- thebrettd 9y agoI don't really get the snark here, exercise and fast travel arn't mutually exclusive. In fact, one might find more time to exercise by making it faster to get from point a to point b in general?
- xsmasher 9y agoGetting commuters out of cars and onto these will have a net positive effect. They're for getting around, not exercising.
- jdavis703 9y agoI'm all for getting commuters out and on the road, even it means more e-bikes and e-skateboards. That said it's about the exact same speed. I have a cruiser deck with longboard wheels and ceramic bearings, when you factor in traffic lights I usually wind up catching up with Boosted Board users (talking about SF traffic here). Now where Boost Boards can beat me is a long stretch of road with no traffic or lights, but that doesn't describe most urban commuting.
- s0rce 9y agoYou must be fast, I was relatively leisurely biking to work in Oakland, usually about 14-16mph, and a guy on a e-skateboard zipped right by me.
- tabeth 9y agoElectric scooters and mopeds are the future. I have a Glion Electric Scooter -- I can go 15MPH for 15 miles. It costs $800, is super safe and easier to use than a skateboard (I used to have a Yuneec Ego Skateboard). The best thing about is it that I can take it indoors and just put it under my desk at work. It pays for itself easily in NYC. They need to make scooters. Better yet, a $2000 electric moped with proper turn signals and brake/front lights. The minute someone makes an electric scooter that can hold two, go 30mph for 100 miles a charge with a removable battery I will buy it. The RadRover is pretty close, but no dice (it's too slow and doesn't have proper brake/front lights with turn signals). I've been thinking about getting a 50cc gas scooter (think Vespa or Genuine Scooter) since it technically meets all of the requirements I mentioned there, but I hate needing gas. Oh well.
- nkrisc 9y agoI still have a hard time seeing them completely take over in places where 3-6 months of the year it is miserably cold outside. Sure, I know that "there's no bad weather, just bad clothes" but I still don't quite see that catching on as easily. That said, if 90% of inner city driving was people on scooters or super small, lightweight, enclosed vehicles I would totally commute to work on an electric scooter, and probably make it work even in the winter. That said, when there's ice on the road and it's snowing, I'm not going to want to ride a scooter when there's a Suburban behind me trying to brake... I hope you're right, though.
- leeoniya 9y ago> The minute someone makes an electric scooter that can hold two, go 30mph for 100 miles a charge with a removable battery I will buy it there's a vast gulf between 1-pers/15mph/15mi and 2-pers/30mph/100mi. increasing just one of those variables by a factor of 2 would require a 2x heavier battery, let alone what you're asking for.
- tabeth 9y agoYou're right. I will point out that the 15MPH limit is generally a legal restriction as opposed to a technical one. The Juiced Bikes Cross Current S costs $1200 and can go 28mph with pedal assist. It's not inconceivable to have a new form factor that can fit another person and double (or triple the price). $2000 is probably aspirational. What I'm asking will likely cost like $4000. The problem with that price is that you can get a very nice 50cc gas scooter for $4000 that will likely be better in most ways.
- jcampbell1 9y agoThe OneWheel is a much better alternative to electric longboards. It is crazy fun to ride, like carving on a snowboard. Works in grass, on the beach, and off road trails, and curbs are okay. Long boards are a pothole death wish... small wheels and limited turning radius. One wheels are the future. It will be great when quality Chinese knockoffs appear because they are currently $1400. https://onewheel.com/ https://onewheel.com/
- NegativeLatency 9y agoI prefer the failure modes of multi wheel vehicles.
- shawn-butler 9y agoI don't really understand your comment. The "regular" version of the boosted board had a single drivetrain. The higher-price one had a dual-drive train but if you are doing any speed at all and one of the drives fails.. you're going for a tumble. I have ridden both, waited forever for the long-range boosted that was always promised as "any day now" and switched to onewheel and am glad to have done so.
- jcampbell1 9y agoWhat failure modes? One wheel on a boosted longboard drops in a hole, you are screwed. Actually being able to steer more than a few degrees is a helpful feature for safety.
- jdavis703 9y agoYou can also get a cruiser deck, add on some longboard wheels, and for good measure put in ceramic bearings. It gives you many of the evasive actions of a regular skateboard, and the comfort + endurance longboards have. Skateboards have been able to handle curbs for a long time :) I guess all that's needed is for someone to add an electric drivetrain to one of these setups.
- tomcam 9y ago> Boosted, the company known for making the best all-electric longboards on the market There's some serious free press. Are they indeed all that and a bag of chips, or can Verge be bought that easily, or what? No agenda here; genuinely curious.
- noer 9y agoThat press probably wasn't free. This article reads like it was written using a press release as it's sole source with the author doing a favor to someone at a PR agency.
- burger_moon 9y agoIf you go on the subreddit for electric skateboarding this would be quite a controversial topic. No I don't personally think they are the best, unless we talk about marketing, then yes they are the best at that. You can find faster, longer distance, and cheaper boards from other manufacturers. They do make a well refined product from a visual standpoint, however they were rife with problems (this is not something exclusive to boosted boards either). This product segment will take a couple years to get better I think. It still feels very 'beta' product all around.
- mlevental 9y agoI'm interested in getting an eboard. can you name some of the better competitors? particularly faster.
- ssully 9y agoAt a minimum, they must be the best at marketing because I have absolutely no experience or knowledge in this space (electric or non electric boards) and I have heard of their company/product.
- majormajor 9y agoHow much of that is from all the overheated Hacker News and YC Partner boosting (pun intended) of them back when they first launched and were going to reinvent personal transportation rather than just be a sub-type of skateboard?
- free_everybody 9y agoJust a shout out to safety... Be very careful when riding e-boards, people. Helmets are not recommended, they are absolutely required. Also, you probably shouldn't buy an e-board if you don't have the fundamentals down on a longboard. You will, without a doubt, end up in a lot of pain. Be safe!
- anderspitman 9y agoArizona State University has a ton of long-boarders. There are board racks with built-in lock rings in front of most buildings from what I can tell. Every once in a while I see someone zipping around on an eboard. Seems like a fantastic way to travel across campus. I think building one is going to be my first real project once I've salvaged enough 18650s from laptop batteries.
- ericfrederich 9y agoAt the age of 34 I decided to buy an electric skateboard (Evolve Bamboo GT). After 1 week... speed wobble in my neighborhood, black eye, concussion (I was wearing a helmet), horrible road rash (I was wearing a winter hoodie but it rolled up on me). They're fun, they're cool, but they're so simple to use you forget about your abilities.
- DAddYE 9y agoHave you ever had any experience before with skateboards? Skateboards are one of those things that look so so easy but in reality have a very steep learning curve (however I haven't tried any electric one).
- gfodor 9y agoIf you are looking into a good electric vehicle def look into electric unicycles (EUCs.) There is a steep 3-6 hour learning curve but once you can ride one well it's hard to see other options as better alternatives, I love mine and it's a super versatile way to get around.
- DenisM 9y agoFailure modes suck - if battery or motor or logic board fail you will faceplant. Not so with bike or scooter.
- gfodor 9y agoNot necessarily true -- failure modes aren't great tho. You can run off and also can do a controlled fall. If you go over your handlebars on a bike you are probably in worse shape (but going over handlebars seems less likely than having to run off the wheel.) I am looking forward to next gen wheels which will offer more redundant components. I've been lucky to only have had a few falls during learning phase where I was padded up. Once your muscle memory is set basically hardware failure seems the only way I could imagine taking a huge spill. Generally speaking obstacle avoidance and so on is subconscious, you can get yourself out of a lot of bad situations due to tight turning radius, responsive speed control, offroadability, etc. For example going off a curb or onto grass or up a hill is no problem vs a boosted board.