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Boosted 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 thin

by Relys 9y ago

Boosted 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 ago
Can 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 ago
  I 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 ago
    What do you do with it when you get it to the gym?
    - Swizec 9y ago
      Prop it up against the wall next to my backpack. Nobody steals a longboard. They’re afraid of riding them and the used longboard market is weak. Plus there’s gym cammeraderie.
- rmelly 9y ago
  Atom Electric boards work just fine: https://www.amazon.com/Atom-Longboards-Electric-Longboard-Skateboard/dp/B01NACPR7T/ https://www.amazon.com/Atom-Longboards-Electric-Longboard-Sk... https://www.amazon.com/Atom-Longboards-Electric-Longboard-Skateboard/dp/B01NBE9A33/ https://www.amazon.com/Atom-Longboards-Electric-Longboard-Sk... The $600 one might be underpowered depending on your use case but hard to beat the Amazon return policy if you don't like it.
  - curioussavage 9y ago
    Metroboards - priced around or under boosted price. Built like tanks. Not as sleek looking. Meepo - ~350 shipped, as fast as boosted. Not as much torque as boosted but at least one boosted owner on r/electric skateboarding has commented that it is surprisingly capable of climbing hills. Con - not much info about reliability Pulse echo- another new seller with hub motors - uses high quality motor controllers ~700 bucks Raptor 2 - priced under boosted for now I think. Beastly hub motors (about 30 mph). The space is getting really competitive so there are many more great options. R/electricskateboarding is ok for suggestions but the real knowledgeable people hang out at electricskateboard.builders
013a 9y ago
I cannot emphasize how wrong you are, on every point. They are not even close to peak market for their longboard. Ride one around any non-NY/SF metropolitan area for long enough and you will realize no one has seen these things before. You get stares. You get people asking to ride. You get people who literally cannot help but smile when they see you fly by. And then put someone on the board and get them to the point where they are maxing out Eco mode; This is how a friend of mine convinced me to buy one, and afterward I've directly influenced four boosted board purchases. I haven't had a single person get off without smiling and laughing, even the ones who were initially scared. There is so much room for growth just for the board. Primarily: Eco Mode is definitely fast enough for commuting purposes. Create a cheaper board which maxes out around there. Moreover, there's room for the price to drop on all their boards. Let me tell you why someone will pay more for Boosted: Safety. This is why Chinese cars have never been able to compete with the West/Japan, its why Toyota and VW are the #1 car manufacturers, its what Tesla blasts all over its marketing. Safety is stupidly important in this space, and China has never given a damn about it. Cheaper boards fall apart. The decks are lower quality, so they split. The drive motors fall apart. A belt breaks and you lose braking. The bluetooth connection fails and you lose braking. A bearing comes out and you lose a wheel. A battery connection crosses and your feet are on fire. You knick a puddle and water hits a PCB. Go on Youtube and you will find even mainstream competitors like the Inboard having connection issues, and they're not even cheap. Boosted, by and large, doesn't have these issues anymore. Boosted is going to continue to grow the longboard product by dropping prices and introducing more models, that much is certain. They have the best product, and second place is so far behind you'll need binoculars to see them.
- Jack000 9y ago
  I've ridden a boosted in NY and own two Chinese boards. I think the biggest problem with Boosted is that the vision they sold in their TED talk isn't very realistic. The main issues I have: - they need bike lanes. You could ride in traffic like Casey but it's super dangerous. Sidewalks are ok but unpleasant (bumpy) and slow. - they're heavy. Once you're at your destination, carrying around a 15lb weight is no fun. After 3 years my observation is that e-boards are essentially bikes with different drawbacks, rather than a new category of transportation. In NYC the best places to ride a Boosted is in central park and the bike route that rings Manhattan. To get anywhere in the city you're basically carrying the thing.

by Relys 9y ago

gamegoblin 9y ago

Can 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 ago
I 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 ago
  What do you do with it when you get it to the gym?
  - Swizec 9y ago
    Prop it up against the wall next to my backpack. Nobody steals a longboard. They’re afraid of riding them and the used longboard market is weak. Plus there’s gym cammeraderie.
rmelly 9y ago
Atom Electric boards work just fine: https://www.amazon.com/Atom-Longboards-Electric-Longboard-Skateboard/dp/B01NACPR7T/ https://www.amazon.com/Atom-Longboards-Electric-Longboard-Sk... https://www.amazon.com/Atom-Longboards-Electric-Longboard-Skateboard/dp/B01NBE9A33/ https://www.amazon.com/Atom-Longboards-Electric-Longboard-Sk... The $600 one might be underpowered depending on your use case but hard to beat the Amazon return policy if you don't like it.
- curioussavage 9y ago
  Metroboards - priced around or under boosted price. Built like tanks. Not as sleek looking. Meepo - ~350 shipped, as fast as boosted. Not as much torque as boosted but at least one boosted owner on r/electric skateboarding has commented that it is surprisingly capable of climbing hills. Con - not much info about reliability Pulse echo- another new seller with hub motors - uses high quality motor controllers ~700 bucks Raptor 2 - priced under boosted for now I think. Beastly hub motors (about 30 mph). The space is getting really competitive so there are many more great options. R/electricskateboarding is ok for suggestions but the real knowledgeable people hang out at electricskateboard.builders

013a 9y ago

I cannot emphasize how wrong you are, on every point. They are not even close to peak market for their longboard. Ride one around any non-NY/SF metropolitan area for long enough and you will realize no one has seen these things before. You get stares. You get people asking to ride. You get people who literally cannot help but smile when they see you fly by. And then put someone on the board and get them to the point where they are maxing out Eco mode; This is how a friend of mine convinced me to buy one, and afterward I've directly influenced four boosted board purchases. I haven't had a single person get off without smiling and laughing, even the ones who were initially scared. There is so much room for growth just for the board. Primarily: Eco Mode is definitely fast enough for commuting purposes. Create a cheaper board which maxes out around there. Moreover, there's room for the price to drop on all their boards. Let me tell you why someone will pay more for Boosted: Safety. This is why Chinese cars have never been able to compete with the West/Japan, its why Toyota and VW are the #1 car manufacturers, its what Tesla blasts all over its marketing. Safety is stupidly important in this space, and China has never given a damn about it. Cheaper boards fall apart. The decks are lower quality, so they split. The drive motors fall apart. A belt breaks and you lose braking. The bluetooth connection fails and you lose braking. A bearing comes out and you lose a wheel. A battery connection crosses and your feet are on fire. You knick a puddle and water hits a PCB. Go on Youtube and you will find even mainstream competitors like the Inboard having connection issues, and they're not even cheap. Boosted, by and large, doesn't have these issues anymore. Boosted is going to continue to grow the longboard product by dropping prices and introducing more models, that much is certain. They have the best product, and second place is so far behind you'll need binoculars to see them.

Jack000 9y ago
I've ridden a boosted in NY and own two Chinese boards. I think the biggest problem with Boosted is that the vision they sold in their TED talk isn't very realistic. The main issues I have: - they need bike lanes. You could ride in traffic like Casey but it's super dangerous. Sidewalks are ok but unpleasant (bumpy) and slow. - they're heavy. Once you're at your destination, carrying around a 15lb weight is no fun. After 3 years my observation is that e-boards are essentially bikes with different drawbacks, rather than a new category of transportation. In NYC the best places to ride a Boosted is in central park and the bike route that rings Manhattan. To get anywhere in the city you're basically carrying the thing.