I used to skate to the train to go to work every day. I had some decent endurance, I could easily skate for 10 miles. Then quarantine happened. I lost a lot of endurance. Also, during quarantine, I didn’t want to take my city’s public transit. Finally, I decided to bite the bullet and buy an electric longboard kit. This felt like giving in. I always enjoyed that my commute was more people-powered and more eco-friendly than electric setups. But I found a kit with some compromise.
I wanted something from an established brand, with features that were skater-focused. Smaller, lightweight, customizable, easy to forget and just ride. I liked the idea of The Unlimited x Loaded’s “Unlimited Mode,” which allows you to push yourself, adding only a bit of juice to reduce the amount of pushing you have to do. I wanted to use this for range extension. Unfortunately, I found myself a bit too lead footed. Lead thumbed?
I mash the throttle almost constantly.
Still, I thought I’d review the Solo kit, the lightest (and cheapest) kit Unlimited makes. After using it for a very short amount of time, I got the Cruiser kit, which adds an extra battery. Just one trip with my mashed throttle made me realize Unlimited x Loaded was not considering my habits when coming up with their range estimates.
Now Unlimited is going out of business, and the future utility of this board is in question. Therefore, it’s the perfect time for a review!
Table of Contents
Yes, Unlimited is No More
Unfortunately, the “brains” of this electric longboard came from Ride Unlimited, a company that has now gone under. They’re selling off the rest of their stock. I grabbed some spare wheel liners so I can stretch out my usage of this setup as long as I can. Eventually, however, the batteries won’t be able to hold much of a charge. Without a replacement, I may be out of luck. I’ll eventually have to switch to another company if I want to continue riding an electric longboard. Unlimited’s “unlimited mode” was a huge draw for me, and other companies haven’t caught up to them yet.
I started this review while Unlimited was still going strong. But, a number of setbacks I’ve written about already kept me from using it for more than a few months. With Unlimited going the way of Boosted, I thought it might be time to finally put all of these ideas together into a full review.
Installation and Setup
When I first took this out, I discovered a problem. With a drop through deck and the solo battery setup, the cable was at its limits before turning. When I’d turn, it could slowly disconnect. I used a bit of electrical tape, but I found that moving the connecting bracket away and just allowing the cable to lay where it is, as well as using taller 50º trucks, was the answer. With the cruiser setup, which has two batteries and is therefore a bit wider before going to the motor, the cable has had more room, and the setup is far more stable, even with lower trucks.
Other than that, installation was almost as straightforward as any other setup. You certainly need more elbow grease for the torque wrench to ensure the hub-based motors stay firmly on your truck, but, outside of that, it’s basically a drop through setup with an extra bracket on the bottom. I did end up using some extra rubber riser pads to soften the front truck up a bit, giving it a bit of a “suspension” for bumps, and you may want to do the same. The instructions out of the box were easy enough to follow that it didn’t take much longer than a normal setup to get ready.
The Remote
I spent a few days skating this, cursing Unlimited for making their screen unreadable. Why didn’t they just add a backlight? You can’t see anything in the sun!
…
I have polarized sunglasses.
Ahem.
So, turning the remote just a bit sideways revealed that you can see the information on the remote. You see, polarized sunglasses cut down on reflections, and this screen uses those reflections in bright light to help you see. Change the angle slightly, and you can see the screen easily.
I had so many notes written in my phone cursing them for this display only to realize I just needed to turn my wrist 45º and I could see the entire display.
Still, I would add a few features to the remote after using it for a while. Mostly, I just want something that makes finding the battery level easier. Maybe a little vibration motor in the remote that could nudge me when I hit 20% or 10% on the battery. I don’t spend much time looking at the remote, so sometimes a low battery crept up on me. I’d be a few miles away from home by the time I realized I was low on juice, wondering why I didn’t think to put a charger in my bag and ask a cafe if I could borrow a bit of power to get home. It could also use some external LEDs for this, so you can see it at a quick glance. Just about anything to make it easier to see when your battery was low would have been helpful.
Speed and Acceleration
I’ve been longboarding for a few years now. A lot of cruising and commuting, mostly freeride, an extremely small amount of dance (I really should get back to it, it’s fun!), and even surf skating. My comfort, my happy place, is on a longboard. Naturally, I put this on the fastest mode right away, without even trying the slower modes. Full speed, full acceleration, full fun!
Haha.
Wow.
So, as a longboarder, mostly for downhill and freeride, I’m used to putting nearly all of my weight up front. Tuck down, put that weight in the front, and kiss speed wobbles goodbye. When you accelerate rapidly on an eskate, all of your weight will shift to the back. I had to learn to be ready for that, holding my back leg with more tension and allowing more of my weight to shift back up front. I never fell off the board, nothing like that, but even if you’re an experienced skater, expect some change in behavior as you get used to accelerating without pushing or a hill.
As for speed? The solo kit can get up to 21mph. I hit it just about every time I’m out. It’s not a difficult speed to get up to, and I found I’d hit my max speed before cars in the lane next to me would get up to 20mph. A bit of flat or downhill land, and you’re up to full speed in no time. Unlimited makes a kit with two motors and two batteries, called their race kit. It can achieve 26mph, and does so faster than the Solo or Cruiser kits. Still, when I want to go faster than 21mph, I grab one of my analog boards. When I just want something for getting around town without much effort, or distances too long for my poor fitness, the Unlimited board can keep me moving fast enough that I’m never bored.
I guess what I’m saying is, it’s a quick setup. Not rocket fast, and the top speed could be faster, but I found it is generally the right speed for city traffic. Not too fast to be a menace to pedestrians or vehicles, but fast enough to keep up with ebikes, cars, and electric scooters.
Braking
When I first started, I had to fight the urge to slide or footbrake when I need to slow down. The Unlimited x Loaded kit has regenerative braking. That means, I can get some of the energy I’ve used back if I let the motor do the braking. I use the remote to brake as often as I remember to. After skating for a few miles, it became second nature.
Braking is fast. Enough to shift your weight forward. But if you’re used to sliding or foot braking to slow down, it’ll be faster to do that. I had a car swerve in front of me into the bike lane. I braked hard, but it wasn’t fast enough. Still, as soon as I put a foot down, I was able to stop and avoid a collision. If you’re in a rush, foot braking and sliding will be faster than the regenerative braking. But if you’re trying to stretch your range, you may want to start with electric braking.
Unlimited recommends you put the motor heelside. This means you can improve its grip by shifting your weight to your heels. This can speed up your braking, but isn’t enough to make a large enough difference. Of course, you can still slide, but with Unlimited going out of business, you might not want to waste the urethane on the motor liner. Also, thanks to the motor and batteries, you’re putting a ton of weight on the back. Sliding feels very different. There’s much more weight at the back than there should be, making slide initiation and control difficult.
Just stick to the regenerative braking, unless it’s an emergency.
Control and Ride
The main reason you keep your weight forward when riding is for control. You should always steer your longboard from the front. This means that, under acceleration, you’ll have to keep your rear leg firm to push your weight forward. Always remember that you lose traction and steering where you don’t have your weight. The first time I took it out I realized I lost a bit of turning traction, and had to get used to pushing a bit harder to keep my weight forward. You have to remember to really push against the acceleration to keep your weight forward. It’s not like normal riding, where your weight is always where you need it. Acceleration can change your weight distribution quickly.
The 80a 85mm Caguama wheels are comfortable, but not invincible. While I like these on my Pantheon Ember for pushing around, I found myself wanting something larger and softer. Unlimited does have motor liners and sets of 2 or three Caguama wheels in 77a as well, but you’ll have to buy them separately. I’d say it’s worth it. The softer wheel will feel a lot better on rough pavement. I also found riding over bridges with gaps and metal plates to be a bit jarring on the 80a durometer wheels. I actually added some extra padded risers on my front wheels, even below the trucks, just to add a little bit more rubber between my standing platform and those front trucks.
You can also deweight the front easily on these setups. Because so much of the weight of the setup is in the back, you basically just have to do the tiniest of hippy jumps to clear bumps in the road.
Weight Balance
The biggest complaint I have about this setup is where the weight on this board is: the back. If you look at electric longboards, typically they’ll have the battery pack running the length of the deck, to balance the weight distribution. I don’t think that’s quite right either.
When I first took this out, a Ford Mustang was in its natural habitat: hunting people. The driver had blown through a stop sign and into the bike lane I was occupying. I was mid-acceleration. This means the weight was shifted to the back of the board… away from the primary steering trucks: the front. I quickly braked enough and turned away from the Mustang driver, who held their hands up in apology. Still, it showed me the biggest flaw in this setup: the weight balance is all wrong.
If you’ve been watching the downhill and freeride scene over the past few years, you may have seen a new trend: weighted boards. Skaters will put everything from a sledgehammer head to diving weights behind the front trucks of their board. This helps increase the weight in the front, improving directional control and helping with changing the weight balance in the back, enabling riders to kick out the board more. I haven’t tried it, I’m still getting my skate legs back, but it seems like a good idea.
And that’s where I landed with these. I think it’s a shame the battery pack had to be located so close to the motors in the back. I’d have loved to see something with the battery packs towards the front and the motors in the back, with cables running the length of the board. Still, it’s obvious to see drawbacks here. The setup would be larger, wires could become damaged or disconnected, and with more weight in the front, you’ll hit bumps harder. With this setup, I can cruise over the large gaps in the Williamsburg bridge bike path while accelerating, no problem. With more weight in the front, that could potentially throw off my balance too much. Generally speaking, I compensate by taking an almost downhill-like stance while accelerating, and keep my weight further forward for cruising than I normally would. It’s not perfect, but (knock wood), despite large bumps, Mustangs shooting out at me, and slick roads, I haven’t taken a spill on this yet. Please knock wood, my health hasn’t had much luck these days and don’t need another broken bone, dislocated joint, torn ligament, or anything else. Seriously, what a rough few years this has been.
Solo Range
As a skateboarder, you likely know about those moments of pure zen. When there’s just something euphoric about skating down a smooth patch of road at a ridiculous speed, completely in control. I’m a bit of an adrenaline junky, and I love speed, love the liberating feeling of it. I really should have taken that into consideration when I chose the battery storage for my kits.
This is my first and only real disappointment with the Solo kit. The range. The Solo kit has a range of up to 7 miles. But, if you’re using the full powered mode, and really taking advantage of that speed, you’ll only get about 5 miles of range. Around 5.25 miles, my battery would die out, pretty consistently with how I rode it. This happened to me twice when my last mile was uphill. Though you can push this, you’re working against the additional weight and the drag from the electric motor itself. It’s definitely harder to push this up a hill than any other skateboard. I wouldn’t recommend riding it without power often.
Eco Mode?
I wasn’t doing everything in my power to stretch my battery life. I could have been using “easy” or “eco” mode. These limit the top speed to 9mph and 15mph, respectively. The eco mode also controls the acceleration curve. I could have also used Unlimited Mode, described below, for acceleration, reducing some of the pressure on the battery. These techniques likely could have gotten me up to that 7 mile range.
But where’s the fun in not going as fast as possible all the time?
Unlimited Mode
Unlimited Mode was a significant reason I had for picking this kit over any other. With Unlimited Mode, you’re still setting the speed, but now you do it with pushing instead of the controller. You can do a mix of both, the controller still works in unlimited mode. Once you get up to a steady speed, the system maintains that speed. It’ll allow your setup to slow down at a natural pace, so you can keep pushing, adding just enough of a boost from the motors to stretch out the time between pushes and make riding feel effortless. You then just foot brake to slow down, or you can use the remote to get some of that regenerative braking. This is how I recommend doing it, as the footbraking method takes a while to start braking the motors and you’re just wearing your shoes down. Much better to regain some range and save your shoes.
Unlimited mode improves your range by taking away the most draining part of getting around, accelerating. By taking acceleration out of the equation, you can increase your range. But not by as much as you’d think. You’re still maintaining speed through the bursts to the motor. Don’t expect Unlimited Mode to drastically increase your range, it’s just something that provides a small boost, if you’re willing to do a bit of pushing. If you’re really trying to hit 13 miles traveled on the cruiser setup, unlimited mode will be more likely to get you there.
It’s worth noting that pushing once the motor is engaged feels odd. You’re both being pulled along, but also pushing against the tension that the motor puts on the axle. You have to push harder, but you decelerate less. It’s not quite like pushing downhill, because the pull feels more than you feel with gravity. Also, be sure to come to a complete stop, or use the remote to stop your board. Otherwise, when you pick it up, the motor will keep humming along.
Cruiser Range
The cruiser setup is much different. You have more wiggle room with the battery. I found I could easily trust it to 10 miles or more, even though it’s only doubling the battery. I think this is likely due to strain and heat placed on one battery in the solo setup instead of dispersing it over two. If you’re using one of these for a commute or just getting around town, the cruiser is the configuration I recommend. In fact, after playing with it, I don’t think I’d recommend the Solo kit for anyone who thinks they may travel more than 5 miles in a day. The Cruiser kit is definitely worth the upgrade, and I wish I had just started with it. With Eco and Unlimited modes set up, you could stretch this range to 14 miles. That’s enough for many city commutes.
Charging and Power
You can fully charge your battery in perhaps two hours. It doesn’t take long to get up to full power. However, most electric longboard riders will warn you not to over charge. This will continually top off your battery, which can hurt its longevity. You’ll lose range more quickly. Keep an eye on your battery level as you charge at the office or at home, and unplug it as soon as it reaches 100%. These are large batteries, and you’ll notice when they start to lose their capacity.
Sound
I almost forgot to include this section because it’s so quiet. Belt-driven electric skateboards may have a lot more speed and acceleration, because they can use larger motors, but they generate a lot of noise. There’s energy loss due to friction on the band, and you can hear this in the telltale high pitched whining of an electric skateboard. You don’t get that with the Unlimited eskate. Instead, it’s surprisingly quiet. This is a double-edged sword though. Some motorcycle riders will point out that “loud pipes save lives.” The idea is, the noise of a motorcycle is actually part of its safety feature. People are more careful because they know there’s a motorcycle near their car. I’ve had people step out in front of me on this so many times, probably because they don’t assume a skateboard could be going so fast. It actually happens to me frequently when I’m moving under leg power too. Some noise could tell pedestrians that, yes, this is a vehicle capable of doing 20mph, and you shouldn’t jump in front of it.
No collisions, but a lot of embarrassed pedestrians apologizing to me. Definitely something I’ve learned to keep in mind: people are going to assume a skateboarder is doing under 10pmh, electric or not.
Weight and Portability
The main reason I originally went with the Solo instead of the cruiser was that it’s about 2.2lbs lighter than the Cruiser version. I figured this would make carrying it around easier, like through my apartment, at my destination, etc. The thing is, it still does feel heavy though. Not so heavy that it’s impossible to carry, but when you run out of juice, you’re going to be carrying it. Here’s the thing though, you’ll run out of juice less frequently with the Cruiser battery setup. I guess what I’m saying is, while the Solo is lighter, you’ll also end up carrying it more often than you would with the double battery setup.
It’s still surprisingly comfortable to carry, for short distances. In my experience, carrying it with your arm over the battery is fine. It’s just small and light enough that I don’t mind picking it up to carry it around areas where I can’t ride it. Still, I wouldn’t want to carry it for a mile again.
The weight it adds, even to a larger setup like the one I’m using, isn’t bad. However, I do think you’d likely rather have the extra battery pack and potentially carry it less often.
Deck and Setup Choices
You can put this setup on a mini cruiser, if you wanted to. Get a Loaded Ballona or Landyachtz Dinghy and go wild. In fact, I may do just that at some point, just to see if it’s any fun. But the truth is, you’re going to want a specific deck for this, as a short wheelbase and tiny deck like that is just going to be dangerous. Your deck should be flat, not with a lot of rocker, so the plate can stay flat and push into the board slightly. You’re likely going to want RKP trucks for this, as they’re more stable and give you more room for the wheels. On a drop through deck, you may find you’ll have to get creative to line up the cables and the motor. I found it gets a bit tight on ~40º trucks. Fortunately, I had some Caliber II trucks that have a bit more clearance around the hanger than some of my other trucks. These have been working perfectly, even with the drop through mounting.
You’ll also want to go with a quality deck. You may want to get something to strengthen the mounting points, and even get some extra soft risers to add a little bit of cushioning. If you’re used to skating fast, the bumps aren’t bad, but the real problem is just how much heavier your setup is. That’s going to damage your deck more with each bump. Maybe it won’t be much, but a stiff deck will give you more control and won’t be as likely to break over time.
Other Notes
The first time I took this out I was having a blast. Taking turns at speed, just flying over the road. I did hit a large rock and then suddenly I had no power. Turns out the battery had been jarred loose by the hit. Since then I’ve gotten better at making sure the batteries are clipped in before I head out, as this seemed to be an issue with the battery not being fully clipped into the control module. I’ve also gotten better at lining up the cable so it’s less likely to become disconnected, but I still recommend going out with some electrical tape. Something comes loose or you lose power somewhere inconvenient, and you’ll wish you had it.
Alongside the electrical tape, I also recommend bringing a skate tool and the torque attachment everywhere you go. This kit came with a nice skate tool and a plastic torque wrench you can use to tighten the nut on the motor. This has to be tight so the inside of the motor won’t spin. I haven’t had it come loose, but I do check it on occasion before I go out.
I’d say buy an extra battery pack for long trips, but with Unlimited shutting down, it seems like that won’t be possible unless Loaded picks up production. These are very different companies, so it may not happen. It’s probably best to just consider Unlimited dead. If you get a setup second hand or just want to try it, know that you likely will have to maintain it yourself, and eventually it’ll break down.
Overall
You know what? I love this. Carving and cruising, even doing a little speed check under power is fun as hell. I got this setup because I wanted to convert a longboard in my quiver to an electric longboard. I had been using it for freeride less and less, shifting my attention to different setups, like my Pantheon Gaia and Landyachtz Switchblade. This was the perfect way to keep using one of my boards. It’s also a great shape for an eskate, keeping me low and stable.
I often say that a skateboard is the best way to get around a city, especially NYC. Longboards are perfect because they’re fast, lightweight, and compact. You can ride to a bar, put it under the table, and… take an Uber home if you’ve had too much to drink. None of that’s possible with other personal transportation means, like bikes, electric scooters, or One Wheels. They’re all too big and clunky to do anything with them. That’s why I love this kit. It adds so little to a longboard without making it a big, bulky electric longboard. It gives you the best of both worlds, the compact and “take it anywhere” nature of a longboard with the power of electric.
Unlimited’s setup had Unlimited mode, which allowed you to use a battery-saving push mode to keep your speed up and save your legs when going uphill. Feature-wise, this setup was perfect for skaters who want a little boost.
The Longboarder’s Electric Longboard
The Unlimited x Loaded felt like the perfect setup for skaters. Other electric longboards seem to target people looking for an electric longboard, not a longboard that’s electric. The difference is subtle. There’s not a huge range here, not a super fast top speed, wheels are only 85mm instead of 120mm, these are smaller hub motors instead of larger and more powerful band-driven motors, and an attention to hybrid assist mode, like you’ll find on electric bikes, is just so original. The fact that no other company has something like this is all you need to know about where their focus lies. It’s not with skaters, it’s with a spec sheet showing top speed numbers. Man, I just want something to help me make a 10 mile commute a breeze.
It’s a shame the Unlimited X Loaded setup is no more. Loaded will continue to offer limited support, and maybe they’ll even try other electric setups in the future. I hope they do. I spent a long time agonizing between this setup and one of Bustin Boards’ electric setups, and went with this because it’s easy to swap it on one of my other decks, has Unlimited mode, and has easy to swap batteries. But Bustin’s setups are still going strong. I still had a blast with this, and don’t regret it too much. It turned a skeptic into a fan. If Unlimited could serve any purpose, I hope it’s showing the industry that there’s room for a few more skater-focused features in their setups like Unlimited mode. Maybe the rest of the industry will take note.
Dead too soon…
Orangatang wheels, by Loaded, recently came out with the Dad Bod wheels (affiliate link). These are massive 105mm urethane wheels and I’ve been testing them for a little while now. I am upset this setup couldn’t have them. They feel perfect for eskates, and even work with a few models. Huge wheels that absorb everything, have great grip, and hold their momentum. Unfortunately, the motor sleeve on this board only comes in one size, which means I’ll always need Caguamas in the back. Such a shame this company couldn’t last just a little longer to get the perfect wheels. I’m testing the Dad Bod wheels on a Pantheon Supersonic setup, and I’ll be sure to post those reviews once I spend enough time with them.
