Looking for the ultimate ride? Do you love snowboarding and wish you could take the thrill of the carve beyond the winter slopes? The solution may be at your fingertips, especially when trying the SummerBoard electric skateboard.
You might be thinking about a new electric skateboard, but why not buy the best board the market offers — The SummerBoard, a combination snowboard and skateboard. It is an electric skateboard designed by a team of snowboarders to give you a real thrill of the ride.
According to Aaron Aders, the founder of the SummerBoard, Snowboarding is the ultimate thrill. It gives you absolute freedom. You get high-speed adrenaline rushes, can do complex tricks, and if you want, have relaxing descents. The problem is, you can only enjoy it a few weeks out of the year. Until now, that is.
The SummerBoard Brand
The snowboarder’s way was a dream of Aaron Aders, the founder of Summerboard skateboards, lived by. There was just one problem. How can you make snowboarding a year-round event? You build the Summerboard skateboard, so he did it.
Summerboard is designed to be more than an electric skateboard. It’s a board built by snowboarders so obsessed with the sport that every product and app they make is designed to make snowboarding an everyday event.
The team at Leif Tech, the creators of the Summerboard electric skateboard, are all confessed Snowboarding enthusiasts living in Los Angeles. Their passion is motion. As such, the team makes two electric skateboard models that simulate the ride of snowboarding.
The idea for the Summerboard product line dates back to 1995 when Arron Aders took his first snowboard trip. He discovered a love of the sport but realized he only had a few precious days in the year to experience the ride. Aaron dreamed about snowboarding through the streets of his hometown Indianapolis every day. His dream is a reality, and he shares it will fellow snowboard and skateboard lovers worldwide.
Summerboard is made up of two products, the SB1, and the SBX. The SB1 is the basic model, and the SBX is the top-of-the-line product.
What Is The SummerBoard?
More than just an electric skateboard, the Summerboard is an electric skateboard with motorized caster wheels. This small detail gives the rider the feeling of snowboarding anywhere a skateboard can go.
It’s an electric snowboard with state-of-the-art electronics and mechanics that WOWs every rider, even those who don’t know how to snowboard.
These electric snowboards emulate what it feels like to ride a snowboard down the ski slopes. The Summerboard electric skateboard is the piece of equipment that can teach you to snowboard and transition to the real thing. These snowboard skateboards can be the snowboarder’s best friend, as it’s a great way to have fun and practice snowboarding.
What about Cost?
Ok, so the Summerboard costs more than a standard skateboard because it has an electronic engine, a battery, and an app. These features make a world of difference because it makes the Summerboard so many things at once, a skateboard, a mode of transportation, a great ride, a snowboard learning device, and a fun way to get exercise.
Let’s take a look at what comes in the box first.
- The Summerboard, with its battery
- A wireless remote
- A charger
- A remote charging cable
- The Summerboard user guide
- Battery care instructions
The quality of the Summerboard is exceptional, and the company stands behind its products by offering a 2-year warranty on parts, motors, and caster wheels. It is the most extended-term warranty in the electric skateboard market today. And if you ever do need to make a warranty claim, just submit the warranty claim form, and the company will explain what to do or how to get the board to the nearest service representative.
The SB1 model costs $999, but the company states that it comes down to about $1 a day, and they do offer some exciting financing options. You can choose financing through Bread, SplitIt, or Shopify payments, giving you a $30 a month payment.
The SBX version is slightly more expensive and costs $1,599, and if you finance, it comes to a $52 monthly payment.
Financing
Leif Tech has partnered with Bread Financial, a tech-forward financial services company. Through Bread Financial, you can finance your SummerBoard and make monthly online payments.
A purchase through Bread offers clear, manageable monthly payments, and you will know exactly how much you will pay each month, including interest. The terms are easy to understand, and you have transparent pricing with no surprises.
The Difference Between the SB1 and The SBX
The SB1 is the basic model. It has half the power and half the battery life as the SBX. The SB1 is equipped with dual 1500w motors, while the SBX has dual 3000w motors. The batteries are also different. The basic SB1 only has a 55w battery, and the SBX has a 110w.
Max Speeds
There is a Summerboard for every style, whether you like to shred off-road, on-road, in the air, or spin on the ground. It is a revolutionary ride with speeds up to 27 mph (depending on your weight and the model).
The SB1 Max Speed
Maximum speeds will vary depending on your weight and the battery charge, but even the heaviest riders can reach speeds of 18 to 20 mph. Lighter riders may reach speeds of 22 mph. Downhill the speed of the SB1 is even faster, and riders have reached speeds of 30+ mph. And, of course, you don’t have to go that fast. You can go as slow as you like and ride at your own pace.
The SBX Max Speed
The SBX has a slightly higher speed range. The manufacturer’s website says the skateboard gets a max speed of 27 mph, but some users suggest it can go faster, especially if you aren’t heavy and are riding downhill, where you may just hit speeds of 35+ mph.
Speed for Hills
The Summerboard SBX has enough speed to tackle hills with a gradient of about 20%. However, the SB1 isn’t as well suited to locations with hills. Both models can hand small hills with about a 10% gradient.
Size & Weight of The SummerBoards
Of course, the size matters! You want to carry your SummerBoard with you wherever you go. You may even want to use it to commute to work or travel around a bit. The designers of Leif Tech have thought of this too, which is why both models only weigh 16lbs. It is light enough to pick up and carry with you into the office, store, or any other place you are going.
The width of the SummerBoard is designed to balance your height, so it ranges from 77cm to 88cm. For instance, if you are 5ft 5-inches tall, you need the board to be 77cm wide. However, if you are 6ft 2-inches tall, then you need a board that is 88cm. When you order your board, the form will require you to input your height so that the team can determine the best board size.
Aside from weight and size, the manufacture of both the SB1 and SBX is made of Canadian Maple, a hardwood designed to last.
Water Resistant
The Summerboard is not completely waterproof. You can’t just throw it into the lake or ocean and expect it to work perfectly. However, it is highly water-resistant. Even so, wheel bearings are not waterproof, so after coming in from the rain, you’ll want to dry the board off to keep water from damaging the bearings.
Motor
The motor on the SummerBoard skateboard sends power to four caster wheels. These wheels can be adjusted for height to adapt to different surfaces and they are mounted under the wood deck. Control the motor velocity using the Bluetooth remote control. The motor is powered by a battery that latches into the center of the board.
Maintenance
There isn’t a lot of maintenance work to do on this skateboard. Eventually, you may need to replace the outer skateboard and inner caster wheels. You may also have to replace the belts, all of these parts are available through SummerBoard, and you can do the replacements yourself in about 10 minutes. It is as easy as that.
How Does This Electric Skateboard Work?
The Summerboard differs from other electric skateboards because it has a unique snowboard feel. When snowboarding, the excitement comes from holding and controlling an edge. The Summerboard emulates this controlled edge with powered caster wheels mounted under the deck.
The caster wheels give you 360-degree control that you can combine on four edges, so it turns, brakes, and carves as a snowboard would.
Stopping is relatively easy too. You have two options. You can do a mechanical brake like you would on a snowboard or use the electronic braking system by slowing down the motors with the remote.
In some cases, it is just easier to slide to a stop like you do with a snowboard or use your feet against the pavement as you would with a skateboard.
The Learning Curve
The newer design makes learning easier. Someone who is athletic and has used a skateboard or a snowboard can learn to carve and use both edges in just 30 minutes. It is sort of like learning to ride a bike. In the beginning, the board will feel a little foreign, like when you first rode a bike. But in just 30 minutes or an hour, your skills will improve.
The First Time
When you receive your SummerBoard, charge the battery and remote control. Make sure you do a full charge your first time. Take the board to a flat area where there is not a lot of traffic. Spend the time learning to shred and use the SummerBoard. For videos on Summerboard training, click here
Maneuvering
One of the challenges of skateboards, particularly with electric skateboards, is maneuvering over the cracks in roads or sidewalks. The Summerboard manages cracks well so there is not too much to worry about in this regard. Riders can usually control any obstacle less than about an inch in height. However, as your skills increase, you will be able to jump over or dodge deeper cracks or obstacles easily.
Pavement Transition
Although the Summerboard is made for standard pavement, these boards seem to transition well to different types of pavement. They can even cut through leaves and short grass, but you probably shouldn’t use them on rougher surfaces. Large stones and dirt could harm the caster wheels, especially because they are very close to the ground and large objects could damage them or even damage the board itself.
Note: While the SummerBoard can transition over leaves and grass to another road or path, it cannot sustain a trajectory off-road for an extended period.
Commuting
The SummerBoard is an ideal solution for commuting to work. You can run at about 20mph and get to your destination quickly. The board is eco-friendly, with no need for gas. You just have to adjust the casters, so they are higher up on the ground, and so the board gives you more of an electric skateboard ride, making the commute more comfortable and efficient.
Traveling
Are you going somewhere fun? Take your SummerBoard with you. But before you hop on a plane you need to do a few things to make the Summerboard takeable. Remove the battery from the board before you arrive at the airport. The airline does allow you to transport spare batteries, but remove them before you pass through security, so they know that the battery and the board are separate.
When flying, all batteries, including the remote control (battery inside), need to be carry-on luggage and go with you inside the cabin. You cannot put batteries in checked luggage, or it could get confiscated by TSA. These regulations are set forth by TSA for passengers who fly with battery-operated devices.
When you get to the TSA checkpoint, show the battery sticker to the agent. They may not be familiar with SummerBoard, and the sticker contains information on.
Show The Battery Sticker To TSA At Security Checkpoint as the information it contains gives the watt-hours of each battery. The watt-hour usage is how TSA determines if it is allowable on the flight.
Note: Only batteries under 160 watt-hours are allowed to travel.
Battery Duration
Riding the Summerboard is exhilarating. It meets the need for an adrenalin rush, and it is super fun to maneuver. So much fun that you wish you could keep riding all day, but unfortunately, both SummerBoard models have a limit as to the hours you can ride before you need to recharge the battery.
The SB1 only gives you about 6 hours of riding.
The SBX model gives you about 10 hours of ride time before the battery needs recharging.
The good news is you can change out the batteries on both models. When you purchase an additional battery, you can extend your ride to the number of batteries you carry with you. Plus, the batteries are small enough to stash one r two in your backpack when needed.
Battery Charge
The charger that comes with the SB models takes four hours to charge. However, if you purchase the supercharger, it takes 2.5 hours to charge fully.
Maximum Rider Weight
The SummerBoard is made to withstand a weight of 500lbs. Although the company has never had a single person of this weight on the board, they have tested it with two people on the board.
The heaviest rider to use the SummerBoard was 6 ft 5-inches tall and weight 310lbs.
International Buyers
SummerBoard has shipped to over 75 different countries. They also provide email support for warranty issues. To claim abroad, simply email support. Describe your problem and send a video if possible. The SummerBoard customer service team will contact you and give you instructions to resolve the problem.
The Reviews
For the most part, people who have bought the SummerBoard say they love it. However, they say that it feels strange initially and takes an hour or two to get the hang of using it. But once they conquer the learning curve, it is a gem to play and use. People from all over the world have left outstanding reviews for the SummerBoard.
3 Reasons to Buy
You can purchase a new SummerBoard to start a new hobby, meet other athletic people or even socialize with skaters. But there are also a few other reasons you might want to consider purchasing a Summerboard.
Cuts Down on Commute Costs
A primary reason to get a SummerBoard is that it can save you money when you commute to school or work. No more bus or subway fares. No more gas.
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Another great reason to invest in the SummerBoard is to take care of the earth and reduce your carbon footprint. Eliminate the need for a car.
Relieves Stress from Traffic
No one likes traffic, and if you have a SummerBoard, you can avoid traffic altogether by using sidewalks, parks, and alternate neighborhood routes.
