Riding in wet condition ? Be careful.

Thought I share my lock crash experience here

I was riding in the rain ( which I should not do, I know ) when my controller/main board shorted, the board literally caught fire.
When this happened I was going full speed downhill in fast mode which puts me way over 35 km/h, the board stopped instantly and I went flying.
What scares me is that the wheels locks completely when something like this happens.
After I got to my feet with a banged up knee, a broken remote,torn jacket and pants (besides from a knee four times its normal size I was OK) and checked the board, the wheels was still locked, the board would not roll at all.

Something like this should not happen, if the controller board shorts, the wheels should just roll freely, instant lock is crazy dangerous and is a design flaw in my opinion.
When I replaced the controller board and turned it on, the breaks went off and the wheels could roll freely again.

I have had two boards, the Bamboo gt and the carbon GT and never had any problems besides from this.
The Carbon GT is now sold and the Bamboo is treated with a heavy layer of anti corrosion liquid to make it water resistant, living in Norway the streets are wet 50% of the time so not riding in the wet is not an option for me.

Anyways, if you decide to ride in wet condition, especially with the Carbon GT be very careful.

 

On a board with a motor directly connected to the wheels via a belt, and braking functions controlled via electronics.

How do you propose making it impossible for the controller if shorted from slamming on the brakes?
As an electronic engineer - if the function exists for braking, then a malfunction exists for braking. And the best way to get a malfunction is water.

I really hope your knee is ok, and am seriously glad you are not more seriously hurt.....I cannot imagine a crash at that speed....
I too like in wet country Ireland....and have taken steps to waterproof the board.....hope from you warning to make that even better.

Hope you recover 100% soon man

 

Hi man, thank you very much, my knee is fine now and I`m all good!

I was thinking since Evolve says the boards hold up well in wet conditions people might be tempted to ride even though there is a puddle or two in the streets, this alone could be enough to short a circuit as water collects on top of the board and could seep through the cracks in the deck, at least on the Carbon GT.
Given the potential deadly outcome of a short, Evolve should explain this very clearly to it`s customers or waterproof the electronics which is not that hard to do at all.
If I had known or thought about that the breaks would lock up fully during a short I would never have ridden without taking some kind of measures to waterproof the board before riding.
My thoughts before riding was that if it shorts it shorts, I will just replace the parts and no harm done, not, that if it shorts the breaks will lock up in + 35km/h.

I can absolutely agree that this was very stupid on my part, but there might also be a more "stupid" people out there amongst the thousands of Evolve customers.

Thought I just make this post so others dont make the same mistake as me.

 

Glad to hear that you have recovered from your accident, but to be fair to Evolve, they DO NOT claim their boards to be waterproof or even water resistant. The user manual specifically warns to avoid riding in wet conditions stated in point Number 1 of the Warning Messages, as can be seen in the following link: http://evolveskateboards.asia/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/GT-Manual.pdf I can understand that some riders may want to/need to ride in wet conditions, but personally would consider it the last thing I'd want to use my expensive purchase for!

 

I`m not trying to put Evolve down, I love their boards and their customer service is good, and I will most likely buy another board from them, I already bought two, and the second after the water incident.

Shorting the controller board is all my fault, this post was just meant to warn others thinking of riding in the wet,
and maybe make a suggestion to Evolve for future updates on their board,

They say the following in their FAQ on their website which might be a little confusing for some:
"Is the Evolve GT waterproof?
In testing, the board held up quite well to instances of water. However due to the greater issue that comes with wet conditions – slippery surfaces – we have decided not to state waterproofing a priority feature in our design"

Slippery surfaces I can deal with, no problem, I just adjust my speed. Full stop in dry conditions is for me the greater issue.
It was raining when I rode to work slowly, eight hours later it was sunny and dry and I went full speed cause the surface conditions was great, half way home, full stop.

They also explain in their manual as you say that the boards are not waterproof and that wet conditions may damage the electronics.
I for one could live with damaged electronics, but I might not live through another damaged electronics leading to an instant stop.
Maybe they could put that in there too, I don`t know.

Again, not Evolves fault, its on me, if I come through as trying to put this on Evolve that is not my intention.

Safety aside, waterproofing might also be good for business, every other board out there challenging Evolve is waterproofing their boards as many countries out there have rain all year around and people use their boards for commutes.

Happy riding, just keep it dry or ad some CorrosionX or something

 

Some boards are more Water resistant than others, but the Evolve range do not play well with water. The bottom of the boards around the motor controller heatsink, battery box, or lid can let in water. There are a few things you can do to help a little, but as th internal components are not water resistant, it is a good rule of thumb to simply not risk it. With recent testing of both the Raptor 2 and Jedboards, I can say that these are both IP65 water resistant, and you don't have to worry as much. Heres some recent photos of us testing this out

 

Nice pictures
Both boards looks great and the waterproofing is a serious plus for me.
The Raptor 2 looks a bit stiff with the carbon deck, what do you think ?
Also I would have liked to see different wheel size options, I`m riding 97mm abecs now and they are amazing for cruising and makes the ride more comfy.

Btw its been raining none stop for the last few days here and and the Bamboo GT with Corrosion X treatment seems to be holding up fine, but I have to admit I have been riding a bit scared

 

The Raptors will have a new wheel option soon, I think they are called cross over wheels, with a little texture. The Jedboards will have 90mm and 100mm wheel options which will also feature some tread. The Raptor 2 deck is basically a plank of wood, as stiff as they come, and weighs in at 12kg compared to Evolve boards at around 9kg, and the Jedboards are 6.4kg. So many boards, so many options out there these days