• DIY

    A Motorized Skateboard for Speed-Happy Gearheads

    By Posted on 2.28.2008 24 Comments

    Citizens of Philadelphia, beware: You may see a grown man whizzing by you on a skateboard, doing 20 mph. That would be PopSci staff photographer John Carnett, and in case you dont get a good look, its a souped-up, motorized board he built from the ground up.

    3.7.2008 at 04:34pm - Comment by liittual

    In the video it looks like you're going really slowly. I skateboard and I'm fairly certain I can outpace you on a regular board, which weighs a five pounds as opposed to 60 and doesn't cost me money just to recharge. Who would actually spend $800 on this? Its a nice idea, but I don't really see a point in using it unless you're taking it uphill or something, in which case pedaling can get a little tiring. Also, why did you choose to use an aluminum frame? Hmm, wood has that crutch of losing its better qualities after it gets wet. Maybe yours won't. I'm still shocked about the 60 pounds tho. That's not exactly something you can lift up pretty easily. Maybe come up with a design that weighs under 20 lbs and i'll look into it.



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