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As other electric skateboards popped up, Jeff and his team bought and tested them all and found them all short. They constantly discovered that the boards didn’t ride or carve smoothly like a high quality longboard.
In feeling like a longboard while riding, Evolved is one of the front runners in the market. They commonly refer to their boards as simply a “top quality professional longboard with a motor attached”. In early June 2012, the first run of Evolve skateboards was shipped and they were an instant success.
Evolve Skateboards describes their Bamboo series of electric skateboard as perfect for the late night cruise, weekend fun or commuting to work but also so much more. Boasting their supercarve trucks, they also claim that their Bamboo board is a perfect representation of snowboarding or surfing on pavement.
The unboxing of the product was nothing special with no surprises inside of the box. The Evolved Electric Skateboard comes with the board and a rapid charger. When holding it in your hands, the first thing that stands out is the sleekness of the body. Unlike other boards, the battery pack is very slim and hardly noticeable from a sideview.
Evolve Bamboo Series: The Components
For the deck, the Evolve electric skateboard uses a combination of 7-ply Canadian Maple and 2-ply laminated bamboo to create a handcrafted deck. This combination is similar to what Loaded does with its premier boards and it gives the deck a nice bit of flex when standing on it.
One of the best components of the build is the Supercarve Double-Joint Trucks. Simply put, these trucks are top of the market for in terms of giving longboards carving ability. They allow the Evolve bamboo board to move exactly like a snow or surfboard and make turns you would have previously thought impossible.
To give the Bamboo board a prominent and flashy look, the wheels are 80mm Loaded Kegel wheels, one of the best for carving or sliding. One interesting feature is that the Evolve motor is compatible with different types of wheels. This is unique among electric skateboards on the market today.
The Electronics
With the high-quality longboard components, the battery is no exception. Custom designed, the battery is made out of lithium polymer and has a total of 36 volts. This much energy gives a total range of 19 miles; one of the longest ranges available currently.
The reason the range is so high is because of the relatively low-powered motor. The Evolved electric skateboard bamboo series motor is 260W compared to 400W for the Boosted Board and 350W for the Yuneec E-GO.
The power of the motor affects the maximum hill grade that the Evolve electric skateboard can go up. While Evolve does not specifically say what grade hill, unlike 20% for the Boosted and 15% for the Yuneec E-GO, they state that the Evolve Bamboo series can only handle “small to medium inclines”.
That being said, Review Longboards would not recommend taking the Evolve Bamboo series on a steep hill as it would put significant strain on the motor which could cause it to fail.
The low powered motor does not affect the top speed at all, though. The Evolve Bamboo series has a top speed of 23 miles/hour comparable to the top speed of Boosted Boards and among the highest in the market.
To control the board, Evolve Skateboards designed a custom ergonomic wireless controller to connect and control the motor over Bluetooth. This controller provides smooth and seamless acceleration for the board.
When I was riding around with the remote, I was quite impressed with the ergonomics and size of it. I could easily conceal it within my hand while riding and oftentimes people would not even know the board had a remote.
When I was riding, I never had any problems with the bluetooth connection. It seemed to be sturdy and it never lost the connection while the board was in motion.
Evolve All Terrain Kit
The most interesting aspect of Evolve Boards electric skateboard products is the addition of an all-terrain kit. The Evolve all-terrain kit comes with 8-inch wheels and new axles, belts, and drive gears to allow your Evolve board to go anywhere.
In terms of performance, this turns the Evolve Bamboo series into a flexible mountain board. You can take the board through rough surfaces and ride over bumps that would cripple other electric skateboards.
It’s worth noting that due to the electronic components, the Evolve all-terrain kit still does not allow you to go through puddles or snow. However, it gives the Evolve Bamboo board off-road capabilities beyond any other electric skateboard on the market today.
Riding the Evolve Bamboo Series All Terrain
For the test rides, I decided to test out the Evolve Bamboo Series with the All terrain kit installed. While I recognize that the majority of people will simply ride the regular electric skateboard, the opportunity to ride and test out an all terrain one was simply too interesting to pass up.
And man was it fun. The initial jump from the sidewalk to the grass made me nervous but it shouldn’t have. Riding over regular, sometimes mowed grass was amazing. The bard simply moved where I wanted it to go.
I have to credit the knobbed wheels for the smooth ride. They allow the board to easily retain traction even on slippery surfaces.
Riding this beast of a longboard around my local park ranks among my favorite rides ever. I could go anywhere! I seamlessly transitioned from the paved path to traveling at high speeds across fields to even going down some of the dirt hiking trails.
I even tested out the board on gravel to fully test out the offroading capabilities. It was able to smoothly roll over loose gravel. In some areas, the drive wheel spun out slightly but this was quickly remedied by putting more weight on the back of the board.
Through my tests, it was clear to me that the All Terrain Kit did its job perfectly. As a longboard rider, for so long I have been restricted to roads or sidewalks and the Evolve AT Kit opened up the rest of the area to me.
One thing I was initially concerned about when testing the Evolve AT, was how well the knobbed tires performed on pavement. After all these wheels were designed for off roading and as such might not function as well on paved roads.
After trying the board out, I had no reason to be concerned. With the AT wheels on the board, the Evolve skateboard still has amazing traction on the road and I was able to go around tight corners without fear.
One actual advantage of the big tires was that I did not have to worry about cracks, small rocks, or sticks that could have easily thrown me off of a regular longboard.
Additional Features
The Evolve Bamboo Series electric skateboards also use regenerative braking to extend the range of the board. This provides firm brakes to control your speed while charging the battery to allow you to go further.
An additional special feature of the Evolve electric skateboards line is how silent the motor and the entire setup is. While on other electric skateboards you can hear an audible “whir” as the motors run, Evolve boasts that their boards are the quietest on the market today.
Who should buy the Evolved Bamboo Series?
For riders looking for an electric skateboard that feels exactly like a longboard, this is the board for you. With a single motor and high-quality bamboo deck, this board will carve just as well as regular longboards and you won’t have to push back up hills.
Now I will say that the Evolve boards are expensive but in my mind, they are worth every penny. The Bamboo Series has a high top speed and enough range to last you all day.
With the addition of the all-terrain kit, the Evolve Bamboo series electric skateboard becomes even more capable than comparable electric skateboards. Everything combined makes the Evolve Bamboo series board an excellent buy for interested buyers looking into an electric skateboard.
