Keeping the bike computer snug

A little bit more sand papering and the recess I made will be  a 1:1 fit for the bike computer!



Next step is to attach the wires to the PCB in order to connect to a separate box under the longboard. This box will house a board for mounting the battery, bike computer reset switch and the connection points for the magnet sensor.

Probably voiding my VoLo-E board guarantee!

Removing the bottom half off the bike computer casing means I can actually embedd the top half of the computer bike into the longboard by making a recess in the board ply to house the bike computer. This will mean that the bike computer will protrude from the surface by around 6mm.

All along I have been worried about the positioning of the bike computer and not wanting to reduce the strength of the board. So I positioned the recess at the top of the board away from any loading. The fact that I don't need to drill through all the plies should also be a positive thing in terms of keeping the board strength.

First, I placed the top half of the bike computer onto the top of board and drew round it in order to get the the shape for the recess perimeter. Then I arranged a  drill in my drill press so that it could not extend by more than 6mm into the board surface (I didn't want to go all the way through the board!). Then I drilled about 40 holes within the drawn out shape boundary. After that, I got a Stanley knife to cut out any remaining bits in-between the holes and used some sand paper to try clean it up a bit. Oh boy I must have definitely destroyed any sort of product guarantee I had from VoLo-E. The work in progress can be seen below:

Bike computer

Readers of this blog will know that I am slowly converting a cheap Halfords bike computer for use with my electric longboard.  The bike computer I bought  functions when it is docked in its cradle. Unfortunately when placed on top of the long board it sticks out more than 20mm from the longboard top surface. There is therefore a high risk that it gets knocked off when I am carrying the longboard on the train or I may even kick it off accidentally  when jumping off the skateboard.

Previously I had taken apart the bike computer with a view to see if I could reduce the height by removing the bottom half of the bike computer. I also wanted to do away with the docking rail. Well, by removing the bottom half its possible to reduce the total height to just 10mm. The plan is to make a recess in the skateboard to house the bike computer. However, I do have to put the battery somewhere else now. This will be accomplished by putting the battery and internal reset button in a separate box under the long board and connecting wires from the box to the PCB. The image below shows the disassembled bike computer. I have drawn a red circle around the bike computer part I will use.Other than the battery everything else in the image will be discarded.

Back on the skateboard in December !!!!

I had previously  thought  that  November would be my last month for skateboarding due to the weather. The weather was cold this afternoon but sunny and dry. So I charged up my skateboard  and  went skate boarding in the back streets. I didn't have  a particular destination to go, so  this was a  fun experience because it was without time limits. As was the case in the summer people were still stopping with prolonged gazes as I whizzed by. Funny, I would have thought electric skateboards are familiar sight to the public now.

Still blogging

So, after a brief hiatus I am back. Unfortunately, November has not been ideal for electric skateboarding due to the UK weather. Don't get me wrong, prior to November it has been a good run of nearly four months of use for the electric skateboard. Mostly, the board has behaved impeccably. However, recently there had been an increasing frequency of the  motor power suddenly cutting out which seemed to be due to the controller communication being lost. Power would then resume after about 5-10 seconds. But this would be a bit disconcerting when bombing down a hill and discovering the regenerative breaking was not working due to controller comms failure. After some head scratching there was a simple fix. After covering more than 180 miles I decided to change the batteries in the controller. With new batteries everything is working fine again.

Now, this month I've had to cease my daily commute on the skateboard. The Autumn leaves in the park are turning into mulsh and the winds have caused many a small branch obstacle. This is not a good combination when you are travelling in the dark which is the case when I am finishing work now. In addition I've noticed that the one rear wheel drive (as is common on a lot of the more affordable electric skateboards) does not contribute to stability when traversing over the winter deposited small obstacles. The result is the board travelling in an unexpected direction and me having to jump off. So folks, there will be no more tales of commuting on my board for the next few months - at least not until Spring.

But this is not a temporary pause to the blog. Rather the blog will go a bit more techie as I will continue to update on the modifications I  will  make to the board.  First up is completion of the odometer.

Overtaken by a fellow electric skateboarder

These last few weeks have been perfect for Skateboarding. No rain and not too cold. Everything is working to make it a pleasurable ride. Gloves to keep me warm and lights to keep me visible.

I'm  pretty used to the feeling of whizzing past joggers and the less fit cyclists on my board. But imagine my surprise yesterday: First I heard someone shout "electric skateboard". I shouted "yes", to hear the response "me too". At that moment, he came into view, nodded a look of respect and then accelerated in front on his electric skateboard. I couldn't make out what the board was but it definitely was a superior (most probably more  expensive) beast to mine. He had a controller that cupped into his hand (did not look like a gun).  I was doing around 13mph. He was definitely going faster.

I've been commuting on my board since summer. It's the first time I've seen another person on an electric skateboard in my city. Let's hope there will be more...

Brrr... getting cold in the mornings....

So I just bought myself some cycling gloves to keep my fingers warm as I skateboard to the train station in the mornings. I did already have some thick gloves but I couldn't use them because with them on I couldn't fit my finger behind the trigger on the skateboard controller!

Bought these ones on eBay from seller Mammalz who's shop specialises in cycling and fitness gear. The gloves are made of Lycra material and are soft and stretchable. Does the job perfectly and only cost me a fiver! The material is thin enough that I can even wear them when carrying the skateboard by the lift holes.

Comments from the British public

I like to think off myself as a quiet unassuming person and don't like to make a big deal of things. But I have fast concluded that travelling on an electric skateboard certainly causes a stir with the public. The amount of comments received as I whiz by various pedestrians is quite surprising. I never realised before how vocal Joe Public is.

Mostly the comments are complimentary or I take them as complimentary. I am including a recent comment I heard one bloke say to the other as I overtook them. What they said actually made me laugh to myself, basically it was a comment going along the lines of "whoa that's an electric powered skateboard, he must be f*@king lazy".

Yesterday, I got a comment  on my outward and return journey from work. Whilst speeding along a cycle path in the early hours of the morning,  a well dressed older gentleman stuck up his hand and gestured to me to stop. Thinking there was an issue I did stop but you know what he said to me? He said "is that a skateboard you are on?". Yes I said wanting to face-palm and giving my excuses to depart as I was now late for my train. Then in the evening a cyclist in serious cycle gear sped past me and shouted "well that's flash".

Breaking in (the bike computer)

Taking X-ray images to understand the bike computer casing  didn't really help that much. See the example image below.  The bike computer was angled in different orientations in the X-ray machine in order to see how the two halves of the case were stuck together. It does seem the bike computer is stuck together by a very tight press fit  (see red circles in image).



Because these bike computers are made so cheaply I don't think they are designed to be taken apart. Rather, if they stop working they are just to be thrown away. The press fit is so tight I can't get the top and bottom casing seperated. Therefore I've had to take drastic action to get inside the case. Using long nose pliers I had to painstakingly remove the bottom case half by picking off the plastic lip. This lip covers the internal lip of the top casing. As a result I have been destructive and that if I wanted to I couldn't stick the two halves back together again (remind you of Humpty Dumpty?). Fortunately the top half which is screwed to the PCB and holds the LCD is not damaged.The image below shows the separated parts.The LCD is sandwiched between the top casing  and the other side of the PCB (not visible in this image).

Roadsafe for winter!

Lights are charged up through USB cable. Can have them on bright, med bright and very bright or in flashing mode. Consider these lights a success - they will do the job....

Lights arrived!

The fastest delivery I ever experienced on eBay!



Adding these will be the quickest mod yet made for my longboard....

Lighting up the winter darkness

Taking the longboard  on my daily commute and travelling through the park to the train station I really get a good impression of nature and the changing seasons. Its amazing that in October we are getting such good weather - good enough to skateboard in and enjoy it!

However, what has arrived in a stealth like manner is the darkness in the early morning. To be safe I think I need to be more visible. With this in mind I went on to eBay to see if I could find any bright lights to affix to my longboard.

After much searching I found the lights shown below and have placed an order. Although they are designed for a bicycle and use rubber straps to fix to a bicycle frame I believe the rubber  straps would also be suitable for fixing to the front and back longboard trucks on my board. They are reasonably priced at  11.69GBP  for the pair (white for the front and red for the back) but what particularly attracted me was the turnaround  - literally two days from placement of order. The timer has started..........

eBay:
Seller: prostoragers
Product description: USB Rechargeable COB Bicycle Bike Front Rear 6 Modes LED Tail Light Waterproof
Price:  11.69GBP
Location: Birmingham

Taking the bike computer apart - more difficult then first thought

The bike computer case appears to comprise a top and bottom half case. There are no screws holding these two halves  together so I can only assume the manufacturer used a press fit. I've shoved a screw driver blade in-between the small space between the top and bottom case, jiggled it about, but the case is not budging. Hmmm, I was hoping I could take it apart without damaging the casing. Next step take is to take it to a colleague who can X-ray it for me - I might then get a clue on how to open it

Incorporating the bike computer into the longboard – first thoughts

Ignoring the fact that the wheel mounted magnet flew of during the speed test, the actual proof in principle distance/speed measurement was a success. It’s therefore time to make the bike computer a practical and robust solution for a skateboard. At the moment everything is held on by blu-tack. But that’s not the problem since everything can be attached using glue and cable ties.

The real problem is the total height of the bike computer. The bike computer height alone is 10mm and has a further protrusion sticking out which is 5mm. This protrusion holds the battery and serves as the rail guide for sliding into the cradle. When the bike computer is docked in its cradle it sticks out approximately 20mm from the longboard top surface. There is therefore a high risk that it gets knocked off when I am carrying the longboard on the train or I may even kick it off accidentally  when jumping off the skateboard. 

The cradle part is provided by the manufacturer as a feature for the cyclist. The cyclist detaches the bike computer from the cradle when the bike is parked so it doesn't get nicked. This isn't needed on a skateboard. So ideally I can use the bike computer without the cradle. However, it’s not that simple because the cradle has two contact points that mate onto two contact points of the bike computer itself. The contact points on the cradle feed into the cable that connects the magnet sensor.

So the next step is to take apart the bike computer to see if I can bypass the cradle. My thinking is to solder wires from the magnet sensor directly onto the PCB of the bike computer. Likewise, a consideration is to remove the battery from inside the bike computer case and connect it remotely. In an ideal world all the parts could be embedded into a specially made hole on my longboard.

Measuring speed and distance correctly

The Halfords bike computer needs to be "calibrated" in order to measure speed and distance correctly. In the accompanying manual there is a table of different wheel diameters and types shown together with the setting value (circumference integer)  that needs to be input into the bike computer. If it  had been the case that you could only select a wheel size listed on the table then I would have been stuffed, as the smallest wheel diameter listed is for 387.5mm. Fortunately, it is also possible to put in a custom setting value. The only thing that might be an issue is if the bike computer can actually cater for small diameter wheels such as those found on a skateboard. The manual goes into detail about measuring the wheel circumference. But we know that already for my long board specifications.

The setting value can be simply calculated as wheel size (mm) x PI. So for the case of my long board with its wheel diameter of 90mm the calculation is: 90mm x PI = 282.74. Converting to an integer, the setting value is 283. I entered this value into the bike computer, threw on my trainers, and went outside to conduct my first run on the long board:

It works!!! The maximum speed I recorded in this run was 12.1 MPH!

But disaster struck whilst performing this experiment. Just as it looked like I was going to approach top speed, the magnet that I had mounted  in the wheel flew off (see time stamp 0:25). Damn, I got carried away and forgot that everything so far was only held on by Blu-tack. It looked like the magnet rolled off under a caravan trailer. After 20 mins of looking for that magnet I am resigned to the fact that I need to purchase another magnet.

Initial set-up and test with the bike computer

As the title says - Initial! - hence the use of "Blu-tack" to attach the magnet, magnet sensor and bike computer to the skateboard:

Mounting of the bike computer magnet and sensor

For a bicycle, the magnet sensor (10) is positioned vertically along the bicycle fork. The magnet (11) is positioned on one of the wheel spokes so that for each wheel rotation it passes  near the vertical end of the sensor either at point (7) or the same position at the other end.



Mounting the magnet so it activates the sensor in the orientation as shown in the image below also works well. Using my hand to pass the magnet past the magnet sensor several times activates the bike computer and the distance value recorded is incremented.



Using "Blu-tack" I mounted the magnet on the inside of one of the front skateboard wheels. In addition I mounted the magnetic sensor with its length in parallel with the truck stem connecting to the wheel.

Chased by dogs!

I had some business to attend to on the other side of town today. I could've gone by car but the journey would have taken more than 20 mins each way, and at my destination there would have been the added stress of trying to find somewhere to park.

The other side of town is separated by  two large civic parks. Cutting across the parks allows travel almost as "the crow flies". The weather this afternoon was mild and sunny and it was very easy to get to my destination and back by my electric longboard.

These parks comprise several open fields with paths at their boundaries. Dog owners typically let their hounds of the leash to enjoy all this open space.

On my way back today I was chased by two dogs. Fortunately,  I was on a nice flat and smooth path and those dogs were of the small variety. Their little legs could not keep up with the pace, and within about 20 seconds I left them for dust.

The following Google'd  image seems quite apt :)

Bike computers - more bang for your buck

Yesterday I went to Halfords and purchased their 5 function bike computer (item code 679286). This seems to be a common model. You can buy them on eBay and Amazon too but with different names on them.

Unpacked it all, and boy you sure do get more bang for your buck You get the bike computer itself and the cradle it sits in. Cable ties for attaching the cradle to the bicycle handlebars, cable ties for attaching the magnet sensor to the the bicycle front wheel fork, and the magnet and screw attachment for attaching to bicycle spokes and the instruction manual. The manual  is a double sided A4 page but gives enough detail to cover all aspects for fitting to a bicycle. There is a wheel size chart that allows conversion from wheel size to setting value. The chart lists the smallest wheel size diameter as 305mm. However, I see from the manual you can also use a calculation to determine the setting value, so in theory smaller wheels (90mm diameter) such as those on my longboard should still be possible - the only thing in the back of my mind is that the bike computer might have a limitation to smaller wheels. This is because the magnet on a smaller diameter wheel would pass the sensor at a higher rate than for a bigger wheel and the bike computer may not be able to keep up. The only way to find out is to experiment!

Bike computers - a mature market

When looking at the various bike computers on the market I had quite  a few considerations for an odometer for my skateboard. Originally measurement of distance was my  main concern. But since all the bike computers include a speed function, my selected bike computer would  have to have a reasonably sized screen so that I could see the display whilst travelling on the board. Also it shouldn't be too big that there was a risk of kicking it off! Finally, I wanted a bike computer which had its own battery power and would not need regular battery changes. I did see bike odometers that were wireless (there's a transmitter mounted at the wheel and not connected by a wire to the display) and considered that the display could be warn on the wrist a bit like  a watch but this seemed more high-tech than necessary and I was dubious about how much power the wireless transmission would consume.

The bike computer market is mature - that means bike computers are a  mass produced product. Due to economies of scale this yields a significantly cheaper solution then going DIY and using a hobby microprocessor.

After much searching and comparing different cycle odometers I have settled on a five function one from Halfords. I figured it only costs 5 pounds and a small price to pay for experimentation. It measures speed, total distance and trip distance, plus it tells the time. Can't remember what the fifth function is....
Not sure if I'll order it or go there in person - probably travel there on my skareboard :). The next blog will cover the experimentation.

Distance anxiety

I've done more than 100 miles on my electric longboard now and the experience has been great. My travel distance on the skateboard for my commute to work is 2.5 miles each way. Sometimes longer when the weather is really hot and I choose a really picturesque path through the civic park.

I've tried the trip going many different ways and have learned which paths are the smoothest:- It's surprising how some tarmacked roads, although looking fairly smooth in appearance, give more judder than others.

Despite, knowing the board can do 4+ miles before needing a recharge, I was topping up the board battery power in the evening before work and during work. I never had a feel as to when the batteries would run out, as I wasn't monitoring my total distance for work or for play.

I've got into a regular pattern now with skateboarding to and from work. So now I only charge the board up at work :) However,  I do travel into the city centre on the board occasionally (just over 2 miles). One day on the way back I ran out of power. The board bleeped and then a two minutes later the power stopped!  I'm sure that beep should have given me more notice than that! - something I will have to monitor in future use. I was about a mile from home and had to lug that board all the way back. I did try free wheeling but fast concluded I needed more practice.

So I've been thinking about mounting a device on the skateboard to measure distance travelled. Knowing about the distance covered after each charge I can better forecast when the board needs a recharge.  Sure I could use an app on a smart phone to measure distance, but why not treat the board like a car  and have a permanent record associated to the vehicle.

A quick Google on the internet and a few attempts are evident. One manufacturer of conventional Skateboard use to make a board with built in odometer. Also a couple of hackers have made odometers for their boards. There's a nice "how to" on the instructables website. It uses the ubiquitous Arduino microprocessor, a magnet embedded on one of the skateboard wheels and a magnetic reed relay switch mounted close to the wheel on the skateboard truck. The Arduino microprocessor counts every time the magnet passes the reed relay  switch. Each pass of the magnet represents one revolution. Knowing the wheel diameter, the number of revolutions can be converted to distance. This is exactly how many commercial cycle odometer/computers work. I'd rather use something of the shelf than build from scratch myself. So I am currently investigating if a cycle computer could be re-purposed for measuring distance and speed on my longboard.

Curious onlookers on the boardwalk

On my commute back from work (train station) I have to go about 1/4 of a mile over a boardwalk. It always makes an incredible racket as the skateboard wheels bang against each plank of wood. The sound is almost like a machine gun with a slow fire rate. People always turn round to have a look. Yesterday afternoon, an oldish woman carrying two shopping bags appeared to freeze and just stare at me as I approached her. I gave her plenty of distance as I passed and she smiled and said an "an electric skateboard????" Yes! I cried, as I whizzed past her.

Volo-E to the rescue!

I've been in contact with Volo-E and they offered to swap the shell of my black controller for a white one. Here is the result:

Ok, still a gun shape but certainly looks less threatening than the black one.

Those black square patches are the Velcro patches that stick to the receiving patches under the skateboard. The controller conveniently goes there when you want to carry the board around.

Seem's not all eSkateboard manufacturers use a gun design for the controller

In terms of ergonomics the Volo-E gun fits the hand well and allows control of the longboard. However, in terms of the way it looks  I've heard a few comments now as I skate past various strangers such as "he's got a taser!" and "that looks like a gun". Whilst carrying my skateboard I've been stopped once already by the police and would rather not have that happen again.

I was curious if all electric skateboard manufacturers used a gun design for the controller. So I did a quick search on Google images. I've arranged the images of the controllers in order of desirability. Obviously the smaller and less gun like the better:

In a previous blog I talked about using  a 3D printer to make a new case design but concluded with the large PCB in the Volo-E gun controller there wasn't much scope to change the external design. In an ideal world the controller would be a bit like the Nintendo Wii Nunchuk. The products shown in the bottom images approach this. But I think that's only possible because they are not using conventional batteries but rather rechargeable battery packs which have a smaller profile allowing a tighter shape for holding inside the hand.

Found another review of the Volo-E Longboard

"TheBattersby" reviews the senior longboard (the same board as mine).  I see he has covered his Bluetooth controller in stickers to make it look less like a gun.

"TheBattersby" 's Electric Skateboard controller:

Hmm, won't be very easy to change the shape of the controller.... That printed circuit board is too big.... and the space inside the controller is pretty tight - not possible to saw off any bits to make the controller look less like a gun. Still saving up for my 3D printer so no early solution by making a new radically different shape housing is possible in the short term.

More specs!

VoLo-e sell a range of skateboards. But make sure you buy the right one depending on your size!
I'm 6 foot 3 and weight around 13 stone, and those slightly cheaper junior boards they sell are not for me.  I went for the senior longboard. The junior boards fit their namesake. With a smaller power motor their performance is suited to a smaller lighter  person.

You'll see the longboard is not small and definitely dwarfs you average manual skateboard. But, being a longboard its sure easy to ride. See below for the exact specs (I lifted this straight from the VoLo-e ebay shop - it was blurry there too!).

Stopped by the police!

There has been one nagging doubt when I received my longboard. Like a lot of other electric skateboards, control is achieved by a Bluetooth wireless controller. And also like a lot of other electric skateboard models the controller is a pistol grip speed controller with trigger which can be said to resemble very much like a gun. I can see why the electric skateboard manufacturers make them as pistol grips. Its a natural fit to the hand.

However, the controller shape has slightly concerned me from the start. Imagine how it looks, UK on a continuing high terror alert, a  6 foot 3 tall bloke speeding passed on a skateboard, rucksack on his back and what appears to be a gun in his hand.

Well, after the unfortunate events in Northen Barvaria, Germany, where a teenage Afghan refugee armed with an axe and knife injured four people on a train in July, there is now  a much stronger police presence at my train station. I don't skate on the roads but rather through the park to get to the train station. So I didn't expect to get stopped by the police for any reason. But, I got stopped in the train station whilst walking up the stairs to my platform! Admittedly I was walking up the stairs in a speedy fashion as I was late for my train.

The VoLo-E longboard has Velcro sticker pad attachments on its underside to fix the Bluetooth controller to when you are carrying it. I carry the board by the three finger holes made especially for carrying. I typically carry the board so that the underside which includes the motor, battery etc. are on the side facing my leg (helps reduce stares from passers by). The "gun" is also therefore on the underside.

Whilst climbing the stairs I heard someone from behind me  say "Excuse me sir please can you stop". The station is incredibly busy so I had no thought that question was addressed to me. The question repeated another time by which time I had jumped above the last step and was on the platform. I swung round after my shoulder was tapped. Imagine my surprise to see an armed policeman standing there and pointing at the underside of my skateboard. He asked me to explain what the Bluetooth controller was and said he had stopped me because it looked like a gun. Ok, it does look like a gun, but I am sure if that policeman really thought it was a gun, that he wouldn't have addressed me so politely. Rather, I would have been face down in the ground with cuffs on my hands. Anyway, I explained what it was, that it controlled my longboard, and that it was an electric skateboard - It seemed the policeman had never seen one before. After about five minutes explanation he let me go on my way. But of course, my train had departed, and I was faced with a half an hour wait until the next train.

Need to think how to change the look of this controller......

VoLo-e board Electric longboard skateboard

So this is my new baby :) When I got her, she was priced at just under £300 plus  £16 courier delivery charge on eBay.

Searching for new electric skateboards on eBay reveals many different makes and models typically ranging in price from  £230 to  £1500. There seem plenty of electric long boards from Chinese sellers, typically in the price range of  £299 to  £449. The specs look pretty good and some even look better than the VoLo-e board that I settled for. However, what brought me to the VoLo-e board was the impression that this was a supplier and manufacturer from the UK. When/if things go wrong I much prefer to speak with someone who is in the same country. That someone is called Stephen and I believe he is the man behind voloeboards.co.uk. I have found him to be very patient with all my questions both prior and after my purchase.

The VoLo-E longboard is not a high end electric skateboard in my opinion. It doesn't have dual drive motors (only one motor is powered), the motor is not built into the wheel but rather drives the wheel through a belt, the total travel distance is claimed as 4-6 miles, and the maximum speed is claimed as 14mph. But its actually a really great board and fantastic value for money! I've done more than 100 miles distance on it already and its proving very reliable. When you receive the board it is supplied with a battery charger and small tool kit. The specs for the board are as follows:

-Ride-time of between 45 mins to 1 hr at top speed (approx 4-6 miles)
-Top speed of 14mph or 22.5kph
-A powerful brushless, in-runner belt driven motor unit (fully enclosed)
-Forward and reverse gear
-A 250w 24v 5 amp unit and lithium-ion battery pack
-A Bluetooth pistol grip speed controller with regenerative charge braking for extended battery life
-Optional slower mode option for younger..or novice riders
-9 ply maple deck with blue poly centre core for maximum strength and flexibility
-A deck side grip for easy transportation
-78A PU 90mm wheels fitted with blue seal Abec-7 bearings
-2 to 4hr charge pack included
-8 kg weight

What finally sold VoLo-E and the whole idea of electric long boards to me was when I watched their video:

The future is electric!

Back in the 80's I used to ride my sister's skateboard now and again. It was a short wooden thing with very small wheels and was  incredibly difficult to stay upright on. This I suspect was because of its size and also due to the rough roads in my old neighbourhood. Little did I think that many many years later I would find myself riding comfortably  on an electric longboard! That situation occurred about  a month and a half ago but only after nearly two years of thinking about the best way  to commute to work. This commute had traditionally been undertaken in my car. The workplace is in a different town to the one I lived and the commute on a good day took 35-40 minutes either way by car.  After a long hard day at work there was nothing easier than to jump into my car and drive back home - this pattern became so ingrained in my mind, that I was blinkered and could not contemplate alternative forms of transport.

Then two years ago my company changed buildings and ended up being located very close to the train station. The train was now a real alternative. But how to get to the train station in my town (a 30 minute walk) and from the train station to my work place (a 11 minute walk) in the other town? I could walk but that gets a bit boring and tiresome doing it everyday. Bicycle? When I did go by train I saw the issues had by fellow passengers who wanted to take their bikes on the train. Every morning there's a small race to be had by the cyclists as they compete to get on the train first before the train's quota of five bikes is reached - forcing a few unhappy cyclists to wait for the next train. The alternative of leaving the bike at the station was not a viable solution. The horror stories I had heard from my work colleagues returning to their parked bikes only to find a broken lock or one remaining wheel locked to the bicycle railing. Would I do a bus to get to the train? Hmm, well now and then. But the buses here seem to be a law into their own in terms of turning up (or not) according to the timetable.

What I needed was something small enough to take on the train and fast enough to be better than just walking. Sure I could buy a folding Brompton like bike. But they look so cumbersome to carry around. I looked at Swegways - too expensive and too big. I looked at Segway/Hoverboards but they just seem like toys.

I thought about manual skateboards but recalled the experiences I had when I was a kid. Then after doing all this research on YouTube, YouTube felt like it knew me well enough to start recommending electric skateboard videos. For several months I watched and wondered, would I, wouldn't I be able to ride safely one of these things and eventually I concluded that an electric longboard was the one for me. Then about two months ago I saw the  VoLo-E longboard on eBay. After many discussions with the proprietor of the Volo-E store I bit the bullet and purchased. I created this blog to report on my experiences with this longboard and hopefully provide useful information to fellow electric skateboarders. Oh yes, I am an Engineer and a bit of a tinkerer. I do plan on making and reporting adjustments to my longboard :)