[hebleb]

I'm really interested in trying this, but have little skateboarding experience. Is there a steep learning curve to riding one of these in a dense city?

[akgerber]

I tried a non-powered longboard as a more-compact supplement to a bicycle for city transport. The handling isn't hard to pick up, but riding with traffic is more challenging, especially without a brake. I ended up just sticking with my bike.

These boards appear to have engine braking, but they also note that it's subject to fail on a steep hill or when the battery runs out: http://boostedboards.com/faq/

So— it'd probably be useful for a flattish, quietish commute of up to a few miles where storing a bicycle would be difficult. The learning curve also probably depends on your skills with reading traffic, e.g. if you've biked or motorcycled lately. (Driving helps too but won't necessarily give you an appropriate fear of big busy streets)

[pkrein]

I had never skateboarded before getting a boosted board. It took me a week of commuting (20 minutes each way) to get somewhat comfortable at the top speed. There are three speed caps, slow medium fast, so you sort of level up after each ride or two. I don't think riding on a street is a good idea (seems super dangerous if there are any cars around), and my commute follows a separated-from-the-road bike path.

Riding is super fun :)

[amelius]

> I don't think riding on a street is a good idea

How are sidewalks with curbs?

[gonehome]

I've commuted a little over a thousand miles on mine. When I first got it I was worried that I might not be able to use it, but you get comfortable on it pretty quickly and it's pretty easy.

Watch out for manhole covers.

[willholloway]

I haven't rode an electric, but thought a longboard would be good to cut down the 15 minute walk from the office to the subway in nyc, thinking the ability to carry it on the train would be great.

I bought a nice ~$200 made in brooklyn longboard and started to use it.

It did cut down the commute time, and I liked riding it, but then I hit a pebble or something and was thrown forward, the board sliding across a busy street.

I am laying there, with a yellow cab having to swerve to not hit me, people honking, its amazing I didn't break anything, and me or my board didn't get run over.

Longboard wheels are just too small, too easily stopped. I gave up on it and just walked, not worth broken bones or a broken skull, and having to carry a helmet negates some of the benefit anyhow.

I would ride one if it had larger pneumatic tires and a foldable handlebar that would let you take a bump and stay on the board.

[rvanniekerk]

Boosted rider with over 500 miles so far here. 0 boarding experience prior to purchasing my Boosted Board. The learning curve will be steep if you have no experience commuting on something like a bicycle.

A lot of the challenge is in learning the roads and behavior of the drivers. I biked for ~ 3 years prior to getting my boosted board which contributed a lot towards knowing some of the "safer" routes.

That being said, your legs and calves will hurt like hell until you start to adjust to riding every single day. I go the gym 5x a week and still get achy calves from riding long distances.

I've only taken a single spill thanks to losing and regaining bluetooth connectivity going full throttle through a turn (mostly my own fault).

I can't recommend Boosted Boards enough. Extremely reliable piece of tech.

[freshfey]

Haven't tried the Boosted Board (yet) but I've started riding a Penny board when I was 26, and all my life I was horrible at skateboarding or snowboarding (I was always an inline skater). The carving potential definitely helps and it takes getting used to, but nowadays I can use it to ride at an airport or in the city - give it a try :)

[blisterpeanuts]

You should probably wear a helmet :)

[ljk]

and a wrist guard

[Fricken]

The critical skill you learn as a skateboarder isn't so much how to stay on the board, but how to wipe out without hurting yourself when you inevitably get spit off.

[ngokevin]

I think it is easier to ride a Boosted because you don't have to learn how to push, balance, or stop. You just stand on it.

[jboles]

Sure it's easier to start off with one if you've never ridden a skateboard before but you will want to learn those things if you want to: (1) still be able to ride it when the battery is dead (2) not hurt yourself if the brakes fail (and Boosted specifically tells you not to rely on them)

[jboles]

Don't ride faster than you can run until you can slow yourself down without any braking device

[frgewut]

Also how does this compares to regular skateboard?