When you think “electronic skateboard,” I’ll bet you imagine Casey Neistat riding through New York City atop a $1,000-plus Boosted board, the preferred plank of celebrity YouTubers everywhere. But what if I told you that a comparable e-board is hitting Indiegogo today for $549 that doesn’t require a handheld remote control? It’s called the StarkBoard from Berlin-based Stark Mobility, and it can be had for as little as $449 through early-bird pricing.
StarkBoard is the $449 hands-free alternative to the Boosted board
You are the remote control
You are the remote control
is a deputy editor and Verge co-founder with a passion for human-centric cities, e-bikes, and life as a digital nomad. He’s been a tech journalist for 20 years.
Oh, and it’s dope.
But first, before you pledge a pile of cash to an unknown company, let me get something out of the way: the last time I rode an electric skateboard was a few years ago when Boosted first launched. It was also just a prototype. I’ve never been a regular skater, though I’ll occasionally ride a longboard in the summer. I’m also 50 years old, which is why I roped in some 16-year-old skaters to help test the StarkBoard. Here’s their enthusiastic summary after giving two prototypes a ride for about two hours in Amsterdam over the weekend:
Thomas V.: “Dope!”
Ivo R.: “Really original.”
Jannik S.: “A super cool e-board because it doesn’t require a remote control.”
Image: Stark Mobility
I can assure you in my old-man vernacular that it was indeed, fun. Pip pip and all that. Thomas was up and riding comfortably within about two minutes, quickly pushing the board to its top speed of 18 mph. I never felt comfortable riding it that hard, but I was able to feel comfortably in control of the board after about five minutes. Ivo was more cautious. Even after 15 minutes, he said he was still gaining confidence using his body as the controller, though he was up and riding almost immediately.
Specs
- Oversized wheels with two hub motors
- 18 mph (29 km/h) max speed
- 13-mile (21km) range from removable battery pack
- Extra battery packs cost $149 for extended range
- LED lights at front and back can be turned on or off
- 36.3 x 9.6 x 5.7 inches (92.4 x 24.6 x 14.6 cm)
- 17 pounds (8 kg)
- 17 percent max hill incline
- Dust and splash proof with an IP62 rating
- Bluetooth connection for Android and iOS apps
- App can adjust riding modes between beginner, normal, and master
Jannik was by far the most experienced rider of the bunch. He’s a kid that’s been dropping in from 10-meter verts since he was five years old. That’s why everyone was so surprised to see him suffer a minor spill when the StarkBoard’s deceleration caught him off guard, causing him to launch forward and scrape his palms on the asphalt. (There was a bit of blood, but nothing serious for regular skaters.) Still, experienced riders should take heed that the StarkBoard rides less like a traditional skateboard and more like a snowboard with a bungee line attached. Let me explain.
The StarkBoard is equipped with a gyroscopic sensor and more sensors for weight and motion detection. It remains firmly parked until you step on the board, at which point it measures your weight and adjusts for the desired ride mode as defined ahead of time in the app. The calculation happens in a split second before the lights glow steady and a beep is heard signaling the board is ready to ride. Now, with a shift of your weight either toward the front or back of the board, the StarkBoard begins to smoothly move forward or backward, no kicking or remote control required. Lean in the opposite direction of travel and the board slows down. Lean more to accelerate or decelerate faster. Hop off the board, or shift your weight back too far, and the StarkBoard will quickly come to a stop.
It’s like riding a Zboard, except the StarkBoard doesn’t require you to stand on pressure-sensitive pads.
I certainly felt the braking potential during my own riding. It was disorienting at first, but after a few minutes I was comfortably accelerating, steering, and braking in full control the board. What started out feeling odd, soon felt natural after just a few minutes of riding.
Other observations:
- The board is far more rigid than a traditional longboard, with the Canadian Maple plywood / fiberglass construction offering very little flex.
- It’s heavy at 17 pounds, but not too heavy to carry onto a bus, subway, or anywhere else the “last mile” requires. The built-in handles were welcome additions.
- Although the Indiegogo campaign shows pricing tiers as a savings off a retail price of $999, I have it on good authority that the StarkBoard will likely retail for about $549 once the campaign is over. That’s still a good deal if Stark can deliver a final product that works as well as the prototypes.
Remember: we only had a few hours with the StarkBoard, so this isn’t a full review. We also didn’t test the boards in the unpredictable stop-and-go conditions of city streets. To fully understand the StarkBoard, we’ll need more time with a production ride, not the prototypes we tested — something we hope to do in the weeks ahead. But, if you’re the trusting type willing to risk hundreds of dollars on a startup in order to get the StarkBoard first, and at a discounted price, then this certainly isn’t the riskiest bet you could make on Indiegogo.
StarkBoard will run its Indiegogo campaign until December 8th, and estimates delivery by the end of January 2018.
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