Big Things Really Come in Small Packages When We Talk E-Board Conversion Kits

It seems that this idea, not of freedom, but of zipping around town at the press of a button, is happening - for sidewalk surfers at least. What we’re talking about here is something known as the Cruiser conversion kit.

While we’ve been sitting at home just chilling and bingeing everything on Netflix, a collaboration between Unlimited and Loaded Boards has taken place. From it, a whole new line of conversion kits for fellow wood pushers has emerged.

If you don’t know who Unlimited is, get with the program. They are at the top of the e-conversion game and don’t produce just kits for boards but also manufacture e-bike kits. As for Loaded Boards, what’s there to say? This team has been dreaming of bringing the feel of snowboarding and surfing to land since the 90s, with the actual company setting roots in 2000.

From these two teams three different kits have emerged, each one stronger than the last. We’ve recently presented the Solo kit, which leaves the topic of today (the Cruiser), and tomorrow’s grand finale, the Race kit. We’re breaking these down for you as there’s a whole lot to talk about.

The Cruiser kit is supposed to do everything the Solo does, but better. So what do we get when spending $949 (U.S. only) on this add-on? For starters, the Cruiser too includes only one motor housed in only one of the four wheels, just like its little brother. But here we have two battery packs instead of one.

Now, the motor is an 840W max output motor that’s also been tuned up to a 240 lb (110 kg) rider limit. Think about this for a second. I was a kid in the 2000s when we had motors this big on remote-controlled cars. Now we have those same sized motors pushing us around town.

Oh, and this little hellraiser will also carry your 240-lb butt up a 9-degree hill. So yes, it’s a big deal. Not to mention a 23 mph (37 kph) top speed. 23 mph (37 kph)! From something big enough to fit in your pocket.

As for the powerhouse for this little menace, we are offered two batteries, each one housing 90Wh of juice. That's good enough for 13 miles (20 km). It may not seem like much, but then again, you’ve probably never ridden a board flying around at 23 mph for that long. It’s a struggle, I'll tell you that. Especially with the jelly legs everyone's got from sitting around these past months.

One other neat trick this kit has up its sleeve is a regenerative braking feature. Still, it’s not clear whether this adds to the 13-mile (20-km) range, or that’s all we get with this system in place as well.

To make yourself zoom around town, a hand-held remote is also included. By pressing the ‘A’ button, the motor will hold your current speed. Pressing the ‘B’ button just makes the motor max out all parameters with a full throttle. No biggie.

What makes these kits truly phenomenal is that they fit nearly any existing board on the market. So whether you have a skateboard or a longboard, you’re good to go. Even setting it up is so simple that it can be done while taking a bus to the park or kicking it on a curb, as the kit comes with everything you need.

But let’s say you don’t have a board; not a problem for this team. If you’ve got $1,199, you can choose from two complete board packages: the Icarus or Tesseract. Each one comes with a different deck, trucks, and decal, though the kit remains present.

Honestly, for the near 250-bucks extra you put in for a complete setup, it’s worth it just to get it delivered to your local skatepark as you happen to be there. Just make sure you let Amazon know you want to receive yours fully charged.