“SUMMARY
Overall I'm extremely satisfied with the design and build of the GTR carbon. Even the Unboxing experience was excellent, like when purchasing an Apple computer. The board looks awesome outta the box and something Im proud to own - I sometimes just look at it and admire its space-age, sleek design. It looks and feels and performs like a high-tech, brilliantly designed piece of equipment; something worthy of the price. Im stoked!
RIDING
It's been years since I've ridden a skateboard. Riding a board now at an immature age with power means that you can find a small patch of grass, dirt, or concrete and just keep carving and doing power turns for as long as you like without having to push. Riding an electric skateboard is brilliant - way better skateboarding now than when i was a kid with my old Ozi deck and Dogtown bones wheels from the 70's & 80's.
All the talk about carving with street wheels is really misleading because you can carve just as much with off road wheels on the grass and it feels just as good as on concrete. The difference is that with Off road wheels you can go anywhere (though with limited distance & speed). Though the board is not as powerful on grass as Id like it to be. If the grass is slightly long it slows the board right down. Also, It would be amazing to burst up and down grass hills like riding a huge wave (perhaps the next generation board). Gravel is great for sliding but I tend to lose the front end so its a bit tricky to really push hard. Overall, its brilliant riding and has been a great thing to purchase during Covid. Me and my wife and 3 kids are all into it and if they were cheaper id get one for each member of the family. They all love using it.
ISSUES
The remote is functionally good (though could be brighter) but practically its a joke. It is as if it was made by a completely different, 2-bit company and the person in charge of quality control was away the day that the remote was submitted for testing. One drop and it shattered into pieces, and it aint cheap! Lucky Evolve had already shipped me a new one FOR FREE because the original screen was damaged, perhaps from a knock - it's very flimsy. Anyway, I built a rubber housing for my new remote which has made it bullet-proof.
+ The plug for electrics is also a joke. I dont think it ever stayed closed and its the one point where the electrics can be damaged. Luckily they've just come out with a new plug, but i was surprised to see this $1 part become a potential issue for damaging a $2000 high-tech board.
SUGGESTIONS
+ It would be great to have a reverse drive option because it's a hassle to have to stop and get off every time you cannot make a certain corner because of an obstacle.
+ The weight is a draw-back, but i guess that's where battery technology is up to. It would be great to be able to roll freely with the board if you run out of battery because carrying it is a nightmare, esp in the heat or uphill. It weighs 10Kg and is cumbersome to hold
+ It would be good to have a cleaning kit for the deck because it gets filthy when you go riding off road and you can't wipe it with a wet cloth because water may get through the seals into the batteries. Still havent worked out how to keep the deck clean.
+ I wish someone had told me that it's ILLEGAL to use electric skateboards in NSW up to $1800 fines (3 separate fines of about $600 each). I got pulled over the other day by a cop who told me they are only legal on private property and are considered to be like a motor bike, so you can't ride them on the footpath and you cannot ride them on the road (cannot remember what he said about bike tracks). So now Im wondering where the heck can i ride it without risking upto $1800!! It would be great if Evolve and Evolve riders could lobby the government to get their act together. Why are people allowed to ride electric bikes and scooters around the place but not skateboards? If the board rolled better without batteries you could switch power off when you go past police as if riding a normal skateboard, but the Evolve just wont budge beyond a slow crawl.
Having said all, Im stoked I own this board - I made the right decision to purchase the Evolve GTR Carbon”
Hi Philip,
Thanks for taking the time to write this thorough review. We enjoy hearing feedback so we can put it towards improving for the future. I’ll address a few things you have mentioned.
We used to have the reverse function on our boards but we found that riders would put it into reverse whilst riding which is extremely dangerous, because of this, we removed the function and now you can just turn around and kick push.
You can kick push the board without harming the electrics. The street wheels roll freely whereas the all terrain wheels have more resistance requiring slightly more effort to kick push. You can also pick the board up by the rear strut and wheel it behind you.
A cleaning kit is a great idea for the future! For now, I recommend looking into a grip tape cleaner. This is essentially an eraser for your grip tape and you can find it in most regular skate stores!
We have been working with the federal government for a while and have so far been successful in a couple of states. We are amongst an electrical revolution and it will take time to get where we need to be, Rome wasn't built in a day. In the meantime, if you have any questions about rules governing electric skateboards in your area, I recommend reaching out to your local council or even electric skateboard riders in your region - https://www.facebook.com/groups/eSK8Sydney
I hope this information has helped, if you have any follow up questions, please feel free to let us know.
Regards
Evolve HQ
“I got this board about 3weeks ago now and I love it. It goes up hills i thought I'd be walking up. Took a bit of getting used to starting and stopping as the acceleration and deceleration are unreal! In GTR mode that is. Definitely recommend it to everyone.”
“I have researched quite a bit to understand what would be a great e-skate, capable to long distance and reliability. After going over a few options, Evolve Carbon GTR was my pick.
Yet, it needs a great deal of maintaining and attention, which is not quite understood until you’re actually in the Facebook about it. Should you be a hands-on kind of person, e-skates can turn into a great hobby.
Also, the screws on my board are imperial and the keys that came with it are metric, therefore, I had to purchase some proper allen key and an electric drill/driver to turn maintenance into something doable.
Overall it’s a lot of fun and great commuting tool.”
“As a member of the First Vans Skateboard team in 1978 and now at the young age of 58 - the Evolve Skate Board has given me back many great memories of riding a Skateboard. Such a Thrill !! Keep Evolving ! Thank you much !
Aloha from Kauai”
“Coming from a mountain board riding background the Carbon GTR, with the AT setup, really gave me the same carving and riding feel I was looking for. Whether it is during the week to commute to work, or weekend adventures, it has the power and range to carry my 100kg frame anywhere!”
