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What Are 2021’s Best Off-Road Electric Skateboards?

If you plan on riding your electric skateboard off-road, you’ll need an electric skateboard that can keep pace with your expectations and your needs.

Electric skateboards designed for use off-road are different beasts than their city riding cousins, and you’ll need to be a knowledgeable buyer to pick the one that’s right for you.

In this article, we’ll examine several great off-road electric skateboards. Then, we’ll show you how you should think when you’re in the market for an off-road electric skateboard so that you’ll find our favorite off-road electric skateboard for your needs.

2021’s Best Off-Road Electric Skateboard Reviews

In this section, we’ll walk through our candidates for the best off-road electric skateboard of 2021. Be sure to pay attention to the features that we mention again and again to understand what you should be looking for when you hit the market.

OUTSTORM Off-Road Electric Skateboard

This board is lightweight, robust, and durable.

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The OUTSTORM is a prototypical electric skateboard intended for off-roading. With its classic skater aesthetic, powerful engine, large battery, and ergonomic foot straps, you’ll find that this electric skateboard is very well-rounded.

With the OUTSTORM, you’ll get an electric skateboard that is capable of traversing gravel or grass surfaces without losing much speed. While it’s a bit heavy to use on pavement, it’s also very durable.

However, the placement of the electric engine is awkward for skaters who like to recruit the tail flange for turning. Because the electric motor is directly behind the rear tail flange, if you aren’t careful, it’s easy to put pressure directly on the engine instead of the flange during a rapid turn.

With a bit of practice, this drawback will fade from relevance, so don’t let it dissuade you from picking the OUTSTORM.

MotoTec 1600W Dirt Electric Skateboard

Incredible power in a compact package.

The MotoTec Dirt is a masterful electric skateboard that packs a tremendous amount of speed into a short-board format. With the twin engines encased in the board’s rear, you’ll find that there are few boards that can accelerate or torque as effectively as the MotoTec.

The MotoTec also has high-traction wheels, which can even provide a semblance of control when riding over slush or ice. While you shouldn’t tempt fate, the wheels prevent slippage for a considerable number of different road conditions, making the board very versatile.

The downside of the MotoTec is its rider platform. Unlike other off-road electric skateboards, the MotoTec electric skateboard has no foot straps. It also has minimal traction on the surface of the rider platform, making it easy to go flying off of the board if you stop abruptly.

So long as you keep speeds low, you can use the board’s agility to avoid trouble, but this is not an electric skateboard for inexperienced skaters.

AZBO Off Road Electric Skateboard

Snappy looks, high cruise efficiency, and great battery life make this board a winner.

The AZBO Off-Road Electric Skateboard is a great choice for new boarders and experienced boarders thanks to its wonderfully responsive controls, high maximum speed, decent agility, and good aesthetics.

With this board, you’ll be getting a highly versatile product that can ride off-road just as easily as it can ride on the road. Thanks to the included customizability and repair kit, you can fine-tune the screws and connections on the board to fit your fancy.

For the most experienced riders, this level of customization is excellent because it offers the opportunity for a more comfortable or more easygoing ride. For novice riders, there isn’t much use in fiddling with the screws which control the stiffness of the board’s pivoting.

While the board is a bit heavy for on-road use, you will find that it is reasonably agile. The only issue with the AZBO is that its control surface requires some scrutiny to understand. Be sure to treat the wrist loop gently, as it will easily break at an inopportune time.

Vestar Black Hawk

Stellar aesthetics and a super-comfortable riding platform make this board multifunctional and trendy.

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The Vestar Black Hawk is a top-of-the-line off-road electric skateboard that is stunning to behold. While you won’t be cruising at extremely high speeds with this board, whether you’re off-road or on the pavement, the board’s endurance is nearly unbeatable.

For long rides on the grass, this electric skateboard won’t let you down. As a result of its impossible to deflate wheels, the Black Hawk is also very durable for off-roading.
The twin motors provide a semblance of rapid acceleration, even when you’re starting from a difficult surface like gravel or loamy dirt.

On the other hand, if you need to turn sharply on short notice, this electric skateboard will probably cause a problem for you. Because it has no tail flanges and the longboard format limits the amount that the platform can pivot, the Black Hawk is best suited for riding in unpopulated areas.

L-faster Electric Skateboard

For electric skateboard enthusiasts who want to build their own board from the ground up, there’s no substitute.

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If you’re interested in making your own off-road electric skateboard from scratch, the L-faster electric skateboard kit is right up your alley. The L-faster kit includes two sets of wheels, a twin-linked electric motor, a speed controller board, and a remote control housing.

You’ll need to procure a board platform, straps, and a battery before this product is a usable electric skateboard. However, for people who want to build their board from the ground up to control every element of its agility and performance, this is potentially the best choice on the market.

For people who want to use a board out of the box, the L-faster doesn’t have much to offer, however. While most of the parts in the kit are high quality, the remote control unit leaves something to be desired, so plan accordingly if you decide to go with the L-faster.

Features You Should Care About In An Off-Road Electric Skateboard

Now that you have a few examples of the best off-road electric skateboards, we’ll go into more detail about the things you should care about when you’re evaluating electric skateboards for off-road use.

In general, you should pay attention to the following features when you’re shopping for an off-road electric skateboard:

• Shock Absorbance
• Agility
• Battery Capacity
• Torque
• Control Quality

Importantly, unlike electric skateboards intended only for use on paved surfaces, these features are not mutually exclusive.

Shock Absorbance

Using skateboards or electric skateboards with insufficient shock absorbance can lead to knee or back pain.

For off-road electric skateboards, this consideration is even more important than normal because the off-road environment has more opportunities for harsh shocks than the road would.

Off-road electric skateboards with superior shock absorbance are also more comfortable to ride because the board protects your body from the unevenness of whatever surface you are riding on.

However, there is one major tradeoff with shock absorbance. The more a skateboard insulates you from shocks, the heavier it will be. The reason for this is that the shock absorbers are heavy springs.

If you’re young and in good health, you can probably stand to skimp on shock absorbance with your off-road electric skateboard. Nonetheless, doing so can cause injuries down the line, so opt for a skateboard with front and rear shock absorbers if you can.

Agility

Off-road electric skateboards are typically less agile than their on-road counterparts because they are heavier and have larger wheels as well as larger engines.

For most electric skateboards, there is a relationship between the maximum speed of the board and the agility of the board. Boards with high maximum speeds are less agile because it is harder to change the vector of their momentum.

This holds true with off-road electric skateboards. The faster your board can go, the less agile the board will be on any surface. Off-road electric skateboards also have larger wheels to help navigate the unevenness of off-road surfaces, so their turning radius tends to be much larger.

The other important point about agility is that most off-road electric skateboards lack a robust tail flange, which might be used to rapidly turn the board. If you do find an off-road electric skateboard with a large tail flange, it might be better than its competitors.

Battery Capacity

The battery capacity of your electric skateboard determines how long you can ride the board before you need to recharge. Especially if you plan on riding your board in the woods or other areas far from civilization, you’ll need to invest in a board with a high-capacity battery.

Many off-road electric skateboards have large and bulky battery packs that have superior endurance when compared to on-road varieties. Nonetheless, many people complain about the small capacity of their off-road electric skateboard.

Most off-road electric skateboards have two electric motors. Because there are two motors, there is twice as much drain on the board’s battery. This means that you should expect your off-road electric skateboard’s battery to perform better when you ride on less challenging routes.

Keep in mind that the larger the battery pack, the longer the battery will take to recharge after a full run.

Torque

The torque of an off-road electric skateboard’s engine determines how easily the board can maintain its speed when climbing a hill or riding on rough terrain. It also determines how rapidly the skateboard will accelerate.

Having electric motors that produce a high amount of torque is very desirable for off-road electric skateboards, but few manufacturers list the torque of their products.

In general, you should assume that off-road electric skateboards with larger engine units and wider wheels have higher torque than those that don’t.

The wideness of the wheel is a good corollary for the torque produced by the engine because wider wheels require more force to move.

On the other hand, off-road electric skateboards with a high torque output tend to be heavier, meaning that they are less efficient at riding on smooth terrain. In other words, they’re less versatile because their engines are configured for difficult terrain at all times.

Control Quality

The quality of the remote control on an off-road electric skateboard is important because it is difficult to ride a board properly if you can’t actuate the electric motors and the brakes at your whim.

Some electric skateboards have complex control units that allow the skateboard to cruise at different speeds or brake with different intensities. While these are nice features to have, they are not necessary for most users.

Instead, look for an off-road electric skateboard that has the responsiveness that you want. If your remote control is overly responsive, riding the skateboard at speed will be difficult because all of your inputs will be magnified and make the skateboard jerk around uncontrollably.

In contrast, if you have an effective remote control unit, you will intuitively understand how to make your skateboard do what you want it to do without needing to think about it. You’ll also have the benefit of not needing to look at your control to perform the action you desire.

The tether on remote control units is a highly underrated feature. Without the tether, it’s easy to drop your remote control and lose track of it. Many tethers are poorly made and will easily snap, so do your best to get a remote control with a tether that is heavy-duty.

Where Can I Use Off-Road Electric Skateboards?

The answer is that it depends on the type of off-road electric skateboard you have and how much tolerance you have for a rough ride.

There are several surfaces which all off-road electric skateboards can navigate with confidence, including:

• Grass
• Dry dirt
• Gravel
• Tile
• Boardwalks
• Paved sidewalks
• Paved roads

In summary, you can ride your off-road electric skateboard wherever these surfaces are the most common, whether that’s at a park or in your yard.

Importantly, your off-road electric skateboard will not be as energy-efficient at riding on paved areas and boardwalks as a lighter board that isn’t designed for off-roading.

However, there are a number of other surfaces where some off-road electric skateboards will perform significantly better than others, such as:

• Sand or sandy loam
• Solid rock
• Muddy dirt
• Ice
• Uneven rocky ground
• Uneven ground with exposed roots

Of these surfaces, it’s important to note that only the best off-road electric skateboards can cope with ice or sand, and the vast majority can’t cope well with the mud.

For mountaineers, the good news is that there are a number of features that make some off-road electric skateboards capable of comfortably navigating rock formations, rocky ground, and ground with roots.

Shock absorbance and torque are the two most critical things to look for if you intend on riding your off-road electric skateboard in areas with the above surfaces.

Torque will be necessary to maintain speed while moving over bumpy regions, and shock absorbance will be necessary to protect your knees and back while you are doing so. Battery life is another factor, since rough terrain uses more energy to traverse.

Off-Roading Tips

When you take your off-road electric skateboard out for a drive, there are a handful of tips that you should keep in mind to make sure that you have a safe and fun experience.

Run Through Your Pre-Ride Checklist

First, make sure that your skateboard’s battery is fully charged. Confirm that the battery charge indicator on the battery itself displays the same charge level as the interface on your remote control.

Next, make sure that the route you intend to ride is within your skateboard’s range on the basis of its battery capacity. For hilly off-road routes, it’s better to err on the side of having more battery than you think you need, like hills and rough terrain drain the battery much faster.

For flat routes, you can take the manufacturer’s advisory regarding maximum usage range at their face value.

When it’s time to depart, do a quick check of each of the skateboard’s control surfaces. Make sure that the remote control correctly accelerates the skateboard and double-check that the skateboard’s brakes are functioning properly.

Safe Riding

While you are off-roading, you should take care to wear the appropriate protective equipment. You should always wear a helmet when you are riding your off-road electric skateboard, even if you think you will just be riding on the grass or other soft surfaces.

On the other hand, if you know that you’re only going to be riding around softer surfaces, you can probably leave your knee and elbow pads at home. If you intend on off-roading in a hilly area with a lot of broken terrain, you may want to consider wearing elbow pads and knee pads to protect you if you stumble off your board.

You should always use the foot straps on your skateboard to ensure that you stay on the skateboard while going over bumps. If you don’t use your skateboard’s foot straps, as soon as you hit uneven terrain, there is a chance that you will tumble off your board.

Most off-road electric skateboards are rated to be waterproof at a basic level. This means that you don’t need to cancel your ride if it starts to drizzle. You should be aware that your electric skateboard should not ever be submerged in water, however.

Riding Away

That concludes our roundup of the best off-road electric skateboards. We hope that you enjoyed it and that you understand what to look for in an electric skateboard intended for off-road use.

If you still aren’t sure which off-road electric skateboard is the right choice for you, visit a store and try out a few. Remember, safety is the largest concern with an off-road electric skateboard, but your skateboard can’t keep you safe if you refuse to work with it.

Wear the proper protective equipment for your off-road ride, and be sure to drive your skateboard safely regardless of the terrain you’re on.