I-Ride is a compact electric skateboard that fits in a backpack

By Garrett Hulfish Updated August 23, 2017

I-Ride state of the art electric board on Indiegogo

For city commuters, the slowest part of traveling is getting through the city blocks. No matter how fast the train or car, the last few blocks are slowed to a crawl when walking within the city. To speed things up, compact transportation like an I-Ride electric skateboard provides a better alternative.

With their unique aluminum bodies, I-Ride boards add greater durability and stability not found in most other boards. The strength of the deck supports up to 250 pounds in the standard model and 280 pounds in the I-Ride Pro. The unique design also features two distinct steps rather than a full body. This small change makes it easier for beginners to ride.

Once a rider has stepped on the board, a handheld remote control adjusts the acceleration. Once a perfect speed is established, a cruise control option locks into that speed. Actually propelling the board are in-wheel direct drive motors and electromagnetic brakes to slow it down.

1 of 5

i ride electric skateboard 1

i ride electric skateboard 2

i ride electric skateboard 3

i ride electric skateboard 5

i ride electric skateboard 6

Depending on the model, the I-Ride has different grades of power. The standard model has a top speed of 12 miles per hour and can handle an incline of up to 10 degrees. For those looking for more power, the Pro model reaches 20 miles per hour and can go up a 20-degree hill. Regardless of the model, the battery can hold out for up to 20 miles and takes a full two hours to recharge. Even when the battery is dead, I-Ride doesn’t become dead weight. Instead, it can be used as a standard skateboard without experiencing any resistance.

When the ride is over, I-Ride’s compact design makes it highly portable. The board weighs less than 15 pounds and its small size allows it to fit into most backpacks with ease.

“I-Ride Technologies was born out of a passion for skateboarding and a need for solving the mundane daily commuter life,” says Brad Gausewitz, CTO of I-Ride Technologies. “We live in a busy city, so eBoards are an easy, fast, and fun way to get around. They’re not just for skateboarding pros anymore, they’re for everyone — students, commuters, kids.”

The I-Ride is available for pre-order in both standard and Pro models on IndieGoGo. Prices start at $399 with an estimated delivery of January 2018.

Topics

Garrett Hulfish

Contributor

Garrett is the kind of guy who tells you about all the tech you haven't heard of yet. He also knows too much about other…

Outdoors

Goodbye, coolers. The EcoFlow Glacier doesn’t need ice — it makes it

The EcoFlow Glacier is a fridge shaped like a cooler with its own battery,

Every cooler operates on borrowed time. It leaves for your camping trip brimming over with crisp produce and ice-encrusted beer that looks straight out of a Super Bowl commercial, and returns with a soggy block of foil-wrapped cheddar cheese floating in a pool of mustard water. Mother Nature always wins.

Perhaps that’s why I was so enamored when I saw the EcoFlow Glacier at CES 2023. Less a cooler than a mobile battery-powered fridge on wheels, the sleek electric Glacier not only obviated the need for ice, it would make ice for me in 18 minutes. My home fridge can’t even do that, and I didn’t even know I wanted it to until just now. When EcoFlow offered to let me try the Glacier, I envisioned sipping a perspiring glass of whiskey in the tropics and accepted the occupational hazards of my job.

Outdoors

I was wrong. E-bikes are so practical, they’re a transit cheat code

An Aventon Level 2 ebike sits outside a grocery store.

Confession: Despite loving both bikes and gadgets, e-bikes never excited me. Compared to my bicycle, e-bikes seemed unfair. Compared to my motorcycle, they seemed slow. Compared to my car, they seemed impractical.

But with $1,500 federal e-bike rebates potentially on the horizon at part of E-Bike Act, I decided it was past time to reconsider. Not just because 30% off would make them way more accessible, but because the entire idea that e-bikes could be worthy of a rebate changed the way I looked at them: less as toys, more as transit. Had I written off an entire way of getting around because I was looking at it the wrong way?

Outdoors

Upway launches one of the best marketplaces for certified e-bikes, new or not

Man holding ebike from Upway in a field, lifestyle image.

This content was produced in partnership with Upway.
It wasn't too long ago that e-bikes were a rare sight, but all of that has changed, and rightfully so. Electric bikes are all over the road these days, and there are many brands either venturing into the technology, to launch their own versions of the sustainable transportation option or reiterating existing and traditional designs. From Aventon to Schwinn, or RadPower to Momentum, with so many opportunities, the prevailing question is, where do you go to find the best deals and the best information about these brands and their e-bike models? The answer is Upway, the number one certified electric bike provider and an official partner to many of the aforementioned brands.

What is Upway, exactly? It's a marketplace, specializing in e-bikes, featuring an inventory that's sourced from some of the best brands in the world. There are American brands -- like Specialized, Cannondale, and RadPower -- and European brands -- like Riese, Muller, and VanMoof. The best part is the discounts, offering up to 60% off retail, for a plethora of brands. Upway is on a mission to make sustainable mobility affordable for everyone. It's also one of the best places to go for a new or pre-owned e-bike, and here's why: