It’s Tuesday and the partnership between Loaded Boards and Ride Unlimited is officially announced.
Aside from “completes” — the Unlimited Drive on a Loaded deck — the drivetrain kits are still available separately.
See the Before and After prices for the kits after the break.
Solo Kit (click images to enlarge):
A price drop of US$30.
Cruiser Kit:
A price increase of US$100.
R (now Race) Kit:
A price increase of US$200.
And there’s an error in the Race Kit screensnap. It has two batteries, not one, in the Kit.
The price increases can be accounted for due to the addition of a Orangatang Motor Liner, Orangatang Caguama Standard Wheels, and Loaded Jehu V2 Bearings.
Despite that, the US$30 drop in the Solo Kit is a bit puzzling.
Prices for “completes” — a Kit on a Loaded deck — range from US$999 to US$1599.
Potential buyers should note that the Kits do not come with trucks. That’s been a key selling point. Unlike the Mellow Drive that has its own custom trucks, Unlimited Kit buyers are free to use just about any truck they favor. For those without the expertise to choose a truck, it’d probably be worth it to buy a “complete” and reinstall everything — which would include Paris V3 trucks — on a different deck.
Things are still a bit rough. Under Parts & Accessories, everything is marked as Sold Out other than a wheel upgrade pack. That pack will enable existing Unlimited owners to swap out their Unlimited wheels for Orangatang Caguama wheels, making their Kits look like the new ones (the Loaded Jehu V2 Bearings are not included). It’s unknown at post time if orange is the only available color or if the purple and blue Cagaumas will also work.
While it’s great to see Unlimited back in the game in a stronger way, it could still be an uphill battle. The price increases — while justified — are bound to make people hesitate purchasing. The Mellow Drive is just about similarly priced but lacks the modularity of the Unlimited. Unlimited also offers a better remote control and, it can be argued, superior wheels and bearings. Plus, the partnership with Loaded gives Unlimited a presence in the U.S., which Mellow lacks. This is important not only for sales (faster shipment arrival) but for support too. In fact, there’s an intriguing page called Dealer Locator. This could mean “completes” and Kits might be available through brick-and-mortar outlets (Filipacchi in New York City, maybe?)
Previously here:
Loaded Boards To Partner With Ride Unlimited
Ride Unlimited’s Cruiser Kit
Sizes: Unlimited R Kit And Mellow Drive
Unlimited And Mellow Drives Compared By An Owner
eSkateboard Of Lust: Unlimited Drive + Carbon-Fiber Deck
Unlimited/Mellow Drives: Sizing Things Up Sometimes Sucks
Ride Unlimited’s Electric Skateboard Drive
Reference: eSkateboard Weight Frustration, Again
Today Was BoardUp Research Day
Reference: eSkateboard Weight Frustration
Mellow Drive On A Folding Skateboard
The In-Progress Eon eSkateboard Kit
eSkateboards category
Mike Cane's Atomic Supermen 