Ownboard Carbon with 7″ Pneumatic Tires Review

Ownbaord Carbon AT Electric Skateboard

Product Overview

Features
Quality
Performance
Value

Rating

4.6/5
4.7/5
4.9/5
4.8/5
4.8
4.8/5
OVERALL SCORE

Summary

The Ownboard Carbon and Bamboo series of boards were released in mid-to-late 2019. The boards didn’t receive a huge amount of fanfare at the time, which is surprising, because these boards outgun the Evolve model electric skateboards they are imitating – at least on paper- and only cost around half the price! Due to the very flexible deck of the bamboo there were some battery issues with the first models, however the Carbon did not suffer from such quality problems. Some owners reported a bit of an issue with braking on the earlier models of the Ownboard AT boards, however this has been rectified with their latest Hobbywing ESC upgrade.

In this review I’m going to focus on the Carbon AT model with the 7-inch pneumatic tires. The Bamboo model AT is similar in most aspects except that the deck is much more flexible. This might be an advantage if you’re on Cloudwheels, however in our opinion air filled tired suit the stiffer carbon fiber board much better.
 
Ownboard at the coffee shop
 
Up until mid-2020 the Carbon AT came with 6-inch Solid Honeycomb Airless Rubber Tires. The recent addition of the 7-inch tires brings the Bamboo and Carbon All-Terrain electric skateboards to a level playing field against such off-road boards as the Wowgo AT2 and Evolve Skateboards Carbon GTR All Terrain.
 

The powerful motor on this board combined with the pneumatic tires makes for a thrilling ride up to a maximum speed of 38 kmph/24 mph on flat terrain (officially), however I have surpassed that speed on several occasions. The two 1500W motors offer plenty of acceleration and torque, even up very steep hills, and the brakes are responsive and strong. The biggest fault of this board is the standard bushings which feel a bit soft and wobbly at higher speeds.

Ownboard Carbon AT Electric Skateboard Profile

  • Carbon Fiber Deck
  • Three speed modes – up to 38kmph / 24mph
  • 30km / 19mile range
  • Double kingpin trucks
  • Dual belt drive

Carbon AT with 7" Pneumatics Review

Carbon AT on dirt
The Ownboard Carbon AT with aftermarket lights and motor bash guard

Pros

Cons

About Ownboard

The Ownboard brand was created in 2017, although its parent company was working in electric skateboard design and manufacturing since 2015. The company has carves a solid niche or itself as one of the up-and-coming Chinese manufacturers offering high quality products at a very competitive prices.

It’s clear that Ownboard manufactured its Carbon and Bamboo Electric Skateboard based on the Evolve Skateboards’ line up, and not only have they achieved specs that match or even surpass Evolves, they have done it while only charging around half of what Evolve do. This in itself is an impressive feat, however the disadvantages of buying the cheaper board mean you might have to suffer longer wait times for shipping and a lower standard of after sales service.

The Chinese manufacturer’s do seem to be stepping up their game however. After suffering much criticism Ownboard now keep stock in the USA for faster dispatch, and have slowly been improving their after-sales service as well.

First Impressions

Prior to riding the Ownboard Carbon AT I had only ever ridden on street wheels. The off-road tires add an entire new dimension to electric skateboarding. I’ve actually owned this board for quite some time now, and have since ridden it several times a week over significant distance, so I’ve gotten to know it pretty well.

The first thing I did based on the recommendations of other users on the Ownboard User Group on Facebook was to tighten the bushing right up. The standard bushings are soft and at speed can be a bit wobbly/unstable. If you’re looking to upgrade any parts on your Carbon AT, this would be the first. All other aspects of the board are great. Acceleration is intense on the highest setting, brakes work well, the pneumatic tyres (which happen to be exactly the same brand that Wowgo use on their AT2) eat up cracks in the pavement, bad roads and rocky surfaces with ease.

Main Features

Range

girls on Ownboard Carbon
Range testing near beautiful Pai, in Northern Thailand.

Ownboard claim a range of up to 30 kms/19 miles which is a conservative figure in ideal conditions. Many users claim to have surpassed this distance I personally have gotten very close to it still with battery to spare, so I don’t believe it to be an exaggeration.

The range limit is obviously based on smooth, flat conditions, and will be affected by your weight, the terrain you’re riding on, and possibly even weather conditions. The Carbon’s given range falls fairly close to what Wowgo (35 kms/22 miles) and Evolve (30 kms/19 miles) claim their competing boards can do, and in my own testing I find that the Ownboard performs the same, if not better than the Wowgo AT2 for range, so I wouldn’t base a buying decision for either of these boards over one another based on those official figures.

Top Speed

The Carbon has 3 speed setting so you ride with a limited top speed when learning, or teaching your friends how to ride. Once you become comfortable using the controller, which should be fairly quickly, you’ll likely only use the fastest speed setting, number 3. Since acceleration is brisk, you can reach the claimed  top speed of 38 kmph / 40 mph quickly and which point you should be more concerned with controlling the speed wobbles coming through the double kingpin trucks.

After purchasing my Ownboard the first two upgrades I made to the board were an aftermarket motor bash guard and some Riptide bushings. The upgraded bushings offer a much more stable ride which inspired more confidence at high speeds. I’ve hit 44 kilometres per hour on the stock bushings, but it wasn’t for a prolonged period and it I didn’t feel stable enough to relax even slightly while riding at that speed.

IP55 Water Resistance

Ownboard claim their boards are water resistant. I have personally tested this quite extensively and have no water damage as yet, so it appears as though their claims are justified.

“If there is some water such as a shallow puddle, gutter run-off, or some sprinkler over-spray in your line, the board should be ok. However it is not recommended to ride when the ground is completely saturated.”

With the deck being carbon fiber and sealed all the way around the edges, the board should be fairly safe under light rain, or getting splashed occasionally. I have sprayed the mud and dirt off my board with a high pressure hose several times after taking it off road in dusty/muddy conditions, and I’ve had no issues with water damage. I don’t think the board would have a problem being ridden in rain either, but obviously it’s probably best to avoid this if at all possible.

Ownboard AT on the road

Acceleration and Braking

The Ownboard’s powerful motors deliver power and acceleration all the way through to top speed. With the latest Hobbywing ESC update, the controls are sharp and braking is great. You can ride in traffic with confidence and stop quite quickly when necessary. The sensor in the ESC offers smooth braking and acceleration or violently intense braking and acceleration if you push the thumb controller hard. All in all the setup is well designed and you shouldn’t have any qualms about the controls, or the speed of take-off or stopping at all.

Remote

Ownboard Carbon Remote Control

The Carbon and Bamboo’s remote has been upgraded since last year, with the new model offering a digital display showing speed in kilometres or miles per hour, direction (forward or reverse), speed level (1-3), and battery remaining for both the controller and the board.

The remote is comfortable to hold, comes with the standard rope loop to latch onto your wrist and only two buttons for changing direction, speed setting or display settings.

The remote battery will last longer than the board battery so if you charge them at the same time you’ll never have an issue with the remote battery running out before the board does. Charging is fast too, usually complete within half an hour while the board takes much longer than this. Connection between the board and remote was flawless and I never received any dropouts at all.

The hand controller displays the remaining battery for both the board and the remote itself, which speed setting you are in, current speed, direction, single range and total range. It is easy to use with just one button for all operations, and charges from empty to full in around half an hour. The remote uses 2.4G RF technology to connect to the board, and in all of my testing over the last month I haven’t noticed a single drop in connection at any time.

Deck

Posing with the Ownboard Carbon AT

The Ownboard Carbon has a W-shaped (looking from one end directly along the board to the other end) deck, with a slight drop down. I personally prefer more of a drop through but this type of deck still offers some support where you can tuck in at higher speeds for extra stability and has the benefit of higher ground clearance. Higher ground clearance is great for off-roading but with the pneumatic tires offering a fair bit already, you’re unlikely to need those extra few centimeters.

Due to its slim profile and limited padding the Carbon’s deck is lighter than some competitors e.g. the AT2, and is on par with Evolve’s. This offers a slight advantage over competitors with similar powered motors in acceleration and up inclines.

Being made of carbon fiber the desk offers limited flexibility but this is compensated for with the soft air-filled tires. I specifically chose this combination when purchasing the board because I believe the Bamboo AT would be too flexible and soft when being used in combination with pneumatics, with too much shock absorption equating to lesser stability on rough, bumpy terrain.

I’ve tested the Carbon AT on terrible bumpy roads, gravel, through mud, along forest paths, and through unkept grasslands and never had a problem with bottoming out. The only time I did have an issue is when I tried to go over a forest path which was pretty heavily covered by branches and twigs – more of an experiment to push the limits of the board – and got stuck on a fairly hefty sized tree branch.  

Wheels

As I mentioned in our review of the Wowgo AT2, the 7 inch tires on most electric skateboards are quite similar. The Carbon and Bamboo’s being exactly identical to the Wowgo’s, just with different hubs.

The tires grip well in the wet, which I have tested and carving on them is no issue. Reviews from most other riders online seem to indicate that most of them prefer to ride with the AT wheels over the Cloudwheels anyway, even if that does sacrifice a bit of top-end speed and acceleration.

Trucks

As this board is a clone of Evolve’s, it’s no surprise that the truck setup is very similar. Double kingpin trucks are the flavor of the month it seems and despite these being a bit squirrely at higher speeds – at least with the standard bushings – they still do a competent job with this setup.

The stock bushings actually need a special mention here as they are by far the weakest point on the board. You will need to tighten them right up as soon as you get the board for the best ride experience. Once you feel comfortable on the board you will likely want to upgrade them to a more confidence-inspiring set. I read a lot of reviews online before purchasing a set of Riptide’s Ownboard aftermarket bushings, and the difference in ride stability and ensuing confidence in making turns, and riding at speed, is really noticeable.

Hill Climbing

Riding esk8 AT uphill

Ownboard claim the ability to climb 30-degree incline on their boards and I have no reason to doubt this. This is similar to other boards in this category. Due to its lighter weight, the Carbon seems to climb hills slightly better than the AT2. I will do a full comparison review of the Wowgo AT2 vs the Ownboard Carbon AT soon, so keep an eye out for that.

Weight and Dimensions

The Ownboard Carbon AT weighs in at about 11kg or just over 25lbs. It’s not light by any means but for a board with this much power and size it’s not as heavy as one might expect. As long as you’re not planning on carrying the board around with you too much it shouldn’t be a problem, and you can usually wheel it when you need to move it but can’t ride it to where you’re going e.g. up stairs, over very wet terrain etc.

The deck is 40 Inches / 101.6 cm so almost identical to the Evolve GT Carbon which the board is modelled on.

How Long Does the Ownboard Carbon Take to Charge?

To go from completely empty to full on the Carbon takes around 3-4 hours.

Is the Carbon AT the right board for you?

Are the roads where you plan to ride of poor quality or do you plan to ride on a lot of rough terrain? Have you ridden those places on street wheels and found the ride to be uncomfortable, jarring, or even dangerous? Do you not mind having larger wheels which can be a bit more of a hassle to carry around when not riding?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then the Ownboard Carbon AT might be the right board for you. You can always purchase the board with the Cloudwheels setup too and switch back to road wheels if you ever so wish. Many riders who purchased both sets of wheel that I have spoken to rarely use the Cloudwheels however, and end up only using their pneumatics due to the much nicer ride and additional absorption of bumps and safety benefits.

One big difference I notices about boards with street wheels compared to pneumatics is that in cafes etc., when I’m riding with pneumatics and ask if they mind if I charge my board using their electricity, people seem to be more concerned about how much power I’m going to be using than if I’m riding on street wheels where the board looks less intimidating and more like a toy. Some places will even ask me to pay a surcharge for using the power even though I tell them it’s just like charging a laptop.

Whatever your situation, I’m sure you’ll be happy with the value for money the Ownboard Carbon AT offers, and the impressive power it delivers at such a price. Take a look at the Ownboard website to check current prices on their boards.

Why We Recommend This Board

The Ownboard Carbon AT is like a more raw version of the Wowgo AT2. It’s slightly lighter which benefits the rider in terms of speed and acceleration, yet it lacks creature comforts like the thick padding foam, and the ability to power on/off from the remote.

It makes up for this with great feedback and feel when riding, and is probably more of an enthusiasts board being less ‘gentle’ than the AT2. If the bushings were improved and Ownboard were somehow able to integrate the automatic board power on into their system, this board would definitely be my pick of those two.

Being 2kgs less than your competition in a board that is already quite heavy, is a big advantage however and we’re confident that anyone who chooses the Carbon AT will be happy with their purchase. It was my first 7-inch pneumatic board, and I have zero regrets. I highly doubt you will either.

 

Editor's Verdict
4.8/5
4.80 – The Best Value Power to Weight Off-Road Electric Skateboard currently available.
TOP PICK FOR
VALUE POWER TO WEIGHT AT
Top view Ownboard Carbon AT

Ownboard Carbon AT with 7" Pneumatics

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *