RALDEY CARBON AT V2 ELECTRIC SKATEBOARD REVIEW
The Raldey Carbon AT V2 is an all-terrain electric skateboard ideal for commuting and cruising on trails that are a little less than perfect. But it's not for everyone. Read on to see if this is the eboard for you.
Best Features
- 46kmh / 28.5mph Top Speed*
- 18.6 Mile / 30km Range
- 30% Hill Grade
- Use Any Wheels
- Worldwide Shipping
Hey! What’s going on eSkaters?
This is my Raldey AT V2 electric skateboard review where I show you exactly how it performs in a real-world setting and show you everything you need to know about this eBoard to help you decide whether or not this is the best electric skateboard for you.
I’ll start with the price. It’s US$1,049 which makes it Raldey’s top-of-the-range electric skateboard.
At this price, it’s not really in the ‘affordable electric skateboard’ category anymore. But comparing it to some of its competitors like the WowGo AT2, it’s still the cheapest option.
It’s boasted to have a 30km (18.6 mile) range and a 46kmh (28.5mph) top speed but I’ll be testing all of that in just a sec.
I want to tell you who I think this board is for but, in order to do that, we need to take a closer look at the eboards specs.
And, I’ll do it quickly so we can get to the fun part of testing the performance.
The deck is a 35”, fully enclosed, carbon fibre, unibody deck. So, it’s super stiff and the only sort of flex you get is from the double kingpin trucks, which is hardly anything.
But the important thing I want to draw your attention to here is the deck length.
It’s actually a 35” inch deck and not 40” that it says on their website. I have emailed Raldey to let them know so hopefully they’ve updated the website already.
The reason this is important is that it changes who this board is ideally for.
I’m just 6 feet tall and I find that the deck is a tad too short for me. I prefer a 40” deck.
I think the Raldey AT V2 is better suited to anyone 5’10” and shorter. But it all comes down to personal preference. Try out a few regular longboard decks to get a feel of what size you feel most comfortable on.
Like most electric skateboards nowadays, the Carbon AT V2 is fitted with shock-absorbing grip tape which helps to soak up a lot of the small vibrations you would generally feel while riding. This makes longer rides possible because your feet will be less fatigued.
The wheels are airless, all-terrain rubber tyres and come in 165mm or 195mm.
The “small” wheels will give you more torque at the expense of a slightly lower top speed while the larger wheels will get you the higher top speed at the expense of a bit of acceleration power.
I have the 195mm wheels and overall I felt that they were quite comfortable riding over cracks and bumps in the road. I still prefer pneumatic, but these airless ones do a pretty decent job.
The key factor about these wheels is that they are labelled as All-Terrain. That means paved roads, grass and dirt.
However, the tread on the wheels is quite urban. They’re fantastic for paved roads and they do a decent job of cruising along dirt tracks and grass, but if you’re looking to do any hard off-road riding, these wheels don’t cut it.
As soon as you pick up the pace on a dirt trail, the traction becomes sloppy and you spend a lot of energy trying to keep the board from slipping away from you.
You could increase your torque by putting on a set of Cloudwheels which might help on grass and gravel, but still not ideal for real off-road riding.
The double kingpin trucks are…
Hmm…
Well, for starters, for my height, the double kingpin trucks on a deck this length is not ideal for me. The last time I rode a 36” deck with double kingpin trucks was on the Verreal RS and well, it didn’t end so well for me.
It’s fair to say that I took it a lot easier this time around. I tightened the trucks all the way up to be safe and when I was riding I felt like the AT V2 still had a lot of room to carve with.
For the electronics, the Raldey AT V2 has a 14Ah 10S4P Sanyo GA battery, dual 6368 belt-drive motors with a rated power output of 1500W each and a Hobbywing ESC with minor customisation tweaks.
One of the coolest features of the ESC and the remote is that it has an auto turn-on feature. That means all you have to so id turn the remote on, give the board a bit of a push and the board will turn on automatically and connect to the remote.
Don’t underestimate how easy this makes your life. Flipping the heavy deck over to click a tiny button sounds simple, but it’s more annoying than you think.
Having now looked at the specs of this board and from my experience riding it, I think the Raldey AT V2 is suited for a rider who is sub 5’10” in height and wants something to cruise around on and commute. It has the ability to go off-road if you want to cut the corners of paths and would even be a good option for going on dirt walking trails.
I wouldn’t, however, recommend this for someone looking to do hard off-road riding.
That was a quick look at the specs of the board, if you want more detailed info, check out the link in the description to my written review that will have a few extra nuggets of information.
Finally, it’s time to jump into the performance tests!
Range Test
My final range was 21.4km which is 13.2 miles. Plus, I accidentally turned my GPS tracker off for part of the trail which was about a 500-800m off-road incline. In reality, I think the range was bang on 22km.
That was hard riding on a track that was 80% off-road and only 20% street riding. It was a tough trail too, probably stretching the AT V2’s capabilities. There were lots of ups and downs with loose gravel and large rocks and crevices. I wouldn’t take this board next time I rode that trail.
Considering the trail and the amount of thrashing I gave it, the range is very good. I watched a few other reviews and they also got very close to the specced range.
Top Speed Test
The top speed is all very confusing on the Raldey AT V2.
The website states that it can get up to 46kmh (28.5mph).
But, if you run the throttle without riding, the remote only gets up to 33kmh (21mph).
Then to get even more complicated, I managed to hit a top speed of 38kmh (23.6mph) tracking with my GPS watch..
I sent Raldey an email and they said that the Top speed on their website is what they got in a “lab test” – Not a true indication of top speed in my opinion.
I watched some other reviewers and they all seemed to get around a similar top speed to what I got.
However, aside from the fact the top speed is overstated, 38kmh is more than enough speed on an AT eboard like this. Especially for my height on a deck this length and double kingpin trucks.
I was feeling a bit sketchy heading into this speed, I wouldn’t want to push it any harder with this hardware setup.
For the type of rider looking to buy this, it’s more than enough.
Acceleration Test
The acceleration on the Raldey AT V2 is very good. The curve is smooth and reliable. It’s not too punchy so it won’t be throwing you off unless of course, you’re not ready for it.
I think the acceleration curves are matched well to the riding modes. In LO mode, you get very manageable acceleration, while in the HI+ mode there’s some pop that experienced riders will enjoy.
Braking Test
I have no issues with the brakes. They bring you to a stop fairly quickly but most importantly, safely. There’s no jerking when switching from accelerating to braking.
Hill Climb Test
On smooth, paved roads, the Raldey Carbon AT V2 climbs most hills that you might encounter.
However, on this particular gravel trail I rode, where the inclines are a bit sharper, it really struggled. The combination between the steepness and lack of traction due to the gravel meant that I couldn’t even get up some of them.
That goes back to what I was saying earlier about this eboard not really being good enough for hard off-road riding.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I think the Raldey Carbon AT V2 would be a great option for some people.
To reiterate what I’ve said throughout the review, it would be a good electric skateboard for someone sub 5’10” who wants to use the Carbon AT V2 mainly for commuting and some light off-road riding.
It has a great range capability and a more-than-enough top speed, even if it is overstated on their website.
Look, at the end of the day, if it’s good enough for Matty from Evolve to model for it, then it’s good enough for me.
That’s my Raldey AT V2 electric skateboard review. I hope I’ve helped make your search for the best electric skateboard a little easier.
As always, ride safe out there eskaters.
Speak soon.