Let's have a look at the Evolve GTR Review. The Evolve GTR is the latest and most advanced Electric Skateboard developed by Evolve Boards.
Evolve are one of the largest and well known electric skateboard manufacturers in the world along with Boosted.
But along with that reputation comes a big price tag.
So let's see if the Evolve GTR is worth it.
Evolve GTR Specs
| GTX | GTR | |
| Range | 31 Miles | 31 Miles |
| Top Speed | 42km/h (26mph) | 42km/h (26mph) |
| Weight | 8.8kg (Street) | 10kg (Street) |
| Wheels | 97mm | 97mm |
| Deck | Carbon & Bamboo | Carbon & Bamboo |
| Trucks | Super Carve (Gravity Casting) | Super Carve (Forged Method) |
The range of the Evolve GTR street version is 31 miles, and if you have the AT (all terrain) version, you can expect 19 miles.
When it comes to range, Evolve has always been the best in the business, with their GTX board also having a similar range as the GTR.
People will always want more from a newer version, but it's already a heavy board, and adding a bigger battery to a board which already has excellent range, would be unnecessary.
Anything around the mid 20's I would consider ideal when it comes to top speed. There are a few boards out there pushing the 30mph mark, but for many people, the enjoyment of riding an electric skateboard is carving and cruising. I'll get to more about this later.
The Top Speed is 26mph.
As you would come to expect with the previous Evolved series you get bamboo or a carbon deck.
The carbon GTR is made from a brand-new mold. At first, glance, you won't be able to see much difference in the design from the old GT boards.
Evolve has mentioned many times in their quest to improve the build quality with the GTR, And you can see that here with the carbon deck.
It's now reinforced and stronger than ever.
The housing for the battery and ESC has slightly more depth. This is to make room for the new electric system.
The finish is matte black, which is good because I'm a huge fan of anything in Matte black.
Now onto the Bamboo GTR.
The bamboo design of the grip tape I think looks fantastic, it has an old school longboard look about it.
It may look like there isn't much grip tape on the actual middle of the board itself. That's because Evolve is using clear Grip tape in the middle accompanied by dark grip tape on the concave edges of the deck.
You get a very nice flex from the bamboo deck, But probably not as much flex as you expect on a boosted board.
I will go more into detail regarding flex of the battery later on in the post.
Also additional truck holes, So you can change where exactly the trucks will sit and change the wheelbase, giving you further customization.
The remote has undergone a considerable change in comparison to the previous R2 version. We now can connect the remote with the board using Bluetooth Rather than the old Wi-Fi method.
This is one area there has faced some criticism with the previous model, due to disconnections while riding and sometimes the inability to connect the remote to the board at all especially at the start of group rides.
At the moment only time will tell if the connection issues have disappeared, but from what I've seen, there have only been positive things said about the new connection for the remote.
The responsiveness has also improved when you pull the trigger on the board kicks into action immediately.
The trucks on the old Evolve boards had come under fire a few times from riders stating breaks and cracks had occurred under normal riding. Anything like this is alarming for many riders looking for a new Electric Skateboard.
Evolve have taken this on board and changed the entire process for how they're made. The trucks are now a lot stronger than before.
They are still using the same Super Carve truck, so you get the same double kin pin design, which is excellent for carving.
Where originally it was made via the gravity casting process. The trucks are now made via the forged method, and this is a process where the trucks are smashed and forced into shape under extreme pressure and heat.
The result is much stronger trucks, and because of the surface treatment which the metal undergoes, they are also hard to scratch.
The wheels you get on the GTR are 97mm 76A. This is the size on the street version of the board.
Being 97mm you get a lovely smooth ride from the GTR. You glide over many of the bumps and cracks you’ll experience on an everyday ride.
Wheels are one of the most important factors when it comes to having a great riding experience — is having decent urethane.
For the GTR version, the wheels are made by AEND Industries, Who has created a urethane formula which has excellent rebound as well as exceptional grip.
Evolve have always been an excellent board for carving, And with all the minor little improvements throughout the entire board, including the wheels, carving, has never been more enjoyable.
One thing we can't forget about is the bearings. They are precision ceramic bearings which have low resistance, and an incredibly smooth ride.
Battery fluctuations were always a problem with the previous models of Evolve boards. So if you were going flat out up a hill, or running over grass in the AT mode. The Battery indicator on the remote would change dramatically and not give an accurate display of remaining battery.
When you have a high current draw to the motors, you inevitably end up getting low-voltage in the battery. But with this in mind, And they completely design the firmware, Evolve can still accurately determine the remaining percentage of battery, Which drops incrementally.
But in terms of the classic battery sag, where you have a drop of power as the battery gets lower with charge. You still get this as it's just how the Samsung 35E battery cells work.
There are a few aspects of the design I'm going to talk about. Like extra sealant protecting the battery, The battery design itself, Another little additional feature like charging accessories.
First of all, let's talk about the battery and ESC area. Evolve has now added a protective lip right around the edge of the opening for these internal components. This is to obviously stop water from getting in and also stop it from developing on the inside via condensation.
The battery and the ESC Also have their protective casing.
But what about the bamboo version you may be asking?
On the bamboo GTR, The battery and ESE are again protected by a New glass filled nylon plastic which is very durable but also has excellent flexibility to move with the bamboo deck.
So although the battery runs nearly the entire length of the board, because it's split into sections, as the deck flexes the battery is pliable enough to do the same.
You can now use a mobile phone app to get details about the board. Like the trip mileage, Total mileage covered by the board etc. Another little trick you have available is to create your own customer speed mode.
It will allow you to change the power curve to something more to your liking If the current preset speed modes by Evolve are something you wish to change.
You can, But you will have to buy a different battery.
Evolve Have designed and created a Sony 4.2 Ah 152wh battery. You may need to check with your airline Before flying as approval may be necessary.
As you can expect the range is reduced with the travel battery as it's much smaller. In the street mode, it means you can expect anything around 12 to 15 km. With the all-terrain wheels on you will get around 8 to 10 km.
No, Because of the complete redesign of the GTR. It just simply won't fit into the older versions of the evolve electric skateboard.
Here we reached the conclusion of the Evolve GTR Review.
From the outset, you can tell Evolve had made some massive improvements with the build quality.
Although the board looks very similar to the previous version, It's had a complete overhaul, and pretty much every single component has changed.
They have listened to customers and improved areas that were considered a weakness before.
Moving to Bluetooth for the remote connector is a huge win for many people. As previously, people were frustrated with disconnections and waste of time spent at the start of the ride trying to connect the remote to the skateboard.
A lot of the changes have been focused around safety, making aspects of the board stronger, with more protection around the battery.
I like the stealth looking factor to the Carbon GTR. The matte finish on the board, as well as the trucks, make it harder to chip.
We know the evolve boards are cheap, and this is in no means going to be an impulse buy for many people. It's something you're going to want. But I think your previous owner of another board all new to the company will not be disappointed with this purchase.
