Lacroix Boards - the high speed, long range premium price e-boards cruising past the competition

9 min read

New Canadian e-board company Lacroix have released a new killer high speed, long range, pneu-only, non-mountain board with two different range options - and they’re cruising past the competition.

Lacroix Boards - the high speed, long range premium price e-boards cruising past the competition
April 30, 2019

Lacroix Boards - the high speed, long range premium price e-boards cruising past the competition

 

Just when you thought the e-board market was getting kinda crowded, Lacroix Board Co. drop a gnarly non mountain e-board that is cruising past the competition in terms of speed and range. With a flexible and futuristic deck, a ride like you’re hitting fresh pow and kite surfing at the same time, it’s the answer to the prayers of fast street riders desperate for a kick.

 

 

Who are Lacroix Board Co.?

LB are a relatively new e-board company based on Montreal, Canada. The founding brothers

Alex and Pat Archambault are diehard Canadian boarders citing ‘skateboards, snowboards, kiteboards, longboards, fat skis and surfboards’ as their boards of choice over the last 20 years.

 

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After a fruitless search for an electric skateboard to commute to work with that was fast, wide, and had some kickass range, Alex approached his brother to do something themselves. Cue the brothers building a board from the ground up, inspired by e-sk8ter style DIY builds. Pat departed from the company in late 2018 but Alex is still going strong with his team. Here’s an interview with the founder Alex about the company and boards.

 

 

The Boards: the DSS50+ and DSS60

Currently the only boards LM have released are the DSS50+ and DSS60 models. These are both the same deck, same weight and same acceleration, the only difference is the range.

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The DSS60 has a 31.25 mile max range, with the DSSS50+ offering a 37.5 mile max range. When ordering on the main Lacroix website product page, customers can select the battery pack they want.

 

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For all those keen esk8ers out there, LB also have the Board + Carbon Fiber enclosure sold on its own so riders can build it up from scratch.

 

credit@lacroixboard

 

Quick specs

The first thing that should be said is that these boards are not for beginners. They are fast and have rad power. With that comes a danger that only experienced riders should play with. The boards are built for street riding, flat terrains and flat uphill riding - not off road or mountain riding. Each board is built with awesome regenerative braking. In fact, during Lacroix’s testing, riding downhill while braking boosted up their juice by a sweet 10%.

 

For a full charge, riders are looking at 3.5 hours - a pretty long time in comparison to some e-boards but just remember, we’re talking some long, long ranges here. The boards are water resistant but take care and don’t push it (we know it’s tempting). The boards weigh around 25 lbs.

 

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One of the coolest things about the Lacroix board is its slick and sick Innova 7x1.75 street pneumatic tires and tubes. They’re inflatable and twice as wide as a normal skateboard tires. Carving and cruising over holes and cracks is no longer a problem, and these four tires will see the rider through uneven road surfaces smoothly, every time. Here’s where you can buy the Innova tires on the Lacroix board site.

Speed and acceleration

These good looking e-boards really smash the competition out of the park when it comes to its insane ranges and top speed. Whilst LB recommends riding at 18-22 mph, it’s possible in a quiet, flat location for a rider to bust out an adrenaline pumping 33mph (though some riders report pushing it faster). The DSS50+ and DSS60 both hit that top speed. That means it’s faster than the Meep v2 which tops out at 29 mph and both the Evolve GT and Evolve GTX, which hit 31 mph. Naturally, Lacroix boards aren’t the fastest on the e-board market as there are some insane (offroad) boards out there like the Baja Pantera, but LB aren’t trying to compete with that subcategory of boards.

For tips on what to wear on your board check out how to dress for the slide not the ride - how to dress on a Onewheel (or any e-board), trust us, it’s worth it.

credit@lacroixboard

 

 

Battery

This can get kind of technical fast. Basically, LB wanted a super flexible board so they designed a multiple lithium ion battery pack and enclosure that allowed for that. The batteries are spread across the board between 5 carbon fibre compartments. For example in the DSS60 there are 60 Samsung single stacked 18650 cell, 30Q batteries. Tesla use the same batteries. Bear in mind, after 300 charge cycles, battery performance is likely to decrease by 70%. But with the ranges the board can reach, that’s a long way off.

 

credit@lacroixboard

On the electric-skateboard builders site Alex Archambault listed the battery combinations LB have fit tested so far:

Motors, trucks and pulleys

All three components combine for some sick power. The board is thrust forward by 2 large 3550 watts motors fueled by a huge high discharge lithium ion battery pack. The MBS Matrix trucks are the widest and lightest out there in the market. Engineered without springs (with shock blocks instead) they give stability at high speeds and allow for maximum carving. Both the motor and the wheel pulleys are made from aerospace grade aluminium and have been CNC’d to provide each rider with thousands of miles of rides. This motor, trucks and pulleys combo can pretty much handle anything you throw at them as a street rider. Just remember, the board is wide - and the trucks might catch on stuff if you try to weave too close to traffic.

 

The deck

There’s no doubt. The aesthetics of the Lacroix board are enough to stop anyone in their tracks. And that’s in part down to the fact that the deck and enclosure were designed alongside a longboard and big wave surfboard engineer. The artisan deck itself is handmade from sturdy Canadian Maple wood, biax and triax fibreglass and finished with a carbon fiber layer. After a ton of testing, LB went for a concave and arch deck, with its curves proving the most stable and comfortable for the rider in testing. Importantly, the deck feels intuitive, it has a natural feel and ride. Each deck comes comes with clear grip tape.

credit@lacroixboard

These e-boards are currently the widest on the market. At 10.75 inches wide, bigger riders can still fit on easily with total stability, no wobble and barely any heel or foot overhang. It’s like a longboard, surfboard and kiteboard all mixed into one. It’s also very, very flexible.

Here are some more number-specific deets on the board weight and dimensions, straight from Alex Archambault’s post on electric-skateboardbuilders.com.

The enclosure

There’s much talk about the sleek look of the flexible carbon fiber enclosure which comes with pre drilled holes. Crafted by a motorsports atelier, the carbon fiber is actually motor grade standard and takes up most of the lower deck. No expense or quality has been spared with the stainless steel screws, nylon washers and countersunk aluminium washers. Overall the look is sleek and minimal.

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The Nano v2 remote

The remote is definitely basic compared to the high-tech and stylish look of the board, but its ergonomic design, usability and connectivity are solid. It’s a generic design for a handheld board remote with a throttle that accelerates and brakes at the top, on and off switch at the bottom and a two mode toggle switch on the side. There is a charging port on the bottom and a wrist strap attached. It’s a pretty standard remote to use in the DIY e-board world.

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Here’s a detailed review of the Nano v2 remote by Jinra on electric-skateboard.builders.com.

 

How do Lacroix boards ride?

The 10.75 inch width of the board and 15.5 inch trucks mean it feels stable and secure to ride.  Like a new generation Boosted Stealth, Lacroix boards really absorb vibrations, so riders can keep going rad distances for longer, and feel confident doing it. It’s a board that is totally flexible meaning that carving at speed feel intuitive and uphill crushing is cushioned and comfortable. As noted the pneumatic tires make the ride smoother. The remote works well, so acceleration and deceleration are pretty fast - be prepared! Here’s a review from Danny Wu on Youtube of the Lacroix DSS60 board.

Here’s Tishawn Fahie’s neat video of a speed session with Lacroix boards plus an interview with LB’s Alex.

 

Extras

LB have partnered up with Osprey to create the compact 22 litre Osprey Kamber 22 backpack designed to carry a 20 lbs+ board (available for Canadian customers only).

credit@lacroixboard

The backpack has zipper pockets for the remote, a scratch free pouch for sunglasses and an integrated helmet net. The backpack can easily fit a laptop and come branded with the Lacroix logo. It has a thermo-formed back panel and contoured shoulder straps for stability.

 

All in all…

The Lacroix boards are serious business. With eye watering top speeds and long distance ranges it’s easy to see how they appeal to premium price customers keen to get a techy personal transportation board that is built with quality and can provide long, fast road riding. It’s a powerful beast with Tesla batteries, carefully crafted motors, pulleys and trucks, perfect for experienced riders wanting a buzz. With its wide deck, it’s stable for everyone including larger riders and its solid deck and enclosure means no wobble, even at top speeds. The basic, ergonomic design of the remote means it’s easy to hold, operate and turn on and off. It’s a win win for those that can afford such an epic street e-board and an aspirational purchase for those that want to save up their cash and splurge on this piece of kit in the future, after they’ve upped their riding experience.


If you’re lacking in board experience, how about trying an e-board rental with FriendWithA. It’s super easy, safe peer to peer renting from verified lenders in the US. You can try before you buy and build up your board experience at the same time.

 

Do you have a Lacroix board? What do you think is best about it? Anything you would change?

 

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