Disclosure: We may receive a small commission when you shop by clicking on the links on our site. This is at absolutely no added cost to you. Learn more.
Hoverboards are quite the craze nowadays and rightly so. They are a super fun way of riding around your neighborhood, commuting to work or school, going off-roading on trails, racing and doing super cool tricks with [1]. Their versatility and short learning curve have made them popular with kids and adults alike. If you are excited to join this hoverboard trend but are finding the tasking of picking the right one for you dauting, we are here to help.
You must have noticed several hoverboards on the market, each advertised for different uses. Some are fun and compact, for everyday use to zip around the neighborhood, some for daily commute, while others are bigger and sturdier ones, meant for off-roading. Ever wondered what is it that makes these hoverboards so different from each other? And more importantly, how can you decide which one is right for you?
Don’t worry, we are here to answer these questions for you. We will give you a simple breakdown of what makes a hoverboard suitable for a certain terrain and what you should look for while buying your hoverboard.
Wheel diameter
While many design features affect the smoothness of your ride, the size of the wheel is probably the most important one [2]. The wheel diameter of the hoverboard plays a huge role in deciding which type of terrain the board can be used on. Most hoverboards wheels on the market fall into 3 size categories: 6.5″, 8-8.5″ and 10″. Let’s see how these wheel sizes affect the usage of the hoverboard.
Smaller 6.5″ :
This wheel size is used for hoverboards that are meant for smooth, even surfaces. This is the most popular wheel size for hoverboards since the smaller wheel makes the board lighter, more compact and easily portable. If you are looking for a hoverboard that you can ride around your neighborhood, easily maneuver and do cool tricks on, this is a great size. As a plus, the smaller hoverboards also tend to be much cheaper.
However, smaller wheel diameters limit hoverboards to only flat, even surfaces. While they provide sufficient stability on these terrains, they do not do very well on more rough and bumpy surfaces. Also, due to the small size wheels, the clearance of the board is much lesser and the underside can easily be damaged on rugged surfaces.
Large 10″ :
Hoverboards with these 10″ wheels are specially built for the outdoors. They give the riders the freedom of venturing out into more rough, rugged terrains. The larger wheel size can handle uneven surfaces like gravel, smaller rocks, grass, the beach, etc. with ease. Even on these bumpier terrains, you are guaranteed to enjoy a smooth and stable ride. These large wheels also provide ample clearance for these all terrain hoverboards and protect them from getting damaged easily.
But the larger wheels come with their set of disadvantages. They are heavier, which makes these hoverboards more difficult to carry. They also tend to be a little slower than their competition and tend to use up more juice from the battery.
Medium 8-8.5″:
This wheel size is a perfect marriage between the 6.5″ and the 10″ wheels, giving you the best of both worlds. They are built to be more robust and work great on all terrains. These wheels work great on commute hoverboards, since they can handle uneven roads and sidewalks as well as smoother building floors. So on the weekdays, you can ride on them to work and on the weekends, on your outdoor adventures.
While these wheels do give you the best of both world, they also suffer from each of their downsides. They are not as light and compact as the 6.5″ hoverboards (but much lighter than the 10″) and they might not be very effective on extreme terrains.
Tires
Just like cars, hoverboards have different tires based on its use [3]. Flat terrain hoverboards have smaller and narrower tires. They are also mostly made from hard rubber and are tubeless, which means that you will never have a flat!
The hybrid all terrain hoverboards (8.5″) have bigger and wider tires that do very well on a wider variety of surfaces. The wider tires help with traction on different surfaces and can handle most terrains. So commuting to work is as simple as hopping on and cruising through, without ever having to worry about a flat tire.
The bigger 10″ all terrain hoverboards have the largest and widest tires of all. They have much deeper grooves so that you can even zip around on the beach very easily. These tires usually have tubes in them and provide much better shock absorption while you are off-roading.
Motor power
The motor power of a hoverboard usually determines the speed it can achieve and the load it can carry. Since flat terrain hoverboards are meant for smoother surfaces and smaller inclines, they do not require very powerful motors. In fact that would be an overkill. Although all hoverboards are created different, a lot of the flat terrain hoverboards tend to have about 200 Watt dual motor designs. These can carry loads of about 220 lbs while achieve speeds of about 6-8 mph. This usually works great for most folks.
On the other hand, all terrain hoverboards require higher torque and power to be able to handle rougher and uneven surfaces. These boards are mainly designed to carry heavier loads so most adults (up to 300 lbs) can use them. This is why they tend to have much more powerful motors. They also tend to high much higher speeds of 10+mph.
The best way to choose the right hoverboard for you, is to figure out what you will use it for the most. This will make your decision much easier.
- If you want to be able to zip around and do really cool tricks while being able to maneuver it in really tight spaces, the smaller indoor hoverboard will work great for you.
- On the other hand, if you are looking for a rugged, powerful companion to go on adventures with you, the 10″ all terrain hoverboard will be just that.
- However, if you don’t want to be limited by the type of terrains and you can ride on and at the same time want something that is easier on your pockets, you cannot go wrong with the hybrid ( aka. 8.5″ wheel) hoverboard.
To help choose the best all terrain hoverboard for you, that also gives you amazing battery life, speed, range, etc, we have a great guide for you.