By Contributor,William Roberson

Copyright forbes

Hankering to get back on a skateboard but realize you’re not 17 anymore (Or 27, or 37?). The Uditer Pixel Rider mixes in powered wheels and a cool remote for some low-effort, high-tech fun – with a cool twist.

It’s been about a decade since I rode my first electric skateboard (commonly called an “eskate”), and I’m happy to report they’re just getting better and better – as well as more affordable. The marketplace is also getting more crowded, so there is the usual eskate horsepower race taking place, with faster and faster options to choose from (please wear a helmet while riding).

While many eskate makers are happy to increase power, range and such, others are making waves with innovative features that add value – and utility – after a bit of consideration. One of those is Uditer, a China-based eskate makers that recently introduced the $499 Uditer Pixel Rider, which packs a special feature many businesses can use while also performing well as a fun-to-ride electric skateboard.

Uditer Pixel Rider Tech

Just two wires lead from the voltage controller to the in-hub motors for a clean look and simplicity. Simple aluminum single-pivot trucks are familiar and work great.

The Uditer Pixel Rider isn’t revolutionary in terms of components, performance or design; it’s a fairly common longboard format eskate with two driven 105mm wheels powered by a 600-Watt in-hub motor for a total of 1,200 Watts of go. It features a quick-swappable 7.8A 328Wh battery pack that’s good for about 20 miles of real world riding and it tops out at about 28 mph, which is plenty fast for an eskate, trust me.

And while many eskate makers are using a stacked “double pivot” design for the wheels, the Uditer Pixel Rider makes do just fine with a single-pivot truck design (above) like pretty much every analog board out there. It doesn’t even look that remarkable – at first.

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The Special Feature

The top of the Uditer Pixel Rider can display colorful animations, video, photos, designs and more.

What makes the Uditer Pixel Rider special (if you hadn’t guessed from the model name) is that the top of the riding deck is actually a full color LED video screen that riders can customize with an easy-to-use app. The deck/screen can show colorful animations, photos, static images, short videos, text, and the display will also pulse to music playing from your phone. Sounds cool, looks cool, IS cool. Take a look:

But while some riders might roll their eyes at such a feature (and you can turn it on and off via the handheld remote), it does have a practical purpose.

In “sign mode,” as I’ll call it, the board can be placed on its side or hung vertically and can be used an open/closed sign for a business, or a message board, or just a cool visual device to draw people in. The app features hundreds of ready-made signs and custom options, including seasonal animations and so forth, and several animations and text messages can be “stacked” in the app for the board to cycle through.
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Since the battery is designed for powering the wheels, the video board feature is actually a very low power draw, so it will run for hours – even a whole business day – in sign mode, but it will need to be within Bluetooth distance (aout 30 feet) of your phone to stay on.

The battery quickly snaps in and out of the bottom cradle but does require a wire to be connected for power. The battery is fairly small, so carrying a spare or two in a backpack, either for more riding range or more signage time or both, is simple. Buyers can opt for a second battery for $100 when checking out (recommended), or buy a battery outright for $219.

So How Does It Ride?

The long deck and simple layout make for a stable, comfortable riding experience, even at higher speeds. Proper setup is key, however.

Once I got over the cool factor of the video capabilities, I focused on the riding experience and honestly I wasn’t expecting great things since the focus of the product is so clearly on the display system. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the performance and ride feel of the Uditer Pixel Rider. The power of the board is unexpectedly good and control is very natural from the remote, so much so that I prefer it over some other more ride-focused boards I’ve ridden. I typically prefer kicktail type boards over longboards, but the Uditer turns and rides with grace and finesse.
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The remote offers four levels of performance as well as “reverse” capability, with the usual thumb wheel controller that includes rolling the control wheel backward to put on the brakes, which work with well-controlled power by essentially reversing the current to the hub motors. No eskate stops on the proverbial dime, and riders don’t want that anyway as it would throw them off the board. But the Uditer can stop from top speed in a respectfully short distance. Uditer claims it can climb a 30% percent grade and it made short work of lesser grades with yours truly aboard, so lighter riders will have no trouble ascending most hills in most cities.

Observations

The Uditer Pixel Rider electric skateboard gets a lot of attention – and for the best reasons. It’s cool, eye catching, informative and draws people in – a powerful tool for a small business.

So who is the Uditer Pixel Rider for? A lot of my friends who were skaters back in the day have rediscovered riding via eskates, and the Uditer Pixel Rider is a great choice for any beginner or re-entry rider (like myself). However, the user base could certainly expand to anyone who needs signage for a food cart (of which there are hundreds in Portland) or any small business looking to attract attention – rider or no.

And really, there’s no denying the Uditer Pixel Rider is a very cool eskate with nothing else on the market like it – for now. Everywhere I rode it, it drew a crowd, so it perhaps isn’t for introverts, but even introverts like a solid skateboard. Plus, the display turns off with a button push on the remote, so attracting attention is optional. But I always rode it lit up, and yes, the display will also pulse to music playing from your phone.

Anything I would change? Not really, but I’d love to see the option of adding some front-facing headlights for night riding; otherwise I suggest riders mount a headlap on their helmets for better forward vision and safety while enjoying the Uditer Pixel Rider after sundown.

Highly recommended.

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