Here is the Backfire G2t electric skateboard review.
I put it through a range test and a speed test to see if lives up to the specs on their
website and I also show you the good, the bad and how it actually rides in real life.
So stick around.
So Backfire Boards are a Chinese manufacturer who have in the past produced traditional
skateboards but in the last five years they have moved into electric skateboards.
I'm pretty sure their first release was the Backfire Galaxy which was followed up by the
Backfire Galaxy gen 2 and then the G2, or they could be the same board, I'm not sure,
I wasn't in the game at that time.
Then they had the G2s, now they've got the G2t.
So they've had plenty of opportunities to iterate and do upgrades to their boards.
And I have to say the backfire G2t is an incredibly well designed and well thought out electric
skateboard.
I want to thank Backfire Boards for sending me the G2t and giving me the opportunity to
review their board.
They haven't sent me any money or they're not paying me to do this review so it's still
going to be completely unbiased and I don't want you to think that because they sent me
the board I am going to give them any special treatment than any other board.
So let's take a look at what the board is all about.
The G2t deck is made of 8 layers of hard maple so it has enough flexibility in it to absorb
most of the vibrations when you're riding but it's also solid enough to keep you steady
and feel confident when you're riding at high speeds.
It has a progressive concave shape so the edges are raised slightly.
This helps a lot when you're turning and you kind of sit inside the board a little bit
which gives you a whole lot more confidence while you're riding.
The G2t is technically an electric longboard and has a length of 37" a width of 10.8" and
a height of 4.3".
There's two options for grip tape.
I have Backfire's Galaxy graphic on mine but you can choose to get the plain black one
with their logo on it which Backfire call "Golden Black".
One of my favourite things about the G2t electric skateboard is that it comes with two sets
of different sized wheels.
It has 83mm wheels pre-installed and you get 96mm wheels in the box.
This is awesome because you can just change your wheels and completely change your riding
experience.
If you want to head out for a slide sesh or take advantage of the fast acceleration chuck
on the 83mm wheels but if you're going for longer rides like commuting to work or school
and you want a really comfortable ride then I recommend the 96's.
Both sizes have a durometer of 83A so they're nice and cushy but you do feel a big difference
in the vibrations that you feel in your feet between the small and the big wheels.
Backfire Boards really do know what they're on about when it comes to skateboards in general
because they've put the extremely popular Caliber II trucks on the front of the G2t
electric skateboard.
When you pull the G2t out of the box and take it for its first ride you'll immediately notice
how loose the trucks are.
I rode for about 15km before I decided to tighten them up and after I did, I couldn't
believe how much more solid my ride was and how confident I felt on the board without
compromising the ability to turn.
Backfire G2t is equiped with dual hub motors at the rear packing 350 watts of power each
but my favourite thing about these hubs is that the PU tires are replaceable.
This makes maintenance of your board a lot easier and far less expensive because you
don't need to replace the entire hub motors all you need to do is replace the PU ires.
And changing the PU tires on the rear wheels is super easy.
Backfire give you the hex key that you need in order to do it yourself.
A full replacement set of two front wheels and two rear wheel PU sleeves only costs $60.
So if you like doing a lot of sliding you're really going to appreciate this.
The Backfire G2t is loaded up with Samsung 30Q battery cells rated at 36V 6A which equals
216W so it's super powerful but there is no chance you're getting this on an airline.
The battery is replaceable, there are only 6 bolts around the outside of the enclosure
that need undoing to gain access into the battery and you can get replacement batteries
online from the Backfire website.
Backfire Boards have put a lot of thought into the design of the G2t remote.
The rubbery matte finish feels amazing in the hand and the little space they leave you
to out your index finger makes you feel like you've got control of the remote and in turn
you've got control of the board.
The remote has an OLED display which shows you your current speed, the current trip length,
odometer for total distance ever travelled, the speed mode you're in, the direction of
the board, battery level for board and remote and whether or not turbo mode is activated.
That's a hell of a lot of info on a small screen but I have to say they have done really
well with the displays layout.
You turn the board on by pressing the button on the casing closest to the back wheels.
You then hold the power button on the remote until the board pairs.
You can flick between reverse and forward mode with the switch at the bottom.
You can tell which direction it is in by looking at the three arrow symbols under the speed
mode.
There are two main riding modes.
Eco and Sport which you can switch between by pressing the E/S button.
And there is also a Turbo mode which is a temporary power boost which you can enter
by pressing the triangular warning sign button.
When in Eco mode the speed on the remote shows a top of 19km/h which is 11.8mph.
When in Sport mode the speed on the remote shows a max of 37km/h which is 23mph.
And when in Turbo it shows 44km/h or 27.3mph.
One thing to note is that the current trip length is measured by the distance travelled
between the time the board was at a complete stop.
So if you're riding along and you stop at a set of traffic lights the trip meter is
going to reset back to zero.
I would prefer if the current trip was measured by the distance travelled between the board
being turned on and turned off.
When you buy the G2t, Backfire send you a ton of accessories.
You get the usual suspects like the charger, remote and T-tool but you also get an LED
light you can mount on the front of your board, a USB-C cable to charge the remote, a heap
of spare screws, two different hex keys, an additional XT90 cable and an extra set of
96mm wheels which we've already talked about.
So that's the board, let's take it outside and do the speed test.
The Backfire G2t spec sheet says this electric skateboard has a top speed of 23.6mph or 38km/h
but when I did the speed test I managed to get 26mph which is 41.9km/h and that was with
Turbo mode switched on and wearing the 96mm wheels.
One thing to note is the Turbo mode is only a temporary speed mode.
It gives you a quick burst of power but then needs a minute or so to cool down before you
can use the Turbo mode again.
Holy Sh...
As already mentioned the Backfire G2t comes with two sets of wheels so I went out and
did a range test for the 83mm wheels and also for the 96's.
On the Backfire Boards website they state the range as 24km.
I weigh 83kg and on the day there was a slight breeze and the roads were nice and smooth.
On the 83mm wheel range test I pushed the board pretty hard using the Turbo mode once
and I managed to reach a total distance of 11.3 miles which is 18.3km.
On the range test for the 96mm wheels I didn't ride as hard and I got 11.8 miles which is
19.1km.
I think lighter riders could possibly hit the 15 mile or 24km mark, however, heavier
riders should expect a range nearer to 10.5 miles or 17km.
I tested the brakes in each of the riding modes to see just how quickly you can stop
when riding at top speed.
First I tested the brakes in Eco mode and you can see that it does take quite some distance
to stop but it was smooth and the board was easy to control.
Next was Sport mode.
The braking distance was significantly longer which is understandable due to the higher
top speed.
And finally, I also tested the brakes when in Turbo mode and you can see just how long
it takes to come to a complete stop.
When applying the brakes at full power while riding at top speed in both Sport and Turbo
mode the back wheels would skid a little and whip out to the side.
It was only slightly and I was able to steady but it would be very easy for inexperienced
riders to be thrown off here.
So who is the Backfire G2t electric skateboard for?
Because Backfire Boards sends you two different wheel sizes it really opens up the possibilities
for you as the rider.
I think the rider that will benefit most from the G2t is someone who wants to use the eboard
to commute to work or school everyday but then on the weekends, flip their wheels and
take it out for a slide sesh and feel that adrenaline of the fast acceleration.
And if you only fit one of these styles then this board is still for you, plus you've got
the option to change them if you want to.
So my favourite things about the Backfire G2t electric skateboard are: The remotes design
and features including the OLED display with a ton of handy info; Replaceable PU tires
on the hub motors make maintenance a breeze; 83mm and *97mm wheels are included making
this electric skateboard ideal for most street riders; It goes really fast especially in
Turbo mode; And I am impressed by its range capabilities.
There's really only two things where this board falls short and that's the trip meter
is measured by the distance between each time the board comes to a standstill rather than
by the distance when the board is turned on and turned off.
The other thing is that the light needs to be fixed on top of the board right above the
front trucks.
Some rider have a naturally wider stance and it could get in the way for them but you don't
have to install the light, you could just hold it in your hand.
You can buy the backfire G2t electric skateboard for $599.
It's free shipping to the US and no more than about $80 to the rest of the world.
So there you have it, the Backfire G2t review.
If you have any questions ask away and let me know in the comments below what you think
of this electric skateboard.
Also, please subscribe to get the latest on all electric skateboard reviews and releases.
Thanks for watching and I'll see you soon.}