Boosted v2: 90mm 78a Ollin Popoca Wheel Swap [x-post /r/boostedboards]

Here are some of my thoughts about the Ollin Popoca wheel swap. You can read more about it here: one / two / three

Here's a link to the Ollin Popoca wheels, Zealous ceramic bearings, and Acer Racing ceramic bearings (for the pulleys) mentioned in this post.

I recieved these wheels in the mail on October 25th and couldn't wait to get them on my board. It took me ~15-20 minutes to fully assemble it along with some Zealous ceramic bearings. I also put some Acer Racing ceramic bearings in the pulleys, not sure what difference they make if any considering they're attached to motors, but hey, I had them so I used them.

It was a bit difficult getting the pulleys in/out of the cores of the wheels, but eventually they do pop out with enough force. Make sure to use a buffer of some sort (I used a small block of wood) when you're putting them into the Popoca cores, don't just go hammering at the pulleys themselves and expect good things.

One of the downsides of the swap is the inability to use the metal belt covers with the wheels installed. I went ahead and screwed the bolts which would normally hold the cover in place all the way in, partly so I wouldn't lose them but also to protect the holes from being exposed to the elements.

Now, before I tell you about the ride, let me tell you about myself. I am 17, ~155 lbs, 5'7", and my stance is goofy. I have about 450 miles on the board. I live in central Florida and I ride on smooth roads most of the time, but there are some patches of brick road in my city, which are pretty rough but I've had no issues with going over them.

Now in regards to the ride, the wheels feel pretty good, especially going over rougher terrain. The size and softness contribute a lot to the added comfort of the ride. The extra 10mm in comparison to the Kegels does make a difference in the speed as well. I can do ~2 mph faster in all modes now. So in Expert mode I now do 22 mph, and in Pro mode I do 24-25 mph. Definitely noticeable while you're riding, I pretty much only use Expert mode now, but I enjoy having the option of a faster mode for when I want it.

The range is affected by the larger size of the wheels as well, but it's very minor and personally I hardly notice it. I did some range testing with Strava (great app, I recommend it for tracking rides on android). Here are the results: https://i.imgur.com/7lFuflC.jpg

Note that I've never done any testing on the range of the stock Kegels, but I really can't say I notice a big difference while I'm riding.

The acceleration and braking are affected as well, but again it's minor and quite easy to get used to. Simply begin braking a bit earlier than normal. The torque for braking and accelerating is certainly still there, just a tiny bit less powerful.

Overall, these wheels are a pretty great and very easy modification to do if you're looking for a bit more out of your board. I strongly recommend this swap if you have the means to do it.

Here's an album of my setup.

Thanks for reading and feel free to ask questions if you have any!

p.s. Thanks u/OllinBoardCompany for the sweet wheels!