Featured Meepo Rider - Interview With Colin Teo From Singapore

Hi there, my name is Colin Teo and I live on the sunny island country of Singapore. I have a lovely wife and two boys who also love to skateboard. We hang out pretty often at Longboard Love Singapore, a wonderful skateshop in Singapore. In addition to skateboarding, we are a family of Aikido martial arts practitioners as well with Aikido Shinju Kai. We all love to travel and see the many wonders that the world has to offer.

How did you first hear about Meepo?

I was searching around the internet for a cheap electric skateboard. At that time, most of the well known brands were way beyond my budget. Meepo was the most affordable at that point in time.

Describe your first ride

I took the MeepoBoard for a quick ride at a nearby park which had a 15 degree downslope. I was not sure what would happen when I pulled back on the brakes to slow down as I proceeded down the slope, but the MeepoBoard was fantastic and point on for brakes. That made me very confident of what else the MeepoBoard could do.

What do you like most about your Meepo?

Besides being both affordable and reliable, especially when it came to braking, what I liked the most about Meepo is the level of customer service that Kieran Mao, the owner of Meepo, provides to his customers. He started off with a just a small team to build MeepoBoards, and through a lot of learning on his own and with the help of the MeepoBoard rider community, he became known as a brand who puts their customers first.

And in addition to his customer service, the MeepoBoard has proven to be my choice of electric longboard whenever I need to commute, especially since it has a good amount of power and speed, in addition to its 11 mile range from a stock battery setup.

Are you part of a local Meepo rider community?

I am part of the local electric skateboard community on Facebook. I also advice riders and potential buyers of MeepoBoards on what they can look out for when it comes to riding a MeepoBoard. I see it as giving back to Kieran for all the support that he has also given in my starting days as a YouTuber last year.

Do you use your electric skateboard for commuting or for leisure travel?

I use it mainly for commuting. I ride my MeepoBoard almost everyday to work, that is when the weather is dry and sunny. It is a 4 mile commute to work and the MeepoBoard gets me there in a timely manner, all whilst beating the rush hour traffic that I would normally be stuck in if I were to drive to work. In addition to saving time, the MeepoBoard is my way of conserving the environment by having a smaller carbon footprint as compared to having driven in rush hour traffic. It also saves me money in terms of not having to pay for a parking spot at work anymore.

In addition to going to work with my MeepoBoard, I also ride it to run quick errands such as going to the nearby grocery store to pick up some stuff there. 

What tip would you give to new riders?

- Always wear a helmet, and other forms of protection, eg. elbow pads, knee pads
- Always have some form of illumination (light) when riding at night
- Ride slowly at first and learn how the electric skateboard and its remote work first
- Always check with the local authorities on the speed limits on sidewalks / shared pathways and also whether you are allowed to ride on the road or not; it is illegal to ride an escooter and skateboard on the roads of Singapore
- Always give way to people on the sidewalk
- Do not expect people to get out of the way for you; they do not owe you anything to get out of the way for you
- Do not honk or shout at people to get out of the way for you
- And if people do move aside for you, be nice, smile and say "Thank you"
- Ride safe and have fun

How do you envision electric skateboards in 2020?

I want to see an electric skateboard in the future to potentially be:
- even longer range
- more flexible deck which long boarders love for absorbing shock from the ground
- choice of aftermarket wheels
I like skateboarding very much as it gives a total sense of freedom when cruising along with both hands being free to catch the wind or even just to wave hello to people. It is always a great conversation starter and people are always curious about what a motor skateboard can do. Given the power of an electric skateboard, it makes even more interesting to engage people out there. I hope to see more people riding electric skateboard, both for leisure as well as for commute.

Thank you so much for this interview, Colin. We wish you many more fun and safe rides!