Can You Ride a Meepo V5 in the Rain? What to Know Before You Get Wet

This is probably the question I get asked most: can you ride a Meepo V5 in the rain? The honest answer is yes for light rain and wet roads, as long as you ride carefully. Heavy downpours and deep puddles are a different story. Here's why, and what I'd do to make wet rides a lot less miserable.

Is the Meepo V5 waterproof?

No electric skateboard is truly waterproof, and the V5 isn't either. Its published specs list an IPX5 water rating (you can see it in this Meepo V5 review). IPX5 means the board is built to handle splashing and spraying water. It doesn't mean you can submerge it.

So a wet street or a light shower is within what the board was designed for. Rolling through a flooded gutter that comes up over the motors is not.

The parts that hate water most

Bearings. Standard skate bearings aren't sealed against water. It gets in, washes the grease out, and then they rust and start to grind. Reviewers point to the bearings as the V5's weak spot in wet weather.

The battery and electronics enclosure. The spray coming off your wheels hits the underside of the deck, right where the battery and controller sit.

The charging port. Keep it closed, and never charge a wet board.

Grip tape and deck. Wet grip tape loses a lot of grip, and a wood deck can soak up water over time.

Where the water actually comes from

This is the part most people don't expect. On a wet road, most of the water that ends up on you and your board isn't coming from the sky. It's coming from your wheels. Every rotation picks up water and throws it upward onto the underside of the deck, onto your shoes, and up your back.

That's the whole reason I make Skate Flaps fenders for the Meepo V5. They sit over each wheel and catch that spray before it gets to you or your electronics.

How to ride a Meepo V5 on wet roads

Slow down. Urethane wheels lose a lot of grip on wet pavement. Give yourself extra room to brake, and take turns gently.

Drop to a lower speed mode. Softer acceleration and braking means your wheels are less likely to slip.

Watch the slick stuff. Painted lines, metal plates, manhole covers, and wet leaves are like ice.

Go around deep puddles. You can't see what's under them, and deep water is the quickest way to get water inside the board.

Put fenders on it. They cut way down on the spray hitting your deck and electronics, and your clothes stay a lot cleaner.

Wear a helmet. It matters even more when traction is worse.

After a wet ride

Wipe the board down, let it dry somewhere warm with some airflow, and don't charge it until it's completely dry. If you ride in the wet a lot, plan on cleaning or replacing your bearings more often. I wrote up the whole routine in how to clean and dry your electric skateboard after a wet ride.

The bottom line

The Meepo V5 can handle some water, but it's happiest when you keep as much of it off the board as you can. Ride slower, skip the deep stuff, dry it off afterward, and put fenders on it. Rainy days are a thing of the past.

Shop Skate Flaps for the Meepo V5 →

Always check your board's manual and warranty terms for water use.

I'm Caleb Leach, and I make Skate Flaps, fenders for the Meepo V5 electric skateboard. Questions about anything here? Email me at SkateFlaps.com@gmail.com.