chalex

I purchased a size M black CrossCurrent Air. Ordered mid-July 2017, arrived at my door in a giant box on Aug 19.

CrossCurrent AIR (500 Watts) - NEW! - M: 17.5" [5'5" to 5'10"] / 8.8 Ah Standard Range ($1,195) +
CrossCurrent AIR Upgrade - Torque + Cadence Sensor Pedal Assist Option ($199) =
$1,495.07 USD including shipping (free) and CA tax ($$$)

Pros:
wicked fast
geometry and handling of standard MTB
came pre-assembled
battery range ~20mi with smallest battery
throttle control - ride without pedaling

Cons:
Battery didn't quite fit out of the box, had to shave off 1mm of plastic corner
51lbs! - manual says 48.5 but my home bathroom scale says 50-51
crummy stock saddle
the derailleur needs adjustment, sometimes the chain jumps around

Overall, I like it a lot. My commute to work is mostly flat pavement with a couple of hills and a couple of streets with traffic. So I don't need any suspension, but the 45mm tires provide plenty of suspension anyway. It rides like a standard 29er MTB, sitting almost upright (compared to my usual road bike posture). The torque assist is really nice, the motor assist is proportional to your force on the pedals (not the cadence). And if I'm feeling really lazy, you can engage the motor with the throttle lever, without pedaling.

For my next steps, I'll probably replace the stock saddle, pedals, grips. Then maybe try different tire pressures. So far I'm running them fairly soft for extra suspension. I'll have to try them at max PSI.

Manual: https://www.juicedbikes.com/storage/p...ck%20Guide.pdf page 5-6 has the pictures of the motor controller, speeds 1-2-3-S . The "S" is like "ludicrous mode", you start pedaling and the bike wants to jump out from under you!

This is my first e-bike and I have not tried any others. I used to commute by regular road bike or sometimes on my folding bike.

2old

Sounds like the usual well-priced Juiced; thanks for the update. Let us know about it in a few months.

sucka free

I wrote the below about some small changes I made to the bike. As far as weight, I think the website is based on the original 350w motor and not the 500w that this batch now utilizes. So far, it seems like a very good first ebike; still haven't gotten a lot of miles in so I can't definitively say, however, the only thing I notice is the weight. Coming from 23lb or lighter bikes, it is a bit of a jolt to tote it around/move it. Riding it, weight doesn't make a difference (even though I'm still dialing it in), but moving it in the garage/putting on the repair stand is a different story.

So I'm dialing it in to the ergonomics I like so I've done a little work swapping parts, trimming stuff. Almost 11.5 ounces alone are the kickstand. The next biggest loss of weight was the saddle; I like road saddles not the cushioned stock one losing another 5 ounces. It's an Origm8 saddle (not the lightest) but I like the simplicity of it. Trimmed the seatpost, swapped the platform pedals for SPDs and totaled a little over 22 ounces.

Next I'm gonna shorten the width or swap out the handlebars cause they're waaaayyyy too wide. I'm also going to slam the stem so I'm gonna trim the fork steerer tube, lose the spacers cause I like a little more forward leaning versus upright. I have a longish carbon stem so I might try that to cut down the buzz from the rigid forks. Maybe.

tds101 

You people really need to post some pics!!!

speedy25

So photobucket screwed us all over for pic posting. Who is the next best to use for pic hosting?

-SP

chalex

I've been riding it every day to work, a bit less than 5mi each way. Bike is holding up OK, and the battery lasts a second day if I forget to plug it in when I get home.

I swapped the seat post for a "Suntour SP12-NCX", 27.2 x 400mm

I swapped the saddle with a spare one that I had.

The two problems I am having are:
1) the rear brake pad rubs and so the rear rotor squeals a bit. Not a huge deal but I can't reach the adjustment screw in there because the rear hub motor is in the way. So I think I'd have to take the rear wheel off and disconnect all the electrical cabling in order to adjust the rear brake pads. The front ones don't have this problem and I adjusted them a couple of times already by a tiny bit.
2) the chain keeps popping off the front chainring! It happened to me 3 times yesterday! A couple of sections of my commute are really bumpy with unmaintained pavement and tree roots and stuff, and if you hit a couple of bumps at speed, the chain flaps around and pops off the front chainring. I think I'll try removing a chain link or two but I'm not sure it will help because the rear cassette is relatively wide range so you need a lot of travel in the derailler anyway...

2old

Did you adjust the tension screw on the derailleur? That might help. Also, I agree that having the chain as short as possible is a good idea. You might look at either one of the new narrow/wide chainrings or a device to keep the chain from "jumping" off - MRP (I think) and a number of companies make them.

chalex

Checking back in; bike is working fine.

About 2 months after I got it, I took it to the LBS for a full tuneup, no problems.

I'm still having an issue with the chain falling off the front chainring on certain types of bumpy terrain, so the LBS has a couple of models of chainguards available; I'll have to install that at some point.

Something is making a weird creaking sound; I think it's the pedal spindles on the stock pedals starting to fail; I have new pedals but didn't put them on yet.

Total mileage is not high, I'm doing about 10mi per day about 3 days per week.

chalex

The creaking is my seat post / "Suntour SP12-NCX". The moving part of the suspension seat post creaks a bit and also where the seat post goes into the seat tube, it creaks a bit. The frame is a tiny bit too small for me, so the seat post is extended quite far and it does flex a bit. Good thing I got the longer model of the seat post.

My right brake lever electrical cable fell off today. Looks like it broke off at the connection to the lever. So now engaging the right brake level does not turn off the motor. Which is OK for the short term but I will file a ticket and see if they have a replacement lever assembly.

chalex

Wanted to post an update. The bike is holding up well. I ride it pretty hard, just caught some air on a nice bump on my commute this morning.

Since my last post, I've replaced the right brake lever (Juiced sent me the replacement for the price of shipping), the chain, the brake pads, one spoke in the rear wheel. The rear tire is starting to look much smoother than the front tire, so that'll wear out at some point.

Haven't ridden my old road bike at all

DavidPLane

Your review matches my experience very closely. I've had the Cross Current Air for about two years. I love all the positives you mention, but it has been a work in progress. I haven't been particularly handy in the past, but I'm buying a repair stand with the plan to learn to fix things myself. The shop is too expensive.

My chain falls off at high speeds on bumps, even though I have a chain guard installed.

Spokes have broken fairly regularly.

The disc brakes wear out about every 3 months and may be rubbing.

The right brake wire that disengages the motor became detached.

The bike is in the shop today - replacing the disc brakes with hydraulic brakes that I just bought from Juiced.

Each of these was a repair shop expense. I'm hoping that my new bike repair stand will inspire me to make more of these repairs myself. For example, perhaps truing the wheel myself regularly or tightening the chain might help? I'll soon find out....

fly135

When my brakes rub I just loosen the caliper bolts on the fork, hold the brake lever, then tighten the bolts. That recenters the pads on the disk.

DavidPLane

Thanks for the tip.

DavidPLane

It's somewhat reassuring to see others with the same problems on their cross current air. I bought a chain guard, but the chain still comes off regularly on a bumpy ride. The spokes also break often, to the point where I've taught myself through youtube how to replace them. Both tube replacement and spoke replacement require removing all the gear around the back tire. As a handy-man wanna be this means an evening project to get the bike up and running again. The bike was a steal of a deal, but you get what you pay for.

2old

If you haven't already tried one, a narrow-wide chainring will help with chain derailment; you can pay upwards of $50 for a Wolf Tooth which is excellent, but I procured a satisfactory one from ebay for <$10.

DavidPLane

Thanks for the tip. I can't post a link, but I looked up narrow-wide chainring and it looks like it might help a lot. Thanks again, I appreciate it.