Dunbar

I just picked one of these up if anybody has questions. This is a 28mph Speed Pedelec with a 350w Bafang geared hub motor and hydraulic disc brakes that starts at $1500. It comes stock with a 7.8ah 48V battery but they have an optional 10.4ah (+$249) and a 23.4ah battery is in the works for later this summer. I was cross-shopping it against the Stromer ST1 which is a bit snappier and more refined. At double the price I couldn't justify the ST1 after riding them back-to-back on three separate occasions.



Juiced Bikes - ODK Electric Utility Bicycle (Version 3)

2old

Saw one at my LeBS; looked unbearable for the price. Plus, they have an excellent reputation for their cargo bike. Think they're in San Diego which is another bonus for you.

tds101 

I'm waiting to see how much the 23.4ah model costs later this year. I luv this bike,...

Dunbar

I thought I saw a number of $1000 upgrade on a new bike purchase for the 23.4ah battery but don't quote me on that. The range will be insane on that battery. I paid for the 10.4ah when I bought the bike and the LBS will do a swap when they get more stock.

tds101 

Sweet! $1000 is kinda steep, but I guess you get what you pay for.

2old

If it were me, I'd CONSIDER purchasing an extra 10.4 a/h battery and carrying it in a backpack for longer rides. That way you have a lighter bike for shorter rides. However, if all your rides are longer......

tds101 

I prefer it in 1 battery pack, since I'm always carrying too muck stuff as is. 1 battery to rule them all!!! Lol!!!

youthcom

What is the disc side rack leg bolted to?

Dunbar

It's bolted on the other side of the disc frame mount using the same bolt. Some might not want the do that but the caliper seems securely mounted.

Crazy_Lenny

The 23 Ah batteries are slated for October release.
Juiced Cross Current bike is setting a benchmark for what a sub $1.5K should be.
One of the best sellers at our store. Thanks to Tora for building such a great bike.

If you're aware of it already, Tora is former Olympian and a bronze medalist at a World Cup in the high jump event.

His dedication to building a great bike is clearly evident in the Cross Current design.

Here's what I suggest to make it a solid commuter.
Ergon GS1 or GP grips.
Axiom / Topeak rear rack
Planet Bike cascadia fenders
Mirrcycle mirror
Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires
Body Float suspension seatpost.

danielfl

I see similar bikes on aliexpress and alibaba . Seems like another cheaply imported bike from china

tds101 

Then I believe you need too look again. It's a fantastically spec'd, solidly built, reliable, fast ebike. And, unlike the ebikes you've mentioned, it has an actual WARRANTY.

davefield

I actually tried one and power was lacking. It is maybe my experience but didn't like it.
But everyone has their own opinion so i respect yours.

I just make little research about batteries and any ebike which has 7.8 10.4 ah battery is a big question for me.

It means they use 26 series of Samsung batteries and those cells are cheap and not designed for high discharge applications (even their website mentions it).

So if one electric bike goes to that way for most important part of an e-bike then i will raise my eye brows .

Dunbar

This isn't really an issue with e-bikes designed to be street legal running 48V systems. The Cross Current peaks around 700 watts of power. That means the individual cells never see more than about 4 amps peak. The higher discharge cells make sense if you're peaking the system over 30 amps but then you probably aren't riding a street legal bike that was designed to comply with the applicable laws.

And good luck finding a bike on alibaba with real Tektro Dorado hydraulic brakes and a TMM4 torque sensor. Juiced Bikes recently announced the Cross Current Air which removes the hydraulic brakes, torque sensor and suspension fork priced at $1k on pre-order.

davefield

You are wrong about it. For average person riding on flat surface you are right. But if you want to climb uphill and especially you are little bit on the heavy side then you are wrong. That will be a problem.

Suspension forks price change from 10 $ (topgun) up to 100s of $. So having a suspension fork don't mean an absolute positive thing for me.

I read before pedego was using those cells and after recall batteries. People are free to buy what they want. But also let's not forget if something is too good to be true, generally, it is.

I am waiting for the product come to market, Until that time i am sceptical about it.

danielfl

Interesting point. I will check more about it.

Is there a website i can check about those information.

2old

Check the Pedego recall; they changed TO Samsung cells. Sorry to hear that not everyone is pleased with the Cross Current. I've ridden three af them (of about 30 ebikes tested in the past year) and all were extremely impressive. The Cross Current compared favorably to a $10,000 Stromer except didn't have the bling and accoutrements (which don't impress me since I don't need them).

Doc_Wui

The bike comes in at a nice base price, but the options like a throttle, torque sensor, and bigger batteries do add up. Nonetheless, it looks good to me and I hope the dealers can sell a ton of them. For performance, it will work for 9 out of 10 buyers, who want a bicycle with electric assist, not an electric motorcycle.

Dunbar

I'm not sure what I'm "wrong" about as I'm just stating facts. The controller on e-bikes is what limits power output so the battery cells will never see more than ~4amps each on a stock Cross Current. I'm not aware of any street legal e-bikes that do more than about 950-1000 watts continuous. If you want to run 40-50 amps (2000+ watts) continuous through your Cromotor or BBSHD, be my guest, but don't pretend that it complies the spirit of the law.

One more update about the Cross Current is that Juiced Bikes will be releasing 17.4 and 21aH batteries this spring with an upgrade program for existing owners. It will be one of the few complete e-bikes to offer a 1kwH battery.

danielfl

I know several brands now offer.

Riese Müller have (with two battery pack but total is kwh)
Pedego as i heard offering 30ah one
Ariel Rider has 25ah battery

So 17.4 or 21ah seem ok for me.

Dunbar about your last mentioned point i have to add something. You are totally right about continuous power and current need. But those Panasonic or Samsung e-vehicle (for the ones who mentioned they are e-bike battery cells are wrong. They are e-vehicle cells) are designed for peak consumption.

The battery cell can play an important factor in "peak " cases. If you start to climb uphill or need a sudden acceleration. In those cases choice of cells can play a difference.

For juiced i am not sure if this is the case. I still have a feeling of a cheap bike about it. Maybe i am right maybe i am wrong. I will give a try about it as it is even compared to "Stromer" so let's check and compare if it is really comparable to Stromer.

If it is so, then i will buy one or maybe two (one for fiance ) . As their kickstarter price is really unbeatable.

Dunbar

The Cross Current will do 600-700 watts continuous on the top assist level <28mph. That means the battery cells will never see more than 4 amps continuous. My understanding is the latest/greatest 18650 cells can do 10-15 amps continuous but you sacrifice energy density if you want the ability to safely run higher peak currents (see here for more info). The fact is you simply won't ever see that type of current flow in a Cross Current.

How much do those other bikes cost with a 1kwh battery? The pricing hasn't been announced yet but my guess is the Cross Current will run $2500-2750 with a 1kwh battery. A Stromer ST2 is around $7k with the similar size battery.

2old

BTW, when I said compared it was in acceleration and top speed. The Stromer had a 983 (AIR) wh battery and was finished very elegantly, but should have been for the price.

larcal

Hello Dunbar and DaveField

What I get from your exchange is this.--The prime determiner of power on the CC is the Motor/controller, (mostly controller) However there is also a limiting factor in how fast the batteries can give up amps. If one change the control to deliver more power the batteries might need to be changed to handle higher release over time.

Dunbar, you are saying the batteries are suitable for a legal bike limited to 28 mph pas. Davefield is saying that while batteries give up enough for legal speed they are restricting hill climbing and cargo carrying capacity. Guess this is called torque?

Please tell me if this is accurate assessment of what you're saying here and perhaps comment on below.

Wondering if one can theoretically increase hill/cargo ability without increasing speed ability. Avoiding mid drive motor.

If so, would such an upgrade be cost prohibitive to add to your existing bike cause would need not just a new motor/controller but a whole new battery. Not just bigger LI but cells strung together differently for higher release. Implications but no proof hyperfat battery like this.

speedy25

You guys are BRUTAL over bikes. Especially the minutae.

I'll worry about the small stuff AFTER I get a good test ride in. Chatting with a dealer earlier this year he had me take a cross current out for a ride. The bike I had to compare it to was my Specialized Turbo, which I consider an EXCELLENT bike. The juiced rode OK and did what it was supposed to but the Specialized still did it all better, BUT when comparing the price between the two, the juiced is a bargain. Theres a good reason Lenny is selling a lot of them. I dont lump the Juiced bikes in with the "Chinese crap." They are better than that, but they are still "economy" bikes.

-SP

Dunbar

The short answer is no. Hub motors are essentially one speed transmissions. They can be geared/wound for low end torque, or high speed cruising, but not both. This fact is compounded when you run a geared hub motor like in the Cross Current. The motor is wound for 28mph cruising so it has fairly poor low end torque. The issue of battery cells is really a moot point until you get well over 1000 watts of power. Now, if you get a big enough motor, and feed a lot of power to it, you can overcome the limitations of lower powered hub motors. Just keep in mind such systems are not street legal. Check out this video of the new Juiced Bikes Hyper Fat running 1500 watts.