Biktrik Stunner or Cross Current Air for slight hilly commute?

[Allanb0]

Hi guys! I'm seeking your advice on my first e-bike. I will be commuting about a 6 miles round trip, maybe 2 trips a day so around 15-20 miles range at most. There is some elevation on the way to but nothing major. On the way back it's mostly down hill so it shouldn't be a problem. No dirt or trail, only paved road and bike path.


I don't want to pedal much on the way up so I'll rely mostly on the throttle, at least 15MPH for 3 miles with 700ft of elevation spread out. Also, I weigh 150lbs( planning to lose 10 lbs), and will most likely carry a backpack with minimum stuff. Comfort is not that big of a deal since it's a short commute.


I'm looking for bikes in the $1500 range. Two that stands out for me so far is the Cross Current Air versus the Biktrik Stunner 7 Speed. After throttle and 10.4AH battery upgrade, the CC Air comes out to roughly the same price as the 7s Stunner. Also the Stunner is mid-drive so I assume it will climb better? Which bike is faster?

 

[Dewey]

Which bike is faster?

The CrossCurrent Air would be faster on level ground in pedal assist, the Biktrix looks to be controller limited to 20mph top speed but while the Juiced bike has a throttle limit of 20mph there is no limit for pedal assist so it should get you up to 25-28mph on the flats. The CrossCurrent Air has a geared rear hub motor so both are efficient hill climbers. You would be reaching the range limit after 2 round trips on the CrossCurrent Air 8.8ah battery unless you charged it in between.

 

[Allanb0]

I could possibly charge it between trips, do you know how big the 8.8ah battery is?

 

[Dewey]

I could possibly charge it between trips, do you know how big the 8.8ah battery is?

This article talk about how to calculate the watt hours in your battery pack. 48v x 8.8ah = 422 watt hours. A rough rule of thumb is to double the amp hours so at least 17 miles range on throttle only and more depending on how much you pedal vs throttle.

 

[Dunbar]

I have a standard Cross Current. Any gradient under 5% should be fine. Once you get to 5-10% it doesn't climb as well especially on throttle only.

 

[Alex M]

You do want more watts on hills.

Motors are somehow less efficient than humans in this application, so you need more motor watts. A human-powered bike needs less than 150 "human" watts to climb 5% hill at low-cruising speed. About 300W on 10% slope.

I think motor torque is the culprit. Motor loses efficiency and at some point stalls, and then all the watts do nothing, only burn the motor out. Maybe engineers here can explain this better.