CCX 500 Mile update

[TXCrash]

Back in February I bought a CCX for my 29 mile, each way, commute. Life has been busy and I've been spending some time on my human powered bikes, so it's taken me longer than planned to reach the 500 mile mark. Overall, I've been happy with my purchase.

Mechanical/ build comments:
*Front wheel was wildly out of true upon receipt. Juiced agreed to pay for a shop to true the wheel up, but I went ahead and threw the wheel on my own truing stand. Spoke tensions were all over the board, but 30 minutes on the stand and she was ready to rock. I need to throw both wheels back on the stand to check them out, but they've held up to rough treatment. QC on this was bad, but components seem built to last.
* Got a flat in the rear tire - luckily this was from a slow leak (staple or similar) and happened at home. Removing & replacing the rear wheel was a bit of a pain with my field kit (I have a rule that things that might happen on the road are addressed with the field kit, such that I can tweak this kit if needed) but very doable. I found that I needed to add zip ties to my kit, but otherwise all was well. (My field kit consists of a topeak alien multi tool, a combination wrench, zip ties, spare tube, and a hand pump)
*Drivechain (Excluding motorized components) is cheap, but has performed well. It'll get upgraded as things break/wear out. I'm happy with the brakes.
* Rear tire shows expected wear. I'm expecting the tires to last 1500-2000 miles based on current wear, and am likely to replace with the same tires when they do wear out, as I appreciate the reflective sidewalls, and grip/noise/rolling resistance/flat resistance is acceptable.
* Rear rack shows signs of bending, but hasn't gotten worse. This'll get replaced at such time it does get worse.
*Front fender sucks. I think I finally got the blasted thing to stop rubbing on the tire, but this has taken way too much fiddling. I hope that Juiced redesigns this, as it's a bit embarassing. This'll get replaced eventually if my fiddling comes undone.
* Rear light was worthless, and has been removed. Why there's not a battery powered tail light that turns on alongside the headlight is a bit of a mystery to me, and is something I plan to add in the future.

Speed/battery use:
*Average moving speed for my commute has ranged from 21-23 mph (pedal powered average when I was in somewhat better shape was 14-18 dependent on wind & motivation level)
*Door to door time has ranged from 1:20 to 1:40, almost always within 2-3 minutes of 1:30. For reference, it takes 1:20 to drive the same route due to lights/traffic/stop signs.
*Battery use has ranged from 9AH to 13.3AH, per cycle satiator. I've been charging with the cycle satiator at home - either the 85% or 100% charge profile, depending on expected motivation level/wind the next day/ whether it'll be a while before I ride the ebike again.

Bike setup - Stock CCX (XL) with the following added:
Single Ortleib Back Roller Classic Pannier
Cycliq light/cameras front and rear
Relevate Mountain Feedbags (2) for water bottles, as the stock locations aren't workable due to the batteries. Also gives a convenient place to stash my keys.
Serfas top tube bag with magnetic closure for my phone.
Cygolite Expilon light on handlebars. Not used often, but good for adding light in the morning/evening/ catching extra attention when the traffic dictates.
Mirricycle Mirror. I've LOVED this thing, even though it makes getting through doors a bit rough.

I've found that some roads that were once rough to cycle on due to speed differentials are much less intimidating now - throw it in mode 3 or S and cruise at 28-31. Workout potential is lower than on a non electric bike, but this makes it practical for me to ride the entire way versus hopping on a train midway (which has it's own set of complications). Drivers are a bit confused by the fast bike with blinking lights and a pannier, which means I generally get a lot of space/ fairly respectful passes (I do practice active lane control). That said, people DO underestimate my speed - which is expected, just don't ride unprepared for this.

Would I buy a CCX today if the options were build or buy? I'm not sure. Overall this is a solid bike, but some of the components are cheap and I'd like a slightly bigger battery, as well as the ability to tweak assist levels beyond what's legal. My next ebike will almost certainly be homebuilt - either a full suspension, or a fat tired drop bar bike (such as the salsa fargo) with front suspension, and a larger (~30ah, 52 volt or better) battery, with no throttle (I don't use it) but higher top assist speed (35ish).

 

[Chris Hammond]

Nice write up. Just to give you a window into your likely future experience, my commute is about the same as yours ~30 miles, but likely more hills as I live in Utah. I got a CCS in May of last year. I am at ~7000 miles on the bike as of today. The bike has held up incredibly well and honestly has needed less maintenance than my road bike did doing the same commute. I was checking and adjusting spoke tension quite a bit for the first 3-4 months but now I can check about every other month and only minimal adjustments have been needed. The front fender took a while for me to get dialed and eliminate the rattle. I can give you some tips on this if needed.
My stock tires were Kenda's, I had to replace the rear at ~3,500 miles and still going strong on the original front. I replaced the rear with a Continental Contact Plus and it looks good for probably another 1000 miles or so. (Its very similar to you Schwalbe's at about half the price.)
Had to replace both set of brake pads at ~4000 miles, getting close to needing to do it again. Had to replace the chain at ~5000 miles. I was planning an upgrade to 10spd, but the cassette and chainring are still good so it'll wait till the cassette is worn out.
I had converted to a tubeless setup for a while, but it ended up being more trouble overall, I put tire liners in and have only had 3 flats total since new (road bike flatted 3 times a month sometimes).
My average speed is similar to yours 21-24 depending on wind and traffic. I am usually cruising at 28-30. Honestly the bike still feels incredibly solid. I haven't had any issues with the rear derailleur. Had only a few chain drops overall, (I know yours has a chain catcher for factory, I put a cheap $10 one on when I got the bike.)
I really love that the bike eliminates excuses for riding to work over driving.

 

[Andy_in_CA]

yeah I'm about 200 miles on my CCX. I have some issues but I was waiting for some more miles to write it down. I'd love to hear how you like your Cycliq light\camera. seems a big pricey for front back solution but I might do it as I was hit back in April.

Also for you field kit let me plug my own thing. The Original Handlebar Jack is what I made to solve the field repair issues. If you want more info about it.. i'll be re-launching a branded website in the next week or two. (PM if your interested and i'll hook you up with free shipping)

Andy

 

[a701440]

I have 1500 miles on my CCX now, it's a daily commuter going 24 miles each way with relatively small hills.
Unfortunately the quality of the pavement on my routes is fairly bad with lots of potholes on the streets, tree roots under the pavement on the portion of the bike path I use and plenty of traffic lights in the city. Most of my concerns are related to the bicycle drivetrain.

The chain drop is a constant problem on any significant bumps. IMO it's actually fairly dangerous on city streets since it can drop the chain in the middle of the intersection, etc. I ordered a narrow-wide chainring. Will see if that makes any difference. If not I will look at the 10 speed upgrade with the clutch and some chain catchers.

Due to the bad pavement I opted for securing the battery with the heavy duty cinch straps from day one.
For the moment I do not have any connector issues yet.

I do have some concerns about the durability of the hub, it makes various loud straining/squealing noises when going uphill or accelerating, not the normal motor whine. I am yet to investigate this issue deeper and wondering if that is a sign of its imminent self-destruction.

I am amazed at the ghetto hack job that is the CCX rack. I understand that CCX has an asymmetric frame with the right chain stay further away from the center. So make a proper asymmetric rack for it. Instead they just bent a symmetric rack slightly. The rack is not aligned with the rear wheel and causes the rear fender to twist badly. I ended-up removing the rear light and attaching the fender to the left hand side mounting point for the light. This at least aligns the fender with the wheel and is functional, but looks ugly. The whole thing is off by an inch at the tail end.

With my riding pattens the brake pads lasted 1300 miles and I have replaced them with upgraded metal-ceramic Tektro P20.11.
When bicycle was delivered too me in March the rear wheel was bent and the front brake rotor was also slightly warped.
Juiced sent me a new wheel which took 3 weeks and I have replaced the front rotor with Shimano. Now with the new pads the brakes work well.

I have Kinect seat post and my old Liberator seat installed on it. The Selle Royal that CCX ships with does not have the cut-out on the seat which I need for longer distances.

I replaced the OEM pedals with a much better mountain bike platform pedals. The grip of the OEM pedals was nowhere near where I need it to be when going at 29mph.

Finally I just rode off with the kickstand down and broke the kickstand at the hinge. I am now in the process of shopping for new one. BTW any recommendations on the kickstand replacement are welcome. I assume that any model rated for 60+ lbs and 40mm mounting hole spacing should work.

Realistic range with Level 3 assist and high speeds is likely to be around 35-40 miles.
I use ~60% of the battery on my 24 miles one way commute.

At work I charge it to 80% at 1amp. I use the 52V charger from Luna which I highly recommend. It works well, you can charge to 80%-90%-100% at 1-5amp in 1 amp increments. The charger that comes with the bike charges to 100% at 2amp.

The suspension fork is only slightly effective. It appears to absorb only the biggest impacts. I barely see any difference riding with the fork lock-out ON or OFF. I would much rather prefer a more "progressive" fork.

IMO the geometry of the bike is good, it's stable at speed and in the turns and is maneuverable in traffic. I have the XL frame size.
I don't use the front light that comes with the bike and instead installed a high power Bontrager IonPro blinker high up on the handlebar. Having a blinker is essential in city traffic or you get ignored by the drives here. As I mentioned before I had to remove the OEM rear light due to the rear rack / fender misalignment.

On the good side of things I love the throttle and use it to get away from the traffic lights and intersections and also on the steeper sections of some hills to avoid downshifting too much. I would definitely look for having throttle in my next bike.

Whether I would buy this bike again, I am not so sure. I am now fully aware of the commuting benefits an electric bike can provide and the features that I will look for. Because of this I am now prepared to pay more money for higher quality product. CCX is my first electric bike and I was not sure if I will stick with the routine I also did not know what is important and what is not so important to me in a bicycle. IMO the only reason why a company like Juiced even exists is because the big bicycle manufacturers decided to ignore the US market specific products for now and instead they just bring over the European models. Those models don't have sufficient battery size and power for longer American commutes. Next time I shop for e-bike I will be paying a lot more attention to the quality of the components and durability.

 

[TXCrash]

Nice write up. Just to give you a window into your likely future experience, my commute is about the same as yours ~30 miles, but likely more hills as I live in Utah. I got a CCS in May of last year. I am at ~7000 miles on the bike as of today. The bike has held up incredibly well and honestly has needed less maintenance than my road bike did doing the same commute. I was checking and adjusting spoke tension quite a bit for the first 3-4 months but now I can check about every other month and only minimal adjustments have been needed. The front fender took a while for me to get dialed and eliminate the rattle. I can give you some tips on this if needed.
My stock tires were Kenda's, I had to replace the rear at ~3,500 miles and still going strong on the original front. I replaced the rear with a Continental Contact Plus and it looks good for probably another 1000 miles or so. (Its very similar to you Schwalbe's at about half the price.)
Had to replace both set of brake pads at ~4000 miles, getting close to needing to do it again. Had to replace the chain at ~5000 miles. I was planning an upgrade to 10spd, but the cassette and chainring are still good so it'll wait till the cassette is worn out.
I had converted to a tubeless setup for a while, but it ended up being more trouble overall, I put tire liners in and have only had 3 flats total since new (road bike flatted 3 times a month sometimes).
My average speed is similar to yours 21-24 depending on wind and traffic. I am usually cruising at 28-30. Honestly the bike still feels incredibly solid. I haven't had any issues with the rear derailleur. Had only a few chain drops overall, (I know yours has a chain catcher for factory, I put a cheap $10 one on when I got the bike.)
I really love that the bike eliminates excuses for riding to work over driving.

Thanks for the "what to expect", I'll definitely check out the tires you suggest. Brake pads are likely to go at around 1500 miles, as they were on the pedal powered bike this replaced - I just counted the traffic signals on the route (via openmaps) and counted just over 40 traffic lights, with stop signs not counted. I Idaho stop when traffic allows for it (it's not legal here, but cops usually have better things to do), but that's still a LOT of stopping on those days where it seems I hit every red light. I'll check out the tires you suggest, as I'm definitely a cheap bastard. I have tubeless tires on my gravel bike, but like you've found - they're a bit of a pain... so I woudn't want them on a commute bike. If I get more flats, I'll throw some tire liners in - but I think most of the flats I got with the old commuter bike were from a couple sections of sidewalk that I'd salmon on, but am now able to ride on the road due to my higher speed. Like you say, the bike feels solid, and I'm generally cruising in the 26-31 range... and I might be guilty of motorpacing when road surface and traffic flow allows.

I've had zero chain drops thus far, though I find myself shifting a LOT less than on a normal bike, which I'm sure is a contributing factor. The bike DEFINITELY eliminates a lot of excuses, still provides a decent workout, and I'm able to arrive at work READY to work, rather than beaten down from the stop and go commute that's the alternative. Even at 100 F it's comfortable once you're moving, as the wind vs effort is now in your favor. Dad duties in the AM and PM have precluded me riding the rest of this week, but I'm anxious to put the next 500 miles on...

I have 1500 miles on my CCX now, it's a daily commuter going 24 miles each way with relatively small hills.
Unfortunately the quality of the pavement on my routes is fairly bad with lots of potholes on the streets, tree roots under the pavement on the portion of the bike path I use and plenty of traffic lights in the city. Most of my concerns are related to the bicycle drivetrain.

The chain drop is a constant problem on any significant bumps. IMO it's actually fairly dangerous on city streets since it can drop the chain in the middle of the intersection, etc. I ordered a narrow-wide chainring. Will see if that makes any difference. If not I will look at the 10 speed upgrade with the clutch and some chain catchers.

Due to the bad pavement I opted for securing the battery with the heavy duty cinch straps from day one.
For the moment I do not have any connector issues yet.

I do have some concerns about the durability of the hub, it makes various loud straining/squealing noises when going uphill or accelerating, not the normal motor whine. I am yet to investigate this issue deeper and wondering if that is a sign of its imminent self-destruction.

I am amazed at the ghetto hack job that is the CCX rack. I understand that CCX has an asymmetric frame with the right chain stay further away from the center. So make a proper asymmetric rack for it. Instead they just bent a symmetric rack slightly. The rack is not aligned with the rear wheel and causes the rear fender to twist badly. I ended-up removing the rear light and attaching the fender to the left hand side mounting point for the light. This at least aligns the fender with the wheel and is functional, but looks ugly. The whole thing is off by an inch at the tail end.

With my riding pattens the brake pads lasted 1300 miles and I have replaced them with upgraded metal-ceramic Tektro P20.11.
When bicycle was delivered too me in March the rear wheel was bent and the front brake rotor was also slightly warped.
Juiced sent me a new wheel which took 3 weeks and I have replaced the front rotor with Shimano. Now with the new pads the brakes work well.

I have Kinect seat post and my old Liberator seat installed on it. The Selle Royal that CCX ships with does not have the cut-out on the seat which I need for longer distances.

I replaced the OEM pedals with a much better mountain bike platform pedals. The grip of the OEM pedals was nowhere near where I need it to be when going at 29mph.

Finally I just rode off with the kickstand down and broke the kickstand at the hinge. I am now in the process of shopping for new one. BTW any recommendations on the kickstand replacement are welcome. I assume that any model rated for 60+ lbs and 40mm mounting hole spacing should work.

Realistic range with Level 3 assist and high speeds is likely to be around 35-40 miles.
I use ~60% of the battery on my 24 miles one way commute.

At work I charge it to 80% at 1amp. I use the 52V charger from Luna which I highly recommend. It works well, you can charge to 80%-90%-100% at 1-5amp in 1 amp increments. The charger that comes with the bike charges to 100% at 2amp.

The suspension fork is only slightly effective. It appears to absorb only the biggest impacts. I barely see any difference riding with the fork lock-out ON or OFF. I would much rather prefer a more "progressive" fork.

IMO the geometry of the bike is good, it's stable at speed and in the turns and is maneuverable in traffic. I have the XL frame size.
I don't use the front light that comes with the bike and instead installed a high power Bontrager IonPro blinker high up on the handlebar. Having a blinker is essential in city traffic or you get ignored by the drives here. As I mentioned before I had to remove the OEM rear light due to the rear rack / fender misalignment.

On the good side of things I love the throttle and use it to get away from the traffic lights and intersections and also on the steeper sections of some hills to avoid downshifting too much. I would definitely look for having throttle in my next bike.

Whether I would buy this bike again, I am not so sure. I am now fully aware of the commuting benefits an electric bike can provide and the features that I will look for. Because of this I am now prepared to pay more money for higher quality product. CCX is my first electric bike and I was not sure if I will stick with the routine I also did not know what is important and what is not so important to me in a bicycle. IMO the only reason why a company like Juiced even exists is because the big bicycle manufacturers decided to ignore the US market specific products for now and instead they just bring over the European models. Those models don't have sufficient battery size and power for longer American commutes. Next time I shop for e-bike I will be paying a lot more attention to the quality of the components and durability.

The roads I ride are in rough shape, too - there's a section that I kinda treat like a flowing single track, as you've gotta bob and swerve to avoid all the crap in the road. So I stand and pedal, and leave plenty of room between myself and the car in front (I can keep up with cars for this ~5 mile section, as it's a construction zone with downright terrible roads). I've had zero chain drops - I'm wondering if Juiced didn't size your chain correctly or if something is adjusted wrong, or if I just got lucky.

The cycliq cameras have blink mode, which I use, as does the cygolite. I like having the blinking light, which catches drivers attention, and the solid light - which helps drivers visually estimate speed and distance - running in parallel.

I need to tune my fork - it's not set right for my weight - but it just hasn't been a priority. I do occasionally use the throttle jetting away from lights, but typically only when I forgot to shift to an appropriate starting gear.

I tried ripping my kickstand off like you did the other day, thankfully no rider or bike was harmed in that incident. If the CCX lasts for 4 years, my need for an ebike is likely to be eliminated - or at the least my range requirements will be lower. If it doesn't, I'm likely to build my own since I now know what I want/need a bit better than I did when I bought the CCX, which is a pretty good "one size fits all" solution.

yeah I'm about 200 miles on my CCX. I have some issues but I was waiting for some more miles to write it down. I'd love to hear how you like your Cycliq light\camera. seems a big pricey for front back solution but I might do it as I was hit back in April.

Also for you field kit let me plug my own thing. The Original Handlebar Jack is what I made to solve the field repair issues. If you want more info about it.. i'll be re-launching a branded website in the next week or two. (PM if your interested and i'll hook you up with free shipping)

Andy

I dig the idea of the handlebar jack, but for me it's worth saving the space/weight to find a grassy patch, rotate the mirror and controls out of the way, then throw the bike upside down like normal.

The cycliq lights are... pretty ok. They have adequate battery to last for the commute one way (possibly two ways, but I charge at work and at home), and the recording quality is good. The older generation was capable of sending video to your phone wirelessly, the new generation does not have this capability - so you're dependent on a wired connection. With a bit of kit, you can do this with your phone, but it'd be better if you could do this with a wifi/bluetooth connection. Strava sync doesn't work right. I got a good deal on them, but they're absolutely a bit overpriced for what they are. If I hadn't found a good deal, I'd be running an action cam front and rear instead, though finding one with a ~2 hour battery life can be a bit tough.

 

[Andy_in_CA]

The cycliq lights are... pretty ok. They have adequate battery to last for the commute one way (possibly two ways, but I charge at work and at home), and the recording quality is good. The older generation was capable of sending video to your phone wirelessly, the new generation does not have this capability - so you're dependent on a wired connection. With a bit of kit, you can do this with your phone, but it'd be better if you could do this with a wifi/bluetooth connection. Strava sync doesn't work right. I got a good deal on them, but they're absolutely a bit overpriced for what they are. If I hadn't found a good deal, I'd be running an action cam front and rear instead, though finding one with a ~2 hour battery life can be a bit tough.

thanks for the feeback on those cameras. They seemed pricey to me as well.... maybe i'll hold out for something else.

 

[Chris Hammond]

The chain drop is a constant problem on any significant bumps. IMO it's actually fairly dangerous on city streets since it can drop the chain in the middle of the intersection, etc. I ordered a narrow-wide chainring. Will see if that makes any difference. If not I will look at the 10 speed upgrade with the clutch and some chain catchers.

Chain drops are not a problem isolated to Juiced. Bikes with a single front chainring and no front derailler are subjected to this. Search it on other ebikes and you will find it as a common complaint.
That said, you are aware of some of the solutions. Another cheap and easy "fix" is to shorten your chain. I had limited infrequent chain drops with the original factory chain which is 122 links (IIRC); however when my original chain wore out at ~5000 miles I replaced it with a 116 link chain and have only had one drop since then in ~2000 miles.
The only "guaranteed" cure is to do what the MTB community did and go with "clutched" rear derailleurs. This requires an upgrade to 10spd drivetrain, so this is the most costly option.