Update...around a week and 70 miles on the Civante... getting used to how to best work the power assist, and fast pedal cadence, > 75, really seems to optimize each level. Little mods that have helped me with comfort are 1) bigger pedals 2) little cushier seat 3) 35 degree rise 90 mm stem plus cheap stem extender gave about 3 inch bar rise, the max that the display cable will go, 4) bv rear mount kickstand. Also, needed to tighten the crank arms, after noticing consistent pedal vibration. Now for the fun part... been using kinda minimal assist and got a chance today to try out max.. hill in a local canyon park that's got some 20% grade, no way could have tackled it before, and the bike powered me up nicely.. so impressed! Battery overall still averaging close to 1% discharge per mile.. much better than I imagined. Really pleased with the bike so far... opens up a new world of biking possibilities... thanks again for all the info posted here.
Cross Core Experience Welcome
- Thread starter todbar
- Start date
Congrats on your purchase! I bought a Cross Core in the summer and have about 700 miles on it so far, mostly a 20 mile round trip commute in NYC.
After about 200 miles, all the cables had stretched out (as expected) causing diminished braking and surprise gear shifts. The front hub developed a popping noise as well. After a tune-up all was resolved, though the shop wouldn't tell me what they did to fix the popping noise - I assume it was minor.
At about 500 miles the brake pads needed to be replaced. They wore out so quickly, I feel like the pads from the factory were like a starter toner cartridge that you get with a new printer. Replacement pads from Shimano were $30 per wheel plus labor ($100 for bike brakes after 4 months, are you kidding?).
I went to brake pad university on the internet and ended up replacing them myself (very easy) with these, which are sintered (metal) which will last a lot longer and do provide more stopping power.
Not sure if it's the same with the Civante, but while Yamaha has an amazing electric drive train, it feels like they really cheaped out on the construction and components on the Cross Core. The shifters are anything but smooth, and the brakes have always been a concern, both requiring frequent adjustment to the cables to remain functional and aligned. The headset also needed to be tightened twice so far as the forks keep developing some play, rocking back and forth.
Minor point - The stock pedals are tiny little cheap plastic things that my normal width size 11 feet couldn't get full purchase over. I immediately replaced them with these, which provide a much more secure footing.
Lastly, the charger is a problem. It is unnecessarily large, and the cables to and from it are hard wired, making it difficult to transport or replace parts. And replace parts you shall, when the cheap locking collar assembly fails through normal use. One day you will go to disconnect the cable from your battery, and the locking collar will just slide backwards down the cable in your hand while remaining locked to the battery, leaving you to figure out how to disconect it without damaging the battery - Good luck! ;-)
This just happened to me, and I'm waiting to hear back from the dealer what (if any) warranty repair/replacement is possible - As for DIY repair, you can't find any information at all on what appear to be proprietary power connectors. Others with this problem have been told to go pound sand by Yamaha and have had to buy a new charger for $200. I hope that's not the case.
Apart from these issues, as annoying as they are, the riding experience is excellent when the bike is tuned up, and the assist is very natural. My commute is far more enjoyable than it was on the Subway, and I will hang on to this bike until at least the summer to see if I can stabilize all the 'new bike' issues and have to fix it less.
After about 200 miles, all the cables had stretched out (as expected) causing diminished braking and surprise gear shifts. The front hub developed a popping noise as well. After a tune-up all was resolved, though the shop wouldn't tell me what they did to fix the popping noise - I assume it was minor.
At about 500 miles the brake pads needed to be replaced. They wore out so quickly, I feel like the pads from the factory were like a starter toner cartridge that you get with a new printer. Replacement pads from Shimano were $30 per wheel plus labor ($100 for bike brakes after 4 months, are you kidding?).
I went to brake pad university on the internet and ended up replacing them myself (very easy) with these, which are sintered (metal) which will last a lot longer and do provide more stopping power.
Not sure if it's the same with the Civante, but while Yamaha has an amazing electric drive train, it feels like they really cheaped out on the construction and components on the Cross Core. The shifters are anything but smooth, and the brakes have always been a concern, both requiring frequent adjustment to the cables to remain functional and aligned. The headset also needed to be tightened twice so far as the forks keep developing some play, rocking back and forth.
Minor point - The stock pedals are tiny little cheap plastic things that my normal width size 11 feet couldn't get full purchase over. I immediately replaced them with these, which provide a much more secure footing.
Lastly, the charger is a problem. It is unnecessarily large, and the cables to and from it are hard wired, making it difficult to transport or replace parts. And replace parts you shall, when the cheap locking collar assembly fails through normal use. One day you will go to disconnect the cable from your battery, and the locking collar will just slide backwards down the cable in your hand while remaining locked to the battery, leaving you to figure out how to disconect it without damaging the battery - Good luck! ;-)
This just happened to me, and I'm waiting to hear back from the dealer what (if any) warranty repair/replacement is possible - As for DIY repair, you can't find any information at all on what appear to be proprietary power connectors. Others with this problem have been told to go pound sand by Yamaha and have had to buy a new charger for $200. I hope that's not the case.
Apart from these issues, as annoying as they are, the riding experience is excellent when the bike is tuned up, and the assist is very natural. My commute is far more enjoyable than it was on the Subway, and I will hang on to this bike until at least the summer to see if I can stabilize all the 'new bike' issues and have to fix it less.
Jetsfan901
Member
I also have the Cross core, and even though I only have about 250 miles on it, I have noticed the brakes don't really seem adequate. I was hoping that by buying a brand name bike, not to have to deal with such issues.
My next project on the bike is to add an extender to raise the handlebars since I feel I have to lean a little too much on the bike and I believe I am putting too much weight on my hands.
When I purchased the bike, I did add a Kinext suspension seat post and a shockstop stem for the handlebars which add a nice inexpensive way of adding a suspension to the bike..
Looking forward to warmer weather so I can add a lot more miles to the bike..I also plan on using it to commute my 7 mile round to work..
Where in NY did you purchase the bike? Also, where did you bring the bike for the warranty work?
If you swap your brake pads for the ones I linked to, your brake issues will be solved. The factory ones are terrible.
I bought my bike at Greenpath in Brooklyn, and I had the tune-up done there as well. It's a one-man show, and the owner definitely marches to the beat of his own drum. Not the best communicator, but you can get what you need from him if you're willing to follow up and wait.
The charger will be my first warranty claim, let's see how that goes.
I bought my bike at Greenpath in Brooklyn, and I had the tune-up done there as well. It's a one-man show, and the owner definitely marches to the beat of his own drum. Not the best communicator, but you can get what you need from him if you're willing to follow up and wait.
The charger will be my first warranty claim, let's see how that goes.
FlatSix911
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Silicon Valley
Dan welcome to EBR and congratulations on your purchase... the Yamaha drive system has excellent reliability.
Regarding the charger, have you already tried threading the locking collar back onto the plug? This worked for me,
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Jetsfan901
Member
I also bought my bike from Greenpath. Did he charge you for the first tune-up or did he do that complimentary? I might just bring it into my local bike shop for the brake pads and initial tune-up..
Overall, a nice bike..
About 525 miles on the Civante now and so far no real issues since I tightened the loose crank early on, just enjoying. Was able to get rid of a little loose banging noise around the battery by putting a few thin strips of adhesive velcro at the top of where it mounts to the frame. For me, I did need to raise the stem as high as possible for comfort. Between adding a shock stop stem plus a cheap stem extender I got it to a good height, on the Civante limited only by the cable length going to the display. Still very pleased with my decision to purchase this Yamaha ebike out of the millions of choices that have come out...
I have not, thanks or the tip! I'll give it a try.
He did not charge for the initial tune-up, which I guess is standard for all new bike purchases due to stretching cables etc. It's always a bit of an ordeal at Greenpath. The website says to text them, and if you get a text back, it's the next evening, and it says to call the shop in the morning and when you call they're busy and tell you to call back in an hour and so on... Now that my free initial tune up is done, I will probably only go back there for warranty service. All other normal bike related issues will be handled by me, or my local shop in Astoria, they're great.
Jetsfan901
Member
I had Tony's add a rack to my bike a couple months ago and was very happy with their service. I also plan on using them for any work I need on the bike. I will probably let them change the pads on my brakes..And also add some fenders to the bike which I really didn't want, but after one ride on some wet slushy roads, they are much needed..
I have 850 miles on my Yamaha Cross Core (medium size) and am enjoying it. The Cross Core brakes stop OK but I did change my brake pads to metallic ones. Hydraulic brakes would be nicer and less of a hassle. The original handlebars were too straight and too low for me. I raised the bars 2 inches by adding a stem riser and finally settled on Origin8 Batwing handlebars that sweep back 25 degrees. I used FSA Metropolis bars for awhile but the 40 degree back sweep turned out to be too much for me. I didn't love the original 2 chainring (50/34) with 11-30 gearing setup. Having gearing that goes to 35 mph makes no sense with a motor that shuts off at 19 mph. I switched to 44/38 with 11-34 cassette and almost always stay on the smaller chair ring. A 40 tooth inner chainring would have been decent option too. The motor is fairly quiet and has had no issues. Battery use has been good with around 1% battery per mile in eco and 2% battery per mile in standard setting. No creaking or other sounds.
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I recently purchased a Cross Core and think it is great and highly recommend it. I got it at Hanover adventure tours in Norwich VT, which I also recommend. They offer sales, but also offer tours and rentals, even in the winter.
There is a lot to like about the Cross Core, but what really won me over was the test ride: Yamaha really has done a great job with the power assist engineering. It is much more elegant than any other ebike I have tried.
Most of my riding is on dirt roads, and what passes for asphalt in rural Vermont, and we have hills aplenty. The Cross Core is relatively light for an ebike and the ride and steering are responsive. I like the narrow tires and simple non suspension setup. I would not want wider tires or suspension as they would detract from the snappy performance and road feel this bike has. I considered a lot of ebikes, but I cannot think of one that compares for price, performance, weight, and suitability for Vermont gravel riding.
Others have criticized the dual front chainrings. I actually find this helpful. The Cross Core had about the widest gearing range I have ever seen, with a very low gear for climbing and also a very high gear, where you can still meaningfully pedal at over 30 mph. Also the dual rings let you find a gear where your chain is almost straight in most conditions, which makes for a quieter ride.
it would have been nice to have a Class 3 ebike, the Cross core sure feels solid enough like it could handle it. I notice like others have said that it stops producing power at 19 mph. But I would not want to risk the THREE year warranty to gain a few mph. I also agree that it is not great that you can switch gears while under power, not great for the gears, and very hard to avoid.
The Yamaha also had a Bluetooth transmitter that when paired with the Wahoo app gives you some interesting details.
There is a lot to like about the Cross Core, but what really won me over was the test ride: Yamaha really has done a great job with the power assist engineering. It is much more elegant than any other ebike I have tried.
Most of my riding is on dirt roads, and what passes for asphalt in rural Vermont, and we have hills aplenty. The Cross Core is relatively light for an ebike and the ride and steering are responsive. I like the narrow tires and simple non suspension setup. I would not want wider tires or suspension as they would detract from the snappy performance and road feel this bike has. I considered a lot of ebikes, but I cannot think of one that compares for price, performance, weight, and suitability for Vermont gravel riding.
Others have criticized the dual front chainrings. I actually find this helpful. The Cross Core had about the widest gearing range I have ever seen, with a very low gear for climbing and also a very high gear, where you can still meaningfully pedal at over 30 mph. Also the dual rings let you find a gear where your chain is almost straight in most conditions, which makes for a quieter ride.
it would have been nice to have a Class 3 ebike, the Cross core sure feels solid enough like it could handle it. I notice like others have said that it stops producing power at 19 mph. But I would not want to risk the THREE year warranty to gain a few mph. I also agree that it is not great that you can switch gears while under power, not great for the gears, and very hard to avoid.
The Yamaha also had a Bluetooth transmitter that when paired with the Wahoo app gives you some interesting details.
I added a 115mm stem riser to my CrossCore to raise the bars. That was the shortest I found and raises the bars around 2 inches. So far feels solid and stable. I also switched to the same sintered/metal brake pads and pedals used by Dan212. That particular type of pedal is quite nice. The middle of the pedal is flat, unlike some other pedals. Also, the bearings do not need adjustment.
Jetsfan901
Member
Did you have any problems raising the handlebars. When I tried to raise mine, the electronic cable had no slack and I wasn't able to raise the handlebars at all. I would need another couple inches on the cable to be able to raise the handlebars..
I am wondering same thing? 2 inch rise would be nice, wondering if frame size has any relevance, e.g, the cables are all standard length but less excess on large frame. I have the large frame.
Frame size could be a factor for slack in the display cable. I have a medium frame and had no issue. The picture shows use of a stem riser plus a long stem. I may re-arrange the stem spacers to drop the bars down a bit. Those are zero rise Origin8 Batwing handlebars. The bar ends are not needed with those comfortable bars.
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You have white cables? Mine are black. Did you buy bike new, those are OEM?
Jetsfan901
Member
You are probably right about the frame size, I have the large frame and there is no way I could lift my handlebars even half that amount. They left no slack at all on my display panel cable..
I wish there was some type of parts catalogue, we could look up P/N and see if they are same number all around. Yamaha usually does a good job with parts supply and ID. How does dealer order parts, there must be a microfiche (yeah, i'm showing my age)
