Cross Current

[Rob02150]

@Rob02150

Good for you! Really nice bike. That broken cap, so many get broken since Suntour really doesn't give good direction on how to remove it. That cover is just for looks, it's not a weather cover, but I bet any bigger LBS will have spares (new or used) that will fit. I have a non-e-bike with them and the first time I removed the cap, I came close to breaking it. Many Suntour's use the same cap.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the heads up @J.R. I'm glad it's not some sort of weather guard.

I'm just now working on trying to get rid of the brake rub in the front. It's slightly rubbing, and I just cant seem to figure it out.

Tomorrow I'll be going to a local bike shop to see if they can do the adjusting for me.

This bike is worth every penny. Huge shout out to @Tora Harris for putting out such a solid product.

 

[Kaldeem]

So good to hear all the great reviews. I've been considering getting a summer ebike, and haven't been 100% convinced on converting my gates carbon belt drive bike yet, so the CC sounds like a great bike since the price is comparable to buying a kit and decent battery.

 

[George S.]

So good to hear all the great reviews. I've been considering getting a summer ebike, and haven't been 100% convinced on converting my gates carbon belt drive bike yet, so the CC sounds like a great bike since the price is comparable to buying a kit and decent battery.

One thing you might consider is building a bike and getting a second cradle for the battery you have. The weird thing is that @roshan said Bafang is coming out with a 750 watt hub that includes a torque sensor. It would make it easier to build a bike like this, if the part was available to DIY. I like the CC a lot, but the price gets up there with the bigger battery.

 

[Dunbar]

Is there an external charge port on the Cross Current? If so, where?

 

[Tora Harris]

Is there an external charge port on the Cross Current? If so, where?

The main pack can be charged on-bike or off-bike. The main battery charge port is accessible without taking the battery off the bike. The pack does have a USB port, however it is not being used to charge USB devices.

 

[Rob02150]

Looks like my front brake caliper has leaked. Not sure why and not sure if it needs to be replaced. It didn't leak while the pads were on the bike, I removed them to see if there were any wear lines from it rubbing. Pads were out of the caliper and I squeezed on the front brake lever and some oil came out.

Maybe it's a piston seal leak? I have no idea.

Any ideas or tips?

 

[kennyzzz]

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/tech-spotlight-brake-caliper-piston-service-assessment-2014.html lot of good info,,,,

 

[Kaldeem]

One thing you might consider is building a bike and getting a second cradle for the battery you have. The weird thing is that @roshan said Bafang is coming out with a 750 watt hub that includes a torque sensor. It would make it easier to build a bike like this, if the part was available to DIY. I like the CC a lot, but the price gets up there with the bigger battery.

Appreciate the tip, however the CC with the upgrade is still cheaper (minus accessories) then my BigFatty I built. I love the fatty, but I'm looking for something more nimble for some summer fun.

 

[Tora Harris]

Looks like my front brake caliper has leaked. Not sure why and not sure if it needs to be replaced. It didn't leak while the pads were on the bike, I removed them to see if there were any wear lines from it rubbing. Pads were out of the caliper and I squeezed on the front brake lever and some oil came out.

Maybe it's a piston seal leak? I have no idea.

Any ideas or tips?

With most all hydraulic disc brake systems if you squeeze the lever with the pads not inserted, it may leak and even pop the pistons out completely. Please contact us directly so we can help you with the service of the brake caliper. [email protected]

 

[Rob02150]

Quick overview of the CC.

Not a fancy video just yet.

 

[Jack Tyler]

Thanks for posting the video @Rob02150. A few follow-up notes:
-- the video didn't offer a good view of the torque sensor, which was relocated to the rear hub on the production version. This conflicts with mounting some (most?) of the available racks but OTOH provides most of the 'secret sauce' of the bike's sweet & linear motor assist. Unless you're dealing directly with a savvy bike shop that's already got a solution for you, I'd suggest waiting to get the bike before choosing a rack. Tora & team know about the issue.
-- the hydraulic brakes include motor inhibitors; in fact, I think that's why the relatively high-end Dorado brakes were chosen despite the competitive pricing goal. Very impressive to use and very suitable for this pedelec bike
-- this is the best view of actually using the power/battery display I think we've seen so far. Think I heard Rob say he'd ridden 19 miles before videoing the bike and you'll notice the battery display reads 4 out of 5 bars. That seems overly optimistic to me given the 7.8 AHr battery. I'm very interested to learn what I can expect from this small'ish battery once I begin riding the CC.

 

[Dunbar]

The battery power remaining bars on the display drops under load and goes back up when the motor assist cuts out. I think Tora said it's just reading battery voltage. Given that the first CC I rode was probably chugging (struggling to go over 20mph) while showing over 50% battery left I'm not sure I believe it. Probably best to just charge the bike to 100% when you get it and go off experience to estimate range. My observations after a few rides is that the bike tends to hold speed effortlessly once you get to 20mph+ but it doesn't provide as much assist accelerating from low speeds. I deal with a lot of stop signs so I ordered the throttle kit to help me with these accelerations. There's definitely a 'sweet spot' of torque and cadence that gives you the optimal motor assist. So I've trying to learn to shift the gears to hold it in that sweet spot rather than letting the motor fall out of its 'power curve.' I'm having a lot of fun on mine. Cars really don't know what to think when a bike beats them off the line and effortlessly cruises along at 28mph For those looking for a good rear blinky light the Axiom Pulse 60 at Performance Bike is a very good light for $35. I have one shipping to my local store and I can point you to a rack mount that can be 3D printed for this light. I took mine to get takeout food last night. Something I was always too lazy to do with my non-electric bike.

 

[theaggravatedjew]

My gf's cross current had an issue with he torque sensor I suspect. Essentially it reminded me of driving a manual car and shifting straight into second from a stop, it didn't operate smoothly like mine. The dealer swapped it out for a different cross current for her so I can't say for certain if it was a torque sensor issue or something else. If I find out from the shop I will post an update.

Also, we raised both neck stems a little bit, I prefer the ride now. I feel like I was right on the edge of getting the Large frame, but went with the medium because of stand over height.

@Kaldeem weren't you also looking at a biktrix at one point? I want one of all the bikes too. No judgement here. The cross current is so much fun I want a ebike for contain bike riding!

 

[Rob02150]

My gf's cross current had an issue with he torque sensor I suspect. Essentially it reminded me of driving a manual car and shifting straight into second from a stop, it didn't operate smoothly like mine. The dealer swapped it out for a different cross current for her so I can't say for certain if it was a torque sensor issue or something else. If I find out from the shop I will post an update.

Also, we raised both neck stems a little bit, I prefer the ride now. I feel like I was right on the edge of getting the Large frame, but went with the medium because of stand over height.

@Kaldeem weren't you also looking at a biktrix at one point? I want one of all the bikes too. No judgement here. The cross current is so much fun I want a ebike for contain bike riding!

Same thing happens to me. I notice that it doesn't happen as much if I'm on a lower level of assist.

 

[youth]

For those looking for a good rear blinky light the Axiom Pulse 60 at Performance Bike is a very good light for $35. .

I have the Axiom Pulse 60 & it's nice for it brightness & small size. I only wish it would dim when low on battery rather then just go out. While at Performance I would also recommend getting their Kor bar ends for the extra hand positions.

I'm still trying to find my optimum position on my CC, but one thing I'm having trouble adjusting is the saddle tilt. I like my saddle with the nose up maybe up to 1/2" & with the Promax seatpost & also an old Thudbuster LT I bottom out that adjustment unable to get the angle I'd like. I have a SR Suntour SP12 NCX on the way & hope that will have the range of adjustment I need.

I have notice a few times where the motor doesn't seem to engage from a stop, but if I let up & backpedal a bit it will be ok again. It's not a common occurrence & I'm not certain how I trigger it so I just attribute it to a quirk of the torque sensor dropout design.

One more thing I thought cogging was thing with DD motors but with no power the bike really feels dragged down similar to my Bionx.

 

[Jack Tyler]

Nice looking bike @Dunbar...but then I'm prejudiced.

Yes, the LED battery level indicator is supposed to reflect bank voltage. The conventional choice would be for the measurement to be accurate at resting voltage, which would be at some point after use (an hour or two, not minutes). This is preferred because it would tell you the charge state before using the bike or after the day's end when you decide whether to charge or not. Thus, my surprise to hear Rob mention 19 miles and then see 4/5 on the display. (I suspect this part of the display really isn't there to provide dependable voltage readings but rather to just give a rough (aka: vague) estimate of remaining capacity and nothing more). Even seeing the actual voltage level in tenths or hundreds of a volt while riding isn't going to tell us much unless/until we got pretty persnickety about building a table of X volts vs. power level selected vs. remaining range. And even then, the other variables (wind, gradient, load, road surface) would make that voltage reading only a guesstimate. This is also why ebike displays that show range are often criticized for lack of accuracy. All of this to illustrate why I will be looking for a 'smart charger' and wish Tora success in adapting the Juiced controller for plug-n-play use of a CA.

While I just purchased a different and presumably half as powerful a rear light - a Cyrgolite Micro 30 - I'm astounded at how bright and penetrating several of its modes are. I put it w-a-y down the block from where I stood and almost couldn't look at it. Obviously, there has been some real improvements in LED-based lighting since I last shopped for such a product. Made my wife feel much better about riding in dim conditions.

 

[theaggravatedjew]

I have the Axiom Pulse 60 & it's nice for it brightness & small size. I only wish it would dim when low on battery rather then just go out. While at Performance I would also recommend getting their Kor bar ends for the extra hand positions.

I'm still trying to find my optimum position on my CC, but one thing I'm having trouble adjusting is the saddle tilt. I like my saddle with the nose up maybe up to 1/2" & with the Promax seatpost & also an old Thudbuster LT I bottom out that adjustment unable to get the angle I'd like. I have a SR Suntour SP12 NCX on the way & hope that will have the range of adjustment I need.

I have notice a few times where the motor doesn't seem to engage from a stop, but if I let up & backpedal a bit it will be ok again. It's not a common occurrence & I'm not certain how I trigger it so I just attribute it to a quirk of the torque sensor dropout design.

One more thing I thought cogging was thing with DD motors but with no power the bike really feels dragged down similar to my Bionx.

How much does the thud buster impact the ride, does it absorb enough shock to not need to use the fork suspension? Did you ride the cross current stock for a while to get a basis for comparison?

 

[Dunbar]

Did a bit of speed testing today which is difficult w/o a speedometer. Looking at the Strava data going down a 1-2% incline 28mph is sustainable if you keep pedaling. I had to keep coasting to guard against cars pulling out in front of me (40k+ miles on bikes has made me a cautious rider.) Going back up the same 1-2% incline I could cruise at 24-26mph which is no small feat on 50lb bike. I got 7th overall on the uphill segment before I reclassified it as an e-bike ride which removes you from the leaderboard. The motor is definitely happiest cruising at higher speeds and least happy accelerating from a slow speeds or a stop. It almost feels like a two stage motor where once you hit the magic speed and rider input it kicks it into the higher power level.

https://www.strava.com/activities/614553956/analysis

 

[youth]

How much does the thud buster impact the ride, does it absorb enough shock to not need to use the fork suspension? Did you ride the cross current stock for a while to get a basis for comparison?

I have the stock seatpost back on atm the moment & it does make a good difference in comfort for the rear. These parallelogram type suspensions seatposts are great. The major reasons I'm replacing it with the SR Suntour version is because it's cheaper, has half the travel which is all I need, & my thudbuster is pretty worn out already. Looking at the seat rail clamp design I'm also hoping it will let me angle up the saddle more.

 

[Tora Harris]

I have the Axiom Pulse 60 & it's nice for it brightness & small size. I only wish it would dim when low on battery rather then just go out. While at Performance I would also recommend getting their Kor bar ends for the extra hand positions.

I'm still trying to find my optimum position on my CC, but one thing I'm having trouble adjusting is the saddle tilt. I like my saddle with the nose up maybe up to 1/2" & with the Promax seatpost & also an old Thudbuster LT I bottom out that adjustment unable to get the angle I'd like. I have a SR Suntour SP12 NCX on the way & hope that will have the range of adjustment I need.

I have notice a few times where the motor doesn't seem to engage from a stop, but if I let up & backpedal a bit it will be ok again. It's not a common occurrence & I'm not certain how I trigger it so I just attribute it to a quirk of the torque sensor dropout design.

One more thing I thought cogging was thing with DD motors but with no power the bike really feels dragged down similar to my Bionx.

To adjust the seat tilt, you need to adjust both seat screws simultaneously. On the torque sensor: the torque sensor sometimes has to recalibrate so there is a temporary pause in the assistance. This is more noticeable if you are pedaling as you turn the bike on. You must let off the pedals or pedal backwards to allow time for the sensor to calibrate. Basically its like a bathroom scale and needs to tare (calibrate) before it is useable.