Cross Current

[Chandlee EBS]

UH OH! Our Cross Current demo arrived yesterday:

It's VERY good for $1500. Finally, a sub-2k bike with a good torque sensor. It's a class 3, with Tektro Durano brakes and an Alivio drivetrain.

This bike is a big deal. Now excuse me while I go ride around on it some more.

 

[George S.]

It's a DIY type price. Battery is small. Hard to say if people will ride it at 28 mph, but that takes a lot of watts, even with a fit rider. No word on what the bigger batteries will cost.

Seems like versions of the Bafang geared hub are on a lot of bikes. Is the CC giving up much hill-climbing for speed?

Its seems like this messes with two groups. First, the European companies that wanted to expand the premium models they sell. They got the whole ebike 'Class' thing legislated in California. Second, the kit companies that are too dependent on the BBS02 at $600 and up.

This bike can easily be matched as a DIY with a Mac motor, a much bigger battery, and a basic Bikes Direct type bike. So how many people need these mid-drives. Great for snow, maybe off road...

Looks like a very solid bike at a price point that could force some real changes.

I also like the dog. Very impressive.

 

[Nirmala]

I am curious also how much the bigger batteries will cost and when they will be available. One of the best features of our Magnum Ui5's is the 13 amp hour battery. In other respects, I think this Cross Current is a great bike for the price.

 

[Chandlee EBS]

I think you'll see the price point for larger batteries reflect the rest of Juiced Riders upgrades. The great thing about this is clean integration and rider engagement. Bafang builds and Magnums are awesome, but our city is super-outdoorsy so throttles and cadence sensors have been unpopular. The 350w motor is enough to take the hills and the 374wh battery great for this price. It's the rewarding feeling that you get (similiar to high-end bikes) that makes the Cross Current unique at this price.

@George S. , this dog is such a poser.

 

[JoePah]

That's a good price point.. Those $5000 eBikes are insane.

That looks like a speed motor. So long as there arent any steep hills, this bike will do fine

 

[theaggravatedjew]

I just talked to Rocket Electrics in Austin and they reported the Demo arrived to their shop as well. I am so glad to hear that the impressions of this bike continue to be good. I can't wait for March when customer bikes (mine) are scheduled to arrive.

 

[Jack Tyler]

@Chandlee EBS what ebike computer might you recommend a buyer choose to partner with this bike, given it's limited control-only display?

 

[flymeaway]

It's VERY good for $1500

Yes it is. As ebike sales increase we will see much more competition with higher quality bikes in the sub $2,000 category. As others have pointed out, the one area that really needs improvement is high capacity batteries at lower price points.

Thanks for posting the bike, looks great.

Court J.

 

[Jack Tyler]

@Link Removed you asked, "I am curious also how much the bigger batteries will cost and when they will be available." I suppose an indication of that cost is reflected in the JR support webpage. The mid-size (23 Ah) battery is +$300 and the large (32Ah) battery is quoted at +$1000 over the standard 15 Ah battery. Elsewhere, it's mentioned the two larger battery sizes are f'cast for Summer and Fall 2016 respectively.

Jack

 

[Tora Harris]

I have been camped out at the factory in China as we continue focused development on the production CrossCurrent along with some other stuff.

There has been a lot of interest in this bike and the reaction when people ride is WOW! On top of this, many people already want the larger 10.4 Ah battery pack. So naturally we have been focusing a lot of resources on this.

We use the shorter version of the Reention downtube battery platform which offers more flexibility in terms of the frame design and also gives more space for the motor controller for easier install and servicing. We also configured it for 48V for higher performance.

The Stock 7.8 Ah pack has 39 cells and the extended range 10.4 Ah has 52 cells. The 10.4 Ah pack has a little hump where more cells are added but it is not too noticeable.

We had this special case made to increase the capacity as much as possible without disturbing the overall shape of the bike yet offer interchangeability. Unlike our ODK line of Utility e-bikes which we can just add or remove cells to achieve different capacities, every part of the CC's pack was retooled.

We are now finishing up the testing so the pack can be approved for production. This includes high temp operation, low temp operation, short circuit, over discharge, over charge, extended bench and field testing among other things.

We will make an announcement about the pack upgrade cost and availability soon.

 

[Kaldeem]

I don't know if it's listed somewhere, but what is the torque on the CC?

 

[Jack Tyler]

Tora, thanks for keeping the Community posted on your progress. This looks like a very promising product.

Jack

 

[Chandlee EBS]

Good question about the display, @Jack Tyler. I would leave that to @Tora Harris to answer. Until Cobi is released, my best answer is Strava. I would imagine any alteration of the wiring is going to void the warranty.

@Kaldeem, weirdly, I don't place much faith in listed torque numbers when in the real world (look at how powerful a BH bike climbs in comparison to bicycles rated with twice the torque). I will say that this motor seems more clearly wound for speed than hill climbing ability. The O.D.K. doesn't even require pedaling to ascend the hill next to our shop. The CC requires moderate effort. That said, I'm very impressed the ease of motor function and pedaling over 20 MPH with the CC, which seems to be what this bike is about.

 

[Tora Harris]

Yes, that's right, the actual torque numbers do not tell you a whole bunch. The CrossCurrent clearly trades a little low end torque for high speed assistance. You get it once you ride it, it's so worth it. The other thing not shown in the figures is how the motor does not feel like it is working against you at higher speeds like on other bikes with slower hub motors. The CC is a rider's e-bike.

 

[Kaldeem]

Okay, good to know. I'm considering the CC for a summer bike, or I'll end up doing another DIY mid-drive but with a 350w bafang. I'm just wondering how it will do carrying me up some hills here in CO. I'm 300 lbs and my DIY Fatbike BBSHD 1000w carries me at 22 mph uphill. It's a blast.

 

[JoePah]

Okay, good to know. I'm considering the CC for a summer bike, or I'll end up doing another DIY mid-drive but with a 350w bafang. I'm just wondering how it will do carrying me up some hills here in CO. I'm 300 lbs and my DIY Fatbike BBSHD 1000w carries me at 22 mph uphill. It's a blast.

This CC would be a terrible bike for you. A mid drive or hi torque DD hub motor

 

[George S.]

Okay, good to know. I'm considering the CC for a summer bike, or I'll end up doing another DIY mid-drive but with a 350w bafang. I'm just wondering how it will do carrying me up some hills here in CO. I'm 300 lbs and my DIY Fatbike BBSHD 1000w carries me at 22 mph uphill. It's a blast.

K,

You end up with the Shark? I like mine a lot. Wondering if Eric will make extra bottle mounts for a second bike available. That would be the good thing about building, share the battery.

 

[Kaldeem]

Yeah I got the shark pack. It's pretty sleek, but the mounting brackets are a little off. I had to use a zip tie and one bottle mount. It's still kinda loose so I'm looking at drilling another mount or maybe using some kinda bondo.

 

[George S.]

Not sure why Luna thinks the zip ties work. I guess a rivnut might work. Good chance to see how thick the tubes are.

 

[Tora Harris]

Agreed, the CC is not designed to power up steep hills like a motorcycle. If you want good climbing power and long range while carrying your stuff, we have the ODK Utility E-bike with up to 48V and 32Ah for such jobs. The CC is designed to be more bike-like, fast, light and with optimized performance around the limited energy carried aboard. It matches and then rewards your pedaling efforts with pure speed, but is mature and well behaved when you want to go slower.

To make your own e-bike is empowering and very rewarding. As far as DIY vs. ready-made e-bikes, the stuff we make in the lab and garage will always out-perform and/or be cheaper than what gets to the market. This will always be the case as development expenses, safety, reliability, availability, commission, serviceability, etc. are cut out of the equation and placed on the books of the builder. In either case, it's all about getting where you are going, having fun and staying safe!