Bruce Arnold
Well-Known Member
My Crosscurrent S arrived on Jan. 16. This was from the late November shipment, not the one being advertised now. I was out of town for most of December and Juiced Bikes kindly held it until I returned home. Thanks, Folks!
Set up was pretty easy. I had to mess with the front fender to get it the way I wanted it. That was probably the most time-consuming part (not hard, just fiddly.) Emailed Juiced with a question about the headlight; what I thought was the right cable coming out of the downtube had a flat-topped cap on it, rather than being open like in the video, and if it was a cap, it didn't seem to want to twist off. Got a response back within a couple of hours telling me that this was the right cable, and the cap is on pretty tight for a good seal. With that information, I took a pair of pliers and got it off with no problem. That light is pretty bright!
Checked all the various bolts etc. for tightness, inspected the wheels and pumped up the tires (Marathon Plus), and was ready to go. I've been out on it a couple of times now and I've got to say it is a blast! Acceleration is not like a rocket -- I'm a fairly heavy guy so I take that into account -- but it is more than powerful enough for the riding I do. Adding a little throttle while pedaling away from a stop sign is definitely fun! At one stop sign, I had forgotten to gear down from 9th gear so pedaling was difficult. Gave it some throttle to get some speed and then started pedaling again.
While I'm on the subject of gears, the trigger shifter is great. I used to ride a Specialized Hard Rock with a similar shifter. But both levers took a push. I like having upshifting on the trigger finger and downshifting on the thumb. Good choice, Shimano.
Because I am on the heavy side, I'm not interested in pushing the limits with this bike. 18-20 mph is plenty fast for my purposes -- commuting and general fun -- and I can get there on level 1 in 9th gear with no problem. I've done a lot of my riding so far in Eco mode and for doing an easy 15-16 mph it is more than adequate. I want to get in better shape so Eco mode is very useful for me. I've tried all five levels some, and it is pretty cool how the motor responds in 2, 3, and S, but not necessary for what I want. Here's an added plus: using Eco and level 1 will make that 17.4 amp hour battery last for a long dang time.
I appreciate the cruise control. It's easy to set. Since I have COPD and get out of breath easily, it is awesome to be able to pedal for a while, let cruise control take over before I get out of breath, then pedal some more. As my conditioning improves, I will need this less and less, but for an old retired guy whose number one priority is getting back in shape, this is an excellent tool to help me do it in a way I can sustain. COPD is no joke, folks, but the CCS will help me be more mobile, get in better shape, and have a good time doing it. Juiced Bikes might want to mention this sort of thing somewhere on their website.
Darned good looking bike, and very nimble. I wouldn't mind another inch of wheelbase, or maybe another degree or two of rake, but I'm sure most people will appreciate the sportier handling. This is not a problem; just a matter of personal preference. To be sure, it will make handling in parking lots or other close-quarters situations easier. My current motorcycle is a sport-tourer (BMW R1200RT) and it handles both duties pretty well. More touring than sport but that suits me. This bike is more sport than tour. I'd like the ratio reversed -- more tour than sport -- but I'm really so satisfied with the way it is and may appreciate the sportiness more as I get in better shape.
I like the combination of torque sensor/cadence sensor. It is very much like just riding a bike. I can hear a little lag -- just the briefest of moments -- between starting to pedal and the motor coming on, but it is so smooth and natural. Pedal easily and the motor does the work, put some effort into it and the speed increases right away.
These are first impressions after a few days of ownership. I'll post again when I've put more miles on it.
Set up was pretty easy. I had to mess with the front fender to get it the way I wanted it. That was probably the most time-consuming part (not hard, just fiddly.) Emailed Juiced with a question about the headlight; what I thought was the right cable coming out of the downtube had a flat-topped cap on it, rather than being open like in the video, and if it was a cap, it didn't seem to want to twist off. Got a response back within a couple of hours telling me that this was the right cable, and the cap is on pretty tight for a good seal. With that information, I took a pair of pliers and got it off with no problem. That light is pretty bright!
Checked all the various bolts etc. for tightness, inspected the wheels and pumped up the tires (Marathon Plus), and was ready to go. I've been out on it a couple of times now and I've got to say it is a blast! Acceleration is not like a rocket -- I'm a fairly heavy guy so I take that into account -- but it is more than powerful enough for the riding I do. Adding a little throttle while pedaling away from a stop sign is definitely fun! At one stop sign, I had forgotten to gear down from 9th gear so pedaling was difficult. Gave it some throttle to get some speed and then started pedaling again.
While I'm on the subject of gears, the trigger shifter is great. I used to ride a Specialized Hard Rock with a similar shifter. But both levers took a push. I like having upshifting on the trigger finger and downshifting on the thumb. Good choice, Shimano.
Because I am on the heavy side, I'm not interested in pushing the limits with this bike. 18-20 mph is plenty fast for my purposes -- commuting and general fun -- and I can get there on level 1 in 9th gear with no problem. I've done a lot of my riding so far in Eco mode and for doing an easy 15-16 mph it is more than adequate. I want to get in better shape so Eco mode is very useful for me. I've tried all five levels some, and it is pretty cool how the motor responds in 2, 3, and S, but not necessary for what I want. Here's an added plus: using Eco and level 1 will make that 17.4 amp hour battery last for a long dang time.
I appreciate the cruise control. It's easy to set. Since I have COPD and get out of breath easily, it is awesome to be able to pedal for a while, let cruise control take over before I get out of breath, then pedal some more. As my conditioning improves, I will need this less and less, but for an old retired guy whose number one priority is getting back in shape, this is an excellent tool to help me do it in a way I can sustain. COPD is no joke, folks, but the CCS will help me be more mobile, get in better shape, and have a good time doing it. Juiced Bikes might want to mention this sort of thing somewhere on their website.
Darned good looking bike, and very nimble. I wouldn't mind another inch of wheelbase, or maybe another degree or two of rake, but I'm sure most people will appreciate the sportier handling. This is not a problem; just a matter of personal preference. To be sure, it will make handling in parking lots or other close-quarters situations easier. My current motorcycle is a sport-tourer (BMW R1200RT) and it handles both duties pretty well. More touring than sport but that suits me. This bike is more sport than tour. I'd like the ratio reversed -- more tour than sport -- but I'm really so satisfied with the way it is and may appreciate the sportiness more as I get in better shape.
I like the combination of torque sensor/cadence sensor. It is very much like just riding a bike. I can hear a little lag -- just the briefest of moments -- between starting to pedal and the motor coming on, but it is so smooth and natural. Pedal easily and the motor does the work, put some effort into it and the speed increases right away.
These are first impressions after a few days of ownership. I'll post again when I've put more miles on it.
