Captain Slow
Well-Known Member
I keep getting emails from the Canadian distributor inviting me to review the bike, so I guess it worked as I'm providing my initial impressions.
In summary, I think it's a great bike and great value. I would recommend it to most people, but for some people it wouldn't be the right bike. For most though the value is so good that if you want an electric bike I think the overall package of the Crosscurrent S is very appealing.
So if you want a quick snappy review, there it is. For those who don't mind reading a lot or want to know why I like the bike here are the (long) details.
Background - First of all I think it's relevant to know a bit about me because I don't believe that any bike out there is suited for all people. Everyone has different needs. I have been commuting to work by bike for 6 and a half years now. Not every day, but generally commuting 15.5 to 18 km's each way to work depending upon which route I take. I am now 52 years old and lately I have been finding that if I want to make good time to and from work that I get too tired to ride 5 days a week. When weather is good I ride a Cervelo RS and I haven't been crazy about riding it in lousy weather. The Crosscurrent S was to allow me to ride more frequently and to keep my Cervelo out of the bad weather.
Cons
I'll go through the cons first as it's a short list compared to what I like about the bike. I wouldn't really say these are cons about the bike, but more like nits that aren't perfect for me. The bike offers such great value it's hard to criticize it. But I don't like how heavy the bike is. I realize it's a commuter and being electric it's going to be heavy. I guess for me the Crosscurrent Air is better suited to what I want, but the Canadian importer was bringing in the S and once you add the torque sensor, fenders, rack, and lights to the Air you're pretty much up to the cost of the S, so I figured why not.
The other nit is the riding position. You're sitting pretty much straight up, which I realize is normal for this type of bike. But if you're going to make a fast bike then I think the position should be more aero. I've found when I'm hitting 37 km/hr. and faster on the bike that the battery really drains fast. A more aero position would help here a lot.
Pros
There's a lot to like about this bike. I used to have a hybrid with a Bionx system and the Crosscurrent S is so much better than the Bionx system. First of all the torque sensor make the riding experience much more like that of a regular bike, just that you have some boost. That was never the case with my Bionx bike. I also find that the geometry of this bike and having the battery inset into the downtube makes for better weight distribution and the handling difference is night and day. This bike handles so much better.
I was without an electric bike for about 5 years and during that time I looked around at a lot of bikes. The value of this bike was amazing. It's hard to find a bike at this price point with all the features and extras it has. I also wanted a bike that could get me to and from work quickly and I'd say on the highest setting I can get to and from work pretty much just as fast as if I drove.
I also have to give a shout out to Hill Eater bikes who are the Canadian distributor. I found the service to be excellent. I'd happily deal with them again.
I've ridden the bike about 100 km's so far and as everyone knows it's a fast bike. Even on the lower power levels it's pretty fast. You can pretty much ride all day at 22 to 25 km/hr. on the low power settings and the battery drain is pretty low. You can also cruise to work at 35 km/hr. if you're willing to pedal hard and you're flying by other cyclists.
I'll report back at the end of summer and I have a few thousand km's on the bike.
In summary, I think it's a great bike and great value. I would recommend it to most people, but for some people it wouldn't be the right bike. For most though the value is so good that if you want an electric bike I think the overall package of the Crosscurrent S is very appealing.
So if you want a quick snappy review, there it is. For those who don't mind reading a lot or want to know why I like the bike here are the (long) details.
Background - First of all I think it's relevant to know a bit about me because I don't believe that any bike out there is suited for all people. Everyone has different needs. I have been commuting to work by bike for 6 and a half years now. Not every day, but generally commuting 15.5 to 18 km's each way to work depending upon which route I take. I am now 52 years old and lately I have been finding that if I want to make good time to and from work that I get too tired to ride 5 days a week. When weather is good I ride a Cervelo RS and I haven't been crazy about riding it in lousy weather. The Crosscurrent S was to allow me to ride more frequently and to keep my Cervelo out of the bad weather.
Cons
I'll go through the cons first as it's a short list compared to what I like about the bike. I wouldn't really say these are cons about the bike, but more like nits that aren't perfect for me. The bike offers such great value it's hard to criticize it. But I don't like how heavy the bike is. I realize it's a commuter and being electric it's going to be heavy. I guess for me the Crosscurrent Air is better suited to what I want, but the Canadian importer was bringing in the S and once you add the torque sensor, fenders, rack, and lights to the Air you're pretty much up to the cost of the S, so I figured why not.
The other nit is the riding position. You're sitting pretty much straight up, which I realize is normal for this type of bike. But if you're going to make a fast bike then I think the position should be more aero. I've found when I'm hitting 37 km/hr. and faster on the bike that the battery really drains fast. A more aero position would help here a lot.
Pros
There's a lot to like about this bike. I used to have a hybrid with a Bionx system and the Crosscurrent S is so much better than the Bionx system. First of all the torque sensor make the riding experience much more like that of a regular bike, just that you have some boost. That was never the case with my Bionx bike. I also find that the geometry of this bike and having the battery inset into the downtube makes for better weight distribution and the handling difference is night and day. This bike handles so much better.
I was without an electric bike for about 5 years and during that time I looked around at a lot of bikes. The value of this bike was amazing. It's hard to find a bike at this price point with all the features and extras it has. I also wanted a bike that could get me to and from work quickly and I'd say on the highest setting I can get to and from work pretty much just as fast as if I drove.
I also have to give a shout out to Hill Eater bikes who are the Canadian distributor. I found the service to be excellent. I'd happily deal with them again.
I've ridden the bike about 100 km's so far and as everyone knows it's a fast bike. Even on the lower power levels it's pretty fast. You can pretty much ride all day at 22 to 25 km/hr. on the low power settings and the battery drain is pretty low. You can also cruise to work at 35 km/hr. if you're willing to pedal hard and you're flying by other cyclists.
I'll report back at the end of summer and I have a few thousand km's on the bike.
