CrossCurrent S - New Model

[Andy_in_CA]

for me its about commuting to work.... the first week i rode in... i went as fast as i could pedal\with assist.. it was fun.. but Venice\
Santa Monica is no fun with Ahole drivers (uber etc...) so I cruse about the aforementioned 18-22 mph. gets me there safe...

Andy

 

[john peck]

You'll probably settle to a cruising speed a little faster than a non electric bike, in the 18-22 mph range, where you'll get a good compromise between speed and battery range. I get more excitement when a fancy carbon road bike with spandex wearing rider passes me and then I leave him behind for good.

I use the full range of speeds, whatever is appropriate at the time. Guessing, my overall cruise at 16mph.
I never got into the spandex thing. I love bikes, a number of vintage salvages, my riding attire is
mostly what ever is ordinary & comfortable. Truth told though, I'm probably as smug about my CCS
as they are about their carbons, sorta like first generation Prius owners.
P.S. I like to sneak up behind them & then zoom past at a 90 cadence,

 

[john peck]

Uh, this may come across as a dumb question, but why is the 18-22 mph range a good cruising speed. Is that basically the best trade off between speed and safety after considering traffic, etc .........

I was hoping to average a bit more than that.

I'm old & in no particular hurry, an old turtle content to drag my tail in the mud. I avoid
traffic as much as possible having been hit 4 times & a 1000 near misses. I am
fortunate in that only one occasion led to serious injury.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

Uh, this may come across as a dumb question, but why is the 18-22 mph range a good cruising speed. Is that basically the best trade off between speed and safety after considering traffic, etc .........

I was hoping to average a bit more than that.

Anything above 20 mph the energy consumption increases significantly per mph gain by the square (exponentially) due to the exponential increase in air resistance drag starting just above 20 mph.

http://users.frii.com/katana/biketext.html

 

[Andy_in_CA]

for me its a safety thing. I don't' feel like people can see me if they are parked and opening doors or pulling out... The last thing I want is a "door prize" on the way to work.

Andy

 

[john peck]

for me its a safety thing. I don't' feel like people can see me if they are parked and opening doors or pulling out... The last thing I want is a "door prize" on the way to work.

Andy

&
Day b4 yesterday a guy with a flatbed looking right at me & pulled out right in front of me shouting you're going too fast,(20mph)
I love the brakes on my CCS.

 

[Dunbar]

for me its a safety thing. I don't' feel like people can see me if they are parked and opening doors or pulling out... The last thing I want is a "door prize" on the way to work.Andy

I ride in the same area as you (Venice/Santa Monica) and I have no qualms about going 25-28mph in the bike lanes if conditions permit me to do so safely. I’ve done over 40k miles of cycling on these roads so I know the danger zones (and generally choose only roads with good bike lanes.) Once you get enough miles under your belt you develop a sixth sense of when a driver is about to do something stupid. I definitely ride much more defensively these days after having hit a couple of cars on my road bike. Good lighting makes a big difference too, especially for left cross avoidance.

 

[Andy_in_CA]

Agreed. Btw Friday nite suck in Venice...hate Uber...

 

[john peck]

I doubt you will get your cross current s in this batch. They are only shipping orders in the 1700's.

That's funny; I got mine, no problem,#2013. Where'd you get you get your information, Stromer?

---EDIT----

 

[FA63]

Hi all, new member here. I have a CCS on order for November delivery (hopefully), and wanted to get some feedback from real life users about battery life.

I would like to use the bike for commuting, which is 11 miles each way. The route is fairly hilly. I weigh 225 lbs. Do you guys think I will be able to make it round trip with the 12.8 amp-hour battery without having to recharge? Or should I pay up for the 17.4 upgrade? I will probably ride in Assist Mode 3 most of the time, keeping the speed around 16-20 mph. I have been road biking for many years, so I don't mind putting some effort into the pedals, but not so much where I am sweating a lot when I get to my destination.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Dunbar]

It’s probably doable but the bike will proably start to feel sluggish 1/2 way home as the voltage drops below 50V. You really notice it going up hills. I would charge it at work and put it on a timer for 2 hours if you can. Keep in mind that if you charge to 100% you only get about 500 cycles before the battery degrades. If you charge to 80% you’ll get a lot more life out of the battery.

 

[FA63]

Thanks for the quick response. I am not sure I will be able charge at work easily; the building manager is a bit of a PITA about letting bikes in the offices, and there is no plug by the bike racks outside. Sounds like I might benefit from upgrading to the larger battery to be on the safe side. I guess the larger battery might also help when I am riding in colder weather (Atlanta, GA).

 

[Andy_in_CA]

You can remove the battery and recharge at a desk or another area. I also have a CCS and and 11 mile commute but it's only has a few small grades and is mostly flat. I ride in S mode and use about half the battery.

I have a second charger at work and top it off.. keeping a manual eye on the clock.

A second charger is cheaper than. A second battery or just throw it in a bag as it's not heavy at all.

Andy

 

[Rooster]

Hi all, new member here. I have a CCS on order for November delivery (hopefully), and wanted to get some feedback from real life users about battery life.

I would like to use the bike for commuting, which is 11 miles each way. The route is fairly hilly. I weigh 225 lbs. Do you guys think I will be able to make it round trip with the 12.8 amp-hour battery without having to recharge? Or should I pay up for the 17.4 upgrade? I will probably ride in Assist Mode 3 most of the time, keeping the speed around 16-20 mph. I have been road biking for many years, so I don't mind putting some effort into the pedals, but not so much where I am sweating a lot when I get to my destination.

Thanks in advance!

I would go ahead and get the upgrade if it were me. To much is way better than not enough, range anxiety sucks.

 

[john peck]

I would go ahead and get the upgrade if it were me. To much is way better than not enough, range anxiety sucks.

I second that, 17ah will let you enjoy the bike even more. I sprung for 21ah & now ride 'til my legs fall off.

 

[ebikeHIgh]

17.4 minimum. ($1,998) I can't get more than 15 good miles (2hrs) out of my 12.8 ah battery. I've disabled the S mode and usually need to ride in 1 or 2 mode at speeds 15-18mph to avoid burnout. Battery level 90-70% ticks down faaast from home to bike path. The motor starts to sputter under 4 bars. It makes it hard to take it on a long weekend ride or even a little embarrassing when the motor quits out on you in traffic. At 12.8ah it's a toy/entry level and only good for city commuting half day at most.

atm, Juiced is out of stock of 17.4 ah (@ $999 or +$350) I wished these were compatible at these prices. (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[john peck]

I'm a big guy, lots wind resistance & hills. I ride mostly in eco, but go higher on hills.
I'm getting 5 miles to the volt on my 21ah, or 70 mi.between 54 & 40 volts. I weigh
50% more than the test rider.

 

[BallzOne]

17.4 minimum. ($1,998) I can't get more than 15 good miles (2hrs) out of my 12.8 ah battery. I've disabled the S mode and usually need to ride in 1 or 2 mode at speeds 15-18mph to avoid burnout. Battery level 90-70% ticks down faaast from home to bike path. The motor starts to sputter under 4 bars. It makes it hard to take it on a long weekend ride or even a little embarrassing when the motor quits out on you in traffic. At 12.8ah it's a toy/entry level and only good for city commuting half day at most.

atm, Juiced is out of stock of 17.4 ah (@ $999 or +$350) I wished these were compatible at these prices. (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

That seems odd to me. If you're saying that 7.5mph for 2 hours drains your battery to empty then I'd say you have a battery or charger issue. Or you're climbing mountains in Colorado with throttle only.

I'm in Texas on flat ground and weigh 150lbs but here's my stats on the 12.8. 19 miles @18mph avg all in eco used 2.9Ah, 17 miles @22mph avg all in #1 Boost used 4.3Ah, 17 miles @24mph avg all in #2 Boost used 5.3Ah, 9 miles @27mph avg all in S Boost used 4Ah, and 29 miles @21mph avg in 1/2 eco and 1/2 #1 Boost used 7Ah. By my estimate I should be able to ride ~80 miles at 18mph avg in all eco mode on a full battery. Hardly a toy to me.

 

[ebikeHIgh]

That seems odd to me. If you're saying that 7.5mph for 2 hours drains your battery to empty then I'd say you have a battery or charger issue. Or you're climbing mountains in Colorado with throttle only.

I'm in Texas on flat ground and weigh 150lbs but here's my stats on the 12.8. 19 miles @18mph avg all in eco used 2.9Ah, 17 miles @22mph avg all in #1 Boost used 4.3Ah, 17 miles @24mph avg all in #2 Boost used 5.3Ah, 9 miles @27mph avg all in S Boost used 4Ah, and 29 miles @21mph avg in 1/2 eco and 1/2 #1 Boost used 7Ah. By my estimate I should be able to ride ~80 miles at 18mph avg in all eco mode on a full battery. Hardly a toy to me.

Im saying that if you are 225 lbs looking to commute 20mi at power assist 2-3 in hilly terrain on a single charge, upgrade to the 17ah battery. I've given a real world account of usable miles with out motor cutout. Your theoretical stats are not very applicable to the proposition. Eco mode at 18mph is toy mode for the bike. Best for niche market

 

[Dunbar]

Im saying that if you are 225 lbs looking to commute 20mi at power assist 2-3 in hilly terrain on a single charge, upgrade to the 17ah battery. I've given a real world account of usable miles with out motor cutout. Your theoretical stats are not very applicable to the proposition. Eco mode at 18mph is toy mode for the bike. Best for niche market

My experience with the original Cross Current on the 10.4Ah battery is similar to yours. I could drain the battery completely in 45 minutes on the top assist level. Figure 30-35Wh/mi. cruising at 25-28mph and you can see that 600Wh to go 22 miles is basically 100% DOD every day. And the bike gets a lot less fun to ride once you get to the last 25% of battery or so. It starts to really struggle going up hills. The 17.4aH battery charged to 80% once per day should handle that commute fine and last several years.