CrossCurrent S - New Model

[doyle]

Yes, I agree with most of what you said. They did say they anticipated selling out the first container from the start, though.

http://prioritybicycles.com/

I have a bike from these guys, the Continuum, which was just an incredible value - gates belt drive, nuvinci hub, hydraulic discs, fenders included - for $950. They've since updated it to a dynamo hub+light with a $50 price bump. The owner, Dave Weiner, used to work for Giant, and he's no doubt using a lot of these connections (Giant does OEM frames). Ordering from them was a much smoother process (no missed dates or parts surprises), but they do have some of the same small company aspects, both good (email them and Dave will personally answer within an hour) and bad (they do a significant number of preorders too, I suspect for cashflow reasons).

The reason I bring it up is because I recommend them all the time to nonenthusiasts - they have a cool niche, targeting near-zero-maintenance bikes - and I feel comfortable recommending them because I know they'll ship when they say they will. This isn't the case with Juiced - but if they got just a little better at managing their supply chain (or maybe more importantly, expectations), I would be recommending them to everyone, even though neither is as smooth an experience as driving down the street and buying a Trek bike. People respond to value (and a story), but on it's own, that's not enough, and you do have to at least pass the bar with customer service and quality.

 

[Fran Fabrizio]

Yes, I agree with most of what you said. They did say they anticipated selling out the first container from the start, though.

Huh. I kinda remember that warning coming up well after pre-orders started, but I definitely could be mis-remembering.

http://prioritybicycles.com/

I have a bike from these guys, the Continuum, which was just an incredible value

Funny you mention that. One of my team members was just in NYC for a conference so he dropped by their shop to test-drive the Continuum. He LOVED it. He won't stop talking about it. Unfortunately, he's 6'3" and their largest frame was still too small for him, but he said the bike was a joy to ride. Several of the bike commuters in my office have been talking about that bike a lot, the idea of a near-zero-maintenance bike is really compelling for them. Doesn't make as much sense for me with an 11-mile one-way commute - going as fast as possible is my primary goal - but most of the people in my office commute 2-4 miles. That bike would be ideal for them. No way to test ride it locally is what's kept many of my office workers from buying it.

 

[jazz]

Yea pre-ordering IS not for the faint of heart and I would never recommend it to someone who needs a bike right away. As someone who has invested in several Kickstarter and Indigogo campaigns over the years, I have yet to receive any product within the expected delivery time frame. Everyone of them has been late to varying degrees (or not at all) and 100% were products designed in the USA and manufactured in China, just like all these eBikes.

 

[ebikeHIgh]

@FranFabrizio If you get free tires for your time, there are others who deserve free bikes for their waiting times. I think it's funny that you are saying there's so much transparency, yet you are looking for clarification on multiple things. I will enjoy reminding you to temper your expectations for anything. customer service, delivery dates, upgrades, etc. You are expecting a lot of customer service when you can't even get a contact phone number.

"This is an opportunity for Tora and Juiced to learn from all these service and fulfillment challenges this year and do something that makes it more likely that we'll order from them again, but that's a separate thing."

This maybe the biggest issue though. They want to appear as direct-to-consumer, a more personal relationship, yet customer service doesn't seem to be a priority at all. If business is bad the first time, why would I recommend it again?

 

[ebikeHIgh]

Shipping update. Juiced provided the wrong model size on the shipping invoice so i am hoping they are sending the correct frame/color after multiple attempts at confirmation. They also sent the shipping company the wrong address. I can't change it and juiced needs to initiate switch with shipping companies independently. I am not confident at all.

 

[Andy_in_CA]

sucks, sorry.



A

 

[Fran Fabrizio]

@FranFabrizio If you get free tires for your time, there are others who deserve free bikes for their waiting times.

I'm suggesting they offer a $99 (less for them) upgrade. You're suggesting they give away a $1,700-$2,200 product. Whatever you feel is deserved, which do you think is more likely to happen (not likely, just more likely)?

I think it's funny that you are saying there's so much transparency, yet you are looking for clarification on multiple things.

Not mutually exclusive. They do have more transparency than many other companies that I've dealt with. They answer emails quickly and participate in online forums like this one. They've posted the status of their manufacturing and supply chain throughout. It is a lot better than some I've dealt with. Still a lot of room for improvement, though.

I will enjoy reminding you to temper your expectations for anything. customer service, delivery dates, upgrades, etc.

Why is the person with high expectations reminding the person with modest expectations to temper my expectations? I'm not surprised by anything that's happened. I _said_ these types of things were going to happen.

You are expecting a lot of customer service

You're misinterpreting my point. I'm not expecting anything. I'm making suggestions on how they could improve customer service if they wish to. I also said why they may choose to not make it a priority.

This maybe the biggest issue though. They want to appear as direct-to-consumer, a more personal relationship, yet customer service doesn't seem to be a priority at all.

Which is why I was making suggestions on how they could improve. But again, as a small company in an immature market, they probably can't afford to do everything well, and for better or worse, this is not a priority for them right now, it seems. It's not that surprising to me - they've probably chosen to focus their resources on making and shipping bikes as fast as they can while dealing with a supply line that still coming together.

If business is bad the first time, why would I recommend it again?

I hope you wouldn't! I thought I made it pretty clear in my earlier posts that the reason we're working with juiced right now is not because of stellar customer service but because they have a product that we all really want. I said earlier that if/as soon as someone else has an equivalent product, they're going to lose customers. But again, as much as we want them to be a company with awesome customer service, they may simply decide to keep exploiting other advantages, like being the first ones to bring certain specs at certain price points to market.

 

[ebikeHIgh]

I'm suggesting they offer a $99 (less for them) upgrade. You're suggesting they give away a $1,700-$2,200 product. Whatever you feel is deserved, which do you think is more likely to happen (not likely, just more likely)?

Neither is likely. I'm not suggesting they give things away. I am suggesting you are not entitled to anything, and there are many more that deserve an upgrade before you do. This is a can of worms.

Not mutually exclusive. They do have more transparency than many other companies that I've dealt with. They answer emails quickly and participate in online forums like this one. They've posted the status of their manufacturing and supply chain throughout. It is a lot better than some I've dealt with. Still a lot of room for improvement, though.

Yet you don't know what product your will receive (brakes?), when you will receive (they told you this batch), or how to keep in constant communication? (start a new sales ticket slip/no land line)

Why is the person with high expectations reminding the person with modest expectations to temper my expectations? I'm not surprised by anything that's happened. I _said_ these types of things were going to happen.

You're misinterpreting my point. I'm not expecting anything. I'm making suggestions on how they could improve customer service if they wish to. I also said why they may choose to not make it a priority.

I'm pointing the mirror back at you. I'm just replying to your comments with your own. How is wondering how come my bike wasn't produced considered having high expectations? It's fun to watch the person who told other to temper their expectations and then a month later expect/"suggest" customer service for their own.

We will see how you feel about it 3 months from now when you don't have your bike yet and then when you do finally get it, it's not what you expected. J.S.

Which is why I was making suggestions on how they could improve. But again, as a small company in an immature market, they probably can't afford to do everything well, and for better or worse, this is not a priority for them right now, it seems. It's not that surprising to me - they've probably chosen to focus their resources on making and shipping bikes as fast as they can while dealing with a supply line that still coming together.

You're expecting them to consider you and your feedback, yet we know they don't prioritize customer service. You're expecting customer service. I'm saying that's a tall task with Juiced.

 

[ebikeHIgh]

shipping update: chat seems to confirm my fears. They shipped the wrong bike. They did not have invoice, shipping order, or my shipping information available despite multiple attempts at email and phone communications. Their system is very disorganized. Chat was not friendly. After letting chat know that I would take this to my credit card company to dispute charges, and have multiple documents of their continuous errors, they sent a follow up team email.

 

[Fran Fabrizio]

It's fun to watch the person who told other to temper their expectations and then a month later expect/"suggest" customer service for their own. You're expecting them to consider you and your feedback, yet we know they don't prioritize customer service. You're expecting customer service. I'm saying that's a tall task with Juiced.

*sigh* Suggesting and expecting are very different things. What's happened is exactly what I expected and I've been clear about that throughout this thread. I'm neither surprised nor that upset about the delays and changes. Minorly bummed, sure. It's gorgeous out and I'd love to be riding that bike right now. But if that were really my top priority, I'd have gotten an e-bike that was immediately available.

It feels like you want me to be as upset as you are about the kinds of issues we're both experiencing. I'm just not that upset or surprised by it precisely because I did not expect it to be good. Although we may differ in how common these issues are with these types of companies, we agree on our opinion of Juiced in that their customer service needs work. I don't see why that should preclude me from making suggestions. I made suggestions because I know Tora reads this thread and I was curious to see if he'll share any thoughts on the issues. Maybe he will, maybe he won't.

I'll just wrap by saying that I hope you can eventually get the issues worked out and end up with a bike that you love and can enjoy for years, whether that's the CCS or some other vendor and bike. Best of luck to you.

 

[BallzOne]

Yet you don't know what product your will receive (brakes?), when you will receive (they told you this batch), or how to keep in constant communication? (start a new sales ticket slip/no land line)

How do they not have a land line? I just went to their site and it's right there: 888.303.8889

Unless that number doesn't actually take you anywhere.

 

[Bryan]

They have a land line. It's 619-746-8877

 

[Andy_in_CA]

My bike was one of the bikes without a headlight. I put in a support ticket and spoke with them on the phone. The light is in the mail. It took them about a week to get the light in stock... Just an FYI. If ya need to talk to them ... Just call. The number is on the site.

Andy

 

[Andy_in_CA]

cross post....

FYI, as a point of reference other makers are having similar issues... as I'm guessing manufacturing in china and CQ is difficult. notice the comments.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[ebikeHIgh]

Thanks andy. Its great to see how informational and transparent competitor websites can be.

If anyone is interested in buying ccs Pm me. $1899 for shipping to Hawaii but we can discuss options on how i can offload.

 

[Andy_in_CA]

Thanks andy. Its great to see how informational and transparent competitor websites can be.

If anyone is interested in buying ccs Pm me. $1899 for shipping to Hawaii but we can discuss options on how i can offload.

sucks that you're getting the wrong bike and shipping issues. good luck on whatever you get... and let me know. I am interested.

 

[john peck]

BTW, with 20 amps peak on the Cross Current S (960 watts) that basically brings it to parity with the Stromer ST2. Similarly equipped with the 1kWh battery the Cross Current S will be around $3k with the display, rack, fenders and lights. That's less than half the price.

The stock list when I purchased my CCS was $1699. I opted for the 21ah which was $2399. Even that is way less than ST2, and the performance has been 1st rate.
The out-of-the-box tuning was precise & has remained so for a 170 miles so far.

 

[Dunbar]

The stock list when I purchased my CCS was $1699. I opted for the 21ah which was $2399. Even that is way less than ST2, and the performance has been 1st rate.

Yeah, I was just speculating at the time I posted that since the pricing hadn’t been announced yet. I’d say it’s a great deal considering I paid $1750 for my regular Cross Current with the 10.4aH battery. I probably spent another $200 adding the stuff the comes standard on the Cross Current S. I’m planning to upgrade to the Cross Current S when the November delivery comes in.

 

[john peck]

Yeah, I was just speculating at the time I posted that since the pricing hadn’t been announced yet. I’d say it’s a great deal considering I paid $1750 for my regular Cross Current with the 10.4aH battery. I probably spent another $200 adding the stuff the comes standard on the Cross Current S. I’m planning to upgrade to the Cross Current S when the November delivery comes in.

Following the initial rush of doing 30mph & challenging the capabilities of my CCS, I discovered it's just as much fun to dawdle along at 10 or 12 mph.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

Following the initial rush of doing 30mph & challenging the capabilities of my CCS, I discovered it's just as much fun to doddle along at 10 or 12 mph.

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.