Finally got to take my new CCS out for a ride yesterday! First impressions...

[Badgerdogmomma]

I have had my CCS for about 10 days, but hadn't had a chance to take it out for a "real" ride until yesterday. I had ridden it up and down our street with no power a few times, and around the block with power once or twice, but hadn't had a chance to spend more than a few minutes on it, or put it through its paces. Yesterday I finally got the chance to spend a couple of hours on it, take it out in the bike lane on the "big road" and ride it up some hills. I have not ridden an ebike before, and I expected it to be fun, but it was really, really, super-extra-mega FUN!! I was like a hamster on a wheel, I almost couldn't ride home and put it away, it was so much fun! I actually did ride home once, and had to go ride some more (those chores could wait)! I LOVE this thing!
In eco mode, it reminds me a little bit of my old steel-framed hardtail ParkPre MTB, but it rolls faster and smoother with the larger wheels and front shock. Of course, the old steel hardtail doesn't have magical hill-flattening capabilities, either! It feels much more stable at higher speeds (20+) than any of my other bikes (on the pavement) do, too. On my 7-speed city bike I run out of gears on the little downhills around here at about 18-20 mph, which is fine, because I really don't want to go faster on that bike, it has no shock, and the tires are much skinnier than the CCS. Yesterday I noticed that when I would have run out of gears completely on the city bike, the CCS was still in gear and being propelled by my pedaling. At that point, I think I was going about 28-29mph, and it felt very stable (on smooth pavement).
Riding up the little hills around here was great fun, with the four choices of pedal assist it was easy to choose between a ride that required a little less effort as my traditional bike, but moved a little faster, to flying up the hill at around 20+ with just a little more effort. When I used to ride mtbs with a group of friends, sometimes we would put a hand on another's back or seat and give a push- which was fun, you could definitely feel a boost, but even the strongest people could only give a push for a little ways. S mode must be what it is like to be pushed by 4 or 5 of the strongest at once, and no one gets tired, haha!
I found that the throttle was handy to have a couple of times to get around parked cars and out of the way of traffic quickly.
I am finding this bike to be surprisingly comfortable just the way that it came from the factory. I am around 5'10" and have the large frame size. I usually wear cycling shorts with my mtbs and citybike, but I don't feel that I need them with this bike so far. In the future, I do plan to try a Kinekt (Bodyfloat) seatpost with this bike, and see if it allows me to skip the shorts and still stay comfortable for longer rides. I will probably also switch out the stem and bars for shorter cockpit and more upright riding style. Also, If the computer will mount in the low part of the bars, I can flip the bike over to do work on it without having to move the computer.
Yep, I'm hooked. Love it so far. I would have been out riding it today, but it just wouldn't stop raining long enough. I don't remember the last tme rainy weather made me this grumpy.

 

[devhead]

Congrats on the new ride.

I'm 5' 10" too, what frame size did you get?

 

[Badgerdogmomma]

It is a large.

 

[Chris Hammond]

Thanks for the review. Makes me even more excited for mine. I'm waiting on Juiced to deliver in April. It can't come quickly enough.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

Glad you're enjoying it so much. I'm getting more enjoyment from mine, two months after receiving it, than I was at first. The more familiar I get with how to use its features, the more I find new ways that it fits into my daily routine.

 

[LS3Miata]

Congrats. My CCS hasn’t yet arrived, it’s been here locally since Tuesday and they still haven’t called for a delivery time. Supposedly it will be delivered tomorrow,

 

[FMG III]

Nice write up!! Thanks for sharing the awesomeness!

 

[Kerfuffle]

Thanks for the write up. I have one on order for "mid-March" and am excited to get it. What was the delivery/setup like?

 

[Badgerdogmomma]

Thanks for the review. Makes me even more excited for mine. I'm waiting on Juiced to deliver in April. It can't come quickly enough.

I feel for you. : ) The waiting reminded me of being a kid before Christmas. I just tried to remember that I had already been waiting for years, before I ordered it! So far, mine has been worth the wait, hope yours is too!

 

[Ann M.]

Isn't it just great! Something about e-wheels that just makes you wanna check out that next crazy looking uphill road. Also has time erasing properties . Load some pics and more adventures when you have time @Badgerdogmomma

 

[Badgerdogmomma]

Glad you're enjoying it so much. I'm getting more enjoyment from mine, two months after receiving it, than I was at first. The more familiar I get with how to use its features, the more I find new ways that it fits into my daily routine.

I think I am going to have to make a little "cheat sheet" on a piece of masking tape or a sticky note, so that I can remember how to use all of the features of the computer like walk mode and cruise control, until I have them memorized, haha. I had to look up how to turn on the light the second day I had it! rofl! I have memorized that one, now. : )

 

[Badgerdogmomma]

Congrats. My CCS hasn’t yet arrived, it’s been here locally since Tuesday and they still haven’t called for a delivery time. Supposedly it will be delivered tomorrow,

I hope they get it to you soon! I live fairly close to Juiced, in the middle of California, and mine arrived a couple of days before the outside estimate from Amazon. They called the day before to be sure that I would be here to receive it. Before that, I couldn't pass the computer without checking on the tracking, haha.

 

[Badgerdogmomma]

Nice write up!! Thanks for sharing the awesomeness!

Thanks! I keep trying to get everyone I know who rides a bike, has long enough legs and is over 18 to give my CCS a try, I want them all to experience the fun too! I have only seen 3 other ebikes being ridden around my neighborhood and town over the past several years, which is a little strange, I think, because the weather is great for riding most of the year. I think most people are deterred by the crazy traffic, and we could use more and better bike paths. Also, people need safe places to lock them up while shopping or running errands. When my neighbor tried it, he really liked it. He told me that one of his co-workers can't stop talking about how much he loves his new full-suspension ebike, so maybe people around here are starting to be bitten by the bug. I hope so! I would like to see enough of us to encourage at least one bike shop in the area to want to specialize in working on ebikes.

 

[Badgerdogmomma]

Isn't it just great! Something about e-wheels that just makes you wanna check out that next crazy looking uphill road. Also has time erasing properties . Load some pics and more adventures when you have time @Badgerdogmomma

It is like magic, really! Now I am saving for an action camera. I think my husband is going to need a CCS soon, too. A little bike envy going on around here.

 

[Badgerdogmomma]

Thanks for the write up. I have one on order for "mid-March" and am excited to get it. What was the delivery/setup like?

The freight company, Pilot, called the day before it was delivered to confirm that I would be here to receive it. It came in a big box that two guys carried fairly easily out of the van and onto our driveway. I meant to get pictures of the unpacking, but at that point my husband pounced on it, and things were coming out of that box faster than I could find somewhere to put them, haha.
I brought the charger and battery in the house and followed the instructions to set that up charging, then went back out to assemble the bike. We both lifted the bike out of the box together after everything else was out of the box, and put on the front wheel after assembling and inserting the quick release skewer, and removing the little spacer that keeps the disc brake caliper open during shipping. We put air in the tires to bring it up to recommended pressure, installed the bell on the handlebars, and gave the electrical connectors a quick check to make sure that they were all secure. The front light was already installed on mine when it arrived, so we didn't have to fish the wire out of the frame or anything, like I have read about other people doing. At that point, it was getting dark outside, so after a few trips up and down our little street with no power, we had to put it away for the night. Later that night, I took the battery off of the charger when it was full (it took about 6 hours or so to reach fully charged).
The next day, we briefly removed the front light to install the front fender. The fender went on pretty easily, we bent one of the support wires a little bit to make the fender be centered over the tire. After riding it around a little with no power, we did a few more adjustments, the biggest of which was to loosen the stem an realign it with the front wheel, it was just a little off. After that, I added the battery, and we put a couple miles on it riding it up and down our bumpy, bumpy street, which loosened one of the brake cut-off connectors. I tightened that back up, checked the others again, and then I loaded it in our van to take it to the bike shop to get slime put in the tires, because I live in the land of goathead thorns. I have lots of experience loading my other bikes in our van, and the CCS was not too hard for me to handle by myself. It is heavier than my other bikes, but easier to load than my cruiser bike, with it's big, floppy handlebars. If I ever decide to put it on the bus, I guess I will have to take the front fender off, because our buses here have that big arm and hook that go over the front tire.
I still plan to do a little micro-adjustment on the brake levers to make them even, as one is slightly higher than the other. I didn't even notice at first, the difference is so small. Overall, it was very easy for us to unpack and put together. When my husband was young, he worked at a bike shop, and we are both used to doing basic maintenance on our traditional bikes, so we weren't intimidated, but I think anyone with a little mechanical aptitude could probably easily do it. It was handy having two people there, to get it out of the carton easily, for sure. I did keep the carton intact and the shipping materials in it, just in case, but I really don't think I will ever need them.
I put about 20 miles on it the other day, and couldn't be happier with it. I do miss my mirror, and because this bike will be ridden in traffic a lot, I am looking at mirror options that will mount on my arm, glasses, or helment, because with the throttle, computer, and bell, there is limited handlebar space for mounting things, and I don't really want to have to cut the grips for a bar-end mirror. Evolving the bike to make it more comfortable and functional for me is an ongoing process with all of my bikes, and one I am looking forward to with this bike.
I have noticed that my big 'ol Abus U-lock is not going to mount in the frame, (there is not enough room with the battery) which I expected. I plan to use lots of double-sided velcro to secure it to my rack. I have big (like kangaroo) feet, and I am going to add a spacer (probably just longer screws) behind my rear light to bring it out from under the rear of the rack because I have roll-up pannier bags on the rack, and I have to place them pretty far back on the rack to get heel clearance, which hides the side visibility of the rear light. Not the bikes' fault, of course!
Juice bikes has lots of useful and informative videos on youtube, I watched several of them while waiting for my CCS to arrive. I hope you love yours, too!

 

[Rob02150]

The freight company, Pilot, called the day before it was delivered to confirm that I would be here to receive it. It came in a big box that two guys carried fairly easily out of the van and onto our driveway. I meant to get pictures of the unpacking, but at that point my husband pounced on it, and things were coming out of that box faster than I could find somewhere to put them, haha.
I brought the charger and battery in the house and followed the instructions to set that up charging, then went back out to assemble the bike. We both lifted the bike out of the box together after everything else was out of the box, and put on the front wheel after assembling and inserting the quick release skewer, and removing the little spacer that keeps the disc brake caliper open during shipping. We put air in the tires to bring it up to recommended pressure, installed the bell on the handlebars, and gave the electrical connectors a quick check to make sure that they were all secure. The front light was already installed on mine when it arrived, so we didn't have to fish the wire out of the frame or anything, like I have read about other people doing. At that point, it was getting dark outside, so after a few trips up and down our little street with no power, we had to put it away for the night. Later that night, I took the battery off of the charger when it was full (it took about 6 hours or so to reach fully charged).
The next day, we briefly removed the front light to install the front fender. The fender went on pretty easily, we bent one of the support wires a little bit to make the fender be centered over the tire. After riding it around a little with no power, we did a few more adjustments, the biggest of which was to loosen the stem an realign it with the front wheel, it was just a little off. After that, I added the battery, and we put a couple miles on it riding it up and down our bumpy, bumpy street, which loosened one of the brake cut-off connectors. I tightened that back up, checked the others again, and then I loaded it in our van to take it to the bike shop to get slime put in the tires, because I live in the land of goathead thorns. I have lots of experience loading my other bikes in our van, and the CCS was not too hard for me to handle by myself. It is heavier than my other bikes, but easier to load than my cruiser bike, with it's big, floppy handlebars. If I ever decide to put it on the bus, I guess I will have to take the front fender off, because our buses here have that big arm and hook that go over the front tire.
I still plan to do a little micro-adjustment on the brake levers to make them even, as one is slightly higher than the other. I didn't even notice at first, the difference is so small. Overall, it was very easy for us to unpack and put together. When my husband was young, he worked at a bike shop, and we are both used to doing basic maintenance on our traditional bikes, so we weren't intimidated, but I think anyone with a little mechanical aptitude could probably easily do it. It was handy having two people there, to get it out of the carton easily, for sure. I did keep the carton intact and the shipping materials in it, just in case, but I really don't think I will ever need them.
I put about 20 miles on it the other day, and couldn't be happier with it. I do miss my mirror, and because this bike will be ridden in traffic a lot, I am looking at mirror options that will mount on my arm, glasses, or helment, because with the throttle, computer, and bell, there is limited handlebar space for mounting things, and I don't really want to have to cut the grips for a bar-end mirror. Evolving the bike to make it more comfortable and functional for me is an ongoing process with all of my bikes, and one I am looking forward to with this bike.
I have noticed that my big 'ol Abus U-lock is not going to mount in the frame, (there is not enough room with the battery) which I expected. I plan to use lots of double-sided velcro to secure it to my rack. I have big (like kangaroo) feet, and I am going to add a spacer (probably just longer screws) behind my rear light to bring it out from under the rear of the rack because I have roll-up pannier bags on the rack, and I have to place them pretty far back on the rack to get heel clearance, which hides the side visibility of the rear light. Not the bikes' fault, of course!
Juice bikes has lots of useful and informative videos on youtube, I watched several of them while waiting for my CCS to arrive. I hope you love yours, too!

https://electricbikereview.com/foru...-and-ergon-large-grip-video-walkaround.20356/

Reid wrote up a little on these nice grips. Swap them out for the stock ones and you can add a mirror much easier by using the bar end.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

I got a mirror for my wife's bike that clamps on the handlebars, just inboard of the LCD screen. She's happy with it. Didn't have to change anything to put it on. I use a mirror that clamps on my sunglasses. Works for me.

 

[Andy_in_CA]

This is how I attach my Abus lock to my CCS (rack)

 

[Badgerdogmomma]

This is how I attach my Abus lock to my CCS (rack)

Neat! I didn't think of that. : ) thanks for the pics!

 

[Bruce Arnold]

@Andy_in_CA that looks like a great solution. It appears to be more sturdy than the frame mounts I've seen. But it brings up a question: what's the rear light?