DanInStPete
Well-Known Member
Hello all! I've been lurking and reading everything in this forum for the past month. I've had my bike about 10 days now and wanted to put up my thoughts and experience so far. This will probably be TMI, but I got a lot of useful info here so hopefully my experience will help someone else.
6 weeks ago I knew almost nothing about ebikes. I had been wanting a Bion-X kit for my 8 year old Trek FX 7.2 for a couple of years. Once I started looking into it seriously I found the Luna kits and kicked that around for a while. Then I started looking at all options and eventually found Juiced.
I'm 50, 6'4, 220 lbs., have knee issues and serious lumbar disc issues. I don't commute, and ride for fun and exercise. My main purpose for the bike is to extend my range and have more fun while riding. I live in St. Petersburg, FL, and while it is flat, we have a LOT of wind. Big wind days are miserable for me on the Trek, but not any more!
I researched really hard for a couple of weeks, like hours every day. I looked at a TON of options, maybe all of them, and settled on the Juiced because I became convinced it was the best bang-for-the-buck, especially when considering my weight and the fact that I wanted a lot of range.
I really wanted the 19.2 Ah, but I wanted a bike sooner so I ordered it with the 12.8 Ah on March 1st, and FINALLY got it March 16th. Pilot Freight is not fast, and the box was pretty banged up with holes all over it when I got it. Luckily the bike was okay.
I'm riding about 20 miles/day now, building up my base fitness and getting used to the bike. I left the odometer running on my last 4 rides, which totaled 69 miles. I used 1,066 watt hours riding mostly in 1, significantly in 2, some Eco and 3 when necessary for slow areas or headwind, and a little S for fun.
And I think that's how I'll use it. I haven't worried about range since my rides have been short, I've just been riding how I want to, and that's what works for me. I have found that I like to ride 21-23 mph for the most part, and use the power accordingly.
Overall, the bike feels much beefier than it looks in photos. It really feels like a mountain bike. It has a nice quality feel, smooth ride, and is surprisingly nimble in turns. I'm having a BLAST on twisty bike paths, leaning it like a motorcycle. Awesome!
What I've done to the bike so far:
- Grips: Ergon GR2 grips moved over from my Trek. The stock ones are okay but these are much better.
- Saddle: Selle Royal Respiro Moderate, installed before I got on it. Great for big guys!
- Cane Creek Thudbuster LT: This changed everything! To me a suspension seat post is a must. Bumps at over 20 MPH really beat up your back and I was constantly having to unweight the bike before I got it, leading to a lot of back fatigue. It looks funky but the ride is so much better I don't care.
- Fenders: Since I don't commute I didn't install the front fender, and I will remove the back one. The rattle from the back fender was horrendous until I read Reid's post about putting a biz card in there. That works, but I've found something I can just connect to the seat post if it looks like rain, and also a smaller permanent option for the front.
- Tail Light: I bought a Blitzu Cyclops for the seat post - USB rechargeable and works well.
- Rear Wheel: I ordered the Crescent open socket set someone mentioned in another post, so I can get the rear wheel off to remove the fender, and have it when I need it. I see no reason to upgrade the tires right now
Now, about range. For exercise rides the 12.8 is all I need, but I want to do some longer distance. I plan to take the bike to some of the best biking areas in FL for some day touring. For that I need more range, and I've paid to upgrade to the 52V 21 Ah. From what I'm seeing in my usage I should be able to do 65-70 miles riding it how I want to ride it without worry about range, and that should be more than I ever need. Also, I will be able to keep the charge in the 20%-80% range most of the time, and charge to 100% when I need more distance. Perfect!
I guess that's about it for now. Here are a couple of pics I took this weekend. I'm lucky enough to live a couple of miles outside of Fort De Soto Park which is a great place to ride.
- Dan
6 weeks ago I knew almost nothing about ebikes. I had been wanting a Bion-X kit for my 8 year old Trek FX 7.2 for a couple of years. Once I started looking into it seriously I found the Luna kits and kicked that around for a while. Then I started looking at all options and eventually found Juiced.
I'm 50, 6'4, 220 lbs., have knee issues and serious lumbar disc issues. I don't commute, and ride for fun and exercise. My main purpose for the bike is to extend my range and have more fun while riding. I live in St. Petersburg, FL, and while it is flat, we have a LOT of wind. Big wind days are miserable for me on the Trek, but not any more!
I researched really hard for a couple of weeks, like hours every day. I looked at a TON of options, maybe all of them, and settled on the Juiced because I became convinced it was the best bang-for-the-buck, especially when considering my weight and the fact that I wanted a lot of range.
I really wanted the 19.2 Ah, but I wanted a bike sooner so I ordered it with the 12.8 Ah on March 1st, and FINALLY got it March 16th. Pilot Freight is not fast, and the box was pretty banged up with holes all over it when I got it. Luckily the bike was okay.
I'm riding about 20 miles/day now, building up my base fitness and getting used to the bike. I left the odometer running on my last 4 rides, which totaled 69 miles. I used 1,066 watt hours riding mostly in 1, significantly in 2, some Eco and 3 when necessary for slow areas or headwind, and a little S for fun.
And I think that's how I'll use it. I haven't worried about range since my rides have been short, I've just been riding how I want to, and that's what works for me. I have found that I like to ride 21-23 mph for the most part, and use the power accordingly.
Overall, the bike feels much beefier than it looks in photos. It really feels like a mountain bike. It has a nice quality feel, smooth ride, and is surprisingly nimble in turns. I'm having a BLAST on twisty bike paths, leaning it like a motorcycle. Awesome!
What I've done to the bike so far:
- Grips: Ergon GR2 grips moved over from my Trek. The stock ones are okay but these are much better.
- Saddle: Selle Royal Respiro Moderate, installed before I got on it. Great for big guys!
- Cane Creek Thudbuster LT: This changed everything! To me a suspension seat post is a must. Bumps at over 20 MPH really beat up your back and I was constantly having to unweight the bike before I got it, leading to a lot of back fatigue. It looks funky but the ride is so much better I don't care.
- Fenders: Since I don't commute I didn't install the front fender, and I will remove the back one. The rattle from the back fender was horrendous until I read Reid's post about putting a biz card in there. That works, but I've found something I can just connect to the seat post if it looks like rain, and also a smaller permanent option for the front.
- Tail Light: I bought a Blitzu Cyclops for the seat post - USB rechargeable and works well.
- Rear Wheel: I ordered the Crescent open socket set someone mentioned in another post, so I can get the rear wheel off to remove the fender, and have it when I need it. I see no reason to upgrade the tires right now
Now, about range. For exercise rides the 12.8 is all I need, but I want to do some longer distance. I plan to take the bike to some of the best biking areas in FL for some day touring. For that I need more range, and I've paid to upgrade to the 52V 21 Ah. From what I'm seeing in my usage I should be able to do 65-70 miles riding it how I want to ride it without worry about range, and that should be more than I ever need. Also, I will be able to keep the charge in the 20%-80% range most of the time, and charge to 100% when I need more distance. Perfect!
I guess that's about it for now. Here are a couple of pics I took this weekend. I'm lucky enough to live a couple of miles outside of Fort De Soto Park which is a great place to ride.
- Dan
