Giant Quick E+ vs. Juiced CrossCurrent X vs. IZIP E3 Moda

[shark_jumper]

Hi, new to the forum and first post. I'm an avid mountain biker, but due to work, family, etc. I only get to MTB maybe 10 miles/week so so I would call myself moderately fit. Due to a frustrating 6 mile (one way) commute in stop-and-go traffic that takes a half hour, I'm going to start bike commuting. I have found a safe route to work (about 40% bike paths, some paved, some not, 60% streets) that will be about 7.5 miles. There will be one 500ft. climb (on the way home) over a 3 mile stretch with some steep pitches, otherwise mostly flat. I'm willing to spend up to $3K. Been doing a lot of researching, and these are my top 3:

2019 Giant Quick E+ ($3,150)
(Giant Syncdrive Sport (aka Yamaha PW) 80nM torque 250W, 36v 13.8Ah battery, 3A charger)
Pros: Giant dealer support, nice high volume 27.5 x 2.35 tires, tubeless ready rims, Deore Shadow+ 10sp drivetrain
Cons: QR rear axle (rather than thru-axle)

Juiced CrossCurrent X ($2,499)
(Bafang Geared Hub Motor, 80nM torque, 750W, 52v / 19.2 Ah battery, 2A charger)
Pros: higher wattage / voltage (but same torque rating), throttle option
Cons: 700c x 45 tires, 19mm internal width rims (lower volume/harsher ride), plastic fenders, AA battery powered tail light (rather than integrated like the Giant and IZIP), Altus 9sp drivetrain), low-end boat anchor Suntour fork (would rather have a rigid fork than a crappy suspension fork)

IZIP E3 Moda ($2,999)
(Brose Speed. 250w 36v (? torque - not specified) 13.8 aH battery, 4A charger)
Pros: best brake setup of the bunch (Tektro M735, 4 piston front/ rotor, 2 piston rear 180mm rotors), thru-axle front and rear,
Cons: can't see any obvious ones, but to nitpick, non-clutch derailleur, 11-32 cassette (rather than 11-36 like the Giant)

Any thoughts on these three in relation to each other, or others I should consider? For the mid drive bikes, any thoughts on the Yamaha vs. Brose systems? The Giant and the IZIP are pretty competitive with each other, and the main significant difference is the motor system. Thanks in advance!

 

[Carterk]

I bought a 2018 Raleigh Redux, which is essentially the same as the Moda. You can find my review on this site if you search for my posts, but in general I’m very happy. Bike is solid, brakes are great, ride is quiet and extremely bike-like. Love the big tires, the high quality fenders, ergo grips- love having dealer support here in Seattle. While it’s not an issue for me, I find myself traveling only a tiny bit faster than I would on a conventional bike- when I read on this forum about people regularly averaging 25 mph, I wonder if Brose is actually underpowered as some people claim...

 

[Dunbar]

If your bike commute will involve lots of slowing/stopping then mid-drives are going to be better due to the torque multiplication you get by leveraging the bike’s gearing. The CCX should handle that hill fine if you hit the steeper parts with momentum and hold the throttle down. I haven’t ridden the CCX but I own an original CC and those Bafang geared hub motors are wound for speed so they can feel sluggish below 15mph. However, Juiced has a feature on the CCS/CCX where when you pedal and hold the throttle it gives you full power. I’ve demo’d this on the CCS and it does help get the bike back up to speed quickly. The CCX at 1250 watts or so is going to be hard to beat in terms of athletic feel and ability to cruise at 28mph in a wide range of conditions. Most of those Brose/Yamaha mid-drives peak around 500-600 watts so they can’t really cruise at 28mph unless you have a fuller battery riding in ideal conditions.

 

[Feliz]

I'm a big fan of Juiced and have a Cross Current on the way but Dunbar is right on about Juices focus being on top speed rather than low speed torque. I have other bikes for stop and go, hills, trails, etc and I know what I'm getting with the CC and good with it. I think the Giant is your best bet assuming money isn't a problem. Juiced bikes are probably the best bike for the money out there but that doesn't mean they're the best bike.

 

[Chris Hammond]

So I will give you a bit of my perspective on the CCX. I own a CCS and have put 4400 miles on it commuting since May. I am also an avid MTB rider. You do not need a high performance MTB shock on a commuter. The Suntour fork on the CCX does a nice job of absorbing road bumps, I have never bottomed it out. All of these bikes will easily handle your commute. However, if you don't recharge at work, and use high levels of assist for higher speeds you will use a lot of the capacity on either the Giant or the iZip. The CCX battery has twice the capacity. (Battery capacity is measured in watt hours; which is Volts X Amp Hours. 36 x 13.8 = 496 Wh; 52 x 19.2 = 998 Wh.) This not only eliminates range anxiety, but also allows you to customize charging to 80% thus dramatically increasing longevity of the battery.
You will have to decide how big a deal the wider tires are for the non-paved sections of your commute. So far in my experience, the CCS handles any graded gravel/dirt road fine. I run Deore XT on my MTB, but the Altus derailleur on the CCS has performed flawlessly thus far, and the Tektro brakes have been great; I had to change pads at ~ 4000 miles, but otherwise I am very pleased with their performance.

 

[shark_jumper]

Thanks all for the input, it's super helpful. Chris H, good point on battery issues, and also the Suntour fork, on-road suspension performance is not as critical as off-road.

What is the tire clearance on the CCX frame and fork? The stock tires are 700c x 45 (28" x 1.75"), could a 2.1" tire fit in there? I'm a big proponent of high volume tires, I noticed a dramatic difference when going from 2.35 tires on 25i rims to 2.6" tires on 35i rims on my MTB.

 

[Chris Hammond]

Thanks all for the input, it's super helpful. Chris H, good point on battery issues, and also the Suntour fork, on-road suspension performance is not as critical as off-road.

What is the tire clearance on the CCX frame and fork? The stock tires are 700c x 45 (28" x 1.75"), could a 2.1" tire fit in there? I'm a big proponent of high volume tires, I noticed a dramatic difference when going from 2.35 tires on 25i rims to 2.6" tires on 35i rims on my MTB.

You can easily fit a wider tire in front, in back however its much tighter. A poster on here named Reid went all out getting e widest tire possible to fit but he was mechanically crushing the chainstays to make room. I don't remember how wide he was able to go. IMHO, a 2.1 inch tire would be very close to rubbing, it may fit, not sure. When my rear tire wore out, I replaced it with a 700 x 47 Continental and it actually seems to have more room than the stock Kenda 700x 45. You could search the Juiced forum on this site. I am pretty sure Reid had created a thread discussing putting on wider tires and others have done so and commented on it.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Your commute sounds extremely similar to mine. 7 miles/12kms, with a good climb on the way home.
This is easily accomplished twice without charging on my 2019 Giant Fathom E+. Did it last week.
It takes me about 30 mins in assist level 2. I use level 4 on the nasty hill going home, no sweat.
I don't see why the Quick E won't do the same, or better with those tires. 1x10 drive train is all you need.

Great network of dealers too.

 

[Johnny]

I think you can easily do your round trip commute of 15 miles even with a 400wh battery (one way climb may concern you but the other way you are going downhill so will not be using much power) so I wouldn't worry about battery capacity. Imo mid drives are better for climbing.

I like Giant Quick-e and I believe the new model comes with wide tires (like 60mm). Izip looks like a very nice offering too but I don't know about tire clearance.
Both Brose and Yamaha are great systems. I test rode both , I'd say Brose feels a little nicer.

You can also go to last year's Sduro Hardnine which will easily support even wider tires (I have seen them under $2000 lately) and will be a good value.

I am sure Juiced bicycles are good however at $2500+ I would consider Giant or Izip from your choices. Again you don't need the extra battery capacity for your commute but better components will always improve your ride quality.