Help deciding between CCS and CCX

[Dietcar]

Hi! I'm looking for some help deciding between a CCS and a CCX. I *think* the one way range should be enough on the CCS at high speed (I guess around 30 Wh/mi), and I could charge at work for the return trip. My concern is if I'm going to have to charge it up outside the 80%/20% range in order to make it that distance, and so I will just end up depleting my battery way faster and need to buy a replacement anyway (which is most of the price difference).

More details:

• Seattle, 16 mi one way commute (so 32 mi total), about 1000' of gain either way (the biggest hill is an average of 5% for 1.5 miles)
• I am hopeful that I will ebike in to work several times per week, so that could add up to several thousand miles per year.
• I already have Schwalbe Marathons from another bike that I will plan to swap on.
• The extra power of the CCX doesn't seem super necessary to me for $600 more. The money isn't a huge issue, but I don't want to spend it if I will already have the range I need.
• Here's the topology of my route fwiw:

  https://imgur.com/yRM8oTf

 

[rjbutler]

I have a CCS. With that much elevation and distance, you might want to consider the CCX if you plan to ride in the winter since low temperatures can reduce battery life. Some claim as much as 30%. Weight of the rider also plays a role. I have found that in the low 40s F, on a route with less elevation gain, I'm not getting much over 30 miles on a charge if I start with a cold battery. I can eke a bit more out if I bring the battery inside and start with it warm. I weigh about 230 though. YMMV. If I were to do it again, I would probably get the CCX (after looking at other bikes in that price range since I was comparing the CCS to others under $2000)

 

[Dunbar]

@youth does a 16 mile one-way commute and he was charging to 100% twice per day fives days per week on his original Cross Current (which has less power than the CCS/X). He burned out his first 10.4ah battery in a year and was on his way to burning out a second 12.8aH battery when he upgraded to the CCX. If you want to do that commute on the top assist level you are probably looking at 100% charge twice per day with the 12.8ah battery. It’s possible you could do it @ 80% charge on the 12.8ah battery in ideal conditions but it wouldn’t leave you much margin (you might be bumping into the low voltage cutoff on cooler/windier days.) I would recommend the CCX and charging to 70% twice per day. The battery would last you many years even if you did that 5 days a week. One replacement 12.8ah battery goes for $700 so I’d put that money towards a bigger battery up front. You can use the stock 2A charger on a timer at work to charge to 70%. You would just use the display to figure out how many watt hours you used on your way to work and set the timer accordingly (1 hour of charge = ~100wh of battery charge.)

 

[michael mitchell]

I live in the Seattle area, and have a CC Air with the 48V/19.2 battery. I began with a 10.4 battery. Get the CCX, if no other reason than the bigger battery. It makes a tons of difference in the cold weather.

 

[Dietcar]

Thanks for these responses - that was exactly what I was looking for! Looks like the bigger battery of the CCX is going to be the best long term option.