Explorer-1
Have bike, will travel
- Region
- USA
- City
- Boston North Shore
I took my my Juiced 2022 RCS for it's first ride in 2024 last week (May 12th, 2024), and passed 1000 miles on May 18th. I purchased the bike in November of 2022, and first started riding it on the last day of Jul 2023. It is my current go-to bike for long adventures in good weather. I took delivery of my first RCS in November of 2019, that bike has over 5000 miles on it, and right now just needs a good break adjustment. I had a bike shop do the brakes last year, but despite me telling them to replace that pads, they said they just needed adjustment. While true the breaks did work when I left the shop, they lasted less than 3 months; so while I don't have the time, I'm going to have to learn to do it myself. I was happy with the RCS and had several batteries for it so I decided to get another one when they were on sale for back up, so that is how I ended up with 2 (I have 2 other e-bikes as well capable of long range trips >100mi).
The 2022 version is a nice update, I really like the latest G2 batteries, the added handle makes them so much easier to deal with. For me that's important as i almost always charge off the bike, and I generally carry 3 batteries when I'm riding (rarely 4). The LCD controller programming is a bit different on the 2022 model, and the throttle has a limited top speed out of the box, as does the bike even with pedal assist. I used the bike it in the factory configuration for the first 1000mi, but now I've changed the configuration to unlock the higher speed. You still can't configure the bike exactly like the older version, but you can remove the speed limit with pedal assist, and enable the 'R' race mode if you need to remove the limit on the throttle. Unfortunately you have to set the pedal assist to R mode when needed, instead of just hitting the throttle; this keeps the bike more legal as shipped, and legal if you are not in R mode and have left other settings alone. I changed the settings because I find the factory settings can be dangerous if you need to ride occasionally on roads where the speed limit is above 35mph. When in faster moving traffic sometimes you need to hit that throttle. Unfortunately this is a government issue, but boy would people scream if they put 60mph governors on smaller vehicles or all vehicles. People should just use the bikes responsibly, or face fines and/or confiscation.
The biggest benefit of the 2022 refresh is an increased range of 20-25% (compared to my 2019 version). I'm seeing the increased range even when using my old batteries as well, so the controller/motor must have improved efficiency. This was an unexpected huge benefit for me on my long trips. My long range e-bike can now be replaced with the 2022 RipCurrent-S as far as range is concerned, although it uses larger batteries to do so. Still since I need to do work on that bike as well it's nice to have a fallback.
There have been some good sales on the RipCurrent-S at different times, and the competition is now greater than ever, but I think the Juiced RCS still holds is own. The RCS as a better gear range in the drive train than almost any other (54T / 11-32T, 9 Speed), good efficient wheels, great batteries now at a fair price, cadence-only or torque-sensor selectable, overall design really focused on the commuter.
Others have tried to duplicate it, but several years later Juiced still does the full-sized Fat-Tire e-bike the best I believe. The RCS is a large bike though and the seat height may make the non-step through model unsuitable for smaller and/or shorter riders.
I've reviewed the earlier model before, and the bike has not changed a lot over the years, so not much more to update in this review. I was disappointed that when they introduced their Step-Through model it was offered in color choices that did not appeal to me; Originally I was thinking on trying that design. Still for the variety of off-road terrain I encounter, the regular design was probably the best choice for me. Lots of different bikes to choose from in 2024, but Juiced understands the commuter.
The 2022 version is a nice update, I really like the latest G2 batteries, the added handle makes them so much easier to deal with. For me that's important as i almost always charge off the bike, and I generally carry 3 batteries when I'm riding (rarely 4). The LCD controller programming is a bit different on the 2022 model, and the throttle has a limited top speed out of the box, as does the bike even with pedal assist. I used the bike it in the factory configuration for the first 1000mi, but now I've changed the configuration to unlock the higher speed. You still can't configure the bike exactly like the older version, but you can remove the speed limit with pedal assist, and enable the 'R' race mode if you need to remove the limit on the throttle. Unfortunately you have to set the pedal assist to R mode when needed, instead of just hitting the throttle; this keeps the bike more legal as shipped, and legal if you are not in R mode and have left other settings alone. I changed the settings because I find the factory settings can be dangerous if you need to ride occasionally on roads where the speed limit is above 35mph. When in faster moving traffic sometimes you need to hit that throttle. Unfortunately this is a government issue, but boy would people scream if they put 60mph governors on smaller vehicles or all vehicles. People should just use the bikes responsibly, or face fines and/or confiscation.
The biggest benefit of the 2022 refresh is an increased range of 20-25% (compared to my 2019 version). I'm seeing the increased range even when using my old batteries as well, so the controller/motor must have improved efficiency. This was an unexpected huge benefit for me on my long trips. My long range e-bike can now be replaced with the 2022 RipCurrent-S as far as range is concerned, although it uses larger batteries to do so. Still since I need to do work on that bike as well it's nice to have a fallback.
There have been some good sales on the RipCurrent-S at different times, and the competition is now greater than ever, but I think the Juiced RCS still holds is own. The RCS as a better gear range in the drive train than almost any other (54T / 11-32T, 9 Speed), good efficient wheels, great batteries now at a fair price, cadence-only or torque-sensor selectable, overall design really focused on the commuter.
Others have tried to duplicate it, but several years later Juiced still does the full-sized Fat-Tire e-bike the best I believe. The RCS is a large bike though and the seat height may make the non-step through model unsuitable for smaller and/or shorter riders.
I've reviewed the earlier model before, and the bike has not changed a lot over the years, so not much more to update in this review. I was disappointed that when they introduced their Step-Through model it was offered in color choices that did not appeal to me; Originally I was thinking on trying that design. Still for the variety of off-road terrain I encounter, the regular design was probably the best choice for me. Lots of different bikes to choose from in 2024, but Juiced understands the commuter.
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