Juiced Bikes Rip Current

[keithd]

@AguassissiM

Thanks that is exactly what I was looking for, an honest opinion weighs heavily on my decisions and is of so much value.

 

[AguassissiM]

@keithd

Here is the forum dedicated to Teo.
You can have a look at before making your final decision.

 

[Dunbar]

 

[East coast West coast]

Saw the video and sadly was not that impressed.Bike sounded loud and a bit clunky.Reviewer also did not sound to enthusiastic about bike.

 

[Dunbar]

Saw the video and sadly was not that impressed.Bike sounded loud and a bit clunky.Reviewer also did not sound to enthusiastic about bike.

It’s basically a fat tire Cross Current S. I’m not a fat tire fan but for the money the Rip Current S is hard to beat. I don’t know of any other fat tire bikes for under $2k that come with a torque sensor, hydraulic disc brakes and an air fork. For those looking for a fat tire commuter this bike is a winner IMO.

 

[Barry S]

Saw the video and sadly was not that impressed.Bike sounded loud and a bit clunky.Reviewer also did not sound to enthusiastic about bike.

Same here. Seemed underpowered in the test video. Perhaps I was expecting more after hearing all the hype.

The cable management under the bottom bracket is an area of concern. But as @Dunbar pointed out, I can't think of one fat tire bike in the Rip Current's price point with a torque sensor.

 

[Dapperham]

They are having trouble delivering them too. I was just told on chat, again, that the 52v battery Rips will start shipping "within a couple of weeks." I have been told this since March 3rd. I understand the issues Juiced has had getting the batteries delivered to SD...they now say the batteries ARE there, but have to have the GPS' installed, so..."within a couple of weeks."

I am quite disillusioned with thier customer service, simply because they will not be forthcoming about the status of our $3000. test drives. Just exclaimatory promises of imminent delivery, and a somewhat less than stellar review from EBR.

In the meantime, back to Tom Petty..."Oh the way-aa-ating is the har-ard-est part."

 

[Chris M]

wow what a poor review, not impressed at all. indeed the bike sounded loud and seemed to lack power. The reviewer was not very enthusiastic at all which tells me a lot.

 

[East coast West coast]

Same here. Seemed underpowered in the test video. Perhaps I was expecting more after hearing all the hype.

The cable management under the bottom bracket is an area of concern. But as @Dunbar pointed out, I can't think of one fat tire bike in the Rip Current's price point with a torque sensor.

I am new to this whole EBike platform.How important or not important is the torque sensor in an EBike.I do notice not all have this option.

 

[East coast West coast]

wow what a poor review, not impressed at all. indeed the bike sounded loud and seemed to lack power. The reviewer was not very enthusiastic at all which tells me a lot.

Agreed Chris.His lack of enthusiasm towards bike was really disappointing to me.I was expecting this bike to knock it out of the park with all of the outstanding features that are touted.

 

[Chris M]

I am new to this whole EBike platform.How important or not important is the torque sensor in an EBike.I do notice not all have this option.

I would not buy an ebike if it did not have a torque sensor. With a torque sensor power is supplies on how hard you peddle not just on and off.

 

[Asher]

So is the problem a low power to weight ratio? Or mostly low power. I don't see how shaving 10 lbs when a rider is 100-200 makes much difference, unless I guess rim weight is a big problem.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Compared to this Rad Power - RadRover bike.

Here are the plus points:

1. Same motor as the Rad Rover (750W). @Tora Harris , did you change the controller?
2. Hydraulic disc brakes ( cable brakes on the rover)
3. Torque sensor and much more refined controller. ($12 sensor on the Rad Rover)
4. Air fork Vs spring fork on the rover.
5. Comes with fenders, rack and 1000 lumen light. The Rad Rover comes barebone. If you add this all up, Rad would cross $1699 easily .
6. Both are sold online but Rip Current comes in multiple sizes whereas the Rad comes only in 1 size.
7. Multiple battery options where as the Rad offers just one.
8. Looks lot better than the Rad Rover.

I simply don't see why this feels underpowered. This bike is way ahead of Rad Rover in everyway.

 

[michael mitchell]

I think the content/style of the review itself may be contributing to people's reaction. I agree, the bike looked, "okay". Perhaps Juiced should have made certain the rear mudguard wasn't flapping, perhaps they should have done more than throttle through a creek/ditch. It's hard for people to get excited with the use cases in this video. I would have liked to see how the bike performed at high speed in a more open setting. C'est la vie.

 

[Dunbar]

I’m not sure how the newer Cross Current S/RipCurrent S is the same but on my original Cross Current the geared Bafang motor doesn’t have a lot of power below ~15mph. So high power / low speed riding isn’t really the bike’s forte. The Rip Current is probably a better candidate for people who want to do 15mph+ cruising on pavement rather than slow off-roading. If your riding is more like this video (not my video BTW) I’m sure the RipCurrent S would be in its element. It’s a 360 video so it looks best on a smartphone. The guy riding the bike actually owns a 2-year old Rad Rover that he commutes on (he says Juiced loaned him this bike.)

 

[Barry S]

I think the content/style of the review itself may be contributing to people's reaction. I agree, the bike looked, "okay". Perhaps Juiced should have made certain the rear mudguard wasn't flapping, perhaps they should have done more than throttle through a creek/ditch. It's hard for people to get excited with the use cases in this video. I would have liked to see how the bike performed at high speed in a more open setting. C'est la vie.

I agree. I think the demo ride portion of the review was weak compared to others. In the YT comments for the EBR review, Tora states they're producing their own videos for the RipCurrent S to better demonstrate the bike.

 

[Tora Harris]

Here is what I wrote over on the youtube comments:

From the video, this particular demo bike does not appear to be running quite correctly. I did notice the cables are twisted in the images and I would check the barrel connectors on the throttle side. These things are transported around rather roughly and may have some damage from getting bumped around, hard to tell. We have been testing it for several months now with 48V and 52V with GPS and its an absolute rocket.

It is running the exact same assist algorithms and torque and cadence sensors as the CrossCurrent S so we are confident in the product. On the road it matches the performance of the CCS at 48V. With the 52V pack the RCS runs away from the CCS. Sometimes when new things are getting demoed they might not work optimally. On top of this we are working on a extremely limited time schedule with lots of orders to get out and production to ramp up here in China.

I think Court is very fair and we have to do a better job on the time schedule and not rush things out. But to be honest, we are working flat-out and this is a extremely aggressive product in terms of development done on it.

It is the only class 3 geared hub fat bike available on the market, one of the few torque sensing pedal assist in this category, the only bike to properly leap to the 52V platform, the fastest recharging battery, while simultaneously having the capability to carry the most battery range of just about any e-bike available. This is capped off by being totally redesigned to be very serviceable and very affordable. It’s a lot to process and there are loads of similar looking products out on the market. It will take a little bit of time before it becomes clear what we have achieved with the RCS.

 

[Asher]

On the road it matches the performance of the CCS at 48V. With the 52V pack the RCS runs away from the CCS.

Thank you for the post.

Are you comparing a 52V RCS to a 52V CCS or a 48V CCS? I ordered a CCS myself.

 

[Tora Harris]

Thank you for the post.

Are you comparing a 52V RCS to a 52V CCS or a 48V CCS? I ordered a CCS myself.

More volts in general is faster. The 52V RCS is a little faster than the 48V CCS

 

[Bruce Arnold]

I think the content/style of the review itself may be contributing to people's reaction. I agree, the bike looked, "okay". Perhaps Juiced should have made certain the rear mudguard wasn't flapping, perhaps they should have done more than throttle through a creek/ditch. It's hard for people to get excited with the use cases in this video. I would have liked to see how the bike performed at high speed in a more open setting. C'est la vie.

Agreed. Let me say that I really, truly appreciate all that Court does. His video and written reviews on hundreds of bikes are an invaluable resource. Helped me pick bikes for my wife and I. We made informed decisions and are happy with our choices. This forum is also a treasure, and as the recent bot attack shows, it takes work to manage.

That being said, the RipCurrent S review was not Court's finest moment. Maybe he was rushed, or just having an off day. Happens to all of us. If you read the written review, it's even more apparent.

My main disagreement with his review is that he focused so much on off-roading during the hands-on portion. If you look at the Juiced website, it advertises the RCS as a fat tire commuter bike, not as an off-road machine. Sure, it can be ridden in the dirt. I ride my CCS on grass and dirt some, but I don't expect it to perform like a mountain bike. Just because the RCS has fat tires doesn't mean that it should be an off-road beast.

Maybe it rides better on gravel paths than the CCS, or sandy conditions, or mud, or snow. One of my favorite ebike YouTubers, E-Bike Commuter in Finland, might love this bike, alongside his Surly fat tire bike. Lots of snow up there. Maybe it's the additional comfort that fat tires can afford. Maybe it's just for the hell of it.

Regardless, what do we know about Juiced Bikes? They emphasize speed and sporty handling, not low-end torque.

"It doesn't do the job that it wasn't designed or promoted to do." Meh.