Known Issues & Problems with Juiced Bikes Products + Help, Solutions & Fixes

[Bob Valenzuela]

I've had this issue & for me it was either the controller or the wiring harness. Do you ride in wet weather? Check the connector from the display to the harness for any corrosion. Maybe gently put pressure on the various connections there as you you turn on the bike.

Thanks Youth. Yes, I ride in very humid weather (Philippines) but never in the rain, The bike was fine the first few months. As far as I can tell, there is no corrosion on the connector pins. I tried wiggling the connector from the display to the 3 to 1 wire harness and the display lights began to blink. There seems to be some play in that connection. I will try to fix the connection and see. Thanks again.

 

[Bob Valenzuela]

Thanks Youth. Yes, I ride in very humid weather (Philippines) but never in the rain, The bike was fine the first few months. As far as I can tell, there is no corrosion on the connector pins. I tried wiggling the connector from the display to the 3 to 1 wire harness and the display lights began to blink. There seems to be some play in that connection. I will try to fix the connection and see. Thanks again.

Hi Bob V,
I had the same flashing light and power cut problem on my 350 watt CC, it seems from overheating damage. I live in hot Atlanta and was riding full tilt up long hilly stretches. I got a new controller (actually my second) back in January and haven’t had the problem since, despite a summer of riding. It seems they’ve addressed the controller overheat problem by dissipating heat better to the frame and perhaps other changes.

Luis suspected at one point that my bike’s problem might have been the 3 to 1 wire connector (wiring harness that Youth mentioned?) after my first controller didn’t fully fix the problem, but no luck. The second controller has worked like a charm... knock on wood.

Hi Jax,

Good for you! I broke my original 3 - 1 wire connector (harness) and this is a replacement one I got from Juiced. The problem only started a month after I replaced the wiring harness. I suspect (hope) it is just a loose connection. How can you differentiate between a connector problem and a problem with the controller? On my bike (when it works) the amount of assist seems excessive (like on sport mode) when the assist LED lights are blinking. I'm glad your problem is fixed and hope it stays that way.

 

[john peck]

I have a problem with my CCS. I can't stop riding it. It's an addiction; I may need an intervention.

 

[Bob Valenzuela]

Hi John,

I know the feeling. The puzzled look on a roadies face after you pass them on your Cross current bike is priceless!

 

[john peck]

Hi John,

I know the feeling. The puzzled look on a roadies face after you pass them on your Cross current bike is priceless!

My inframe hides the batpak,(custom made) & my panniers hide the motor. The panniers stay bowed out with thin plastic
cutting board inserts. So it looks like I'm riding a fully laden grocery getter. This gray haired old guy just flies right by them up hill.
Priceless is the word.

 

[Bob Valenzuela]

Hi Bob V,
I had the same flashing light and power cut problem on my 350 watt CC, it seems from overheating damage. I live in hot Atlanta and was riding full tilt up long hilly stretches. I got a new controller (actually my second) back in January and haven’t had the problem since, despite a summer of riding. It seems they’ve addressed the controller overheat problem by dissipating heat better to the frame and perhaps other changes.

Luis suspected at one point that my bike’s problem might have been the 3 to 1 wire connector (wiring harness that Youth mentioned?) after my first controller didn’t fully fix the problem, but no luck. The second controller has worked like a charm... knock on wood.

Hi Jax,

Is your new controller the 9 transistor one like the ones they have on the CrossCurrent S ? Thanks again.

 

[Barry S]

Ebikes that are priced as Low as these are, you are much more likely to run into issues in terms of requiring a lot of adjustments on the brakes, derailleurs, etc when shipped new. That truly is the one of the best reasons to buy from a LOCAL shop, rather than on-line or rather than from a store far away who can't service you. You can find better quality in all of this with brands such as Blix, or Surface 604, but there are still going to be little things that can crop out, when first getting out of the box, or even after riding for a while that don't show up initially. Could be issues with the throttle, the controller, the LCD, or even in the crank area. Juiced is obviously trying to pack a lot of value for the price points they are selling these at, so it is something to consider before purchasing. I'm a big believer that you don't need to spend $2500, $3000, or $4000 to get a higher quality e-bike, but just know that it does cost a lot to pack them properly, ship them well, and make all the adjustments needed after the immediate build, and then again after it ships. Also, please realize that if you want help from that local bike shop, if you didn't buy it from them, please don't expect them to give a great deal on service, or get you in on a timely fashion, or push them at all. It's really killed the bike industry itself over the years for these bike OEMS to sell on-line or dealers who ship across state lines, at next to no margin. Ultimately the consumer pays, and bears the brunt of losing that local shop forever, or simply having to learn how to do a lot of this themselves. Most people I find aren't even close to being handy or mechanically inclined. In the old days maybe, but now many don't even have tools, or know what to call the tools. The dealers make up for a lot of the flaws in the bike distribution system. Treat them right, patronize them frequently, and you really wont have to worry about these issues you bring up.

I appreciate your words of support for the LBS. I'll often put on my DIY cap and brave new waters after watching a YT video on a particular subject, but when it comes to my bike that I need to get to/from work, I find that I'm better off letting the skilled staff at my LBS take care of it so it gets done right the first time and in a timely manner. My local LBS also sells ebikes, but not on a large scale and what they have decided to sell have starting retail prices at $3k. I'm shopping at the under $2k range, and with only a couple of reputable LBSs here in Honolulu, my only option is to go with an online dealer. I've looked at some used ebikes at a strictly ebike shop, but wasn't impressed with the expertise of the staff or the quality of the used bikes they had to offer. Now, when I do require service for the ebike I eventually decide to purchase, I hope the rapport I've developed over the years with my LBS will pay off and I can expect the same quality service for my online ebike as I get for the non-ebike I first purchased from same LBS.

 

[Jax]

Hi Jax,

Is your new controller the 9 transistor one like the ones they have on the CrossCurrent S ? Thanks again.

Hi Bob,
Sorry, but I’ve been wondering the same thing. A Juiced rep replaced it for me. I suspect it has more transistors but don’t know for sure.

 

[Rooster]

I Have the ocean current and it to has the spokes installed in the same direction but I have not broken a spoke. This could be because either the spokes are shorter or the the tires have a lot more cushion but you are right about the front rim, as it has alternating spokes.

 

[Andy_in_CA]

I can confirm that my CCS rear wheel is laced this way as stated above. I have about 400-500 miles on my bike and all the spokes seem tight.

What else do I need to look for? Should I get it re-laced if I don't have any issues currently? how many CCS riders have had broken spokes?

 

[daniel58]

I Have the ocean current and it to has the spokes installed in the same direction but I have not broken a spoke. This could be because either the spokes are shorter or the the tires have a lot more cushion but you are right about the front rim, as it has alternating spokes.

Yes it can not be definitely overlooked or ruled out that the Ocean Current uses not only a substantially larger cushioning footprint beach cruiser tire but also uses a much less substantial electric hub motor of only 500 watts versus 650 watts; which is automatically at least 30% more additional powerful highly destructive stressful twisting torque forces being introduced about ones electric hub motor flanges' for ones potential spoke elbows and spoke head combination to metal fatigue flex up and down; until the expected premature eventual catastrophic spoke elbow joint metal fatigue failure occurs;

I have read in the forum responses of other users who have also taken the precaution of switching out the default CCS Kenda supplied rear tire(one can always use them on the front tire) and using the Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS348 in the 38mm width; which has the classic famous Schwalbe blue smartguard puncture protection layer; that even prevents and stops literally any and all punctures by goathead thorns penetration; when used in combination with the equally robust protection offered by Sunlite thorn puncture resistant tubes;

(https://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Thorn-Resistant-Bicycle-Tube/dp/B000AO9PY8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1508531038&sr=8-3&keywords=thorn+tubes&th=1&psc=1);

so much so that one can regularly routinely have a few dozen 2mm plus sized goat head thorns buried within the tread without nary a goat head puncture(nicely durable and puncture resiliant indeed); though they do and can regularly fall prey to sharp metal road litter so one still needs to be quite careful, on guard and cautious still; by also getting a tire guard that basically is a curved tire formed piece of flexible adjustable light metal that continuously brushes the surface of ones tires of any potential tire surface clinging metal and organic puncture debris also as well; Sunlite even makes their own tire patch kit also as well in case you actually get a puncture also as well; or one can just use the well known and regarded traditional Rema self vulcanizing puncture tube patch kit also as well;

now the truly funny thing is the Schwalbe integrated blue puncture proof layer strip not only makes ones ride truly more plush and comfortable feeling but it also effectively doubles and acts as a small effective road shock absorption device also as well; those Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires are truly bulletproof indeed in more ways than one; plus one will indeed in time grow to love the quality tire ride and tire durability aspects in particular;

now whether one is using the Schwalbe tire for commuting and/or extended weekend long mileage bicycle touring; these Schwalbe Marathon plus tires are so tested durable and tough; that cyclists regularly use them as the default safe conservative choice; for even extended long distance fully loaded bicycle tandem bicycle touring.

 

[daniel58]

I can confirm that my CCS rear wheel is laced this way as stated above. I have about 400-500 miles on my bike and all the spokes seem tight.

What else do I need to look for? Should I get it re-laced if I don't have any issues currently? how many CCS riders have had broken spokes?

As a safe conservative precaution one should go into ones local bike shop and have them use a bike shop spoke tension checker; that is typically used to potentially detect large variances and differences in spoke tension that might not be evenly distributed over the combined thirty six spokes composing the rear wheel dual electric hub flange configuration; but do definitely have them make sure that all of your rear dual electric hub flange spokes are properly tightend and tensioned all around the wheel rim both concentrically and laterally(should cost no more than $25 for rear wheel);

now definitely do also get their true professional bike shop assessment and evaluation opinion based on the objective spoke tension readings taken and collected with the shop spoke tension checker and then have the bike wheel's spoke tension data readings entered into the Park Tools bike shop spoke tension spreadsheet form; then also have them automatically graph out a bike spoke wheel tension analysis chart to show any potential spoke tension distribution variances in ones thirty six combined spokes; now also definitely record all these spoke tension valuations to serve as an effective potential baseline reference in case ones spokes on ones CCS rear electric hub wheel starts snapping one right after another;

this of course is an added extra piece of mind insurance policy, as apparently once those hub flange spokes start snapping apparently they wreak havoc and then also don't have a tendency to stop snapping in this particular rather unique and unconventional CCS rear wheel dual hub flange configuration design; apparently Juiced Bikes thinks its really ok and normal for their new CCS electric bike wheel spokes design to snap; even "in the light of day" fact that when the wheel is actually properly re-laced with Swiss DT spokes and Swiss DT nipples in a very safely conservative alternating spoke head configuration wheel lacing configuration; the freshly properly re-laced wheel seemingly mysteriously never has any troubles with spoke snapping always at the hub flanges this even when using the same wheel rim; now Juiced Bikes has probably known about this problem for quite some time now and is definitely quite unlikely and/or unwilling to address this important CCS quality assurance problem; largely due to their non-responsiveness and even acknowledging that this problem even exists in the first place; now its really true that one gets what they truly pay for as is often truly the case here with Juiced Bikes; unfortunately the Juiced Bike customer gets juiced out in terms of value received; all in the name of maximizing the bottom line and supposedly offering a competitive product for much less money without supposedly affecting product quality; not a good feeling at all for all those CCS post purchase customers and definitely an important flashing cautionary red flag tale for those potentially considering a CCS electric bike now and in the future.

 

[mal robot]

Daniel - I'm confused by your statements. You claim that CCS customers are having a lot of broken spokes. So far I haven't heard of any CCS broken spokes; only those on the old CC model. The bike has only been out for a month. Have you heard otherwise?

 

[Rooster]

As a safe conservative precaution one should go into ones local bike shop and have them use a bike shop spoke tension checker; that is typically used to potentially detect large variances and differences in spoke tension that might not be evenly distributed over the combined thirty six spokes composing the rear wheel dual electric hub flange configuration; but do definitely have them make sure that all of your rear dual electric hub flange spokes are properly tightend and tensioned all around the wheel rim both concentrically and laterally(should cost no more than $25 for rear wheel);

now definitely do also get their true professional bike shop assessment and evaluation opinion based on the objective spoke tension readings taken and collected with the shop spoke tension checker and then have the bike wheel's spoke tension data readings entered into the Park Tools bike shop spoke tension spreadsheet form; then also have them automatically graph out a bike spoke wheel tension analysis chart to show any potential spoke tension distribution variances in ones thirty six combined spokes; now also definitely record all these spoke tension valuations to serve as an effective potential baseline reference in case ones spokes on ones CCS rear electric hub wheel starts snapping one right after another;

this of course is an added extra piece of mind insurance policy, as apparently once those hub flange spokes start snapping apparently they wreak havoc and then also don't have a tendency to stop snapping in this particular rather unique and unconventional CCS rear wheel dual hub flange configuration design; apparently Juiced Bikes thinks its really ok and normal for their new CCS electric bike wheel spokes design to snap; even "in the light of day" fact that when the wheel is actually properly re-laced with Swiss DT spokes and Swiss DT nipples in a very safely conservative alternating spoke head configuration wheel lacing configuration; the freshly properly re-laced wheel seemingly mysteriously never has any troubles with spoke snapping always at the hub flanges this even when using the same wheel rim; now Juiced Bikes has probably known about this problem for quite some time now and is definitely quite unlikely and/or unwilling to address this important CCS quality assurance problem; largely due to their non-responsiveness and even acknowledging that this problem even exists in the first place; now its really true that one gets what they truly pay for as is often truly the case here with Juiced Bikes; unfortunately the Juiced Bike customer gets juiced out in terms of value received; all in the name of maximizing the bottom line and supposedly offering a competitive product for much less money without supposedly affecting product quality; not a good feeling at all for all those CCS post purchase customers and definitely an important flashing cautionary red flag tale for those potentially considering a CCS electric bike now and in the future.

You got way too much time on yur hands dude, j.s.

 

[Reid]

Genius is rarely appreciated, daniel58.

My gosh, you have the smarts to rival even (good nature grinning here) Dr. Evil, were you ever to go rogue!

Cheers and thanks for your in depth analysis with opinion! It is not that I so much disagree, but:

I have pre-paid for November delivery of a CCS and won't be cancelling. I paid my money, made my choice and if any difficulties arise I will deal with them.

Without being a fanboy of Tora Harris, I still hold him in good regard, his good intentions evident despite flawed production.

He is creative by nature and a champion driven by his own unalterable mental design.

If I get stiffed in any way I won't blame Tora. I'll blame my human need to believe in the extraordinary. And he is that.

 

[mal robot]

Hi Daniel,

I believe that all the posts I saw in this thread of people with spoke issues are CC owners. I'm a CCS owner myself and have put about ~450 miles on the bike so far with about 200 lbs of load between rider and bag. No spoke issues so far, but I did get the spokes on both wheels professionally tensioned before I started riding.

 

[Reid]

...certainly please do write up a detailed and extensive follow-up comprehensive Juiced Bikes CCS first impressions review...

I will.

For instance, an action cam soft case review, still full of my typos,
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CW4CJ8W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[AndrewJB]

Hello Keith and Bryan and other frustrated CC owners.

I have had mine for a few months and enjoy my crosscurrent bike a lot... until recently when the assist level led lights on my controller display would blink during a ride then the bike would turn itself off. At first it would happen once a ride, but lately it happens every five minutes or so. I tried disconnecting and reconnecting all the connections, including the one inside the downtube (battery to controller connection.) All connections seem to be good.
I don't know if the problem is just a loose connection or a problem with the controller, the controller display, or the torque sensor, or maybe even the battery (10.4 Ah). Haven't heard from Juiced customer support (despite putting in two tickets) that's why I am trying my luck on this forum. My bike is out of warranty but I just want to ride it again, and am willing to buy whatever part. Problem is, I have been waiting more than a month for Juiced to reply. I hope Tora or Luis from Juiced responds to my problem and yours.

I have a regular CC, with a similar problem: A few months back my CC display would light up all the LED's, then the bike power off. This problem disappeared for some odd reason so I did nothing about it until a couple weeks ago when it came back again - this time no LED's lighting up, just random losses of power.

When I took it back to the place of purchase, the owner did a quick 'on the spot inspection' and found rust forming on one of the front octopus cable connections. His fiddling seemed to trigger the return of the blinking LED lights and a new problem with the wheel motor now spinning of its own accord.

There seems to be a shortage of parts at the moment - my bike has been repaired and returned, but with some components cannibalized from another CC. In all, the throttle, display, octopus cables and controller were changed out - though I'm not really sure that all were necessary.

My CC is now up and running OK and even seems to have a bit more grunt than before - Could be just my imagination, but it feels s better able to maintain speed on some of the hills encountered during my daily commute.

Oh dear. That squeak from the hub motor - sorted a few months back - has reared it ugly head once again!!!

And just to put this out there - When it runs, my CC is like a rocket and I absolutely love it!! Can't complain about the level of after-sales support I've received - The local retailer and importer have both been excellent to deal with. Still, given the number of times I've had to return my CC for repair in the months that I've owned it, I do worry where I will stand a year or so from now when there's no longer a warranty to fall back on!

 

[daniel58]

Hi Daniel,

I believe that all the posts I saw in this thread of people with spoke issues are CC owners. I'm a CCS owner myself and have put about ~450 miles on the bike so far with about 200 lbs of load between rider and bag. No spoke issues so far, but I did get the spokes on both wheels professionally tensioned before I started riding.

Thanks as always for the supplied input feedback of course which is always invaluable from everyone in the e-biking CC and CCS community at large; my concern as always when dealing with electric hub driven motors is their actual un-sprung weight which includes the electric bicycle, rider, gear, pannier bags, and even the electric hub itself; so if one was 200lbs along with ones physical gear for the day, ones pannier bags, and of course the bike(65lbs) itself;

now one could all to easily in fact be easily pushing 275lbs without even really trying; also most of the actual un-sprung weight is actually concentrated on the rear electric hub wheel also as well; now with that said any looseness in the spokes themselves in the area around the "J" shaped spoke elbow that wraps itself around the hub flange; would over time invariably flex and cause premature spoke metal flex fatigue and gradual eventual metal spoke catastrophic failure in the form of the spoke snapping at the "J" shaped spoke elbow joint near the electric hub spoke flange;

so its pretty and prudent important perhaps to also purchase as a bike maintenance tool the Park Tools spoke tensioner spoke gauge tension checking tool; in order to keep tabs on all the thirty six spokes on the rear wheel to make sure they are within relatively close recommended spoke tension tolerances as compared to all the other spokes on the electric rear hub wheel.

 

[daniel58]

I have a regular CC, with a similar problem: A few months back my CC display would light up all the LED's, then the bike power off. This problem disappeared for some odd reason so I did nothing about it until a couple weeks ago when it came back again - this time no LED's lighting up, just random losses of power.

When I took it back to the place of purchase, the owner did a quick 'on the spot inspection' and found rust forming on one of the front octopus cable connections. His fiddling seemed to trigger the return of the blinking LED lights and a new problem with the wheel motor now spinning of its own accord.

There seems to be a shortage of parts at the moment - my bike has been repaired and returned, but with some components cannibalized from another CC. In all, the throttle, display, octopus cables and controller were changed out - though I'm not really sure that all were necessary.

My CC is now up and running OK and even seems to have a bit more grunt than before - Could be just my imagination, but it feels s better able to maintain speed on some of the hills encountered during my daily commute.

Oh dear. That squeak from the hub motor - sorted a few months back - has reared it ugly head once again!!!

And just to put this out there - When it runs, my CC is like a rocket and I absolutely love it!! Can't complain about the level of after-sales support I've received - The local retailer and importer have both been excellent to deal with. Still, given the number of times I've had to return my CC for repair in the months that I've owned it, I do worry where I will stand a year or so from now when there's no longer a warranty to fall back on!

Yes, the squeak that one is hearing from ones rear electric drive motor hub is usually a sign that the poly lube grease that is usually included in the internal gear hubs; has somehow flung itself off the internal gears; this will of course require disassembly of the rear electric drive motor hub to actually get to ones rear electric drive motor hub's internal gears to be able to lubricate them with an especially high viscosity film lithium grease; do make sure you are able to watch how this is actually done on the CC or CCS electric bike; while they actually do this as one will have to do this on ones own after the Juiced Bikes one year warranty is up.