Maintenance tip/reminder

[Stephen Cho]

Not only for all juiced bikes but any hub motor bike... tighten loose spokes, especially in the beginning (after a couple weeks.) I was not paying attention to spoke tension and broke one recently. Upon further inspection I found many more loose spokes. Juiced is all out of them and I am still waiting (contacted them March 1)

 

[DEgger]

Yup. I was on chat asking about when they expect to have rear spokes in stock.... crickets. Offered to send me a couple if I needed them, so you might try them now. Kind of unnerving that they're using a custom spoke that you can't really find anywhere else and can't keep them in stock.

 

[jazz]

Yea that is not good customer service. Something as basic and important as this should be available always

 

[Dunbar]

I bought some spokes from the Juiced Bikes Amazon store just in-case I needed them. I've only popped one rear spoke in 4k miles and my local shop fixed it under warranty.

 

[memberseven]

I bought some spokes from the Juiced Bikes Amazon store just in-case I needed them. I've only popped one rear spoke in 4k miles and my local shop fixed it under warranty.

seems like they restocked a lot of items on the site as well, including the spokes

 

[DEgger]

Still breaking spokes, but it gets worse and worse. Now breaking them every 50 miles. Seems the metal on the Juiced-supplied spokes is just garbage. So I'm going to have to shell out $250 to have the entire wheel re-spoked if I want anything remotely reliable. No response from Juiced on this, or the $100 throttle they sold me that went bad after 10 uses.

They should be supplying rear spokes for free and/or fixing the problem and sending out replacements to customers with this issue given that these are breaking beyond any rational person's expectation, regardless of the amount of maintenance done. I had the entire wheel checked and trued by the LBS's master wheel smith, broke a spoke in the first 10 miles. Sometimes I can go 2-3 weeks without one popping, but I'm still checking them before almost every ride, never hit potholes. They always break at the hub.

 

[doyle]

Still breaking spokes, but it gets worse and worse. Now breaking them every 50 miles. Seems the metal on the Juiced-supplied spokes is just garbage. So I'm going to have to shell out $250 to have the entire wheel re-spoked if I want anything remotely reliable. No response from Juiced on this, or the $100 throttle they sold me that went bad after 10 uses.

They should be supplying rear spokes for free and/or fixing the problem and sending out replacements to customers with this issue given that these are breaking beyond any rational person's expectation, regardless of the amount of maintenance done. I had the entire wheel checked and trued by the LBS's master wheel smith, broke a spoke in the first 10 miles. Sometimes I can go 2-3 weeks without one popping, but I'm still checking them before almost every ride, never hit potholes. They always break at the hub.

If you haven't - have them check tension. What often happens with wheels as they go out of true is that the tension becomes uneven on the spokes. If you're paying $10-15 for a true/spoke replacement, the shop is probably just turning a few problem nipples until the lateral runout (side-to-side wobble) drops down to tolerable levels. Over time, the very loose ones can drift quite a bit. Going over the wheel and truing to even tension takes 1/2h to an hour depending how bad it is.

$250 sounds a little high for a wheelbuild+spokes.

 

[DEgger]

If you haven't - have them check tension. What often happens with wheels as they go out of true is that the tension becomes uneven on the spokes. If you're paying $10-15 for a true/spoke replacement, the shop is probably just turning a few problem nipples until the lateral runout (side-to-side wobble) drops down to tolerable levels. Over time, the very loose ones can drift quite a bit. Going over the wheel and truing to even tension takes 1/2h to an hour depending how bad it is.

$250 sounds a little high for a wheelbuild+spokes.

They have, and I also do in between visits. After the first replacement, they only have their master wheel guy work on it. As referenced many, many times in this forum, there is an issue with the CrossCurrent's spokes that Juiced seems to be aware of, but doesn't want to offer any actual solutions other than 'just keep buying our spokes that either don't fit correctly, or are made of low-quality metal'.

$250 was their high estimate - LBS is still figuring out what spokes they can get, but I told them I wanted the strongest spokes within reason, so I'm expecting I'll have to pay $4 a spoke, 36 of them, plus an hour of labor is going to be around $200 minimum. With the weird size of the spoke, it may drive cost of the spokes up even further. I will NOT use any more of Juiced's spokes.

 

[Rindy]

I just had my 3rd spoke break on my juiced. And I am having trouble with the power disconnecting, even after paying 250 for all new parts and service. On the verge off trading in and upgrading.

 

[doyle]

They have, and I also do in between visits. After the first replacement, they only have their master wheel guy work on it. As referenced many, many times in this forum, there is an issue with the CrossCurrent's spokes that Juiced seems to be aware of, but doesn't want to offer any actual solutions other than 'just keep buying our spokes that either don't fit correctly, or are made of low-quality metal'.

$250 was their high estimate - LBS is still figuring out what spokes they can get, but I told them I wanted the strongest spokes within reason, so I'm expecting I'll have to pay $4 a spoke, 36 of them, plus an hour of labor is going to be around $200 minimum. With the weird size of the spoke, it may drive cost of the spokes up even further. I will NOT use any more of Juiced's spokes.

Length shouldn't matter too much. I think they switched to TD or Sapim recently. I would be frustrated too but it might be worth asking.

http://www.ebikes.ca/shop/electric-bicycle-parts/spokes.html

Grin Tech sells motors far more powerful than even that on the HyperFat and they manage to get by with no bigger than 13ga spokes. They are a very helpful company and it wouldn't surprise me if they have dealt with a Juiced relace (or something to address your issue) given the volume and problems. You might inquire with them. Even if your shop has a master wheelbuilder the skills are a little different - ebike wheels are funny and often do stuff you wouldn't normally do on a pushbike wheel like have all the spokes facing the same way relative to the hub. There's often not enough room to do the crosses you'd usually want to do to make a strong touring wheel, etc. Worth a shot talking to them.

 

[jharlow77]

I just had my 3rd spoke break on my juiced. And I am having trouble with the power disconnecting, even after paying 250 for all new parts and service. On the verge off trading in and upgrading.

My brand new Air is currently in the shop due to constant power disconnects. From what I've seen in this forum it looks like lots of people are having similar trouble. I'm crossing my fingers about the spokes.

 

[Tora Harris]

My brand new Air is currently in the shop due to constant power disconnects. From what I've seen in this forum it looks like lots of people are having similar trouble. I'm crossing my fingers about the spokes.

Did you contact us for support on this issue?

 

[Tora Harris]

Doesn't surprise me, I'm thinking about gutting my ocean current and rebuilding it since I can't get any freaking cooperation from juiced. Thinking about converting to mid drive. I am starting to realize that once juiced gets your money and you get your bike, your on your own and that is a shame because they have potential. I would like to get a price on a controller and LCD display but nobody seems to give a damn. Lots of smoke blown up yur freaking ass , they always have an excuse, tell ya what you want hear. They like to leave you hanging. Karma is a biotch.

Rooster, I'm sick of your complaining. We are going out of our way to get you the frame for this bike and already told you we are going to make your bike right. We have to wait for the frames to be produced again and pull it from the line, paint it and send it to you from China. We take care of all our customers. But look back at all your comments... every other comment is just how we don't care about this or blowing smoke or whatever. Its totally not the case. I don't understand how our Techs could be more accommodating towards your very particular situation.

 

[jharlow77]

Did you contact us for support on this issue?

I did and Luis sent me a ticket support number and a PDF checklist of basic things to check (loose connections, etc) and he recommended taking it to the dealer which is what I did. Hopefully they can get timely response from your end because the weather is perfect for riding right now! Thanks for following up on this personally, I appreciate it.

 

[James Sorenson]

I quick note for a spoke test: just run your fingers across them like you are strumming a guitar. If you hear any spokes with excessively high or low tones, then you need to "level the load" with their neighboring spokes so that the rim stays true but the tension load is distributed properly. My CrossCurrent had a few poorly adjusted spokes that I needed to redistribute. Now I've been riding it since February without snapping a single one.

Now...flat tires. I'd love to hear how to solve THAT issue. I need stronger tires to protect the tubes, it seems.

 

[Denis Shelston]

I quick note for a spoke test: just run your fingers across them like you are strumming a guitar. If you hear any spokes with excessively high or low tones, then you need to "level the load" with their neighboring spokes so that the rim stays true but the tension load is distributed properly. My CrossCurrent had a few poorly adjusted spokes that I needed to redistribute. Now I've been riding it since February without snapping a single one.

Now...flat tires. I'd love to hear how to solve THAT issue. I need stronger tires to protect the tubes, it seems.

Thanks for this, going to do this today. Thumbs Up!

 

[Dunbar]

Now...flat tires. I'd love to hear how to solve THAT issue. I need stronger tires to protect the tubes, it seems.

I’m running Schwalbe Marathon Almotions 29x2.0 tires and have had no flats in ~5K miles (knock on wood.) If your roads are littered with debris get the Schwalbe Marathon Plus. There’s a video on YouTube of them rolling over a bunch of tacks and surviving without a flat tire.

 

[Reid]

I quick note for a spoke test: just run your fingers across them like you are strumming a guitar. If you hear any spokes with excessively high or low tones, then you need to "level the load" with their neighboring spokes so that the rim stays true but the tension load is distributed properly. My CrossCurrent had a few poorly adjusted spokes that I needed to redistribute. Now I've been riding it since February without snapping a single one. (snip)

Amen to that! Say, is Juiced specifying stainless steel spokes? Stainless steel spokes cannot be as elastic and fatigue resistant as properly made carbon steel spokes. Being painted, there is no cosmetic difference between the two.

I am a long-time concert piano technician. We cannot use stainless steel for piano wire because it does not afford the requisite tensile strength. Piano wire must be tensioned to nearly its elastic limit. If we used stainless steel the piano wire would suffer indefinite elastic creep and spontaneously break in a few months or years, without the slightest advance warning. We have to use carbon steel for piano wire. This same steel still makes the strongest bike wheel spokes and always has.

Stainless steel is known to be unpredictable and therefore, inferior, when used in especially high-strain applications. Chords, strings if you will, of tensioned metal supporting a bicycle rider (the rider's weight hangs from the uppermost spokes) are constantly strained and re-strained. Fatigue eventually causes breakage if the strains are sufficiently great and sufficiently repeated. And where does that breakage usually occur?

Relatively equalized spoke tension tuned by the note-sound of the plucked spoke, so that all the spokes are fairly well strained but not over-strained, will go a long way to prevent spoke breakage, no matter the metal.

Lastly, it isn't that stainless is bad (it's not), it is just a possibly significant minus if the wheel construct (a hub motor in the rear) is especially stressful to its foreshortened and thus less elastic spokes and breakages are frequently reported.

• http://pediaa.com/difference-between-carbon-steel-and-stainless-steel/

• definition of stress and strain

In summary it may be stated that stainless steel offers a lustrous and corrosion-resistant finish with a trade off of reduced strength, reduced elasticity and reduced fatigue resistance. Horses for courses.

 

[john peck]

Yup. I was on chat asking about when they expect to have rear spokes in stock.... crickets. Offered to send me a couple if I needed them, so you might try them now. Kind of unnerving that they're using a custom spoke that you can't really find anywhere else and can't keep them in stock.

Guess I need to check mine, Luckily,I received a half dozen rear spokes with my CCS, (if I can just remember where I put them.)

 

[john peck]

I’m running Schwalbe Marathon Almotions 29x2.0 tires and have had no flats in ~5K miles (knock on wood.) If your roads are littered with debris get the Schwalbe Marathon Plus. There’s a video on YouTube of them rolling over a bunch of tacks and surviving without a flat tire.

I have regular marathons on my road bikes & they're just great, but the one pair of plus I bought for 26" were too rigid at the tread, too soft in the sidewall.
they made for a wobbly unnerving ride. they're hanging in the carport with less than 5 miles on 'em.