My Cross Currents Upgrades - What Upgrades Have You Done?

[Wes Lem]

1) Poor Man’s Satiator - $15.00 Electronic Belkin Auto Timer for the Juiced Cross Currents Battery Charger. In reading up on the correct way to charge 48 Volt E-Bike Battery packs, they recommend a low and slow charge and not to top off the battery, but to try to maintain an 90-90% capacity charge to prolong the life of the lithium Ion battery cells. I think the Satiator is a great product and can do that function very well, but at $315.00, it is a out of most folk’s budget. I have been using these Belkin Energy Timers with ½, 3 and 6 hour auto timer settings for battery chargers and they work well. I have been using it on the Juiced Charger, and I am getting the battery charged to 80% to 90% using this method. I run the timer at the 3 hour setting, and then add another half hour for good measure.

2) Poor Man’s Chainstay Paint Protector – I fabricated this rubber chainstay protector with zip ties to protect the chain from scratching the paint. Just cut an old tire tube with scissors and affixed it with 3 zip ties

3) Handle Bar Accessories – Installed Ergon GS-1 Large Grips for my Large Hands, Nite Rider 350 Lumen Swift LED Light, ORP Bike Horn/Light, Cateye Velo , Wireless Bike Computer, Grips were $34.00, Light was $34.95, ORP horn was $9.99, and the Cateye bike computer was $59.99

4) Fabric Lightweight Racing Seat, and Ritchey Aluminum Seat Stem, to replace the oem Selle Gel and Promax seat post.

5) Installed a set of Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 440 700 x 40C tires and standard presta valve Schwalbe tubes to reduce rolling resistance vs the oem Kenda E-Bike tires. Inflated to 80 PSI with no problems.

 

[tastybento]

Installed this guy: https://www.amazon.com/Cane-Creek-T...480735277&sr=1-2&keywords=thudbuster+seatpost

Life saver!

 

[Dunbar]

My Cross Current upgrades are:

10.4ah battery
Throttle kit
Deore XT 10sp shifter & derailleur
12-28 cassette 10sp
Body Float seat post
Ergon PC2 pedals
Schwalbe Marathon Almotion tires 28x2.0
Topeak rack

I've also added some decent removable lights to help me be seen.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

My Cross Current upgrades are:

10.4ah battery
Throttle kit
Deore XT 10sp shifter & derailleur
12-28 cassette 10sp
Body Float seat post
Ergon PC2 pedals
Schwalbe Marathon Almotion tires 29x2.0
Topeak rack

I've also added some decent removable lights to help me be seen.

Sounds AWESOME!
Can you share a picture?

 

[Dunbar]

Here's a picture of the bike:

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[ebikes rock]

loving my cc! however, I'm considering some upgrades to increase efficiency. I ride 7 miles each way to work on flat pavement.
I'm finding my average speed is about 13 -14 in PAS 2 or 3. Feeling a lot of wasted effort going into the suspension fork and wide tires.

• switch to stiffer fork
• get clipless pedals or toe cages
• switch to skinnier tires

Anyone have any thoughts about getting skinnier tires? I am considering switching to 700 x 40 mm tires (the stock tires are 700 x 45 mm). Also considering clipless or toe cages. there are 2 spots that encounter some road grit.

Finally, I'm thinking about switching to a stiff fork. I prefer a stiffer ride and the 7 mile commute isn't long enough to give me vibration soreness. anybody switched to a stiff fork?

 

[Trail Cruiser]

loving my cc! however, I'm considering some upgrades to increase efficiency. I ride 7 miles each way to work on flat pavement.
I'm finding my average speed is about 13 -14 in PAS 2 or 3. Feeling a lot of wasted effort going into the suspension fork and wide tires.

• switch to stiffer fork
• get clipless pedals or toe cages
• switch to skinnier tires

Anyone have any thoughts about getting skinnier tires? I am considering switching to 700 x 40 mm tires (the stock tires are 700 x 45 mm). Also considering clipless or toe cages. there are 2 spots that encounter some road grit.

Finally, I'm thinking about switching to a stiff fork. I prefer a stiffer ride and the 7 mile commute isn't long enough to give me vibration soreness. anybody switched to a stiff fork?

Seven miles is a very short distance. You have more than enough juice to step up your PAS level so you can achieve your desired speed.

Regarding tire size, the narrower standard non-ebike tires will have more chances of pinch flat and rim damage due to added weight of the motor and battery. Just keep it at 50-55 psi to give you a good compromise between efficiency and comfort.

I use clipless pedals and I don't see significant performance gain but it position my feet properly to the pedals and not touching the cranks.

Reduced speed due to suspension bobbing is an issue if you are into racing where every microscopic improvement counts. However, it is a non-issue with electric bikes. The major hindrance to speed is aerodynamics. Switching to stiffer forks will only worsen vibration soreness.

Talking of vibration soreness and discomfort, you can address it by changing to a more comfortable upright geometry. There are a number of ways to do this (shorter stem, adjustable stem, swept back handle bars, and/or head up stem riser). I have combination on all of those plus I use suspension seat post and saddle with springs.

 

[ebikes rock]

Thanks Mark! yeah - - I absolutely agree the distance allows me to use higher level assist. Just kinda wondering about ways I could more efficiently pedal without using higher assist. 14 miles a day doesn't even use a full cycle charge. But I'd like to keep it that way to prolong the battery life : - )

....and I'm wondering about this during my rides. which is fun ; - )

 

[Trail Cruiser]

Thanks Mark! yeah - - I absolutely agree the distance allows me to use higher level assist. Just kinda wondering about ways I could more efficiently pedal without using higher assist. 14 miles a day doesn't even use a full cycle charge. But I'd like to keep it that way to prolong the battery life : - )

....and I'm wondering about this during my rides. which is fun ; - )

Charging frequency is only part of the overall life of the battery. I think the biggest factor is the actual age of the battery (usually 2-3 years). Even if your battery is rated at 1500 charges, it usually last about half that number since you cannot avoid a single bad cell that could ruin the whole battery. I use my batteries to its full potential since in the next 2-3 years, it will be different and more advanced battery technology.

 

[Dunbar]

I wouldn't recommend going with narrower tires. Almost universally I noticed that the e-bikes I test rode with narrower tires all had a punishing ride quality. Check out bicyclerollingresistance.com and look at the touring tire section. I'm running the Schwalbe Marathon Almotion 29x2.0 tires and they are very good in terms of rolling resistance and have very good puncture protection. These tires are within 5 watts of the skinny tires I run on my road bike which is very respectable. Trust me, you don't want to change a flat tube on a rear hub motor bike out on the side of the road.

The stock fork has a lockout feature so no need to change it out for that reason. If your commute is only 7 miles just charge it twice a day to 80% and you will get 4X the battery life you would charging to 100%. Luna Cycles has smart chargers for ~$100 that allow you to do this. You can also do the poor man's version and use a timer with the stock charger (each hour of charging adds 100wH to the battery.)

 

[memberseven]

loving the cc

 

[Dunbar]

Santa Monica? I live/ride in the same area.

 

[ebikes rock]

thanks to all for the feedback! I'm gonna stay with the original tires. also, thanks for the 100 w per hour tip! After riding about month I'm noticing that I can ride at level 3/Sport Mode and can get to work and home (flat 14 mile round trip) and still show have two bars on the meter. Obviously range anxiety is not a concern. Just wondering what I can do to "ride fast" and still not "burn up" the battery. The tips on this string have put my mind at ease : - )

I have started using the fork lockout feature. It does seem to put a bit more energy into the frame. Still dreaming about clipless pedals as well. I think that could help on the "upstroke" of my cadence. I'm finding that Sport mode has so much power that I'm feeling "surges" when I downstroke the pedal. And less motor-oomph when I upstroke. This seems as it should be; the motor is designed to assist the rider pedaling after all. That's why I bought this bike. So back to clipless pedals - I'm thinking the clipless pedals might help my foot "pull" the pedal backup during upstroke. Obviously this is almost into the "racing" realm. But still fun to think about. Wifey has prohibited any further purchases that could be construed as "toys."

Cheers!

 

[memberseven]

I live playa Vista Venice ish. but I do daily Manhattan to Santa Monica run

 

[Dunbar]

Just wondering what I can do to "ride fast" and still not "burn up" the battery. The tips on this string have put my mind at ease : - )

TBH, I'm not sure there's much you can do other than turn the assistance level down or alternate between level 3 and S. The power requirements go up at the square of speed. On a road bike the difference between going 20mph and 28mph is like 200 watts vs. 500 watts. Aerobars will help your efficiency but can be dangerous in certain conditions. Clipless pedals have been studied and aren't really any more efficient. I use them on my road bike and do like the "locked in" feeling they give when standing and pedaling out of the saddle.

 

[memberseven]

Got the SKS Velo 65 mounted on the cc, it needed some mods and trimming to get it to fit, but not a whole lot and they look pretty damn fine on the cc. Took off the stock kickstand, got really annoyed of it interfering with the crank arms, found one that allows the bike to stand upright and you can back pedal all you want without dinging the arms, pretty sturdy.

Has anyone here internally routed their cables? Thinking of doing that and then wrapping the rest in a carbon fiber weave.

 

[Nirmala]

I use the timer on our microwave to accomplish the same thing as your Belkin timer. After I plug the battery in to my charger, I set the timer in the kitchen, and then go unplug when it goes off. Alittle more trouble than a timer that turns off the power for you, but it works for me.

 

[youth]

Has anyone here internally routed their cables? Thinking of doing that and then wrapping the rest in a carbon fiber weave.

I do have the rear derailleur cable going through the the lower channel atm and shifting is still fine. I also had the torque sensor cable there, but took it out because I've had to do troubleshooting of the electric bits. There seems to be enough room for the rear brake & motor cable, but the motor I thought was too tough with it larger connector to route from the upper channel into the lower channel & for the rear brake I didn't want to deal with the hassle of disconnecting the hydraulic cable. Just be careful with sharp edges at the bottom bracket opening.

 

[memberseven]

I do have the rear derailleur cable going through the the lower channel atm and shifting is still fine. I also had the torque sensor cable there, but took it out because I've had to do troubleshooting of the electric bits. There seems to be enough room for the rear brake & motor cable, but the motor I thought was too tough with it larger connector to route from the upper channel into the lower channel & for the rear brake I didn't want to deal with the hassle of disconnecting the hydraulic cable. Just be careful with sharp edges at the bottom bracket opening.

cool thanks for the advice, yeah theres plenty of room that are intended for internal routing, also saw tora said in a vid they have designed with that in mind just didn't suggest anyone to do it cause its easier to work on with everything external

 

[aromakat]

I just put on some 28mm gator skins, which made a huge difference in the ride. Much more nimble and quick for my ride around downtown Los Angeles, which means constantly playing an aggressive game of frogger.

The gears were a little sticky and were taking two clicks to change a gear, which would come with a hard jolt. Tightening up the cabling wasn't getting us there so the local shop replaced all of the housing.

I'm contemplating getting some bullhorn handlebars.