Please vote: is this CrossCurrent frame screwed up? or normal?

[Mike H.]

When I got the bike, the rear wheel was actually rubbing slightly on the bottom part of the frame. I contacted JuiceBikes support and they said to have the rear wheel dished/trued - which I did. For results, please see pics and vote whether you think the frame is flawed/defective.

Thanks!

 

[Dunbar]

Mine looks pretty similar looking from the top down. If it doesn't start rubbing again I wouldn't worry about it. My wheel doesn't sit perfectly centered in the middle of the chain stays. The whole frame of offset more on the drive side to accommodate the torque sensor. So the asymmetry you see when you flip the bike upside down is normal.

 

[Tora Harris]

The CrossCurrent uses a rear drop-out type torque sensor. The sensor sticks in about 1cm only on the drive side. The result is the frame needs to compensate for this and appears somewhat asymmetric. The wheels are true with respect to the center of the bike so it should track accurately.

Additionally the bike has a very tight RC (bottom bracket to rear axle distance), maybe one of the tightest in the e-bike industry. This makes the bike very nimble and has a bike-like ride characteristic. Tight RC can result in more bumpy ride, so on the other end it uses 700c x 45c tires. That is about as fat as 700c tires get to smooth out the ride.

Another thing is the bike uses a massive 52T chainring on a standard 68mm bottom bracket, so you can achieve high gearing to pedal normally at high speeds.

The result is great riding quality, but everything is fitting very closely together. If any part of the tire is touching the frame, check to see if the axle is seated all the way.