Powerful Fat Tire E-bike w/ Torque sensor from Juiced Bikes

[Andy_in_CA]

So I just took the bike to my first morning commute to work. around 5 miles. few tiny hills, but other than that just straight road.

Pros:
- The power - this is of course the main reason why everyone bought this bike. it's very easy to get to 30mph, with little extra effort to 31 or 32. I am in good shape, active sports guy.
- Gearing - really well geared, even at the highest speeds there is still a lot of resistance and it feels good
- Weight - honestly I though this thing would be way heavier than it is
- Agility - I think it's more agile than RadRover, easier to turn in curves

Cons:
- Geometry - I really don't like it. I feel I am way too stretched to reach handlebars.
- Stem and Handlebars - very connected to the geometry point. This bike deserves better stem to hold the handlebars, it's the first thing I am going to change. Also the handlebars should be wider. I just don't like my position on this bike, it does not feel natural. (I am 6'2 and have the XL frame)
- Low speed motor hiccups - at very low speeds the motor makes weird sounds and just does not pull properly. Keeps lagging, etc. Happened to me only once though.

I swapped out the stock handle bars on my CCS with a Jones Hbar.. .and love it. They have two widths or you can buy the wider one and trim it if you don't like the width....and they mark it for you 710 and 660 i think.

 

[sowhat]

I agree with just about everything here. That's funny that you mention feeling cramped. I'm also 6'2" with the XL frame and I scooted my seat all the way back and still feel like I could use a longer stem. I have unusually long arms though so that's a big factor. I also feel that the frame is is good. My seat isn't way high and I like that. I like to have most of the seat post in the frame.
I think that the low speed hiccup is related to the lack of an internal speed sensor in the MAC motor. It has happened to me a couple of times as described in the setup and troubleshooting instructions.

Actually the other way around. I don't feel cramped. I feel too stretched. I feel like the handlebars are too far away from me.

 

[TForan]

Made a short video. If you hear a clicking at 1:05 it's because the edge of my GoPro camera case leaned into the spokes. Oops.

Is all that noise characteristic to hub drive bikes ?

 

[sowhat]

What kind of stem do you think you'll use?

First I am going to try to recycle parts from my old mountain bike, since I don't think I will be using it much now.
Stem: Truvative Hussefelt

Handlebar: Truvative Hussefelt

If I don't like it, then I will do some more research and try something else

 

[BikeMike045]

Is all that noise characteristic to hub drive bikes ?

I've got a bike lock bouncing around, the camera case made a clicking noise against the spokes once or twice, tires make noise on the road, and the camera is mounted directly to the frame right beside the motor, so every vibration is amplified. Brake noise is also due to proximity. It is nowhere near that loud while riding. In fact my moped friend and neighbor was sitting on his front porch looking at his phone... I buzzed by twice at about 25 before he noticed me at all!

 

[BikeMike045]

Looks like it will be 22 degrees when I ride home from work! Motorcycle gloves, leather and helmet for sure. Fortunately only about 2 miles.

 

[sowhat]

Looks like it will be 22 degrees when I ride home from work! Motorcycle gloves, leather and helmet for sure. Fortunately only about 2 miles.

It's gonna be 65 degrees for me. Especially warm December in LA.

 

[Rooster]

It's gonna be 65 degrees for me. Especially warm December in LA.

65 in Florida, perfect bike riding weather

 

[Macc]

I swapped out the stock handle bars on my CCS with a Jones Hbar.. .and love it. They have two widths or you can buy the wider one and trim it if you don't like the width....and they mark it for you 710 and 660 i think.

Which width are you using and did you need to replace any cables?

 

[Macc]

For those of you who may still be wondering about the standover height for a large HF, I got a different measurement than someone at Juiced told me. They claimed 30.3" while I got 32" for exactly half way along the bar. This is with stock tires pumped to 25psi. It turned out to be what I would consider my maximum comfortable height. I'm 5'9" with shorter than average legs and longer than average torso.

Even with my longer than average torso I've got a pain in my neck due to the longish top tube, etc. I'll be doing several things so that I can get in a more upright posture while riding. I went on a 14 mile ride after assembly and was overall quite happy with the performance and sound level of the motor. Hills of almost any steepness will be no problem as long as they aren't so long that they cause overheating or the surface composition is too loose or slippery.

 

[hurricane56]

Hey all, so quick check in after commuting home with this beast of a bike. I just finished a 17 mile ride with the HF and the power available is borderline insane. The one thing I noted is the power assist levels even in the ECO mode are good enough to keep me going around 24-26 mph at a decent cadence, maybe 80rpms with not too much effort. My point of comparison is with my other bike, 2016 Haibike Trekking S. I don't think this bike is going to replace the Haibike, but it'll give me another platform to use if I'm tired or just want something different. I'd compare the personalities of the HF to a high performance v8 pickup truck, vs the Haibike which is much more like buttery smooth straight six.

Battery life with the 21ah is incredible. I rode a total of 17 miles this evening and used about 5ah of capacity. My route is mostly flat with about 200 ft elevation gain.

There are a couple of subtle characteristics that set apart each bike. Obviously, the fit/finish and geometry of the Haibike is something to be admired. I feel that many people that bash "expensive factory bikes" tend overlook this. The Bosch mid-drive is seamless and very organic. The HF has it's strengths as well, and that is raw power at speed. There were a few times where I wanted to go slow in city traffic, and you can start to feel the bike wanting to really get up and go. Since I was riding with other ebike buddies most of the way back, I left the bike in ECO most of the time.

Overall, I'm happy with the performance thus far and hope that this bike will be a reliable platform for 2000+ miles of riding each year. The bike will need some additional tuning and add-ons to make this a daily commute beast:

1. Installation of rear rack - I ran a backpack today, but panniers are so much better for a longer ride.
2. Installation of bar end mirror.
3. Tuning of the suspension fork - The threads on the schrader valve are either not fully to spec or somewhat coarse. I needed to use a wrench to tighten my shock pump to the valve.
4. Installation of tire tube sealant - Once again this bike has no service disconnect near the motor assembly. There is enough slack on the cable after cutting the zip ties to remove the wheel, but doing a tube change in the field would be cumbersome with one person.

Oh yeah, top speed today was easily 35mph. I think I could sustain that for maybe 3-4 miles at most. Some might argue that having such a fast bike is dangerous. It is in the wrong hands, but now that I know I can go that speed, I feel it makes me safer when I can keep up with traffic taking a lane or on streets without protected bike lanes.

 

[BikeMike045]

On my classic moped, at stoplights, cars line up behind me and think it's their sovereign right to pass. They will go thorough parking spots, bike lanes, whatever it takes to pass me, while I slowly build momentum. On this, 0-30 they eat my dust. It's so fun to shut them down, and actually safer to get out in front.

 

[Andy_in_CA]

Which width are you using and did you need to replace any cables?

I have the 710 loop...and an adjustable riser... which helps bring is closer to me. It just cleared with enough slack that I didn't need to get any of the cabling adjusted. Here is a link on EBR with pics to my setup.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

So I just took the bike to my first morning commute to work. around 5 miles. few tiny hills, but other than that just straight road.

Pros:
- The power - this is of course the main reason why everyone bought this bike. it's very easy to get to 30mph, with little extra effort to 31 or 32. I am in good shape, active sports guy.
- Gearing - really well geared, even at the highest speeds there is still a lot of resistance and it feels good
- Weight - honestly I though this thing would be way heavier than it is
- Agility - I think it's more agile than RadRover, easier to turn in curves

Cons:
- Geometry - I really don't like it. I feel I am way too stretched to reach handlebars.
- Stem and Handlebars - very connected to the geometry point. This bike deserves better stem to hold the handlebars, it's the first thing I am going to change. Also the handlebars should be wider. I just don't like my position on this bike, it does not feel natural. (I am 6'2 and have the XL frame)
- Low speed motor hiccups - at very low speeds the motor makes weird sounds and just does not pull properly. Keeps lagging, etc. Happened to me only once though.

I feel your pain on the forward and aggressive riding position. I also wanted a relaxed upright position and made some changes on mine. There are many option to address it and you can combine those options.
1. Relaxed swept handle bar. Make sure you have the correct diameter at the clamp.

http://www.treefortbikes.com/produc...MIsa3oxNuH2AIV00oNCh0eBAexEAQYAiABEgJaD_D_BwE



2. Short stem, to bring the handlebar closer to you.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminum-Alloy-Fixed-31-8mm-Cycling-Mountain-Bike-Short-Handlebar-Stem-Riser/172747096633?_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIM.MBE&ao=1&asc=20160908110712&meid=7cfe5e9e80804b529ded93aaf9c33b60&pid=100677&rk=11&rkt=29&sd=272959241036&_trksid=p2385738.c100677.m4598




3. Stem riser.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)




4. Or you can use adjustable stem (I saw some feedbacks that these are not very strong).

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)



I used the combination of 1, 2, and 3 on my 2 ebikes.

 

[Andy_in_CA]

those look like great options. The Hbar is most certainly a wider relaxed bar. I'll tend not to try and squeeze between cars (parked and stopped in traffic)...if it looks to tight

 

[Andy_in_CA]

Also Jones has this new Hbar with a built in riser extension for lower stems.



and compared to the hbar I have...

 

[Trail Cruiser]

those look like great options. The Hbar is most certainly a wider relaxed bar. I'll tend not to try and squeeze between cars (parked and stopped in traffic)...if it looks to tight

There is a narrow version of the Jones Hbar.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[Andy_in_CA]

yep they can be cut down or purchased in a smaller size. But when it comes down to it.. .touch points are a personal decision on whats comfy to you......its good to know there are lots of ways to spin it.

 

[Rooster]

Font triangle is the same as the CCS.
https://shop.juicedbikes.com/pages/crosscurrent-frame-geometry

Took all of the juiced bike's decals off my ocean current and replaced with American flyer. Gonna have ebike.ca build me a controller to replace the P.O.S. that's on it. Thank you very much.

 

[BikeMike045]

I have experienced some "wobbles" that feel like they are from the front end, seem to be while in Sport mode but at slow speeds, or while switching between throttle and pedals. Once I get going faster it goes away. Perhaps this is the sport mode torque-sensor issue that was described? I usually have the suspension fork locked.