Suggested multispeed pedelec for under $1500?
- Thread starter jharlow77
- Start date
The Diamondback Trace Exc is on sale at Raleigh electric bikes. It is a discontinued model, but instead of the original price of $2,800 it is $999 with free shipping in the continental US. There is a review on this model here. It is hardly perfect, but at that price I couldn't resist and they shipped it to my local bike shop that assembled it for me for free very quickly. If I had paid the original list price it would be ok, but at $999 it's a really good deal.
Morgolia Nerf
New Member
I got my crosscurrent air Wednesday
Cool! I would love to hear your thoughts after you have a chance to try it out. Did you upgrade to the torque sensor?
Morgolia Nerf
New Member
The funny thing is im not sure what kind of sensor I got because I ordered a standard version and got a throttle with mine and it says torque sensor on one of the bars on my bike
They all include throttle now for no extra charge. If it has the torque sensor you will definitely notice the motor kick in when pedal pressure is applied.
Morgolia Nerf
New Member
I basically touch the pefal and it moves. I can make some videos, take some pics of something.
I have the CrossCurrent Air, and so far I’m very happy with it.
I paid the extra $199 for the torque sensor, and another $99 for the throttle. Bad move on the throttle, since they decided to offer it for free only three weeks after I paid $99 for it
Oh well, Juiced Bikes also upgraded the standard battery from 7.8AH to 8.8AH at no extra charge, so there’s that.
Anyway, like I said, I’m very happy with the purchase. I bought this bike for a four mile (each way) commute to work, and for that purpose it works beautifully. I typically ride it in “Overboost” or “Sport” mode all the time, as that setting provides the type of power I’m usually looking for. In all honesty, when you lower it back to levels 1 – 4, the bike almost feels like it’s “dragging”. It isn’t dragging of course…it just feels like it when you get used to riding in Sport mode all the time.
The bike has plenty of power. In Sport mode it really does launch you up to 25+mph pretty fast. I’m 6’0 and 175lbs, and I do get to about 25mph before I have to start working harder to maintain speed. Otherwise, holding steady at 25mph is a breeze. You still have to exert some effort, but not enough to break a sweat. I opted for the torque sensor and am glad I did. IMO, riding an electric bike with a torque sensor makes it feel more like riding a “real” bike. It’s kind of hard to explain, but if you’ve ever ridden both cadence sensor bikes and torque sensor bikes you’ll understand what I mean.
The bike will climb small-to-mid-size hills and inclines perfectly fine. It’s all a matter of properly using your gears. But as with most bikes that use a standard hub motor, you won’t get much help climbing the steepest of hills. Then again, if a person will regularly need to climb steep hills, I’d advise that person to buy a bike with a mid-drive motor anyway. Gotta use the right tool for the right job. My commute is mostly flat road, with just a few small inclines. The CrossCurrent Air handles those inclines with no problems at all.
While I realize that an 8.8AH battery won’t provide enough juice for some people, for me and my short commute it’s perfectly fine. When I get to work I still have what feels like full power. I did do one ride of about 15 miles, where I was in Sport mode the entire way. I pretty much used every bit of available battery on that trip. So, if a person will regularly need to ride that distance and they want to be in Sport mode, that person should consider a larger battery (unless they can charge the battery in-between trips). I’m noticing that with a fast electric bike, it’s very easy to ride 15 miles without even realizing you’ve ridden that far. So yeah…I can totally understand why many people opt for a larger battery pack. I suspect that when it comes time to replace this battery, I’ll probably opt for a larger pack myself. But for now the 8.8AH battery I have is perfectly fine, as it gets the job done.
In all other regards the bike appears to be of high quality. No problems so far. I had my bike assembled and tuned at a bike shop because this was my first modern electric bike, and I didn’t want to mess around with it (or mess it up) myself. Turns out this was a good idea, because the bike shop said that the handlebar ring included with the bike didn’t fit. (Sorry, I forget what this part is called…it’s the little plastic ring that you put on the stem before installing the handlebars.) The shop put on a different ring at no charge. They also adjusted the brakes properly and made sure everything was as it should be. If you’re at all mechanically inclined, the bike is very easy to set-up yourself. But I’m sort of an idiot when it comes to anything mechanical, so I was happy to have the bike shop put it together and give it the once over.
Oh, I did buy a Thudbuster suspension seat post in an effort to better support my rear end. I’m a thin guy, and my rear end has absolutely NO fat cushioning on it. I bought the ST (short travel) Thudbuster rather than the LT (long travel), and unfortunately now wish I had bought the LT model instead. With the #5 elastomer in it, the ST Thudbuster model really doesn’t provide much extra cushioning in my opinion. In fact, I barely notice any difference at all. I hadn’t purchased the LT model because I was afraid it would sit too high on the bike. Turns out that wouldn’t have been a problem, and from everything I read the LT model provides much more actual suspension than the ST model. Oh well…live and learn.
Overall I’m glad I bought this bike, and I would have no reservations recommending it to others. I only have about 150 miles on it so far, so it’s still very much a new bike. But so far so good! Juiced Bikes does a fantastic job of offering a quality product at a low price (compared to the competition). I’m already salivating over some of the new bikes Juiced has in its pipeline. In another year or two I might have to buy another bike from Juiced!
I paid the extra $199 for the torque sensor, and another $99 for the throttle. Bad move on the throttle, since they decided to offer it for free only three weeks after I paid $99 for it
Oh well, Juiced Bikes also upgraded the standard battery from 7.8AH to 8.8AH at no extra charge, so there’s that.Anyway, like I said, I’m very happy with the purchase. I bought this bike for a four mile (each way) commute to work, and for that purpose it works beautifully. I typically ride it in “Overboost” or “Sport” mode all the time, as that setting provides the type of power I’m usually looking for. In all honesty, when you lower it back to levels 1 – 4, the bike almost feels like it’s “dragging”. It isn’t dragging of course…it just feels like it when you get used to riding in Sport mode all the time.
The bike has plenty of power. In Sport mode it really does launch you up to 25+mph pretty fast. I’m 6’0 and 175lbs, and I do get to about 25mph before I have to start working harder to maintain speed. Otherwise, holding steady at 25mph is a breeze. You still have to exert some effort, but not enough to break a sweat. I opted for the torque sensor and am glad I did. IMO, riding an electric bike with a torque sensor makes it feel more like riding a “real” bike. It’s kind of hard to explain, but if you’ve ever ridden both cadence sensor bikes and torque sensor bikes you’ll understand what I mean.
The bike will climb small-to-mid-size hills and inclines perfectly fine. It’s all a matter of properly using your gears. But as with most bikes that use a standard hub motor, you won’t get much help climbing the steepest of hills. Then again, if a person will regularly need to climb steep hills, I’d advise that person to buy a bike with a mid-drive motor anyway. Gotta use the right tool for the right job. My commute is mostly flat road, with just a few small inclines. The CrossCurrent Air handles those inclines with no problems at all.
While I realize that an 8.8AH battery won’t provide enough juice for some people, for me and my short commute it’s perfectly fine. When I get to work I still have what feels like full power. I did do one ride of about 15 miles, where I was in Sport mode the entire way. I pretty much used every bit of available battery on that trip. So, if a person will regularly need to ride that distance and they want to be in Sport mode, that person should consider a larger battery (unless they can charge the battery in-between trips). I’m noticing that with a fast electric bike, it’s very easy to ride 15 miles without even realizing you’ve ridden that far. So yeah…I can totally understand why many people opt for a larger battery pack. I suspect that when it comes time to replace this battery, I’ll probably opt for a larger pack myself. But for now the 8.8AH battery I have is perfectly fine, as it gets the job done.
In all other regards the bike appears to be of high quality. No problems so far. I had my bike assembled and tuned at a bike shop because this was my first modern electric bike, and I didn’t want to mess around with it (or mess it up) myself. Turns out this was a good idea, because the bike shop said that the handlebar ring included with the bike didn’t fit. (Sorry, I forget what this part is called…it’s the little plastic ring that you put on the stem before installing the handlebars.) The shop put on a different ring at no charge. They also adjusted the brakes properly and made sure everything was as it should be. If you’re at all mechanically inclined, the bike is very easy to set-up yourself. But I’m sort of an idiot when it comes to anything mechanical, so I was happy to have the bike shop put it together and give it the once over.
Oh, I did buy a Thudbuster suspension seat post in an effort to better support my rear end. I’m a thin guy, and my rear end has absolutely NO fat cushioning on it. I bought the ST (short travel) Thudbuster rather than the LT (long travel), and unfortunately now wish I had bought the LT model instead. With the #5 elastomer in it, the ST Thudbuster model really doesn’t provide much extra cushioning in my opinion. In fact, I barely notice any difference at all. I hadn’t purchased the LT model because I was afraid it would sit too high on the bike. Turns out that wouldn’t have been a problem, and from everything I read the LT model provides much more actual suspension than the ST model. Oh well…live and learn.
Overall I’m glad I bought this bike, and I would have no reservations recommending it to others. I only have about 150 miles on it so far, so it’s still very much a new bike. But so far so good! Juiced Bikes does a fantastic job of offering a quality product at a low price (compared to the competition). I’m already salivating over some of the new bikes Juiced has in its pipeline. In another year or two I might have to buy another bike from Juiced!
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Thanks so much for this review! It sounds like I am in almost exactly the same situation as you with a 4 mile commute to work (though a few more hills) and I am exactly the same height and weight as you so it's good to hear that this bike works well for that. I assume you got the larger frame? I was lucky enough to order mine after they started including the throttle but unlucky enough to miss the first batch so now I have to wait until mid August when they get their next batch in. I probably could have gotten it sooner if I had ordered directly from the company but I ordered through a local bike shop because my city offers a $200 rebate which minus tax is enough to buy a few more accessories or a decent lock. This waiting period has given me more time to shop around and look at other bikes but I still have not found another bike in the same price range that gives you as much as this bike seems to. The second best options all seem to have cheap cadence sensors for pedal assist.I have the CrossCurrent Air, and so far I’m very happy with it.
I paid the extra $199 for the torque sensor, and another $99 for the throttle. Bad move on the throttle, since they decided to offer it for free only three weeks after I paid $99 for it
Anyway, like I said, I’m very happy with the purchase. I bought this bike for a four mile (each way) commute to work, and for that purpose it works beautifully. I typically ride it in “Overboost” or “Sport” mode all the time, as that setting provides the type of power I’m usually looking for. In all honesty, when you lower it back to levels 1 – 4, the bike almost feels like it’s “dragging”. It isn’t dragging of course…it just feels like it when you get used to riding in Sport mode all the time.
The bike has plenty of power. In Sport mode it really does launch you up to 25+mph pretty fast. I’m 6’0 and 175lbs, and I do get to about 25mph before I have to start working harder to maintain speed. Otherwise, holding steady at 25mph is a breeze. You still have to exert some effort, but not enough to break a sweat. I opted for the torque sensor and am glad I did. IMO, riding an electric bike with a torque sensor makes it feel more like riding a “real” bike. It’s kind of hard to explain, but if you’ve ever ridden both cadence sensor bikes and torque sensor bikes you’ll understand what I mean.
The bike will climb small-to-mid-size hills and inclines perfectly fine. It’s all a matter of properly using your gears. But as with most bikes that use a standard hub motor, you won’t get much help climbing the steepest of hills. Then again, if a person will regularly need to climb steep hills, I’d advise that person to buy a bike with a mid-drive motor anyway. Gotta use the right tool for the right job. My commute is mostly flat road, with just a few small inclines. The CrossCurrent Air handles those inclines with no problems at all.
While I realize that an 8.8AH battery won’t provide enough juice for some people, for me and my short commute it’s perfectly fine. When I get to work I still have what feels like full power. I did do one ride of about 15 miles, where I was in Sport mode the entire way. I pretty much used every bit of available battery on that trip. So, if a person will regularly need to ride that distance and they want to be in Sport mode, that person should consider a larger battery (unless they can charge the battery in-between trips). I’m noticing that with a fast electric bike, it’s very easy to ride 15 miles without even realizing you’ve ridden that far. So yeah…I can totally understand why many people opt for a larger battery pack. I suspect that when it comes time to replace this battery, I’ll probably opt for a larger pack myself. But for now the 8.8AH battery I have is perfectly fine, as it gets the job done.
In all other regards the bike appears to be of high quality. No problems so far. I had my bike assembled and tuned at a bike shop because this was my first modern electric bike, and I didn’t want to mess around with it (or mess it up) myself. Turns out this was a good idea, because the bike shop said that the handlebar ring included with the bike didn’t fit. (Sorry, I forget what this part is called…it’s the little plastic ring that you put on the stem before installing the handlebars.) The shop put on a different ring at no charge. They also adjusted the brakes properly and made sure everything was as it should be. If you’re at all mechanically inclined, the bike is very easy to set-up yourself. But I’m sort of an idiot when it comes to anything mechanical, so I was happy to have the bike shop put it together and give it the once over.
Oh, I did buy a Thudbuster suspension seat post in an effort to better support my rear end. I’m a thin guy, and my rear end has absolutely NO fat cushioning on it. I bought the ST (short travel) Thudbuster rather than the LT (long travel), and unfortunately now wish I had bought the LT model instead. With the #5 elastomer in it, the ST Thudbuster model really doesn’t provide much extra cushioning in my opinion. In fact, I barely notice any difference at all. I hadn’t purchased the LT model because I was afraid it would sit too high on the bike. Turns out that wouldn’t have been a problem, and from everything I read the LT model provides much more actual suspension than the ST model. Oh well…live and learn.
Overall I’m glad I bought this bike, and I would have no reservations recommending it to others. I only have about 150 miles on it so far, so it’s still very much a new bike. But so far so good! Juiced Bikes does a fantastic job of offering a quality product at a low price (compared to the competition). I’m already salivating over some of the new bikes Juiced has in its pipeline. In another year or two I might have to buy another bike from Juiced!
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Yes, I purchased the larger frame. Although right at 6'0, either the medium or large frame will work perfectly well. It sorta comes down to personal preference. I almost wish I had gotten the medium frame instead, but that's only because my previous non-electric bike was more like the medium-sized Juiced frame, and that's what I was used to riding. The large frame felt a little too big for me at first, but now that I've put some miles on it I've become adjusted to it and like it.
As for the throttle, I've found that I hardly ever use it. Which actually surprised me. I had an electric bike in the past and used the throttle frequently, so I figured it would be the same with my Juiced bike. But I've found that the CrossCurrent Air with torque sensor has enough power such that I never really need to use the throttle. In the highest gear from a dead stop (and in Sport mode), once you start pedaling the power immediately kicks in...and quite strongly at that. I actually accelerate faster by peddling than I do with the throttle, which is a very different experience - in a good way - than with my previous bike. I'm not kidding...this bike really does have a surprising amount of power for only having a 350 watt motor. At least, compared to my old e-bike it does. Juiced uses batteries with a 3C discharge rate, and I've read that this higher discharge rate helps with the power.
Like you, I did a ton of research before choosing a bike. I wanted to keep it under $1,500 if possible. My choices finally came down to the GenZe Sport, RadCity or Juiced CrossCurrent Air. I was able to more quickly eliminate the GenZe bike because it only had a 36v battery and 250 watt motor (although they recently added a 350 watt option for an extra $100). The big attraction of the GenZe was that it mostly looked like a "normal" bike, and GenZe has its own dealership in my city. Ergo, it would have been a very easy purchase. But I determined the other two bikes simply had better overall specs for the money. The RadCity was my #2 choice, and I suspect I probably would have been happy with it too. But I chose the Juiced bike instead, primarily for these six reasons:
1. Speed was the most important factor to me, and the CrossCurrent Air is a legit 28mph bike (Class 3) while the RadCity is a 20mph (Class 2) bike;
2. I wanted a geared hub motor rather than a direct drive hub motor. My last bike was a direct drive, and it had NO torque whatsoever. (Although keep in mind, hub motors in general don't have a great deal of torque...geared or not.)
3. I wanted a torque sensor. While it's a subjective thing, I think torque sensors are superior to cadence sensors. I don't know of any other bike in this price range with a torque sensor.
4. I liked the Juiced design better. IMO, the Juiced bike looks more like a "normal" bike than the RadCity. Especially with its smaller, geared hub motor.
5. The Juiced bike was a couple hundred dollars less than the RadCity, and there is a Juiced Bikes dealer in my city (important if I ever need any warranty work.)
6. Juiced has a fantastic reputation. Although in fairness, I suspect Radbikes probably does too. I honestly don't know.
That said, the RadCity has some of its own advantages. For example, it comes with a better stock battery (11.6AH Panasonic). And I suspect the RadCity is a perfectly good bike in its own right. But after doing a comparison and deciding what factors were most important to me, I went with the Juiced CrossCurrent Air. And I'm glad I did!
As for the throttle, I've found that I hardly ever use it. Which actually surprised me. I had an electric bike in the past and used the throttle frequently, so I figured it would be the same with my Juiced bike. But I've found that the CrossCurrent Air with torque sensor has enough power such that I never really need to use the throttle. In the highest gear from a dead stop (and in Sport mode), once you start pedaling the power immediately kicks in...and quite strongly at that. I actually accelerate faster by peddling than I do with the throttle, which is a very different experience - in a good way - than with my previous bike. I'm not kidding...this bike really does have a surprising amount of power for only having a 350 watt motor. At least, compared to my old e-bike it does. Juiced uses batteries with a 3C discharge rate, and I've read that this higher discharge rate helps with the power.
Like you, I did a ton of research before choosing a bike. I wanted to keep it under $1,500 if possible. My choices finally came down to the GenZe Sport, RadCity or Juiced CrossCurrent Air. I was able to more quickly eliminate the GenZe bike because it only had a 36v battery and 250 watt motor (although they recently added a 350 watt option for an extra $100). The big attraction of the GenZe was that it mostly looked like a "normal" bike, and GenZe has its own dealership in my city. Ergo, it would have been a very easy purchase. But I determined the other two bikes simply had better overall specs for the money. The RadCity was my #2 choice, and I suspect I probably would have been happy with it too. But I chose the Juiced bike instead, primarily for these six reasons:
1. Speed was the most important factor to me, and the CrossCurrent Air is a legit 28mph bike (Class 3) while the RadCity is a 20mph (Class 2) bike;
2. I wanted a geared hub motor rather than a direct drive hub motor. My last bike was a direct drive, and it had NO torque whatsoever. (Although keep in mind, hub motors in general don't have a great deal of torque...geared or not.)
3. I wanted a torque sensor. While it's a subjective thing, I think torque sensors are superior to cadence sensors. I don't know of any other bike in this price range with a torque sensor.
4. I liked the Juiced design better. IMO, the Juiced bike looks more like a "normal" bike than the RadCity. Especially with its smaller, geared hub motor.
5. The Juiced bike was a couple hundred dollars less than the RadCity, and there is a Juiced Bikes dealer in my city (important if I ever need any warranty work.)
6. Juiced has a fantastic reputation. Although in fairness, I suspect Radbikes probably does too. I honestly don't know.
That said, the RadCity has some of its own advantages. For example, it comes with a better stock battery (11.6AH Panasonic). And I suspect the RadCity is a perfectly good bike in its own right. But after doing a comparison and deciding what factors were most important to me, I went with the Juiced CrossCurrent Air. And I'm glad I did!
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Thanks for the info, I am really excited to get mine in mid August! If you don't mind could you give me some frame measurements for the sake of choosing the right size? Specifically the top tube and the seat tube? I tend to ride a bit smaller frames for my height but have what I consider to be a large frame schwinn that I use for riding my toddler around on (with a Thule seat) and would like to get a similar size frame.
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Pete B
Member
Hi, the top tube on the large frame is 55 mm from the seat tube to head tube. Seat tube 48 mm. Had my CC Air about 2 weeks now. I I'm 6 feet 1 inch tall and the large frame is good for me. In answer to your question about riding without power. Yes you can, although my 11.6 ah, 48v battery is heavy. I have ridden a bike with a 36v 8.8 ah battery, with the power off, and it was easier to ride. But of course with a bigger battery you don't need to worry so much about running out of power.
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Thanks for the info! It has been SO hard waiting for my bike and I still have a month to go! I can't wait to ride it. I'm hoping the stock battery is sufficient for my 4 mile mildly hilly commute to work and small trips around town with a baby seat attached on the weekends.
Pete B
Member
Yes, I know how you feel. I placed the order for my bike on May 15, and received it June 30. Although I'm a very disappointed today. As I was on my way home, for no apparent reason, a spoke broke on the rear wheel. Such a nuisance as I really needed the bike for commuting this week. I contacted Juiced and spokes are not covered by the warranty. I have ordered some spokes from the juiced website as these spokes are a particular length that by local bike shop does not have. The broken spoke could have been caused by incorrect spoke tension, or it may be the wheel needs truing. So ill get my bike shop to fix the broken spoke and then hopefully i'll be good to go.
So my advice is to take your new bike to your local bike shop and get them to check the tension on the spokes. Make sure the wheels are trued, as well as adjusting brakes and gears.
Oh yeah, I guess I never thought of specialized parts that could break. In that case it's better to buy from a US company for ease of getting replacement parts.
Was it the Evo Cross? I see this one on their website and it looks pretty awesome. One potential issue is that if I wanted to upgrade to a longer range battery it looks like their battery is built into the frame so not sure if it is upgradable?
jazz
Well-Known Member
Mine is the Evo Snow which is 2 wheel drive (motors on both wheels) and wider tires but very similar in design to the cross. The battery is removable and replaceable but not sure if they sell a larger battery or not for it. I suppose you could buy a 2nd second battery to swap out. That Evo Cross deal they have is an awesome price. I like these bikes because they are stealthy.
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Pete B
Member
Yes, it looks like your Air will have more power than mine. It also comes with a rear mounted kickstand, as opposed to center mount which mine has. That means the peddle doesn't collide with the kickstand when you move the bike backwards. I can't complain i did get a free throttle, that was an upgrade when I ordered. Anyway, my bike is still off the road at the moment. Ordered a pack of spokes from Juiced on Monday and received them this afternoon. Tomorrow i'm taking the bike down to Sun Cycling (listed on Juiced website as a dealer) to get the spoke fixed and i'll ask them to true the wheels, adjust the tension of the spokes. I understand they do wheel re-builds, so if the spoke breaking turns out to be an ongoing issue ill get them to build me a better wheel. Although hopefully that wont be necessary.
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