I think this bike just came out in June of 2017 (and is already almost sold out on the Juiced website). I have been doing some research into the "best" pedelec under $1500 and this bike with the upgrade to torque sensor really appeals to me. Has anyone had experience with this bike? I test rode an original CrossCurrent and as far as I know the only difference with the Air is the lack of front suspension and hydraulic brakes (and cadence sensor only without the torque upgrade option). I really like how simple and inconspicuous the bike is with the battery being part of the frame. Just wondering if anyone has purchased this bike and what are your thoughts?
Thoughts on CrossCurrent Air?
- Thread starter jharlow77
- Start date
I have the Air and think it's a lot of bike for the money. I tested a few others before buying the Air. I preferred the rigid fork as I don't have a rough ride, mainly fast bike lanes and side roads in the DC suburbs up to the Pentagon. I needed a commuter and even after outfitting it with fenders, a rack, and the 11.4 ah battery, it's still a good $1,400 less than the trek conduit purpose built commuter. The mechanical disc brakes work well, I'd recommend having it professionally serviced/tuned up as brakes and derailleur were a touch off. Several components from the fork, seat, brakes, frame tube, and gears are technically a step or 2 down from the crosscurrent. It's faster than the conduit, and the battery has lasted me 31 miles of fairly hilly and intermittently fast 24 mph + riding. I was most impressed with the customer service and quick responses. It's comfortable on roads, but you may want to upgrade the fork if you're taking many bumps at the speed this bike maintain. This is my purchase to get a feel for e bike commuting (18 miles each way) and I may upgrade after a year if I find it cost advantageous.
Thanks for the info! This makes me feel confident in my preorder for the next delivery in August.
Spikeytree
New Member
Hello! I just got a CC Air with the torque sensor along with the 11.4 ah battery. I am an engineer student and a long time cyclist. I got the bike to commute around the Los Angeles City area and to eliminate driving as much as possible. Since I am still on the first charge (25 miles so far) I can't provide a long term review but I do have a few recommendation at this point. First of all replace the factory seat post. For whatever reason that post creaks like old floorboards. You can find a simple replacement for about 30-40 dollars. Second thing I would do is to replace the factory Shimano resin brake pads with some semi metallic ones. I picked some up for less than $10 on Amazon and they made a huge difference in breaking performance. They are not hydro strong but the extra stopping power is very welcoming at speed. The last issue I have is with the mid step frame. (fits me well at 5.5) The frame is square which make mounting a water bottle kind of difficult and mounting a pannier rack bag almost eliminates the seat post mount opinion. I have yet to find a elegant solution for this but I am sure I will. Overall I like this bike very much. It feels solid, is fairly light for an ebike and have a pretty decent battery range. I would definitely recommend it for others.
Spikeytree
New Member
I have ridden a few bikes (izip 24v, 24v hill topper kit, and a 48v Bionix kit, and 48v Elby) and i would say that this bike lacks the off the line torque comparing to the other 48v systems however the top end speed is sufficient to easily maintain 25 ish mph. In order to get to 28 mph you are going to have to work for it.
I agree, it's not great if you deal with a lot of stop-and-go traffic. I am curious to see if the new Cross Current S model is better with off-the-line responsiveness. It's got 50% more power and a bigger motor. I wonder if the Cross Current Air is going to be updated with the new 'S' model drivetrain.
Another happy CrossCurrent Air owner here. Jharlow77, I left a longer review in your same General Discussion thread (I saw that thread before I saw this one.)
Spikeytree
New Member
Is acceptable as long as you don't have to climb any hills. I always aired all the way to max pressure (70 psi) so the rolling resistance is not bad.
I wouldn't say acceptable but it's doable in a pinch. I had some connection issues at the controller and my electric assist cut out 7 miles from home. I rode the bike home with no power and you pedal crazy hard to go pretty slow. Momentum is your friend and stoplights/stop signs are your nemesis in that situation. I have a standard CC but the Air wouldn't be any different. It was only slightly less pleasant than having to pay $60 for an Uber SUV drive me home.
Spikeytree
New Member
Kind of jealous about the extra power but I almost never need the "Sport" setting so I think I can live my current unit. Tora is really turning up the Ebike game.
Is there resistance from the motor when it is not powered or is it merely the weight? I'm fairly used to riding around a 56lb schwinn (bike + baby seat) with a 26lb baby in the seat so I think if it's just weight resistance it wouldn't be a big deal.
Agreed, I've been looking at all kinds of ebikes and it's really hard to find any in this price range with this apparent level of attention to detail and quality, especially with a torque sensor. I have yet to even receive my bike so this is all speculation on my part but I am REALLY excited to ride!
Pete B
Member
I'am not sure that any bike rack would work. I have the Planet Bike versa rack sold on Juiced website. Although I think it must be the same as the versa rack sold on Amazon. It looks the same.
Pete B
Member
No, there is no resistance from the motor when it is not powered.
Pete B
Member
Hey Steve, have you had any issues with spokes breaking on the rear wheel? I have had my CC Air less than a mouth and 2 broken spokes.
Spikeytree
New Member
Hello! I have a topeak rack that is made for a disc brake bike. https://www.amazon.com/Topeak-Explo...=1501292432&sr=8-14&keywords=topeak+bike+rack it fits well and did pretty well when i used it on a bike camping trip i took recently. I have also taken the bike on a ride without using power and it rode pretty close to a regular bike (i was doing 7-12 mph). To be honest unless you are really running the battery hard you would most likely have the range to get home.
