Three months with CCS: Good and Bad

[Chris Hammond]

I have the 52V battery, which is the heaviest battery Juiced makes. Fortunately I haven't had your problem. I also ride fast and hit plenty of bumps at speed. I usually stand up like Bruce to avoid hard hits myself, but the bike certainly gets them. I like Reid's idea of floating the socket, I am going to try it out to see how it works. Seems like a reasonable solution to the problem of mated parts where some minimal movement is likely to occur at times.

 

[jinim]

I just ordered a velcro cinch strap off Amazon. When I get my replacement parts I’m just going to strap the battery in place. At least with a velcro strap, I can still easily remove the battery if I need to. Floating the socket isn’t a bad idea either.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

I think this issue will mostly occur with the larger batteries. I have the 19.2 ah battery, it sticks out 3/4-1” away from the from frame. The battery will naturally want to fall away from the frame and connection given there’s nothing applying pressure on the battery to secure it towards the frame. I think they’ll need to create some bracket that secures the battery towards the frame, widen the frame, or change the design of the connector at some point. The new RCS frame is the same width as the wide battery, while the CCS frame is the same width as the narrow battery. This will probably lead to issues mostly with the larger battery as it’s not a natural fit for the CCS frame. I think I’ll just need to zip tie (as I’ve seen some people post) or duct tape the battery to the frame as a temporary solution when I get replacement parts eventually.

Yeah, I've thought about that width thing. You are right about the RCS frame vs. CCS. I wish I had a spare slim battery, like the 12.8Ah, to loan you and test this theory out, @jinim. Anything for science, you know?

 

[Trail Cruiser]

I just ordered a velcro cinch strap off Amazon. When I get my replacement parts I’m just going to strap the battery in place. At least with a velcro strap, I can still easily remove the battery if I need to. Floating the socket isn’t a bad idea either.

I had loose power connection issue when hitting bumps on my Luna BBSHD Giant MTB equipt with the shark pack battery. The battery mounting is not up to the task of securing the weight of the battery. I placed a buckled belt with adjustable tension and it solved the problem. I bought it online but forgot where.

edit:

Try this site
https://www.strapworks.com/ProductD...MIho7yvqjt2wIVFyWBCh0E3Q6jEAQYBCABEgIMbfD_BwE

 

[Bruce Arnold]

That's a great idea, @Mark Peralta. I bought a package of these assorted straps. Two of the velcro straps are 24 inches long, that should do it. I use these straps for all kinds of things, on and off the bike. At $10.97 the package, why not?

 

[jinim]

That's a great idea, @Mark Peralta. I bought a package of these assorted straps. Two of the velcro straps are 24 inches long, that should do it. I use these straps for all kinds of things, on and off the bike. At $10.97 the package, why not?

That’s basically what I bought as well.

 

[jinim]

I'm hoping to get a replacement battery and socket at this point, but it doesn't seem like it will happen anytime soon. It initially took Juiced support 3 days to get back to me, and the last response from support was last Thursday. I've emailed a few times since then asking what next steps are for getting replacement parts and support has gone completely dark on me. The first time I dealt with them, they were pretty responsive, but now it's the complete opposite. Pretty disappointing.

 

[jinim]

It seems like they only have one person (Luis) in support. I’m not sure if they have more. That’s pretty crazy if there’s only one person to handle the volume of bikes they seem to be churning out. I’m guessing my battery may be in short supply too given the wait times for new bikes with the larger battery. No clue when or if I’ll get a replacement at this point. The cost of my purchase keeps going up since I’m taking Uber/Lyft or bus again to work, and I’m driving to the gym again.

 

[jinim]

Even is this is the case, the situation needs to be communicated to the customer, not just radio silence. Bad word of mouth and a reputation for poor support can sink a company fast - or at least keep it from growing.

Agreed. Again, the bike was great when it was working, but it’s really frustrating getting radio silence. No excuses other than not being properly staffed to handle support properly.

 

[karmap]

I got a new battery delivered last week because of the locking mechanism and for some reason when I flipped the battery around there was something moving on the inside which.... is concerning.

They were a little slow to respond at first but they did send the battery. It took probably two weeks for me to get it overall.

This was with Luis who was very nice and helpful. Still I agree that they need to beef up their support. Rad seem to have great support but maybe they are financed differently, have larger margins, and can afford to provide better support.

It is a concern that the battery disconnecting is a design issue. If all bikes have this issue I could see support being overwhelmed and the costs destroying profits.

The new battery I received snaps in nicely with little effort and seems to be great for now.

When the bike is working it really is great, no huge complaints. Will write a full review when I get to 1,000 miles which should be in a few weeks.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

Agreed. Again, the bike was great when it was working, but it’s really frustrating getting radio silence. No excuses other than not being properly staffed to handle support properly.

They had a help wanted ad on the website recently, for someone to work in customer service. Badly needed, and not a minute too soon. They should have taken this step months ago.

I've had good service from Luis, the few times I needed something from them, but one person is definitely not enough as their volume continues to climb. I hope they are hiring two or three new service people, the need for one came and went sometime last fall IMO.

 

[jinim]

Unfortunately, I’m having a pretty terrible experience with Juiced support. It’s going on a month now with a broken battery. I’ve sent several follow up emails to Juiced with no response. Every month my bike doesn’t work costs me around $200 in commuting costs, which is adding another 10% to the cost of my bike each month it doesn’t work. I bought the bike thinking I’d break even on commuting costs within a year. It’s unfortunate I wouldn’t be able to recommend this bike to anyone at this point, since if it has issues, it’s going to take a while to resolve from my experience. I hope Juiced can improve their support at the very least, and possibly the reliability.

 

[p0ppyman]

Unfortunately, I’m having a pretty terrible experience with Juiced support. It’s going on a month now with a broken battery. I’ve sent several follow up emails to Juiced with no response. Every month my bike doesn’t work costs me around $200 in commuting costs, which is adding another 10% to the cost of my bike each month it doesn’t work. I bought the bike thinking I’d break even on commuting costs within a year. It’s unfortunate I wouldn’t be able to recommend this bike to anyone at this point, since if it has issues, it’s going to take a while to resolve from my experience. I hope Juiced can improve their support at the very least, and possibly the reliability.

Sorry to hear about your terrible experience. But thank you for sharing your experience. Your experience reinforces my strong bias to only purchase through reputable local bike shops. How did that FRAM commercial go - "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later."

 

[Barry S]

Unfortunately, I’m having a pretty terrible experience with Juiced support. It’s going on a month now with a broken battery. I’ve sent several follow up emails to Juiced with no response.

I apologize if I mentioned this avenue to you before, but if you've exhausted all your options with JuicedBikes Support I'd recommend filing a complaint with their BBB office. Sometimes getting an impartial third party involved is what it takes to get a merchant's attention.

 

[ebubar]

FWIW I've had good luck getting responses from them on their online chat. I've found this to be the case with multiple small businesses that sell online (printrbot 3d printers if anyone knows of them). Have you tried the chat?

 

[ebubar]

FWIW I've had good luck getting responses from them on their online chat. I've found this to be the case with multiple small businesses that sell online (printrbot 3d printers if anyone knows of them). Have you tried the chat?

I should note that its all been questions about the bike I ordered (which shipped today, only about two weeks after I ordered it) through online chat and not needing service, so perhaps they're more helpful before a sale is complete as I can still cancel and return the order within 7 days.

 

[hurricane56]

It’s not super convenient but you could use 1” Velcro, the kind used for cable management and wrap it around the battery and frame.

 

[p0ppyman]

I should note that its all been questions about the bike I ordered (which shipped today, only about two weeks after I ordered it) through online chat and not needing service, so perhaps they're more helpful before a sale is complete as I can still cancel and return the order within 7 days.

Not uncommon to have pre-sales team well staffed so their close rate meets their sales goals. I took some time to better understand Juiced and in my opinion when you order their bike you are really buying a Zhejiang Luyuan Electirc Vehicle CO., LTD. bike.

Also took time to scrub their website and to me I see red flags. For example what IMO is really ambiguous language such as the following:

"
Chain comes off the front chainring when going over bumps or shifting gears

The design of the CCS/CC is on the very edge of the shifting envelope. It uses a 1X setup front 52T with a tiny 11T rear sprocket for comfortable pedaling at higher speeds. "

What does that mean? To me while their intent may have been good to provide comfortable peddling at higher speeds they made a design choice at the very edge of the capabilities inherent with the shifting envelope. It may just be me but when you make design choices that place every thing at "the very edge" of it's capability that is not a product that will be highly reliable or allow for a broad range of use by the general public.

Anyway I hope all turns out well for you with your purchase.

 

[jinim]

I'm expecting at some point they'll send me a replacement battery, but their last communication back to me was on 6/28. Since then I've sent a few follow up emails with no response. The problem isn't a loose fitment anymore. I had that issue when I first bought the bike. Replacing the socket fixed this until fitment issues developed again and the battery connector broke at one of the pin points. Since the connector broke, the power cuts out even with the battery strapped to the frame. It doesn't happen all the time. I've actually been able to ride the bike somewhere (12-15min), but then while riding the power will cutout. When I power the bike back on, I'll be able to ride it for a minute or maybe more, but then the power cuts out again. The bike is pretty much unrideable without power. Anyhow, the link looks to be their supplier. It even has the Juiced bike on there.


https://luyuanvehicle.en.made-in-ch...erior-700c-Lithium-Battery-Electric-Bike.html

 

[p0ppyman]

I'm expecting at some point they'll send me a replacement battery, but their last communication back to me was on 6/28. Since then I've sent a few follow up emails with no response. The problem isn't a loose fitment anymore. I had that issue when I first bought the bike. Replacing the socket fixed this until fitment issues developed again and the battery connector broke at one of the pin points. Since the connector broke, the power cuts out even with the battery strapped to the frame. It doesn't happen all the time. I've actually been able to ride the bike somewhere (12-15min), but then while riding the power will cutout. When I power the bike back on, I'll be able to ride it for a minute or maybe more, but then the power cuts out again. The bike is pretty much unrideable without power. Anyhow, the link looks to be their supplier. It even has the Juiced bike on there.


https://luyuanvehicle.en.made-in-ch...erior-700c-Lithium-Battery-Electric-Bike.html

I would be pulling my hair out, although there is not much to pull these days, having to look at a bike everyday that does not work where I spent my hard earned cash in good faith expecting the company would provide a reliable product.

Possibly every ticket that gets opened has to have a corresponding ticket opened with Zhejiang Luyuan Electirc Vehicle CO., LTD. so Juiced can document their warranty claim to the manufacturer of the bike. If that were to be the case I expect that could account for all the delays in making things right with the end customer, the consumer. If this is in fact the case too much friction in a process like that.

I wonder if Juiced carries any spare parts at all in their inventory. Seems they could take care of the customer's claim, make it right, and then chase after the manufacture to make Juiced whole. Seems Juiced might just be a distributor for Zhejiang Luyuan Electirc Vehicle CO., LTD. at the end of the day.

Interesting. I'm probably way off base so I'll remain quiet and follow this sub forum to see how this brand turns out for the consumers.