Ride1Up Core5 versus Juiced Crosscurrent S2

racybike

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Hi you all, first time poster here. I'm looking into buying my first e-bike real soon, and I've narrowed it down to the Ride1Up Core 5 and Juiced Crosscurrent S. I've read many reviews and I think these two bikes offer the most value for the money. The most important things to me in a e-bike are speed and range. They're both class 3 bikes rated up to 28 mph so that's good.

They Crosscurrent S has better specs. It has a 52V, 15 ah battery. Both bikes have 750 watt motors, but the Crosscurrent S has more torque, 80Nm. The range on this bike is up to 65 miles.

The Ride1Up Core 5 has a battery of 48V, 12.8 ah. The motor puts out 60Nm of torque. However both bikes are class 3 rated up to 28 mph. The Core 5 has a shorter range of 25-45 miles.

Obviously the Crosscurrent S is the better bike, but the Core 5 might be fine for me. I bike for recreation. I live in the Phoenix area and I like to take the trail up to my local park which is 2.5 miles away. I might meander around the park a little, and bike back. Basically 5-6 miles total. I don't see myself ever going more than 8 miles with this e-bike. Well, the Core 5 should handle that with ease right?

Furthermore, there are some things I like better about the Core 5:

The Core 5 is less expensive, $1200 versus $1500.

It uses mechanical disk brakes which I like better. I have hydraulic brakes on my mountain bike, bleeding and refilling the brakes is a pain. I wish I had mechanical disk brakes instead.

The Ride1Up Core 5 has a standard fork which I like better. My Cannondale mountain bike has a suspension fork which is basically a useless spring, no dampening whatsoever.

The Core 5 looks like it has a more relaxed riding position. I'm 5'9, 215lbs (I'm going to lose some weight). My mountain bike has an aggressive riding position, and I feel like my stomach is compressed, making it hard to breath. A slightly more upright position sounds nice!

Although the battery isn't as powerful on the Core 5, replacements are cheaper, $459 for a 14ah versus $799 for the Juiced battery (19.2ah).

And lastly, the Core 5 is 10 lbs lighter than the Crosscurrent S, 49 lbs versus 59 lbs. That's got to help with range and speed I would think.

As you can tell I'm leaning towards the Ride1Up Core 5, but I wanted your all's input. I think they're both established brands that aren't going anywhere. I want to know that I can get replacement parts several years down the road.

Thanks for reading, I'm so excited about getting an e-bike!

Matt

Edit: The Crosscurrent S has a torque sensor for pedal assist, that might be important. I might want to gear down and push a taller gear. The Core 5 has only a cadence sensor, it would just think I'm pedalling slow and not assist me.
 
I have the Core 5 and like it a lot. Comfortable riding position. I'm 5'11 217lbs. The pedal assist kicks in as soon as I begin rotation and stops the motor when I glide. Just like it should. I shift down when coming to a stop light but If I forget, I sometimes use the throttle for a quick start up. My buddy rides an Aventon. My Core 5 has more power, I ride at assist level 1 while he is at 3. I have about 7 more mph top speed (28.5). My battery lasts longer. His motor is quieter. I am going to purchase a second Core 5 for my wife. A step through for her.
 
I was considering the Core-5 but went with the Series 500 because at the time it was a better value. No regrets whatsoever.

I like a more upright riding posture, so I added an adjustable handlebar stem to bring the handlebars up and closer to me. I may change out the handlebars for a wider set, but there is enough cable length to allow for that.

I cannot speak to Juiced since I have no experience with them, however, I have been very impressed with the thoroughness of R1U's online documentation and their responsiveness to my email questions.
 
Thanks for your all's input. There are a lot of Black Friday sales going on with the different e-bike companies. Juiced has the Crosscurrent S2 on sale for $1200. Juiced also has the Ripcurrent model which looks a little more comfortable than the Crosscurrent.
https://www.juicedbikes.com/products/ripcurrent?variant=39327498633280
The step through is on sale for $1300. Unfortunately the step over model is $300 more. And I don't know about those 4" fat tires, I'm sure they're fun and soft but that takes extra energy to push them. I'll make a decision soon, don't want to rush this. Matt
 
I went ahead and got the Juiced Crosscurrent S you all, and boy do I love it!
Picture of Bike

It arrived a few days ago, I took some finagling to adjust the front disc caliper so it wouldn't rub. There is so little clearance on brand new brake pads. Honestly I wish they wish they would just put rim brakes on these bikes. So I'll have to be learning some maintenance on this bike. I got a little panicky at first because there's no returns on these bikes, it's not like Amazon. And I don't have a bicycle shop to do free maintenance on it. But it has a one year warranty and excellent support.

I took it out on about a 7 mile ride today. I really like those 700c * 1.75" tires. They just roll forever. They can go up to 85 psi, but I've found 70psi to be good. The pedal assist has en econo mode, that puts out just enough power to make up for the extra weight, so it feels like a regular bike. The bike is even rideable without any assist. I've found level 1-assist to be good for me. I can cruise at 18mph no problem and get a good workout. Of course it has level 2, 3, and 4 which I tried, and got it up to it's 28mph max. It felt a little dangerous at that speed on those little tires. Plus you're going to fast to enjoy the scenery (Phoenix has beautiful bike trails along the river washes). Having said that, it's nice to know I have plenty of power on tap if I need to get somewhere quick.

I think this bike will work good for me. It's fun for cruising, but has the performance of a hybrid bike for good workouts.
 
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