Juiced Bikes has opened up its top commuter ebike to a broader range of riders with a new step-through version of its CrossCurrent X, decked out with practical extras and more accessible than ever before – while undercutting the original bike's price by US$500.
Juiced hasn't played with the formula too much here; the new bike retains much of what's made the CrossCurrent X a popular, practical daily rider: the 750-W Bafang hub motor, capable of torque and cadence sensing, the Shimano Altus 9 speed gearset, the simple LCD display and thumb throttle, disc brakes, Suntour NCX suspension, 1,050-lumen headlight and hardtail back end.
Like the original bike, the step-through gets a pack rack and front and rear fenders standard, which is nice, and a set of Schwalbe Marathon Plus 28-in x 1.75-in puncture-resistant tires designed to keep you on the road longer.
The step-through gets a 52-volt, 15-Ah, 777-Wh battery, smaller than the original bike's impressive 994-Wh pack but still a decent size for the class. It's capable of delivering range figures over 65 miles (105 km), which is more than enough to get you out of a car or a train and doing exactly as much exercise as you feel like on your daily commute – if daily commutes continue to exist in your part of the world.
The minimum height of the broadly-adjustable seat stays the same as the smallest CrossCurrent X at 31.5 in (80 cm), suiting riders from around 5 ft 3 in to 6 ft 1 in (160 to 185 cm). But the extra beef required to brace that frame without a top crossbar does come at a cost: the step-through frame adds more weight than the smaller battery takes away. The step-through weighs a meaty 67 lb (30.4 kg), 2 lb (900 grams) heavier than the standard CrossCurrent X.
But weight is forgotten once you're moving, particularly on a Class 3 ebike, and plenty of shorter riders prefer a step-through frame when it comes time to pop a foot down and stop. They're also handy if you're wearing a suit that might rip a very undignified hole in the pants if you went to sling a leg over, or if you're rocking a child seat on the back and don't want to Bruce Lee your wee one right in the face every time you hop on.
The CrossCurrent X Step-Through ebike is available now for US$1,999 – a hefty $500 down on the standard CrossCurrent X. Check it out in the video below.
Source: Juiced Bikes
