2016 Turbo S vs 2016 Stromer St2

[ronin2000]

Hey guys, new to the forum and somewhat long time lurker. Im pretty torn between waiting to see whats coming out (2017 Vado) vs getting a 2016 Turbo S now.

Just test rode the Turbo S and the Stromer ST2. ST2 has more bells and whistles, much better range real world, and a few cool gimmicks. The Turbo S feels faster and more nimble, and what feels like better braking performance.

The St2 is on sale right now for 4400 at a local shop. The Turbo S is selling at full MSRP.

My plan is to use this as a car replacement, daily commute is going to be 14 miles RT with some steep hills that either one can tackle. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bazzapage]

Only you know what is more important to you: Speed and agility of the Turbo S vs Bells&Whistles of an ST2.
I'd not necessarily trust anyone's range estimates. The motor types are similar and you'll use very similar amounts of energy for a given ride at the same speed. So really the difference is that ST2 has a slightly bigger battery. Either will handle your commute range happily.
I've not ridden a Stromer, but I love the aggressive feel of the Turbo S, and if you back off the power to Eco40% it still goes fast and uses less battery (so you can Turbo when you want to!).

 

[ronin2000]

The sale price on the St2 makes a solid case for it, however I like the more aggressive feel of the Turbo S, plus I know that it is the Top model open the Line up. Meanwhile there is a ST2S out there that might have me feeling envious.... Decisions decisions...

How is brake regen on the turbo? I’ve heard its not as intuitive.

 

[bazzapage]

The regen is not especially intuitive. It requires you to engage it manually. The older Turbo S used to have it on the brakes like the Stromer, but that feature got removed in favour of standard brake levers. Regen really adds very little to the range (maybe 2-4%). Some say "but it saves the brake pads". I've done over 3700km with my KoolStop pads without regenerative braking.

 

[ronin2000]

The regen is not especially intuitive. It requires you to engage it manually. The older Turbo S used to have it on the brakes like the Stromer, but that feature got removed in favour of standard brake levers. Regen really adds very little to the range (maybe 2-4%). Some say "but it saves the brake pads". I've done over 3700km with my KoolStop pads without regenerative braking.

Good to know, is yours the Turbo pictured above? If money wasn’t a factor I think the Turbo > ST2, however a 2700 dollar difference between the two bikes buys a lot of extra upgrades, batteries, beer, etc.

 

[Senseiwai]

Hi

I own a 2016 Turbo S I think mid drive motor like Turbo Levo or Yamaha Syncros system on Giant bikes are very very good. They both feel very balanced and light at the same time. You can paddle without assist and still feel very light not like hub motor which feel very heavy without assist. Turbo Vado is same Brosch motor like in Levo except power output is more on Vado. I think Vado is more enjoyable then Turbo S.

 

[ronin2000]

I tried the Giant bikes, I didn’t like the mid drive motor feel, they do feel lighter to pedal, but the rear hub motor just has that nice push effect. I dig that.

 

[ronin2000]

99% sure on the Turbo S, waiting over the weekend till pick up on Monday... cant hardly wait!

 

[jwb]

The regen on the Turbo is 100% useless. I wouldn't consider it an advantage when purchasing. Your 14 mile trip would be easily done with a base model Turbo which you should be able to get for < $2000 currently, if you can find one. I do a 30-mile commute with a 1000-foot elevation gain on the way back and I normally get home with 30% battery charge.

 

[ronin2000]

Thanks for the feed back JWB, I believe the wife will be picking up the base model for weekend fun, and occasional commute to work. Ill try both of them out ion we get them in our stable.

 

[reoutput]

I agree with jwb, I do a 16 mile commute on a 2016 Turbo X and usually have anywhere from 48-38% left after the commute. Regen is good for maybe 2-4% over the course of the ride but I would not factor that into range estimates( I rarely use this feature). Of note, after 20% remainging on the battery, the bike goes into 30%eco mode. At least mine does. Also, if you go over 40mph, the screen will blank out and read zero.

 

[jwb]

Lol how did you even get to 40?

When the battery gets to 20% it goes through whatever ECO level you normally use. Not necessarily 30.

 

[reoutput]

Nice long downhill with lots of pedaling …I've done this twice so far, I usually hit 35-38mph so hitting "40" is a treat. Of note, Strava noted that I did a high of 39.1mph.

 

[Senseiwai]

I tried the Giant bikes, I didn’t like the mid drive motor feel, they do feel lighter to pedal, but the rear hub motor just has that nice push effect. I dig that.

What models from Giant did you tested? I'm mean specific this Giant https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/dirt-eplus-1-2017 with Yamaha system. Very torque motor. Not all Giant ebike segements runs with Yamaha mid drive motor.

 

[Richard Spensley]

The regen is not especially intuitive. It requires you to engage it manually. The older Turbo S used to have it on the brakes like the Stromer, but that feature got removed in favour of standard brake levers. Regen really adds very little to the range (maybe 2-4%). Some say "but it saves the brake pads". I've done over 3700km with my KoolStop pads without regenerative braking.

Hey bazzapage, you're in Auckland eh? Where did you buy the koolstop brake pads from as I want to change the stock pads on my base Turbo for these. Cheers

 

[ronin2000]

What models from Giant did you tested? I'm mean specific this Giant https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/dirt-eplus-1-2017 with Yamaha system. Very torque motor. Not all Giant ebike segements runs with Yamaha mid drive motor.

I test rode this (Link Removed - No Longer Exists) and (Link Removed - No Longer Exists).
I didn’t come away impressed neither did another person what test rode with me.

 

[E-Wheels]

I test rode this (Link Removed - No Longer Exists) and (Link Removed - No Longer Exists).
I didn’t come away impressed neither did another person what test rode with me.

ronin2000,
Re the Quick-e+
Was it just the overall feeling of bike not doing it for you or was there a significant issue

 

[ronin2000]

Despite it being rated at much higher torque, it didn’t feel that way. There wasn’t any low or mid range grunt. It did pick up speed decently, but the ST2 I test rode felt much quicker off the Line and I could hit 28 mph much sooner. I rode them back to back.

 

[Senseiwai]

Despite it being rated at much higher torque, it didn’t feel that way. There wasn’t any low or mid range grunt. It did pick up speed decently, but the ST2 I test rode felt much quicker off the Line and I could hit 28 mph much sooner. I rode them back to back.

Of course is not as Turbo S or Stromer in comperison when the power out put is not even close. The point is in general mid drive motor is much more balanced becouse motor is located low and center on the bike, not like hub motor is heavy on back wheel or in front that could compromise conering and traction.

Yamaha motor is very much same as Brose both is not internal geared which is much better experience when geared systems like Bosch and Shimano Step system, in my opinion. The point is you should compare Yamaha Giant Dirt E+ with Turbo Levo they are in the same segment with more similar power out put or regulare Turbo makes more since.

 

[ronin2000]

The quoted power output for the Giant bikes is 1000 watt motor @ 80 NM of torque, the ST2 and the Turbo S are rated at 500-750 watt and around 35-40 NM...So I don’t understand how you can say they cant be compared when on paper according to the manufacturer the Giant should feel much stronger. However in real world testing it was much easier to get up to speed with the Hub drives vs the mid drives. Rear hub felt much quicker.

I wasn’t the only test rider who liked the rear hubs over the mid drive. YMMV