Bike of Year at IB - 2015??

[George S.]

Announced Thursday, Sept 17th

18. E-Bike of the Year - This award represents any complete bike that was deemed a model year 2014 product and was submitted for review by the EBA staff between July 1st, 2014 and June 15th, 2015. The bikes nominated were also required to have been in production and available at retail within this timeframe.

 Haibike XDURO Race
 Juiced Riders ODK500
 Stromer ST2
 E-Joe Koda
 Focus Thron 27R 3.0

 

[Cameron Newland]

They've got all the finalist bike models arranged in one place on the show floor, which is quite helpful since I'm not sure if Juiced Riders even bothered to get a booth this year. Who knows who'll win. I assume it'll be the ST2, but the Koda is a real standout in the bargain segment...

 

[J.R.]

My shot in the dark guess for ebike of the year is Focus Thron and runner up E-Joe Koda.

 

[Ann M.]

Just waiting...it's still early in Las Vegas; sun has barely set and the drinks started a 6:30...patience. It's pretty interesting that they included the E-Joe Koda, not a high profile ebike but their company has done well with minimal marketing. Well, I have thoughts on the others; wish we knew the criteria for the selection a little better. These bikes are all over the map!

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Hot off the podium.... Stromer ST2.

 

[Cameron Newland]

Great news! Stromer's hardworking team delivered a great product. Well deserved!

 

[Tara D.]

Very nice- I like the ST2. I'm happy for them!

 

[John ware]

Ok, that settles it, I'm putting down the iPad and going for a celebratory ride on the ST2

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

They did a great job and well deserving of the award.

The philosophy behind Stromer ST2 is to show the capability of E-bikes as true transportation vehicles. It has filled that niche position neatly.

 

[Adrian]

I just checked out the Awards guide and it says about this award;

"18. E-Bike of the Year - This award represents any complete bike that was deemed a model year 2014 product and was submitted for review by the EBA staff between July 1st, 2014 and June 15th, 2015. The bikes nominated were also required to have been in production and available at retail within this timeframe."

So, can anyone actually tell me what constitutes an "E-bike of the year" because what I see is in the ST2 is a basic rigid frame with a big built in battery, driven by a relatively low powered hub motor that costs silly $$$.

I see so many other e-bikes out there that are pushing technological and/or engineering limits - I just don't get why the ST2 deserves this title over them - of course, my take on the criteria for "E-bike of the year" could be off. Perhaps someone can explain?

 

[MLWilcox]

My ST1 is proud of her big sister.

 

[MLWilcox]

But my Haibike is .

 

[MLWilcox]

SAD.

 

[opimax]

So you do have a favorite child? . the ST2 was out in its 1st iteration in plenty of time and is the only internet connected choice I believe. I tested a few mid drives last week including a high end Focus, none them cruised as the ST2 does IMHO. We rode a Raleigh w/STEPS in Georgetown. I was able to go up hill from a standstill and slightly accelerate. I wouldnt want to walk up this hill, very impressive. But most of my riding is on rolling trails , ST2 dominates there...Again my opinion

 

[MLWilcox]

My Haibike. I like to bike on trails and the full suspension really makes my ride comfortable throughout. Lighter weight as well.

BUT my 17 year old daughter, soon to be 18, just loves the Stromer. It gets up to speed much faster/easier and she can go faster than the Haibike.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I just checked out the Awards guide and it says about this award;

"18. E-Bike of the Year - This award represents any complete bike that was deemed a model year 2014 product and was submitted for review by the EBA staff between July 1st, 2014 and June 15th, 2015. The bikes nominated were also required to have been in production and available at retail within this timeframe."

So, can anyone actually tell me what constitutes an "E-bike of the year" because what I see is in the ST2 is a basic rigid frame with a big built in battery, driven by a relatively low powered hub motor that costs silly $$$.

I see so many other e-bikes out there that are pushing technological and/or engineering limits - I just don't get why the ST2 deserves this title over them - of course, my take on the criteria for "E-bike of the year" could be off. Perhaps someone can explain?

Adrian,
It seems you're enamored by big FOX suspensions or the Torque Nm values. It's pretty easy to woo certain segment of people by clumping together high-end components but just because they use FOX or BBS-HD or Magura MT7, it doesn't mean a thing when it comes to riding experience.

Last Interbike, I was smitten by M1 Spitzing. The raw power is enticing but the more you start knowing the bike, the more you realize it's weaknesses. Carbon frame, 880Whr battery or the Fox susp doesn't equate to pushing the engineering design. Specs don't translate into great riding experience always.

Anyhow, coming back, if you get a chance, speak to some of the product managers of nominee bikes and perhaps you will get a better understanding of what goes into designing to a bike.

In the last few months, I have learned a few things about the ST2.
A team of 70 members worked on ST2 bike. It is one of the smoothest pedal assist bikes.
It was the first bike to come up with digital connect concept (several others have followed since then).
Also, not to forget the 814 whr battery while others are still hanging around in the 500/600 Whr region.

One of the first commercially hub motors with thru-axle compatibility and the ability to up the Torque or speed with single touch of a button. All this has to be done while complying to federal/international regulations.

I can hear you say whatever!!!... BBS-HD does 160Nm

 

[Adrian]

Adrian,
It seems you're enamored by big FOX suspensions or the Torque Nm values. It's pretty easy to woo certain segment of people by clumping together high-end components but just because they use FOX or BBS-HD or Magura MT7, it doesn't mean a thing when it comes to riding experience.

Last Interbike, I was smitten by M1 Spitzing. The raw power is enticing but the more you start knowing the bike, the more you realize it's weaknesses. Carbon frame, 880Whr battery or the Fox susp doesn't equate to pushing the engineering design. Specs don't translate into great riding experience always.

Anyhow, coming back, if you get a chance, speak to some of the product managers of nominee bikes and perhaps you will get a better understanding of what goes into designing to a bike.

In the last few months, I have learned a few things about the ST2.
A team of 70 members worked on ST2 bike. It is one of the smoothest pedal assist bikes.
It was the first bike to come up with digital connect concept (several others have followed since then).
Also, not to forget the 814 whr battery while others are still hanging around in the 500/600 Whr region.

One of the first commercially hub motors with thru-axle compatibility and the ability to up the Torque or speed with single touch of a button. All this has to be done while complying to federal/international regulations.

I can hear you say whatever!!!... BBS-HD does 160Nm

Hi Ravi,

I can appreciate simplicity and practical, functional design. And I understand why the ST2 seems to be a nice commuter bike. I even think the ST2 is a nice looking bike.

What I don't think it is, is (b)leading edge. It has a big battery, sure, but it's a typical frame battery not an innovative one like the battery that was originally speced for the Karmic Koben. By all accounts the original battery cover was even flimsy - not something I'd expect from such an expensive bike.

The hub motor is not really anything special either - it's not innovative like the M1 Spitzing motor design, the Heisenberg's rear/mid pivot mounted Bosch, or yes, even the new Bafang that has huge amounts of torque.

I don't get the resistive display controls - so you can use it with gloves? Okay, though from what I remember of Court's review it was clunky to use even with fairly light gloves and I'd like to see you use it with real winter gloves that can keep your hands warm in -20C. The buttons are far more practical. If they really wanted a nice touch screen, they should have gone capacitive, which at least would have been nice to use or better yet, just put a few buttons there!

Perhaps I just don't get the criteria that the "ebike of the year" is judged against - but then I can't find the criteria they used. I would look for a bike that was innovative, leading edge, a "wow" bike. Something that may not be that practical but would showcase new technology or engineering design. Not a rigid frame commuter bike with a hub motor and big battery.

And yeah, don't talk to me about the price - lol - seems way over priced for what you get to me.

 

[Bike_On]

I see some apples to oranges comparisons here since ST2 is a ddhub and BBS02is a MD. For a road worthy machine, the ST2 has some very sweet features and performance. I did test ride Ravi's. Smooth, powerful, quality built. The thru axel and BT interface and are the icing to the cake of a good design. Worth $6k? If you must buy OEM stuff...barely. Maybe more 4-5k range.

The turf war between middies and hubbies continues on. The middies seems to have proven and wrapped up any serious off -road applications. The Bionx D series is trying to disprove that, but I'm not a believer yet. Stealth seems to do it with full suspension hubs, but that is another apple-oranges level.

I like fox shocks too and they do perform in real life, not just as a spec. Off road or on pavement, a good air shock has performance, less weight than mechanical, better adjustment options and lock out, including 3 ranges of travel on Fox to select. This option served two functions: suspension displacement and ride position level changes. Cheap shocks can't do that.

Anyway, congrats on ST2 and ebike of the year!

 

[JoePah]

ST2 must be a great bike.. But $7000+ ?