Performance upgrades to the Stomer?

[El_Guapo]

Heya all,

I have seen one thread regarding upgrades to people's Stromers... mostly City Kits, grips and bags...

Has anyone done any upgrades other than 46T Chainrings (Elite 33s) and grips. I have read elsewhere that people change out the disc brake pads so they don't squeak anymore.

Personally, I am going to install the following:
1) flat carbon handlebar and Thompson stem (the cockpit feels short for me with my long torso and short dwarfy legs)
2) carbon seatpost
3) my Terry Gel Fly saddle (the OEM saddle it pretty tough)
4) new Shimano Saint pedals
5) Ergon GE1 grips (the OEM ones rotate like crazy).
6) a nice 46T chainring.

....and eventually a City Kit (if I can find one cheap... otherwise another brand rack that works).

The carbon stem and handlebar are mostly to dampen road bumps, to help out the carbon forks a bit.

Would love to hear from others.

 

[Lenny]

Carbon seatpost?

I would suggest you a Body Float since you have carbon forks. Let us know if you would like to know more about Body Float. We just started carrying them.

http://electricbikereview.com/community/threads/body-float-suspension-seat-post-thoughts.345/

 

[Gus]

Heya all,

I have seen one thread regarding upgrades to people's Stromers... mostly City Kits, grips and bags...

Has anyone done any upgrades other than 46T Chainrings (Elite 33s) and grips. I have read elsewhere that people change out the disc brake pads so they don't squeak anymore.

Personally, I am going to install the following:
1) flat carbon handlebar and Thompson stem (the cockpit feels short for me with my long torso and short dwarfy legs)
2) carbon seatpost
3) my Terry Gel Fly saddle (the OEM saddle it pretty tough)
4) new Shimano Saint pedals
5) Ergon GE1 grips (the OEM ones rotate like crazy).
6) a nice 46T chainring.

....and eventually a City Kit (if I can find one cheap... otherwise another brand rack that works).

The carbon stem and handlebar are mostly to dampen road bumps, to help out the carbon forks a bit.

Would love to hear from others.

What tire pressure are you running? The gains from a carbon stem and handlebar are going to be minimal compared to what you can get out of the tires. You've got 2.1" tires, they will dampen out a ton if set to proper pressure.

 

[Brian Lee]

I'll second the suggestion of the Body Float. I have one on my ST1 and love it.

 

[fxr3]

Ive got 2 stromers, body float on one, thud buster on the other./ Both work great for your butt, not much help on the front. Tire pressure is where the good ,free suspension gains are hiding.

 

[Kris]

I'll also toss in my vote for the Body Float seat post. I love mine. Now if I could just get rid of the effect of bumps on my hands, I'd be all set. I find that due to the speed of the Stromer, all bumps are much more noticeable on this bike.

 

[Ann M.]

Raise your stem a bit or change the angle to something less flat (which in this case will mean getting a different stem) and try some padded cycling gloves. That way you take some of the pressure off your hands by moving the weight distribution back a little bit. Take a look at how you hold the handlebars; if you have a tight 'death grip' on the bars and your arms don't flex much at your elbows then bumpy roads hurt a lot more! Its a little technique that helps a lot.

 

[PoweredUp!]

Heya all,

I have seen one thread regarding upgrades to people's Stromers... mostly City Kits, grips and bags...

Has anyone done any upgrades other than 46T Chainrings (Elite 33s) and grips. I have read elsewhere that people change out the disc brake pads so they don't squeak anymore.

Personally, I am going to install the following:
1) flat carbon handlebar and Thompson stem (the cockpit feels short for me with my long torso and short dwarfy legs)
2) carbon seatpost
3) my Terry Gel Fly saddle (the OEM saddle it pretty tough)
4) new Shimano Saint pedals
5) Ergon GE1 grips (the OEM ones rotate like crazy).
6) a nice 46T chainring.

....and eventually a City Kit (if I can find one cheap... otherwise another brand rack that works).

The carbon stem and handlebar are mostly to dampen road bumps, to help out the carbon forks a bit.

Would love to hear from others.

+1 on Ergon Grips.. I bought a different model and had to take a hacksaw to them.. They work great!

Wouldn't bother with any suspension stem or carbon stem, until you've put some miles on the bike.. I'm quite happy with just my Serfas Gel saddle.

I bought Trucker Co. organic semi metallic pads and they work much better than the OEM pads... Definitely worth it.

 

[Noreen]

I had my LBS swap out the stock stem for a slightly up-angled stem - as Ann M suggested. It works great for me and my sore back/neck.
I also use Ergon grips so I can move my hands around a bit and lessen the pressure on my shoulders and neck.
Finally, I have a Brooks 67S saddle that has springs.

All this would be just great if I could actually ride it. The Northeast was walloped this winter, and I haven't ridden the Stromer since mid-January. Last weekend I cleaned it for, charged and replaced light batteries - getting ready for Spring. It's snowing today with 1-3" predicted. I think as long as the town doesn't dump salt on the roads, I may be able to get out next weekend.

 

[Brambor]

The things we replaced on the st1 were the pedals. We put nicely machined platform pedals on. We added the city kit too and a springy Brooks saddle.

 

[El_Guapo]

Yeah, I recently replaced the pedals to a Shimano Saint.... a bit bigger and more grippy... I was starting to get a Morton's Neuroma on my left from the small pedals and the pressure points. The Saint's have helped a ton.

I did drop my bars a bit as I was seeing a lot of loss of speed at the high end from wind resistance. The carbon bars have helped with the bumps on the front end quite a bit.

 

[Blue Bill]

I finally got tired of the Magura MT-2 brakes, parts aren't cheap and I've already worn out the pads in less than a year. Upgrading to Shimano XTR and will attempt the reed sensor myself. I'll post the mod if successful.

Update: Shimano's installed, no electronic sensor yet but they are fantastic and quiet.

 

[Notonenameleft]

I'll second the suggestion of the Body Float. I have one on my ST1 and love it.

What seat do you use with the Body Float? I have one coming for my ST2

 

[Robie]

I just added a Thudbuster and Brooks leather saddle to my St2 and can't give a long evaluation, but what I've experienced sofar is a major improvement in the ride. No more jarring almost smooth, I rode with the Stromer saddle and Thudbuster before switching to the Brooks, and the Brooks helped out more on the bumps.

 

[Notonenameleft]

Springy Brooks seat or no springs?

 

[Brian Lee]

What seat do you use with the Body Float? I have one coming for my ST2

I have an Adamo Typhoon and like it.

 

[Robie]

Regular Brooks little slippery, still pretty new, should wear in. Black one looks real sharp I think with the white frame.

 

[Notonenameleft]

Just got my new Brooks saddle with Body Float today! I wanted the "aged" saddle but could not resist the Hi-tech look of the Cambium C17 saddle...

 

[Anthony]

Yep, the bodyfloat rules.

 

[Brian Lee]

I bottomed out and broke one small part on my BodyFloat due to my not having it adjusted correctly. I reported the problem to BodyFloat and just got a personal visit from Charlie Heggem from Cirrus Cycles! Talk about customer service! He fixed the problem, properly fitted me to the bike, and custom adjusted it to me. All I can say is that I now feel completely one with the bike, more comfortable, and more efficient. This is a fantastic product from a company that clearly cares about their customers!