Poll... How is your Stromer holding up?
- Thread starter JoePah
- Start date
2012 Stromer Elite.. Bought it 2014 put on 1600 miles... Not even a flat. Rear brakes squeal even with a couple of pad changes.
James
Well-Known Member
2014 Stromer Elite. Started commuting with it late Feb, I have 5000km's on it. One flat, but the Scwalbe Doc fluid I put in it made it so I didn't need to replace the tire. Brakes still have 70% wear left. It's been remarkable how little maintenance it's been. I clean and lube the bike once a week, or more often if it's raining and messy out. Incredible bike for the $$
I chose OK but that is on my current 2 , the originals wouldn't make the bottom they were so bad.
I am waiting on a motor, front suspension(leaks air wont hold pressure) and rear rack/fender for mine(welds broke) left me stranded a few times. The rear brake went completely (leaked). The lights and city kit have been a PIA rubbing/loose both bike. Wires in the battery box that messed up the door/lock. Wife's bike, about 3 times now and once was the last time used, just has no power maybe 10 mph is Power , disconnect/reconnect the LCD and move the wires around by the motor and turn back on seem to work. Brakes are noisy both bikes. When the chain gets slightly dirty seems like the both bikes become jerky w/interaction of torque sensor(that is how it feels at least) , have to keep the chains cleaner than i would like cuz takes too much time. On all of my Stromers the elastic thingys that are by the motor disentigrate, rip , move, need replacing. The noisy hot chargers that will deplete you battery if you leave connected (only the originals??not sure)Spokes make noise
Originals were Stromer Sports (8peed w/LED panel ) only version available at the time. Wife's 1st was a little later had the LCD and upgraded bb7s, still a sport, Elite wasn't out or available at the time
Current ST1 platinum w/front suspension
Sill love to go and ride!!! my bike shop has been the hero more than once
I dont count flats. I think I have 3500-4500 miles on my bike the display has reset completely on its own a coupe times not sure of true mileage
I am waiting on a motor, front suspension(leaks air wont hold pressure) and rear rack/fender for mine(welds broke) left me stranded a few times. The rear brake went completely (leaked). The lights and city kit have been a PIA rubbing/loose both bike. Wires in the battery box that messed up the door/lock. Wife's bike, about 3 times now and once was the last time used, just has no power maybe 10 mph is Power , disconnect/reconnect the LCD and move the wires around by the motor and turn back on seem to work. Brakes are noisy both bikes. When the chain gets slightly dirty seems like the both bikes become jerky w/interaction of torque sensor(that is how it feels at least) , have to keep the chains cleaner than i would like cuz takes too much time. On all of my Stromers the elastic thingys that are by the motor disentigrate, rip , move, need replacing. The noisy hot chargers that will deplete you battery if you leave connected (only the originals??not sure)Spokes make noise
Originals were Stromer Sports (8peed w/LED panel ) only version available at the time. Wife's 1st was a little later had the LCD and upgraded bb7s, still a sport, Elite wasn't out or available at the time
Current ST1 platinum w/front suspension
Sill love to go and ride!!! my bike shop has been the hero more than once
I dont count flats. I think I have 3500-4500 miles on my bike the display has reset completely on its own a coupe times not sure of true mileage
So all the problems you described were on bikes you no longer own? Because if these problems are on your current bikes, I would say it is definitely horrible!
on my current bike ,
I am waiting on a motor, front suspension(leaks air wont hold pressure) and rear rack/fender for mine(welds broke). The rear brake went completely (leaked). The lights and city kit have been a PIA rubbing/loose. Wires in the battery box that messed up the door/lock, lock had to be replaced.Brakes are noisy.When the chain gets slightly dirty seems like the both bikes become jerky w/interaction of torque sensor(that is how it feels at least).The elastic thingys that are by the motor disintegrate, rip , move, need replacing.
On my wife's current bike (or called "my spare")
The lights and city kit have been a PIA rubbing/loose.about 3 times now and once was the last time used, just has no power maybe 10 mph is Power , disconnect/reconnect the LCD and move the wires around by the motor and turn back on seem to work. have not brought up this issue yet. When the chain gets slightly dirty seems like the both bikes become jerky w/interaction of torque sensor(that is how it feels at least) , have to keep the chains cleaner than i would like cuz takes too much time. The elastic thingys that are by the motor disintegrate, rip , move, need replacing.
The originals were really, really bad. These new ones have been fixed at least. They couldn't fix our old bikes and gave us credit for Elites after a few years. Got them late last year and paid the difference to upgrade to front suspension, came w/more speed (not my fault lol)
Currently my bike doesn't like to go slow or on-off the torque sensor , too much effort to pedal until it kicks in then it on /off at slow speed. if you go mostly full out you wouldn't notice this. it is like there is something between the sensor and the motor, once going ok. Do you remember the old toy clickers? if you pushed slowly nothing until it finally clicks, that is how i feels but I believe it is the motor. Also my bike run 1-4mph slower than the wife's , always can pass me on up hills. My bike has a surge when you use the 12mph setting too and that can be duplicated, bike shop is w/me on this.
Even w/the issues my bike runs ok. when I go,I still take my 3 batteries, run on "power" most of the time,pass the lycras(and smile) . 3 batteries will last almost 4 hours for me , legs cramp by then usually anyway. hope to break 100miles some day soon. In tour/power mode hope to get 25miles a battery, not quite cuz I tell myself to leave it to tour but I dont lol
the speed difference and surging are a little tough to feel but after a few thousand miles i know it is there. I ride both bikes i can tell the difference in speed and hill pulling. Stromer told Bike shop you cant compare 2 different bikes but if you own 2 how can you not???
I am waiting on a motor, front suspension(leaks air wont hold pressure) and rear rack/fender for mine(welds broke). The rear brake went completely (leaked). The lights and city kit have been a PIA rubbing/loose. Wires in the battery box that messed up the door/lock, lock had to be replaced.Brakes are noisy.When the chain gets slightly dirty seems like the both bikes become jerky w/interaction of torque sensor(that is how it feels at least).The elastic thingys that are by the motor disintegrate, rip , move, need replacing.
On my wife's current bike (or called "my spare")
The lights and city kit have been a PIA rubbing/loose.about 3 times now and once was the last time used, just has no power maybe 10 mph is Power , disconnect/reconnect the LCD and move the wires around by the motor and turn back on seem to work. have not brought up this issue yet. When the chain gets slightly dirty seems like the both bikes become jerky w/interaction of torque sensor(that is how it feels at least) , have to keep the chains cleaner than i would like cuz takes too much time. The elastic thingys that are by the motor disintegrate, rip , move, need replacing.
The originals were really, really bad. These new ones have been fixed at least. They couldn't fix our old bikes and gave us credit for Elites after a few years. Got them late last year and paid the difference to upgrade to front suspension, came w/more speed (not my fault lol)
Currently my bike doesn't like to go slow or on-off the torque sensor , too much effort to pedal until it kicks in then it on /off at slow speed. if you go mostly full out you wouldn't notice this. it is like there is something between the sensor and the motor, once going ok. Do you remember the old toy clickers? if you pushed slowly nothing until it finally clicks, that is how i feels but I believe it is the motor. Also my bike run 1-4mph slower than the wife's , always can pass me on up hills. My bike has a surge when you use the 12mph setting too and that can be duplicated, bike shop is w/me on this.
Even w/the issues my bike runs ok. when I go,I still take my 3 batteries, run on "power" most of the time,pass the lycras(and smile) . 3 batteries will last almost 4 hours for me , legs cramp by then usually anyway. hope to break 100miles some day soon. In tour/power mode hope to get 25miles a battery, not quite cuz I tell myself to leave it to tour but I dont lol
the speed difference and surging are a little tough to feel but after a few thousand miles i know it is there. I ride both bikes i can tell the difference in speed and hill pulling. Stromer told Bike shop you cant compare 2 different bikes but if you own 2 how can you not???
Last edited:
pliablemoose
Member
While I was looking for the ST1's I bought, I had a nationwide search on craigslist with an app on my iPad, and I noticed a couple of things...
There seem to be an unusual number of non functional Stromers in the San Francisco area, 1st & 2nd gen only.
Here's a WAG (wild ass guess) SF is a very bicycle centric area, and there are several fairly high volume rental businesses. SF has some hub motor killing hills. The early Stromers didn't have a thermal shut off for the hub motors, the warning light unfortunatley indicated that your motor is now toast. I think the large number of Stromer rentals and a large number of these bikes climbing motor killing hills has led to a grouping of Stromers with dead motors, etc. One ad had 3 dead Stromers for sale.
My favorite ad was a guy I tried to talk to... he had a Sport for sale, dead motor, and I couldn't figure out if he had a battery in the bike, even after a couple of emails. One of my emails: "Does the bike have a battery?" was met with "You will never own a Stromer, these are fine bicycles."
I thought the elusive answers I kept getting were curious, and I suspect these are bikes Stromer replaced and someone got ahold of them and are trying to resell them.
Back on subject, though, only problem I've had is I hit a big bump once and evidently moved the battery enough to keep the contacts apart. I opened the battery door, reseated the battery, and I was good to go.
I used to work at a bike shop in college, and assembled a thousand bikes, good quality expensive bikes and the throw away quality bikes for the big chains, they gave up trying to get their stock guys to assemble their bikes, and had us come when they got a shipment and assemble their bikes for them, and I can say Stromers are very well built, and the parts are of decent quality, if I were to guess, they are likely hand assembled, and the frames are expensive as heck to build, and this is reflected in the price, I think they're great bikes, but they're still subject to the laws of physics, thermodynamics, etc, expecting perfection is somewhat naive, if you talk to a Porsche owner, they typically know the service guy's first name at the Porsche dealership because they're there so much. I think Stromers are a heck of a lot more trouble free than a Porsche, but the same concept applies, they're machines, and no machine is perfect.
There seem to be an unusual number of non functional Stromers in the San Francisco area, 1st & 2nd gen only.
Here's a WAG (wild ass guess) SF is a very bicycle centric area, and there are several fairly high volume rental businesses. SF has some hub motor killing hills. The early Stromers didn't have a thermal shut off for the hub motors, the warning light unfortunatley indicated that your motor is now toast. I think the large number of Stromer rentals and a large number of these bikes climbing motor killing hills has led to a grouping of Stromers with dead motors, etc. One ad had 3 dead Stromers for sale.
My favorite ad was a guy I tried to talk to... he had a Sport for sale, dead motor, and I couldn't figure out if he had a battery in the bike, even after a couple of emails. One of my emails: "Does the bike have a battery?" was met with "You will never own a Stromer, these are fine bicycles."
I thought the elusive answers I kept getting were curious, and I suspect these are bikes Stromer replaced and someone got ahold of them and are trying to resell them.
Back on subject, though, only problem I've had is I hit a big bump once and evidently moved the battery enough to keep the contacts apart. I opened the battery door, reseated the battery, and I was good to go.
I used to work at a bike shop in college, and assembled a thousand bikes, good quality expensive bikes and the throw away quality bikes for the big chains, they gave up trying to get their stock guys to assemble their bikes, and had us come when they got a shipment and assemble their bikes for them, and I can say Stromers are very well built, and the parts are of decent quality, if I were to guess, they are likely hand assembled, and the frames are expensive as heck to build, and this is reflected in the price, I think they're great bikes, but they're still subject to the laws of physics, thermodynamics, etc, expecting perfection is somewhat naive, if you talk to a Porsche owner, they typically know the service guy's first name at the Porsche dealership because they're there so much. I think Stromers are a heck of a lot more trouble free than a Porsche, but the same concept applies, they're machines, and no machine is perfect.
What a well balanced and insightful comment. And I suspect there is some dumping going on... I purchased mine when a dealer bought out another dealer and dumped the inventory of 7 ignored Stromers in the warehouse...
The high end Ebike market is very fragile. Stromer probably ran out of money and was bought out by BMC.... Ultramotor used to build A2B Metro's and they went belly up and sold out to Hero. And there are probably many more to come. The problem with EBikes is tha the start up costss are extremely high for such a low volume product, and the warranty items are just killas. Look at Opimax's experience (above) and he's not unusual.... Stromer probably lost thousands on his bikes.
Ravi Kempaiah
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Halifax
Mark,
I thought your bikes were running fine. The last time we met, it was good right?
But you ride the bike hard. 70 miles is a minimum in one stretch
I think it's a very well made bike (ignoring the initial motor problems).
For example, James here rides 42 miles everyday and 90% of turn key ebikes wouldn't stand 6 months with that kind of usage. Stromer is serving him well.
Baby boomers ride pedego,
Fit/active people choose a Stromer.
I thought your bikes were running fine. The last time we met, it was good right?
But you ride the bike hard. 70 miles is a minimum in one stretch
I think it's a very well made bike (ignoring the initial motor problems).
For example, James here rides 42 miles everyday and 90% of turn key ebikes wouldn't stand 6 months with that kind of usage. Stromer is serving him well.
Baby boomers ride pedego,
Fit/active people choose a Stromer.
Ravi, I am a baby boomer and and certainly not fit, my doctor can verify that. When you rode my wife's bike it was running correctly. I don't consider my riding hard, long maybe but not hard. I walk down almost all curbs for example.
My bike has always been a little slower since day 1
My bike has always been a little slower since day 1
Gus
Active Member
My ST1 Elite has over 2,000 hard miles. It gets ridden every day, for 32 miles a day - rain, sleet, and snow. Its seen it all. I hammer the piss out of it all the way to work over some pretty nasty streets. It gets loaded to the gills with commuting crap and now hauls groceries on the weekends.
I've had 2 flats, replaced the freewheel, and had some spokes loosen up. All things considered, its built like a freakin' tank.
I've had 2 flats, replaced the freewheel, and had some spokes loosen up. All things considered, its built like a freakin' tank.
I left my Platinums At the shop Sat. The tech who works on my bike was out racing so knowing his schedule I didn't call till today. He had fixed all but 1 item, my fork leaks air and Suntour had not responded to his inquiry. He was able to replace my rack, door lock and motor. The motor was actually a whole wheel including the cassette and rotor. My cassette was showing signs of wear so happy about that. The rotor is shaped differently, I hope an improved version (no complaints on the original). He offered to install my original so they matched but I am happier w/improved performance then matching looks. Also the tire is new. I have probably 4500 miles on the bike so new wear parts are appreciated. I bought a new chain last time in. This is my 2nd replacement lock on the door.
Just as I got home it started to rain, got just little wet taking it off the rack and rolling it into the garage. Looking forward to testing tomorrow
Just as I got home it started to rain, got just little wet taking it off the rack and rolling it into the garage. Looking forward to testing tomorrow
The lock 1st had and an issue when they installed the City kit, interference from the wires at the lock and eventually jammed. This time may not be a Stromer issue but was fixed, thank you!
LBS is awesome! Cycle Life of Georgetown in washington DC , Reeves takes good care of my bikes.
Mark
but was fixed, thank you! LBS is awesome! Cycle Life of Georgetown in washington DC , Reeves takes good care of my bikes.
Mark
Blue Bill
Member
Two months old, 1500km.
Two flats on the rear tire, changed to a thick mountain tube and no problems since.
Broken rear spoke, easy to fix.
Leaking front brake when brand new (replaced)
Headset needed tightening three times (easy)
Noisy freewheel (apparently this is common)
Rear derailleur doesn't shift as smoothly as I'd like, have taken it to a handful of shops but it's still less than ideal.
Love the bike though, great ride.
Two flats on the rear tire, changed to a thick mountain tube and no problems since.
Broken rear spoke, easy to fix.
Leaking front brake when brand new (replaced)
Headset needed tightening three times (easy)
Noisy freewheel (apparently this is common)
Rear derailleur doesn't shift as smoothly as I'd like, have taken it to a handful of shops but it's still less than ideal.
Love the bike though, great ride.
StromerE2012
New Member
I have a 2012 Stromer Elite, purchased July 2012. I use it as a commuter bike (27 miles round trip, small hills each way, combination of streets and trails), only fair weather, temps above 30 degrees. Has held up well for most part for the 2 1/2 years I've had it. Motor went bad after a year/1,000 miles, was covered by warranty, then the LCD dashboard went after approx 1,300 miles and was also covered by warranty. Not sure how many miles now due to the motor & LCD replacements, but over 2,000 at least. Other than all of that, the Stromer is a nice ride, nice to have for hills during my commute. Bike gets a lot of compliments when I'm on the road.
I don't use the power on demand feature, which I understand Stromer has completely done away with for current models. I typically use the lowest power assist mode so I can still get a decent workout, and use my gears to assist for hills.
From reading other posts here, it's good to know that I'm not the only one with loud brakes. Mentioned this to the bike mechanic when I took it in for annual maintenance, and seemed they couldn't do anything about it.
Yesterday, after I went for my first ride after two months of wintry weather, I found a broken spoke on the rear wheel, so taking it in tomorrow for repair.
When dealing with computerized parts I'm guessing something is always bound to go bad, but I'm curious how other e-bikes with similar make-up (thinking of Specialized, IZIP, etc with the battery in the downtube) fare.
I don't use the power on demand feature, which I understand Stromer has completely done away with for current models. I typically use the lowest power assist mode so I can still get a decent workout, and use my gears to assist for hills.
From reading other posts here, it's good to know that I'm not the only one with loud brakes. Mentioned this to the bike mechanic when I took it in for annual maintenance, and seemed they couldn't do anything about it.
Yesterday, after I went for my first ride after two months of wintry weather, I found a broken spoke on the rear wheel, so taking it in tomorrow for repair.
When dealing with computerized parts I'm guessing something is always bound to go bad, but I'm curious how other e-bikes with similar make-up (thinking of Specialized, IZIP, etc with the battery in the downtube) fare.
Last edited:
Hi, I was wondering how your battery is holding up, since it is about 3 years old.. That is the only disappointment in my bike (same year and model as yours); it lost around 15% range after a year.
Similar threads
