ST1 Elite chain ring mod

[Ken W]

Hi everyone,

This is my first thread. I purchased my Elite about 4 months ago and it was through this forum that convinced me to buy a Stromer.

Overall I am pretty happy with my Elite but one thing after riding for a while is the limited top speed.
With the current gearing on the Elite, (as many of you know) can go about 40-42Km/hr peddling like a madman on a straightaway. So I one thing I was looking at was to swap the original single 42T chain ring to a lager one say 50T or 52T to increase the speed of the bike.

I suppose in retrospect the Platinum would satisfy this but now that I have an Elite I'd be ecstatic if I can go a little faster even without the pedal assist.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone attempted this modification or if its even possible? Thanks!

Ken

 

[Ann M.]

It sounds like you have the Mountain 33 setup on your Elite thus the 42T chain ring. On Stromer's site, the 52T configuration is what they offer with the Power 48 motor, the higher speed modest torque set up, so you can physically fit the chain ring on the bike. You might get a little more speed out of the bike with the larger chain ring, but that's going to be from your muscle power, not the motor, since that controller is going to cut out when it hits its predetermined top speed limit. What you lose is some of the hill climbing ability that the Mtn. 33 was designed to do best and a more sluggish start. P.S. you'll need a new chain too! There's bound to be someone out there who will swap a motor with you!

 

[Kris]

Have you looked into whether you can swap the motor and controller to essentially make it into a platinum version? I realize this comes at a cost though...

 

[Ken W]

Thanks, I'll do a bit more digging on this.

 

[JoePah]

Hi everyone,

This is my first thread. I purchased my Elite about 4 months ago and it was through this forum that convinced me to buy a Stromer.

Overall I am pretty happy with my Elite but one thing after riding for a while is the limited top speed.
With the current gearing on the Elite, (as many of you know) can go about 40-42Km/hr peddling like a madman on a straightaway. So I one thing I was looking at was to swap the original single 42T chain ring to a lager one say 50T or 52T to increase the speed of the bike.

I suppose in retrospect the Platinum would satisfy this but now that I have an Elite I'd be ecstatic if I can go a little faster even without the pedal assist.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone attempted this modification or if its even possible? Thanks!

Ken

Hi Ken, You're already at the limit for the Stromer Elite controller, so increasing the gear ratio and trying to pedal the bike the faster is a losing proposition. A larger chainring might make it easier for you to hold 40 kmh. If you can tell me your front a rear gear teeth I can tell you if your cadence is good for that speed.. You should be able to hold 85-90 rpm if youre in decent shape.

My 2012 Stromer Elite has 27 speeds and the fastest I've been able to go is just over 25 mph. One time I was drafting a landscaping trailer and hit 27 but I wouldn't recommend it..

 

[Ken W]

Thanks Joe,

Yes, the idea was to maintain higher speed on my own as the cadence will be lower. Right now, on a flat straight away and comfortable cadence, I can maintain about 35-37km/hr. Peddling fast as I can I can get to about 42km/hr but it doesn't last too long.

My ST1 Elite (Mountain 33) has 42T front and 11T lowest gear at rear.

 

[JoePah]

Thanks Joe,

Yes, the idea was to maintain higher speed on my own as the cadence will be lower. Right now, on a flat straight away and comfortable cadence, I can maintain about 35-37km/hr. Peddling fast as I can I can get to about 42km/hr but it doesn't last too long.

My ST1 Elite (Mountain 33) has 42T front and 11T lowest gear at rear.

Here's your current setup.. I can see why youre peaking out at 42 kmh!

Cadence Gear 60 70 80 90 100 Cadence Gear
42x11 28.82 33.62 38.42 43.22 48.03 42x11

I think you can bump up to 46t chainring with the same chain:

46x11 31.53 36.79 42.04 47.30 52.55 46x11

You won't be able to go any faster, but you should be able to hold 42 kmh at a reasonable 80 rpm.

http://www.bikecalc.com/speed_at_cadence

 

[glen]

Ken.
I find this interesting. In 2014 you could purchase a Mt. 33 In other countries ( Not USA ) with two sz options on the front chain ring. ( 42t or 48t ) Now in 2015 you can purchase the Elite or Platinum with Mt.33 or Power 48. ( Go to Stromer web site and build a bike in any other country ) The Elite Comes with one chain ring ( 42t) The platinum comes with three chain rings But you can order any sz motor you like. In USA we only get one choice Mt. 33 with a 42t chain ring or a Platinum with three chain rings. So I am not sure why you could not add any chain ring you like. I added a 46t to mine. I strongly believe there is not a large difference between motors. Yes a small difference. There was a great review from a dealer in Canada who sold and road both ( Mt 33 and Power 48) and felt the same as I. I have ridden both and chose the Elite because I do not see the need for three chain rings and the help of a motor is needed for my riding. I put the larger front chain ring on as to get and keep my high speed up longer and easier. It works just great. I don't recommended going as lg. as 50t or 52t because if you are climbing a hill you might not have enough lower gearing. You could add a front derailer and two or three chain rings, but again I find that over kill and now you are at a Platinum with a Mt33 motor. This might bring out some interesting replies, that is all good. In the end it is what works for you and your riding. the good news is you own a Stromer ST1. I love mine.
gp

 

[Ken W]

Hi Glen,

I'm glad to hear you've upgraded your chainring with success. I knew someone had to have the same problem as me.

It's interesting to see the various options and combinations now. If I remember, I only had two choices of ST1 Elite (MT33 - single chainring) or ST1 Platinum (PWR 48 - 3 chainrings) here in Canada. I didn't think much at the time and I chose the Elite simply because it was the less expensive choice

It's too bad I didn't hear from you earlier... Actually, I've already ordered a 52T chainring online few days ago and am waiting to receive it.
I thought I'd be the guinea pig and try it out. I figured I'll risk $50 and if it didn't work out I can always put the original one back.

So anyway, now that I've already ordered the 52T I'll just have to tough it out on the hills then.

On another note, I've found couple hidden codes I discovered on another website which might interest you and everyone else on this community.
I believe these codes have not been mentioned here.

Code 3773 : higher number will increase the top speed of motor assist.
I've tried this and now my motor assists me beyond 33km/hr. It's better than a MT33 now hence bigger chainring is in order!

I think you can really up the performance of your stormer by tweaking Code 1004 and 3773.
I'm not sure what is the best setting but after playing with it I kept it at 70 and 52 respectively.

I not 100% sure if maxing both settings will give you max performance but for obvious reasons it does drain the battery quicker.

Bonus: another hidden code...
Code 3775 : Higher number will increase the top speed in BOOST mode. At highest number, I was able to get to about 36km/hr in boost mode!!


**Please use the above mods at your own risk**

Ken

 

[JoePah]

Hi Glen,

I'm glad to hear you've upgraded your chainring with success. I knew someone had to have the same problem as me.

It's interesting to see the various options and combinations now. If I remember, I only had two choices of ST1 Elite (MT33 - single chainring) or ST1 Platinum (PWR 48 - 3 chainrings) here in Canada. I didn't think much at the time and I chose the Elite simply because it was the less expensive choice

It's too bad I didn't hear from you earlier... Actually, I've already ordered a 52T chainring online few days ago and am waiting to receive it.
I thought I'd be the guinea pig and try it out. I figured I'll risk $50 and if it didn't work out I can always put the original one back.

So anyway, now that I've already ordered the 52T I'll just have to tough it out on the hills then.

On another note, I've found couple hidden codes I discovered on another website which might interest you and everyone else on this community.
I believe these codes have not been mentioned here.

Code 3773 : higher number will increase the top speed of motor assist.
I've tried this and now my motor assists me beyond 33km/hr. It's better than a MT33 now hence bigger chainring is in order!

I think you can really up the performance of your stormer by tweaking Code 1004 and 3773.
I'm not sure what is the best setting but after playing with it I kept it at 70 and 52 respectively.

I not 100% sure if maxing both settings will give you max performance but for obvious reasons it does drain the battery quicker.

Bonus: another hidden code...
Code 3775 : Higher number will increase the top speed in BOOST mode. At highest number, I was able to get to about 36km/hr in boost mode!!


**Please use the above mods at your own risk**

Ken

I have a 2012 Elite with 27 speeds.. The largest chainring is 52t... And if you can hump it, switching from the 44t to the 52t and small cog will definitely increase your ability to hold top speed. Problem I had was holding the cadence with the largest ratios...

Personally think 25 mph top speed is fine, given the size of the battery which is only 36v11ah...

 

[Gus]

Hi Glen,

I'm glad to hear you've upgraded your chainring with success. I knew someone had to have the same problem as me.

It's interesting to see the various options and combinations now. If I remember, I only had two choices of ST1 Elite (MT33 - single chainring) or ST1 Platinum (PWR 48 - 3 chainrings) here in Canada. I didn't think much at the time and I chose the Elite simply because it was the less expensive choice

It's too bad I didn't hear from you earlier... Actually, I've already ordered a 52T chainring online few days ago and am waiting to receive it.
I thought I'd be the guinea pig and try it out. I figured I'll risk $50 and if it didn't work out I can always put the original one back.

So anyway, now that I've already ordered the 52T I'll just have to tough it out on the hills then.

On another note, I've found couple hidden codes I discovered on another website which might interest you and everyone else on this community.
I believe these codes have not been mentioned here.

Code 3773 : higher number will increase the top speed of motor assist.
I've tried this and now my motor assists me beyond 33km/hr. It's better than a MT33 now hence bigger chainring is in order!

I think you can really up the performance of your stormer by tweaking Code 1004 and 3773.
I'm not sure what is the best setting but after playing with it I kept it at 70 and 52 respectively.

I not 100% sure if maxing both settings will give you max performance but for obvious reasons it does drain the battery quicker.

Bonus: another hidden code...
Code 3775 : Higher number will increase the top speed in BOOST mode. At highest number, I was able to get to about 36km/hr in boost mode!!


**Please use the above mods at your own risk**

Ken

Thanks and nice find with the codes! I didn't know about those.

36 km/hr (22 mph) in boost mode! They should change that to Beast Mode. I didn't know the Stromer motor had it in it to go that fast with no pedaling.

 

[Ken W]

Thanks and nice find with the codes! I didn't know about those.

36 km/hr (22 mph) in boost mode! They should change that to Beast Mode. I didn't know the Stromer motor had it in it to go that fast with no pedaling.

Good to hear from you Gus. Just wanted to say I've learned a lot from your threads.

 

[Ken W]

I received my 52T chainring today.

So here is what I've learned...

• Cannot shift to lowest gear (largest cog). Chain binds and gets stuck.
• Chain sometimes comes off the front chainring when shifting to highest gear (smallest cog)

Verdict, I need a longer chain.

As for speed, definitely faster but probably too hard to keep up. I got to 43km/hr but I felt it was bit heavy to maintain higher cadence.

So as Joe and Glen mentioned above, a 46T may be the best setup...
Now that I'm $50 in with the 52T, I'm contemplating whether I want to upgrade to longer chain or get a 46T chain ring...

Stay tuned...

 

[JimDDD]

Hi all-

I just bought an Elite, and I'm interested in dropping the gearing. ~20 mph is fine for me. I mostly commute, and I prefer a more relaxing ride. I also don't have the power to push beyond 20MPH on my own anyway, so I would rather fill in the lower end for best hill coverage. I might even go down to 33T if I can, which would give me ~22MPH at a cadence of 90 in top gear. This would give also give me about 5.4 mph in lowest gear at a cadence of 60 when I want to grind up a hill. This is a much better range for me than the stock gearing.

Does any one know what the chainring diameter is for this crankset? I noticed that Ken has tried a 52T, so he must know the size he ordered. They are usually something like 135mm bolt circle, 130mm bolt circle, 110mm bold circle, etc.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Jim

 

[Ken W]

Hi all-

I just bought an Elite, and I'm interested in dropping the gearing. ~20 mph is fine for me. I mostly commute, and I prefer a more relaxing ride. I also don't have the power to push beyond 20MPH on my own anyway, so I would rather fill in the lower end for best hill coverage. I might even go down to 33T if I can, which would give me ~22MPH at a cadence of 90 in top gear. This would give also give me about 5.4 mph in lowest gear at a cadence of 60 when I want to grind up a hill. This is a much better range for me than the stock gearing.

Does any one know what the chainring diameter is for this crankset? I noticed that Ken has tried a 52T, so he must know the size he ordered. They are usually something like 135mm bolt circle, 130mm bolt circle, 110mm bold circle, etc.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Jim

Hi Jim,
It's 130mm BCD.

Ken

 

[fxr3]

So 46t 130mm BCD 5 hole pattern is correct ordering terminology off ebay? Any preferred brands? Thanks, Barry

 

[Mo743]

Hi Glen,

I'm glad to hear you've upgraded your chainring with success. I knew someone had to have the same problem as me.

It's interesting to see the various options and combinations now. If I remember, I only had two choices of ST1 Elite (MT33 - single chainring) or ST1 Platinum (PWR 48 - 3 chainrings) here in Canada. I didn't think much at the time and I chose the Elite simply because it was the less expensive choice

It's too bad I didn't hear from you earlier... Actually, I've already ordered a 52T chainring online few days ago and am waiting to receive it.
I thought I'd be the guinea pig and try it out. I figured I'll risk $50 and if it didn't work out I can always put the original one back.

So anyway, now that I've already ordered the 52T I'll just have to tough it out on the hills then.

On another note, I've found couple hidden codes I discovered on another website which might interest you and everyone else on this community.
I believe these codes have not been mentioned here.

Code 3773 : higher number will increase the top speed of motor assist.
I've tried this and now my motor assists me beyond 33km/hr. It's better than a MT33 now hence bigger chainring is in order!

I think you can really up the performance of your stormer by tweaking Code 1004 and 3773.
I'm not sure what is the best setting but after playing with it I kept it at 70 and 52 respectively.

I not 100% sure if maxing both settings will give you max performance but for obvious reasons it does drain the battery quicker.

Bonus: another hidden code...
Code 3775 : Higher number will increase the top speed in BOOST mode. At highest number, I was able to get to about 36km/hr in boost mode!!


**Please use the above mods at your own risk**

Ken

Hey Ken how did that 50 tooth chain ring work out for you, I want to try putting one on my elite also lmk if you put it on yet

 

[Ken W]

Hey Ken how did that 50 tooth chain ring work out for you, I want to try putting one on my elite also lmk if you put it on yet

Hi Mo,

After trying the 52T, I've settled on a 48T ring. The 48T feels best for me. Also, the original chain will be too short so you will need a longer chain to do this.

I've also installed a chain keeper with the extension to my setup. I go through several bumps and railroad tracks in my commute and this keeps the chain from falling off.

http://paulcomp.com/shop/components/chain-keeper/
http://paulcomp.com

Anyway, I think you are good between 46T (glen) or 48T (me).

Ken

 

[Mo743]

Thanks Ken 48 tooth and 130mm 5 bolt pattern.
Since you still had to buy a new chain you didn't try fitting it on your 52 teeth first?

 

[Ken W]

Thanks Ken 48 tooth and 130mm 5 bolt pattern.
Since you still had to buy a new chain you didn't try fitting it on your 52 teeth first?

Well, I did... and the 52T felt too heavy in 9th gear so I went to 48T. Had to adjust chain length in both instances.