ST1-T vs. ST1-X: Anyone ridden both?

[George Jetson]

Thanks for the nice review and update. I was on the fence between the 1-x and the 2 until I found a killer closeout deal on the 2. It is definitely more bike than I need for my use, so it sounds like urban commuters can get around very nicely on the 1-x, as was my expectation. The motor controls on the OMNI do take some time to tweak for your personal situation, road and weather conditions, etc. I am absolutely enthralled by the tweakability of the bike and the sophisticated features. I had given up bike riding for many years due to osteoarthritis issues, but the ST2 has me back in the saddle again and moving those joints. In just the few months of riding, I've already scaled back on the motor assist level as my joint flexibility improved. Looking forward to your future updates.

 

[S.A.L. 15]

Second Update: I finally got to commuting on my ST1x. My commute is a series of undulating hills. Almost immediately, I had a problem with really bad pulsing when going up hills with power cutting out. It was pretty clear (to me) that it was probably a torque sensor issue because it appeared to be directly related to my cycling cadence - and as I hit a hill and my cadence falls off a cliff, the power would cut out. If I increased my cadence, the power came back - but since I was going up hill and unfit from an extended period of not cycling (as a result of an accident) I couldn't sustain the cadence... hence pulsing...

From another forum here on the ST2, it seemed it was either a torque sensor issue, a brake sensor issue or a software issue... I pursued the software option first - there are 3 things you can control in the app - speed, torque and agility. The first 2 are obvious but who knew what agility is???? Still don't quite know what it is, but seems to be about how sensitive your torque sensor is to your cadence. One person worked out that if you crank the agility setting to the far right, it seemed less sensitive... So I did that and voila! Pulsing issue resolved! Now I don't have a pulsing issue. I can go up MOST hills (read on...)

Further to a post above, the issue (I had) on the St1 where you stop on an incline (or flat) and the bike seems to be in regen mode when you try to cycle off unless you quickly change gears (not modes) OR (as I used to do) roll the bike back when you have come to a complete stop to disengage the torque sensor (you feel it disengage when you roll back) does not seem to be an issue on the ST1x - or at least, all the places my old ST1 would do that regen thing from a stop have not been reproduced on the ST1 x. So I am glad that is gone!

But... I do now have an issue on SOME inclines where the power just dies... Doesn't matter which mode I am in, I am getting next to no assist. I have even stopped and turned the bike on and off to see if I can reset it, but now... the bike wants to really make me work and I crawl up the hill, steadily slowing down, seemingly on a an exponential curve ever slower the more effort I put in... Sigh.

Right now. I am missing my first ever Stromer, the model I had before the St1 and the St1x... (purchased in 2010). It worked right out of the shop, it went fast, it gave me sustained power no matter what, there were no torque sensor issues causing unexpected regen modes at stops or power losses going up hills. Sure, the ride was rougher and I had terrible troubles getting the bike serviced back then as no bike shop seemed to know how to work their way around the electronics (which were never an issue, but damn did they always seem to tinker with it and mess it up!), but at this point, I'm beginning to think it was more reliable! Why did I get talked into upgrading???!!!

If I get this hill issue resolved, I am sure the St1x will be an AWESOME bike to ride...The 'turbo' kick you get when you need to overtake a slower cyclist is just amazing and when the power assist is working, it is so effortless and smooth - in that regard, when all is working, this bike is a dream - seriously wonderful. But the whole point of purchasing an e-bike is to get me up hills, so its very annoying when I am not able to reliably get up a hill without nearly having a heart attack. If I work out the solution to this problem, I'll be back to post it for anyone else who ends up having the same issue...

 

[S.A.L. 15]

Final post - The ST1X is AWESOME!!! Resolved the loosing power issue when going uphill by calling the local rep, who called the Stromer reps in the US somewhere... They said to recalibrate the torque sensor - on the bike. That was easy enough to do though - turn the bike on... press the setting button on the touch screen... select 'bike' then 'torque sensor' then calibrate. Then follow the instruction which entails awkwardly sitting on your bike without touching your brakes or pedals. Yeah - awkward! But. It worked.

Using the Boost seemed to bring back the loosing power issue... At first I thought my Boost wasn't working, but now realise its because it tops at 20mph and I thought it gave me additional boost of speeds of up to 20 mph. So, I was, er *cough* going a bit faster - so it was actually slowing me down. Bu then it seemed to bugger up the torque sensor anyway so I'd have to do the awkward recalibrate as above. And now that I've customised the agility/speed/torque via the Omni app, I really don't need boost! This bike is zooming up hills!

It has taken a few days and caused me a moment or two in there to wish I had my old ca. 2010 Stromer but now... Nope. This St1X is just AMAZING! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the torque on this bike! It is just effortless to cycle. Yes, I thought my previous Stromer's were great too, but this one is AMAZINGLY great!

I think what you have to remember about the Stromer ST1X over the ST1 and earlier non-ST2 stomers, is this bike is HIGHLY customisable. The earlier bikes were pretty good for being 'basic' and well, giving you the juice to get up a hill. But a St1X can be customised for your ride, experience, fitness, age... It is a little challenging just in the initial stages when you are tinkering with the hardware settings (on the bike's screen) and in the Omni app, but once you find that sweet spot - this bike is a seriously wonderful upgrade over the older Stromers. Very much worth it!!! I found when I went from my ca. 2010 Stromer to the ST1, the ST1 just rode 'nicer.' But now that I have cracked the ST1x and customised it perfectly for me and my ride - this is a BIG upgrade! I'm even more in love with riding and my poor car is gathering dust as I find even more excuses to cycle!

 

[skyhawk2891]

Using the Boost seemed to bring back the loosing power issue... At first I thought my Boost wasn't working, but now realise its because it tops at 20mph and I thought it gave me additional boost of speeds of up to 20 mph. So, I was, er *cough* going a bit faster - so it was actually slowing me down. Bu then it seemed to bugger up the torque sensor anyway so I'd have to do the awkward recalibrate as above. And now that I've customised the agility/speed/torque via the Omni app, I really don't need boost! This bike is zooming up hills!

How did you get your boost to get you up to 20, mine cuts out at 13.

 

[Ann M.]

@skyhawk, are you here in the US? If so, try the torque sensor reset the S.A.L. did. If you're in Europe, the top speed settings may be lower. There are several brands of ebikes that have sensitive torque sensors that require you to not have a foot on either pedal when you turn the bike on but be sitting on the bike when you turn it on.

 

[Tim Reilly]

I was in accident on my St1 so ended up buying the ST1-x as a replacement out of the insurance money. I must say, I was a little underwhelmed by everyone always comparing the ST1-x with the ST2... I realise those 2 bikes are "similar", but price points, they are world's apart, and I would imagine a lot of people entertaining purchasing an ST1x are coming from an ST1 not an ST2! I personally find it very hard to justify buying a bike like the ST2 that costs $3,000 more and the ST1-x is already twice as expensive as the first e-bike I bought 5 years ago.... So, I'd prefer more reviews comparing the St1 to the ST1-x!

On that front, I use my bike for commuting and I was probably most concerned about the ST1x having Aluminum forks - particularly as they ST1 had originally been sold to me as a bike that absorbs the road bumps more because of the carbon-fiber forks! So, I personally do not understand why Stromer regressed on the forks for the ST1-x. My commute is typically urban and feels half way to off road owing to the utilities workers utter inability to rip up a road to check the gas/water/sewer/cable etc and then reseal it perfectly flat and inline with the original road. Add in a few winters and freezing temps and you've got one pot-holed bumpy ride on bitumen!That said, at the end of the day, I didn't notice much difference. I guess on either bike, the bumps are absorbed for the most part with the Big Ben tires, and the harder those are pumped up, the more bumpy the front end ride is.

With respect to the back wheel and bounce... I originally had a fully sprung Brooks saddle which absorbed most of the road shock. My Stromer dealer talked me into getting a thudbuster seatpost and all I can say is... no difference. Unless you are heavily invested in racing cycle seats, I'd recommend getting a decent seat with springs as its cheaper than the seatposts, and much more portable across different bikes! But, no doubt as everyone with Stomer notes, something is needed on the back end because that is one harsh ride without springs there somehow. Seatposts do transport across from ST1 to ST1-x.

As to the ride of the ST1-x vs the ST1 - now in that regard, they are UTTERLY different beasts! The ST1 rides like the older models... Its slow to start, picks up speed like crazy by the third crank of the peddles and just zips along! I had no problems going up hills, adding more power to never break speed on the uphills bits of my ride (unless it started to get steep...). The St1-x... Seems to be MUCH more dependent on your cadence (which I suck at). If you are peddling strongly, the ST1-x is punchy! No other word for it - you feel that power helping you along! But woe betide you if you slow down your cadence - then it suddenly seems to lurch and slows down (particularly when going up hills). I am gathering from the forums (mainly having to read the ST2 forums as the ST1 forums are useless for understanding the mechanics of this bike), it is to do with the torque sensor and settings. I have just noticed on the app I can adjust the torque/speed/agility of the bike to a variety of setting (e.g. urban, snow, tour) and am hoping that by tinkering with these, I can stop the bike lurching on the hills as my cadence wanes. I just haven't done a ride yet with the my phone with me... You can adjust on the screen in the cross bar as well, but the fine tuning is easier from the app.
[Update - I have added comments later in this thread revising the ride - once customised it is better!]

The ST1-x also only has 3 levels of power. I am finding in Level 1, it is actually much more like riding an ordinary bike. Whereas in the ST1, the eco mode felt like you were getting a decent workout with a bit of boost, Level 1 on the ST1-x seems to literally just cancel out the weight of the bike so you feel like you are on an ordinary cycle ride. You are still going faster... but it takes more effort to sustain speed (yes, you actually use more than the 3 smallest rear cogs!). Level 2 (which seems to be where most people end up) feels more like half way between eco and city mode on the ST1. Level 3 is like a turbo boost - ZOOM! But, I have got to get the torque thing sorted out because at the moment, I am lurching up hills when in Level 3... It might be a miscalibrated torque sensor or it might be I just haven't got the torque in the right mode for my type of erratic cadence - but I look forward to getting that sorted out because Level 2 and 3 are very nice when its not lurching! Overall, I suspect I might end up getting a bit more of a workout on the ST1-x, but its nice to know that I have the power when I need it!

The St1-x does have some nice additional features - the regen is MUCH better when going downhill! I go down a couple of steep hills and on the ST1, the regen would cut out once I got past 40km/hr which led to me riding the brakes hard. In addition, you had to keep tapping it into regen, and then when at the bottom of the hill, tap it back to a boost mode. On the ST1-x, when you apply the brakes, the regen automatically cuts out and goes back to whatever level you were in - nice!!! And the highest level of regen is slowing me down a lot on even very steep hills. The ST1-x also has a boost mode. I haven't got that sorted out yet - its lurching like when I am in Level 3... when it works, its fine, but its erratic application right now is not impressing me. Again, I am hoping this just a torque sensor issue. However, I wouldn't say the boost was a lot... Maybe half way betweeen whatever modes you are in. Maybe its the cadence/torque thing again...

The light is good - I was told the front light made me look like a motor bike coming head on in the day, but wasn't quite so visible from the side. The panier rack is as pathetic as it was on the ST1. Anti-theft all looks interesting... I do know the bike rolls when you have it lock mode... I read somewhere that it rolls for about 60ft before the back wheel seizes up. Would be nice if it seized up earlier - 60ft is enough to get my bike from a bike rack to a car... That said, as long as there is a GSM signal, it is nice to know I can lock and arm the anti-theft from my phone - and see where the bike is! Nice add-ons...

Those are my first impressions!

I agree with your comparing the torque between the ST1 and X. I have tried different setting on my X to add more torque to the "top of the cadence",when the pedal/crank is at 6 and 12.Stromer advertises the X has more torque than the ST1,but when riding the X on any type of road it does not have the torque the ST1 has!