ST1 Warranty Issues & Mileage

[Gus]

I have seen a couple used ST1's put up for sale in my area. Probably due to the ST2 announcement and people looking to upgrade.

Since it's used bike, there is no warranty, which is the trade off for a much lower price point. One ST1 in particular is about 30% cheaper than new and has less than 500 miles on the ODO.

I am curious what issues other ST1 owners have had, if any, and what mileage you are currently at? Do you think buying a used ST1 without a warranty isn't worth the risk compared to the cost savings?

 

[Dave]

Hi Gus, and welcome to the community. I did a lot of research into the ST1 when I was looking for an Ebike. I finally decided on the Neo Carbon, but not because the ST1 was a bad choice. I came across mostly positive reviews on the bike. Dealers seem to be pleased with the companie's support as well. Below is a link where one owner talks about battery problems. I am not aware of very many problems on the ST1's. I think Stromer worked out most of the bugs since the 2012 Sport series.

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=51128

 

[Admin]

Agree with Dave, the ST1 is a much improved bike over the Stromer Sport. This is still a very popular model and according to the reps, is not going to be replaced by the ST2 so additional batteries, parts, customer support (regardless of warranty) and a community should still exist. A used ST1 for 30% off sounds pretty good but you might be able to find a 2013 model used at 10 or 20% ff. Regardless, you could use this knowledge to pressure the seller to knock a little bit more off the price. If they bought it from a local shop you might stop by or call to ask about what kind of maintenance they've done and whether the shop can help you tune up and maintain the bike going forward. I've sold several ebikes and in some cases the shop even offered to honor the warranty for the new owner.

In this post the Stromer rep Jeurg writes: "The ST2 will be a different model line and won't replace the ST1, so I don't expect that they come up with the same components." and James further supports assertion this in this post.

When you do a test ride, be sure to watch the battery capacity on the computer and keep in mind that miles-ridden is not the only indicator of degradation. If a battery was not charged regularly, allowed to completely drain or was stored in very hot or cold locations it could have lost some capacity. I'm actually a huge fan of buying used stuff, just go into this carefully and use this knowledge to ask the seller about how they used and maintained it. Good luck!

 

[Gus]

I have actually test ridden a few E Motion bikes and was impressed with them all. Specifically, the Neo Cross, Neo Race, and the Neo Jumper. If the Neo Carbon is a lighter, faster version of the Neo Race that thing must fly. My local LBS currently has all the 2013 E Motions on sale and I had to drag myself out of the store before I impulse bought the Neo Jumper. That thing is ridiculously fun to ride with a full suspension. My only problem with the E Motion bikes, and the reason I can't consider them, is the small battery capacity. All the models I saw were 36V, 9-10ah batteries. That is just not enough watt hours for my application. I hear they are coming out with 12ah batteries in 2014 so those may move back into consideration.

Good points Court. I strongly believe BMC has a good thing going with the Stromer and isn't going anywhere soon. I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to find replacement parts for years to come. Even if I have to pay for a new battery, I would still be ahead hundreds in savings by buying it used. My biggest concern is the motor. That is about $1400 to replace. I see these horror stories online from Stromer ST1 owners saying they had to have the rear motor replaced multiple times or the motor burned out. Now, with any negative review, I try to see past this as possibly an isolated incident or a select few that are just making the most noise. I see a guy on Stromer's Facebook page with 8,000 miles on his ST1. Thats awesome, but I can't help but wonder: Were they 8,000 problem free miles?

 

[Brambor]

Gus, FWIW the story I heard from a Stromer dealer this weekend was that the burned motor issues were with the previous version of Stromer and not the ST1. Apparently the software in the motor was not smart enough to prevent overheating and allowed the motors to burn out. After that the communication between the motor and the console showed 'no com' message and that was all she wrote. I think the previous model was called Stromer Sport or something like that. Apparently the ST1 models resolved this issue.

 

[Gus]

For those that may find themselves with the oppprtunity to buy a used ST1, this may be of some help:

I heard back from Stromer customer support and to my surprise the warranty does transfer, its just not for 3 years. Stromer will honor the warranty as long as you have a copy of the original owners sales receipt.

A warranty transfer is pretty unheard of when it comes to bikes. All of my non-eBikes have warranties that explicitly state the warranty only applies to the original owner and that's it.

The fact that Stromer is willing to transfer the warranty is definitely a testament that they are willing to stand behind their product.

 

[Admin]

That's awesome Gus! Thanks for passing this information along. Good on Stromer for taking this position