I thought I would give my ST1x review as it has been around a month and 200 miles since I received it in the mail. Sorry for the long post, but I hope someone will find all the information useful.
ORDER:
I decided to place an order with an E-bike shop instead of buying from my local shop because of the massive savings I received. I ordered the Sport (high bar) in 22" and charcoal. The shop upgraded me to the ST2 battery (814wh) and provided a body float seat post for a small charge. I got an email from Stromer the day after I placed the order to setup my account/app as the shop tied my bike to my phone number before it was shipped. It took about 12 days in total to get the bike, but there was a holiday weekend that increased that time. 7-10 days is probably reasonable expectation. Saving the 10% Seattle sales tax was also a contributing factor as they included shipping for free. All said and done very happy with the price and the shop I ordered from and would not have done it different.
RECEIVING:
The bike is in a large box that weights over 60 lbs. Because of this there was a local delivery company that did the final transit. Due to this it took an extra weekend to get to me because I had to schedule the delivery. They showed up in a 18-wheeler which caused the driver to have some issues blocking traffic on a busy road to hand truck the bike to my door. But all arrived safely and he wheeled it into my garage.
The bike came nearly fully assembled. I needed to straighten the handle bars (mm allen wrench) which was pretty easy (they are shipped at 90 degrees so the box is flatter). The peddles also needed to be screwed on - the right side goes on traditionally, the left is reverse threaded. I swapped out the seat post (cannot remember if the seat was on the bike or not when shipped), and I was all ready to go. Wheel reflectors, the charger were also in the box with manuals. The first charge took about 2-3 hours to be fully charged.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:
So much fun. I had tried out electric bikes before, but this was my first Speed Pedelec and really glad I went that direction, it is addicting. Some people say you work just as hard on an e-bike, but it is hard to explain why. I don't burn as many calories, but your muscles are still sore. You want to work hard just to maintain the speed and always feel the boost. So you work as hard, but over a shorter period of time because you are going so much faster.
The ST1x has a boost/throttle - kind of. If you hold the [+] button it will move you without peddling. But I have yet to have a situation where I could not peddle faster than the boost. On a flat it will get you to about 10-12 mph, on a decent hill you are lucky to get half that. In all cases I can get the bike to go at least 20%-100% faster by peddling at a moderate rate. The brakes squeak a bit (see the EBR videos, sounds the exact same) but they are solid. I am 6'3" 220lbs. The frame size is pretty good for me, but if you are 6'5" I think you might find it a bit too small - and they don't make it any bigger.
I have had several friends take it for a spin, they're all in love with it.
200 MILE REVIEW:
I have had a few issues so lets get those out of the way. About 20 miles in the right peddle was wobbling considerably. I took the peddle off and the aluminum threads were stripped. I put the peddle on so it is possible it was something I did, but I am pretty good with tools and am pretty sure it was a factory defect. I called the bike shop I ordered from and they shipped an entirely new bottom bracket and crankset. It took around 7 days to get that and another 2-3 for a bike shop to do the work (I did not have the right tools). It is working perfectly now. It was all done under warranty through the bike shop I purchased from - I d not call Stromer. All I had to do was send in photos and provide a write up. I think this was more to make sure they sent the right part than not trusting me.
At 100 miles I got a rear flat. Of course I didn't have a spare, pump or tools with me (Murphy!) so my wife picked me up and I swapped the tube with the same kind that came with the bike. I now have a trunk bag with a spare tube, tools and a pump. All of which I had, just not with me at the time.
I have a few complaints as well. The bike creeks a lot. Not sure what exactly is making the sound, but it sounds like tapping on a carbon frame (there is no Carbon), and it bothers me, but does not seem to an issue. Could be that I am too fat. The drivetrain is a little bit clunky. It does not shift as crisp as I would hope. Again, not an issue, but it bothers me. I have learned that if I am not in the right gear it will either not shift right away or will shift really hard. So as I come to a stop I move up a few sprockets to a larger one, and then gradually down shift as I pick up speed. I rarely ever use the largest cogs as with the motor it is rarely needed (even in 10-12% grade)
Absolutely love riding this bike. I rarely take it out of assist level 3 just because it is so much fun. I ride about 14 miles round trip to work and it takes me about 20-25 minutes each way - my commute is across a valley so steep hills going each way with some flat in the middle and a hand full of signals that have a long rotation. I average about 16-20mph. During peak traffic I can easily make the trip quicker than I could in a car. If I took it really easy I could probably get away without showering at work, but the way I ride I always sweat a bit. I charge it every other day and usually have about 50% battery left after the 28 miles. I have not rode it outside of commuting yet, so I have yet to test the range.
OMNI is alright. Signal strength is terrible and does not work from my house. I have a secure bike cage at work so I have only used the electric lock once. I don't really like the screens they have to choose from. I find myself switching between them on a regular basis. I think they could improve this quite a bit - perhaps ill get an update. Stromer - If you are reading this, reach out to me and I'll provide a bunch of feedback.
I added a mirror and upgraded the handle grips.
SUMMARY:
I would buy it again in a heartbeat. 28mph is a must - glad I got that 35 mph would be even better. Get a body float - my bumpy broken asphalt paths would have killed me without it.
Happy to answer questions if anyone has them - I probably could have written twice as much. I plan to do some videos as there is not a lot of info on the ST1x and I can walk through some of the above in more detail.
ORDER:
I decided to place an order with an E-bike shop instead of buying from my local shop because of the massive savings I received. I ordered the Sport (high bar) in 22" and charcoal. The shop upgraded me to the ST2 battery (814wh) and provided a body float seat post for a small charge. I got an email from Stromer the day after I placed the order to setup my account/app as the shop tied my bike to my phone number before it was shipped. It took about 12 days in total to get the bike, but there was a holiday weekend that increased that time. 7-10 days is probably reasonable expectation. Saving the 10% Seattle sales tax was also a contributing factor as they included shipping for free. All said and done very happy with the price and the shop I ordered from and would not have done it different.
RECEIVING:
The bike is in a large box that weights over 60 lbs. Because of this there was a local delivery company that did the final transit. Due to this it took an extra weekend to get to me because I had to schedule the delivery. They showed up in a 18-wheeler which caused the driver to have some issues blocking traffic on a busy road to hand truck the bike to my door. But all arrived safely and he wheeled it into my garage.
The bike came nearly fully assembled. I needed to straighten the handle bars (mm allen wrench) which was pretty easy (they are shipped at 90 degrees so the box is flatter). The peddles also needed to be screwed on - the right side goes on traditionally, the left is reverse threaded. I swapped out the seat post (cannot remember if the seat was on the bike or not when shipped), and I was all ready to go. Wheel reflectors, the charger were also in the box with manuals. The first charge took about 2-3 hours to be fully charged.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:
So much fun. I had tried out electric bikes before, but this was my first Speed Pedelec and really glad I went that direction, it is addicting. Some people say you work just as hard on an e-bike, but it is hard to explain why. I don't burn as many calories, but your muscles are still sore. You want to work hard just to maintain the speed and always feel the boost. So you work as hard, but over a shorter period of time because you are going so much faster.
The ST1x has a boost/throttle - kind of. If you hold the [+] button it will move you without peddling. But I have yet to have a situation where I could not peddle faster than the boost. On a flat it will get you to about 10-12 mph, on a decent hill you are lucky to get half that. In all cases I can get the bike to go at least 20%-100% faster by peddling at a moderate rate. The brakes squeak a bit (see the EBR videos, sounds the exact same) but they are solid. I am 6'3" 220lbs. The frame size is pretty good for me, but if you are 6'5" I think you might find it a bit too small - and they don't make it any bigger.
I have had several friends take it for a spin, they're all in love with it.
200 MILE REVIEW:
I have had a few issues so lets get those out of the way. About 20 miles in the right peddle was wobbling considerably. I took the peddle off and the aluminum threads were stripped. I put the peddle on so it is possible it was something I did, but I am pretty good with tools and am pretty sure it was a factory defect. I called the bike shop I ordered from and they shipped an entirely new bottom bracket and crankset. It took around 7 days to get that and another 2-3 for a bike shop to do the work (I did not have the right tools). It is working perfectly now. It was all done under warranty through the bike shop I purchased from - I d not call Stromer. All I had to do was send in photos and provide a write up. I think this was more to make sure they sent the right part than not trusting me.
At 100 miles I got a rear flat. Of course I didn't have a spare, pump or tools with me (Murphy!) so my wife picked me up and I swapped the tube with the same kind that came with the bike. I now have a trunk bag with a spare tube, tools and a pump. All of which I had, just not with me at the time.
I have a few complaints as well. The bike creeks a lot. Not sure what exactly is making the sound, but it sounds like tapping on a carbon frame (there is no Carbon), and it bothers me, but does not seem to an issue. Could be that I am too fat. The drivetrain is a little bit clunky. It does not shift as crisp as I would hope. Again, not an issue, but it bothers me. I have learned that if I am not in the right gear it will either not shift right away or will shift really hard. So as I come to a stop I move up a few sprockets to a larger one, and then gradually down shift as I pick up speed. I rarely ever use the largest cogs as with the motor it is rarely needed (even in 10-12% grade)
Absolutely love riding this bike. I rarely take it out of assist level 3 just because it is so much fun. I ride about 14 miles round trip to work and it takes me about 20-25 minutes each way - my commute is across a valley so steep hills going each way with some flat in the middle and a hand full of signals that have a long rotation. I average about 16-20mph. During peak traffic I can easily make the trip quicker than I could in a car. If I took it really easy I could probably get away without showering at work, but the way I ride I always sweat a bit. I charge it every other day and usually have about 50% battery left after the 28 miles. I have not rode it outside of commuting yet, so I have yet to test the range.
OMNI is alright. Signal strength is terrible and does not work from my house. I have a secure bike cage at work so I have only used the electric lock once. I don't really like the screens they have to choose from. I find myself switching between them on a regular basis. I think they could improve this quite a bit - perhaps ill get an update. Stromer - If you are reading this, reach out to me and I'll provide a bunch of feedback.
I added a mirror and upgraded the handle grips.
SUMMARY:
I would buy it again in a heartbeat. 28mph is a must - glad I got that 35 mph would be even better. Get a body float - my bumpy broken asphalt paths would have killed me without it.
Happy to answer questions if anyone has them - I probably could have written twice as much. I plan to do some videos as there is not a lot of info on the ST1x and I can walk through some of the above in more detail.
