Ha! Great question... Money is tricky with ebikes, it's like there's a floor around $2,000 that you don't want to go below because the features start to drop along with power and quality. The
Stromer ST1 Platinum feels expensive to me at $4,000 but seems cheep compared with the
Specialized Turbo which kind of looks the same to a lot of people.
Considering your height and weight I can understand why the Stromer feels good. Many other ebikes feel small and only come in size medium. I'm a huge fan of the Easy Motion bikes and a few of theirs come in size large. All offer torque sensing pedal assist which it sounds like you prefer but the motor is 350 watts vs. 500. Still, it's a geared motor so the power and torque is pretty good. You could get the
Neo Cross for ~$2,700 with a large frame and have a similar experience to the Stromer ST1 Platinum (in my opinion). You miss out on the regenerative braking but the battery placement is similar (though it's a smaller pack in terms of capacity, power is similar). The ST1 weighs 10+ pounds more and can either come with a carbon fork or suspension while the Cross only comes with suspension.
Another bike that's less expensive but still comparable to the ST1 Platinum is the
IZIP E3 Dash. It has a 500 watt motor that's also geared (no regen) and the battery design is less integrated but it does come in large and offers a very smooth torque sensing pedal assist mode. It's about the same price as the Neo Cross at ~$2,600 and it weighs one pound more than the Cross but still 10lbs less than the Stromer.
So the big difference here is gearless vs. geared. Gearless motors are very smooth and quiet but usually offer less power and torque. I've heard a lot of manufacturers say that even though you can do regeneration with gearless motors, the systems that enable it are expensive and really not worth it because so little energy is actually recuperated. This was echoed by
ProdecoTech, a company that uses gearless motors on most of their bikes but doesn't offer regen. They really aim for inexpensive ebikes and I'm not a huge fan of their battery pack design but they do good business and know what makes financial sense. Regen on ebikes is neat and fun to talk about but just doesn't make financial sense to a lot of companies. I have never quantified the actual gain (and it probably varies from bike to bike) but I wouldn't weigh it as a huge benefit with the ST1.
If I were you, I'd look at the ~$1,500 difference between the Neo Cross and E3 Dash vs. the ST1 Platinum and ask myself if the design and feel of the bike is worth it. Both of the less expensive bikes can hit 27mph in speed pedalec mode. They both have an optional twist throttle (even though you said you're not super interested in it). They both use torque sensing vs. pedalec so they are smooth and responsive. The Neo Cross has 27 gears while the Dash only has 9 so this might be worth looking at if you enjoy a larger range. I do like the fenders, rack and light kit that's optional for the ST1 but you can add those to either of the other two bikes. I'd say it's about the frame, brand and look with the Stromer vs. a big performance difference. A gearless motor is theoretically more durable but given the battery life of any of these bikes, the other motors should be fine and all offer great support and warranties. Another consideration is whether you can buy these bikes locally and get maintenance support. That might be worth spending extra for and be a tie breaker in favor of the ST1 if it's nearby.
Hope this helps! Let me know your thoughts and ultimately how the bike you end up getting performs for you!
