After spending 2 weeks in the Keys over Christmas with my wife and both my ST2s, we had enough and took them back to the dealer for warranty repair. My wife's bike would take off full power without operator action, and my ST2 would work fine unless it got wet then total electrical failure. We have been battling theses issues since we purchased the bikes and I worked with Mike Lohmann until all communication with Stromer just stopped cold back in Oct of 2018. Thus the question "Is Stromer still viable"? I have not seen any updated You Tube videos regarding the ST2, not can I find any positive reviews. I don't know... is Stromer going to make it? I have read more and more, and experienced the coming of eBikes and it appears that the market is about to explode, if I had the cash I would buy Stromer, for surely it is capable of being a superior bike company... and I think I could make it work! Clearly the biggest hinderance to Stromer is the lack of customer relations and the ability to have service centers for its customers. The Stromer concept is genius, the implementation is anemic.
Stromer still viable in the USA?
- Thread starter MikeST2
- Start date
Ebiker01
Well-Known Member
A very imp. aspect for the electric/cabling is to use dielectric grease at all connections as prevention for wet riding.
My shop gladly charged me 600$ to change all cables and controller , etc...just b/c I rode in a big rain and I didn’t knew the secret.
Stromer2work
Active Member
what bike do you have? I have ridden two or three of my stromer's in the rain, including big rain. I don't recognize that paint job as Stromer in your profile pic. Do you have any direct relate-able experience with stromer bikes? Still lots of one hit wonders on this thread with limited / partial info. For the record, I now own five stromers and all are well and I receive good service good pricing from my remote dealer.
Ebiker01
Well-Known Member
Cabling contacts can make an E bike develop electric failure due to riding in rain. The cables and connectors are mostly the same for all ebike brands. That’s why I felt helpful to write.
What I mention applies to all ebikes, it is up to you to make fun, poke or take serious the knowledge given in a thread.
I don’t ride Stromers b/c they are way overweight and not easily maneuverable in NY city traffic. I tried both the St1x and St2s+St2LTD . Too dam heavy and don’t go FAAAAST in scenarios where you need to stop ,swerve, brake , go ...
My ride is a 2018/2019 Easy motion nitro city. It’s an S pedelec, about twice the Nm torque of a St2s , faster acceleration too, about 10lb lighter, made by a company that “ only” makes bikes for 110years. I’ll post a vid of how fast it takes off , how agile is in traffic and that willl settle it.
Whenever I go to the Ny e bike store NYCE Wheels they have one or two Stromers that needs repair/lost power and other issues. I’ve had my learning curve with ebikes. Don’t get me wrong, they are great e bikes but for the right people and roads. For a long smooth ride , that is the perfect ebike, yours ! .
Btw- that “secret” I learned it courtesy of scooterati shop from Canada, they have the owner/manger posting here on the forum. I’m sure if you write them and ask them about it , they may invent some “it will void the warranty crap” .
Ebikes are quite complicated - you have the mechanical parts, the electronics , and the motor, so there are many possible points of failure.
Btw- Just b/c the thread says “X” brand forum does not mean only those specific e bike brand owners can write.
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There are far too many complaints about Stromers to blame it all on "one hit wonders" on the forums. With the premium prices, the stromer should be at least as reliable as most other brands and should indeed be MORE reliable.. The opposite appears to be the case. Throw in dodgy customer support depending on where you live (of course this is true of many brands and locations) and I'm not sure there's good value in buying a stromer
Stromer2work
Active Member
LOL. Dialectic grease on electrical connectors isn't a "secret", I use it on my autos and my ebikes. Contrary to popular belief, Ebikes aren't "complicated" when one compares them to an automobile or a motorcycle.
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Sorry to hear about your Stromer issues. There's something about these bikes that makes them so desirable. But I'm afraid, it's too expensive for this kind of temperamental reliability. Try calling Chris Nolte at Propel. He's a great guy and will give you the straight scoop on Stromer.
For those lusting for a Stromer but on a beer budget, the ride quality of a Pedego Ridge Rider is superb. Put some Schwalbe Mondial tires on it and it's a killer road bike. A proven rear hub motor with torque sensor is very natural feel and there's a nation of dealers to support the range and share knowledge. Only real downsides to this bike vs. stromer is its a Class 1, single frame size, and cables aren't internally routed. Other than that the performance and reliability make this bike a steal at $3500.
For those lusting for a Stromer but on a beer budget, the ride quality of a Pedego Ridge Rider is superb. Put some Schwalbe Mondial tires on it and it's a killer road bike. A proven rear hub motor with torque sensor is very natural feel and there's a nation of dealers to support the range and share knowledge. Only real downsides to this bike vs. stromer is its a Class 1, single frame size, and cables aren't internally routed. Other than that the performance and reliability make this bike a steal at $3500.
Feliz
Well-Known Member
Right, I've used dialectic grease on my motorcycles as long as I can remember, it's well known in the motorcycling community.
SirJonathan
Active Member
This is quickly becoming my favorite feature of my Juiced CCX. I took it for a road ride yesterday and maybe used the throttle from stoplights or stop signs a dozen times. It's a large heavy bike and just flipping the throttle to get upright and moving quickly across the intersection is a breath of fresh air. I do it every time now. I noticed a couple times it fools some perpendicular cars trying to turn right on the red. They don't expect you to be in front of them that quickly and it's something I need to remember.
bluecat
Well-Known Member
As there no real competitors for Stromer in Europe, there might be some in the US. So I became curious about these two electric bicycles. The spanish brand BH give only poor information about its Nitro, whilst Pedago give almost no useful information. Luckily, EBR earlier did tests and publishifd some basic information. With this, I came to the conclusion, that these bikes a good competitors to the Year 2011 ST1 Stromer. The main differences are:
- Need for suspension fork (beware of sharp braking due to the diving of the fork)
- Geared hub drive (its noise might help to war pedestrians about the upcoming bike)
Ebiker01
Well-Known Member
Ebiker01
Well-Known Member
You can read about the Nitro here -
https://emotionbikesusa.com/
Imo is very similar in performance with St2/Sts, St1x. Actually the Stromers lack in agility and responding fast from stop/go. I have 5 levels of power including Throttle, compared Tom to only 3or 4 ?
Same brakes, mine has Suspension in front, Aamd mich
Lighter and agile then the big tank. Another good candidate is the Bulls pedelec. Their 2019 models are very good.
https://emotionbikesusa.com/
Imo is very similar in performance with St2/Sts, St1x. Actually the Stromers lack in agility and responding fast from stop/go. I have 5 levels of power including Throttle, compared Tom to only 3or 4 ?
Same brakes, mine has Suspension in front, Aamd mich
Lighter and agile then the big tank. Another good candidate is the Bulls pedelec. Their 2019 models are very good.
dan silver
Member
I don't see how they're competitive even in the slightest.
Bosch has made frame integrated batteries a piece of cake for manufacturers. Specialized offers lightweight, highly efficient frame integrated batteries in their levo series ( 700 watt hours). They're expensive but still less than Stromer's highest end offerings. Bafang equipped bikes have frame integrated batteries.
Stromer lacks throttles and suspension. They still spec 26" wheels when almost no one else does. Smartmotion offered a COLOR lcd display integrated into the top tube while Stromer's models were only black and white. Juiced was offering GPS protection on bikes at $2.5K. Their frames don't offer size specific geometry.
They claimed swiss watch quality precision. But failure rates seem to be above industry average. They don't offer a single distinct selling point of interest. Not to mention the stromers are far heavier than most ebikes. Why? Everyone can see how this movie ends. What was their appeal in the first place?
Bosch has made frame integrated batteries a piece of cake for manufacturers. Specialized offers lightweight, highly efficient frame integrated batteries in their levo series ( 700 watt hours). They're expensive but still less than Stromer's highest end offerings. Bafang equipped bikes have frame integrated batteries.
Stromer lacks throttles and suspension. They still spec 26" wheels when almost no one else does. Smartmotion offered a COLOR lcd display integrated into the top tube while Stromer's models were only black and white. Juiced was offering GPS protection on bikes at $2.5K. Their frames don't offer size specific geometry.
They claimed swiss watch quality precision. But failure rates seem to be above industry average. They don't offer a single distinct selling point of interest. Not to mention the stromers are far heavier than most ebikes. Why? Everyone can see how this movie ends. What was their appeal in the first place?
tomjasz
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Minnesnowta
Products like ACF50, Boeshield, and a couple more avionic/aircraft related products make dialectic old school and messy! I've been using ACF 50 for decades. This class of products is essential on eBikes.
Ebiker01
Well-Known Member
I have same thoughts regarding this big Swiss bikes. Their + would be the big battery on the higher end models, but their heaviness counterattacks this battery capacity. Is just a big bike for long smooth roads. The newer St3 and St5 seem better with the Omni and specs, but still too heavy !!
They appeal to people with big egos?.
I rode a Smartmotion myself ,the Pacer with throttle and torque /cadence sensor, great price and bike. Bh again is a top contender for e bikes , and they get better every year.
Now Panasonic is entering the mid drive motor market , a lot of exciting competition ahead and that is v. Good for us as customers. Better prices, better quality overall.
Ravi Kempaiah
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Halifax
Stromer was one of the first companies to market a fully integrated battery back in 2009 when Bosch eBike systems did not even exist. It was part of the BMC eco system and produced fully integrated bikes in the early 2010's when everyone else was just slapping on batteries. Here is more info for you.
https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/stromer-st2-technical-review.13421/
Stromer's 983 Whr battery is perhaps the most energy dense battery compared to anything else out there. For a complete battery with casing, BMS, it weighs in at 4.8kg. There is no alternative high energy battery at that weight.
None of the EU bikes have throttles (Bosch, Brose, Shimano, Yamaha, Panasonic) because throttle on an eBike is banned in EU.
The new ST1, ST3 and ST5 use 27.5 wheels and the 3 and 5 use Pirelli tires that are perhaps the best 27.5 tires you can get.
That is why Smart Motion is out of business. Flashy chinese LCD system and the US distribution is completely stopped.
Stromer was the first company back in 2014 to implement a fully connected bike concept. Have they been exceptionally good at bringing out a flaw less product, no!
So does a billion $$ company like Specialized. Even after millions of $$ investment, they could not bring Mission control app to the market. The new OMNI from Stromer is a full color LCD. They have had their glitches but they have a product that is still better than any other alternative out there. The new OMNI is def an improvement over the old gen.
They did have problems with motor power cable on their ST2 lineup but it has been solved and they are good with any warranty replacements. The problem happens when a customer who is not mechanically handy, gets an eBike from a dealer 1000 miles away and doesn't know how to diagnose problems. One of my friend who owns an ST2-S was livid when her Di2 would not charge but all she had to do was plug in to the power outlet, not a USB outlet.
Stromer's direct drive packs a punch and offers very long service life.
I am yet to see a mid-drive that can do 25mph all day and still provide service of over 25,000 miles without needing a major repair.
Stromer motor's are heavy but last a long time. Their electrical gremlins are mostly related to OMNI and torque sensors but not related to the motors.
Cheap suspension fork for road riding is joke. A real FOX or RockShox needs service every 100 hours or so. Which would be like 2-3 months for a commuter. That is why many brands who have solid design and engineering background don't spec suspension. Here are some examples:
Trek Super Commuter: https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...kes/super-commuter/super-commuter-8s/p/17297/
Giant Quick E: https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/bikes-quick-eplus
Raleigh Tamland iE: https://www.raleighusa.com/tamland-ie
Raleigh Redux iE: https://www.raleighusa.com/redux-ie-step-over
Surely, the engineers at Trek and Giant know better than anyone on this forum.
dan silver
Member
You seem to be spewing random facts about stromer without addressing any of my complaints about the models. This is because you CAN'T address any of my complaints because they are all valid. Details below:
That 983 whr battery is not standard. It is a very costly upgrade. The frame integration is very nice however. Unfortunately, their bikes are incredibly heavy. This is NOT a selling point. The bike industry has moved towards building bikes that are very light, very stiff, very strong yet comfortable.
Meanwhile, Stromer's are still standard welded aluminum. They don't have any of the benefits of carbon such as light weight or comfort. Although of course they are likely very stiff frames and probably harsher riding than carbon.
So you're saying their brilliant engineers can't incorporate a throttle on US models? If they can build a 15.5 mph bike for EU and a 25 mph bike for the US why can't they incorporate a throttle for us bound bikes?
Who is one of Stromer's largest distributors in the US? REI. Here's their most affordable model. At $5K. What wheel size? 26." Why? Who knows.
https://www.rei.com/product/133968/stromer-st1-x-sport-electric-bike
Here's another with 26" wheels. Are these not stromer bikes. Is REI an insignificant distributor of stromers? Do either of these come standard with the 1K watt hour battery?
https://www.rei.com/product/133969/stromer-st2-sport-electric-bike
Apparently, you wanted to express an idea or cite a fact and forgot to. Try again.
Specialized bikes are overpriced and severely under-spec'ed for the price. What's your point?
Fine. I have no problem with what you're saying. Are you disputing any of the claims I made in particular about stromer? If so which point is it?
Fine. I have no problem with what you're saying. Are you disputing any of the claims I made in particular about stromer? If so which point is it?
I disagree. I have used inexpensive suntour forks on entry level specialized full suspension standard bikes. They work relatively well and they are certainly preferable to an unsuspended fork.
I don't know where your ride, but the roads are in such bad condition, I'd take a cheap suntour fork over a standard rigid fork for road riding.
You imply that the manufacturers are always right. This is obviously a bogus, ridiculous claim. Don't make me cite the endless list of failed designs and badly reviewed bikes from the companies listed.
Specialized has just had a recall on their front road sus.
Raleigh specs very underpowered motors. Add to that wobbly chainrings way out of true.
Trek's early full suspension designs were beyond laughably bad. By their own admission.
The Giant Stance was notorious for chainstay failures.
There are going to be tons of misses as well as some big hits. That's the nature of the game. Look at the early hyundai's and kia's. Horribly flawed. I bought an LG tv in the early 90's and had to return it immediately because of electrical shock every time I touched it. Now these products are vastly improved.
You are imputing omnipotence and godlike powers to these companies. They F up alot. They've churned out a lot of garbage on their way to making much more refined products later on.
You are just too blind or dumb to recognize the industry is in it's early days and that bad designs and low reliability are the current norm.
oh, and shimano. I bought a bike with mountain lx components back in college. This was the lowest cost group with hyperglide on the mtb side. It was slower and clunkier than deore II and deore xt but it was still amazing because you could shift under full load, which was both a miracle and a blessing for off road riding. But the group had plastic coated levers! Horrible, wobbly marginally effective. By today's standards, an embarrassment, but they worked well enough when riding.
You really need to stop worshiping these companies. Stromer wouldn't even exist right now without the help of a government bailout. What does that tell you about their financial acumen and product quality? Oh yeah, I'm sure you'll muster up a million excuses.
But no thanks, no stromers for m. No 26" wheels. No 73 lb rigid bikes. Not $6500 price tag for an entry level battery.
Man, type all you want, but here is your problem: YOU REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE INDUSTRY MAKES MISTAKES. This renders everything you write moot.
I, on the other hand, acknowledge both problems as well as industry successes. I choose to acknowledge all relevant facts not just the ones that paint my favored companies in the most favorable light possible.
Good luck and nice try.
That 983 whr battery is not standard. It is a very costly upgrade. The frame integration is very nice however. Unfortunately, their bikes are incredibly heavy. This is NOT a selling point. The bike industry has moved towards building bikes that are very light, very stiff, very strong yet comfortable.
Meanwhile, Stromer's are still standard welded aluminum. They don't have any of the benefits of carbon such as light weight or comfort. Although of course they are likely very stiff frames and probably harsher riding than carbon.
So you're saying their brilliant engineers can't incorporate a throttle on US models? If they can build a 15.5 mph bike for EU and a 25 mph bike for the US why can't they incorporate a throttle for us bound bikes?
Who is one of Stromer's largest distributors in the US? REI. Here's their most affordable model. At $5K. What wheel size? 26." Why? Who knows.
https://www.rei.com/product/133968/stromer-st1-x-sport-electric-bike
Here's another with 26" wheels. Are these not stromer bikes. Is REI an insignificant distributor of stromers? Do either of these come standard with the 1K watt hour battery?
https://www.rei.com/product/133969/stromer-st2-sport-electric-bike
Apparently, you wanted to express an idea or cite a fact and forgot to. Try again.
Specialized bikes are overpriced and severely under-spec'ed for the price. What's your point?
Fine. I have no problem with what you're saying. Are you disputing any of the claims I made in particular about stromer? If so which point is it?
Fine. I have no problem with what you're saying. Are you disputing any of the claims I made in particular about stromer? If so which point is it?
I disagree. I have used inexpensive suntour forks on entry level specialized full suspension standard bikes. They work relatively well and they are certainly preferable to an unsuspended fork.
I don't know where your ride, but the roads are in such bad condition, I'd take a cheap suntour fork over a standard rigid fork for road riding.
You imply that the manufacturers are always right. This is obviously a bogus, ridiculous claim. Don't make me cite the endless list of failed designs and badly reviewed bikes from the companies listed.
Specialized has just had a recall on their front road sus.
Raleigh specs very underpowered motors. Add to that wobbly chainrings way out of true.
Trek's early full suspension designs were beyond laughably bad. By their own admission.
The Giant Stance was notorious for chainstay failures.
There are going to be tons of misses as well as some big hits. That's the nature of the game. Look at the early hyundai's and kia's. Horribly flawed. I bought an LG tv in the early 90's and had to return it immediately because of electrical shock every time I touched it. Now these products are vastly improved.
You are imputing omnipotence and godlike powers to these companies. They F up alot. They've churned out a lot of garbage on their way to making much more refined products later on.
You are just too blind or dumb to recognize the industry is in it's early days and that bad designs and low reliability are the current norm.
oh, and shimano. I bought a bike with mountain lx components back in college. This was the lowest cost group with hyperglide on the mtb side. It was slower and clunkier than deore II and deore xt but it was still amazing because you could shift under full load, which was both a miracle and a blessing for off road riding. But the group had plastic coated levers! Horrible, wobbly marginally effective. By today's standards, an embarrassment, but they worked well enough when riding.
You really need to stop worshiping these companies. Stromer wouldn't even exist right now without the help of a government bailout. What does that tell you about their financial acumen and product quality? Oh yeah, I'm sure you'll muster up a million excuses.
But no thanks, no stromers for m. No 26" wheels. No 73 lb rigid bikes. Not $6500 price tag for an entry level battery.
Man, type all you want, but here is your problem: YOU REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE INDUSTRY MAKES MISTAKES. This renders everything you write moot.
I, on the other hand, acknowledge both problems as well as industry successes. I choose to acknowledge all relevant facts not just the ones that paint my favored companies in the most favorable light possible.
Good luck and nice try.
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bluecat
Well-Known Member
Sadly, I have to tell you that you were wrong informed.
The ST2s is the fastest accelerating (street legal) Stromer ever. The reasons for the existing performance are:
- Superfast Shimano Di2 shifting
- High capacity 983Wh battery
- Only 26" wheel diameter
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