The Stromer Sport is a high powered electric bike that looks beautiful and offers zippy, medium ranged rides. It features a decent, but not top of the line, battery that’s built right into the down tube keeping the center of gravity low and distributing weight evenly across the frame. Controller, battery and wires are all integrated for a beautiful aesthetic. The bike is easy to maneuver at racks or public transportation but the frame is heavier than some others in this price range. The combination of thin, fast rolling tires, firm narrow seat, aluminum build and racy geometry make this bike feel more like a road bike than a cruiser or hybrid but the front shock helps to smooth it out.
The Stromer Sport is powerful, featuring a 500 Watt brusless, gearless rear hub motor driven by a 36 Volt 10 amp hour battery. Even though the motor is rated and labeled as 500w, it actually drives at 600w based on the configuration. Even so, the motor runs super quiet and is nearly undetectable except for powering up hills, which it does very well. It’s quiet because it is brushess and gearless which also means it will last longer and coast further than a geared option but offers a bit less torque. This bike is capable of supporting heavier riders but may become uncomfortable over longer rides. It can also feel a bit jerky running in throttle only mode and sometimes takes a second to respond.
It should be obvious from the pictures and even more so in person; this bike is simple and clean. No rear rack (though it does have threaded eyelets for adding one, along with a water bottle cage and fenders). The controller and battery management system are built right into the down tube where the battery fits. Nothing gets in your way, no wires or extra chains, no rattling or jittering, just a great looking bike that’s fun to ride. I especially like the stock chain slap guard and neoprene wire cover fitted to both sides of the rear chain stay. I just wish it had chain guides on the front ring because the chain tends to bounce off when going over bumps.
There are four levels of pedal assist to choose from with this bike including Economy, City, Tour and Power. Rather than using a pedelec sensor, the Stromer Sport employs a torque sensor located right inside the rear hub. In pedal assist mode, the system senses how much pressure you’re applying and then matches it. The primary benefit of this design choice is responsiveness; the motor starts and stops as you pedal with minimal delay. Acceleration also feels very smooth vs. jerky. The only downside here is you actually have to apply pressure in order to make it activate and that can be a drawback if you have sensitive knees and don’t like pushing constantly.
The braking system on this bike is designed for more than just stopping power, it’s setup to capture and store kinetic energy with two levels of regenerative braking. In my experience it wasn’t clear how much energy was actually being conserved or whether the extra weight and expense of the system were worth it. Still, it’s a neat feature and helps to extend the 10 amp hours of capacity built into the battery pack. It also reduces wear on the brakes themselves helping them to last longer.
The Stromer Sport comes in several color options including silver, black and white. It’s available in a low-step or high-step frame amd can be ordered in small at 15 inches, medium at 18, large at 20 or extra large 22. This is a unique offering because most ebikes are only available in high step or low step with no size variation. Still, that’s usually good enough with a bit of seat and handlebar adjustment because those bikes handle more like cruisers than road bikes. The Stromer Sport by contrast fits well in a road bike shop where riders want to dial in their positioning and pedal more aggressively.
This bike has a lot going for it including the clean integrated design, torque sensing pedal assist, regenerative braking and frame size options but it’s not all good. As mentioned earlier, I found that the chain easily bounced off of the front ring which rarely happens on other ebikes and some of the components seemed lower end. Also, the sheer weight of the bike is a bit annoying and confusing considering how clean it looks. It’s easy to forget once you’re riding however, because the bike is fast, balanced and fun to ride.
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Phil
11 years agoNice review, thanks. I have the upgrade version of this bike with the full 27 speeds and hydraulic brakes and I love the bike.
Once comment. You describe the 18650 batteries as lithium nickel metal hydride, which is incorrect. They are true lithium-ion. The nomenclature “Li-NMC” stands for lithium nickel manganese cobalt, which refers to the lithium-ion battery chemistry. So these are full fledged lithium-ion batteries, not merely a step up from lead-acid. I don’t think that there is such a thing as lithium nickel metal hydride.
Thanks and keep up the good work. I like your page.
ReplyLewis D
10 years agoThanks for all the great work! This bike is on sale now as a clearance item for around two thousand dollars. Do you think it is a good value?
ReplyCourt Rye
10 years agoHi Lewis! That’s not too bad for a bike with pedal assist and throttle mode with a purpose-built frame. It’s got all of the right components to make it a winner and if you keep the gears tuned you probably won’t fall off as it did when I tested a demo unit. The biggest drawbacks I would consider are the heavier weight and price of replacement batteries. If you’re looking at a clearance item it may have been sitting on a showroom floor for a long time and the battery may have been allowed to drain to damagingly low levels. Make sure you ask about the warranty and have it tuned up first. Otherwise, it’s a solid bike and I think $2K is a great price :)
ReplyI'm Pete
10 years agoI love this bike. Can’t get them here in New Zealand. Any dealers out there want to ship me one?
ReplyRay
10 years agoAny suggestions for a replacement chain guard for the Stromer ST1 Elite? Swapping out the 43T front chainring for a 50T chainring.
Replyoniel
10 years agoLocal bike store is selling this bike small frame for $1500. It’s been sitting in a corner for quiet some time so I know the battery is probably junk and the bike is being sold as is. Wondering if I should take a chance or pony up for the st2 when it becomes available. I was a bit surprised at the poor quality of the components though.
ReplyCourt Rye
10 years agoHey Oniel, I’d definitely go for the ST1 or one of the ST1 models over the Sport. My experience with the bike wasn’t that great and as you suggest, the battery is definitely at a lower capacity than when the bike was new and may even be damaged unless the shop topped it off regularly and kept it away from extreme temperatures. Here is some more info on how batteries degrade over time.
Reply