Electric Bikes - First ebike - Strong GT-S210

Well...after a little research and some great advise from other users on the forum I bit the bullet and bought my first ebike.

I went for the Strong GT-S210 form Canadian Tire. There are a number of reasons but in the end it was a compromise.

While it may not be the best bike for the cash it offered some advantages in my mind:
-Major retailer (support, return)
-Deferred payment at said major retailer
-Bigger reported battery for a) long range and b) a heavy rider (me)
-Turnkey bike (I wasn't ready to kit-it at this stage)
-Big heavy bike (may be a disadvantage to some, an advantage to others)
-Simple operation (pedal-assist vs. separate throttle/pedal combo)
-Available now (I am on vacation soon and wanted something to ride)

I have only had a chance to ride it 5 times since picking it up on Monday and have only gone 25 km total. So I am still learning how to use the pedal-assist and gearing. But, I was able to ride the 7 km to work in under 22 minutes. In my car this same drive takes 12-15 minutes. Tells me how much gas I waste sitting at stop lights.

First impressions are limited but I will say:
-that there needs to be better instructions in the manual on how to use pedal-assist (where the gears should be, how this makes a difference, how the pedal-assist amount varies under what conditions)
-after 25 km the battery is still showing about 3/4 charge (and I use it about 1/2 the time at this point...pedal up hill and us power assist to rest the legs on the flat ground after the hill).
-it is a little hard to get it going, but I found that starting in Low/3 on the gears that the bike does a nice pedal-assist takeoff
-The "trunk" box is rather flimsy and will likely be the first thing to go. Especially if I keep forgetting it is there and keep kicking it when I swing over.
-It IS HEAVY...but not having any other experience with an ebike, I can live with it.

I will post more once I get more practice and the bike starts to get a workout, if anyone is interested.

Like I said, there may be a better option, but what I do know is that I would have driven the car on 5 city trips today if I didn't have this ebike....and I broke into a sly, self-satisfying grin this morning after my first commute knowing I didn't pay for gas or pollute with my car. ;)

Did you see my review of the Strong from last year?

STRONG GTS-210 REVIEW BY ZEUSER (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=220121)

I gave my Strong to my Dad. I'm now rocking with a Bionx. I've ran into a few Strongs in Mississauga and downtown Toronto as of late.

I crossed Ian with his strong twice along the burnhamthorpe trail. Great guy. It's funny because we go in the same direction so when we meet up, by coincidence, we end up riding together. And everytime we do so I constantly have to reduce the assist or press the brake to slow down to Ian's pace. My Bionx is just too quick.

The Strong is cheaper and fully equipped (lights and horn) so it's a decent deal for the price.

One thing about that box; don't trust the lock. It has popped open on me several times. Ian puts a bungee cord around it so he doesn't lose the contents. I added some silicone around the rim to reduce the noise. I also took apart the rear light and put it into the box behind that full width reflector. It works pretty well.

Enjoy your Strong.

I recently bought the folding bike from CT and I have a bit of "buyer's remorse". I am a 60 year old retiree and originally wanted it to take to the local lake by car with my wife where she does a rigorous walk on the boardwalk while I ride it on the nearby bike trail. I have problems with the bottom of my feet and get sore if I walk any distance but I can get my exercise by biking. In any case I am finding that I like to ride the bike all the way to the lake and back again so I don't take advantage of the folding action.
One of the local ebikers warned me to get the more powerful bike.
I did notice that the Strong website is offline so today when I went to the local CT store today I asked the bike salesman what gives with this bike and he said to me that it was "seasonally discontinued". When I asked what that means he said when the store sells out it's present stock it will not get anymore at least for this year.
I really like the Strong and feel it's a lot of bike for the money.

Did you see my review of the Strong from last year?

STRONG GTS-210 REVIEW BY ZEUSER (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=220121)



Yes, I did read your review, Zeuser. It is one of the reasons I ended up with the Strong.

It was great info.

I saw a comment that the bike can only accomodate 100kg (220lbs) total including rider, gear etc. Is there any information on riders who are 200lbs and the performance of the STRONG?

I am concerned about being too heavy (205) for the combined weight of the rider and bike. I hadn't thought of that when I looked at Ebikes.
You mention that you are "heavy", has that been as issue? One of the reasons for me getting the bike was for a graduated fitness program to address weight and shortness of breath.

I saw a comment that the bike can only accomodate 100kg (220lbs) total including rider, gear etc. Is there any information on riders who are 200lbs and the performance of the STRONG?

I have only had the Strong GT for 3 days. So far I have gone about 45 km and the battery is just starting to hit below 1/4 capacity when going up hills. It may say it is rated at 100km but weight, hills, etc. change that. If I get 40-50km per charge I will be happy.

I am about 260lbs (6 foot - 4 inches) and so far the bike is handling fine. I ride with about a 10 lb backpack strapped to the rear carrier.

I am not in shape at all and when I finish the 6 1/2 km (22 minute) commute to work I am a little sweaty (depending on humidity). I am getting a workout and this is what I want.

I will likely have a better idea of how the bike holds up to weight in the next few weeks, but it is a heavily built bike so I can't see my weight being a factor.

I have only had the Strong GT for 3 days. So far I have gone about 45 km and the battery is just starting to hit below 1/4 capacity when going up hills. It may say it is rated at 100km but weight, hills, etc. change that. If I get 40-50km per charge I will be happy.


Well, the battery finally gave all it had on my trip home today. So I didn't quite make 50 km on a single charge. ..only about 48 km.

Like all the cars I have owned I had to get used to reading the "gas gauge" (volt meter) on the Strong. I now know that when it starts to dip below 1/2 and nears 1/4 that it is definitely time to charge as you loose power quickly when climbing hills or relying on the pedal-assist too much.

And yes, like the naysayers like to point out about ebikes I had to walk a bit and huff and puff a bit as I climbed hills (the bike is heavy without power). But, now I know when to charge and next week will go more smoothly as I get use to gearing. Now it will be two round commutes and then charge.

And I still have not had to pay for gas on my daily commute to work. ;)

Your batteries will be happier if you keep them charged up as often as possible. If you can't charge wherever you ride to, you should definitely top up overnight at home.

Your batteries will be happier if you keep them charged up as often as possible. If you can't charge wherever you ride to, you should definitely top up overnight at home.

Thanks for tip...I will likely charge every night then as it is a little awkward to do at work every day.

I let it run down as the manual implies (or I assumed) that the new battery needs to be cycled a couple of times to improve its (the battery's) performance overall. I also wanted to see how far it really would go for me.

I also checked the tire pressure and the store didn't inflate to the recommended rate (I now remember he only used his hand to check pressure). I added a fair amount and with a new battery (and with a few days riding) have gone from 22 minutes to work to about 18 minutes.

Do you have any idea of the amount that you pedal-pedal assist-all assist? (with a trip of 48k being 100%)
My intention is to primarily pedal except for hills or long upgrades.

I assumed (bad idea?) that the battery on the STRONG was like a car battery and it wouldn't hurt it to charge every time I put the bike away, just like a car battery charges every time you drive your car. This, for most people, is every day. I want to get the most out of my battery and I'm a little confused-concerned by the "300 charges" apparent limitation.
?

Do you have any idea of the amount that you pedal-pedal assist-all assist? (with a trip of 48k being 100%)
My intention is to primarily pedal except for hills or long upgrades.

I am away on vacation so I have limited time to the net, but I did want to mention that I hooked our "Trek" kid bike trailer to the strong and I pulled it and my 6 year old daughter over 6 km with no noticable drop in battery and not problem going up and down hills. So along with my 260 lbs plus her 40 lbs plus the trailer the Strong did well. It was cacual riding so no speed records but it was easy pulling with the motor.

As for my origianl 45 km run on one charge, remember this was over six trips at 6. 4 km each so the battery appears to "regain" energy when it sits for a bit. But most of that was with peddling and it is hard to say how much. But, I am still pleased witht he Strong and its performance so far.
Phil

Thanks for the information. I finally took delivery on the bike and went out for some small trips. Today I went 23.5km to pick up something at work--shut off the bike for about 1/2 hour--rode back the 23.5 and then added 3km to another pick up (I'm on holidays) and then home--5km. Within 3.5 hours I rode 57kms. The battery indicator showed just under 3/4 !! That met all of my expectations and I'm thrilled with the bike.