Fandomii

Hi folks,,

I am looking to purchase a speed e-bike and I've been looking at a Stromer ST2 with belt drive. I did a test drive and everything seemed great (quiet, powerful, great build really).

However, I was feeling a lot of vibrations on the pedals and the seat (even with a kinect suspension seat post)! It definitely seemed off, there were constantly vibrations at all gears. I think the vibrations were there also when not pedaling, albeit not so strong. Is that normal for this type of bike or should I be telling the shop to have a better look at it (e.g.the bottom bracket)?

2old

Definitely not normal for Stromer. I tested a couple four or five years ago and they were smooth riding right up to 30 mph. I don't know where you're located, but if near San Diego, they used to have their Sales, CS and warehouse there. You might call them and try to ascertain the origin of the problem.

veganbikes

Did you let the shop know these problems exist? If they said we will fix it then I would go back when it is fixed if not I would move on. I want good support behind that bike and if they won't fix an obvious problem for a customer and for themselves I would be scared for when you might have a problem down the line.

Stromer made great bikes and continued to make the same basic bikes they built their legacy on which is fine for say Brompton who is a heritage bike company that makes non-electric bikes but for electric bikes building nearly the same bike you did 10 years ago and adding blueteeth is not really a company I am interested in. Technology is moving forward not staying stationary, they basically built premium Specialized Turbos (the old hub drives Specialized made which at the time where cool but quickly got old) and are still doing that where Specialized and most other folks have moved on to various mid drive motors either of their own designs or from other known quantities.

Fandomii

Thank you for your reply! Am I understanding you correctly that you think that hub drive motors are inferior to mid-drive? (I really like how quiet it is but I知 not sure what disadvantages it has)

veganbikes

Correct, they are less efficient and because you have thin tiny spokes holding up quite a heavy weight they are prone to breakage and it is not due to any quality factors or anything like that. Plus with that heavy weight it is all rotational weight so that is weight you have to move, a mid-drive is static. Plus the mid-drive leads to a balanced bike as the weight is as low as possible right in the middle it makes the bike easier to handle and feels more like a regular bike. It also means you have more choice in what wheels you go for and drivetrains and stuff like that. Plus better range on mid drives due to efficiency.

You can get quieter mid-drives like the Brose motors which are internally belt driven but I love my Bosch motor and really don't notice the noise so much. Maybe on a really quiet country road it is easier to hear but I don't have that luxury very often and once you are used to it all the noise kind of goes away.

2old

Hub drives are excellent for commuting and only suffer in road riding when the hills are too steep in which case a more powerful system (which may be illegal) is needed. Go to the endless sphere site where there are more advocates, some with 25,000 miles on their conversions or to ebikesca where the smartest people (IMO) in e-bikes have tools to support the concept. Mid-drives excel for riding off road and generally are better for steep terrain.

Fandomii

Thank you! This generally contradicts the earlier reply about hub motors having lower efficiency than mid drives. Where is the truth? I知 a bit confused.

fooferdoggie 

If you stay in the cadence zone your motor is designed for your motor will run at peak efficiency. its not dependent on your bike speed only your peddling speed. hub motor is only going to be the most efficient at their top speed.

2old

You'll need more experience (and maybe more opinions). I've built, ridden and own bikes of both types, and ridden many, many more when writing for a bike publication. Additionally, I don't have a horse in the race since I'm not involved in the bike industry anymore.