STROMER ST1 ELITE ( Questions I have and Comments )

[ScooterMan101]

2 days ago , I test road a Stromer ST1 Elite,
as well as two other bikes , I will mention later on.

It looks like a quality bike... But,
I was very , Disappointed with the Lack of a twist throttle and sluggish performance !
It has PAS , ONLY , and when testing it with tired legs and slowly peddling , it was Jerky and
the motor felt weak .

Note: the reason I am going with an electric bike is because of Arthritis / Tendinitis in Knees, and Tired legs and Body.
I need to sometimes , often in fact , just use the throttle .
I notice on the PAS bikes that you only go faster when you peddle faster and harder, so PAS is , NOT, for me.

That bike is Expensive, with a 500 watt motor at 36 volts , I thought it would have done much better !
I would buy one used , at a much lower cost,
IF
I could take off the PAS system and use a throttle, and use the full potential of that 500 watt motor.

Who has taken off the PAS and put on a Throttle on the Stromer here on ES ?
I would think it would take a whole different controller ?
Anything Plug right in ?
Cost ?
Performance Level ?

I do like the Build of the Bike, but with only a single chainring in the front , and only 9 in the rear, and being so heavy , the Stromer needs a very , Serious , Upgrade to the Electronics .

 

[Lebowski]

tja, what else would you expect from a law abiding European street legal bike ?

 

[ScooterMan101]

At the Price of it , a lot more !

Not at all smooth .

I am guessing a lot more can be done , once the PAS is thrown away and a good controller and throttle is put on.
it does at least have a 11.5 Amp hour battery pack.

Wonder if anyone has put 48 volts through it, with a 14 or larger amp hour battery pack.

 

[ARod1993]

You might be able to hack the ST1 to operate with a throttle rather than just with PAS, depending on how the PAS is configured. If you're lucky there's a torque or chain tension sensor on the bottom bracket that outputs a variable voltage back to the controller; in that case it might be possible to disconnect the wires from the bottom bracket and attach a 3-wire potentiometer or Hall throttle in their place. If it's a cadence sensor that outputs periodic pulses to the controller then you're going to be in for a bit more trouble trying to bang together an interface for that, and you might wind up needing to either replace or perform a decent amount of surgery on the motor controller.

 

[ScooterMan101]

@ ARod1993

That is exactly what I am wondering,
Once I can find out from someone here that has done this,
I can decided if it is simple/cost effective , to get a Used Sromer ST1
or
Is it too costly and time consuming to make it worth while.

Hopefully someone here has done all that needs to be done to it, ( Throttle/Higher Amps, and perhaps 48 volts .)

 

[Lebowski]

I mean, what you're considering is buying an e-bike and ripping out the electronics and the battery, leaving you a frame with motor.

There are cheaper ways to get a frame and a motor...

Why you think people here build their own ?

 

[2old]

Look at Motiv; throttle only, no PAS (for 2014). Scooter with a decent battery for $1800 or so (probably less with new stuff about to emerge). Call Myron's Extreme Machines in Fullerton if you can't find one up your way. I am in no way affiliated with them. If you want to take a chance alibaba has them a lot cheaper (you may need to buy 20 though).

 

[ScooterMan101]

@ Lebowski

I have considered converting a regular peddle bike over to electric ... although it would be easier for me to disconnect a PAS sensor and put in a new controller on an existing e-bike , perhaps, it would depend on the model and how the PAS system is connected. . And I did not see a ring with magnets on the BB area on the Stromer so wondering if it is a more complicated PAS system.
However I am also , in fact looking on craiglist for a good peddle bike for conversion, I am leaning towards full suspension . I am lucky to live in an area with many used bikes for sale,
including many used electric bikes.
I have noticed a common problem with the used electric bikes up for sale, and that is 85-95 % of them have tired, worn out battery packs , and over 65% or more have DEAD , Battery Packs,
So a Stromer will someday come up for sale , however , mostly likely it will need a new battery pack as over 85 % of the used e-bikes do, so that is when I would consider upping the voltage, but if disconnecting the Peddle Assist feature and using a throttle, with a controller with better amp rating would give it a good boost in power, then I would be happy with a new 36 volt pack.