Reseg

Here's what some might consider an interesting fact about me: You don't have to make any assumptions! All of my rides are documented for PUBLIC view. You can see the power I put into the bike, since I use Powertap pedals, you can see the heart rate and GPS, for further data that proves my usage, and you can see accumulated mileage. The Impulse 2 motor (Focus) 3,954.8 mi and the Stromer ST2 11,341.0 mi, at the time of this post (May 11, 2017 mid-day), take a look: https://www.strava.com/athletes/1007634 In addition, you can see my comparison videos and commute video I did, showing exactly how and where I ride: https://www.youtube.com/user/adamlalter/videos?shelf_id=0&view=0&sort=dd You can also see the post where I took the Impulse 2 motor apart, when my second one failed, where I showed the stripped plastic gear in it. Your assumptions of "illegal usage" are 100% false. Also, I never called him a liar. I'm a very open and honest person, blunt, in fact. I didn't beat around the bush and said I found it hard to believe, though, anything is possible. I just wanted to see data on what he considered heavy riding and hills, to put into context. I would also like to see his GPS data, because I KNOW many who think they ride 500 miles a month, but don't track it and in reality, it's more like 150-200, tops. Then, you have to also consider the fact that this is the internet. People DO lie, quite often. When a purchase of thousand$ is pending, real information would probably be appreciated, so some facts and proof are typically a plus, not something people argue against others asking for. Love, Adam

Hello drama! /nothanks! We all have lives outside of this forum (or, most) which is why many have very few posts. Anyways, just like I documented my motor problems with pics and details, I'd think it's very helpful to give context to exactly what "hills" and "heavily" ridden means. Considering support told me their bike wasn't meant to handle how I ride, as they told me it needed a 4th motor... If you don't agree that it would be helpful for those researching these things, then I guess we don't agree!

I don't want to call you a liar, but it would greatly help to see at least your GPS tracking data showing your documented total distance, ave speed, and elevation, from a site like Strava. Just to confirm how "heavily" you're riding it. The definition may be much different for you Support even told me their bikes aren't made to be put through what I do, which is 40 miles a day of commuting really fast. Mine now has under 4k miles and needs a 4th motor. Yet, at the same time, my Stromer ST2 just passed 11,000 miles and it appears to be brand new still and I ride both bikes EXACTLY the same, on the same commute route. The only issue the ST2 had was the front wheel bearing wore out. I find it hard to believe you took a Kalkhoff bike (having an engineering backgorund and knowing its build quality) 10k miles of hills and riding it rough, withOUT a problem to note, and that you joined just to say this! I guess anything is possible, though!

I've always read hub motors are at a major disadvantage on steep hills like this (8%+ grade @ start, up to 17% grade), and we all know weight is a big disadvantage on hills and the Stromer is heavier, and I'm a big guy. So, given that, and the fact that this mid-drive is rated at 70Nm, and the Stromer @ 35Nm, many would think the Stromer would get creamed, I know I thought so. This isn't conclusive, but a fun comparison at a high wattage, and it does tell part of the story. These 2 bikes are considered by many who are looking for long range, dependability, and good speed. People shy away from the Stromer due to the hub motor's rumored efficiency (vs. mid-drive), performance on climbs, as well as price. That's why I opted for the other, but since, I've learned differently. I always prefer to gravitate towards information backed by testing and data, but unfortunately, at least the English sites, people just post manufacturer specs and build their theories from that. Most reviews are just people pointing at parts on the bike and saying what they are, then pedaling around a little bit with the camera on and saying how comfortable it is. As an actual "cyclist", I can say the "moped" feels much more like a bike in things like the natural responsiveness of the assist, the positioning and angles of the cranks & pedals, the noise it makes, handling-due to weight distribution, and the little random things (Impulse 2 motor cuts out on bumps, surges at stoplights, has a very hard motor cutoff at top speed, ect). But it's cheaper, by a good amount (MSRP). Again, I'm not here to bash, they're both good bikes, depending on the need, but the limitations, issues, and performance of the bikes needs to be clear in order to help those looking to spend their money. No reason for bandwagons, arguments, fanbois, and cherry picking details to fit their ignorant bias, that helps nobody. The stromer has had multiple battery errors, as the only problem so far. It's usually when I'm turning it on to ride and I just pull the battery for a sec and put it back to clear. One time that didn't work and I rode it with the system off for a few feet and then it was fine. Also, once it had an error during the charge and I didn't know, which left it partially charged for my long commute, which was very annoying. But the Focus back wheel is really bad. Like the other person mentioned, mine cracked at the eyelets where the spokes attach. I didn't bother using the warranty, I threw it away and bought a better cyclocross wheel.

I'm definitely not here to argue, or bash the company, but the fact that the plastic gear is stripping within a couple thousand miles would be a pretty significant data point to indicate otherwise. I don't doubt this one bit, however, in my research of the industry and buyers, you have a lot of purchases made by much older folks who put a very light work load on the bike, in regards to both intensity and volume of use (couple hundred miles a year @ most). These bikes would be great for that. My 10,000 miles of bike commuting per year at max assist and max speed is clearly way outside the dependability use range of this bike, given I'm on the 3rd motor and it has the backpedal/brake error now and I've not even hit 4k miles between all 3 motors combined. I still really appreciate the bike, though it's not met my needs or expectations. I know my expectations are high, but I don't feel unreasonable for it to last at least a year, maybe two, before burning up a motor. I bought an ST2 a few months ago and it's already at almost 2,500 miles. The only thing I've done is kept the chain lubed, and cleaned the bike one time. I've considered doing a full review comparison, as I have all the data collected. I did a very silly hill climb comparison video, sorry for the corny music and graphics, it was my first video and I was having fun with it and let my 12 yr old daughter pick out the music and animations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqTMgStAeuw

I'm sure there are more motor failures than you suspect. The majority of people ride a few hundred miles over a year or few years, which I don't consider being a commuter, cyclist, or even someone who rides a bike,more like someone who happens to *have* a bike and has been on it a few times. It you actually use the bike for commuting, transport, exercise, whatever, it's hard to not put a few thousand miles on an ebike. Given their cost and marketing angle, I don't personally feel thousands of miles is unreasonable expectations from a more premium model. I have the Focus Aventura Impulse S10, with the Impulse 2 motor (Kalkhoff with a different badge). It's now waiting on its 3rd motor, with <3k miles and being 10 months old. After the 2nd one failed, the same way as the 1st (sudden grinding, locking up, then free spinning motor sounds with no assist) I took it apart. There's a plastic-ish gear in it that's ripped up. I'm guessing this is the trick they found to a quieter motor with the Impulse 2 release.