Photo credit: Jaslyn Thorne
TECHNOLOGY
Akash Sablok
Stromer ST3: Electric Hybrid Bike
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Photo: Arjun Sablok
unday morning, 14 degrees, mostly sunny. It was a good day for a bike ride.
The ST3 is an S-pedelec, rear-hub motor commuter-travel eBike from the Swiss company Stromer. A keyless bike with GPS tracking that encourages you to leave the car at home.
Usually, when you map a route, you look for the shortest distance. A few weeks ago, the Stromer ST3 arrived and I now search for the longest routes possible.
Riding at its top speed of 45 kilometres in Stanley Park can get you a ticket. Sorry, Officer, I did not know I was pedalling that fast.
After a 19-kilometre ride, I reached Stanley Park. • Battery-level 90% • Human-level 100% • 22 kilometres later and I am at Horseshoe Bay. • Battery-level 78% • Human-level 90% I hopped onto the ferry and reached Bowen Island where I cycled the trails. After 85.49 kilometres of paved roads, steep hills, bridges, and gravel trails, I reached home again. • Battery-level 40% • Human-level 100%
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Riding at its top speed of 45 kilometres in Stanley Park can get you a ticket.
with a dim and bright setting, and a front flap on the stem that houses a USB port to charge your cell phone. A phone holder built into the stem requires some assembly. The ST3 has long-distance capabilities and equips the ST3 with a decent rear carrier. The carrier is rated for 22.5 kilograms, fine for lightweight bike travel. Just below the stem and on the top tube—that you can order as the standard straight tube “Sport” or a sloping “Comfort” tube—there is a well-placed touch-screen display. There you can see your speed, power level, battery remaining, and more.
Most eBikes are a combination of components assembled from various companies. That allows a company to offer many variations of their models. It’s great for a seasoned rider who has enough experience to choose his or her bike. But for someone like me, Stromer has done the homework. The ST3 is a very well-built bike that concentrates on function and minimum design. It has very few exposed wires, a powerful headlight BC Notaries Association
Volume 29 Number 3 Fall 2020
