The problem
Commuting is one of the biggest sources of car traffic in Europe, and many commutes are between 10 and 30 km: too far for a normal bike for most people, but short enough that the car spends much of its time in queues. Public transport often does not serve suburb-to-suburb or village-to-business-park routes well.
The standard e-bike, legally a bicycle in the EU, cuts its motor at 25 km/h. At that speed a 20 km commute takes close to an hour. The speed pedelec class, with assistance to 45 km/h, can halve that time and compete with a car in congested traffic, but it is legally a light moped, with registration, insurance and helmet rules.
The product
The Stromer ST7 is the brand’s top model. Stromer’s published specifications (Stromer):
- pedal assistance up to 45 km/h, in EU vehicle category L1e-B (a US version is limited to 28 mph);
- Stromer SYNO Sport II rear-hub motor rated at 940 W;
- a 48 V, 1,440 Wh battery with a stated maximum range of 260 km;
- a Pinion C1.12 Smart.Shift gearbox with 12 gears and a 600% range, which can shift automatically to a target pedalling cadence;
- a Gates carbon belt instead of a chain, for low maintenance;
- built-in connectivity for GPS tracking, remote locking and software updates.
Stromer says the ST7 is now CHF/EUR 1,500 cheaper than before. Cycling Weekly put its advertised price at EUR 11,490 before that cut (Cycling Weekly). The ST7 won Belgian motoring club VAB’s Bike of the Year 2026 in the speed pedelec category, after more than 70 consumers tested it (Stromer).
The ST7 sits on a lineage that goes back to 2009, when Binggeli, who had founded the Swiss bike maker Thömus in 1991, built the Stromer V1. It had rear-wheel drive, unusually high power, an integrated battery and a sporty look that set it apart from the upright e-bikes of the time (Stromer). Today myStromer sells the ST1 to ST7 range in Europe and North America and also owns the Desiknio brand.
How it works
- Pedal: the rider pedals and a torque sensor measures effort.
- Assist: the rear-hub motor adds power in proportion, up to 45 km/h.
- Shift: the Pinion gearbox picks the gear automatically, or pre-selects one when coasting.
- Brake and recover: the motor can brake regeneratively, adding a little energy back to the battery.
- Connect: the bike reports location and status to an app and can be locked remotely.
- Charge: the battery is charged from a normal socket, at home or at work.
Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Thomas Binggeli builds the first Stromer V1 |
| 2023 | ST7 shown at IAA Summit, Munich; myStromer reports profitable growth and 180 staff |
| 12 Dec 2025 | Recall of about 6,850 WREN front forks on ST3, ST5 and ST7 |
| 1 May 2026 | ST7 wins VAB Bike of the Year 2026; Marcel Korner becomes Group CEO |
| 4 Sep 2026 | Recall extended to a further batch of forks |
Impact and numbers
- Fleet: Stromer says more than 150,000 of its bikes are on the move each day (Stromer).
- Distance: in 2023 the company said its connected riders had covered more than 109 million commuter kilometres, which it estimated saved more than 20,000 tonnes of CO2; myStromer also reported over 10% consolidated growth and a profit that year (Outdoor Sportswire).
- Belgium, the key market: 14,058 new and 9,623 second-hand speed pedelecs were registered in Belgium in 2025, a record for second-hand bikes. Leasing companies now account for 62.4% of new registrations, because a lease takes care of maintenance, insurance and residual value for both employer and employee; private buyers fell to 24.8% (TRAXIO).
Honest caveats. The CO2 saving is Stromer’s own estimate and assumes that every kilometre replaced a car kilometre, which is not true for riders who switched from a train or a normal bike. Stromer publishes no life-cycle footprint for the ST7, and a large battery and motor add to its manufacturing impact. Price is the main barrier: at around EUR 10,000 it costs as much as a used car, and most Belgian riders lease through employers rather than buy. Under EU rules (Regulation (EU) No 168/2013) a speed pedelec is a moped, needing type approval, a number plate and insurance (EUR-Lex), and in many countries it cannot use all cycle paths, which puts riders in car traffic at 45 km/h. Safety is a live issue: in December 2025 Stromer recalled about 6,850 WREN front forks on the ST3, ST5 and ST7 because the steerer tube could crack or separate, told owners not to ride, and expanded the recall in September 2026 (Stromer; GOV.UK). Staff numbers also differ between sources (130 on Stromer’s site, 180 in its 2023 release).
What’s next
Under its new Group CEO, myStromer says it wants to strengthen its brands and technology. The company has shown a prototype with a solid-state ceramic battery and built a digital unit in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. In Belgium, the growth now comes from leasing and from a fast-growing second-hand market as lease bikes return.
Why it matters for Europe / green buyers
Speed pedelecs are one of the few clean options that can replace a car for longer commutes without new rail lines. Belgium shows that tax rules matter more than technology: bike leasing has made speed pedelecs a standard employee benefit in Flanders, while sales lag in Wallonia and Brussels where cycling infrastructure is weaker. Employers and cities that want fewer car commuters can copy that model with leasing schemes, safe fast cycle routes and charging at work.
In India, faster electric two-wheelers are already regulated as motor vehicles, and the electric scooter fills the niche that the speed pedelec fills in Europe. A EUR 10,000 bike is not a mass product there, but the idea of pedal-assisted, low-energy commuting at moped speeds could matter on the edges of growing cities where scooters dominate.
Sources & image credits
- Stromer, “Stromer ST7”: https://www.stromerbike.com/en/bikes/st7
- Stromer, “Stromer ST7 wins VAB Bike of the Year Award 2026” (1 May 2026): https://www.stromerbike.com/en/news/stromer-st7-wins-vab-bike-of-the-year-award-2026
- Stromer, “About us”: https://www.stromerbike.com/en/about-us
- Stromer, “The birth of the first Stromer”: https://www.stromerbike.com/en/news/the-birth-of-the-first-stromer
- Outdoor Sportswire, “Stromer achieves sustainable growth in 2023, despite cycling industry headwinds” (22 Feb 2024): https://www.outdoorsportswire.com/stromer-achieves-sustainable-growth-in-2023-despite-cycling-industry-headwinds/
- Stromer, “WREN recall” FAQ: https://www.stromerbike.com/en/support/faq/wren
- GOV.UK Office for Product Safety and Standards, “Product Recall: Stromer ST3, ST5 and ST7 Bicycles fitted with WREN Front Suspension Forks (2512-0123)” (updated 15 Sep 2026): https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-recall-stromer-st3-st5-and-st7-bicycles-fitted-with-wren-front-suspension-forks-2512-0123
- Cycling Weekly, “Bike recall over failing forks expanded” (16 Sep 2026): https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/the-rider-may-lose-control-of-the-bike-leading-to-injuries-bike-recall-over-failing-forks-expanded
- TRAXIO, “Speed pedelecs jaaranalyse 2025”: https://www.traxio.be/artikels/speed-pedelecs-jaaranalyse-2025-historisch-boerenjaar-voor-zowel-nieuwe-als-tweedehandse-snelle-fietsen
- EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 on two- or three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/168/oj/eng
Images:
- “Stromer ST7, IAA Summit 2023, Munich (P1110753)” by Matti Blume, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stromer_ST7,_IAA_Summit_2023,_Munich_(P1110753).jpg
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