What exactly is a "commuter device"? A device that esotericists can use to find "power places" or "energy fields" better than with a swinging copper plumb bob on a string? The term is part of Jakob Luksch's everyday vocabulary. Luksch is just under two metres tall, has a toned physique, wears a polo shirt and doesn't look at all like your idea of an esoteric. He is also the CEO of Stromer, i.e. the head of the brand. So: a "commuter device" is a tool that takes people from A to B and back, where "A" is typically at home and "B" is a workplace. An S-pedelec, for example.
Jakob Luksch's workplace is located just south of the Swiss capital Bern, at the very back of the upper floor of a modern industrial building. A reception desk gleams downstairs, test bikes are lined up in parallel next to it in front of an abundance of white, while the first floor above offers several hundred square metres of office space. Behind frosted glass walls of cupboards that divide the space, there is also an executive desk under the large "evolution" lettering. But in a room that is almost empty due to the pandemic, there is no reason to retreat to this soundproofed corner. So back to a small exhibition and a short version of Stromer history.
Stromer only builds fast pedelecs, i.e. those with a moped licence plate and assistance up to 45 kilometres per hour.
These devices have hardly been used in Germany so far, as they are neither allowed to ride on cycle paths nor are they respected on the road. In Switzerland, on the other hand, S-pedelecs have a home game. They ride on cycle paths and buzz along the country's often steep roads in large numbers. They are a Swiss speciality, almost as distinctive as triangular chocolate or herbal sweets in yellow bags. The majority of the 90,000 or so Stromer bikes sold so far are pedalling in their home country, even if sales in the Benelux countries have recently been stronger than here.
"It could hardly be more expensive worldwide. But manufacturing in Switzerland, a country with the highest wages, is not a relic of the past, but an achievement of 2018."
When company founder Thomas Binggeli had the first electric bikes built in 2009, the legal framework was not as clear as it is today, and the pedelecs of the time were primarily aimed at an older clientele. With the intention of building a fast, powerful and visually attractive bike, Binggeli targeted a different niche right from the start: commuters who did not want to travel by car or bike. Whether the first electric bikes were also the first S-pedelecs ever is probably not easy to determine. But Binggeli's design was certainly way out in front.
The company's subsequent history remained true to the original design with a rear hub motor and battery integrated into the down tube, but the ownership changed. After two independent years, the brand belonged to the high-end Swiss sports bike brand BMC for a long time, before other investors took over, most recently the investment company Naxicap Partners in 2021. "For me, it's a good sign that an investor like this is getting involved," says CEO Jakob Luksch. "It shows that this company is convinced that it is putting its money into a promising business." Luksch himself, an import from Bavaria, only joined Stromer from the automotive industry in 2018. His comment that they work here "in a perfect Toyota system" leads straight back to the ground floor.
Here, several dozen employees assemble the frames in two parallel assembly lines. Each frame is clamped in an assembly stand on rollers, which is pushed on to the next colleague after the work step has been completed and locked into a solid floor rail. At first, it doesn't really look like Toyota, where the cliché imagines flashing robots and cathedral-high halls. And that, as we find out later, is not what the term means. Rather, it is about "lean production" with minimal warehousing, minimised waste, maximum efficiency and permanent optimisation. In other words, the Stromer team is a far cry from a cramped factory with yellowed office jokes, pin-ups and potted plants. The fitters' working day ends with a short manoeuvre critique by the production manager. The model is the car industry.
Why electric pedelecs are so expensive
One thing in particular is surprising: it is manufactured in Switzerland. It could hardly be more expensive worldwide. However, manufacturing in Switzerland, a country with the highest wages, is not a remnant of the past, but an achievement of 2018. Jakob Luksch explains: "At most, ten per cent of manufacturing costs are labour costs. If we had our bikes manufactured in the EU, they might be cheaper there, but in Switzerland there would be a six per cent import duty. That doesn't pay off. At the same time, close coordination with suppliers, short supply chains and short development cycles are important to us. That works better here than with production in Asia, for example."
Stromer is in the upper price segment anyway. The integrated design requires many brand-specific parts, from the handlebars to the suspension fork to the drive. That costs money: Around 10,000 euros are called for the top model ST5 - in the basic configuration. With a few clicks on the 1,000 watt-hour battery, an ABS system or a Stromer-specific suspension fork, the 12,000 is quickly exceeded.
That's a lot of money for a bicycle, but Luksch sees his product in a different league anyway: his commuter vehicle competes with the car. On distances between 10 and 20 kilometres, it is often superior. Accordingly, an Stromer is usually driven 24 to 30 kilometres per working day, and significantly less at weekends. The fact that Stromer knows this and a few other things about its bikes is due to the vision of turning the e-bike into a D-bike: a digital bike. Every current Stromer is equipped with a SIM card - like a mobile phone. This allows the manufacturer to analyse the user, while the buyer receives maintenance information, software updates and theft protection through tracking options.
For the tech-savvy ex-car man - on the left he wears a Rolex on his arm, on the right a colourful Smartpay watch for contactless payment - these are basics. His visions go much further. Much further: "First we have overcome the mountains. And when the car industry solves the battery problem, we'll solve the weather problem," he says, referring to the sharp air walls of some hand dryers and the "air scarves" in expensive convertibles. Rain, the great enemy of driving pleasure? Blown away in the wind. "If I have enough energy, I can simply blow the rain away."
Mobility of the future on two wheels
In the car world, a roof and doors solve this problem. Bicycle manufacturers such as Canyon have also shown closed, four-wheeled designs. So a tiny little car - wouldn't that be an alternative? Not for the Stromer boss: "We want to build the best possible commuter device," he says, "and that has two wheels. If it had four wheels, the dynamics, driving pleasure and agility would be gone. It would lose everything that is so good about two-wheelers."
