But it just kept happening. Over and over, the bike would go full throttle, or I would stop pedaling but the bike would keep accelerating. Other times I would pedal and suddenly not get any more power until I accelerated, which would bring the electric assist back on. He was acting glitchy all over the place, which made coming home tense.
At a crowded intersection I was at a red light when the bike suddenly threw me into a crowd of pedestrians in the crosswalk. Luckily I caught it on the brakes before I knocked over anyone. I did some research to see if other S2 clients had the same problem. Indeed, on several forums, people were reporting the same acceleration issues. This problem didn’t show up for the first few weeks I got on the bike, but all of these hikes were done on dry roads. As soon as I took it on a wet road for the first time, the malfunctions appeared within 15 minutes.
Super73 engineers say they couldn’t reproduce the issue on my test bike when I returned it, but they suspected a firmware update was needed. The company says it has heard of similar issues, but a firmware update is expected to fix them.
I remain skeptical. If this is a firmware issue, why would it only happen when the roads are wet? It makes me think that the controller is not waterproof enough, but I can’t definitively say that. I asked the company if they tested the bike in wet conditions, but they neither confirmed nor denied.
Fully equipped
These dangerous flaws are difficult to overcome, but the rest of the bike feels well built. Super73 didn’t skimp on the details. All handlebar cables and wires are routed through the frame, giving the bike a neat and clean look. The LED headlight is huge and great for illuminating the road on a dark night (630 lumens!), And the integrated LED tail light is hard to miss. The metallic white paint is also a really nice touch, but you can get it in black or metallic steel as well.
The motorcycle style seat is comfortable, but it is non-adjustable and a bit low at 31 inches in height. Super73 says the bike is suitable for anyone from 5’1 “to 6’8″ in height. I’m 5’10 ” tall and already felt like a bear sitting at a school desk. There is a smartphone app that works with the bike, but unlike brands like VanMoof, you don’t have to use it for cycling. Its good. I rarely want to bother with anything other than the LCD screen on the handlebars.
The S2 is a fun bike, with plenty of power and feels like it should cost more than the asking price of $ 2,695. And I had a great time riding it… until I didn’t. Super73 would have a bike worthy of recommendation if it could eliminate throttle issues and offer a front fender that actually works.
