If you’ve been circling the urban e-bike market looking for something clean, light, and uncomplicated, Story Bikes is probably already on your radar. The Los Angeles–based brand keeps its lineup minimal—step-through, diamond commuter, and a trim “road” variant—anchored by one idea: hide the power, keep the weight down, and make the experience transparent. There’s also a philanthropic twist: for every e-bike sold, Story says it funds a rugged Buffalo Bicycle for a student or health worker in parts of the world where two wheels can be life-changing. That mission has earned easy headlines, but the buyer’s question is simpler: how does the bike itself ride, live, and last?
This Story Bikes review stitches together what the company presents, how this hardware typically behaves in the real world, and what you can infer from the spec sheet. Where details aren’t public, I say so and explain the practical trade-offs so you can decide with eyes open.
The elevator pitch
Story’s blueprint is a 350W geared rear-hub motor, a 36V battery tucked neatly inside the down tube, Class-1 assist to ~20 mph, and a torque-sensing bottom bracket. The torque sensor is the signature move: rather than toggling full-on at the first crank turn, assist scales with your effort, which feels more like a fitter version of you than a scooter with pedals. On the “Chapter 2” models you’ll also see hydraulic disc brakes, sensible gearing, and commuter touches like a rack and full fenders (on the step-through).
The intent is clear: approachable price + low fuss + natural feel. The trade-off is equally clear: with a modest battery, range depends on your route, weather, and how high you keep the PAS.
Design and build: clean lines, hidden power
A hallmark of the lineup is how un-e-bikey it looks. The battery disappears into the down tube; the hub motor hides behind the cassette; the display is compact. The 33-lb road model in particular passes as an analog flat-bar fitness bike at a glance. The step-through keeps the silhouette tidy while building in the practical stuff—fenders, a rack, integrated lights—that make commuting sane in drizzle and darkness.
Cable runs are disciplined; there’s a USB port for phone charging; and the bikes ship 95% assembled so living-room setup is realistic. A hidden service port lets a shop remove and replace the battery without turning the frame into landfill, which is a quiet but important sustainability choice.
What I like: The restraint. It’s easy to bolt gadgets onto a bike; it’s harder to decide what not to add. Story keeps to a light, calm personality that suits apartment dwellers and first-time e-bikers alike.
What I’d verify: If you’ll carry groceries or a pannier laptop setup, confirm rack weight ratings and tire clearance. Most city riders will be fine; heavy cargo folks should sanity-check numbers.
Motor and assist: torque sensing done the right way
The ride feel lives where sensor + controller + motor meet. Story uses a torque sensor at the bottom bracket, telling the controller exactly how hard you’re pushing; the 350W hub then nudges proportionally. Two practical results:
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Civilized starts and stops. In crowded crosswalks, assist comes in with you—not before you. There’s no lurch as you tip into a turn.
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Better efficiency. Because the controller isn’t blasting max current at low cadence just to wake up, you squeeze more miles from each watt-hour than a cadence-only hub system.
There are five PAS levels. Expect Levels 1–2 to feel like an honest tailwind, Level 3 to hold a brisk city clip, and Levels 4–5 to settle you near Class-1’s ~20 mph limit on flatter ground. Hubs shine on flats and rolling terrain; on steeper ramps you’ll still shift and spin—do that and the motor will cover the sting with surprising grace.
How it stacks up: Mid-drives rule for sustained steep climbs because they leverage the bike’s gears; they’re also heavier, pricier, and harder on chains and cassettes. For mixed urban terrain, Story’s hub + torque sensor combo stays light, quiet, and simple—and that’s the right call for most city riders.
Brakes, handling, and control
On the Chapter 2 generation, Story steps up to hydraulic discs (Shimano/Tektro depending on spec run). For a city e-bike, hydraulics are the move: stronger power, better wet-weather consistency, and auto-compensation for pad wear. Lever feel is light, which small hands will appreciate.
Handling is stable rather than twitchy. The step-through’s 700×45c tires add traction and calm over ruts and tracks; the road build’s 700×25 rolls faster and feels livelier. Choose by surface and cargo: narrow for speed and smooth streets, wide for comfort and utility.
Control layout: The display is readable in sun; the PAS up/down taps are intuitive; and nothing here screams learning curve. Story’s cockpit lets you keep your eyes in traffic—which is where they belong.
Battery, charging, and real-world range
Story quotes up to ~45 miles per charge from a 36V pack (roughly ~252 Wh by typical small-pack math). That claim pencils out in perfect conditions: light rider, warm temps, low PAS, flat route, few stops. Most urban riders live in the real world, so here’s a grounded expectation set for this Story Bikes review:
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Short city hops (3–6 miles each way): Likely charging every 3–4 days at mixed PAS.
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Errands + a longer loop: 20–35 miles per charge is a fair expectation with rolling terrain and some wind.
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Cold weather: Lithium chemistry sheds peak and usable capacity in the cold; assume 10–20% less range around freezing.
Charging is in-frame via a port; a full charge typically lands around 3–3.5 hours. For upstairs living, that’s basically “plug it in after dinner, it’s ready by morning.”
Who needs more battery? If you’re doing long, hilly daily commutes or you’ll sit in Level 5 all ride, you may want a mid-drive with 500–700 Wh. For the core use case—urban transportation inside ~10 miles each way—Story’s lighter pack is a deliberate, defensible trade-off that keeps the bike carryable and nimble.
Battery care in brief: Keep it between 20–80% for everyday use if you can, avoid deep storage below 10%, and don’t charge right after a freezing ride—let it warm to room temp first. Simple habits, longer life.
Display, app, and everyday UX
The cockpit shows speed, PAS, battery, trip/time, and often calories/avg metrics on newer color displays. There’s phone pairing for logging and a USB port for keeping your nav alive. The standout is not the number of features but the lack of friction: five levels, clear readout, and you’re done. This aligns with the Class-1 philosophy—pedal, get a quiet push, stay present.
If you like data rabbit holes, you can export rides and chase averages. If you don’t, you can ignore all of it and still have a great daily ride.
Fit and comfort
Torque-sensor e-bikes reward cadence over stomping, which most knees and hips prefer. On the step-through, an upright position and big tires deliver calm over rough patches; on the road build, the longer reach nudges you toward a fitness posture without going full racer. Either way, once you find your saddle height, mark the seatpost with a tiny dot so you’ll always land on the same fit after transport.
Contact points—grips, saddle, pedals—are decent out of the box. If you plan longer rides, a pair of palm-support grips and a saddle matched to your sit-bone width are cheap upgrades that pay off over months.
Weather, lighting, and daily resilience
City life means getting caught out. The integrated front and rear lights on the step-through turn “I forgot my light” from a safety issue into a non-event, and the full fenders spare your back and shoes. Tires with puncture protection are not invincible, but they dramatically cut mid-commute flats—carry a CO₂ or mini-pump and a tube anyway. After wet rides, wipe the bike down and dab the brake rotors dry; it keeps noise down and parts happier.
Storage tip: If you can, bring the bike inside; if you must store in a building bike room, invest in two different-style locks and run one through the rear triangle and wheel. “Looks analog” helps, but it’s not armor.
Safety, standards, and the boring (important) details
E-bikes are battery systems in your home; paperwork matters. Before purchase, ask Story for the latest charger safety documentation and the battery pack’s test standards. The company sells replacement batteries, ships 95% assembled with tools, and publishes assembly videos for both frame types. Warranty terms are straightforward (frame and electronics, with wear-items excluded) and typical of the category.
For rules of the road, it’s worth brushing up on e-bike classes and access guidelines in your area—Class-1 pedal-assist (no throttle) has the widest shared-path access in many U.S. jurisdictions. A clear primer lives here: PeopleForBikes: E-Bike Basics & Classes.
The mission: buy one, give one
Part of Story’s identity is its give-back program. Each purchase, the brand says, funds a Buffalo Bicycle—the purpose-built, heavy-duty bikes used in mobility and education programs across Africa, South America, and Asia. If this is central to your decision, ask for the current partner and annual donation count. For background on the bikes themselves and why they matter, see World Bicycle Relief’s Buffalo Bicycle program.
Regardless of how you feel about cause marketing, it’s a tangible, measurable benefit aligned with a respected program, and it fits the product’s everyday-utility ethos.
How it rides (what to expect on the road)
Drop a Story into a typical city loop and three impressions land quickly:
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Starts are smooth. Tap the pedals, and the assist joins you rather than hijacking you. That matters when you’re inches from bumpers or nudging around pedestrians.
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Noise is low. Hub motors have a soft whir; pair that with quieter tires and you mostly hear wind and rubber.
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The bike disappears. It gets out of your way. You point, it glides, and you arrive less wrung out.
On flats, PAS 3 keeps many riders around 16–18 mph with conversational breathing; PAS 4–5 holds you near ~20 mph where legal/appropriate. On 7–9% hills, shift, spin, and the hub will do the rest without drama. Hydraulic discs give one-finger stopping power with predictable modulation in rain, which is half the stress of city riding solved.
Assembly, support, and living with it month to month
Unboxing is painless. You attach bars, front wheel, and pedals, align the calipers if needed, and you’re off. Keep the box for the trial period and beyond—it’s your insurance if anything ever needs to ship back. Over months, expect normal wear: pads, tires, chain (less strain here than on mid-drives). The battery will age like any lithium pack; plan for a replacement at some point in the 2–5 year window depending on miles, storage habits, and climate.
Support generally breaks into two workflows: simple questions via email/chat, and hardware fixes via a partner shop or a handy friend. Because the battery is service-removable, you have options if capacity dips or the pack is ever damaged.
Who it’s for
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Urban commuters with 10–20 mile round trips.
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New e-bike riders who want a natural pedal feel more than raw speed.
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Apartment dwellers: at 33–40 lb (model-dependent), stairs are feasible.
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Riders who prefer Class-1 simplicity—no throttle, fewer shared-path restrictions.
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Buyers who value the mission and want their purchase to have an external impact.
Who should look elsewhere
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Long-range or hilly-route riders doing 30–40 miles daily: consider a mid-drive with a bigger battery.
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Throttle-first riders who want to cruise without pedaling: Story is pedal-assist only by design.
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Heavy cargo haulers: Story does daily carry, but true cargo e-bikes exist for serious loads.
Pros and cons (at a glance)
Pros
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Lightweight, clean design that reads as a regular bike.
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Torque-sensing assist feels natural and squeezes more from a small pack.
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Hydraulic brakes (C2) and commuter spec (rack, fenders, lights on step-through).
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In-frame charging with a serviceable battery.
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Class-1 access profile that plays nicely with shared paths.
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Concrete “buy one, give one” program alignment.
Cons
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Smaller battery than many competitors—great for weight, modest for range.
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No throttle—perfect for some riders, a non-starter for others.
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Return shipping during a trial can be on the buyer; keep your packaging.
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Spec variance (tires/brakes) across batches—ask for the exact build you’ll receive.
The competition (and why Story still makes sense)
Aventon Soltera.2 / Pace 500
Often more battery per dollar and, depending on region, throttle options. Heavier, louder personalities. Great value if range tops your list—but you give up some of Story’s stealth and carry-ability.
Specialized Turbo Vado SL
A pricier expression of “stealth e-bike”: mid-drive, proprietary battery, and optional range extender. Gorgeous but expensive; integration is elite, weight is outstanding.
Ride1Up T-series
Hard to beat for spec per dollar and battery size, but with added pounds and a bolder “e-bike” vibe. If you need range first, these are worth a look.
Where Story fits: light, natural, and low-fuss. If you want your e-bike to fade into the background of a tight daily routine—and you like the give-back angle—Story belongs on a very short list.
What to verify before you hit “buy”
Every frank Story Bikes review should end with due diligence. Here’s yours:
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Battery details: Watt-hours, expected cycle life, replacement pricing, and availability two years out.
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Charger safety sheets: The most recent certification docs for your market.
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Warranty specifics: What’s covered, turnaround time for displays/controllers, and pad/rotor guidance.
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Fit numbers: Standover and reach for your size; options to tweak stem length or bars.
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Accessories & loads: Rack weight rating, light output, and front-rack compatibility if you need it.
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Returns: Trial window terms, who pays shipping, and any restocking fees.
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Donation transparency: Current partner and annual donation totals if the mission is core to your purchase.
Brands that answer these crisply tend to support customers well after the sale.
Verdict: a well-judged city e-bike that respects your routine
Story Bikes doesn’t chase arms-race specs. Its promise is subtler and more durable: make everyday cycling easier without turning the bicycle into a gadget you fight with. The torque-sensor assist feels right, the weight is genuinely friendly for apartment life, and the build choices—hydraulic brakes, sensible tires, commuter trim—fit the rough edges of real streets. You trade a bit of battery for a lot of ease; for the intended rider, that’s the correct swap.
Layer on a mission tied to Buffalo Bicycles, and you get a purchase that’s easy to feel good about—and easy to live with. If your commute fits the battery and your streets fit the tires, Story deserves a place near the top of your Class-1 shortlist.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Story Bikes
Q1: What class of e-bike is Story Bikes?
Q2: How far can I ride on a charge?
Q3: What motor and sensor system does it use?
Q4: Is there a throttle?
Q5: What about the battery—capacity, charging, and replacement?
Q6: Are the Chapter 2 models different?
Q7: How do these bikes handle hills?
Q8: What’s the warranty and trial policy?
Q9: Do the bikes ship mostly assembled?
Q10: What’s the “buy one, give one” program?
