The Stellar falcon has lots of options when it comes to the pedaling experience. This bike has class 2 and 3 optionality along with torque and cadence sensing modes – we tested multiple combinations to get a feel for the bike’s programming.
I started with a quick pedal test under my own power. The bike settled at 8.8 mph here. This isn’t the worst bike to pedal without power, but at 73 lbs, it’s not a breeze either. Thankfully, we have the blessing of electrical assistance.
I began the next portion in class 2 mode using the torque sensor. This bike has 4 assist levels, and I made my way through each one. Eco hovered around 13.5 mph, Tour at 14.6, Sport at 15.7, and Turbo at 20.4 mph (right at the class 2 ceiling).
Next, I tested the Stellar Falcon’s torque sensor in class 3 mode. Eco sat at 10.7 mph, Tour at 15.7 mph, Sport at 18.5 mph, and Turbo maxed out at 29.2 mph.
I then switched over to the bike’s cadence sensor. In class 2 mode, Eco settled at 16.9 mph, and the remaining 3 assist levels topped out at 20.4. In class 3, Eco averaged 18.5 mph, Tour 20.4 mph, Sport 22.7 mph, and Turbo 25.6 mph.
That’s a lot of numbers! Let me try and make this a bit more digestible.
Generally speaking, this bike is programmed well, particularly while using the torque sensor. The power increases are mostly predictable, and there’s good separation between the assist levels. To hit the top speed in class 3, I did have to give the cranks a little extra effort, but with that the bike tops out with relative ease.
In class 2 cadence mode, the assist levels tend to feel more similar. There’s a lot of overlap between the PAS options. Tour, Sport, and Turbo are all clustered together.
In class 3 cadence mode, the programming has a bit more room to breathe, so there’s more separation between each assist mode. However, I’d like to point out that the bike doesn’t want to settle at any preordained speeds while using the cadence sensor, especially in Eco. The power delivery tends to jump around a bit – I recommended watching our speed test in the video review to see what I mean.
The distilled version: Torque sensing mode is the more natural of the two. Cadence mode is good if you want a leisurely pedal experience, but the assist levels feel more similar to each other, and there’s a fair amount of overlap. Overall, the programming is solid, and most riders will be able to find a configuration that works for them.
