Internal Power Cable Failure, Levo 2019

[MattyB]

Had my power cable replaced early in the bikes life. Specialized requested the cable to inspect.

All good since replacement.

Interesting. It does imply they have known about this for quite some time...

 

[neils]

Dropped my bike in to Chris NYE morning. Left it with them.
Shame it's happened in the holiday period, was hoping to ride yesterday and today before back to work tomorrow. Considering the few miles that I've actually ridden the 2019 Levo Expert which is less than 200, I can't believe Specialised wouldn't of known about this issue before bringing the bike to the market place, surely they must of been testing several of these bikes for months before it was released. The seatpost is the worst version of the Command Post they've ever released yet! I'm starting to loose faith in a brand I've ridden for over 30 years

 

[Paul Mac]

Dropped my bike in to Chris NYE morning. Left it with them.
Shame it's happened in the holiday period, was hoping to ride yesterday and today before back to work tomorrow. Considering the few miles that I've actually ridden the 2019 Levo Expert which is less than 200, I can't believe Specialised wouldn't of known about this issue before bringing the bike to the market place, surely they must of been testing several of these bikes for months before it was released. The seatpost is the worst version of the Command Post they've ever released yet! I'm starting to loose faith in a brand I've ridden for over 30 years

I've got the same seat post as you, I have had no problem with it at all, two of my mates also have the same post and again no problem.
Ask for the post to be changed, because it shouldn't be stiff

 

[gazz]

Dropped my bike in to Chris NYE morning. Left it with them.
Shame it's happened in the holiday period, was hoping to ride yesterday and today before back to work tomorrow. Considering the few miles that I've actually ridden the 2019 Levo Expert which is less than 200, I can't believe Specialised wouldn't of known about this issue before bringing the bike to the market place, surely they must of been testing several of these bikes for months before it was released. The seatpost is the worst version of the Command Post they've ever released yet! I'm starting to loose faith in a brand I've ridden for over 30 years

 

[gazz]

haw many faultey power cables will it take for a apoligy from specialized!!!!!

 

[neils]

I've got the same seat post as you, I have had no problem with it at all, two of my mates also have the same post and again no problem.
Ask for the post to be changed, because it shouldn't be stiff

The stiff lever is a new recent issue. Before it wouldn’t top out during the ride until I started running the pressure at 90psi and a wipe of GT85 or equivalent on to the stanchion before each ride.
I’ve have asked Chris to get the post replaced anyway. There is also a new modded part available very soon for these posts (internal part) I’m told by Specialized UK.

 

[R120]

Do Berkshire cycles get reimbursed by Spesh for these repair works? Seems like they are repairing all the levos out there!

 

[MattyB]

I doubt it, but for as long as it is driving people to shop there for their bike in the first place I'm guessing they don't mind...

 

[Paul Mac]

The stiff lever is a new recent issue. Before it wouldn’t top out during the ride until I started running the pressure at 90psi and a wipe of GT85 or equivalent on to the stanchion before each ride.
I’ve have asked Chris to get the post replaced anyway. There is also a new modded part available very soon for these posts (internal part) I’m told by Specialized UK.

FFS another modded part!

 

[neils]

New power cable now fitted by the very excellent team down at Berkshire Cycles. Thanks Chris and his team. Very fast turnaround.
I’m glad I only live 2 miles from them! and feel for anyone else who is not so close.
I do feel Specialized have used us the customers as the test guinea pigs! They should of had these issues sorted before they released the bike onto the market ??

 

[lenny74]

To add to this thread, I had several issues yesterday (after having the new cable fitted) with the attached error light showing on the Control Unit which led to the motor not engaging. I had to remove and re-fit the charge point cap each time to get it to work properly.

Took it out on a 26 mile ride with no problems whatsoever but its yet another niggle with the power that doesn't inspire confidence.

Please post up if anyone has had or is having anything similar to the below. View attachment 9216

Quick update re the the above TCU Error....new motor fitted today after extensive testing by Chris and James at Berkshire Cycles. Nearly 5 hours of methodically swapping out parts to eliminate each one and after a slightly confusing red herring (faulty replacement motor ) we are all hoping the problem has been solved.
It would seem that this error code will not relate to a specific failed part but could cover various parts that contribute to the motor working properly

Top work by Chris and James to try and get a heads up on how to solve these problems in the future but after 7 hours door to door I do not want to see this error light again.

So after 8 weeks or so I have had a new power cable, a new motor, foam insert and the 4 bolt motor casing, make of that what you will but I'm guessing only time will tell if I have just been unlucky or if this is going to be a real problem for 2019 owners.

 

[Noblefart]

Got mine on Monday, drove home. Took it inside (lots of minus degrees here) for charging/drying, but popping battery in today (have not had any time during the week), I could only drive 100-200 metres before battery error message on TCU. Turning off - same happens. Mission control shows no error, only TCU. Did a factory reset without any difference (TCU). Took out battery, cleaned the contact points (looked dry), but still no cigar. Now the error message starts right away. Sounds like fawlty cable..? When I charge it is now just one line flashing on the battery - Is this it how it should be? Could not see this in the manual.

 

[lenny74]

Got mine on Monday, drove home. Took it inside (lots of minus degrees here) for charging/drying, but popping battery in today (have not had any time during the week), I could only drive 100-200 metres before battery error message on TCU. Turning off - same happens. Mission control shows no error, only TCU. Did a factory reset without any difference (TCU). Took out battery, cleaned the contact points (looked dry), but still no cigar. Now the error message starts right away. Sounds like fawlty cable..? When I charge it is now just one line flashing on the battery - Is this it how it should be? Could not see this in the manual.

Well defo not how it should be, from what I understand the TCU error light can relate to anything motor related so not necessarily the power cable although this should be replaced first I think.

Note this could also relate to a battery problem as well

My error light was from a faulty motor but I have heard that the rear sensor cable can also be an issue.

Get it back into the shop and ask them to start with a new power cable and work from there.

Not ideal for a bike straight from the shop, did they not test it first?

Let us know how you get on.

 

[gazz]

Got mine on Monday, drove home. Took it inside (lots of minus degrees here) for charging/drying, but popping battery in today (have not had any time during the week), I could only drive 100-200 metres before battery error message on TCU. Turning off - same happens. Mission control shows no error, only TCU. Did a factory reset without any difference (TCU). Took out battery, cleaned the contact points (looked dry), but still no cigar. Now the error message starts right away. Sounds like fawlty cable..? When I charge it is now just one line flashing on the battery - Is this it how it should be? Could not see this in the manual.

hi,i fitted a new back wheel,but i forgot to fit the magnet,it would ride for aprox 100meters before a blue and red error code,i had a faultey power cable and we had zero no lights at all.hope this helps.

 

[Noblefart]

Well defo not how it should be, from what I understand the TCU error light can relate to anything motor related so not necessarily the power cable although this should be replaced first I think.

Note this could also relate to a battery problem as well

My error light was from a faulty motor but I have heard that the rear sensor cable can also be an issue.

Get it back into the shop and ask them to start with a new power cable and work from there.

Not ideal for a bike straight from the shop, did they not test it first?

Let us know how you get on.

Thanks Lenny! I must admit I did not know that there is a sensor (magnet) on the rear disc (my bad!). The battery error code put me off, thinking it must be something battery related. Put on the sensor today and tried som air spin, seamingly longer than problems started yesterday. Everything looks ok now, will try for real after work.

I'm really looking forward testing the new wheelset with Wrathchild - looks very promising with 3 inch tyres (27.5+) and concave studs on the brief testing I did yesterday. I guess I have to alter the wheel dimension in the Mission control, allthough not that much due to volume of the tyres. The crank is now roughly 1 cm lower than before.

Even though I'm quite excited at the moment, I'm also a little worried about all those problems you guys are reporting. I've noticed for instance that if you gently push the lower part of the charging cover (on the bike), it will open slightly, leaving it exposed for snow/water. This is not a place you want to be exposed. I could see myself doing it, changing footing, several times on a ride...

 

[Paul Carruthers]

Yes my 2019 expert, started showing the error lights a few times, before the main cable failed and had to be replaced.
Chris at Berkshire Cycles sorted it the same day, so all good.
But if they're failing at this rate, how long before there are stock issues?

Same happened to me, twice cleared fault lights by disconnecting and reconnecting, 2 days ago total failure, replaced power cable, great 24 hour turnaround by Edinburgh Cycles Newcastle. Emailed Specialized customer care, no response, should have bought a haibike.

 

[Specialized Rider Care]

Have just read through this thread and can see there are a few similar (but not identical) issues going on. Apologies to those of you that have had problems - we'll take some time to investigate with engineering and speak to a couple of key retail partners before coming back, so please allow a few days for that.

I can clear up some of the questions/comments however: -

1) Yes - the battery-to-motor cable is intentionally quite long, to allow for enough play on the Rosenberger (battery charging) end. (If it was exactly the right length, pulling the charging end of this cable would put direct pressure on the motor connection - which we don't want)
2) Yes - the cable is curved/bent around in a tight profile close to the motor. The bend radius however is absolutely fine. We've had cables back to inspect (including Rob Hancill's ) and we have tested a number of them - none (including Rob's) had any damaged cores, i.e. continuity was good on all pins.
3) Yes - there was a minor running change requested to this cable by our design team (before any field issues were reported) to shorten the amount of thick rubber sheath on the bend itself, ensuring a more flexible curve with less pressure on the rubber boot at the motor connection. Largely cosmetic.

So - what do we believe is going on in the cases above? Hard to diagnose over a forum, however there are a couple of key retailers listed on this forum which we'll reach out to. It's probable that a short-circuit or break in connectivity IS involved - however cable inspections have shown no evidence of this between the electrical terminations on the cable itself. Much more likely are one or all of these scenarios: -

1) Water/grit in the battery charge connector. Usually happens when washing the bike with the cable disconnected (please don't!) - but if grit/dirt HAS got in to this area it may compromise the rubber seals or stop the connector fitting tightly. Solution is to dry the area and blow out any gunk with compressed air.
2) Water/grit in the Rosenberger connector. This has two possible effects that are quite different a) water causes a short between some of the 4 small pins - which are very sensitive and typically put the battery into protect mode (The four LEDs on the battery will flash in alternating pairs to indicate a short). It will get you home, but once you turn the bike off it won't turn on again until the short is resolved. b) grit in these sprung pins will prevent a good connection with the battery pins - most sensitive are the data pins. Visually inspect these and really gently depress the four sprung pins one at a time with a small flat-bladed screwdriver, clean with compressed air if they seem stuck (a small amount of contact cleaner won't hurt if in doubt).
3) Metal in this plug or socket is unhelpful - especially if it is magnetic it will stick to the socket and prevent the plug from fitting tightly. Check carefully as compressed air may not always remove metal. Small shards of metal are often on workshop floors - so don't rule this out.

Will dig further and come back once we can shed more light.

 

[ccrdave]

thank you @Specialized Rider Care for your ongoing help and advice. r.e the cable bend I seem to remember from my electrical engineering college days that cable has a minimum bend radius allowed, from memory its 8 x times cable diameter.
was a long time ago though!

 

[ccrdave]

How to Determine Bending Radius | Multi/Cable Corporation

 

[levity]

Thanks for the detailed reply @Specialized Rider Care!

Yes, remember "cleanliness is next to godliness", and all three magnetic connectors have to be watched: the battery connector, the Rosenberg plug, and the motor connector cover. You have to be careful not to let the plug drop on the ground (we keep a cover on ours), and the connector cover hangs down low enough that it can occasionally pick up debris as well.

 

[Specialized Rider Care]

An insight from our initial investigations, the UK team received this power cable yesterday - returned as a warranty failure . This is an exception, but worth calling out - as you can see there is mud/grit all over the pins - aside from this however there was no fault at all when tested. (They even cut the cable in a number of places to test)

No blame, we don't know the whole story with this return - but we do see these accidental compounding of issues where people unused to electrical components attempt service. What likely happened is that the bike had a genuine issue, the motor connector was removed to inspect without doing some elementary cleaning of the area first. Then the cable was plugged back into the motor but got dirty on the way back into the socket. This now causes even more problems, because mud/grit is now pushed inside the motor socket as well and the original fault becomes much harder to troubleshoot. We all want to avoid these scenarios.

Advice: These bikes will get wet and dirty inside and out, which is no problem. The bike is IP56 rated when all connectors are properly in place, hence the most likely source of any short circuit or water ingress is always the battery charge port with magnetic Rosenberger connector that gets regularly removed to charge the bike. Owners should check and clean this plug and socket regularly with a brush, cloth and compressed air if necessary. When you wash your bike, don't disconnect or remove the battery (& please don't jet-wash) - make sure that the power cable stays fully in place and simply keep this area clean with a brush & cloth. If you absolutely have to remove any cable (really this is something trained retail mechanics should be doing) then before removing any IP rated electrical connections/cables, clean the immediate area using a brush, cloth and compressed air if necessary. Only remove the connectors when you are confident you can remake the connection without introducing mud/grit back in.

Helpful to know: at bike production we use a specific corrosion block on key electrical connections (should not need to be repeated) often using a little vaseline on the outside of the plug around the rubber o-rings (you can see two in the picture). This ensures that the o-rings slide into the socket without rolling out of position. The role of these o-rings is to ensure the IP-rating of the connection, hence any dirt in the socket that you accidentally get in there must be completely removed using compressed air before putting the clean plug back in. If you lose or damage an O-Ring or blanking plug, contact your retailer and don't use the bike until resolved.

 

[Specialized Rider Care]

Same happened to me, twice cleared fault lights by disconnecting and reconnecting.

Hi Paul, sorry to hear - do you remember which fault lights you had? And were these on the top-tube display (TCU) or on the battery (4 Leds)?

 

[Fridge]

Hi Paul, sorry to hear - do you remember which fault lights you had? And were these on the top-tube display (TCU) or on the battery (4 Leds)?

sorry but can I hijack with a quick question?
My and my riding mate ordered a levo comp and levo comp carbon in November, initially we were told march delivery ( which is long enough) but now its not until may.
are you doing anything to try and resolve these long waiting periods?
Are we waiting longer so issues brought up on this forum can be resolved?
Either way I almost feel like forgetting the 2019 and waiting a little longer for a 2020 as half the year has gone.

 

[Maastricht]

sorry but can I hijack with a quick question?
My and my riding mate ordered a levo comp and levo comp carbon in November, initially we were told march delivery ( which is long enough) but now its not until may.
are you doing anything to try and resolve these long waiting periods?
Are we waiting longer so issues brought up on this forum can be resolved?
Either way I almost feel like forgetting the 2019 and waiting a little longer for a 2020 as half the year has gone.

Dear Fridge,

I think it would be better to delete your post here and open a new thread regarding delayed deliveries where you just tag Specialized Rider Care you can do this by @ and then write behind the @ Specialized Rider Care.

 

[Fridge]

Dear Fridge,

I think it would be better to delete your post here and open a new thread regarding delayed deliveries where you just tag Specialized Rider Care you can do this by @ and then write behind the @ Specialized Rider Care.

I posted on here thinking it was relevant regarding possible wiring updates and crud fixes for later bikes, if that is what the wait is for and all is resolved it will hopefully be worth the wait, I am sorry if I am at error, I will delete if thats the consensus.

 

[Specialized Rider Care]

I posted on here thinking it was relevant regarding possible wiring updates and crud fixes for later bikes, if that is what the wait is for and all is resolved it will hopefully be worth the wait, I am sorry if I am at error, I will delete if thats the consensus.

Fridge, thanks for your question. Recently demand has slightly outstripped supply - sorry that you're having to wait. We did hold production in October briefly due to issues with motor noise, but we've been making as many bikes as we possibly can since then and doing our best to catch up! Please hang in there, it will be worth the wait.

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

My bike turned on by itself today. And my usual open charge port and close to turn on method is not 100% now. I've been left a few times with it not being able to turn on. So I'd say it's definitely getting worse. No error lights.

Is this a power cable failure?

 

[Moots YBB]

got the same problem
my 2019 levo s-works (1100 kilometers) just doesn't switch on this morning

 

[Moots YBB]

Yes my 2019 expert, started showing the error lights a few times, before the main cable failed and had to be replaced.
Chris at Berkshire Cycles sorted it the same day, so all good.
But if they're failing at this rate, how long before there are stock issues?

great to know !, i had a few of those red lights over the passed two days !!, so it's just the cable, what a relief !

 

[Paul Carruthers]

Hi Paul, sorry to hear - do you remember which fault lights you had? And were these on the top-tube display (TCU) or on the battery (4 Leds)?

Sorry no, but perhaps you can help with this new fault, dropped off at Edinburgh cycles Newcastle this morning
Flashes between normal display and top two leds which are red over blue.

Edinburgh were not sure of the fault lights

Feeling really disappointed with what I thought was a top end brand.