2018 Levo walk mode two-speed problem

derby

Member
Feb 2, 2019
25
24
San Anselmo, California
Luving my 6 week old 2018 Levo Comp Carbon. I'm very impressed with the power options, and smooth power of the motor, and great bike handling. I've been riding trails since 1982 normally many times a week. And now at age 68, the Levo has re-enabled long climbs to access the longer rides I used to ride weekly or more often 20 to nearly 40 years ago.

I have 22 steps up from my front door to my street, and very steep at 45 degrees. Walk mode works very well stepping up my very steep steps (and I've added a rough-cut board ramp up one side of the steps to roll up much easier). But every time after about 5 to 7 seconds in walk mode, in this case up about 14 of the 22 total steps, the speed of walk mode suddenly doubles every time, or more than doubles. And I must quickly react to jog up two steps at a time to keep up with the faster walk mode the rest of the way to the top of the steps to avoid dropping the bike.

Question: Is it normal for the speed of walk mode to start slowly, then after about 5 or 7 seconds suddenly kick into double the speed of the initial walk speed?

This second "turbo" double-speed kicking in after a few seconds of walk seems to be a bug, in my opinion. I think walk mode should remain one rather slow speed. The double speed is almost a fast jog, and can be difficult to hold the bike upright and keep up when it suddenly kicks in while walking up very steep irregular rocky hill or up steps. Also when the walk mode double-speed kicks in it can spin the rear tire easily if loose or wet conditions becoming uncontrollable.

I noticed this two-speed walk mode when first demoing the Levo before buying, on a steep section I was afraid to ride on this strange to me bike at the time. The dealer uploaded the latest firmware version the day I bought it. But the two-speed walk mode continues. In Mission Control app, under Diagnose -> Battery, the Firmware version is A.17.1

I guess I want to know whether my Levo's automatic two-speed walk mode is normal for any one else's 2018 Levo.
 

Dee Scee

Member
Dec 21, 2018
192
98
Berkeley
i love having the walk mode, but it is far from reliable. sometimes fast, sometimes slow, delays, cut-outs all seem typical. despite all that, it is a lifesaver when you have to push!!!
 

DanDilla

Member
Jun 11, 2018
63
49
Germany
I got the same problem, Levo weights almost half of my weight so lifting is not as easy to the 4th floor.
Best solution I found is to change the wheel size (walkmode adapts with the speed) to a value that you can use the slow mode at the beginning without being too slow.
Then Find out at how much steps the speedier mode kicks in, pull the brakes and take a 1-2sek break every time shortly before it kicks in. :)
Just get a feeling for it, if you stop too short, it will speed up when you continue.
 

derby

Member
Feb 2, 2019
25
24
San Anselmo, California
I got the same problem, Levo weights almost half of my weight so lifting is not as easy to the 4th floor.
Best solution I found is to change the wheel size (walkmode adapts with the speed) to a value that you can use the slow mode at the beginning without being too slow.
Then Find out at how much steps the speedier mode kicks in, pull the brakes and take a 1-2sek break every time shortly before it kicks in. :)
Just get a feeling for it, if you stop too short, it will speed up when you continue.
Yes, stopping and restarting walk mode is the next thing I will try. Thanks!

Otherwise I'm very impressed with performance and handling of the Levo so far. Except I found out when battery is drained into the last 10%, the last red warning battery charge light, there is no power assist at all if there is an up hill any steeper than about a minimal 1 or 2 degrees incline. However, the power assist modes during the 20% second to last red light lasted much longer than expected.
 

outerlimits

E*POWAH BOSS
Founding Member
Feb 3, 2018
1,241
1,575
Australia
It’s like a ceiling fan that is started on low, and requires a short time to get up to speed.
Try using a different gear and see how it goes.
 

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