I created a purely mechanical Turbo Levo speed limit increase

[jd_3d]

@kemp990, here are two other interesting threads I found of people having problems with walk assist (without using the LSS). So it seems walk assist is a bit buggy even without using the LSS.

Loss of power in Walk Mode, then no assist... - EMTB Forums

Intermittent Walk Assist on Levo / Kenevo - EMTB Forums

 

[FlatSix]

Is there anyone else having the same issue with the walk assist?
Or does it run smoothly normally?

Will get my Levo within the next two weeks and wanted to order immediately- but if W/A won’t work anymore, this would be a showstopper

 

[tomiki]

I have lss installed and I have no problem with the walk assist
the only problem that I have found is that when I go on a very high slope and I carry some very high pine nuts, I think that taking a long time to make the circumference the magnet stops the assistance, it is solved by lowering some pinion and giving it a little more motor assistance

GREETINGS FROM THE BEAUTY SPAIN

yo tengo instalado lss y no tengo problema alguno con el walk assist
el unico problema que he encontrado es que cuando voy en una pendiente muy muy elevada y llevo unos piñones muy altos , pienso que al tardar mucho en hacer la circunferencia el iman se para la asistencia , se soluciona bajando algun piñon y dandole un poco mas de asistencia al motor

SALUDOS DESDE LA BELLA ESPAÑA

 

[kemp990]

Hi @kemp990. Great to see some riders from over in Seoul (I spent a month there a few years ago, great city! but Jeju Island was my favorite).

I rarely use the walk assist button but when I do, it has always worked fine for me. However, I don't really lean on the bike so maybe that is why. Since it is night time here (11pm) and I'm leaving for the weekend I just tried my bike indoors really quickly. I found something that may help. When I used the lowest gears (i.e., the 40 or 42 tooth gears) and tried the walk assist button, and then restricted the wheel from rotating it seemed to go into a 'low-power' mode like you described. But if I went up a few gears to say a 20 tooth gear everything was great and consistent. I also just found out you can even change gears without pedaling if you use the walk assist button

Do you recall if you were in the 40 or 42 tooth sprocket when going uphill? If so, next time can you try changing gears to a mid-gear and see if things are normal?

Thanks for the quick reply.

I was on 46th, since I replace all the drivetrain parts with shimano.
I will try as you told me today and report back to you right away.

and After posting here yesterday,
I took out LSS and put back in original magnet, and did some test
Then Walk assist works normal just for your ref.

Hope W/A to be working fine on the mid gear~cuz I love this LSS so much~

Thanks again and U have a wonderful day~

Kemp

 

[kemp990]

Ok here's update after today's ride JD.
Like you told me LSS is good to go when I shifted down to 21st, 19th, 17th it works like it should be...

It is a bit inconvenient but there's ups and downs in this life.
and Since LSS gave me a boost above 25.km/h so I think I can live with this inconvenience.

Thanks again for your quick solution for the problem I have.
and I will enjoy my ride again

Best Rgards
Kemp Park.

 

[jd_3d]

Thank you @kemp990 for reporting back your findings and that everything works fine when the smaller rear sprockets are used. I also just spent about 30 minutes testing with and without the LSS on a steep hill and can provide some additional details.

1) First, regarding walk assist power. I can confirm the walk assist power is the same whether you use the LSS or not.
2) If you use the 36 or 42 tooth rear sprockets (or anything larger like a 46 tooth) with the LSS, the bike will initially work normal in walk assist, but then after about 15-20 feet (5-7 meters) it will go to a low-power mode. I think this is because the LSS is reporting a slower speed than the bike is expecting for the gear range so it may assume the chain has slipped off or broken (probably a safety feature). It will return to normal by simply letting go of the W/A button and pressing again.
3) If you use a 32 tooth or smaller rear sprocket everything is fine and the bike will assist you the same as if you didn't have the LSS installed.
4) An added benefit of the LSS is the walk assist will assist you at a 50% faster speed. This was a really nice bonus as I feel the default walk assist speed is a little too slow.

So, overall, for me personally I think this is a simple workaround. I rarely find myself in the 36 or 42 tooth cogs anyway because of all the power of the system, and when using walk assist it is easy to change gears without even being on the bike and to simply change 2 gears to get to the 32 tooth cog. I hope that clears things up. Cheers.

Also tagging @FlatSix.

 

[FrenchLevo]

hello jd_3d, I am interested in the 2017 version by cons I use wheels mavic e deemax 2018, can you make me an adaptation?

 

[szaborichard79]

Hi @ccrdave. The idea with the universal rotor mount is to use small zip ties or thin wire to secure the universal mount to the rotor. That is why it has the 25 slot holes around the perimeter to give you the best chance of lining the holes up with the features of your rotor. The mount has the same 'lip' on it as the regular clip which will grab the ring gear and hold it in place, so then you just need to secure the mount to the rotor.

I don't think anyone has purchased it yet, so its a bit experimental, would be interesting to see if it works well with your ice tech rotors.

View attachment 13403

Dear jd_3d I just purchased the universal part... hope to be able to install it on the 203mm rotor, any advice above the small zips?

 

[FrenchLevo]

I realized some measures, can you confirm me that the system. is compatible. thanks a lot for your help.

 

[jd_3d]

I realized some measures, can you confirm me that the system. is compatible. thanks a lot for your help.

View attachment 13786

View attachment 13787

View attachment 13788

Hi @FrenchLevo. Thank you for the detailed pictures and measurements. Unfortunately the LSS will not fit your 2017 Levo w/ mavic deemax wheels due to multiple fitment reasons. I hope you understand my time is limited so I can't make a custom version for every single person's setup. It is also very difficult to design something without having the access to the bike and wheels to do very detailed measurements (even 0.1mm can make a huge difference). I hope you understand.

 

[jd_3d]

Dear jd_3d I just purchased the universal part... hope to be able to install it on the 203mm rotor, any advice above the small zips?

View attachment 13785

Hi @szaborichard79, you are the first to order the universal rotor mount . I guess my only additional advice is to make sure to mount the ring gear and universal mount as centered as possible. It is important the gear is centered so that the planet gear can rotate smoothly around it. If you mount it and then rotate the wheel you should not see any 'wobble' or oscillation.

 

[FrenchLevo]

hi, it's a shame because a lot of levo roll with these wheels in europe, but I understand you well. You mentioned above that if you have a Gold Expert S-Works 2017/2018 model with a DT Swiss wheelset, that will not do, let me know if anyone needs this combo. "
can you tell what is the diameter of the axis with these wheels and if you realize the adaptation? I am looking for a solution to fit it on my wheels and it may be easier with the config DT Swiss
Thank you

 

[Maastricht]

hi, it's a shame because a lot of levo roll with these wheels in europe, but I understand you well. You mentioned above that if you have a Gold Expert S-Works 2017/2018 model with a DT Swiss wheelset, that will not do, let me know if anyone needs this combo. "
can you tell what is the diameter of the axis with these wheels and if you realize the adaptation? I am looking for a solution to fit it on my wheels and it may be easier with the config DT Swiss
Thank you

Hi,

Why don't you simply use BLEvo to adjust the speed limit of the 2017 Levo?

 

[FrenchLevo]

hi just for a guarantee issue ...

 

[Maastricht]

hi just for a guarantee issue ...

You can always perform a full reset from my perspective. Is the bike actually still under warranty as it’s a 2017 version if I am right?

 

[FrenchLevo]

the engine is guaranteed 4 years and a half of memory. if you use blevo the internal software saves and you lose the guarantee. a friend had the case and lost the guarantee

 

[Maastricht]

the engine is guaranteed 4 years and a half of memory. if you use blevo the internal software saves and you lose the guarantee. a friend had the case and lost the guarantee

I think it's only 2 years:

Personally I wouldn't be too concerned when using BLEvo.

 

[FrenchLevo]

Hi,

the warranty conditions in France are not the same ....

 

[Maastricht]

Hi,

the warranty conditions in France are not the same ....

View attachment 13828

Can you send the weblink where you found this? I wasn't aware about it. Curious about the warranty in The Netherlands then...

I was only able to find:
Global Warranty Page | Specialized.com

Within the second link it says:

I am sorry as my french was my worst language on high school but I think to understand 2 years.

 

[FrenchLevo]

Conditions De Garantie | Specialized.com

no Problèm ;-)

 

[Max-E]

I would have thought due to EU law the warranty would have to be the same in all EU countries including (still for the present!) the UK, ie 2 years. I doubt very much any manufacturer is going to give four years or more - at least not until Hyundai, Kia etc start making E-bikes when hopefully we'll get 7 years!

 

[Maastricht]

Conditions De Garantie | Specialized.com

no Problèm ;-)

I just checked your link...

A little further in the text is says:

• Les composants et éclairages du Turbo (à l’exception des pièces d’usure standard telles que listées ci-dessous), le moteur Turbo, la batterie (ou au moins 75 % de sa capacité après 300 cycles de charge), et les pièces électroniques du Turbo (commande, connecteurs de câble, interface de l’utilisateur) pour deux (2) ans à compter de la date d’achat.

Therefore I still think motor warranty is really limited to 2 years after date of purchase but again my french is bad and in the dutch Specialized webpage this text is not mentioned.

 

[FrenchLevo]

I think the conditions have been changed because the engine brose had a lot of reliability problem ... a lot of friends rider has already replaced the engine as a warranty

 

[Max-E]

Big chapeau to the OP for incredible work on this product.

However.......is there every likely to be a simple hacked software solution so we can all enjoy the basic thing many of us want and agree is fair to all - simply matching the US 20 mph limit?

 

[Maastricht]

I agree there has been some issues but I still think the official warranty is 2 years. Of course, when after 2 years many riders are complaining about the lifetime/reliability you will end up with a legal discussion like "Was the motor designed as "fit for purpose"?" Then Specialized/Brose will maybe offer kind of coulance/gesture to solve the issue as they want to keep a good reputation within the market.

However strictly taken based on their global warranty statement of July 1st 2018 the motor warranty is limited to 2 years according to my opinion.

 

[ccrdave]

i also doubt the internal software on 2017/18 bikes can store the wheelsize history I ran both my 2017 and 2018 bikes with modified wheel sizes and both bikes had new motors under warranty, I just did a factory reset using mission control before taking the bike in.
I would guess the 2019 bikes are different though

 

[FrenchLevo]

hi, the levo record these data, a friend had a warranty refusal. and had to change the engine at his expense ....
Bye

 

[Maastricht]

hi, the levo record these data, a friend had a warranty refusal. and had to change the engine at his expense ....
Bye

I have the Levo 2019 and ride with BLEvo but can't change the wheel setting as Specialized blocked this setting from being modified starting with firmware 2.025 and newer. My firmware is 2.026.

However if you or your friend was standing near me, I could adjust your and his wheel circumference without you both being aware it happened. Remember Specialized designed an open software system in those years. Today you need a pin to connect to the bike at these times a pin wasn't required yet. So if the dealer or Specialized refuses warranty, can he proof that you or your friend changed this setting? From my perspective this is impossible. I think when you would have used the right arguments the motor would have been replaced under warranty.

I also want to mention I would never ever completely derestrict a bike as the motor's lifetime can be reduced and you also at risk of an accident not only for yourself but also for others. However if your bike is limited to 25km/h and you would increase speed to US setting between 30 and 32km/h. I personally don't see any big issues.

Next to that I would advice you to perform a factory reset anyway when claiming warranty like CCRDAVE also mentioned above.

 

[FrenchLevo]

the bike is 2017 and it was reset ... they saw it. so this is not the problem ... we just want to enjoy a bike like usa that does not hang at 25km.h

 

[Maastricht]

the bike is 2017 and it was reset ... they saw it. so this is not the problem ... we just want to enjoy a bike like usa that does not hang at 25km.h

I understand I think we are more or less in the same boat... I also don't like the EU 25kmh speed limit. The US speed limit of 32km/h would be much better. Even 30km/h would be ok. 25 is just irritating as the motor constantly switches on and off.

However based on you last reaction I think you didn't understood my point. Even if the dealer or Specialized finds a different setting after the reset procedure, who can proof that you or your friend has changed this value? No one can as it's an open system so they can't void warranty based on this argument from my perspective.

I also want to add that I really like @jd_3d 's LSS solution but I would only consider it for Levo model year 2019 or the universal mount for other bike brands or other rotors. For the Levo 2016, 2017 and 2018 I would prefer to software solution as the hardware solution could fail in time but I have to say as well that it has proven itself already as being very reliable as well. @jd_3d did a very good job!