Intermittent Walk Assist on Levo / Kenevo

[Mcharza]

I promise you, have tried every angle and every pressure and even every finger. It has a mind of its own. It is Skynet, there is a deeper purpose to this testing of mankind.

Haha, try to move pedal forward at the same time. It sometimes help

 

[Mikerb]

I think it is programmed as a punishment for failing to clean a climb!
So far I have only failed 1 climb and tbh it was easier and more satisfying to go back down and try again....cleaned it 2nd attempt.

 

[Dee Scee]

i was working on a theory that moving or stopping the pedals was what was causing it to stop. so, you’re walking it and it’s working, but then you bump your leg, or a rock, or tall grass stops the pedals turning and was thinking that would cause it to cut out.

conclusion? sometimes it does, but it’s still not reliable or consistent even when the pedals are 100% free and unbothered.

all that being said... walk assist is a lifesaver and has pulled my heavy bike up and through some stuff i could not (would not?) ride and it really helped!

 

[neils]

My wife's kept stopping last weekend (Levo 2018 CC) whilst trying to use on a very steep climb. It did seem intermittent. I spoke to Chris at Berkshire Cycles he said its when the motor gets hot, it's designed to cut out. I just gave it a quick try around the garden and it's working perfectly at the moment. Not sure what gear it was in when it cut out but I'll try making sure it's in a 1st, 2nd or 3rd next time she needs to use it.

 

[Mikerb]

It will also cut out if the rear wheel loses traction since it then thinks the bike is dling more than 6kph

 

[neils]

It will also cut out if the rear wheel loses traction since it then thinks the bike is dling more than 6kph

The back wheel wasn't spinning, it had good traction in the dry. But noted

 

[Dave 80]

That’s the way it works Donnie, it cuts out when you reach a certain speed (or by itself sometimes!). I put it in a low gear when going up steep stuff to give it an easier time.

I’ve found Walk Mode useful when you reach the bottom of a downhill and want to ride back up but you’re still in a high gear. Put it in Walk Mode and change through the gears to a lower one, it saves putting high loads on the drivetrain by getting on the bike and pedalling yourself while changing gear going up hill.

Have been having this problem on my 2018 Levo .Took your advice and had no problem fingers crossed, on next ride.Thanks.

 

[sisuman]

Hey all,

On my past few rides where I've really needed it, Walk Assist has worked intermittently. Sometimes it will work for a minute or so, next it will stop completely. Only way of getting it to work again is by turning off the bike then turning it back on.

I've noticed it on a couple of bikes now, it always seems to be a bit buggy.

Anyone else have it too? Any tips to get it to work consistently?

Thanks,
Rob.

 

[grantini]

My 18 had numerous issues with walk assist. Coincidentally I needed to get the controller replaced all the problems disappeared. No issues on my 20 at all.

 

[Dave 80]

Had ride today no lockouts , looking good .

 

[LandSurfer]

Me too: 2018 Levo, unreliable walk-assist. Random power, spin, stop. A real head-scratcher. Also happens in other modes, often just shuts off. Changed out battery harness and connector plug housing (visible plastic angular bit that holds the battery charging cable and is pushed on to connect the battery), but still an occasional power stoppage in all modes. Turning off then on works often, but not always. I keep it clean; still researching solutions... thinking a firmware update is due.

 

[Bryan Wells]

yeah the walk assist is a bit of a joke. it only comes on if you hold its hand and be patient like walking a toddler. needs like a 3 click and its toggled on until clicked once more

 

[Mikerb]

Mine works fine! Because it has a maximum speed it is best used in a relatively high gear. Too low a gear and you will likely get wheel spin so it will cut off.

 

[LandSurfer]

Mine works fine! Because it has a maximum speed it is best used in a relatively high gear. Too low a gear and you will likely get wheel spin so it will cut off.

I hear ya, but wheel spins hasn't been an issue for me; my issue's been slow- to no-startup of the feature itself. I only engage it on hills, so am always in low gear at such times. Seems glitchy... just dunno what's up, seems it's a common problem from what I'm reading on the inter-web. Not a big deal for me, 'cuz it usually kicks in after some delay and pushing... I expect I'm missing something, some fix hidden in plain sight? That'd be great.

 

[Mikerb]

Assuming you are in a granny gear try a couple of gear change clicks to a mid cassette gear and then engage walk assist whilst lifting the back to enable those gear changes. Then try walk assist. I found the position of the walk assist button awkward so moved the controller to make it easier to ensure a constant depression of the button. I also thought walk assist did not work until I moved the controller learnt about selecting a mid range gear.

 

[LandSurfer]

Assuming you are in a granny gear try a couple of gear change clicks to a mid cassette gear and then engage walk assist whilst lifting the back to enable those gear changes. Then try walk assist. I found the position of the walk assist button awkward so moved the controller to make it easier to ensure a constant depression of the button. I also thought walk assist did not work until I moved the controller learnt about selecting a mid range gear.

Yeah, me too: awkward placement so I really focus on constant button pressure too. Will try the mid-cassette trick. Thanks!

 

[neils]

Yeah, me too: awkward placement so I really focus on constant button pressure too. Will try the mid-cassette trick. Thanks!

Won’t make any difference!

Specialized please sort it out, surely you can fix it with a software update ? This issue has been going on since 2017!! Or are you just ignoring the problem?

 

[Mikerb]

have you tried it just on the flat...on your drive? If it works OK there then it is the gearing that need to change when using it on a failed climb or similar.
Not sure why you think it is an endemic problem. Mine works fine and so does my mate's.

In order to be a safe way of propelling the bike with no rider aboard the total power delivery of the motor is limited, as is the top speed ( 6kph). If the bike is in too high a gear when on a steep incline it is likely not to be able to move the bike so will shut off. If the rear wheel spins up with lack of grip due to the bike being in a low gear, the speed cut off will interrupt power delivery. How much you push...or expect the bike to pull you will also make a difference to the way it reacts. I have found that on the steepest climbs a gear in the middle of the cassette is usually needed to keep the walk assist engaged. Virtually everytime I have had to use walk assist I have been in turbo mode so I do not think the mode makes a difference. The acceleration setting may do however.....I don't know cos mine is always set at zero.

 

[neils]

have you tried it just on the flat...on your drive? If it works OK there then it is the gearing that need to change when using it on a failed climb or similar.
Not sure why you think it is an endemic problem. Mine works fine and so does my mate's.

In order to be a safe way of propelling the bike with no rider aboard the total power delivery of the motor is limited, as is the top speed ( 6kph). If the bike is in too high a gear when on a steep incline it is likely not to be able to move the bike so will shut off. If the rear wheel spins up with lack of grip due to the bike being in a low gear, the speed cut off will interrupt power delivery. How much you push...or expect the bike to pull you will also make a difference to the way it reacts. I have found that on the steepest climbs a gear in the middle of the cassette is usually needed to keep the walk assist engaged. Virtually everytime I have had to use walk assist I have been in turbo mode so I do not think the mode makes a difference. The acceleration setting may do however.....I don't know cos mine is always set at zero.

I can assure you've we've tried all different gears and no spinning of the back wheel and it is a known issue with many owners and Berks Cycles. The only difference here I can see here is that if you do have your acceleration set to 0% ... then maybe that does make a difference. Where as most riders I know using the Levo have the acceleration set to 100%.

How much you "push" ... well it's not easy to push more than about 1-2mph on a steep hill so if it doesn't work then it's a pretty useless feature. I personally don't use the walk assist but my wife has needed it on several occasions and it does cut out or not work at all when required. It does work around the garden though. Would be good if Specialized could offer some advice on the Walk Assist mode instead of just ignoring the customers request for help and give us some clarification on the parameters that the mode should be used.. i.e. gear selection, walk speed, etc etc ???

 

[Zimmerframe]

Very rarely use mine. It's often sluggish to decide to start. Once it's started, it's normally fine though, even if the wheels spinning (2019 Kenevo 1.3). Caught the button yesterday by accident and it instantly leapt forwards and threw itself at the garage door, never done that so eagerly before ..

Also tried it yesterday when familiarising a young horse to bikes in the sand school. I "scootered"? put my right foot on the left pedal, pressed walk and after a few seconds delay, set off. Then adjusted my scooter speed by just changing gears. Didn't cut out at any point.

 

[Mikerb]

I can assure you've we've tried all different gears and no spinning of the back wheel and it is a known issue with many owners and Berks Cycles. The only difference here I can see here is that if you do have your acceleration set to 0% ... then maybe that does make a difference. Where as most riders I know using the Levo have the acceleration set to 100%.

How much you "push" ... well it's not easy to push more than about 1-2mph on a steep hill so if it doesn't work then it's a pretty useless feature. I personally don't use the walk assist but my wife has needed it on several occasions and it does cut out or not work at all when required. It does work around the garden though. Would be good if Specialized could offer some advice on the Walk Assist mode instead of just ignoring the customers request for help and give us some clarification on the parameters that the mode should be used.. i.e. gear selection, walk speed, etc etc ???

I do not really understand your reply. If it works in the garden...then it works! The difference when on a hill is obviously the much heavier load it is working against and therefore selecting a gear that makes the load easier but not so easy that it merely spins the rear wheel is what is needed. It is also the case that on a steep hill the position of the walk assist button can be very difficult to press and keep pressed. I have my controller rotated so that the + and - are horizontal. That places the walk assist button in a position where you can press it with your finger going over the bar not under it. I don't know what model year/motor etc you have but all the guys I know with MY19 Levo have no problems with it provided they select the right gear. Again my experience is different to yours re Acceleration......no one I know has it set at 100%....and since it is a universal setting maybe that does make all the difference. Worth a try?

 

[krisrayner]

Has anyone confirmed it still being an issue with the newest firmware versions? I want to add it on my ‘17 but not if it’s still that temperamental

 

[warx]

Just picked up an Expert Carbon SL (Oct '21) and it still has the problem. Turning on and off does not fix it. Sometimes you can make it engage by giving the pedals a little kick forwards. This makes me think it's some physical issue where it detects the motor is not engaged and thus does not try to power up. Chose a dumb route up to a ridge 1 mile with several sections @ 30%+ and each time I'd be hoping for assist. 30% was also the success rate

 

[Dave 80]

Cannot belive there are still problems after all these years. Specialized boffins need a kick up the backside on this topic.

Are they hoping it will just go away. Come up with a cure as these bikes are not cheap.

 

[Mikerb]

The last post on this thread was 22 months ago............hardly evidence of an ongoing problem with walk assist. My Levo Comp is 2.5 years old...walk assist works perfectly and always has.

 

[luna87824]

The last post on this thread was 22 months ago............hardly evidence of an ongoing problem with walk assist. My Levo Comp is 2.5 years old...walk assist works perfectly and always has.

Welcome to the Twilight Zone.......Where my Levo has never had a problem in the last 15,000 miles, and all rides were in rain with lots of mud!! And my walk assist works almost all the time!

 

[warx]

It is indicative I think that this something they have not addressed in this period. I think it's just become an accepted failure of the Mahle 1.1 motor for some. Not enough complaints for them to put effort into fixing. My wife's Levo [Comp non-SL] does not have the problem and TBH I can't be bothered to go through the effort of having my bike at my LBS for weeks for something that is not crucial - probably like everyone else. Especially after I saw this thread [and a several others] complaining of the same thing with no fix.

 

[RebornRider]

My Levo's walk assist performance changed with firmware updates. Some firmware versions (including my current version, which may not be up to date) provided reasonable assistance while others were erratic. I think your comment:

it's just become an accepted failure of the Mahle 1.1 motor

is not accurate. Many of us understand that this is a motor control software issue, not a problem with the motor itself. The software design is made more difficult because of the need to avoid anyone thinking that walk assist could be used as a throttle.

And, as I mentioned above, walk assist on my '19 Levo is doing what I need it to do.

 

[warx]

Yes, sorry badly worded. It seems odd that if they've been able to improve the system (meaning motor and firmware) in the past with firmware patches that they somehow re-introduced the problem in the latest revision.

 

[Mikerb]

You are conflating two different issues. This thread covers Levo and Kenevo not the Levo SL. I think it was established that the Levo/Kenevo issue was mostly user error. There was an issue more recently with a firmware change that altered the way walk assist worked in that it incurred a slight delay before initiation and the walk assist speed seemed reduced. I believe that was resolved with a further firmware change ( tbh I did not follow this very carefully..........my Levo Comp is 2019 and it has the same firmware as when I bought it new........if it aint broke, dont fix it!) .
The SL is a different motor and different software controller. If you are convinced walk assist is an issue on the SL you may be better posting in the Levo SL thread to find like minds.