Power smashed through the roof

[outerlimits]

Regarding Levo motor firmware questions, hope this helps.

Gen 1 Levo motors (Brose 1.2 & 1.3) will now update to 7.1.1 as from November 2019 - these motors are used on 2016-18 Levo and 2018-19 Kenevo. Compared to the previous firmware versions 5.x.x there are very small improvements that Brose have made over the last year or so, namely slightly smoother cut off at the speed limit & more intuitive handling of bumps/pedal-strikes. The motor is now completely off at 0% support in Mission Control (a few riders previously mentioned that they wanted to be able to set ECO mode with the motor support at 0%). The benefits to the rider are small, hence we won't make a rider-facing announcement - however we'd be interested to know if riders that have updated believe the changes are perceptible. Worth pointing out that there are no changes to power delivery or acceleration response. (Note that there is no update for the 1.2e motors used in Levo HT and Kenevo Comp)

Gen 2 Levo motors (Brose 2.1) remain at firmware version 6.1.0 and there are no plans to update, we're happy with performance.

I believe I may of had my 1.3 motor replaced with a 1.2e motor under warranty. I noticed a difference in power After the swap. Thoughts?
Here is the screen shot of my old motor serial number vs the new one below it.

 

[Mcharza]

Yes I think so, because motor version 1.3 serial number should start C972xxx

 

[outerlimits]

Yes I think so, because motor version 1.3 serial number should start C972xxx

This is what I thought. Hopefully @Specialized Rider Care can shed some light on this.

 

[Specialized Rider Care]

This is what I thought. Hopefully @Specialized Rider Care can shed some light on this.

Hi @outerlimits - C91143 is a 1.2 (Drive T) motor which is more powerful than the 1.2e but less powerful than the 1.3 (Drive S) I'm afraid (A 1.2e motor serial number will begin with E22243). Sorry to hear - suggest you speak to your retailer to see what happened here, it is almost certainly an administrative error.

See below for more insight (taken from the Brose website)

 

[Zimmerframe]

I suspect they just saw how muscle bound he was and spec'd him a motor for more range rather than assistance ....

 

[outerlimits]

Hi @outerlimits - C91143 is a 1.2 (Drive T) motor which is more powerful than the 1.2e but less powerful than the 1.3 (Drive S) I'm afraid (A 1.2e motor serial number will begin with E22243). Sorry to hear - suggest you speak to your retailer to see what happened here, it is almost certainly an administrative error.

See below for more insight (taken from the Brose website)

View attachment 21385

Thanks heaps
I have a 3hr trip back to the shop by the look of it. I hope this was not going to be the case, as they have been real good to deal with and I hate to bother them again. Pitty the shop just 20min away is a real pain to deal with, that they may as well not be there at all.

 

[outerlimits]

I suspect they just saw how muscle bound he was and spec'd him a motor for more range rather than assistance ....

Or.... it was just a clerical error ?
Either way, I hope I get it sorted, as I really noticed the lack of torque, to get this corpse moving.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Or.... it was just a clerical error ?
Either way, I hope I get it sorted, as I really noticed the lack of torque, to get this corpse moving.

They might have done it on purpose so you would come back !

Did you notice the lack of torque when riding, or just once you noticed it might be different from the serial numbers ?

 

[outerlimits]

They might have done it on purpose so you would come back !

Did you notice the lack of torque when riding, or just once you noticed it might be different from the serial numbers ?

I noticed it straight up, tho it was vague, and I was not quite sure as I had been off the bike for a bit due to work. It seemed to lack power of the old motor, but I thought maybe because it’s new, it may take a bit of time to loosen up. The more different trails I rode, the more I noticed it lacking the old motor feel. Done 480km on it now.
It was only just recently while flicking through my photos on my phone I seen the screen shot, and then compared.

 

[Niner09]

7.1.1 update thoughts...
So I’ve had a few rides in different trail networks and conditions so far. Here is what I’ve noticed. May be me or may be real so take it with a grain unless someone else feels the same.

Seems to me my Kenevo has lost some punch in trade for traction control. I used to be able to rocket out of corners with the old firmware. Now it seems to be lacking in its giddy-up. On the flip side, I don’t have to pay as close attention to breaking traction. If I wasn’t paying attention to trail conditions zipping out of corners with the old firmware the punch could cause the rear to break out. I’ve recently had wet leaves and frozen trail conditions to deal with and the 7.1.1 firmware has been easier to control what my rear end is doing.

All else seems to be in place. Power and most importantly immediate response to pedal input is still there.

I also don’t notice the choppy cut out at the top end of the limiter. This is smoother but I really only get there when I’m on the fire roads.

If the motor is more protected from pedal strikes and abrupt impacts through the drivetrain with the new software then that can only be a plus for longevity.

I’d be interested to see if others feel this as well or if it’s just me looks for a difference that may be a phantom.

 

[Zimmerframe]

7.1.1 update thoughts...
So I’ve had a few rides in different trail networks and conditions so far. Here is what I’ve noticed. May be me or may be real so take it with a grain unless someone else feels the same.

Seems to me my Kenevo has lost some punch in trade for traction control. I used to be able to rocket out of corners with the old firmware. Now it seems to be lacking in its giddy-up. On the flip side, I don’t have to pay as close attention to breaking traction. If I wasn’t paying attention to trail conditions zipping out of corners with the old firmware the punch could cause the rear to break out. I’ve recently had wet leaves and frozen trail conditions to deal with and the 7.1.1 firmware has been easier to control what my rear end is doing.

All else seems to be in place. Power and most importantly immediate response to pedal input is still there.

I also don’t notice the choppy cut out at the top end of the limiter. This is smoother but I really only get there when I’m on the fire roads.

If the motor is more protected from pedal strikes and abrupt impacts through the drivetrain with the new software then that can only be a plus for longevity.

I’d be interested to see if others feel this as well or if it’s just me looks for a difference that may be a phantom.

Interesting .. thanks for the update. I wonder if they've smoothed off the way the power feeds in so it puts less snatch force on the belt to improve longevity ? Would probably have a slight advantage in range as it wouldn't be throwing away power at lower cadences, when it's inefficient, as people accelerate up ?

 

[RobbieJay]

Does anyone know if this update affects blevo and ... you know it’s best feature

 

[eboy]

Interested in RobbieJay's question as well...

 

[Zimmerframe]

Interested in RobbieJay's question as well...

If I remember correctly, the update didn't affect ANY blevo functionality. Based on what others reported.

 

[RobbieJay]

If I remember correctly, the update didn't affect ANY blevo functionality. Based on what others reported.

unfortunately that’s not entirely correct at the time of writing...

Even the creator of Blevo @PaoloBLEvo doesn’t know how this firmware update affects “that” feature part of his software.

There has been 1 user on here so far who has tested the 7.1.1 firmware but he never reported on “that” feature only that it still connected and worked with the the other features.

It’s an interesting one, as apparently the update adds a kind of “traction control” which I think would be great for when the wheel gets too much power on a steep sloppy slope, but I also enjoy “that” feature Immensely.

I suspect we will get confirmation soon enough as I will receive my motor back from Specialized in January and it has been confirmed to be coming with 7.1.1 when I spoke to them last week.
If anyone knows anyone who’s tested 7.1.1 and can cofirm that it doesn’t break “that” feature then it may be a worthy upgrade as adding traction control and loosing a bit of initial grunt may be a decent trade off but only if it doesn’t break the need for speed.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Maybe I'm interpreting things optimistically ...

Spesh Rider care said :

"Gen 1 Levo motors (Brose 1.2 & 1.3) will now update to 7.1.1 as from November 2019 - these motors are used on 2016-18 Levo and 2018-19 Kenevo. Compared to the previous firmware versions 5.x.x there are very small improvements that Brose have made over the last year or so, namely slightly smoother cut off at the speed limit & more intuitive handling of bumps/pedal-strikes. The motor is now completely off at 0% support in Mission Control (a few riders previously mentioned that they wanted to be able to set ECO mode with the motor support at 0%). The benefits to the rider are small, hence we won't make a rider-facing announcement - however we'd be interested to know if riders that have updated believe the changes are perceptible. Worth pointing out that there are no changes to power delivery or acceleration response. (Note that there is no update for the 1.2e motors used in Levo HT and Kenevo Comp) "

No mention of fixed wheel sizes. In fairness they've had plenty of firmware update/opportunities to rule out user wheel size changes in the past, and haven't - yet they did on the 2.1 motors.

Fingers crossed for keeping the flexibility.

 

[RCDallas]

Anyone with a 2019 have the huge numbers?

I have a 2019 Turbo Levo Comp and did hit 753w on its second ride. Would expect at least that or more at 20amps with a fresh charged battery since the batteries voltage is 36v or 3.6v ,nominal, for each series group of 4x 3500 mAh cells in parallel). A typical 3500mah 18650 lion cell will have a cell voltage of 3.85-3.95v at a discharge of 5amps (20amps ÷ 4 parallel cells) for the first 15% of it's capacity. That would give a Watt range of 770-790w during that 15%. Typically a healthy (current technology) 3500mah cell will hit 3.6v at 5amps around 30% discharged.

 

[Niner09]

I don’t use any outside apps. I just turn mine on and go! 90% of the time I’m in Trail set at 40/100.

I was hoping someone else would have chimed in about the perceived output change at the first pedal stroke. Maybe it’s just me. ?

 

[RobbieJay]

@Niner09 can you confirm that firmware 7.1.1 still allows blevos “de-restriction” feature to work?

Also after using 7.1.1 for some time now, and being the only user of it on this forum, what’s your thoughts now after a few runs?

Do you feel that in some instances you wish you had the initial pedal grunt from the lower firmware or do you not miss it at all?

I for one am quite an aggressive rider and I love that initial push I get as it really gets me up to speed and going!

Coming out of corners, and pushing slightly uphill for jumps jumps etc are great too as it gives me an extra “boost” that gets me extra height etc. It’s like nitro on occasion, stupidly delivered but shed loads of fun

I would miss this “boost” but if traction was improved drastically, then I would trade!

As I do find that if I stop on a hill that is damp, my initial pedal push gives the wheels a “nitros boost” and it just wheel spins and I get no where, and have to push it up the hill, so some traction and better delivered power may not go amiss.

So, what’s your thoughts on 7.1.1 and can we still use the speed hack

 

[Niner09]

No insight on Blevo or other apps or hacks.

I do feel I miss the punch out of corners. If I scrubbed too much speed it was nice to get back up to speed in a jiffy. That feels to be gone.

Personally, I wish I still had my old firmware. This one got put upon me when my motor was warrantied. No going back I guess.

If you don’t need to update I wouldn’t.

 

[outerlimits]

Still waiting for the new motor to arrive in the country, and was told it was around a 6week wait when I enquired mid November. I hope it’s hear by the new year. 6 weeks feels a lot like 3 months ?tic tock, I got mountains to climb ?

 

[Zimmerframe]

@RobbieJay : looks like you'll be ok with the latest firmware and Blevo

The Official BLEvo Thread - EMTB Forums

 

[Jon Hill]

So, after an embarrassingly long time, I finally got out on my bike with the 7.1.1 update over Christmas. I can’t say I noticed any difference on the trails, and the outright power, but there is a big difference when you hit the limiter. Whereas previously it would aggressively cut in, it is now so subtle you don’t notice it. It is a lot less frustrating, especially in Turbo, though I think I might have lost a tiny bit of top speed, down from 28 to 27 kph. I think that extra speed is still there, but you have to push harder. On the whole I prefer the way it is now.

 

[outerlimits]

Still waiting for the new motor to arrive in the country, and was told it was around a 6week wait when I enquired mid November. I hope it’s hear by the new year. 6 weeks feels a lot like 3 months ?tic tock, I got mountains to climb ?

Just got the bike back with the new motor. Now wish the rain would rack off so I get to test it now with 7.1.1 firmware.
Either way, I’m going to be happy swapping from 70nm and 300% assist back to 90nm and 380% assist. Happy days ahead ?

 

[Longlivenduro]

Hi, just got my 2nd motor replacement (3 motors now in total) for my 2018 Kenevo last week. As I was out of warranty, I got a new 1.3 motor for less money from Specialized.

The new motor (C97272) has firmware 7.1.1, the motor before (also C97272) had 5.0.0.
Rode it the last 3 days on very well known climbs on Turbo 100/100 and the bike feels massively underpowered. It uses around 20-30% less battery but, also lost top power and it's punchy behaviour.

As the motor came brand new from Spesh to my local bike shop, I wonder what might be the problem here?
My 2 batteries have A.17.1 and 2.17.1 firmware.
Already contacted my dealer but he hasn't heard of such a problem yet.

@Specialized Rider Care maybe you can give me and my dealer some hints what is going wrong here?

PS: Put in a spare 1.2 motor 1 week ago while waiting for the 1.3 replacement and it felt much better than the new replacement (not as good as my old 5.0.0 1.3 though)

Any hints from anyone? Will check max current today and give feedback

Update:

Pedalled as hard as I could for 50m uphill and did get up to a max of 17.8A current. Tried with both batteries, exactly same result.

Update 2:

just returned from the shop. Updated the motor with the same version, 2 batteries were not upgraded ( up to date) and went straight on the parking lot to give it a test with jammed on brakes. Got over 20.4A so it worked!

Cheers everyone and especially @Specialized Rider Care for the great and fast help. I think I got my old Kenevo back!

 

[Swarfworks]

Hi all. Sorry to bump this old thread.
My 2018 Levo Carbon Expert has the 5.0.0 firmware and can only pull ~15A (on the Mission Control App) and ~566W (on the Blevo app).

Tried to have the dealer update it and it won’t update to anything newer than 5.0.0. Won’t show or load 7.1.1 or 5.0.4 even. They had the “force motor update” checked as well, but still no love.

I double checked and it does have the C97272 motor (1.3 Drive S).

@Specialized Rider Care any tips that I could pass onto the dealer to try? Are the newer firmware revisions still available somehow?

Thanks!
Paul

 

[2wheeledwalbert]

Bump*
Just took my 2018 comp carbon levo to Bristol specialized for a motor and battery fw update. The motor updated fine, the battery didn't take the update and has now froze and won't connect to the motor got to wait until Monday now until specialized hq opens and see what they can do. Gutted!!
*Update* specialized supplied new battery under warranty. Fair play!!