Strange issue after wet ride

[jdizzle]

Hi everyone,

Just after some advice - I had a slightly weird issue after a wet ride. Now, it wasn't raining on the ride but there was a fair bit of surface water and plenty of puddles. Anyway, halfway through the ride I noticed that "stealth mode" had stopped working. Usually on my bike (2019 Levo Expert) when you change assistance modes the LEDs all come on (showing battery level and mode), but then go off again after about 10 seconds. I've used the bike on Stealth mode since I got it as I prefer it not to be lit up like a Christmas tree, especially for night riding.

Anyway, I didn't take much notice and carried on with the ride and - aside from the lights being on - everything worked perfectly. When I got home I switched the bike on to check how much battery I had left and got an error message... or at least I think it is an error message even though it doesn't correspond to the ones listed in the manual (I get a single red bar at the very top of the line of bars, directly below the mode indicator). After a short time this goes away, and the bike shows battery level before reverting into Stealth mode. However, when you change modes the bike gets stuck in non-stealth mode, even though Mission Control is saying the bike is still in Stealth mode. I've tried turning stealth mode off and back on again, and I've rebooted the bike and even taken the battery out and nothing seems out of place and there is no water anywhere.

Anyone got any ideas what either the error message or the bike's determination to not stay in Stealth mode could mean... or better yet any suggestions for how to fix it?!

 

[Specialized Rider Care]

Sorry to hear - please pair with your bike using Mission Control whilst the error is showing, then click DIAGNOSE. (needs to be the latest version of Mission Control). There should be a corresponding error explanation and action for you. Any use?

 

[jdizzle]

Thanks for the tip - I just tried that but it didn't help as the "error code" (if that is even what it is) disappears before Mission Control pairs with the bike. Therefore MC is showing the system as healthy.

As an aside, I also just noticed that the bike is not automatically powering down now either?

 

[Specialized Rider Care]

Sent you a PM, if you've clicked "Diagnose" in the app please PM me your serial number and we can check here to see if we can see what's going on.

Also if you look underneath to the battery LEDs please describe what they're doing - whilst everything is connected. If they are flashing in alternate pairs that's telling you there is a short-circuit and probably water has got into the cabling somewhere. Check under the battery Rosenberger plug if so, dry both socket and connector with a cloth or compressed air and if wet leave to the air for a while before retrying. You can remove the TCU with a T10 torx driver and ensure that the rubber flap covering the USB socket is closed correctly. If water is showing underneath this then again - dry and leave to air overnight.

If neither of these solve it please take it to your retailer.

 

[jdizzle]

Sent you a PM, if you've clicked "Diagnose" in the app please PM me your serial number and we can check here to see if we can see what's going on.

Also if you look underneath to the battery LEDs please describe what they're doing - whilst everything is connected. If they are flashing in alternate pairs that's telling you there is a short-circuit and probably water has got into the cabling somewhere. Check under the battery Rosenberger plug if so, dry both socket and connector with a cloth or compressed air and if wet leave to the air for a while before retrying. You can remove the TCU with a T10 torx driver and ensure that the rubber flap covering the USB socket is closed correctly. If water is showing underneath this then again - dry and leave to air overnight.

If neither of these solve it please take it to your retailer.

I just removed the TCU and it was a bit wet and the rubber cover was not in position so I suspect that this is the culprit! (I checked the battery LEDs and they're behaving normally). If leaving it to dry out doesn't work I'll reply to your PM - Thanks!

 

[Specialized Rider Care]

I just removed the TCU and it was a bit wet and the rubber cover was not in position so I suspect that this is the culprit! (I checked the battery LEDs and they're behaving normally). If leaving it to dry out doesn't work I'll reply to your PM - Thanks!

You can safely disconnect the TCU when the bike is off. Pull it gently and there are two inline connections. Holding the connectors (not the cables) pull straight apart, don't bend or twist. You can then take the TCU indoors and put it in a warm place, flap kept open. If a lot of water got in you can use compressed air to blow it out, or shake it with the opening pointing down.

Reconnection is straightforward, just do it with good light making sure that the alignment guides on the connectors are perfectly in position before pushing together.

 

[Mikerb]

man....they must have been deep puddles!

 

[jdizzle]

You know they were really not that bad - I think it was one in particular that sprayed a load of water up over the bars / stem and onto the TCU. I’m a bit worried for how the bike will do over “proper” winter riding as I’ve not had it for long. I’m hoping the rubber cover on the bottom of the TCU being left open (I assume by the shop I got it from?) is the main cause.

 

[Mikerb]

its there for a reason but for wet rides I smear a very light coat of grease around the TCU where it sits on the frame.

 

[jdizzle]

its there for a reason but for wet rides I smear a very light coat of grease around the TCU where it sits on the frame.

It looks like it needs a soft rubber gasket or something to do a better job of stopping water getting under it and into the electronics... especially when the electronics don’t have the rubber flap closed!

 

[Mikerb]

I have used mine on an extended ride in the rain and with very wet and muddy ground...no problems....except cleaning the bike afterwards. My son was on the ride with me using my analogue Cube Stereo. At the ride finish they had a tap and spray hose. It took him a few minutes to get the bike relatively clean. Being a lot more cautious with my wash routine on the Levo, it took me a few HOURS....the following day!

 

[Mikerb]

It looks like it needs a soft rubber gasket or something to do a better job of stopping water getting under it and into the electronics... especially when the electronics don’t have the rubber flap closed!

The TCU itself is a closed "box" except for the USB port. I use the grease to prevent water/mud getting into the downtube.

 

[jdizzle]

Just to update the thread, after removing the TCU and drying it out on a radiator for 3 days it has come back to life and is now functioning properly. I checked it several times during that time and it was still not working despite looking dry. Moral of the story is that a tiny bit of water causes a lot of problems and that it takes longer than you might think to dry out a wet TCU.

Oh, and the other moral is to make sure the rubber flap is shut on the TCU!

 

[Mikerb]

Moral of the story is that the knowledge and quality of your lbs can impact on the reliability of your bike. You are not the first to find the lbs failed to secure the usb flap. You should be telling them it is not acceptable.

 

[jdizzle]

Moral of the story is that the knowledge and quality of your lbs can impact on the reliability of your bike. You are not the first to find the lbs failed to secure the usb flap. You should be telling them it is not acceptable.

Good point well made!

 

[Al Boneta]

Moral of the story is that the knowledge and quality of your lbs can impact on the reliability of your bike. You are not the first to find the lbs failed to secure the usb flap. You should be telling them it is not acceptable.

This is true of any retailer not just Specialized retailers. I once rented a bike from a well known shop in Colorado while I was on a trip for a wedding.
I noticed one of the suspension pivots was loose, so their “head technician” tightened it with a three way Allen wrench. I asked him if he he should be using a torque wrench and he replied:
“What for?”
I decided it was not in my best interest to ride anything from that shop and left.

I went to an Ebike specific store that opened in my area a few weeks ago to scope out my competition. They were selling a customer a Bulls Emtb. They were super thorough explaining battery care and the electrical system, but when the customer asked about the suspension set up for his weight, the salesman said everything he needed to know was in his owner’s manual.

There are plenty of shops that don’t have a lot of experience with Emtbs and don’t take the extra steps to properly set up the electric portion of the bike, just as there are many Ebike only shops that don’t know how to properly set up the mechanical components of an Emtb.