• Warning!!

    Riding a tuned or deristricted EMTB is not a trivial offence and can have serious legal consequences. Also, many manufacturers can detect the use of a tuning device or deristricting method and may decline a repair under warranty if it was modified from the intended original specification. Deristricting EMTB's can also add increased loads for motors and batteries. Riding above the local law limit may reclassify the bike as a low-powered bike, requiring insurance, registration and a number plate.

    Be aware of your local country laws. Many laws prohibit use of modified EMTB's. It is your responsibility to check local laws. Ignoring it, has potential implications to trail access, and risk of prosecution in the event of an accident.

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    We advise members great caution. EMTB Forums accepts no liability for any content or advice given here. 


Volspeed tuning box for Bosch gen 4

da21

Member
Sep 25, 2021
27
2
London
I read that as being applicable if you wanted to remove the dongle, not if you were turning the bike off after riding it. My distance ridden appears to be correct (comparing to Strava) and I've just been turning it off once I'm done.
maybe I am just over concerned of not running into another 504. How many km have you ridden so far with the dongle?
 

sgh77

Member
Feb 22, 2021
10
6
New Zealand
My friend is on 2200km so far without error, apart from the very rare occasion of it reporting of speeds of 280kph in the Bosch ebike app.
 

LenM

Member
Sep 9, 2021
13
2
White Rock BC
Finally go around to installing the V4 on my Trek Powerfly 9E. Took it for a couple rides and it felt great to go past 31 KMPH without having the pedals feel like they were dead weight! I set mine to 42KM and might actually just set at 40. I am a little concerned about the power off procedure some have made comments on. I just turn mine off when I am done or unplug my Nyon from the dock. Hasn't had any errors yet. I am taking the bike to the shop tomorrow. I have the "service due" indicator on for a minute upon each power up and want that taken away. I am very meticulous servicing my bike, I am not paying $100's of dollars for a wash and checking the gears. But it sounds like the shop with their equipment is the only choice for making the service due notice away??
 

claypot

Member
Jul 4, 2022
16
13
Australia
Hey Guys,

Was at a riding on the weekend & started getting error 511 codes popping up with the Volspeed engaged at my normal setting 35kph.
All of the trails were longer descents where I was pushing it/pedaling a lot, tried restarting it a few times & this didn't seem to help. Decided to turned off the Vol speed to see if that helped & I didn't have the error come again for the rest of the day (lots more runs done)

Has anyone had this issue happen?

Wondering whether its likely that my motor is just on the way out & the Volspeed has just highlighted it early?
How'd you go with this mate? I've got a 22, Sam2 and want to fit a Volspeed but also keen to keep my warranty?🤞
 

Naagra

Member
Aug 14, 2022
7
6
France
If someone is interested i have some informations about the next VOLspeed and the smart system 2022
Really hope to have some news early next years

unfortunately the VOLspeed V4 does not work with the Smart System. You need a tuning module that is suitable for the Smart System. Unfortunately, we will only be able to offer a tuning for this next year.
 

Mr.Spaceworld

Member
Apr 22, 2022
6
11
Norway
Review update

I've ridden 225 km / 140 miles (530 km / 330 miles in total) since last review, and have a couple of things I wanna go over.

The range calculator I feel is all over the place. It may seem to update rather quickly on a very short range making it go from 10 km / 6 miles left to suddenly jump (in some extreme cases) all the way up to 40 km / 25 miles. This makes the rang-calculator somewhat useless. On the other hand now that I can see my % left on the batteries I have an idea how far I can travel. Or so I thought..

Because that's my second "issue". I haven't tested it properly, but I feel that the % fall slower at higher percentage than at lower. Again I haven't tested it, but it feels that way. And because of that I've 2 times now miscalculated the power left and run out of juice half way through my daily commute (and with my cargo-bike that sucked big time!).

Oh! One more thing. At around 394 km / 244 miles I got error 500. It came after I stopped and I didn't noticed it before removing my Intuvia so not sure if the error appeared when I was biking or after I stopped. I turned if off then on, and the error was gone.

500Internal error in the drive unitRestart the system. If the problem persists, contact your Bosch eBike dealer.

I'll keep posting updates as I ride more. I know I sure was looking for a lot of info before chipping my bike so it's nice to share with ppl who are concerned. I'm riding probably in the worst way you can do. Daily commute and pushing it to max speed as much as possible.

My updated score 8/10

Third update on my Volspeed V4. I've now biked 2 445 km (1 519 miles) with the chip and it has worked flawless all the way. I'm riding it in the worst way in terms of getting detected by the anti-tune software. I ride it every day to and from work (about 1,3 km / 0,8 miles) one way with speed set to 45 km/t (28 mph) and average about at 33km/t (20,5 mph). Never had any issues like I said.

This chip has saves me about 20 min in commute every day. Having 20 min. extra each day to do other important stuff is worth more than the chip itself imo.

Updated score is 9/10
 

claypot

Member
Jul 4, 2022
16
13
Australia
I'm confident these tuners will do what I want them to do on my Bosch gen 4 and pretty keen to get one.
I also reckon there's a good chance if Bosch were to interrogate the memory they would pick up it had a tuner especially if I was going nuts with it. But not knowing exactly how each tuner circumvents the firmware its hard to tell to what extent.

I get that risking the warranty is the decision you make when fitting one and fair enough.
Like others, I only want a couple of extra Km/hr and if I just keep it at 32km/hr cut out like Bosch set for some countries then one thinks that the motor must be good for it.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's had to send their motor away for a warranty claim that's used a tuner and whether the claim was honored? And if there was any mention of a tuner?
Given Bosch's reputation for being one of the better manufactures to deal with for warranty (according to my LBS anyway) I reckon as long as you haven't cooked it doing 60km/hr pulling heaps of amps for hours they'd still cover it to retain their good standing. Eg something failed that had nothing to do with being tuned.

Although I'd already settled on buying my bike from the demo ride, my LBS said Bosch were really good with warranty and often told them to just change the motor out and send the faulty one to them, vs another popular brand who require the motor sent back inspected and decision made to ether repair or replace resulting in weeks without riding.
That defiantly helped me part with my hard earned.

Appreciate any feed back regarding claims when a tuner has been fitted.
Cheers.
 

dschae1

Member
Jul 20, 2021
38
25
Texas
My Long range mileage report with the chip. I've had no issues at all on my derestricted "second hand / no warranty" Trek Rail 7 with a Volspeed 4 tuner installed. I activate it on every ride, using all modes (mostly Tour & eMtb). I used a spider to push the front chain ring out so I could fit a 38 tooth. Using this combination, I can get up to about 34 MPH, but at that speed, even though the cadence is very high, It feels like the electric assist has reduced to nil. It is not an abrupt cut off like before the chip though. Overall, I feel this enhancement was well worth the money as previously, it cut off just below 20mph.

2022-10-23_10h20_13.png
 

Tribey

Active member
Jan 1, 2019
313
225
South Devon, UK

Third update on my Volspeed V4. I've now biked 2 445 km (1 519 miles) with the chip and it has worked flawless all the way. I'm riding it in the worst way in terms of getting detected by the anti-tune software. I ride it every day to and from work (about 1,3 km / 0,8 miles) one way with speed set to 45 km/t (28 mph) and average about at 33km/t (20,5 mph). Never had any issues like I said.

This chip has saves me about 20 min in commute every day. Having 20 min. extra each day to do other important stuff is worth more than the chip itself imo.

Updated score is 9/10
Am I reading that right? You have a commute of 0.8mile? and the chip saves 20 minutes?
 

Paulquattro

E*POWAH Elite
May 7, 2020
2,351
1,302
The Darkside
Am I reading that right? You have a commute of 0.8mile? and the chip saves 20 minutes?
Each way 0.8 miles so 1.6 miles total and 20minutes saved with derestriction
I too im lost by these figures it would only take that long on foot with a good pace of just the saving alone
He must mean 8 miles or at least more than 0.8 mls .
 

Mr.Spaceworld

Member
Apr 22, 2022
6
11
Norway
Am I reading that right? You have a commute of 0.8mile? and the chip saves 20 minutes?
Each way 0.8 miles so 1.6 miles total and 20minutes saved with derestriction
I too im lost by these figures it would only take that long on foot with a good pace of just the saving alone
He must mean 8 miles or at least more than 0.8 mls .
@Tribey You are reading that correct. I did an opsie with the comma there :p @Fat Rat is correct! 13km or 8 miles one way. So on 26km or 16 miles I am saving about 20 min in total.

I wanna ask a question maybe someone have had the experience. I'm having a big service on the bike in June and a part of the service is update the software. Should I ask them not to do this? Should I do it but disconnect my tuning? Not sure on what I should do here
 

mctubster

New Member
Jul 18, 2023
10
1
Nelson, NZ
@Tribey You are reading that correct. I did an opsie with the comma there :p @Fat Rat is correct! 13km or 8 miles one way. So on 26km or 16 miles I am saving about 20 min in total.

I wanna ask a question maybe someone have had the experience. I'm having a big service on the bike in June and a part of the service is update the software. Should I ask them not to do this? Should I do it but disconnect my tuning? Not sure on what I should do here
Hopefully you worked out the correct answer yourself. For others reading this thread in the future - Never update the firmware if you are happy with how everything is working. Bosch are playing whack-a-mole trying to stop the derestrictors in firmware updates
 

macp

Member
Jul 30, 2023
34
46
UK
Agreed on the whole Bosch trying to take away your choice. If you fit a device and all goes tits up. Then it’s your own fault. And I accepted that when I ran my last Bosch powered bike with a volspeed v4 for 4000 miles. And no issues. It’s why I took the decision to fit another on my new bike. But I purposely avoided buying a bike with the new smart system.

And for the record I believe the 15.5mph limit is a joke. When restricted I was regularly passed by cyclists on ‘analogue’ bikes. I read on the pedelec link how some guy came off his bike when a cat ran in front of him. He spent the night in a hospital bed. And said 15.5mph was too fast. You can do yourself a serious injury at standstill on a bike. It’s just nonsense.
 
Last edited:

Planemo

E*POWAH Elite
Mar 12, 2021
605
706
Essex UK
But I purposely avoided buying a bike with the new smart system.

Interesting. I did wonder if this might be a consideration for some, and you have just answered that question.

My Bosch was one of the last before the Smart system came out and it was only by chance that I bought it when I did. Glad too, my V4 has been fine.
 

aegidius

Member
Sep 30, 2023
50
28
brisbane
Bosch are required by law to play Wackamole.
How can they be required by law to implement unseen countermeasures, whose details are trade secret?
If something is required by law, surely it must be verifiable that it it actually present and not just on the manufacturer's say-so?

Bosch do have patents on a number of countermeasures (I've posted about them in another thread) but that doesn't mean they are implemented. What actually is implemented is most likely a trade secret.
 

kntr

Active member
Sep 19, 2019
198
282
USA
Where I live in the USA ebikes are considered motorcycles so a top speed is not needed. They don't care if it goes 15mph, 20mph, or 100mph is still considered a motorcycle.
 

Londontrader82

New Member
Apr 15, 2024
4
0
London
Any Kiox users with volspeed4 non smart.
If I activate the chip and then decide to stop and remove kiox from bike, will that cause any issues? What would happen once I redock the Kiox will chip still be active?

Thanks
 

86szs

New Member
Apr 22, 2024
2
0
Europe

Review update

I've ridden 225 km / 140 miles (530 km / 330 miles in total) since last review, and have a couple of things I wanna go over.

The range calculator I feel is all over the place. It may seem to update rather quickly on a very short range making it go from 10 km / 6 miles left to suddenly jump (in some extreme cases) all the way up to 40 km / 25 miles. This makes the rang-calculator somewhat useless. On the other hand now that I can see my % left on the batteries I have an idea how far I can travel. Or so I thought..

Because that's my second "issue". I haven't tested it properly, but I feel that the % fall slower at higher percentage than at lower. Again I haven't tested it, but it feels that way. And because of that I've 2 times now miscalculated the power left and run out of juice half way through my daily commute (and with my cargo-bike that sucked big time!).

Oh! One more thing. At around 394 km / 244 miles I got error 500. It came after I stopped and I didn't noticed it before removing my Intuvia so not sure if the error appeared when I was biking or after I stopped. I turned if off then on, and the error was gone.

500Internal error in the drive unitRestart the system. If the problem persists, contact your Bosch eBike dealer.

I'll keep posting updates as I ride more. I know I sure was looking for a lot of info before chipping my bike so it's nice to share with ppl who are concerned. I'm riding probably in the worst way you can do. Daily commute and pushing it to max speed as much as possible.

My updated score 8/10
Hi,
Did you notice if the range calculation with the module switched off (original 25 kmph state) is the same as without the module?
I was wondering if with the volspeed module turned off, which unit is the range prediction calculated by? Is the range calculated by the volspeed module even if speed mode is off, or in this case it's predicted by the Bosch control unit?

Thank you
 

JcoolMTB

Member
Jul 29, 2022
4
0
Finland
I just installed the Volspeed V4. It was very tight fit under the Trek Rail's 7 (gen 2) bash plate. Working great so far and I love 20% more assistance levels when the tuning is ON! I also tested the Dynamic and Alternative modes, they are great! Now I have a choice to select stock or increased levels, just pressing the minus button when I'm riding. Awesome kit indeed! For sure it is amazing to bypass the speed limit 25km/h (in EU) but I actually love more about increased assistance levels. I'll change to the pass code option so I'm the only person who is able to switch the tuning ON. Sometimes I still ride on the public roads I need to be in the 25kmh mode. If the cops wants to test my bike they are not able to get assistance over the speed limit.
 
Last edited:

Polar

Well-known member
Jun 16, 2023
422
535
Norway
I just installed the Volspeed V4. It was very tight fit under the Trek Rail's 7 (gen 2) bash plate. Working great so far and I love 20% more assistance levels when the tuning is ON! I also tested the Dynamic and Alternative modes, they are great! Now I have a choice to select stock or increased levels, just pressing the minus button when I'm riding. Awesome kit indeed! For sure it is amazing to bypass the speed limit 25km/h (in EU) but I actually love more about increased assistance levels. I'll change to the pass code option so I'm the only person who is able to switch the tuning ON. Sometimes I still ride on the public roads I need to be in the 25kmh mode. If the cops wants to test my bike they are not able to get assistance over the speed limit.
What if the cops use a dynamometer?
 

JcoolMTB

Member
Jul 29, 2022
4
0
Finland
What if the cops use a dynamometer?
I have not changed the motor or battery to more more powerful, right? I don't see any issues in here and the tuning is OFF (or locked) by default. I'm not riding on the public roads with the tuning ON and they can't switch it ON either, simple is that. The bike still passes all the tests (speed cutout, pedelec function). I can see issue though! What happens if I hit to someone. I'm always using Garmin device to record my rides (gps, cadence, power and hr). Just in case, ebiking or not...
 

JcoolMTB

Member
Jul 29, 2022
4
0
Finland
I had time to test the Volspeed V4 more. For example, with eco mode, I can now accelerate naturally up to 25 km/h. A huge improvement indeed. 20% increase in the assistance level is really good! The same improvement is also in the other modes. The outdated Purio system was practically transferred to modern "Smart" and I can finally use a better assistance profile. After all, I still have the option to use stock mode or switch to better one. I would call Volspeed modes like plus modes :) They are in beteween like eco plus. Too many people buy a tuning box to go faster than the limiter, but this is actually a great upgrade to the old Purion system.
 

dschae1

Member
Jul 20, 2021
38
25
Texas
I had time to test the Volspeed V4 more. For example, with eco mode, I can now accelerate naturally up to 25 km/h. A huge improvement indeed. 20% increase in the assistance level is really good! The same improvement is also in the other modes. The outdated Purio system was practically transferred to modern "Smart" and I can finally use a better assistance profile. After all, I still have the option to use stock mode or switch to better one. I would call Volspeed modes like plus modes :) They are in beteween like eco plus. Too many people buy a tuning box to go faster than the limiter, but this is actually a great upgrade to the old Purion system.
@JcoolMTB Can you share a few pics of the updated Purion display please?
 

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