X35 Range Extender

[mickdronnie]

I'm thinking of buying an x35 (SP1) range extender for my rides in the Peak District where as I get older I need to use more assist on my Orbra Gain. Half way round I always have a 30 minute or so coffee stop before tackling a 3 mile climb ( Frogatt Edge). I was thinking in the 30 minutes the external would charge the internal and so eliminate any "range anxiety". However, the auto shut down on the Gain will presumably stop any charging after 5 minutes. Nipping out every 5 minutes to turn back on is not ideal!.. so does anybody know a way I can stop the Gain auto shutting off? I've looked in the app and I can't change any setting. Thanks - Mick

 

[Chrstn]

Hi Mick,
As far as I know, the Gain’s auto shut-off can’t be disabled through the app. The bike powers down after a few minutes of inactivity, so the range extender will stop charging the internal battery once that happens.
One possible workaround is to leave the bike powered on and occasionally wake the system by pressing a button or slightly rotating the cranks during your coffee stop, though that’s obviously not ideal. You might also want to check whether newer firmware versions have added any options, but I’ve never seen a setting to disable the auto-off feature.
If you still intend to buy I can help

 

[mickdronnie]

Hi Mick,
As far as I know, the Gain’s auto shut-off can’t be disabled through the app. The bike powers down after a few minutes of inactivity, so the range extender will stop charging the internal battery once that happens.
One possible workaround is to leave the bike powered on and occasionally wake the system by pressing a button or slightly rotating the cranks during your coffee stop, though that’s obviously not ideal. You might also want to check whether newer firmware versions have added any options, but I’ve never seen a setting to disable the auto-off feature.
If you still intend to buy I can help

Hi Chrstn - many thanks for your reply which is much appreciated . In fact, it gave me an idea which I've just tested and seems to work. It was you saying "wake the system" ! I connected the Mahle Mysmartbike app on my phone to my bike and set it to "record", even though the bike was going nowhere. Doing this seems to keep the system awake as I left it for 15 minutes without the Gain auto shutting down. So, all I have to do at a cafe is connect to my bike and leave it. I've had a look and Mahle say the Bluetooth range is about 10 metres - which is fine. Once I get the extender I'll give it a real world test and update this post. Regards Mick

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I wonder why you would think the Range Extender could "charge" the internal battery. RE is not a powerbank. Its role is to co-work with the main battery in an intelligent way. For example, both could deliver the energy in parallel. Or, attaching the RE to the e-bike with almost empty main battery would kick in as the sole source of energy.

It is how Range Extender works on another e-bike system.

 

[stompandgo]

Because, Stefan, that's how the Mahle SP1 system works. It does not work like my TQ, and I believe, not like your Specialized/Brose.

The Mahle SP1 range extender trickle charges the main battery when connected and on. It is like a 36V power pack. It can be charged using the same Mahle charger that the main battery uses, either by itself, or in parallel with the main battery when connected to the bike.

There are multiple versions of the SP1 range extender. Older bikes use the one with Bluetooth only compatibility and work via the Mahle MySmartbike app. Newer bikes have ANT+ compatibility to some degree. I do not know how the battery capacity is reported on a Garmin/Wahoo. I've never seen an X35 bike with the SP1.

Mick, I think your "trick" of keeping the bike on and in ride mode during the stop should work, and not use much battery power. Let us know how it works.

 

[mickdronnie]

Because, Stefan, that's how the Mahle SP1 system works. It does not work like my TQ, and I believe, not like your Specialized/Brose.

The Mahle SP1 range extender trickle charges the main battery when connected and on. It is like a 36V power pack. It can be charged using the same Mahle charger that the main battery uses, either by itself, or in parallel with the main battery when connected to the bike.

There are multiple versions of the SP1 range extender. Older bikes use the one with Bluetooth only compatibility and work via the Mahle MySmartbike app. Newer bikes have ANT+ compatibility to some degree. I do not know how the battery capacity is reported on a Garmin/Wahoo. I've never seen an X35 bike with the SP1.

Mick, I think your "trick" of keeping the bike on and in ride mode during the stop should work, and not use much battery power. Let us know how it works.

Hi there. I was going to reply and say "I think that way because that's how it works", but you've very kindly taken the trouble to explain - many thanks. After my first real world ride with the range extender (re) I've found my "fears" to be totally unfounded. Even in the Peak District I reached my half way point (25 miles and 3000 feet of climbing) to find the internal battery was showing 92%! Ordinarily at this point it would be around 45%. With Frogatt Edge to do (3 miles at average 5%) I would start to feel range anxiety - with two more big climbs to come before I get home. Now, no problem at all. The RE is an absolute wonder! and I'd recommend to anybody - the best £500 I've spent since buying my Orbea D40.