2020 Allant + 8S Battery Issues

[Dallant]

And now I have a second battery problem in addition to my self-ejecting sewer-seeking primary battery. My iPhone no longer receives a charge when connected to the Cobi mount. The phone battery then dies pretty quickly with the Cobi app loaded and my phone is drained inside of an hour. The phone charges fine on multiple other chargers so it’s not the phone. I have tried fiddling (technical term) with the cable connection at both the mount end and the phone end, no luck. Used alcohol to clean the lightning and USB B ends as well as a few blasts of compressed air into the Cobi hub port and the iPhone, tried removing my bike’s primary battery from the bike and recharging thinking maybe it will reset something, no luck.

This is my fourth Trek bike and my second Trek ebike (Powerfly 7 then this Allant +8S). Probably my last Trek. I have lost confidence in the brand’s build/design as well brand standards Why do they wait until a known latch design flaw results in failure before they fix. They should send the “revised” latch kit to all dealers holding inventory and pay them for doing a warranty repair before the dealer sells the bike to a consumer.

I might buy your Powerfly 7! St. Louis?
Took my Trek LBS about an hour to adjust the latch that wouldn’t unlock. I’m not a fan of any iPhone bike mount.
You could go buy a Specialized and have the frame break.

 

[STL ebiker]

>>I might buy your Powerfly 7! St. Louis?
Took my Trek LBS about an hour to adjust the latch that wouldn’t unlock. I’m not a fan of any iPhone bike mount.
You could go buy a Specialized and have the frame break.<<

Sorry, I recently sold it on Craigslist. I will miss that bike! My heart was set on the new Powerfly 9SE for this year, but it appears to be sold out nationally with no deliveries before mid-December. Nonetheless, Trek keeps sending out emails and marketing to me with that model featured to tease out the line.
I expect I will sell my Allant next year and buy a replacement EMTB if any become available under $7500.

 

[Alaskan]

And now I have a second battery problem in addition to my self-ejecting sewer-seeking primary battery. My iPhone no longer receives a charge when connected to the Cobi mount. The phone battery then dies pretty quickly with the Cobi app loaded and my phone is drained inside of an hour. The phone charges fine on multiple other chargers so it’s not the phone. I have tried fiddling (technical term) with the cable connection at both the mount end and the phone end, no luck. Used alcohol to clean the lightning and USB B ends as well as a few blasts of compressed air into the Cobi hub port and the iPhone, tried removing my bike’s primary battery from the bike and recharging thinking maybe it will reset something, no luck.

This is my fourth Trek bike and my second Trek ebike (Powerfly 7 then this Allant +8S). Probably my last Trek. I have lost confidence in the brand’s build/design as well brand standards Why do they wait until a known latch design flaw results in failure before they fix. They should send the “revised” latch kit to all dealers holding inventory and pay them for doing a warranty repair before the dealer sells the bike to a consumer.

Best to refrain from hasty conclusions. Are you sure it is not a cable failure? Those tiny usb cable contacts can be quite finicky in the best of environments. I bring along a compact battery bank that charges way faster than the measly usb outlet on Bosch displays.

 

[GenXrider]

I might buy your Powerfly 7! St. Louis?
Took my Trek LBS about an hour to adjust the latch that wouldn’t unlock. I’m not a fan of any iPhone bike mount.
You could go buy a Specialized and have the frame break.

I'm concerned about those Brose motor failures as well.

 

[STL ebiker]

Best to refrain from hasty conclusions. Are you sure it is not a cable failure? Those tiny usb cable contacts can be quite finicky in the best of environments. I bring along a compact battery bank that charges way faster than the measly usb outlet on Bosch displays.

Thanks, but not a hasty conclusion. I tested the cable using a wall charger and it worked. I tested the the port on the Cobi Hub using an android cable and an Android phone and it did not send current to the phone. I spent 20+ years in the consumer electronics industry and and ran every possible power/cable/device/battery reboot combination possible in addition to battery charge and removal trials. Cursing at the bike also failed.

It's probably a loose connection or solder point within the hub. Regardless, now I have to use a separate powerback and cable stashed in top tube pack using a longer cable; a cumbersome and unattractive solution to a problem that should not come on a month-old bike that cost over $4,000.

 

[GuruUno]

Thanks, but not a hasty conclusion. I tested the cable using a wall charger and it worked. I tested the the port on the Cobi Hub using an android cable and an Android phone and it did not send current to the phone. I spent 20+ years in the consumer electronics industry and and ran every possible power/cable/device/battery reboot combination possible in addition to battery charge and removal trials. Cursing at the bike also failed.

It's probably a loose connection or solder point within the hub. Regardless, now I have to use a separate powerback and cable stashed in top tube pack using a longer cable; a cumbersome and unattractive solution to a problem that should not come on a month-old bike that cost over $4,000.

If they don't fix it in an acceptable amount of time, ME, I'd ask for a replacement bike or money back, + compensation for the "inconvenience".

 

[William - Bosch Team]

Thanks, but not a hasty conclusion. I tested the cable using a wall charger and it worked. I tested the the port on the Cobi Hub using an android cable and an Android phone and it did not send current to the phone. I spent 20+ years in the consumer electronics industry and and ran every possible power/cable/device/battery reboot combination possible in addition to battery charge and removal trials. Cursing at the bike also failed.

It's probably a loose connection or solder point within the hub. Regardless, now I have to use a separate powerback and cable stashed in top tube pack using a longer cable; a cumbersome and unattractive solution to a problem that should not come on a month-old bike that cost over $4,000.

Hello!

I read through your previous posts and did not see that you've checked for this, so please forgive me if I missed it- have you checked the setting in the Cobi app (while phone is connected to Hub) to make sure it is still set to charge the phone? Sometimes this "button" can get accidentally hit, or status changed during a software update.

For anyone interested, I'll also add a quick bit of info on Trek's RIB System. The RIB System works quite well, BUT, the margin of error between too loose (intermittent power cut-out, and/or battery ejection) and too tight (can't remove from eBike) is fairly narrow. Aside from a defective Bosch power cable or defective RIB mount, this comes down to proper, fine-tuned adjustment.

I don't want to stray too far from the Bosch forum, so please re-post there if you need additional info on either topic.

 

[MrNoFluFF.com]

And now I have a second battery problem in addition to my self-ejecting sewer-seeking primary battery. My iPhone no longer receives a charge when connected to the Cobi mount. The phone battery then dies pretty quickly with the Cobi app loaded and my phone is drained inside of an hour. The phone charges fine on multiple other chargers so it’s not the phone. I have tried fiddling (technical term) with the cable connection at both the mount end and the phone end, no luck. Used alcohol to clean the lightning and USB B ends as well as a few blasts of compressed air into the Cobi hub port and the iPhone, tried removing my bike’s primary battery from the bike and recharging thinking maybe it will reset something, no luck.

This is my fourth Trek bike and my second Trek ebike (Powerfly 7 then this Allant +8S). Probably my last Trek. I have lost confidence in the brand’s build/design as well brand standards Why do they wait until a known latch design flaw results in failure before they fix. They should send the “revised” latch kit to all dealers holding inventory and pay them for doing a warranty repair before the dealer sells the bike to a consumer.

Amen!

 

[TheChisholm]

No issue with the batteries, rather the small cog on the rear cassette keeps jumping the chain as there are only 1.4 parts of the chain link fitting the teeth. Now the rear Hub freewheel bearing has gone. Anyone else had issues. I rode 132,000 miles on a Kalkhoff with a Rohloff hub without any issues at all and still using the same two batteries?

 

[retiredNH]

No issue with the batteries, rather the small cog on the rear cassette keeps jumping the chain as there are only 1.4 parts of the chain link fitting the teeth. Now the rear Hub freewheel bearing has gone. Anyone else had issues. I rode 132,000 miles on a Kalkhoff with a Rohloff hub without any issues at all and still using the same two batteries?

Do you ride fast? i.e. are you in that gear most of the time? Do you use turbo in that gear? (my guess is yes to both...)

 

[California Flash]

I might buy your Powerfly 7! St. Louis?
Took my Trek LBS about an hour to adjust the latch that wouldn’t unlock. I’m not a fan of any iPhone bike mount.
You could go buy a Specialized and have the frame break.

So...I feel your pain. I have two Allant + 8s bikes. One I use in rain and snow, the other is for fair weather days.

Both my bikes will no longer charge my phone when connected to the Smartphone Hub. As to the Smartphone Hub, I have had about 15 of them crack during use. The last time my phone fell out in my garage and cracked the screen.

I have also gone through the battery falling out routine several times. They have replaced the latching mechanism numerous times. The battery has not fallen out for at least a year.

However, now that winter has come to Michigan, I tried to remove the battery so I could bring it into the house to charge it. You guessed it, cannot remove the battery so it will be making a trip to my LBS.

I have had numerous failures with both bikes. It would take several hours to list them all. I love the bike, but hate all the issues. Too expensive to switch to another brand.

 

[GuruUno]

And the beat goes on.........

 

[California Flash]

Best to refrain from hasty conclusions. Are you sure it is not a cable failure? Those tiny usb cable contacts can be quite finicky in the best of environments. I bring along a compact battery bank that charges way faster than the measly usb outlet on Bosch displays.

I have two Allant + 8s bikes. They both have the same issues. My LBS has worked on them at least 15 times with no luck. Did I mention that the mechanism that hold the phone consistently cracks, expelling the cellphone on the ground? This flimsy bracket has been replaced 15-20 times, most under warranty.

I have also purchased about 10 cables from different manufacturers and they made no difference toward solving the charging issue.

 

[fooferdoggie]

700+ miles on my 8s. No problems. I have 4 Trek ebikes with RI Batteries. All secure battery connections although I did take the 8s back to the Trek store right after I bought it because the battery locking mechanism was loose. NP since. Odd that this seems to be occurring so often on 8s models.

We must assume that your LBS thoroughly checked your battery for cracks if it in fact hit the pavement. Lithium battery housing cracks can be potentially very serious fire risks.

its an adjustment the dealer should make but maybe overlooks. I have a really good mechanic that has done some great things on out bosh powered tandem.

 

[Sparky731]

700 miles on my 8s. I did take it back to the Trek store after I bought it because the battery key locking mechanism was loose. Good since then. Odd that this seems to be a recurring problem on the 8s. I have 3 other Treks with the RI Battery and have had no similar problems.

Can we assume your battery was thoroughly inspected after it fell out? A cracked lithium battery case can be a serious fire hazard. Be careful!

 

[California Flash]

700 miles on my 8s. I did take it back to the Trek store after I bought it because the battery key locking mechanism was loose. Good since then. Odd that this seems to be a recurring problem on the 8s. I have 3 other Treks with the RI Battery and have had no similar problems.

Can we assume your battery was thoroughly inspected after it fell out? A cracked lithium battery case can be a serious fire hazard. Be careful!

The locking mechanism was replaced three times and adjusted 7 or 8 times. Worked for a while and now the battery is stuck in the bike.

And yes, the battery has been checked for cracks.