Specialized Turbo - No Security Features Working and now No App Connection.....fixed.

[mfgrep]

So my latest Vado...a full power 4.0 was working perfectly. It connected to the Specialized App and all features worked perfectly.
Yesterday I parked at a grocery store and when I went to "Security" in the App all features were shaded with a message reading "System Lock: Please visit your retailer to perform an update and gain access to the lock feature".
Now please remember that Security features had been operational for 10 days already.

So I took the bike to the retailer. They updated the bike (3 times). They scratched their heads. They scoured the internet. They politely asked that I come back later.

Today I called Specialized....multiple times. We tried everything including removing both of my Turbo bikes from my phone's bluetooth. Removing both bikes from the Specialized App. Re-adding both bikes to the App. Deleting the app and re-downloading the app...then re-adding the bikes to the app.

My older Vado SL linked up fairly quickly and works. It worked before frankly.
My new Vado 4.0 would show the computer provided pin number at both TCU and at my phone....but when I hit "pair".....it would say "incorrect pin". Mind you that I didn't add a pin....IT PROVIDED the pin(s) and asked if they matched.
Finally Spesh upgraded to a Turbo tech who was to call me back for more troubleshooting.

5 minutes later the same CS rep called me and asked me to go back to the garage. He said when the matching pins appear at both TCU and phone....press the + button on the handlebar remote. I did so.....then I hit "pair" on the phone....and WAMMO everything works!

It is COMPLETE bullshit that Spesh doesn't have these apps working to easily pair with the bikes and I can only imagine how many hours many have wasted. Old folks trying to do this?....fuhgettaboutit.
Spesh rep admitted that some app features are less than ready for prime-time. I feel sorry for the retailers having to deal with these turbo app computer related issues. It must be a real p in the a for them.

Hope this helps some poor soul out there in my same situation.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

It is COMPLETE bullshit that Spesh doesn't have these apps working to easily pair with the bikes and I can only imagine how many hours many have wasted. Old folks trying to do this?....fuhgettaboutit.
Spesh rep admitted that some app features are less than ready for prime-time. I feel sorry for the retailers having to deal with these turbo app computer related issues. It must be a real p in the a for them.

Hope this helps some poor soul out there in my same situation.

The instruction to hit the "+" button on the remote was shown on the e-bike display Trust me. I paired a Mastermind on a demo e-bike a long time ago.

 

[mfgrep]

The instruction to hit the "+" button on the remote was shown on the e-bike display Trust me. I paired a Mastermind on a demo e-bike a long time ago.

Not anymore it doesn't. Trust me and the three techs at specialized retail yesterday

 

[bobf]

I like Specialized bikes but I've been very underwhelmed by their firmware and documentation. Thankfully, they do the basic motor integration well. But IME features come out slowly and fitfully while documentation is all over the place. I get the feeling their bike designers are their A team, but their software and docs people not so much.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Not anymore it doesn't. Trust me and the three techs at specialized retail yesterday

Will it help if I tell you the message is in a very small type and could easily be overlooked?
I had five minutes of my own doubt when pairing a Tero 3.0 but eventually gave the display a very careful look... Then pressed the '+'

 

[mfgrep]

Will it help if I tell you the message is in a very small type and could easily be overlooked?
I had five minutes of my own doubt when pairing a Tero 3.0 but eventually gave the display a very careful look... Then pressed the '+'

It's possible. My eyes aren't so great anymore...particularly up close. I suppose the pros could have overlooked it as well.
I'll tell you this....I will not disconnect my bike or remove bikes from the app just to find out if you are correct!
Things are working perfectly right now and I intend to keep it that way.

I still do not really have a good explanation as to why my Security features became suddenly unavailable to me.
I was asked to upload my purchase receipts and was told that I had to do so via the website (not the phone app).

Anywhoodles....things work now thankfully.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'll tell you this....I will not disconnect my bike or remove bikes from the app just to find out if you are correct!

And think I just tried to tease you into doing so

 

[mschwett]

one assumes there must have been something horribly wrong behind the scenes with mission control to justify all the effort (user and specialized!) and lost features in the new app….

 

[Stefan Mikes]

A surprise: Out of sudden, the Specialized App stopped recognizing my Vado 6.0 (it can recognize Vado SL). No worries: I still have the BLEvo, and Mission Control at least connects to the e-bike.

Last night, I could notice the clock was not updated to the Summer time on my Vado 6.0. As I connected the (inoperational, presumably) Mission Control to the e-bike, the clock got updated!

I do not intend to fight with the Specialized app unless I would have to.

 

[mfgrep]

one assumes there must have been something horribly wrong behind the scenes with mission control to justify all the effort (user and specialized!) and lost features in the new app….

Yes I assume so. With the Vado SL I rarely opened "Mission Control" unless I wished to see my total charge cycles or make a change to my tuning. I likely didn't use Mission Control even monthly.
Now with the Vado 4.0 I will use the "Specialized" app more frequently if only for the 'Security' options.
I never used the "Ride" feature of the app in favor of BLevo or other GPS apps....believing that the Ride mapping is meh at best.

I certainly have had some glitches using the app this week. I also find that the app is intermittently quite slow to connect to my Mastermind equipped Vado 4.0...and quicker to my non-Mastermind SL.

The 'vibe' at my bike shop has also changed a bit this spring. I do see some customers picking up new bikes....mostly Aventon....but sales and traffic seem slow. The morale of both the sales and service crew also seem in decline.
The very nice service guy said to me the other day "I think I might go back to being a motorcycle mechanic". He was becoming quite frustrated at dealing with ebike (and Spesh) customer issues related to bluetooth, computer, TCU etc. and said "this isn't what I signed up for". He indicated that many ebike customers lacked basic understanding of the tech side of these bikes requiring constant mundane service attention....and that there were also plenty of legit glitches too. Unfortunately it also felt, to me, that both the service and sales guys knew less about the e-bikes portion than I do. Hell.....I'd bet about 1/3 of the Spesh ebikes stocked right now are mis-tagged. They have a "Vado 4.0" marked bike sitting in the rack with a carbon belt and Enviolo....I've told them it is a 3.0....but it remains mis-marked week after week after week.

The truth is that many of us forumites DO know more about these bikes than the retailers. Retail sales, service, management, and ownership have their hands very full right now....not to mention manufacturers The industry is being pressured from all sides. While I do wish them all successes....I also believe that the crazy recent price increases were market/pandemic influenced and without a whole lot of basis in the reality of manufacturing cost(s).

 

[mfgrep]

A surprise: Out of sudden, the Specialized App stopped recognizing my Vado 6.0 (it can recognize Vado SL). No worries: I still have the BLEvo, and Mission Control at least connects to the e-bike.

Last night, I could notice the clock was not updated to the Summer time on my Vado 6.0. As I connected the (inoperational, presumably) Mission Control to the e-bike, the clock got updated!

I do not intend to fight with the Specialized app unless I would have to.

Mission Control is still available to you in Poland? It is completely finished here in the US and the app has been transitioned completely to the "Specialized" app.
Do you have the option to use the "Specialized" app? I have now deleted Mission Control as it states "Mission Control has been sunsetted" and provides a link to download the "Specialized" app. They eliminated the possibility of US users even opening Mission Control at this point.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

A misunderstanding! MC has been "sunsetted" here as well. I said MC still connects to my Roadrunner (Vado 6.0), and it could update the display time. It does not really work though.
Of course, the Specialized App is the only official version. My point was SA stopped connecting to Roadrunner. I would probably need to remove it from SA, "forget" the e-bike as a Bluetooth device and start all over. No reason to do that unless I need to use Smart Control.

SA works properly with my Fearless (Vado SL). BLEvo works OK with both e-bikes.

 

[mfgrep]

one assumes there must have been something horribly wrong behind the scenes with mission control to justify all the effort (user and specialized!) and lost features in the new app….

Every time I see your moniker I think to myself:

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Mission Control still working fine here in UK. Left behind by rest of World again I see It keeps asking me if I want to change/upgrade etc, I keep saying no. Living on borrowed time I guess.