Bosch error codes

[amayers]

I’ve had my 2021 Superdelite HS Rohloff for not quite a week now. I’ve been loving it so far, but twice already I’ve had errors displayed on the display.
The first time on start up a 595 and shifting wasn’t available. A restart fixed it.
The second time was while charging a 606. A restart also fixed it.
Is is common for so many errors in a short time?

 

[JVBulman]

Maybe not common, but definitely not unusual. The SD is literally one of the most complex eBikes on the market, which means lots of potential for hiccups. Getting a few errors now and then isn't usually cause for alarm, but getting the same error repeatedly is worth investigation for sure.

- 595 is a Rohloff E14 error, it's possible it wasn't calibrated during the build. You can find a step-by-step guide here.
- 606 is a vague voltage error, we've seen this one a couple times, but it's yet to present itself as a persistent issue, restarting the system is the only listed solution.

 

[amayers]

Yeah I did a recalibration of the Rohloff after the 595 just to be safe.

 

[PedalUma]

Christina's died twice. It was too hard for Uber to lift. She had to call a tow truck. And was late for work both times. The dealer is super expensive with long repair times. Now she is getting this one at 41.4 pounds and it has an easily removable battery that is reminiscent of a water bottle.

 

[steve mercier]

Christina's died twice. It was too hard for Uber to lift. She had to call a tow truck. And was late for work both times. The dealer is super expensive with long repair times. Now she is getting this one at 41.4 pounds and it has an easily removable battery that is reminiscent of a water bottle.

As true those statements are ,I would offer a counterpoint. I have 28,000 km on my Charger GT tour now and overall it has been a great bike in many ways. I paid 4k for it and I do not feel it owes me anything. When something screws up we may feel like chucking the bike, but when everything is running properly it is a sweet ride.

 

[amayers]

The SD is literally one of the most complex eBikes on the market, which means lots of potential for hiccups.

The bike is, sure. But it isn’t really any more complex (electrically) then any other EBike with the Bosch system, with the exception of the Rohloff. Even that exists on other bikes. My previous eBike had a Bosch Active Line Plus, and never once has it shown an error code in the year+ I’ve owned it. The SD has shown an error every 3 days. It just has me a bit nervous that I’ll take it across town and it will throw and error and I won’t be able to get home.

 

[dblhelix]

The bike is, sure. But it isn’t really any more complex (electrically) then any other EBike with the Bosch system, with the exception of the Rohloff. Even that exists on other bikes. My previous eBike had a Bosch Active Line Plus, and never once has it shown an error code in the year+ I’ve owned it. The SD has shown an error every 3 days. It just has me a bit nervous that I’ll take it across town and it will throw and error and I won’t be able to get home.

I think these are fair points. I own a Gen1 Tern Vektron, now 4 years old, and never a hiccup. Across town? I was about 125 miles west of home on the C&O canal when the E-14 on my R&M threw an error 575. At that point I was stuck in a single gear. $260 to shuttle the bike back home.

Based on ownership of two R&Ms dating back to 1/2018, reading this and other (German) forums, my observation Is that the “quirks” ramped up once R&M moved to their new factory. Could be a coincidence, of course. I think the E-14 itself is robust, BUT, I don’t care for the location of the shifter unit.

It may seem unfair, but when you’re charging that kind of $$$, execution needs to be near flawless.

 

[sammcneill]

I’m following these cautionary tales with interest.... I own a 2020 SC2 and it’s been largely trouble free for 10months.... thinking of adding a second R&M (likely SD2 with Rohloff) but frankly, I’m a little spooked by these stories ....

 

[dblhelix]

I’m following these cautionary tales with interest.... I own a 2020 SC2 and it’s been largely trouble free for 10months.... thinking of adding a second R&M (likely SD2 with Rohloff) but frankly, I’m a little spooked by these stories ....

I would investigate the service path for your Rohloff system prior to purchase. Except for routine oil changes, the mechanical side and most of the E-14 parts will be sourced from Rohloff-Australia in your case. Another question is how long you are willing to wait for resolution to a problem (In general)? It all starts with an email to Germany. It comes down to the realistic support you can expect, should a problem arise.

 

[steve mercier]

I’m following these cautionary tales with interest.... I own a 2020 SC2 and it’s been largely trouble free for 10months.... thinking of adding a second R&M (likely SD2 with Rohloff) but frankly, I’m a little spooked by these stories ....

Let me pose this question. Is the Rohloff not a solution in search of a problem? As far as wait times in the shop go , I have ordered all the necessary tools required to replace the front ring ,rear cassette and chain (parts which do require more frequent replacement on an Ebike ) at home. I have a drawer of those spare parts too. Now ,hopefully It will take a lot to keep me off the trail.

 

[amayers]

Went to ride the bike to the grocery store this morning. It had been plugged in all night last night. I turned on the Nyon before unplugging the charger. On start up it displayed a "your bike needs a software update, please see a dealer" (or something to that effect) message but no error code. The alert auto dismissed after 1-2 seconds. I then noticed that the battery was only 49% charged. 6% on the down tube, and ~85% on the top tube. I navigated into the settings and did the check for an update for the Nyon, and it says it is up to date. I unplugged the charger and rebooted the Nyon and no error this time. I rode it to the store and back without any issue, but I only had 5 miles of buffer on Turbo because of the lack of charging. When I plugged the bike in to the charger yesterday, it was at 11%.

The dealer ran a full software update on the Bosch system when I picked up the bike a week ago, I watched him do it.

If it really does need a reflash, can any bike dealer that works on Bosch powered bikes do it, or does it have to be a R&M dealer? My R&M dealer is a full day round trip in a car to get to, where a generic shop that works with Bosch bikes is 15 min away.

 

[steve mercier]

Went to ride the bike to the grocery store this morning. It had been plugged in all night last night. I turned on the Nyon before unplugging the charger. On start up it displayed a "your bike needs a software update, please see a dealer" (or something to that effect) message but no error code. The alert auto dismissed after 1-2 seconds. I then noticed that the battery was only 49% charged. 6% on the down tube, and ~85% on the top tube. I navigated into the settings and did the check for an update for the Nyon, and it says it is up to date. I unplugged the charger and rebooted the Nyon and no error this time. I rode it to the store and back without any issue, but I only had 5 miles of buffer on Turbo because of the lack of charging. When I plugged the bike in to the charger yesterday, it was at 11%.

The dealer ran a full software update on the Bosch system when I picked up the bike a week ago, I watched him do it.

If it really does need a reflash, can any bike dealer that works on Bosch powered bikes do it, or does it have to be a R&M dealer? My R&M dealer is a full day round trip in a car to get to, where a generic shop that works with Bosch bikes is 15 min away.

Yes but they may want to charge you $20 bucks

 

[amayers]

Yes but they may want to charge you $20 bucks

I'd happily pay $20 to avoid a 6 hour car trip.

 

[steve mercier]

I'd happily pay $20 to avoid a 6 hour car trip.

Me too but getting service at bike shops is tough this time of year around here. The LBS wants me to bring the bike in for diagnosis and leave it on a 2 week turnaround even if I know exactly what work I want done and have the parts on hand. This is why I bought the tools to do it myself.

 

[amayers]

Me too but getting service at bike shops is tough this time of year around here. The LBS wants me to bring the bike in for diagnosis and leave it on a 2 week turnaround even if I know exactly what work I want done and have the parts on hand. This is why I bought the tools to do it myself.

Yeah, if only Bosch would allow me to download the software to connect to the bike. I agree and try to do the rest of the bike maintenance my self.

 

[JVBulman]

The bike is, sure. But it isn’t really any more complex (electrically) then any other EBike with the Bosch system

Putting aside all the bells and whistles such as the integrated brake lights, high beams, and horn, the mechanical complexity of the bike means the electronics have to be installed/routed with different considerations. Just as an example, some of these cables are actually moving with the travel of the rear shock of the bike - which puts different stresses on the electronics.

For context, I've been working almost exclusively with Bosch eBikes for the last five years of my career as a mechanic - take my word that the SD is one of the most complex eBikes currently available. Your frustrations are valid, but have a bit of trust in other members of the board and what they might know and have experience with; we're all here to help.

 

[PedalUma]

I made this one today for a guy in Marin Co. California. He wanted 37 WTB gravel tires over the original 28mm road tires. He wanted to double the stopping power in the simplest way. I kept the system open source. To order the most complex part, a controller is for example $65, plug and play, and takes two days to arrive, no shop needed for service, ever.
I wanted to keep it clean with internal wires, and modular, five sizes of batteries can plug into the connector anytime with two carried when required. Lower than average weight generally allows for better than average handling - to take curbs and trails.
Total weight 34.3 pounds, distribution 14.8 to the front and 19.5 to the rear. The center of gravity above the hubs: 110cm above the front hub and 75cm above the rear hub. A low center line is best for handling with weight like a sailboat's design low and centered.
Output is 80Nm from the nominal low draw mid-drive torque sensor. No throttle. Minimalist display.
At 80Rpm it does 27.5 Mph with the Nexus-8. This what a 2012 Raleigh Cadent saved from the landfill looks like.

​

 

[webcurl]

- 606 is a vague voltage error, we've seen this one a couple times, but it's yet to present itself as a persistent issue, restarting the system is the only listed solution.

Limited info i have on Bosch error codes suggests (for 606):
Source 1: External battery pack error. Check the wiring. Restart the system. If the problem persists, contact your Bosch eBike dealer.
Source 2: External short circuit. Check plug and cable for damage or manipulation. Print service report, delete error code, restart system. If the problem persists, please contact the eBike hotline.

If any of these are correct then another trip to the dealer may be warranted under warranty. Sounds potentially serious and could also explain the charging behavior?
Could it be a problem with this?:

Bosch PowerTube Câble en Y 950mm Rohloff/Shimano/SRAM/Nuvinci Hisync N380 | Bikester.fr

Bosch PowerTube Câble en Y 950mm Rohloff/Shimano/SRAM/Nuvinci Hisync N380 - à prix réduits sur Bikester.fr ! | Top Bosch Avis clients ✔ Détails du produits ✔ Photos ✔ » Expédition CE JOUR si commandé avant 16h ! (Lun-Ven)

www.bikester.fr

or shorter version.
I have no E14 nor a list of it's codes but could the 606 problem be causing the 595?
Could the charging behavior in-conjunction with error 606 firmly indicate that the Y cable is damaged?

 

[webcurl]

Or as per Rohloff website, one battery may be defective:

Error codes - Rohloff AG

Rohloff AG

www.rohloff.de

 

[amayers]

Or as per Rohloff website, one battery may be defective:

Error codes - Rohloff AG

Rohloff AG

www.rohloff.de

Thats good to know.

So far each of these errors hasn't repeated. But if I see one again, that does give me some things to try.