Bosch Speed Performance system shuts down mid ride.

[JohnDoe1983]

I know how you feel.

I used to have a sailboat with an inboard engine. Bought a outboard motor and placed it on a support just in in case. Well, one day that case happen. I was glad I had 2 with all the traffic on the river, it saved my day.

Too bad I cannot install a second motor on my e-bike just in « case »

Keep the moral my friend.

 

[JayEmTee]

I know how you feel.

I used to have a sailboat with an inboard engine. Bought a outboard motor and placed it on a support just in in case. Well, one day that case happen. I was glad I had 2 with all the traffic on the river, it saved my day.

Too bad I cannot install a second motor on my e-bike just in « case »

Keep the moral my friend.

Smart move installing the 2nd motor, glad it got you out of trouble that day! I've worked out how to carry a spare battery for really long rides, but a 2nd motor, that would require some thinking hey I'm keeping positive that it will all be sorted out

 

[michal]

So I got my Arroyo back on Thursday after Propel replaced the cable from the display to the motor and tightened the battery mount. Sadly, I had to take it back yet again today because the bike is still shutting down.

Propel said they're a bit stumped as they've never seen this issue continue after replacing the display, display mount, and display cable. They're thinking about replacing the cable from the motor to the battery and possibly the battery itself, although they'll be reaching out to both Gazelle and Bosch to get their take. They're wondering if I may have gotten a lemon of a bike.

I have to say, Propel has been great throughout this whole ordeal and I really appreciate all their help. To be honest, though, the bike isn't even fun for me anymore at this point. I've only had it a couple months and it feels like it breaks every time I touch it which simply doesn't make me feel confident riding it.

I'm starting to look at other bikes that might suit me better, but I'll keep everyone posted on what ends up happening.

For anyone curious, Propel very graciously allowed me to trade in my Arroyo and I'm now taking the time to carefully choose my next e-bike.

That said, it seems the issue with the Arroyo was the result of the Intuvia display not playing nicely with Gazelle's choice of handlebars. Specifically, the center of the handlebar is ever so slightly curved which can apparently interfere with the Intuvia's mount/connections and lead to shutdowns. Propel said that Gazelle and/or Bosch (not sure which) recommended switching to a Purion display which seemed to have finally fixed the issue, although I wasn't able to confirm myself since I no longer have the bike.

 

[AlanDB]

I am glad the Propel dealer was willing to make this right with you by taking your Arroyo back. That said, the solution offered of switching from Intuvia to Purion is not acceptable IMO. If there is a flaw in the handlebar design, Gazelle needs to correct it rather than offering a display downgrade. I wonder if Gazelle changed the handlebar design between my 2017 Arroyo and your 2018 model and that is what is causing this problem? I don't really see how the Intuvia mount on my 2017 Arroyo could cause a flex unless you tried to forcefully adjust the angle of the display farther than the mount wants to twist on the handlebar. Maybe this issue is why Gazelle downgraded to the Purion display on the newest Arroyo model. In any case, I hope you have better luck with whatever you choose for your next bike.

 

[michal]

I am glad the Propel dealer was willing to make this right with you by taking your Arroyo back. That said, the solution offered of switching from Intuvia to Purion is not acceptable IMO. If there is a flaw in the handlebar design, Gazelle needs to correct it rather than offering a display downgrade. I wonder if Gazelle changed the handlebar design between my 2017 Arroyo and your 2018 model and that is what is causing this problem? I don't really see how the Intuvia mount on my 2017 Arroyo could cause a flex unless you tried to forcefully adjust the angle of the display farther than the mount wants to twist on the handlebar. Maybe this issue is why Gazelle downgraded to the Purion display on the newest Arroyo model. In any case, I hope you have better luck with whatever you choose for your next bike.

I agree — things don't really seem to add up, especially given all the other Arroyos that seemingly don't experience these continuous mid-ride shutdowns. I'd be surprised if switching to the Purion actually fixed the issue. Either way, though, I 100% agree that downgrading the display isn't really a "fix" and, had I kept the bike, would be frustrated to lose the Intuvia. At this point, my theory is that the particular bike I received just so happened to be a lemon.

 

[steve mercier]

My Bosch powered bike stopped dead while riding today. I brought the bike to my local Trek dealer where I bought it. They removed the Intuvia unit and charged it through the USB port for 2 mins . I was then able to ride the bike home with no issue. They told me that the Intuvia does not run off the powerpack and it needs to be charged about every month or so. I have had the bike running for over 200 hours and this is the first time it stopped. The Intuvia is on the USB charger now and seems to be charging since the display powers itself on and off in about 1 min cycles even though I have it turned off...fingers crossed

 

[Saratoga Dave]

I’ve been riding my Xm700 for a year and a half and 6000 miles and never charged the Intuvia display once. Doesn’t exactly match what you’re being told.

 

[dblhelix]

I’ve been riding my Xm700 for a year and a half and 6000 miles and never charged the Intuvia display once. Doesn’t exactly match what you’re being told.

Doesn’t the Intuvia have its own internal battery? The charge state of the Intuvia on the bike is of the battery but off the bike it’s of the internal battery.

I think I have read here that the internal battery is not replaceable officially, but if not under warranty here is a link to someone who replaced it himself.

https://rodezio.wordpress.com/2017/08/19/replace-bosch-ebike-intuvia-display-dead-battery/

I think it’s rare for them (normally) to require USB charging, which would match your experience.

 

[steve mercier]

Well Dave these guys have been trained at the factory in Germany so I tend to believe them,especially since I watched him fix the problem in 2 mins

 

[michal]

My Bosch powered bike stopped dead while riding today. I brought the bike to my local Trek dealer where I bought it. They removed the Intuvia unit and charged it through the USB port for 2 mins . I was then able to ride the bike home with no issue. They told me that the Intuvia does not run off the powerpack and it needs to be charged about every month or so. I have had the bike running for over 200 hours and this is the first time it stopped. The Intuvia is on the USB charger now and seems to be charging since the display powers itself on and off in about 1 min cycles even though I have it turned off...fingers crossed

According to the Intuvia manual, the display runs off the bike battery when it's secured in the mount and the bike is on. It does have its own battery (which can be charged via USB), but it's only in use when the display is used separately from the bike. Wonder if there might be something else going on.

From the manual (which can be found here):

Energy supply of the on-board computer

If the on-board computer is in the holder, a sufficiently charged battery pack is inserted into the eBike and the eBike system is turned on, then the on-board computer is powered by the eBike battery pack.

If the on-board computer is removed from the holder, the energy is supplied via an internal battery pack. If the internal battery pack is weak when the on-board computer is switched on, “Attach to bike” will appear in text indication for 3 s. The on-board computer will then turn off again. To charge the internal battery pack, put the on-board computer back in the holder (when a battery pack is inserted in the eBike). Switch the eBike battery pack on by its On/Off button (see battery pack operating instructions).

You can also charge the on-board computer via the USB port. Open the protective cap. Connect the USB port of the on-board computer via a suitable USB cable to a standard USB charger or the USB port of a computer (5 V charging voltage, max. 500 mA charging current). “USB connected” will appear in the text indication of the on-board computer.

 

[John from Connecticut]

I’ve been riding my Xm700 for a year and a half and 6000 miles and never charged the Intuvia display once. Doesn’t exactly match what you’re being told.

I've also been riding a year and a half with my Trek XM700 and Powerfly7 , combined miles 4200 ( I'll catch you Dave when the weather gets nice : ) and I have not charged
either of my Intuvia displays. No power problems whatsoever. I didn't know they could or needed to be charged ?

 

[Johnny]

My Bosch powered bike stopped dead while riding today. I brought the bike to my local Trek dealer where I bought it. They removed the Intuvia unit and charged it through the USB port for 2 mins . I was then able to ride the bike home with no issue. They told me that the Intuvia does not run off the powerpack and it needs to be charged about every month or so. I have had the bike running for over 200 hours and this is the first time it stopped. The Intuvia is on the USB charger now and seems to be charging since the display powers itself on and off in about 1 min cycles even though I have it turned off...fingers crossed

IMO as Dbhelix pointed out the rechargeable battery inside intuvia is probably at the end of its life and not holding charge.

Normally when you are riding your bike, the display also charges itself off of the battery.

Just like most of the current cellphones it probably can not bypass the charging circuit meaning powerpack charges the internal battery and the display runs off of the internal battery. This means that if the internal battery of Intuvia is empty it will not power up. In your case having to charge it via usb seems to support this argument.

 

[simonns]

Follow up #2.

It started shutting down again. This time I got some error 530's and also the battery icon on the screen would start flashing after it cut power sometimes. I brought into the dealer and Bosch warrantied the battery. Its been good for the last few hundred miles.

 

[steve mercier]

Follow up #2.

It started shutting down again. This time I got some error 530's and also the battery icon on the screen would start flashing after it cut power sometimes. I brought into the dealer and Bosch warrantied the battery. Its been good for the last few hundred miles.

So what exactly did they replace?

 

[simonns]

So what exactly did they replace?

Just the battery.

 

[steve mercier]

Just to be clear, do you mean the display battery or the powerpack?

 

[Mickey Kelly]

My wife, myself and a friend all have the Gazelle Arroyos with the Bosch Intuvia system. All bikes were purchased in 2018 and all of them have had an INTERMITTENT problem with the display going dead or losing the portion of the display that shows what level of e-assist is being provided. When either problem occurred there was no e-assist. The original "fix" was to make sure that the Intuvia mount was not so tight that it distorted the connection. Well, that didn't work. It appeared on my wife's bike first and they dealer said that the "only fix was to replace the Intuvia with the Purion". She hasn't had any problems since but the Purion is a downgrade in her opinion and Bosch won't do anything about it. Supposedly Bosch now has a fix that involves replacing the display bracket with an improved version. After our friend had this done last month she is experiencing problems when she hits bumps that causes the information on the display to change modes.
I have an appointment next week to get mine looked at and am reaching out to all of you for suggestions. All help would be appreciated up to and including attorneys who want to file a class action suit against Bosch and Gazelle.

 

[rich c]

My wife, myself and a friend all have the Gazelle Arroyos with the Bosch Intuvia system. All bikes were purchased in 2018 and all of them have had an INTERMITTENT problem with the display going dead or losing the portion of the display that shows what level of e-assist is being provided. When either problem occurred there was no e-assist. The original "fix" was to make sure that the Intuvia mount was not so tight that it distorted the connection. Well, that didn't work. It appeared on my wife's bike first and they dealer said that the "only fix was to replace the Intuvia with the Purion". She hasn't had any problems since but the Purion is a downgrade in her opinion and Bosch won't do anything about it. Supposedly Bosch now has a fix that involves replacing the display bracket with an improved version. After our friend had this done last month she is experiencing problems when she hits bumps that causes the information on the display to change modes.
I have an appointment next week to get mine looked at and am reaching out to all of you for suggestions. All help would be appreciated up to and including attorneys who want to file a class action suit against Bosch and Gazelle.

Class action lawsuit? That’s hilarious!

 

[AlanDB]

I agree with your wife that the Purion is a downgrade and I would be very upset if my LBS/Gazelle/Bosch forced that switch on me. Fortunately, I have not experienced any of those issues on my 2017 Arroyo with either the Intuvia or the Nyon. I wonder if Bosch changed the mount between the 2017 and 2018 models? I think I would try to contact Gazelle directly to see if they can help.

Although I like the easy adjustment head piece on the Arroyo, my only complaint is that it restricts the angle of the Intuvia/Nyon display. I wish I could tip it a little more upright. Also, sometimes the display bounces down when going over bumps (especially with the heavier Nyon), but I have never lost connection. Maybe I don't have the mount bolts tight enough, but after reading your story, I think I will just live with it rather than risk over tightening and distorting the mount.

 

[Mickey Kelly]

Thanks for your reply. Contacting Gazelle and getting anyone to respond has been like trying to find lipstick for chickens. I'll see what they say when I take the bike in next week. If they chose to change the mount, I'm OK with that. Don't think that I'll let them downgrade to the Purion.
Did you install the Nyon yourself? I was thinking about that but reading that they aren't really available in the US.