First Mechanical Failure on my 2016 Turbo

[Douglas Ruby]

Well, not a terrible thing, but I was forced back to my 1974 Campagnolo equipped custom road bike today because a rear spoke broke on my 2015/16 base Turbo....

I haven't ridden for almost a month (since May 1) because of travel and two surgeries. One surgery was for a nasty skin cancer on my head and the second was an orthopedic surgery on my hand. Both kept me off the bike till yesterday (May 26). I went on a nice morning ride (about 15 miles) averaging over 20 mph, and noticed some wheel noise (spoke pinging). When I got back I noticed I had crossed 600 miles total on my Turbo so I decided it would be a good time to get the bike up on the service stand, pull both wheels, and clean and service everything. When I wiped down the rear wheel, I noticed one of the spokes flopping around. It broke right where the threaded end goes into the nipple. Since I do not have any spare spokes, I removed the cluster (for cleaning), and took both wheels to the dealer for spoke replacement (on the rear), and truing on both.

I should get both wheels back today and get my Turbo back on the road.

 

[Douglas Ruby]

Got my wheel(s) back yesterday. In the mean time, I decided to also clean the chain, cluster, chain ring, and all the bits and pieces. Except for a couple of scratches and/or scrapes from the one time I fell, the bike looks virtually new. So, six hundred mile service done now.

By the way, while I was the very first e-bike customer for my LBS (Goodale's in Nashua, NH), they now have a number of varied e-bikes, including iZip, Electra (Trek), and Specialized. They have sold quite a few, though the more popular bikes are "cruiser" style rather than performance bikes like the Specialized Turbo.

Unfortunately, they still have not gotten the diagnostic cable they claim to have had on order from Specialized. Once they do and have the diagnostic software in, I will take the bike in. In the mean time, I can mostly do my own service.

Doug

 

[Richard Spensley]

My spokes on the rear wheel have pinged 3 times in 1300kms since new. Most recently just last Friday when 3 went on the ride home. Luckily the wheel stayed true enough and did not buckle further under the pressure. I took it into the shop and apparently they are now ordering a whole new set of spokes from Specialised and rebuilding the rear wheel under warranty, which is great customer service.

I think the spokes on the rear wheel are potentially not up to the job with the motor and the pressure of the chain combined at those speeds. I have never had a spoke go before on a normal bike in the many years and many miles of riding - a totally new experience for me!

 

[Allan47.7339]

I've got about 2000 miles of commuting on my 2014 Turbo S and I've been impressed by how well the wheels have held up. I think I am currently under the recommended max gross weight including rider and laptop etc but that was not always the case. I will replace the chain in the next couple of days. The chains I had on hand were only 114 links and too short. Hopefully I did not wait too long and also have to replace the cassette.

 

[Marko]

On my normal bike, I've had back wheel spokes go loose and pop all the time, after which I needed to have the wheel trued. On the Turbo, after 5000 km not one loose spoke.

 

[StormTrooper2]

I've posted about two rear spoke failures on my Turbo X in my running ownership thread. I think the first one broke at about 600 miles. The second one broke between 300-400 miles after the first. I ride the W&OD -- meaning a smooth easy ride. I maintain 20-23 mph for most of my 56 mile (round trip) commute.

More details, including response from the shop where I purchased the bike, are here.

 

[Douglas Ruby]

Just turned 750 miles today on a 34 mile ride. My "Clean Cockpit" handlebar control on my 2015/16 Turbo is going a bit flakey. Sometimes when I try to change the ECO level (kick into ECO, hold joystick to the right until ECO flashes, then move up or down) the display goes into a diagnostic screen instead showing temperature. Once that happens, I have to power cycle the bike to reset it and get control back. This started happening recently, I am working with my LBS to get a replacement and make sure they have the diaqgnostic capability as well since I want them to reset the ODO to the current mileage when the new Clean Cockpit control panel is installed. If I stop, power cycle everything, and plug and unplug the handlebar control, I can get ECO changing back.