My 2016 bike is actually the second one as there were so many problems, they replaced the first bike. On the second one, the battery, harness, motor, chain, cassette, and derailleur have all been replaced, not to mention the brakes under recall. Of course the early Levo FSR’s don’t even have a display, and you have to rely on the Mission Control app, which is no prize in terms of support, like zero. So I was happy that after 6 trouble free months in 2019, the problems were resolved. The bike handling is superb, the electric drive is unreliable. BTW, the 11 speed cassette ought to be replaced with a 7 or 9 speed, allowing a more robust chain. My new dealer, Hilltop Bicycles in NJ, is top notch. Specialized is near enough useless in terms of any direct support.
How many miles do you have on your e-bike with a Brose motor?
- Thread starter Ricky
- Start date
Just heard back from the dealer on the latest failure. Specialized is sending a new motor. So this is bike #2 and motor #3. Saw the thread about belt tensioning in the Brose motor. I wonder if mine has a belt tensioning mechanism that hasn’t been adjusted. Certainly there is nothing in their generic operator’s manual that suggests any motor adjustments. A $5000 bike with a kiddie book for maintenance. Again, fortunately, I now have a competent and responsive dealer.
The new motor (#3) has been installed, under warranty. It appears identical to the previous units, so it's not known if it's an upgrade. I specifically asked if there is an external adjustment for belt tension, and the answer is no. Specialized says the problems I've had are highly unusual, and they will analyze the failure and report back. Don't forget that they have a special tag on the motor, which breaks if you open it up, thereby voiding the warranty, and so the dealer won't touch it. It reminds me of the old wive's tale about opening the hood on a Rolls Royce.
Got the bike back from dealer. The performance is better than ever. Very smooth power transfer, no hesitation. In checking the motor temperature after two rides, it seems to be much lower than in previous rides. After both rides, 10 and 12 miles, the temperature was 100F and 110F. I've never seen it that low. Usually 150-160F, though that would have probably been at 70-90F outside temperature, not 40F. Anyway, wondering if the new motor is an upgrade? Hope it lasts.
Mass Deduction
Active Member
We were selling a lot of bikes with Brose motors, and I was personally a big fan of the smoothness and quietness of Brose. I personally owned two bikes with Brose motors, one a fat-tired hybrid and the other a gravel bike (the latter of which is quite magnificent and the one I did my furthest single-day distance on of 275 km). I had a lot of fun on both of those bikes.
But our bike shop is not getting big mileage out of the motors before they need servicing, or conk out entirely. They're all Brose Drive TF motors (which is a class 3 motor). We won't be ordering more bikes with Brose motors for the time being, unfortunately. Maybe down the road if they're proving to be lower maintenance. I think the largest distance count we've seen on any Brose-equipped bike we've sold before it needed servicing was 3500 km. Brose's being really good about it, but we don't like inconveniencing customers or tying up our repair shop with problems.
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Quadracer
Member
Its interesting you have had so many issues with them. My 2017 vado has now done 13000km on the original motor never been serviced. I know its due for one before it hits 15000km. I wonder if its how we are riding our bikes putting to much strain on the motor. Myself i like to ride with a higher cadense. l live in an area with hilly terrain so my bike hasnt got the easiest of lives but is as smooth as the day i picked it up. Maybe ive just been lucky!
How about Brose S? Are they better in terms of reliability compared to tf?
Mass Deduction
Active Member
Don't know, all the Brose units we've sold have been Drive TF. We're leary of bringing in any else for now, so I'd love some feedback from owners of Drive S and Drive S Mag (or dealers that sell them) about their reliability.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
1000 miles since November 1st, 2019
Always something new with my Levo FSR. After the last few rides noticed that the battery either doesn't fully charge to 100%, or drops down 3-5% over a few days sitting unused. Not a big deal, just a change from the past. This is the Mission Control reading. Two days ago I went for a ride and averaged 188 mph! The distance was off by a factor of 14.5, but the other readings were normal. Yesterday, over the same route, I noticed the speed reading was erratic, though the distance seemed correct. The speed reading would hang up at whatever speed you were going if you stopped peddling, and most of the time would not change when coasting. As soon as you started pedaling, the speed reading would be correct, and change with speed. When I got back home, the mileage and average speed were correct and matched the data from previous rides over that route. The new motor (#3) shows 233 miles, and both battery and motor show "healthy". The motor temperature after a ride remains lower than with the previous motors, and performance is smooth. But now I'm nervous again about getting marooned somewhere. I'd guess it's a problem with the "counter" or a glitch in the Mission Control. I've contacted the dealer, but haven't heard back. Is the distance calculated from the rotation of the wheel, or GPS? I'd say wheel counter because the mileages for the same routes are very consistent. Maybe I should try uninstalling Mission Control? Not sure if I lose ride data, not that it matters much to me.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
What is the real fact? (Does the Levo battery have the LED charge indicator?)
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Do you mean only the Mission Control app shows wrong data?
Regarding battery charge, the Mission Control and LED's seem to match. Each LED is 10%, where as Mission Control shows each 1% increment. So, 53% on Mission Control is over 50% and 6 LED's are lighted. At full charge, 10 LED's will be on as long as the charge level is over 90%. Seems normal. The erratic speed or distance readings are only on Mission Control with my Iphone, as this bike has no other readout.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Rede, the battery shall not get dry in short storage. If it gets almost dry unused within several days it is a very dangerous symptom. Contact your LBS very soon!
Thanks Stefan, but I don't understand the term "dry". If you mean dropping in charge level, here's my recent experience, which was first noticed after the #3 motor was installed. When charging, the battery indicator goes to full charge and the Mission Control readout maybe somewhere in the 97-100% range. if you don't use the bike, it may drop down 2-3% over a few days or a week, but I haven't seen it go below about 94%. The app shows battery healthy and 113 charge cycles, but this is not the original battery, as that was replaced a couple of years ago along with the wiring harness. I'm not sure if anything related to the electrical side of the bike is original. I have a separate speed distance gadget and I think the total mileage on the bike is now about 3100.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Sorry, I misunderstood you. I thought Rede the battery dropped down to 2-3% during those few days.
I also like riding with a high cadence. I think that a lot of the failures are people using the highest setting and a slow cadence. Since the motor measures torque at the pedals and multiplies it, that puts more stress on all the components (especially the belt). I have 1500 miles in one season on mine and it is in great shape (knock on wood). I have also seen replies to this and other threads where they have lots of miles with no issues. One guy has a 2017 Turbo Vado and he said he has 28000 miles on it.
I am following a Specialized mountain bike thread where it seems real widespread that the Brose motors are failing at high rates. But on the same thread several have said that they are getting lots of miles 5000+ with no issues. Those that are getting lots of miles are also high cadence riders.
Quadracer
Member
I agree. I have also checked my temp after a longer ride and its around 50deg. I remeber someone on here having motor issues with a temp over 100deg!
Interesting comments on cadence, and perhaps that does have an effect on belt life, but my motor #2 only lasted about 600 miles. I do tend to use higher boost and not downshift as much. My typical rides from home are steeply downhill about 2-3 miles, and then 8-15 miles, rolling flat, and more gently back up hill, depending on the route. I'm an octogenarian, and happy that my e-bike allows me to get back home without undue stress or spinning like mad. I checked the battery yesterday, and after sitting unused for a day, it still was 53% charged, and so maybe it only drops a bit from maximum. After charging it, the level read 99%. Going for a ride later today.
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