Replace or Upgrade Intuvia

sande005

New Member
Region
USA
Controls are getting a bit wonky on my Trek XM700+. Intuvia starts normally, but at times I cannot select any assist mode, and no power from the drive. Hitting "+" will very briefly display "Eco", then it drops back to saying "off" With a bit of playing, it all starts to work, and maintains while the system is on. Unpredictable if it will happen or not on the next startup. YouTube tells me it is the thumb controller that needs replacing, which makes sense. Closest bike shop wants $60 for a new one. I get a parts "deal" at another shop, and can order a Nyon kit for $250 (but they say no to just the thumb controller for some reason).
Currently using a smartphone mount, and running "Cyclemeter" for basic data. Just started to also run "Ride with GPS". Do need to carry an external battery so I don't run the phone down.
Read some of the more recent threads about the Nyon.
Save the money, or is it a reasonable upgrade, despite the current issues?
 
if you got a nyon you would have to have all of the wiring replaced so usually they have to drop the motor. then the remote will be replaced too so you have a whole new setup and mount. 60.00 is about right for a new remote. its not hard to do yourself either just a few screws to remove and replace.
 
if you got a nyon you would have to have all of the wiring replaced so usually they have to drop the motor. then the remote will be replaced too so you have a whole new setup and mount. 60.00 is about right for a new remote. its not hard to do yourself either just a few screws to remove and replace.
Well...I was under the impression from other posts it was pretty much a swap out of the back connectors on the head unit. If a total rewire, then not....
This old post (and a couple of others) led me to think it was a simple swap...https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/nyon-upgrade-in-usa-worked-out-of-the-box.10315/
 
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Well...I was under the impression from other posts it was pretty much a swap out of the back connectors on the head unit. If a total rewire, then not....
This old post (and a couple of others) led me to think it was a simple swap...https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/nyon-upgrade-in-usa-worked-out-of-the-box.10315/
No only if you have the old nyon I did that in my tandem that had an intuvia. But the new one needs new wiring. That usually means a motor drop.
 
Might be a fun winter project....but not this winter. Heading south, where I can ride all winter rather than fight the snow drifts and -30F temps here in Minnesota.....
so now to ponder - try to take apart the existing thumb controller to clean up contacts, and probably break it? Guess I better make sure a replacement is easily available first, in that case....
 
I have a Gen2 drive unit with an Intuvia controller, and have had some issues with it. One issue has been that if you start it up by pressing the Intuvia on switch, the display comes on, but without the speedo reading of 0.0. and no assist is available. While debugging this issue, I read the manual and found that to guarantee a startup one also has to turn on the battery as well as the display. I wasn't doing this, and I have my suspicions that this requirement may have been removed in a later firmware revision. However Bosch likes to keep those vague and secret. You don't mention whether your speedo display is present; this is key to the completion of a correct power up.

The other known proble, of the Intuvia is that the ears of the display mount (the part which clamps the handlebars) can slide either closer together or further apart, and this causes the horizontal surface of the display mount to become concave or convex. This can cause the pins to make poor contact with the display,
and cause imnproper startup.
 
I have a Gen2 drive unit with an Intuvia controller, and have had some issues with it. One issue has been that if you start it up by pressing the Intuvia on switch, the display comes on, but without the speedo reading of 0.0. and no assist is available. While debugging this issue, I read the manual and found that to guarantee a startup one also has to turn on the battery as well as the display. I wasn't doing this, and I have my suspicions that this requirement may have been removed in a later firmware revision. However Bosch likes to keep those vague and secret. You don't mention whether your speedo display is present; this is key to the completion of a correct power up.

The other known proble, of the Intuvia is that the ears of the display mount (the part which clamps the handlebars) can slide either closer together or further apart, and this causes the horizontal surface of the display mount to become concave or convex. This can cause the pins to make poor contact with the display,
and cause imnproper startup.
Saw a video about these issues. Of course, now it is not acting up so I can't determine whether it is the display contacts (no mph) or the thumb controller that is the issue. Probably only fail after a rest point while on a long group ride!
 
I switch from Intuvia to Purion as perferred simpler display. Initially found assist buttons not as good as Intuvia separate remote but been riding so long now its not issue. Connections on Intuvia are one more point of failure plus it takes up lot of handlebar space that can be used for baskets, bags etc.
Shouldn't need to remove motor, only left crank and motor cover. Feeding cable through frame is hardest part and will depend on bike.

Watch Courtney's videos before buying one regarding features.

Lot people rave about apps and fancy displays. I'd rather look at countryside when riding than yet another computer screen.
 
If you can find the original nyon and the required thumb control (either used or new), that would be an easy replacement for the intuvia and a worthwhile upgrade IMO. Installation is simple and requires no rewiring except for replacing the thumb control which is a simple task. The first gen nyon's are hard to find these days, but do occasionally show up on eBay.
 
I switch from Intuvia to Purion as perferred simpler display. Initially found assist buttons not as good as Intuvia separate remote but been riding so long now its not issue. Connections on Intuvia are one more point of failure plus it takes up lot of handlebar space that can be used for baskets, bags etc.
Shouldn't need to remove motor, only left crank and motor cover. Feeding cable through frame is hardest part and will depend on bike.

Watch Courtney's videos before buying one regarding features.

Lot people rave about apps and fancy displays. I'd rather look at countryside when riding than yet another computer screen.
Do you have a link to the video. Came up empty searching for "Courtney"+"Nyon"

Besides just needing something to work, am pretty intrigued about being able to customize the assist levels....
 
Here is an example of a used gen 1 nyon on ebay. This one is the newer version with 8 GB memory and includes the thumb remote. The first release of the nyon only had 1 GB of memory, although that was sufficient storage for the way I use my nyon. The nyon in this listing ships from Germany and is non returnable, so you need to assess that risk. Price seems reasonable since these are now pretty scarce. If I didn't already have a nyon for my Gazelle, I would probably give this listing a serious consideration. Just my opinion though.
 
There was a hiccup with the 400 Bosch battery pack. Mine will occasionally not display the speedometer nor allow PAS changes. The fix is to push the power button on the display. If it doesn't boot up. Reach down and press the reset button on the battery pack for about 10-15 seconds. The display will change to normal and you are on your way. It's very intermittent, maybe had to do that 3 times. My bike is a 2016 model year Haibike Full Seven.
 
I have had this on my 2019 Gen 3 Bosch motor several times. I found it was because i was being impatient and trying to toogle up too quickly into power modes. Left it for about 5 seconds and was fine. Never did it again
 
Still on the fence about this. I made sure the mount for the display wasn't too tight, and cleaned the Intuvia contacts. Problem hasn't yet returned, although riding time has been pretty unavailable for me lately to test well.
I geek out on the tech - usually ride with my iPhone mounted, using the Cyclemeter app and Wahoo/Apple watch sensors to display basic ride info. Have Ride with GPS running in the background for turn-by-turn directions. Sometimes even pump tunes into my hearing aids from the phone (poor sound quality, but never blocks hearing the real world).
So the Nyon might replace lots of that...but maybe not as well.
What gets me excited though is the possibility to have custom assist levels. But not as the sole reason to change out. Can only wait to see if it gets flakey again...
 
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