Trek Powerfly 5 won't turn on after charging the battery away from the bike

[Atilio]

Hi everyone.

I've been searching online for users with similar problem but couldn't found any. Just checking here before I take the bike to the shop.

I bought this bike a month ago and I've noticed that charging the battery on the bike works well.

But if I remove the battery (at work for example) and leave it charging, when I put it back the controller doesn't turn on for several minutes.

It eventually goes on, quickly showing the previous charge level of the battery to then replace it by the 5 bars (full charge).

It happened for the first time 2 weeks ago and I thought I'll keep testing, then it happened again a few days ago. It's very annoying, for the first couple of kilometers there is no assistance, and after trying many times to turn it on, it eventually does it, but many minutes have gone by.

I charge it when I get to work around 9am and remove it at 6pm. I'm sure it has finished charging earlier than 6pm as it is cold. Range is great, 80-90km in ECO.

On the weekend I tried removing the battery without charging it, but it powers on immediately when I insert the battery again.

I called the shop and they said they have never seen it. I'm trying to better understand before taking it, as the only thing they say they can do is update the firmware, before making a warranty claim of course.

Thanks

 

[tegnamo]

What kind of battery? The integrated one that pops out the side?

 

[jpfps]

Hi,
I have the same problem with my Trek Powerfly 5
I have only had the bike for 5 days
I have taken the battery off the bike to charge at least 3 times this week with no issues
I took it off last night to top it up and when I replaced it to go for a ride this morning it would not power up
There is no life in the head set
The battery when plugged back into the charger does not light up as I presume it is fully charged
I have checked/changed the fuse on the charging plug

Does anyone have any suggestions
I am planning to take it back to the shop tomorrow

Thanks

 

[jpfps]

Hi, All,
Just an up-date on the above
I have spoken to my bike supplier "Team Cycles, Team Valley, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, UK
And they have asked me to bring the bike back so they can investigate the issue
I took it straight back and they tried another battery, which worked fine
So they have replaced the battery without question

All working fine now, so good result

Thanks

 

[Atilio]

What kind of battery? The integrated one that pops out the side?

Yes, the integrated battery.

 

[Atilio]

Hi, All,
Just an up-date on the above
I have spoken to my bike supplier "Team Cycles, Team Valley, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, UK
And they have asked me to bring the bike back so they can investigate the issue
I took it straight back and they tried another battery, which worked fine
So they have replaced the battery without question

All working fine now, so good result

Thanks

After posting my question here everything has been working properly. I don't charge the battery too frequently, every ~10 days.

I've charged it 2 more times during this period and in both cases the display turned on immediately (but it still shows the previous battery level for an instant before showing the 5 bars).

I haven't taken it to the shop yet. @jpfps interesting to know the battery replacement went well, hopefully you don't have to deal with it again. From your comment I assume it never powered back on until the battery was replaced, is that correct?

Cheers

 

[jpfps]

Hi Atilio
Yes the battery was completely dead
Although it was charging fine and when showing 5 green lights (battery fully charged) it powered down
It did not power up the bike nor would it charge
So I took the bike & charger back to the shop and they did the checks and replaced the battery
It is all OK now
Hope it stays like that

Regards

 

[DANQUISH]

Just wanted to chime in with a tip

I have the exact same problem with my brand new powerfly LT 9.7
The shop where I bought it from is stumped and is contacting Trek for me,but in the interim I have discovered that TURNING ON THE BATTERY after charging it away from the bike via the"hidden" power switch will do the trick.

On the Powerflys, the power switch is hidden under the side panel and can be accessed via a small hole that is in that panel. Poking an allen wrench into that hole and pressing the power button will light up the LED's (showing the charge level) as well as "wake" the battery up. ("4" in the attached image)

Pop that into the bike and you're good to go.

I am not sure if this is indicative of a faulty battery or not, but if you experience this problem with your Powerfly, this will at least get you up and going.

 

[Atilio]

Hi @DANQUISH , thanks for the tip, I'm very keen to hear back from you if you get an update from Trek.

Just tried it by removing the battery and turning it on as you said. The charge indicator LEDs light up momentarily.

When I reinserted the battery into the bike the controller powered up immediately, so I guess that even if the LEDs on the battery were off, the battery was still "on". Hopefully this trick wakes it up if it happens again.

Thanks again. Attached is a picture of the hole in the battery, very accessible.

 

[DANQUISH]

Hi @DANQUISH , thanks for the tip, I'm very keen to hear back from you if you get an update from Trek.

Just tried it by removing the battery and turning it on as you said. The charge indicator LEDs light up momentarily.

When I reinserted the battery into the bike the controller powered up immediately, so I guess that even if the LEDs on the battery were off, the battery was still "on". Hopefully this trick wakes it up if it happens again.

Thanks again. Attached is a picture of the hole in the battery, very accessible.

Glad to hear this worked for you!
Yes, when you press the power button, the LED's will light up briefly to show the charge level. (Other places I found online described this button as a "charge level indicator") so the button is pretty much "dual purpose" in that it shows the charge, and turns it on.
If this method were to ever fail, apparently you can "reset" the battery by pressing and holding the power button for 10 seconds.
I plan to try this next to see if it will perhaps solve the "failing to turn on by itself when placed back in the bike" issue...

 

[jpfps]

Hi DANQUISH, many thanks for the tip
I will look for the "Power Button" and try this if it happens again
It seems to be OK for now though

Kind Regards

 

[Preedy62]

I have the same issue with a powerfly 7. The button always works but it is annoying ! Loving the bike though.

 

[rjones1138]

Hi everyone.

I've been searching online for users with similar problem but couldn't found any. Just checking here before I take the bike to the shop.

I bought this bike a month ago and I've noticed that charging the battery on the bike works well.

But if I remove the battery (at work for example) and leave it charging, when I put it back the controller doesn't turn on for several minutes.

It eventually goes on, quickly showing the previous charge level of the battery to then replace it by the 5 bars (full charge).

It happened for the first time 2 weeks ago and I thought I'll keep testing, then it happened again a few days ago. It's very annoying, for the first couple of kilometers there is no assistance, and after trying many times to turn it on, it eventually does it, but many minutes have gone by.

I charge it when I get to work around 9am and remove it at 6pm. I'm sure it has finished charging earlier than 6pm as it is cold. Range is great, 80-90km in ECO.

On the weekend I tried removing the battery without charging it, but it powers on immediately when I insert the battery again.

I called the shop and they said they have never seen it. I'm trying to better understand before taking it, as the only thing they say they can do is update the firmware, before making a warranty claim of course.

Thanks

I just got a Trek Powerfly 4. Fantastic bike on our rocky, rooty single track in Central PA. But it would not wake up today after a ride. Took it to the bike shop where I bought it and went through some troubleshooting. 1) there is a small battery in the control module (the box with the on/off and power +/- buttons - we replaced that and it still would not wake up 2) tried the "secret" power button thing - no go 3) interestingly, the usb connected PC with diagnostics did not give us much information 4) changed to a new battery and it is back to normal - just had to swap the aluminum covers

 

[fooferdoggie]

I just got a Trek Powerfly 4. Fantastic bike on our rocky, rooty single track in Central PA. But it would not wake up today after a ride. Took it to the bike shop where I bought it and went through some troubleshooting. 1) there is a small battery in the control module (the box with the on/off and power +/- buttons - we replaced that and it still would not wake up 2) tried the "secret" power button thing - no go 3) interestingly, the usb connected PC with diagnostics did not give us much information 4) changed to a new battery and it is back to normal - just had to swap the aluminum covers

sounds like contact issues. I had that on our tandem and cleaned the contacts with some stuff for airplanes.