Vado SL calibration?

[GuruUno]

Occasionally I get a clicking noise while hard pedaling with hard pressure on the pedals.
Usually up a hill or an incline.
New pedals, not them. Not seat or post, swapped them.
The clicking seems like left side of the crank.
All bolts torqued etc.
lbs here in Fla tells me firmware update may be needed (v 2.4.21 is what it is now)
Then he says to calibrate the motor the chain comes off an then they spin the motor to 80 rpm to “calibrate” the motor.
Not sure never heard such a thing. Opinion or facts are welcome
Thank you

 

[kahn]

Occasionally I get a clicking noise while hard pedaling with hard pressure on the pedals.
Usually up a hill or an incline.
New pedals, not them. Not seat or post, swapped them.
The clicking seems like left side of the crank.
All bolts torqued etc.
lbs here in Fla tells me firmware update may be needed (v 2.4.21 is what it is now)
Then he says to calibrate the motor the chain comes off an then they spin the motor to 80 rpm to “calibrate” the motor.
Not sure never heard such a thing. Opinion or facts are welcome
Thank you

It can sometimes be very hard to isolate a bike noise while riding. I've found sometimes having a friend ride besides me can help locate the noise. I've also had the lace tip's plastic hitting the crank while pedaling. Or my heel hitting the crank or chain stay.

 

[Pork Rind]

For those doing a search for this, here‘s my story.

I was getting a click or a clunk in time with the rotation of the cranks. it was not something obvious like a shoelace or something else striking the frame or cranks. I took it to my LBS today and they first tightened a few things and an obvious first step, but when that didn’t fix the problem, they put it on the computer, did a waiting update, then did the calibration. problem solved, and both the tech and I noticed the power delivery is a little smoother now too.

I gotta give those guys credit. I rode by during lunch just to schedule an appointment, and they did all this on the spot while I waited.

 

[GuruUno]

My LBS informed me that the SL motor has a gasket and that the motor cover was needing vaseline and then to be retightened, I haven't ridden it in a few weeks but tried it when picked up and it seems OK.

 

[PennyFarthing]

Occasionally I get a clicking noise while hard pedaling with hard pressure on the pedals

I got my TV SL 5.0 back in October 2020. Being an energetic cyclist I do quite a lot of standing on the pedals (clipped in) to get me up hills - so less assistance, more 'me'. I was being troubled by quite a loud mechanical clicking noise, occurring when the left hand crank was at bottom dead centre - but only when standing on the pedals. It seemed so bad that I took it back to my LBS who did a warranty motor replacement. Curiously the only significant effect of this was to shift the clicking noise to when the right hand crank was at BDC. I've lived with it ever since, it seems to come and go - but at least after several thousand miles it is now very much milder than when I first got the bike.
The bike is well out of warranty I have dismantled pretty much everything except the motor itself and can only conclude that the clicking is something in the motor/crank bearings that doesn't like the weight transfer that occurs when standing on the pedals (and without getting too personal, I'm a lightweight rider!).

 

[BioWheel]

I got my TV SL 5.0 back in October 2020. Being an energetic cyclist I do quite a lot of standing on the pedals (clipped in) to get me up hills - so less assistance, more 'me'. I was being troubled by quite a loud mechanical clicking noise, occurring when the left hand crank was at bottom dead centre - but only when standing on the pedals. It seemed so bad that I took it back to my LBS who did a warranty motor replacement. Curiously the only significant effect of this was to shift the clicking noise to when the right hand crank was at BDC. I've lived with it ever since, it seems to come and go - but at least after several thousand miles it is now very much milder than when I first got the bike.
The bike is well out of warranty I have dismantled pretty much everything except the motor itself and can only conclude that the clicking is something in the motor/crank bearings that doesn't like the weight transfer that occurs when standing on the pedals (and without getting too personal, I'm a lightweight rider!).

Do you replace your chain? I've found that an older chain can be responsible for clicks and sounds under load that can also be intermittent. I've been getting about 1200 miles on a chain and then it needs replaced.

 

[PennyFarthing]

Do you replace your chain? I've found that an older chain can be responsible for clicks and sounds under load that can also be intermittent. I've been getting about 1200 miles on a chain and then it needs replaced.

No - the clicking/clonking was very nearly 'from new' and additionally it always occurs when either left (or now right) crank is exactly at BDC - so I'm assuming that it cannot be anything beyond the motor/crank/chainring or it wouldn't be in exact sync with the crank position. Chain is just short of 5k miles and still going strong!

 

[BioWheel]

No - the clicking/clonking was very nearly 'from new' and additionally it always occurs when either left (or now right) crank is exactly at BDC - so I'm assuming that it cannot be anything beyond the motor/crank/chainring or it wouldn't be in exact sync with the crank position. Chain is just short of 5k miles and still going strong!

I promise you that your chain at 5000 miles is worn out. Don't ruin your cassette! And, I had a chain break once on another bike and you can nearly lose your crown jewels no matter the top tube height.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Don't ruin your cassette!

It's already ruined.