Well I just got my 3rd Turbo S and...

John Dombrowski

John Dombrowski

Active Member
they still haven't fixed the problem. Waited 2 months for them to send a new batch to the US and they still haven't fixed the charging problem. Charges to 98% (which I don't mind that) but then the lights just start flashing and don't shut off. And the led on the charger just sits there and flashes red-green, red-green...
What is it going to take for a major player like Specialized to get it right. Their other 2 models work right but they just can't get the "S" right. I mean really? Time to hire some new engineers I think.
I love riding it and it rides fine so I am going to keep it because of that but at some point the need to fix their issues with their $7000 ebike.
 
That's really strange.

As you mentioned, this issue shouldn't affect your enjoyment of the bike much because it only limits your range by 2%. No big deal, really.

Another thing to note is that some of Specialized's competitors, specifically Stromer, seem to have quite a few reliability issues like this. I've heard of a lot of Stromer riders who have to deal with a battery issue where their bikes shut off at random and the only way to fix it is to use the battery key to unlock and remove the battery, then put it back in and turn the bike on again. I believe Haibike has a better reputation when it comes to reliability.

I wish you the best of luck getting that annoying bug fixed!
 
it's not even about the 2% - I rarely see 100% on my bike. His problem is the flashing from the charger kicking in and out ... did you try a different charger @John Dombrowski ?
 
I'm impressed your shop gave you a loaner. I think the hand holding and support needed for e-bikes is higher than most dealers anticipate. Usually I can handle any bike repair issue on my own but I've had to go back to the shop for a couple of electrical issues. I think e-bikes need a more comprehensive bike buyer training at purchase. In my case I need to remove the battery for charging at work. I probably was not always seating the battery as carefully as I do now.
 
Allan47.7339 said:
I think e-bikes need a more comprehensive bike buyer training at purchase. .
Click to expand...

The problem is that the dealers probably get only very basic troubleshooting training with not much to go to train customers. However, whatever knowledge they do receive they should pass on to the customers. See for example the attached file. This is something I got from the dealer but it is not shared by default. I think it should be part of the manual.
 

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I agree the dealers may not have that much experience or training with the e-bikes or the person that was trained left the shop. I think it's especially true with Specialized because they are only sold through their traditional dealers and specialty shops. Frequently the average shop employee is too young to understand why you might need help getting to 28 mph on a bicycle.

Global Mountain Bike network YouTube channel had a segment on MTV e-bikes fad or future:

http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-videos/video-ebikes-fad-or-future/

All of the people except one were either too young or racers and couldn't understand why anyone would need an e-bike.
 
John Dombrowski said:
they still haven't fixed the problem. Waited 2 months for them to send a new batch to the US and they still haven't fixed the charging problem. Charges to 98% (which I don't mind that) but then the lights just start flashing and don't shut off. And the led on the charger just sits there and flashes red-green, red-green...
What is it going to take for a major player like Specialized to get it right. Their other 2 models work right but they just can't get the "S" right. I mean really? Time to hire some new engineers I think.
I love riding it and it rides fine so I am going to keep it because of that but at some point the need to fix their issues with their $7000 ebike.
Click to expand...


I just picked up my 2016 turbo S and mine does the same thing. I'm thinking it's the new smaller charger that now comes with the turbo s. Tomorrow I'm going to borrow a friend's finned charger and see what that does. When I tried out a 2016 demo turbo s 6 months ago they gave me their store finned charger and it worked perfectly. I have the small travel charger and the lights never even get to point of flashing on and off.
 
JimDrivas said:
I just picked up my 2016 turbo S and mine does the same thing. I'm thinking it's the new smaller charger that now comes with the turbo s. Tomorrow I'm going to borrow a friend's finned charger and see what that does. When I tried out a 2016 demo turbo s 6 months ago they gave me their store finned charger and it worked perfectly. I have the small travel charger and the lights never even get to point of flashing on and off.
Click to expand...
Let me know what you find out with the big charger. I remember trying that one at the beginning of all this mess and i thought it did the same thing. I will try my wife's charger from her base Turbo again tonight and see what it does. Keep me posted on your findings...
 
Yep...tried the big charger (finned one) and the bike charged to 100% and the lights shut off. There was no lights going on and off. It's the charger. Even though both chargers are rated for the same voltage and amps, the finned charger seems more powerful. I hope this helps people to try the finned charger.
 
I also found out that if the bike is on when you plug it in, the bike will charge to 100% but when the charger goes green, the lights stay on...no flashing on and off...just stay on until you unplug the charger. This again is with the finned charger.

Also don't worry about only charging to 98%. When my bikes charge to 100%, as soon as you make one revolution pedaling, the bike immediately drop to 98%. So it no big deal.
 
So I tried my wife's base Turbo charger last night and it worked fine. Only charged to 98% but I am not worried about that. But the charger light turned green and the bike lights went off like they are supposed to and the charger was cool to the touch like it had shut off after charging not like the S charger that gets steaming hot after charging.
So at this point I called my dealer and told him to order me a brand new base Turbo charger and I will trade my S charger in for that. This will give me a little peace of mind if I forget to unplug it for a while after charging and not be worried that the thing will catch fire in my garage.
 
John I have a similar issue with my 2016 S

I am also the dude who has the chain falling off (see update if interested).

My battery charges just fine out of the bike, (but usually to 98%, very occasionally will indicate 100% for a few seconds) but when I attempt to use the frame port the head/tail lights flash at high speed for a while (maybe 15-30 minutes) and then everything shuts off, but no charging has occurred.

I am about to take it up with the shop, it seems dumb that I can't use the port on the bike. Also I charge at work so I need to keep the small charger (I carry it in my rack pack with my spares).

I am wondering if the dealer will help :(
 
I just don't understand why someone at Specialized doesn't read these forums and chime in when we expose all their problems and lack of quality. I just think they don't really care too much for the ebike market and not taking it seriously.
 
I agree with you John. I used to think it was just my local dealer, but there are clearly others out there experiencing frustration.

I was a "wrench" many years ago (Did overhauls and assemblies in a small shop in northeast Iowa for about a year in the mid 1990's) and was out of cycling for many years due to lack of easy access to safe cycling routes.

I have been astounded by the bewildering new technology (and COST $$$) now that I am getting back into cycling after a long absence.

As I mentioned, at the local dealer there are many cycles (even some used ones) priced over $10K.

In my day, you could get the hottest 1000cc Japanese sport bike for less than that!!

I also yearn for the days when "a bottom bracket was a bottom bracket".

We could basically fix or improve anything that was brought into the shop with a relatively small stock of common parts and equipment.

While some things are undeniably better (disc brakes for example, a real breakthrough!), most things just cost more, look cool, and are lighter weight but with little if any improvement in the overall cycling experience.

I strongly doubt that if you put a reasonably experienced cyclist blindfolded on a bike, he or she would be hard pressed to tell you if the cycle had one of the (numerous) new type bottom brackets versus an old one, even one with (gasp!) old non-sealed bearings :)

I recently had a good conversation with my old bike shop boss who still runs his small shop, and he said that in the opinion of most long time dealers, the bike industry is shooting itself in the foot with astronomical pricing and endless new and improved gadgets, few of which offer real-world improvements over the old standards.

Just my 2 cents worth. (Or my $100 buck worth?)
 
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