Bosch CX - GEN 4.. Big issues

[varenummerdk]

What should I do? Bought Strive ON March 2024. Since June 2024, Canyon has tried to fix the error on the Bosch system. It has been at Canyon 7 times now, since June 2024. Bosch has no idea.

The error is that suddenly, as if from a cloudless sky, the engine stutters and then the whole bike : motor has half power. The engine slows down around 15-16 km/h. And then it's a heavy bike to pedal.

Canyon has changed, cables, battery, controller, connecter, battery again etc., and now they have switched to a brand new CX engine from Bosch.

On Friday i got the bike back, happy... it ran so fantastic with the new motor. 30 km trail.....And now today after 3 km trail the error came back. Half power. No power, the bike stops at 15 km/h. NO ERROR CODES!!...

Now I have contacted Canyon and said I wanted a new bike or my money back. If it has to go them again, it has been at Canyon 9 times since June 2024. And they can't fix the error. Since they don't know what it is, and Bosch doesn't know either.

What to do ?

I can’t understand that I´m the only one in the whole world having this issue / error on my Strive ON.

Suddenly out in no where the bike motor assistance / power output goes from full power to half power. NO MATTER WITH MODE YOU DRIVE IN..
And then suddenly to half power stops at 15 km/h. Like night and day.

I also today got 10 meter pedal the bike No motor assistance

And yes. You feel it like day and night. No doubt at all.

this have been like a roller coaster in 13 month now, back and forward, back and forward.... And now I am done. I cant take it no more...

 

[JJ765]

Sorry to hear your troubles, tell them (in writing) that you require either a replacement bike or a full refund as the bike is not of acceptable quality, give them a date to reply with an answer. good luck

 

[Bear-uk]

There must be a sale of goods act you could threaten them with
Or even a solicitors letter if all else fails!

 

[Renton_Yorkshire]

Yep. The key phrase here is "not fit for purpose".

 

[InRustWeTrust]

Hello!

I have the exact same problem with my canyon strive:ON that it loses power and only has half the power and feels heavy to pedal. I also bought mine in June 2024. The problem can come after 20 km and sometimes it can start after just a few km.

I'm tired of canyon and their bikes so I'm just trying to get a refund and send the bike back to canyon and get my money back.

 

[manu.w]

Must be a problem inside the motor, not mechanical, but a faulty sensor (torque?), or something with the motherboard inside the motor.
Did they (canyon) removed the motor from the frame and send it to Bosh for a in depth diagnosis ?, I doubt !…

Canyon could at least replace the entire Bosh motor so you would be a happy customer , sent the motor to Bosch and claim an in depth repair or new motor?!
Maybe there is a canyon buyers clause that you , as customer should contact Bosh for a refund?

Ps: is it a rim magnet speed sensor ?

 

[maker]

Can't remember details but had power loss (non-Canyon).Shop bemused then realised that the distance between magnet on spokes and sensor was more than Bosch spec. Once corrected bike was fine instead of degrading during a ride.

 

[michalmuller]

I also struggle with similar issues. The assistance is cutting out and eventually the whole system shuts down. And sometimes I cannot even turn it on. Already third time in the LBS (in the Czech Republic) and I hope they will figure it out this time. I am really tired of this. I love this bike, but I need something trustworthy and reliable. Fortunately I got the Orbea Rise un my stable soI can enjoy my passion.

 

[Stihldog]

Can't remember details but had power loss (non-Canyon).Shop bemused then realised that the distance between magnet on spokes and sensor was more than Bosch spec. Once corrected bike was fine instead of degrading during a ride.

That was my thought also. That’s an intermittent issue that is difficult to replicate in a shop environment.

I’m not familiar with the spoke magnet or sensor, but it can feel like you just dropped an anchor during a ride. A rotor magnet and sensor still needs cleaning occasionally …or perhaps minor adjustments. But the sensors and connections can fail.

Hopefully it’s not the speed sensor in the motor.

 

[varenummerdk]

Must be a problem inside the motor, not mechanical, but a faulty sensor (torque?), or something with the motherboard inside the motor.
Did they (canyon) removed the motor from the frame and send it to Bosh for a in depth diagnosis ?, I doubt !…

Canyon could at least replace the entire Bosh motor so you would be a happy customer , sent the motor to Bosch and claim an in depth repair or new motor?!
Maybe there is a canyon buyers clause that you , as customer should contact Bosh for a refund?

Ps: is it a rim magnet speed sensor ?

Canyon replaced all wires etc and a brand new motor.
After 30 km the issue showed up again.
Yes a rim magnet.

Also replaced. Still the same issues

 

[Old Codger]

Sounds like a component is overheating either in the motor, controller or battery but if they have replaced all three then that’s weird.

 

[johno1]

Get your money back and buy Amflow, best bike ever

 

[johno1]

I also had many many issues either Bosch motors. After 4 bikes with Bosch motors and all the issues they give, I will never have another Bosch bike

 

[varenummerdk]

I also had many many issues either Bosch motors. After 4 bikes with Bosch motors and all the issues they give, I will never have another Bosch bike

What issues??

 

[varenummerdk]

Sounds like a component is overheating either in the motor, controller or battery but if they have replaced all three then that’s weird.

Yep. Very weird

 

[ValActionT 750]

G

Must be a problem inside the motor, not mechanical, but a faulty sensor (torque?), or something with the motherboard inside the motor.
Did they (canyon) removed the motor from the frame and send it to Bosh for a in depth diagnosis ?, I doubt !…

Canyon could at least replace the entire Bosh motor so you would be a happy customer , sent the motor to Bosch and claim an in depth repair or new motor?!
Maybe there is a canyon buyers clause that you , as customer should contact Bosh for a refund?

Ps: is it a rim magnet speed sensor

Read his post again…

 

[AndyNZ]

How incredibly frustrating. I feel for your predicament as this would totally do my head. If the wiring, controller & motor have all been replaced, then by process of elimination only two things remain. The Battery and the Magnet sensor. The battery may have a poor terminal connection where it connects to the bike, impeding voltage capacity and performance when things get warm. Or the battery itself may have an internal glitch or bad heat sensor that's causing it to trip out (although that's less likely as you'd expect to see error codes). Was your magnet sensor also replaced with the wiring? To me, I would suspect the magnetic sensor is a more plausible explanation as they have very limited distance and directional range and are quite sensitive to magnetic interference, temperature dependence, noise, calibration, and magnet size. Is your magnet sensor located on the Inner side of the chain stay or seat stay? Does your rim or spoke magnet line up with it correctly? How close is it when it passes over the sensor? If it is passing over the fat end of the sensor then it's passing over the bolt. The magnet should pass over the middle of the sensor block. If the separation is wide, then try getting the magnet closer. Or boost the power of the magnet by placing a neodymium magnet on the end of the existing magnet. I guess you might already be past the point of trying these suggestions. But it's not difficult to check battery terminal connection and magnet sensor calibration in case they've been overlooked. In any case, I hope your remaining journey back to trouble free riding is a short one. Good luck.

 

[varenummerdk]

2 batteries and 1 magnet sensor also have been replaced.. I GET NO errors in the flow app on the iphone, I never ever did. The first engine did have 22 error fault in bosch diagnose....

 

[manu.w]

2 batteries and 1 magnet sensor also have been replaced.. I GET NO errors in the flow app on the iphone, I never ever did. The first engine did have 22 error fault in bosch diagnose....

« they said » …, dit they really replaced all the components ?

If you are sure they replaced the motor with a brand new one (hopefully from another build batch) then try to remove rim to see if you can provoke an error.

Play with the app, take screenshots of all components, look at the history logs, firmware version , digital service book etc.

If it is not the motor , very likely since they replaced it with a new one, must be one thing that provoke this erratic misbehavior.

Are you from Europe ?

 

[varenummerdk]

« they said » …, dit they really replaced all the components ?

If you are sure they replaced the motor with a brand new one (hopefully from another build batch) then try to remove rim to see if you can provoke an error.

Play with the app, take screenshots of all components, look at the history logs, firmware version , digital service book etc.

If it is not the motor , very likely since they replaced it with a new one, must be one thing that provoke this erratic misbehavior.

Are you from Europe ?

Yes brand new motor. Over 12-14 months they have tried to find the issue/ the error on the bike. Bosch don’t know why it does what is does.

Canyon will refund all the money for the bike. That’s the solution.

 

[Bearing Man]

What should I do? Bought Strive ON March 2024. Since June 2024, Canyon has tried to fix the error on the Bosch system. It has been at Canyon 7 times now, since June 2024. Bosch has no idea.

The error is that suddenly, as if from a cloudless sky, the engine stutters and then the whole bike : motor has half power. The engine slows down around 15-16 km/h. And then it's a heavy bike to pedal.

Canyon has changed, cables, battery, controller, connecter, battery again etc., and now they have switched to a brand new CX engine from Bosch.

On Friday i got the bike back, happy... it ran so fantastic with the new motor. 30 km trail.....And now today after 3 km trail the error came back. Half power. No power, the bike stops at 15 km/h. NO ERROR CODES!!...

Now I have contacted Canyon and said I wanted a new bike or my money back. If it has to go them again, it has been at Canyon 9 times since June 2024. And they can't fix the error. Since they don't know what it is, and Bosch doesn't know either.

What to do ?

I can’t understand that I´m the only one in the whole world having this issue / error on my Strive ON.

Suddenly out in no where the bike motor assistance / power output goes from full power to half power. NO MATTER WITH MODE YOU DRIVE IN..
And then suddenly to half power stops at 15 km/h. Like night and day.

I also today got 10 meter pedal the bike No motor assistance

And yes. You feel it like day and night. No doubt at all.

this have been like a roller coaster in 13 month now, back and forward, back and forward.... And now I am done. I cant take it no more...

View attachment 162573

This is quite common and sounds like what Bosch call "hot unplugging" This is where the battery is only just making contact with the battery plug in the frame. This can also be caused if the battery is slightly loose or has any movement inside the frame. Usually you can see small arcing spots on the battery plug in the frame. Sometimes you will get code 142 003 (BBP Hot Unplugging) or 501-009, 501-00B Symptoms are identical to what you are experiencing.

 

[varenummerdk]

This is quite common and sounds like what Bosch call "hot unplugging" This is where the battery is only just making contact with the battery plug in the frame. This can also be caused if the battery is slightly loose or has any movement inside the frame. Usually you can see small arcing spots on the battery plug in the frame. Sometimes you will get code 142 003 (BBP Hot Unplugging) or 501-009, 501-00B Symptoms are identical to what you are experiencing.

There is no error codes on that. Connecter and battery are brand new. 2 times they have replaced

 

[Bearing Man]

As I said "sometimes".
When the connector was removed, did anyone closely inspect the connector terminals for little arcing spots, as shown in the pictures below.
Bear in mind that these connectors carry the power, but more importantly, carry the Canbus signal wires from your motor to the battery and linked to your controller. When these arc as can be seen on the pictures they send spurious signals to the motor which causes the motor to react like yours.
I know they have replaced the motor and the battery, but we have been repairing the Bosch Gen 4 motors since they came out 5 years ago and never come across a battery or motor PCB causing this issue. I would say it would be near impossible to be unlucky enough to get 2 motors or two batteries doing the same thing.

 

[varenummerdk]

The connecter are new. The battery are new. Wires are new. So for me it must be something else. It ran perfectly 30. Day after. 3 km and boom half power

 

[Bearing Man]

Fitting a new plug or a new battery, will not normally solve the problem. Often it's caused by the battery twisting or bouncing within the frame. Especially, now they started putting the electrical plugs above the battery. Once the plug is replaced, you may get from one to three months out of it and then it will start playing up again. We see the exact same issue on the Focus Jams, and this gives the exact same symptoms as your bike. But If that checks out ok, then it can only be controller or controller cable.
Reading through all your posts above, you have had everything on the bike replaced at least once or twice and nothing has worked! But I'm guessing no one has inspected the battery plug or tried securing the battery so it does not move, or riding the bike with a remote battery cable to bypass that issue like we do.

Anyway, what ever happens, best of luck.

 

[Stihldog]

Fitting a new plug or a new battery, will not normally solve the problem. Often it's caused by the battery twisting or bouncing within the frame.

This^^^.
I’m only a dude with a modest bike cave but I’ve experienced this issue on several EMTB’s (family and friends). One Orbea and the others where Trek Rails or Powerfly’s. Only once did an error code appear on the controller. The local Bike Shop tried to diagnose the issue and suggested a battery replacement. That was not the problem and after a few rides the issue returned.

I had this issue also during rides and the problem became worse, or more frequent, each time. I did the usual connection checks on everything possible. Then I secured the battery with a slight adjustment to the lower bulkhead/connector. Problem solved.

I did the same to the other bikes, when the problem arose, and this immediately solved their problem with intermittent power loss or error code. It’s been suggested in these forums, by some, to add dielectric grease to the connector(s). I don’t do that.…wrong place, wrong use, wrong application. I do use dielectric grease for the motor connections only, and only a very slight swipe around the male connector rubber ribs which prevent water ingress. Never in the socket.

My bike gets wet all the time, but the constant vibration and movement can be difficult to replicate in a shop environment.

 

[irie]

We have January 2022 alloy Trek Rails, removed the locks etc and bolted the batteries into the bikes using printed adaptors from an eMTB forum member who no longer posts here. 4,500 miles in 3-1/2 years with a motor refresh by Ebike Motor Centre in August 2024, absolutely no failures of any sort (other than destroying a couple of rear wheels).

 

[JJ765]

Seems to me the battery connecting plug should be bolted to the battery so that if the battery moves, it doesn’t affect the plug as its moving with the battery. I’m not engineer, but surely that would remove the issue of the battery moving independently from the plug.

 

[Stihldog]

Seems to me the battery connecting plug should be bolted to the battery so that if the battery moves, it doesn’t affect the plug as its moving with the battery. I’m not engineer, but surely that would remove the issue of the battery moving independently from the plug.

That seems like a good engineering solution but most EMTB manufacturers claim that the batteries can be removed easily (ie; Trek). Maybe in the future there will be a better battery/bike connection. For now we can probably expect update bulletins for solutions.…or we can fumble around and try different things.

 

[InRustWeTrust]

As I said, I have the same issue and I’ve tightened the battery mount, and I’ve also now tried installing a Cascade Power Tube Latch, but the same issue persists