Bosch Performance Line firmware upgrade because I'm replacing the chain ring?!

[Transistor]

Motor unit: Performance Line BDU250P/BDU290P.
Chain ring: 18 tooth.
Manufacturer Part Number: 1270016202. EAN: 4047025220583. (I think!)

I've replaced the stretched chain and worn 10-speed cassette on the back wheel using parts from my local bike shop. Now I want to replace the 18 tooth chain ring on the motor as it is worn too.

I contacted the seller who is almost an hour away and he informs me that I need to bring it in for a service and to get it hooked up to his computer for what sounds like a Bosch firmware update. You don't need to be an electrical engineer (I am one) to know that the motor / electronics can't sense that the chain ring has been replaced!

There may be a language problem here as he is not a native English speaker, but can anyone explain why he would need to see the bike? The bike software is running fine and I don't want to mess up a working system.

Many thanks.

 

[Annieolnie]

From what I have learned from others with the Bosch system here, most upgrades are not mandatory. You may keep running your bike as it is, even when the bike is telling you it's wanted. A number of people here have been told by the dealer to bring their bike in when there is no reason to. What exact ebike make and model is this? What he is saying seems even odder due to the fact that many models have an upgrade coming out in July of 2025. That upgrade is suppose to give you more power and might be interesting, but it makes going in sooner seem pointless.

 

[Dirthog]

Motor unit: Performance Line BDU250P/BDU290P.
Chain ring: 18 tooth.
Manufacturer Part Number: 1270016202. EAN: 4047025220583. (I think!)

I've replaced the stretched chain and worn 10-speed cassette on the back wheel using parts from my local bike shop. Now I want to replace the 18 tooth chain ring on the motor as it is worn too.

I contacted the seller who is almost an hour away and he informs me that I need to bring it in for a service and to get it hooked up to his computer for what sounds like a Bosch firmware update. You don't need to be an electrical engineer (I am one) to know that the motor / electronics can't sense that the chain ring has been replaced!

There may be a language problem here as he is not a native English speaker, but can anyone explain why he would need to see the bike? The bike software is running fine and I don't want to mess up a working system.

Many thanks.

I believe the software change is needed only when you replace the chainring with a different sized chainring.

 

[Transistor]

Thanks, folks. It's a KOGA E-Lement Stepthrough similar to this. Oddly, the model number isn't on the Koga label and I can't find the Bosch details either but it seems to be a Performance Line BDU250P.

 

[Transistor]

I believe the software change is needed only when you replace the chainring with a different sized chainring.

That's what I figured. I got a replacement chain ring and tool from Germany and fitted it myself. All is well.