Is there an app for that? Inside the Bosch Flow App.
Got an app for that? The Bosch Flow app does a lot more than just let you twizzle the dials of support.
We live in a highly connected world, and one where our phones carry all the details about our lives. Without going too foil hat, it can be concerning that your phone can potentially track your location, listen in to your conversations, watch your browsing habits and more. The flip side of that is the convenience on offer. We can download apps to do our banking, track our rides, track our fitness, monitor air quality, tell us the boiling point of water at our elevation – and of course to customise the tune of our eMTBs.
Many mountain bikers have a 'set and forget' mentality. It's not about the bike, it's about the rider! And while the bravado of such a sentiment should be applauded, it also turns its back on the continual advances we have had in suspension, tyres and rims and of course – e-bike systems. There are apps and devices that can help you analyse your on-trail suspension performance, and even ways to keep track of your suspension and tyre pressure in real time, to take variations in temperature into account. But perhaps more exciting is the tuning options and statistics recording that is possible at your fingertips, thanks to apps for e-bike systems.
The current crop of eMTB systems deliver long battery life, powerful torque, and excellent sensitivity so the power is useful in an off-road setting – and you can be certain the stock settings on any system have been carefully assessed to be the best combination of torque, acceleration and power use.
When Bosch released their new Smart System they introduced new hardware, and the Bosch Flow app. The mode selector was upgraded to the LED indicator, which is what connects to your phone and the Flow app. The app connects via Bluetooth and allows you to customise how Eco or Turbo behave, in terms of torque, support, acceleration and maximum speed. Tour+ and EMTB are dynamic modes that already adjust to how you're pedalling, so tuning is reduced.
The app does more than just offer some sliders to adjust settings for a given mode. It also handles software updates for your Bosch eMTB parts, such as the battery and motor. With the rate of change in the eMTB world, these software tuning tweaks will be ready at your fingertips, with an alert on the home screen when there is an update for your Bosch system.
The Bosch Flow app can even handle your navigation – set it in the phone, and you can send it to the head unit, or use your phone for guidance if you have something like a QuadLock mount. The Bosch Flow app will also track your activities, which is handy for keeping track of kilometres ridden for scheduled bike servicing. If you're chasing those e-KOMs or e-QOMs, you can also authorise other apps to sync from the Flow app, so it's a one stop shop.
Keeping your bike safe thanks to Bosch
Perhaps the best feature with the Bosch Flow app is security. No eMTB is a cheap purchase, and the Bosch Flow app has the new eBike Lock update. Essentially, your smart phone becomes a digital key once paired by Bluetooth. If your phone isn't nearby, the bike is locked. If you lose your phone you can get the bike unlocked by logging into your Bosch account on another device. But it's a good security option that uses what you carry with you. The new eBike Alarm works in conjunction with this. Assuming your bike is stationary while parked outside a bakery, the alarm is set once you power off your bike. If it starts moving, the LEDs flash and the unit starts making noise. Further movement will send an alert to your phone, and it will be tracked. This is a smart security addition that any eMTB rider would appreciate!
While some feel an eMTB looks too cluttered, you can leave the head unit at home and remove the mounting, without losing any functions to check range – as it's all on your phone. Given the Bosch Flow app can do so much, it's become a very handy app for any Bosch-equipped mountain biker, for customisation, navigation, ride planning and tracking – and keeping your bike's system upto date. It might even let you clear a couple of other apps off your phone.
