Specialized Turbo Vado/Como/Tero/Tero X User Club
- Thread starter Stefan Mikes
- Start date
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Entering The Wheel Building World
The rear wheel of my Vado has had enough. Being trued several weeks ago, it went out of alignment again, and the spokes feel loose. I had a long talk with the experienced (and Cannondale & DT Swiss certified) mechanic at the nearest LBS. He said the spokes got worn out, and he thought the rim got enough of beating, too. Well, the bike, I and cargo together can weigh 130 kg sometimes. I ride off-road a lot, and carry a heavy pannier. It is only a 28-spoke wheel. The Vado 6.0 wheels belong to MTB class: 35 mm outer width, 27 mm inner width, MTB Boost hub.
We discussed building a new, strong wheel to match my demands and fit my Vado:
DT Swiss H 552 29×30 DB P SE 32 BL 01P STD VI, RDH055CDPS32SA5221 rim. It is good for the system weight up to 150 kg, has 32 spoke holes, is of Enduro ASTM rating, and the rim ends are joined with a sleeve insert. Width 35x30 mm.
DT Swiss 350 148/12 IS ASL R32 BM ASM W, H350TDDBR32SA0482S hub. It is 12x148 mm (Boost standard), is equipped with Star Ratchet 32t, has 32 spoke holes, and is good for Shimano 9/10/11-speed cassettes.
There will be DT spokes and nipples, too. The thing won't be cheap for sure! Still, I need to be secure on my long demanding rides in pretty rough terrain!
I shall get the wheel built in a few weeks.
The rear wheel of my Vado has had enough. Being trued several weeks ago, it went out of alignment again, and the spokes feel loose. I had a long talk with the experienced (and Cannondale & DT Swiss certified) mechanic at the nearest LBS. He said the spokes got worn out, and he thought the rim got enough of beating, too. Well, the bike, I and cargo together can weigh 130 kg sometimes. I ride off-road a lot, and carry a heavy pannier. It is only a 28-spoke wheel. The Vado 6.0 wheels belong to MTB class: 35 mm outer width, 27 mm inner width, MTB Boost hub.
We discussed building a new, strong wheel to match my demands and fit my Vado:
DT Swiss H 552 29×30 DB P SE 32 BL 01P STD VI, RDH055CDPS32SA5221 rim. It is good for the system weight up to 150 kg, has 32 spoke holes, is of Enduro ASTM rating, and the rim ends are joined with a sleeve insert. Width 35x30 mm.
DT Swiss 350 148/12 IS ASL R32 BM ASM W, H350TDDBR32SA0482S hub. It is 12x148 mm (Boost standard), is equipped with Star Ratchet 32t, has 32 spoke holes, and is good for Shimano 9/10/11-speed cassettes.
There will be DT spokes and nipples, too. The thing won't be cheap for sure! Still, I need to be secure on my long demanding rides in pretty rough terrain!
I shall get the wheel built in a few weeks.
Last edited:
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
While I am totally good with my Vado SL (Redshift ShockStop front/rear, the stock Specialized saddle), there was something wrong with my Vado 6.0 after the e-bike rebuild & upgrade. I had sore butt after long rides, something what was not happening before the turning my Vado 5.0 into 6.0! First of all, my brother (who was together with me on one of my recent rides) noticed the Kinekt 2.1 springs must have been not properly preloaded, so the saddle was always in the "compressed" position because of my weight, and it did not work as a suspension. As my Vado is kept in the storage and I only use it on some weekend rides, I did not spot it immediately.
This is the perfect setup for me. Regarding the saddle angle, I feel no stress either in the perineal area or on the buttocks. The preload position "3" on the Kinekt 2.1 with the gray spring is enough to avoid pedal-bob but the suspension works properly on road bumps. It is noteworthy I tested that setup in winter trousers with no chamois! (The saddle is Specialized Phenom Expert).
I need to mention the new 420 mm Kinekt 2.1 suspension was provided by Specialized free as a part of the warranty service because they could only find the replacement frame with S, the size M being the original. The Spec guys looked carefully into the e-bike geometry, and found out the only significant change was the seat-tube shorter by 80 mm, and the reach was shortened by just -8 mm (the saddle setback compensates for that).
Regarding the preload on the Suntour Mobie suspension fork, I was trying the soft and firm preload position to find out the firmer preload was appropriate in my case (I am a pretty heavy person, and I ride my Vados in forward position, which balances my weight between my butt and arms). I was riding bumpy segments of a local gravel road for several times to make sure.
This part of the gravel road was mild compared to what I experienced before!
Riding this cracked and potty asphalt segment was an instant reward for me for the adjustments done! I was zooming it at 36 km/h (22.4 mph) and enjoyed the smoothness and silence of the ride!
Now, I'm waiting for a new, strong rear wheel made with DT Swiss components (I should receive it this week). The next upgrade will be replacing the derailleur and cassette with the Shimano M5100 components, 11-speed. The derailleur there has a very long cage, and the cassette is 11-51T (!!!) While it is of no meaning here in the plains, it will be important for my future holiday mountain road rides. Replacing the chainring with the 38T steel one I own will put me on par with my brother riding an e-MTB with the same gearing, only 12-speed!
This is the perfect setup for me. Regarding the saddle angle, I feel no stress either in the perineal area or on the buttocks. The preload position "3" on the Kinekt 2.1 with the gray spring is enough to avoid pedal-bob but the suspension works properly on road bumps. It is noteworthy I tested that setup in winter trousers with no chamois! (The saddle is Specialized Phenom Expert).
I need to mention the new 420 mm Kinekt 2.1 suspension was provided by Specialized free as a part of the warranty service because they could only find the replacement frame with S, the size M being the original. The Spec guys looked carefully into the e-bike geometry, and found out the only significant change was the seat-tube shorter by 80 mm, and the reach was shortened by just -8 mm (the saddle setback compensates for that).
Regarding the preload on the Suntour Mobie suspension fork, I was trying the soft and firm preload position to find out the firmer preload was appropriate in my case (I am a pretty heavy person, and I ride my Vados in forward position, which balances my weight between my butt and arms). I was riding bumpy segments of a local gravel road for several times to make sure.
This part of the gravel road was mild compared to what I experienced before!
Riding this cracked and potty asphalt segment was an instant reward for me for the adjustments done! I was zooming it at 36 km/h (22.4 mph) and enjoyed the smoothness and silence of the ride!
Now, I'm waiting for a new, strong rear wheel made with DT Swiss components (I should receive it this week). The next upgrade will be replacing the derailleur and cassette with the Shimano M5100 components, 11-speed. The derailleur there has a very long cage, and the cassette is 11-51T (!!!) While it is of no meaning here in the plains, it will be important for my future holiday mountain road rides. Replacing the chainring with the 38T steel one I own will put me on par with my brother riding an e-MTB with the same gearing, only 12-speed!
Last edited:
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
The best range I ever had on a new main Vado SL battery in Turbo was 36 km (22.3 mi). I recommend you buy an inexpensive smartphone app BLEvo. It will tell you everything about your Vado SL. To the smallest detail ("Battery Monitor").
Last edited:
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Yes but it also matters how many recharge cycles you have had on your battery, and that's related to how many miles you have already ridden on your Vado SL 
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Not bad at all!
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
You might want to post your question here:
Specialized Turbo Vado SL: An Incredible E-Bike (User Club)
I had never believed in the whole Specialized SL thing until I could ride an SL myself. My bad legs can deliver 70-80 W on average (with short burst of far more if I have to). I have got used to the "full power" modern e-bikes, the 24 kg (or heavier), mid-motor, and integrated removable battery...
electricbikereview.com
I have been very impressed with the Coolcave panniers. You can fill them with drinks and ice for slow roll rides people can just reach in. They also have a rubber pug at the bottom you can remove to drain. They hold more than a full grocery bag too!Was doing a little shopping and found these panniers from Specialized. I remember a while back someone mentioning Spec was going to sell these or something or other. Well here they are, on sale. May be they won't be carrying them in the future. Looks like they will fit a grocery sack. Two on the way
Coolcave Pannier
Whether it’s a picnic in the park or an epic, multi-day ride in the mountains, we believe good storage equals good adventuring. Enter our versatile and ...www.specialized.com
Igloo makes a 30 qt. cooler that is the perfect size for the plastic grocery sack. I put a couple on my motorcycle and they are working great. $30 ea. Might be a little heavy for bicycle but they are about as light a cooler as you can find and they can keep your stuff cool on the trip home.
Menards has them for $30.
www.igloocoolers.com
Menards has them for $30.
ECOCOOL Latitude 30 Qt Cooler
A cooler that makes Earth (and you) very happy. The ECOCOOL Latitude 30 is the first of its kind to be made with recycled post-consumer recycled resin! MORE ON ECOCOOL™: We’re transforming post-consumer plastic — primarily discarded plastic yogurt cups and milk jugs. THERMECOOL™ INSULATION...
www.igloocoolers.com
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
I know this is a very old thread; just resurrecting it for one specific point for others’ future reference:
I recently got a Brooks B67 for my upright Dutch-style bike. I had been noticing that the bike was creaking/squeaking while riding. I just assumed it was something somewhere on the bike itself, and that I’d eventually find it and lube it or have it looked at whenever I needed to take the bike to the shop for other reasons. Turns out it wasn’t the bike; it was the seat. I did a bunch of research online and apparently this isn’t uncommon on at least some Brooks saddles. (Never happened at all on the Brooks B17 that’s on my other bike, though, so it never even occurred to me that the seat could be the culprit.) One tip that I read - see here for example: https://www.roadbikereview.com/threads/creaking-brooks-b-17-saddle.140065/ - was to try slightly tightening the tension screw/nut under the nose of the seat, even if it seems like it shouldn’t need any tightening yet (because, for example, the seat is still pretty new, as is my B67). I did so; voila, creaking is gone!
Of course, there could be many causes of the saddle creaking, so if after tightening the tension screw the creaking is still there, proceed to finding and lubricating potential sources of the noise. But it’s definitely worth trying the tension screw first; could save you a lot of trouble.
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