Recent content by Douglas Ruby

I was able to replace the HG freehub on my stock Vado SL 5.0 rear wheel with an XD freehub so that I could upgrade to a 10-52 GX cassette instead of the stock 11-50 NX Cassette. I got the part from my local Specialized dealer for around $65.00-ish and changed it myself in about 20 minutes.

Stefan, if you are talking to me it is 12 speed compatible because I had a Vado SL 5.0 on a 110BCD (5-bolt). I upgraded because I wanted a 46T instead of 44T. However, the older Vado SL 4.0's around here have had shifting issues with 12 speed and their 44T 104BCD (originally 10 or 11 speed).

I just finished a 6 day Trek Travel "Tour Across Switzerland" on a European (25kmh) Chaeckoint+ SL6. I had no problems riding a 42 mile segment with 3200 feet of ascent and significant headwinds on the flat return segment pf around 20 km. This is all WITH the 160Wh range extender. I finished...

There are issues with trying to use the stock 104BCD chainring with the 12 speed Eagle GX. It tends to throw the chain off the chainring when shifting into the largest sprockets on the cassette. You need to shop for a 44T 104BCD with specific narrow-wide tooth configuration. I upgraded my SL 5.0...

I have been a long term Specialized e-bike rider, having owned an original 2015 Specialized Turbo and now a 2022 Specialized Turbo Vado SL 5.0 EQ. I am seriously considering a Checkpoint+ (or Domane+) instead of a Specialized Creo 2. Based on my research so far, the Trek TQ-based bikes have...

The unfortunate part of this story is that essentially all parts of the "e" portion of this ebike are obsolete due to the fact that the Swiss company that produced these parts for Specialized went out of business a number of years ago. I traded in my 2015 Turbo in 2022 in fully functional...

My 2015 Turbo is now on show in the front window at Seacoast E-Bikes in Newington, NH. I traded it in in August 2022 for a Vado SL 5.0 EQ. When I traded it in it was in complete working condition with several significant upgrades. It had the 691Wh Turbo S battery with working bluetooth, the...

My old 1st gen 2015 Specialized Turbo had the same issue. I ended up drilling a hole in the Aluminum tube of the suspended seatposts I used on that bike. O routed the seat based tail light wire through the hole. Dont think this would work for a carbon post.

Stefan, I took a 36 mile ride yesterday and was able to test out new assist settings. My prior settings were 30/55, 50/75, 70/100 based on the incorrect assumption that these were assist "ranges" rather than actual Ease/Maxlevel settings. I found that ECO assist didn't feel a whole lot...

I purchased a Specialized CG-R FACT carbon seatpost. It helps take up just a bit of the road vibration.. I had various "sprung" seatposts on my prior e-bike, but found them too "bouncy" at higher cadence rates. When combined with my Selle Anatomica leather seat, I find the CG-R to be more...

I neglected to mention that I have a carbon handlebar, carbon seatpost, and lighter Bontrager 700x38 tires that weigh in at 450g each. So comparing my 38 lbs bike with the Vado SL 2 6.0 EQ takes similar things (except cranks) into account.

The actual dry weight of my Vado SL 5.0 EQ (size L) is about 38 lbs. The actual weight of two recently tested Vado SL 2 6.0 EQ's (size L) was 41 lbs. (Note, the specs for size M are 36.5 lbs and 39.7 lbs respectively) These measurements suggest the actual difference between SL and SL 2 is around...

Ah, ha! Thank you Stefan. So, what I should do is tinker with this some more on my current VADO SL. I would like to make SPORT mode more useful for me and reduce my dependence on TURBO in my current bike. My thinking, is to set my current bike at something like: EASE settings: ECO = 40%...

I believe I read somewhere that in addition to the 240W/35Nm rating of the SL 1.1 motor vs the 320W/50Nm rating of the SL 1.2 motor, there is a difference in the "rider multiplier" assist levels. I know that the "multiplier" value for SL 1.1 is 1.8X and I think that I read that it is 2.1X for...

I regeared my SL 5.0 EQ with a 10-52T cassette and a 46T chainring just so I could maintain 28mph on slight descents in 11th gear at a cadence of around 95 rpm. This way I can hit 32-33 mph still pedaling at a cadence under 100 rpm in 12th gear. While I am a cardiac compromised 73 year old, I...