Recent content by zbikeman

The missus and I are new ebike owners, which I guess entitles us to membership in this exclusive club! She just got a 2020 Vado 4.0. I'm getting a 2022 Vado 4.0 SL. Both are from Upway. We're in New Mexico and both bikes came from their Redondo Beach, California location. Her bike was very...

@RasCnoic - good question. I'll have to check out their offerings. I'm old enough to remember the Girvin Flexstem. Such things do exist.

I contacted Specialized to see what part # I needed. They told me I want the Vado SL 5.0 carbon fork for a size small frame, part # S192300032. Great - but where do I find one? Specialized doesn't appear to sell them on their website. Is there a website - not necessarily US-based - where...

Thank you, Stefan. If that's the case, I'll have to rethink the Future Shock. Too bad the aluminum fork doesn't have that option.

Compatibility with Vado SL 4.0 The 2022 Turbo Vado SL 4.0 is compatible with the Future Shock 1.5 system. This means you can upgrade or replace components with the Future Shock 1.5 if needed. Key Features of Future Shock 1.5 Travel: Offers 20mm of suspension travel. Adjustment: Allows for...

Greetings! The missus and I are new ebike owners. She has a 2020 Vado 4.0, I have a 2022 Vado 4.0 SL incoming. I'm a fan of Future Shock, as I've got it on a 2021 Sirrus X 5.0. It's my understanding the 2022 Vado 4.0 SL doesn't come stock with Future Shock - that was for more expensive...

FWIW, I hate these two-bolt adjusting seatpost heads. It's always a guessing game to get the right torque on both relative to whatever angle you want. With a one-bolt standard microadjust post, sometimes a more severe angle can be achieved by turning the saddle 180 degrees, typically clamp...

@dcendo - wonder if you were referring to Mark Stonich at www.bikesmithdesign.com - he's in Minnesota and shortens cranks in his basement CNC setup. I have a couple cranks he shortened for me two decades ago, both down to 148mm. He lops off the pedal ends, drills new pedal holes and machines...

I went to bike mechanic school back in 2009. Our instructors used higher concentrations of isopropyl alcohol for all cleaning tasks. Works quickly and no residue. This applied to brake rotors as well. We were told if we used disk brakes in inclement conditions, to clean the rotors thoroughly...

As a mechanic, I grew to hate all SRAM twist shifters. Compared to other types of shifters, a major pain to work on. I especially hated the little bent metal clip which is essential to operation but always seems to fall out. If they are as ergonomic to you as twist shifters, I'd take the...