Specialized Turbo Vado/Como/Tero/Tero X User Club

[Stefan Mikes]

When you say ‘top left’, it's the button with the words ‘open/close’

Not. Open/Close is the damper control, and it should be in the Open position. The correct knob for the spring stiffness is on the opposite stanchion.

 

[Palmthree]

Inexperienced in bicycle tech, yes. Stupid, no. Maybe it's time to let a bike shop help you with these problems. You don't want to mess with brakes if you don't know what you're doing.

Thanks for the link. I can't wait two weeks to get it, but looks nice.
The bike shop is far away ; I called but they weren't really helpful (and I understand, I think I explain problems very badly...). I got problems with my rear brake since this morning (there was a leak) and the front one does this sound...Yeah...what a week with this bike. \o/

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Thanks for the link. I can't wait two weeks to get it, but looks nice.
The bike shop is far away ; I called but they weren't really helpful (and I understand, I think I explain problems very badly...). I got problems with my rear brake since this morning (there was a leak) and the front one does this sound...Yeah...what a week with this bike. \o/

Very unfortunate, but from your level of experience, not a good idea to try to learn bike repair from an internet forum — especially brake repair.

For starters, you have way to assess the quality or applicability of the advice you receive here.

ADDENDUM: If you insist on trying these repairs yourself and can't wait for a how-to book, then check the Park Tool website or YouTube channel. They have a huge library of step-by-step how-to videos — the first step being to gather the right tools and supplies.

WAY better than trying to do it in writing.

 

[Palmthree]

Very unfortunate, but from your level of experience, not a good idea to try to learn bike repair from an internet forum — especially brake repair.

For starters, you have way to assess the quality or applicability of the advice you receive here.

ADDENDUM: If you insist on trying these repairs yourself and can't wait for a how-to book, then check the Park Tool website or YouTube channel. They have a huge library of step-by-step how-to videos — the first step being to gather the right tools and supplies.

WAY better than trying to do it in writing.

I don't know anyone who can help me...if I don't fix this myself, I'll never fix anything...:/

Thank you very much for your advice and warnings; if I fail, it will be my own fault.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Thank you very much for your advice and warnings; if I fail, it will be my own fault.

Understand that you're in a tough spot. But here's the problem with that approach: If you're planning on riding that bike in public places, or with a passenger, you're not the only one at risk from a botched brake job.

 

[Palmthree]

Understand that you're in a tough spot. But here's the problem with that approach: If you're planning on riding that bike in public places, or with a passenger, you're not the only one at risk from a botched brake job.

You're absolutely right ; but I have to learn if I want to recognize problems and understand them.
I can't rely on a repair store and it looks like I can't rely on a professional dealer either (the bike only has 800 km on it and I have like...five different problems ?).

I will try to solve the problem as soon as possible (tomorrow).

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Preparing for Sudovia Gravel eSprint race, I made the last decision as to the choice of the racing machine Eventually, that would be my full power Vado with some modifications. We learned that the race weather could be:

• Cold (temperatures below or at 10 C/50 F)
• Wet (raining).

The race specifics:

• 85.5 km (53 mi)
• 1,400 m (4,600 ft) elevation gain
• 60% of gravel or unpaved roads
• Climbs up to 20% grade, and descents of a similar nature
• Hardly any segments on the flat; it is mostly up or down.

The brakes are essential
I have replaced the brake pads for the front brake and re-centered the calipers. The rear brake turned out to be adequate.

Alpine drivetrain

Minimum e-bike speed at climbing
If the e-bike can still be pedalled at a good cadence, there will be a minimum climb speed depending on the ascent grade, the total system weight (rider, bike, and cargo), and total available power transferred to the rear wheel. In my case, the peak motor power is 520 W, and the Assist factor in Turbo is 3.2x. To max the motor out, I need to pedal at the leg power of 520 / 3.2 = 162.5 W. If necessary, I can input such a power for a relatively short climb. The total power will be around 680 W. The minimum e-bike speed at which most riders can still keep balance is 8 km/h (5 mph). Let us use Bike Calculator.

The calculated e-bike speed on a 20% grade climb would be 8.3 km/h (manageable). Note: You must include the pannier weight into the bike weight!

Drivetrain calculation
We need to assume the cassette cannot be changed, and hopefully it is a mega-range one. Now, the only parameter to be calculated is the chainring size. Let us use Bicycle Gear Calculator:

Given all other parameters fixed, the only free parameter is the chainring size. The 36T one should do in my case. (Actually, the breakpoint speed would occur at cadence 78, which is my natural one).

Chain length calculation
There are several methods to do that. The proper chain length for my setup is 124 links.

My Vado ready for the race! (A Garbaruk 104 BCD 36T Round chainring).

 

[e-levity]

“. . . We need to assume the cassette cannot be changed, and hopefully it is a mega-range one. . .”

Garbaruk sells an 11-speed 11-50 cog cassette for the HD freehub.
(We used their 11-48 cassettes back in the day; light weight, smooth shifting.)
And balancing at 4mph while climbing shouldn’t be difficult

 

[Stefan Mikes]

“. . . We need to assume the cassette cannot be changed, and hopefully it is a mega-range one. . .”

Garbaruk sells an 11-speed 11-50 cog cassette for the HD freehub.
(We used their 11-48 cassettes back in the day; light weight, smooth shifting.)

Mr. e-levity, thank you for your input. I expressed myself wrongly. "I don't want to replace my cassette or derailleur" would be appropriate I own a 11-51T 11-speed cassette with a 5100 derailleur on another e-bike.. However, the Deore XT SGS derailleur on the Vado only allows 46T granny gear.

And balancing at 4mph while climbing shouldn’t be difficult

"Probably for you!" (It is a Polish meme saying )

 

[Marcela]

That's how I have my Vado and Como set up. Don't do the races though. Bike calculator sure has changed, haven't been to the website for a while. I'd suggest using gear oil for the chain. I have been doing that for a while and show no wear on the chain or gears. When it gets dirty I just hose it down with the spray attachment to knock the granules off and re oil. Don't need to use soap or anything. Good luck on the Race! Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Alpine drivetrain

Minimum e-bike speed at climbing
If the e-bike can still be pedalled at a good cadence, there will be a minimum climb speed depending on the ascent grade, the total system weight (rider, bike, and cargo), and total available power transferred to the rear wheel. In my case, the peak motor power is 520 W, and the Assist factor in Turbo is 3.2x. To max the motor out, I need to pedal at the leg power of 520 / 3.2 = 162.5 W. If necessary, I can input such a power for a relatively short climb. The total power will be around 680 W. The minimum e-bike speed at which most riders can still keep balance is 8 km/h (5 mph). Let us use Bike Calculator.

The calculated e-bike speed on a 20% grade climb would be 8.3 km/h (manageable). Note: You must include the pannier weight into the bike weight!

Drivetrain calculation
We need to assume the cassette cannot be changed, and hopefully it is a mega-range one. Now, the only parameter to be calculated is the chainring size. Let us use Bicycle Gear Calculator:

Given all other parameters fixed, the only free parameter is the chainring size. The 36T one should do in my case. (Actually, the breakpoint speed would occur at cadence 78, which is my natural one).

A very rational approach to chainring sizing based on knowledge of your target terrain, available motor power, and your own limits as a rider.

Perhaps it's irrelevant to this race, but did you check ground speed in top gear when you spin out — i.e., when your cadence gets too high to produce useful power? That's another factor to keep an eye on in chainring selection.

My spin-out cadence is currently ~110 rpm. In my Vado SL 1's top gear (99.3 gear-inches), that puts me at 32 mph — a speed I only see on descents. Occasionally find myself wishing for more pedaled top end but not enough to mess with low gear (22 gear-inches) — which keeps cadence above my personal minimum (70 rpm) on tougher local climbs.

This low gear comes out to 4.5 mph at 70 rpm — just above my minimum for balancing. Below 70 rpm, the knees start to complain, and the efficiency loss in my mid-drive motor becomes noticeable.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Perhaps it's irrelevant to this race, but did you check ground speed in top gear when you spin out — i.e., when your cadence gets too high to produce useful power? That's another factor to keep an eye on in chainring selection.

It would be 39 km/h (24 mph) at cadence a little bit over 90. However, I don't pedal on steep gravel descents in the race: the gravity does, and I can save some precious battery charge as well.

 

[stompandgo]

53 miles on a single battery in varying terrain means battery management. Will you be actively switching modes depending on the terrain or your race position? I'm not familiar with e-bike racing at all, only pedal bike.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

53 miles on a single battery in varying terrain means battery management. Will you be actively switching modes depending on the terrain or your race position? I'm not familiar with e-bike racing at all, only pedal bike.

It is impossible to make such a ride on a single battery degraded below 500 Wh, so I'm taking a spare (and I can bet my competitors will do the same unless they ride with a new 800 Wh battery). Provided the EU 25 km/h speed restriction is honoured, the assistance will be required on the climbs, and the descents will mean coasting only (you are getting a very high speed on gravel descents there).

My plan is to ride with a consistent 35/100% assistance (112 W of mechanical motor power per 100 W of the leg power, and any resulting motor power up to 520 W). In case of more demanding climbs, it would be 50/80% (160 W assistance per 100 W leg power, motor power capped at 416 W). The steepest climb must be ridden in 100/100% (320 W/100W and 520 W peak power).

I cannot remember what assistance plan I chose last year. I will track the battery % loss for each 10 km, and might reduce or increase the assistance. Also, I will keep an eye on Garmin Smart Range estimates as an additional hint.

I'm sure the average speed for the winner will be below 25 km/h. And... I don't need to win! Younger and stronger riders have a bigger chance for the win. It is an adventure for me.

 

[Marcela]

You have the big 200mm rotors on? I've found them to work very well.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You have the big 200mm rotors on? I've found them to work very well.

180s

 

[Stefan Mikes]

There is a thing you might want to know about your full power Specialized e-bike.
If you ever need to remove the chainring spider, you will need two special tools:

• A proper locknut wrench
• Spider removal tool for all Brose motors. Part No PLA00938.

This locknut wrench is good for Brose, Yamaha, and Bosch Gen 3 or 4th e-bike motors.

First, you use a long 8 mm hex wrench. Insert it into the drive-side crankarm and patiently rotate anti-clockwise until the crankarm pulls itself from the motor spindle.
Then, insert the locknut wrench inside the socket. Use a long automotive 1/2" wrench (using the locknut wrench as a bit). Rotate anti-clockwise until the locknut is removed.
Now, you would think the rest were easy! Not.

Now, you use that inexpensive but specialized tool to pull the spider

I made a big mistake a year ago. When I was installing a 44T chainring on my Vado, I thought I would secure the threads of the chainring bolts with Loctite Blue. Don't. If you later want to remove the chainring and apply a chainring bolt wrench at the bolt nut and use a regular hex key at the front to rotate the bolt, both glued parts would rotate together, no chance to separate them!

My brother tried his best but could not remove the spider due to the lack of the puller. Eventually, he heated up each chainring bolt to melt Loctite, and used raw force to disconnect each chainring bolt from its nut...

My brother cannot speak English at all. However, he is an extremely good mechanic. He was quickly going forth and back in this video and when he noticed the puller, he searched his drawers to find none appropriate. Then he could understand he needed to find another way to solve the issue

 

[Palmthree]

Hi,

I was riding my Como 3 today and was trying to get a “Power Ratio” of 2 (50% power). I was doing this because I can't find a reseller who has a Como SL and I've often read that this bike gives twice the cyclist's power. Is this a more or less reliable way of finding out how much electric assistance the Como SL can give on my daily commute?

Another question, I saw that they had released a version 2 of the Vado SL with 50 Nm but it's not the same motor as my Como. Can anyone explain the differences?

Thanks !