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I just passed 10,000km on my 2020 Vado 4.0 and thought it would be good to report my cost of ownership so far. I am a commuter and recreational rider that rides on asphalt or concrete. I never ride dirt or gravel. I ride mostly in eco mode but on hills I increase assist just for the hill. I try...

I am wondering how long chains and cassettes are lasting for ebike riders. I would guess the type of riding, dirt vs road and hills vs flats plays into the equation significantly. I have 5,500 km on my Vado 4.0 with the original chain and cassette. Shifting is still spot on so I expect to go...

As more and more electric cars become available it is becoming clear that transmissions are going to become a thing of the past. Only the Porsche Taycan has a transmission and it only has two gears. The argument is that an electric motor can deliver maximum torque over a wide range of RPM with...

At around 4,600 km I broke a rear spoke. LBS repaired it for $50. No warranty after 1 year. At 4,900 km I broke another rear spoke and the dealer wants another $50. I asked if there were other alternatives to improve the life. I only ride on paved bike paths or on the road, no gravel or dirt. I...

I just downloaded Blevo for my Vado 4 and now after two rides I am inundated with new information. The first ride the outdoor temp. was 2-3C. Battery was in the garage and started at 11C but warmed up to 14C during the ride. The temperature today was 6C and my average battery temp was 22C. Is...

My pet peeve for today is Presta valves. Why do ebike manufacturers keep using Presta valves even though tires are 2-4 inches wide. They are a pain to fill and measure tire pressure. Schrader valves are everywhere and you don’t need adapters. Getting accurate pressure readings is easier on...

I find that with an ebike I am constantly skipping over gears. The boost of the motor provides enough acceleration that even if your cadence is slightly off it only takes a second to get to cadence you can live with, at least for a road/commuter ebike. Without a motor it’s critical to have lots...

I was going to wait until my Vado 4.0 came off warranty before I would start modifying it. However after nearly a year and a half and 4,600 km. the bike has been so reliable I decided to go ahead and derestrict the speed limit. I live in Canada so our all of our bikes are limited to 32kph. My...

I am thinking about getting an RX and wondering about how good the fork is and the amount of travel. I’m on the light side at 160 pounds and have found that cheap forks are setup for heavier riders and you cannot upgrade the springs in any way. Or are they using a better fork with springs that...

Previously I posted a simple homemade bike stand for chain maintenance. It works well but you have to flip the bike upside down which is difficult for heavy ebike. So I came up with a simpler system that only works on bikes with rear racks. I used two pieces of wood I had lying around to clamp...

Allen Millyard makes you tube videos show casing his engineering and fabrication skills. His creations are so creative and rethink common practices for the better. Unlike most so called bike manufacturers who build bikes by ordering from a catalog he starts from scratch and builds most of his...

Although the Grin Satiator is the very best ebike battery charger I just can’t get past the high initial price. So in order to maximize my battery life I came up with this simple solution. Use a cheap mechanical rotary timer. The older ones can be set to 15 minute increments. Mine is around 30...

When discussing the cost of my bike obsession I always have to remind my wife how cheap ebikes are compared to the other midlife crisis purchases that I could be fanatical about. It helps to bring up the subject of the desirability of an expensive boator a Ferrari from time to time to keep...

The city of Toronto has closed selected roads to traffic to allow pedestrians, joggers, bikes, family’s to get outside and maintain social distancing. My normal rides take me along the lake where there are several bike paths that are interrupted by residential housing. The city has now connected...

At the risk of upsetting a lot of riders I have to ask what is the current obsession with fat bikes all about? The extra weight and resistance of these huge tires kills batteries and makes motors work much harder. A thinner tire with full suspension performs better if you need to go rock...

The front fender on my bike came loose and the only way to fix it was to remove the front wheel to expose the loose screw. I needed a way to to hold the bike while I worked on it. So I made a very simple handlebar stand and it works better than I expected. I got the fender fixed in minutes. But...

I have a Vado 4.0 with the Suntour 50mm travel NCX fork. The fork is adjusted with the minimum preload and rebound. However it barely moves even on sharp deep potholes. I believe I do not weigh enough for the spring used in the fork. I am 160 pounds. Does Suntour offer optional lighter springs?

https://lunacycle.com/sur-ron-x-bike-black-edition/ Or maybe the real question is why are ebikes so expensive? Luna cycle is selling SurRon electric motorbikes for $3,400. That includes a massive battery, powerful motor, long travel front and rear suspension, 4 piston disc brakes, wide knobby...

Is it possible to wire a USB cable to a 6 volt ebike headlight so that you can charge your phone as you ride?

I am wondering what air pressure people are using on their Vados. Specialized recommends 50-75 but I find 50 too hard with lots of road imperfections coming through the frame. I prefer 35-40 psi. I haven’t had any flats or other tire issues after 1400 km. of mostly road and paved trail use.