2K Miles on my Vado SL 5.0!

[GrayFox]

Bought the bike on Sept 4 2021 and yesterday passed the two thousand mile threshold...

No real problems to speak of Although the current screw up with firmware notifications has me more than irritated.

I am currently riding 20-25 miles every other day and typically gain between 600 and 700 ft per ride.

I have read that folks who use bikes with assist actually tend to ride more that people with out assist. I have been stashing my rides on Garmin Connect since 2009.
I queried my Garmin database and found out that the month with the most miles and the most altitude gain was this last May, so there might be some truth to the assertion.

I am strictly a road rider and rain avoider. I am currently using 5/10 Free Rider Pro shoes with Race Face Chester pedals. I really like the grip of the 'Chesters' but really hate the speed with which they are destroying the expensive shoes. I have peripheral neuropathy in my feet (ie I can't feel what is going on down there very well).
( getting old is hell). I am thinking of moving to Race Face Ride pedals, any comments appreciated on switching to non-metal pegs for pedals..

 

[kahn]

Bought the bike on Sept 4 2021 and yesterday passed the two thousand mile threshold...

No real problems to speak of Although the current screw up with firmware notifications has me more than irritated.

View attachment 90598
I am currently riding 20-25 miles every other day and typically gain between 600 and 700 ft per ride.

I have read that folks who use bikes with assist actually tend to ride more that people with out assist. I have been stashing my rides on Garmin Connect since 2009.
I queried my Garmin database and found out that the month with the most miles and the most altitude gain was this last May, so there might be some truth to the assertion.

I am strictly a road rider and rain avoider. I am currently using 5/10 Free Rider Pro shoes with Race Face Chester pedals. I really like the grip of the 'Chesters' but really hate the speed with which they are destroying the expensive shoes. I have peripheral neuropathy in my feet (ie I can't feel what is going on down there very well).
( getting old is hell). I am thinking of moving to Race Face Ride pedals, any comments appreciated on switching to non-metal pegs for pedals..

I am glad you future proofed it by buying it NEXT Sept! But I got the drift. I've got over 800 miles since mid-March on my aluminum Creo. I seem to need the assist. Although, yesterday I did 22 miles and was down to about 35%. So about 3% per mile which does not sound too good. It has some steep pitches but ...

 

[Mulezen]

^Yes…I thought at first the bike was a DeLorean

 

[Johnny]

Bought the bike on Sept 4 2021 and yesterday passed the two thousand mile threshold...

Bike from the future! Makes 2k miles 3 months before the purchase.

Yes it has to be a DeLorean...



Beautiful bike, enjoy.

 

[jimk]

Congrats on your 2k achievement. Your pic reminds me that mine really needs a bath. I have Crank Bros Stamp 1 pedals and they have been very good with my non-cycling Merrells.

 

[ActionJackson]

Wow! 2000 miles is a lot. Well done! Did you gain anything fitness wise versus your previous riding?

I too have peripheral neuropathy, which precipitated plantar fasciitis. I’ll be watching this thread for sure because I know I’ll change pedals on my VADO SL when it arrives.

 

[Over50]

Bought the bike on Sept 4 2021 and yesterday passed the two thousand mile threshold...

No real problems to speak of Although the current screw up with firmware notifications has me more than irritated.
...

Nice to hear of a 2K miler on the Vado SL ... I'm at 1,100. Mind if I ask about the firmware screw up? Did it affect the function of the bike? Just wondering because a month or so back, Mission Control started telling me I needed a software update. Took it in and the LBS did the update but I've only ridden it a couple of times post-update. Not sure what firmware version I'm on.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@GrayFox: Congrats on your e-bike!

Yes, you can safely swap your pedals for Race Face Ride. These are especially easy on your shins and calves Just bear in mind there are situations (like, dirt on the pedals) when the Rides won't be as grippy as your Chesters. (I'm somewhat surprised to hear Chesters tend to destroy your FiveTens; I'm riding same FiveTens on CrankBrothers Stamp pedals on all of my e-bikes now and could not notice them wearing my shoes; Stamps are of the same class as Chesters).

Questions (also to Over50): Do you ever ride Vado SL unassisted? Is your SL Class 3? What is your typical range on the main battery and in what conditions (such as average and cruising speed, hills, wind)?

 

[Over50]

@GrayFox: ...

Questions (also to Over50): Do you ever ride Vado SL unassisted? Is your SL Class 3? What is your typical range on the main battery and in what conditions (such as average and cruising speed, hills, wind)?

I don't ride completely unassisted. SL is considered class 3. As I mentioned on your recent review thread, I set a custom mode at 5% and 10% (max output) for riding with my wife. That is almost like riding unassisted. But it powers the lights and gives me a tiny bit of help. My range at that setting is over 1,000 miles on the main battery. Basically all my rides at less than 7% assist are over 1,000 miles of range. If I boost that to 10-20% average assist, I'm around 200-250 miles of range on the main battery. I am riding on flats but often have moderate wind and weigh about 175 pounds (10 of which I need to lose - so maybe I should ride unassisted).

These are rides at under 5% assist. With estimated range over 2K miles, I can't graph them with rides over 10% assist because of the huge difference in scale :


These are my regular rides. The minimum average assist is the far left observation at 13% and 222 miles of range. At the far right, is 127% assist and 34 miles of range. My sweet spot I feel is at around 50% average assist and that's giving me a range of around 60 miles on the main battery as well as a decent workout and decent average and top speeds.

I like that @GrayFox is at 2K miles. And in a different climate I'll be curious to hear what kind of range he is getting.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thank you @Over50 for your extensive reply! I can see you must have strong, healthy legs and your leg input is the deciding factor for the impressive range you are getting.

I'm worried as my legs are in poor shape (that cannot be improved). BLEvo of my full-power Vado tells me I contribute with only 28% of my leg power for 80 mile fast ride (fast meaning avg speed of 15 mph with cruising speed of 19 mph). That might mean I need to either: (a) ride slower or (b) accept short range or (c) use several Range Extenders.

Note: I weigh 198 lb.

Waiting for input from @GrayFox!

 

[JeffC57]

Nice to hear of a 2K miler on the Vado SL ... I'm at 1,100. Mind if I ask about the firmware screw up? Did it affect the function of the bike? Just wondering because a month or so back, Mission Control started telling me I needed a software update. Took it in and the LBS did the update but I've only ridden it a couple of times post-update. Not sure what firmware version I'm on.
View attachment 90638

Nice looking bike. We both have good taste :0
If Mission Control is informing you that your firmware is up to date you are good. The last update for SLs was in early May and it was painful for many, myself included. I have a Creo too so it was double the pain. My LBS was struggling with the PC they use to load the firmware into the bike. Their computer would tell them that the firmware was successfully downloaded to the bike but Mission Control would disagree. Both my Vado SL 5 EQ and the Creo CC required multiple attempts and the update for my range extender never happened.
I can't tell any difference in either bike after the firmware update. Others here have talked to Specialized support and the company acknowledges there is a problem with getting the update loaded onto the bikes and making Mission Control happy. My advice is for those that haven't done it yet to not worry about it & enjoy the ride.

 

[GrayFox]

Since I bought the extender battery I have gotten lazy and ride in 'Sport' mode with the default settings.
Here is some info for my last three rides...
Ride 1: Battery 100->78, Distance 21.19 miles, Elevation 564 ft, Average speed 14.7
Ride 2: Battery 76->49, Distance 24.21 miles, Elevation 739 ft, Average speed 15.0
Ride 3: Battery 47->24, Distance 21.61 miles, Elevation 627 ft, Average speed 14.7

I weigh 210 pound.

Here is a typical elevation chart:

Any questions?

 

[kahn]

Since I bought the extender battery I have gotten lazy and ride in 'Sport' mode with the default settings.
Here is some info for my last three rides...
Ride 1: Battery 100->78, Distance 21.19 miles, Elevation 564 ft, Average speed 14.7
Ride 2: Battery 76->49, Distance 24.21 miles, Elevation 739 ft, Average speed 15.0
Ride 3: Battery 47->24, Distance 21.61 miles, Elevation 627 ft, Average speed 14.7

I weigh 210 pound.

Here is a typical elevation chart:
View attachment 91151
Any questions?

Yes.

Are those values for running with the REGULAR and RANGE EXTENDER? Because on my Creo using only the internal battery, I'm getting about 22 miles with 60% USED. Or about 3% per mile. Yes, about 700-800 feet per ride.

So, I've tended to charge it after each ride and not worry about overall battery life. Hopefully, Specialized will still be offering this battery in a few years.

 

[GrayFox]

Yes.

Are those values for running with the REGULAR and RANGE EXTENDER? Because on my Creo using only the internal battery, I'm getting about 22 miles with 60% USED. Or about 3% per mile. Yes, about 700-800 feet per ride.

So, I've tended to charge it after each ride and not worry about overall battery life. Hopefully, Specialized will still be offering this battery in a few years.

Yes the above are with the range extender and I have it set to draw down 'equally'

 

[kahn]

Yes the above are with the range extender and I have it set to draw down 'equally'

I goofed a while back. I decided to play with the draw down. So I went with the Range Extender (RE) first. Well, the darn thing is not very intelligent (or I'm not) but I was on a sustained hill and the RE hit about 10% and the damn thing almost stopped. I kind of expected it would start drawing from the regular battery. Or, at least, take more from the RE before pooping out. I kind of expected that one might be able to carry an additional RE and switch them out but you wind up with reserve that gets wasted. In order to get going again, I had to stop and unplug the RE. Then I was on the regular battery and moving uphill again.

But I guess having both operating allows you to not charge the regular battery after each 20-25 mile ride which is probably healthier for the overall life of the battery.

 

[sinda67]

Bought the bike on Sept 4 2021 and yesterday passed the two thousand mile threshold...

No real problems to speak of Although the current screw up with firmware notifications has me more than irritated.

View attachment 90598
I am currently riding 20-25 miles every other day and typically gain between 600 and 700 ft per ride.

I have read that folks who use bikes with assist actually tend to ride more that people with out assist. I have been stashing my rides on Garmin Connect since 2009.
I queried my Garmin database and found out that the month with the most miles and the most altitude gain was this last May, so there might be some truth to the assertion.

I am strictly a road rider and rain avoider. I am currently using 5/10 Free Rider Pro shoes with Race Face Chester pedals. I really like the grip of the 'Chesters' but really hate the speed with which they are destroying the expensive shoes. I have peripheral neuropathy in my feet (ie I can't feel what is going on down there very well).
( getting old is hell). I am thinking of moving to Race Face Ride pedals, any comments appreciated on switching to non-metal pegs for pedals..

Which handle bar grips are those? Thanks

 

[Rincon]

Which handle bar grips are those? Thanks

@sinda67 You asked about the Specialized Power Mirror Saddle. Here are two photos to give you an idea of the oval carbon fiber saddle rails as mounted on my Creo. Not sure if these qualify as “side mount” rails, but they came with the S-Works Creo, are labeled “Carbon”, and are a perfect fit for the oval rails. The Vado’s seat post has round saddle rail mounts.