I’ve owned my Specialized Vado 4.0 for a year, and it’s been a mixed experience.
The motor made more and more noise, and its power delivery always felt inconsistent and odd, possibly tied to the breakdown. The local bike shop is going to replace it but it's taking some time. Bike has about 2300 miles total so far.
The front forks are harsh and too stiff and I don't know if I can replace the springs with something softer which I'd do, and the brakes aren’t that great. The front rotor warped slightly on a long downhill and that annoyed me so I replaced the whole front brakes with Shimano XT's and rotor with better pads and that was a much better improvement.
That said, the seat is comfortable, and the tires offer a confident, enjoyable ride. I run low pressures. I did replace the seat stem with a better suspension stem and that made my rides much improved. The computer showing cadence and speed is handy, though I wish it synced power data to my Apple Watch.
Specialized’s customer service was top-notch, handling the motor warranty smoothly, but the local bike shop provided a poor slap stick initial assembly and unhappy customer service afterwards. Walking into that shop feels like I've walked into a depressed environment.
I enjoy e-biking a lot and went with a quality make like Specialized because I enjoy quality products but seems like I bought a less than quality bike and may not go with another Specialized e-bike when I buy another one for my wife and daughter.
The motor made more and more noise, and its power delivery always felt inconsistent and odd, possibly tied to the breakdown. The local bike shop is going to replace it but it's taking some time. Bike has about 2300 miles total so far.
The front forks are harsh and too stiff and I don't know if I can replace the springs with something softer which I'd do, and the brakes aren’t that great. The front rotor warped slightly on a long downhill and that annoyed me so I replaced the whole front brakes with Shimano XT's and rotor with better pads and that was a much better improvement.
That said, the seat is comfortable, and the tires offer a confident, enjoyable ride. I run low pressures. I did replace the seat stem with a better suspension stem and that made my rides much improved. The computer showing cadence and speed is handy, though I wish it synced power data to my Apple Watch.
Specialized’s customer service was top-notch, handling the motor warranty smoothly, but the local bike shop provided a poor slap stick initial assembly and unhappy customer service afterwards. Walking into that shop feels like I've walked into a depressed environment.
I enjoy e-biking a lot and went with a quality make like Specialized because I enjoy quality products but seems like I bought a less than quality bike and may not go with another Specialized e-bike when I buy another one for my wife and daughter.
