Ok, going to post this here because it's not strictly e-bike and does relate to the vado SL.
I tried a breezer radar X today. I do not qualify for Sirrus X/6 due to weight limits. The specialized rep was a bit confused by that as the lower weight limit is typically only for bikes that have other carbon components like handle bars, seat post... etc (The sirrus X does not have such components). At this point the Sirrus X is out of stock in my size, so it's a moot point. It remains the "goal" non-electric bike at this time. That's assuming I get and stay firmly below it's weight limit ( which is not a guarantee, I am trimmer, but more muscular than I was last year while weighing more ).
I went in to my bike shop to rent a gravel bike to see how I got along with drop bars. As well as to see if I can live with a regular bike on my hill or the lack of real suspension... etc. We adjusted the bike to my fit parameters as best we could (and it was admittedly not great) and I went on my way.
First, the ride. In a word: great! Having a bike I could lift and toss around with one hand is very appealing. Again, it reacts so much faster that the slow riding up hill is a bit reactive (I wouldn't say wobbly like some slow riding can be). I have no doubt I would get used to that. Honestly, this is probably more that I am not used to going so slow on a bike. On the downhill, I wasn't super comfortable letting the bike rip for one simple reason: I did not have confidence in brake lever pressure while on the hoods. Like the ghost grappler I tried last year, I felt that I couldn't get my fingers into a position of power on the brake levers. I think it was a bit better because these were hydraulic brakes, but still not great. This cramped my hands and made me really hesitant to blaze downhill. And, even going slower than I likely otherwise would, some of the unavoidable bumps were quite jarring. However, not really worse than the vado 4.0 (no future shock or carbon fork). I would expect a vado sl 5.0 to help some.
Comfort: The position is still highly uncomfortable for me. There is too much pressure on the hand in any position. However, being able to change helped a lot. But I could only do that if I was willing to have my hands away from the brakes. Most of the time, I was not. I did try the drops, and that solves the brake lever position problem, but I didn't feel like I could maintain it for long. Now, my fitter may be able to fix this up with a proper fitting. But, I am not sure it's worth it at this time. See next section.
The radar X as configured has a 26.2 low gear inch. Not bad. But it was rough for my hill home. I stopped to rest several times before making it to the top. I never tried this ride with the grappler, but I feel that it would make a difference (grappler is straight up mountain bike territory with 18.6 gear inches). On the radar, I was constantly in the lowest gear. Finally, I really did not like the way it shifted gears. And I can't say why. I think it had a small "delay" from pushing the paddle to switching. And the response varied a bit. I don't remember thinking anything about the vado SL gear changes. Other than I did them and they worked. And, by contrast, the vado SL was not "easy" up this hill, but I didn't stop and still got some enjoyment out of the ride.
This was a test to see if a "regular" bike could be on the table in the short term. It was also a test to see if drop bars or steel bikes held any specific interest to me. I have been eyeing the Niner RLT 9 Steel model. At this time, the answer is still some relatively low gear, flat bar, hybrid gravelish bike. Sirrus X is still top of the list. Unfortunately, I can't even try the carbon models.
At this moment, I am considering going back to the IGH and just dealing with whatever comes up. QC problems or not, it continues to be the most enjoyable ride I have experienced on any bike. It makes me want to put on miles. I am not confident even the vado SL will do that given my terrain. But, if it did, I would adore that bike.
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