@M4R4. In addition to reducing tire pressure somewhat, a suspension seat post would make riding rough pavement or a moderate off-road trail a lot more comfortable. The Kinekt 2.1 suspension seat post seems to be consistently rated at or near the top by most owners. My wife and I have the Kinekt 2.1 aluminum suspension seat post on all of the four ebikes we own. That will really improve your riding comfort and take away a lot of the harshness of riding a stiff hard tail aluminum frame ebike. They are expensive, but you can get a 20% discount if you order through through Selle Anatomica by entering their discount code at checkout.
selleanatomica.com
So based on my weight I'm in the medium range, do I order that or just go with the heaviest? Also my wife would be in the lightest of the weights. Also not sure what to put for seat diameter and seat post length. Will wait to get the bike and measure. Also want to put some miles on it without upgrades so that way the upgrades feel like upgrades@M4R4. In addition to reducing tire pressure somewhat, a suspension seat post would make riding rough pavement or a moderate off-road trail a lot more comfortable. The Kinekt 2.1 suspension seat post seems to be consistently rated at or near the top by most owners. My wife and I have the Kinekt 2.1 aluminum suspension seat post on all of the four ebikes we own. That will really improve your riding comfort and take away a lot of the harshness of riding a stiff hard tail aluminum frame ebike. They are expensive, but you can get a 20% discount if you order through through Selle Anatomica by entering their discount code at checkout.
KINEKT Aluminum Seatpost
The KINEKT Aluminum 2.1 Seatpost from Cirrus Cycles is now sleeker than ever. KINEKT effectively isolates your body from surface vibrations and impacts.
If you decide to get one, I found it best to order with stiffer / heavier springs, that way you can adjust the preload without reducing/losing much travel. If you are near the top of a weight range, order with the next heavier weight range springs.
The Selle Anatomica adjustable leather saddles are really nice and super comfortable too. I have the H2 on my Vado 4.0 and really like it.
My experience with Vado (which is not that different from Como) is you need proper tyres. I have found Schwalbe Smart Sam to be a good compromise between quiet/easy rolling ride on paved surfaces and good traction in easy offroad: gravel, dry dirt, sand-on-hard.
The advice to equip your Como with Kinekt 2.1 is really good.
Do not expect miracles but these two upgrades (tyres and suspension seat-post) will make your Como off-road capable. (Bear in mind gravel cyclist handle more difficult terrain on narrow tyres and no suspension whatsoever: They are a weird bunch)
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My Vado on Smart Sams and with Kinekt 2.1 on a sandy road.
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Vado on forest paths full of tree-roots and sand. Lack of front suspension makes my arms hurt.
Technically speaking, my Vado is equipped with Baramind BAM Trek suspension handlebars (your Como would be happy with Baramind BAM City), and I also use Ergon GP3 bar-ends (Como requires different Ergon grips, not sure what model). All helps. (Your Como has tyres of bigger volume which also will help you).
Kinekt 2.1 comes with three springs. You select one appropriate for the rider's weight. Also, pre-tensioning the spring is another parameter for the seat-post tuning.So based on my weight I'm in the medium range, do I order that or just go with the heaviest? Also my wife would be in the lightest of the weights. Also not sure what to put for seat diameter and seat post length. Will wait to get the bike and measure. Also want to put some miles on it without upgrades so that way the upgrades feel like upgrades
Agree with Marcela. Had my Vado 5 off-road few times. Objects get stock between fender and tire. Specially when wet. Mud got stock and had hard time to get out all mud accumulation. Other than that it worked like champ.
I weigh just above 200 lbs and went with the "Large 200 - 240 range" for my 2020 Vado 4.0. My wife weighs a bit above the middle of the Small range and I originally got her the "Small 100 -150 range" on her 2020 Vado 5.0, but then had to order "Medium 150 - 200 range" replacement springs directly from Kinekt (not expensive), as I had to adjust too much on the preload of the Small springs reducing the travel too much. As @StefanMikes mentioned, the seat post does come with some spare springs (different weight) so you may not have to order replacements, just swap out from the spares provided. If you have questions you can contact Kinekt directly, they are helpful. But you will save 20% on the Kinekt 2.1 if you order it from Selle Anatomica. Court reviewed the Turbo Como, so all the spec's you need should be included in his written review here on EBR.So based on my weight I'm in the medium range, do I order that or just go with the heaviest? Also my wife would be in the lightest of the weights. Also not sure what to put for seat diameter and seat post length. Will wait to get the bike and measure. Also want to put some miles on it without upgrades so that way the upgrades feel like upgrades
Thanks for posting this great video.
My wife and I have the Como and Vado. We have ridden off road trails, mostly hard pack, gravel, some roots, sand, “stutter” bumps, ruts, and dust. No dramatic drop offs or big air for us. So far the rides have not affected the performance of the bikes. After, I wipe off the bike frame and clean the drive train, check the bolts for tightness. I did swap out the Como’s OE 650b tires with Maxxis DHF and Minion 27.5 x 2.3 inch tires. My wife said it is night and day in terms of riding off road. She has much improved control, handling and shock resistence when riding off road. She’s not worried about the increased rolling resistence. I am going to install a Baramind flex bar once it arrives. Stefan Mikes seems to feel fine about having one on his Vado. The only thing I worry about is dust and whether or not the motor contacts will be affected. The 1.2 Brose seems well sealed so unless I stupidly ride in muddy water, I think we are ok. The Vado stock did not require any changes since the oe tires are fine for light off road. Btw, on our last off road ride a younger rider on his very high priced carbon fiber non-electric dual suspension MTB shouted “on your left” as he attempted to pass us on a short 10% grade. My wife who was ahead of both of us did not hear him so she just kept on riding, staying to her right. I thought the sheer power and fitness of the young rider would power him past us. I glanced to my left and realized he was spinning furiously but was not gaining and in fact fell behind us. I could hear him yelling “Woo Hoo!” He was urging us on, apparently surprised that these two older folks on ebikes could “smoke” him on the steep grade. At the top and now on flatter terrain he sped past us and waved approvingly. My wife looked up and asked me, “Did you hear something? sounded like someone was yelling.”I laughed. Needless to say, we had a great ride.
Extremely well sealed. I was riding into puddles that covered the motor! Only don't wash the bike under pressure
Hi Stefan. My wife was slipping and falling on loose pack and gravel so I went with the arguably stickiest knobbies I could find. Doesn't seem to hurt the Como too much on pavement in terms of speed, my wife said the increase in her handling confidence on slippery gravel, roots and other surfaces which use to make her nervous is worth the swap. It's been awhile since I have upgraded MTB tires on my analog bikes, so I was surprised at the relative high price of the Maxxis. I remember when I could buy top rated Kevlar tires for $20 dollars. Oh well. Btw, I hope the Baramind Bam Trek I ordered works well. It seems like it is a safe and reliable bar.Extremely well sealed. I was riding into puddles that covered the motor! Only don't wash the bike under pressure
It is interesting with your fitting thick downhill tyres; I didn't know that was possible. Effectively you made an off-road e-bike from Como!
