Blaze--the story of my 2020 Vado 4.0--a somewhat daily/weekly diary

[OmahaBiker]

I have read so many articles on electricbikereview.com in the last three weeks. I watched and rewatched the same videos on Vado 4.0, Vado 5.0, Raleigh Redux IE, and the Trek Super Commuter. One trek dealer told me a bike that I could not stand up without the bar hitting my crotch was the right size for me, another tried to sell me a 2019 demo super commuter with terribly scuffed handlebar grips and chipped paint on the bike for 4,000. When I asked him if he would go lower, the salesman said he would talk to the owner, but no one called me back. A bike that interested me, the Trek Allant +8s was not in stores or available online to put into my cart. The local Raleigh stores did not have a Redux IE, so that eliminated that bike.
I discovered a store that carried Specialized only a mile from my house. I did not even know it had opened. On my first visit, I rode a 2019 Vado 3.0. A few days later they had put together a 2020 Vado 5.0. I rode that. Wow! I loved it! I found the more I shopped and watched videos, the more super expensive became more normal. I felt a bit like I was being brainwashed. I loved the Trek Allant 9.9S, but it was 6 grand, but what a sharp looking bike! I used to have a motorcycle, but I sold it three years ago. I decided I would get a motorcycle again or an e-bike. I decided to get a quality e-bike. I have loved riding bikes since I was a kid. As a runner and tennis player, I thought the bike would give my knees a break. And I love to ride faster, so an e-bike made sense.
I live in Omaha and actually considered bikes in Chicago and Kansas City that were previous year models but really cheap. The KC bike was a 2020 Vado 4.0 with less that 100 miles on it for $900 less than suggested retail price. But I found out from the dealer and then from calling Specialized that they no longer have any warranties on any used bike--even if it is a demo from a dealer. And I did want to buy from a local dealer.
After reading some more articles on this site, and being a lover of blue, I thought I'd be happy with a 2019 Vado 3.0, but I wanted the new Turbo Connect Display. I called my local dealer. He said, "We put one of those in for a guy, but it was a lot of work for my mechanic and the cost was over a hundred dollars, not counting labor. The bike was on sale on the website fro $3104.95, which was $350.00 off the retail price of $3450.
The dealer said, "Since you want the Turbo Connect Display, I just got a 2020 Vado 4.0 in that already has that display. (It was a medium, which was the size of bike I needed.) It sells for 3550. I decided to buy the bike. We agreed on a price of $3,300. Fair? Good deal? I don't know. But I felt the bike met my needs, was not the top models that tempted me (which would save me money), but it gave me the support of a dealer only one mile away, gave me a bike I liked, and would free me up from watching the videos and threads on this website and shopping all over town and online. I was ready to buy. And if the bike goes on sale or lower for Black Friday through Specialized offers, I get the lower price.
So I went to the shop last night and the owner took me to a back room. I was there as he opened the box the bike shipped in. I told him, "This is like Christmas because I do not know what color the bike is (I liked all three colors, so that did not matter to me.). It was the grey and black (looks white to me) bike.
So today I return to the bike store at 4:30 to pick up my bike and to be coached on how to use the internet options that go with the bike.
I am ready to ride and start on my e-bike journey.

 

[steve mercier]

I have read so many articles on electricbikereview.com in the last three weeks. I watched and rewatched the same videos on Vado 4.0, Vado 5.0, Raleigh Redux IE, and the Trek Super Commuter. One trek dealer told me a bike that I could not stand up without the bar hitting my crotch was the right size for me, another tried to sell me a 2019 demo super commuter with terribly scuffed handlebar grips and chipped paint on the bike for 4,000. When I asked him if he would go lower, the salesman said he would talk to the owner, but no one called me back. A bike that interested me, the Trek Allant +8s was not in stores or available online to put into my cart. The local Raleigh stores did not have a Redux IE, so that eliminated that bike.
I discovered a store that carried Specialized only a mile from my house. I did not even know it had opened. On my first visit, I rode a 2019 Vado 3.0. A few days later they had put together a 2020 Vado 5.0. I rode that. Wow! I loved it! I found the more I shopped and watched videos, the more super expensive became more normal. I felt a bit like I was being brainwashed. I loved the Trek Allant 9.9S, but it was 6 grand, but what a sharp looking bike! I used to have a motorcycle, but I sold it three years ago. I decided I would get a motorcycle again or an e-bike. I decided to get a quality e-bike. I have loved riding bikes since I was a kid. As a runner and tennis player, I thought the bike would give my knees a break. And I love to ride faster, so an e-bike made sense.
I live in Omaha and actually considered bikes in Chicago and Kansas City that were previous year models but really cheap. The KC bike was a 2020 Vado 4.0 with less that 100 miles on it for $900 less than suggested retail price. But I found out from the dealer and then from calling Specialized that they no longer have any warranties on any used bike--even if it is a demo from a dealer. And I did want to buy from a local dealer.
After reading some more articles on this site, and being a lover of blue, I thought I'd be happy with a 2019 Vado 3.0, but I wanted the new Turbo Connect Display. I called my local dealer. He said, "We put one of those in for a guy, but it was a lot of work for my mechanic and the cost was over a hundred dollars, not counting labor. The bike was on sale on the website fro $3104.95, which was $350.00 off the retail price of $3450.
The dealer said, "Since you want the Turbo Connect Display, I just got a 2020 Vado 4.0 in that already has that display. (It was a medium, which was the size of bike I needed.) It sells for 3550. I decided to buy the bike. We agreed on a price of $3,300. Fair? Good deal? I don't know. But I felt the bike met my needs, was not the top models that tempted me (which would save me money), but it gave me the support of a dealer only one mile away, gave me a bike I liked, and would free me up from watching the videos and threads on this website and shopping all over town and online. I was ready to buy. And if the bike goes on sale or lower for Black Friday through Specialized offers, I get the lower price.
So I went to the shop last night and the owner took me to a back room. I was there as he opened the box the bike shipped in. I told him, "This is like Christmas because I do not know what color the bike is (I liked all three colors, so that did not matter to me.). It was the grey and black (looks white to me) bike.
So today I return to the bike store at 4:30 to pick up my bike and to be coached on how to use the internet options that go with the bike.
I am ready to ride and start on my e-bike journey.

May it serve you well!

 

[PDXzap]

But I found out from the dealer and then from calling Specialized that they no longer have any warranties on any used bike--even if it is a demo from a dealer.

YOU NEED TO STOP POSTING THIS!
I told you in another thread that this was incorrect information. The dealer and whoever else you talked to lied.
From the Specialized web site:
"If you're the second, or later, owner of a Specialized or Roval product, you are eligible for a two-year warranty from the date of the original retail purchase."

I called Specialized, you would no longer have a lifetime warranty but you still have two years from the original purchase date.

 

[OmahaBiker]

YOU NEED TO STOP POSTING THIS!
I told you in another thread that this was incorrect information. The dealer and whoever else you talked to lied.
From the Specialized web site:
"If you're the second, or later, owner of a Specialized or Roval product, you are eligible for a two-year warranty from the date of the original retail purchase."

I called Specialized, you would no longer have a lifetime warranty but you still have two years from the original purchase date.

I read what you said earlier. But it depends if you want to believe two people or an online post that maybe has not been updated. I'd rather support my local dealer anyway. It is not my job to fix the Specialized website. The dealer originally told me I was covered. He then investigated and told me the policy had been changed. Then I called Specialized and he told me immediately they no longer cover used bikes. Call Specialized yourself and talk to them and call them liars. The dealer would have been better off telling me it was covered. He had no reason to tell me it was not. He hurt his chances for a sale. If there was doubt, which there was, I was not going to risk it not being covered.

IT ALSO SAYS THIS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE USA WARRANTY ON THE SPECIALIZED WEBSITE: This document is subject to change without notice. The warranty posted online was last updated in 2018. So maybe the dealer and the Specialized customer service were correct.

 

[PDXzap]

But it depends if you want to believe two people or an online post that maybe has not been updated.

This is the exact reason I posted a link to Specialized's web site with Specialized's warranty which I will assume you didn't read or you would have seen there was conflicting information between what you were told and what the written warranty states.

Call Specialized yourself and talk to them

Do you just skim through posts?

I called Specialized

Again, I did call Specialized. This morning. The two people you talked to lied to you or you misheard.

I do hope you enjoy the 2020 Vado and hope you don't ever need the warranty

 

[OmahaBiker]

This is the exact reason I posted a link to Specialized's web site with Specialized's warranty which I will assume you didn't read or you would have seen there was conflicting information between what you were told and what the written warranty states.

Do you just skim through posts?

Again, I did call Specialized. This morning. The two people you talked to lied to you or you misheard.

I do hope you enjoy the 2020 Vado and hope you don't ever need the warranty

This is the exact reason I posted a link to Specialized's web site with Specialized's warranty which I will assume you didn't read or you would have seen there was conflicting information between what you were told and what the written warranty states.

Do you just skim through posts?

Again, I did call Specialized. This morning. The two people you talked to lied to you or you misheard.

I do hope you enjoy the 2020 Vado and hope you don't ever need the warranty

I called Specialized again. He put me on hold for five minutes while he checked on it. He said the bike should have been covered for two years from the date the dealer purchased the bike and started using it as a demo. It is very disappointing. I asked him how the dealer and the customer service could get it so wrong. Yesterday it was, "I'm sorry, we changed that warranty policy. Used bikes are not covered anymore. The dealer's demo bike is considered a used bike." Today the answer was, "I'm sorry we gave you the wrong information." I told him that wrong information may have cost me $650.00." All he could say was, "I'm sorry."

 

[PDXzap]

Sorry about that... but it sounds like you still have a nice bike to pick up this afternoon.

 

[OmahaBiker]

Sorry about that... but it sounds like you still have a nice bike to pick up this afternoon.
[/QUOTE

Sorry about that... but it sounds like you still have a nice bike to pick up this afternoon.

I did have one more conversation with Specialized. He swears used bikes are covered by the original warranty BUT if a bike is a dealer demo bike--that bike is not covered by warranties. I think that is the gospel truth.

 

[OmahaBiker]

Well day two. The dealer emails me and says the bike in the box in the back of his shop that we opened together is a step through bike. We had just opened the box and looked at the bike but had not taken anything out of it. It was interesting to see how the bike is shaped in the box fro the dealer. So he said I could take the step through or he would order me a step over that would come in Wednesday of next week. Or I could take the blue 3.0 2020 Vado in the shop or the 2019 Vado 3.0 in the shop and he would add the TurboConnectDisplay to it, but the total price would be the same as for the 2020 Vado 4.0 (I did get a 250 discount). So in some ways I could rethink my buying decision if I wanted to. So after work I went to the dealer's. I test rode the 2020 Vado 3.0 and the 2020 Vado 4.0, which was now put together. In my limited e-bike experience, it seemed to be the 2020 Vado had more power. The dealer let me take both bikes down the road to where there were two steep hills. The blue color in person was not quite as cool as it seemed on the pictures, but it is a cool bike and anyone who has one is surely happy with it. So I stuck with my original purchase of the 2020 Vado 4.0, but since he was now ordering it, I could switch from the gray/white color. Decisions, decisions, decisions. In the end, I switched to the Rocket Red bike. I hung around the dealership for an hour. I was the only customers so I got to know the owners better. As I pondered my color choice, the owner found a different model bike in the shop with the rocket red color. That was helpful in me making my choice. Then at my request, he showed me bike pumps, talked to me about a few helmets since I need a new one, and showed me pannier bags I could use. I found him to be very helpful and knowledgeable and it was good to get to know the people I will be dealing with for the next so many years. While I live in West Omaha, the shop has the feel of a small town bike shop, which I liked.
I found a Specialized Black Water bottle that will match the bike. It is key when one spends thousands on a bike to have a water bottle that matches the bike. I did like the step thru bike but I did not like that there is not much room for a water bottle and not a second place to add a lock. So now I am waiting for next Wednesday for a red 2020 Vado 4.0, which is the one used in the electricbikereview video review.

 

[rochrunner]

An e-bike would be a good idea in Omaha -- you have some hellaceously hilly streets out there (such as going across town on Blondo, etc)! Let me know how it does if you get into this areas.