EBR made me do it! (new Vado SL 5.0 EQ)

[Jeremy McCreary]

At least that's what I told my wife. And just what did I do in your name?

Just ordered a Specialized Vado SL 5.0 EQ in yellow, my favorite bike color!

Many thanks to the many knowledgeable EBR members who shared their time and experience to get me to this point.

Why the SL 5 EQ? Just for something completely different, I wanted a fun, light, nimble, non-MTB flat-bar ebike as far removed from my 61 lb hub-drive commuter as possible. (The commuter will stay on as a utility/beach bike.)

First thought was a 32 lb Creo 2 Comp, but realistically, the drop bars would have been a mistake with my stiff neck. And properly outfitting the bare Creo would have taken it from barely within budget to a life sentence in the doghouse.

That makes the 36 lb SL 5 EQ my best bet. Under the Specialized satisfaction guarantee (no restocking fees on new bikes), I'll have 30 days to give my 3 main reservations a thorough test:**

1. Will 240W and 35 Nm be enough help on local hills, many above 10%? Probably, but making no assumptions at age 76.

2. Will I have to cough up another $485 for a range extender and cable?

3. Will the stiff, unsuspended alloy frame be too jarring — even with the stock FutureShock 1.5 stem and the added Redshift suspension seat post?

Taking delivery in 8 days. Putting the odds of keeping this beauty at 90%. Fingers and toes crossed.

Thanks again for all the help, guys! Thoughts on accessories and upgrades welcome.

** CORRECTION: The 30-day return policy applies only to unused and unmodified bikes. I was misinformed by an LBS employee on this matter. Ultimately had to decide based on a 5-mile test ride on a long, moderate hill near the shop. Fortunately, that was enough.

 

[Tom@WashDC]

At least that's what I told my wife. And just what did I do in your name?

I just ordered a Specialized Vado SL 5.0 EQ in yellow, my favorite bike color!

View attachment 180896

Many thanks to the many knowledgeable EBR members who shared their time and experience to get me to this point.

Why the SL 5 EQ? Just for something completely different, I wanted a fun, light, nimble, non-MTB flat-bar ebike as far removed my 61 lb hub-drive commuter as possible. (The commuter will stay on as a utility bike.)

First thought was a 32 lb Creo 2 Comp, but realistically, the drop bars would have been a mistake with my stiff neck. And properly outfitting the bare Creo would have taken it from barely within budget to a life sentence in the doghouse.

That makes the 36 lb SL 5 EQ my best bet. Under the Specialized satisfaction guarantee (no restocking fees on new bikes), I'll have 30 days to give my 3 main reservations a thorough test:

1. Will 240W and 35 Nm be enough help on local hills, many above 10%? Probably, but making no assumptions at age 76.

2. Will I have to cough up another $485 for a range extender and cable?

3. Will the stiff, unsuspended alloy frame be too jarring — even with the stock FutureShock 1.5 stem and the added Redshift suspension seat post?

Taking delivery in 8 days. Putting the odds of keeping this beauty at 90%. Fingers and toes crossed.

Thanks again for all the help, guys! Thoughts on accessories and upgrades welcome.

Nice! Enjoy...

 

[BlackHand]

Congrats, you got the best color!

 

[Prairie Dog]

Congrats! For the hilly terrain that you’ll encounter, perhaps an RE is an accessory you might consider but give it a few weeks before you decide to pony up for one. Enjoy your new SL and look forward to seeing more of it in the rides section.

 

[gromike]

Well Jeremy, you have gone over to the dark side. A mid-drive, how could you do it!
Seriously, though, if the gearing and fit is right for you, you'll love it.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Congrats, you got the best color!

Thanks! I had good inspiration.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Thanks! I had good inspiration.

We look forward to a similar victory pose with your new ride. Ok, perhaps just one with it slung over your shoulder will do.

 

[AvalancheRun]

Great choice! The EQ model will be so handy. I've come to dislike charging my standalone bike lights more than e-bikes.
I think you'll like the flat bar geometry a lot more than the drops. Love the high vis color too!
IIRC the Vado SL 5.0 comes tubeless ready? That'll give another nice boost to comfort.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Excellent choice, Jeremy! Hold off a bit on the RE, you might be surprised at how thrifty that motor can be. I have one for my Creo, hardly ever use it though I generally put it on the bike if a ride is going to be over 40 miles, which isn’t often anymore.

Great color, too. I met and chatted with a woman who was riding that bike last week who was on the last day of a solo trip across the Erie Canal route. Rode with her for a few minutes as she neared Albany and she appeared quite happy with the job it had done for her. I think it’s a great choice for touring.

EDIT: Oh, and I think you’ll be good with the gearing on that thing on your hills. I just changed my Creo to a climbing setup of 40:46, and you’re looking at 44:50. It will go up anything if you just slow down and let it spin a bit. Big difference to the 44:42 it originally sported.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Well Jeremy, you have gone over to the dark side. A mid-drive, how could you do it!
Seriously, though, if the gearing and fit is right for you, you'll love it.

Yeah, I know. Fought it off as long as I could. But when you keep thinking you should try a mid-drive someday at age 76, you have to question your sense of timing.

Ah, you know me too well. Lots of testing ahead, but already scheming about the gearing. @Rás Cnoic and several other SL owners in hilly areas went to smaller chainrings to excellent effect, saying that the SL motor seemed to like the higher cadences involved. I could easily end up there, too.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Great choice! The EQ model will be so handy. I've come to dislike charging my standalone bike lights more than e-bikes.
I think you'll like the flat bar geometry a lot more than the drops. Love the high vis color too!
IIRC the Vado SL 5.0 comes tubeless ready? That'll give another nice boost to comfort.

Thanks! The stock Nimbus tires aren't tubeless-ready. But if I keep the bike, I'll swap them for tubeless Pathfinders. The rims will have to be taped, but all that's in the budget.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Congrats! For the hilly terrain that you’ll encounter, perhaps an RE is an accessory you might consider but give it a few weeks before you decide to pony up for one. Enjoy your new SL and look forward to seeing more of it in the rides section.

Agree, might not need the RE for routine riding. Dealer told me he got 38 mi on the SL without it, and that included a 1,500 ft climb up Double Peak with a final half-mile of 22%.

Very encouraging for routine riding, as I've done that climb, and my butt generally quits at 30 mi.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Get a mirror and bell. Those are a must if you regularly ride where others travel.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

From what I understand, Flat-out can make and tire tubeless?

I'm no expert, but there may be a sidewall construction issue. Dealer said that's why Specialized won't put reflective stripes on its tubeless-ready tires.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Get a mirror and bell. Those are a must if you regularly ride where others travel.

Definitely must-haves, even for the tests. The pedestrians here are even scarier than the cars.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Maybe try a helmet mirror if you haven't already.

Stephan insists that I will stab my eye out when I fall but I'm doubting that.

Remember,..
It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye !!
Then it's a sport.

My neighbor swears by his helmet mirror, but my helmet already has a big add-on visor that complicates mounting. For now, will try a Mirrycle bar-end mirror.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

If you're being approached from behind by a pedestrian, then you should probably hit the throttle and go a little faster.

Some pedestrians, I’d do that!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Excellent choice, Jeremy! Hold off a bit on the RE, you might be surprised at how thrifty that motor can be. I have one for my Creo, hardly ever use it though I generally put it on the bike if a ride is going to be over 40 miles, which isn’t often anymore.

Great color, too. I met and chatted with a woman who was riding that bike last week who was on the last day of a solo trip across the Erie Canal route. Rode with her for a few minutes as she neared Albany and she appeared quite happy with the job it had done for her. I think it’s a great choice for touring.

EDIT: Oh, and I think you’ll be good with the gearing on that thing on your hills. I just changed my Creo to a climbing setup of 40:46, and you’re looking at 44:50. It will go up anything if you just slow down and let it spin a bit. Big difference to the 44:42 it originally sported.

All good advice. This will be my first mid-drive. Felt nice in the short test I had on an SL 4 EQ, but that involved nothing steeper than 3%. Have a whole list of test hills I've tackled with my hub-drive. Eager to see just how different the climbing experience will be.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Good ol’ AliExpress. Haha

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Just ordered a Specialized Vado SL 5.0 EQ in yellow, my favorite bike color!

Congratulations, Jeremy! I hope you'd like your Vado SL and get many happy miles on it!
(I know you have Ignored me but anyway...)

1. Will 240W and 35 Nm be enough help on local hills, many above 10%? Probably, but making no assumptions at age 76.

You will need to practise it out. To my surprise, it has turned our your Vado SL (depending on the exact specification) might be equipped with a 110 BCD chainring, which could make it problematic if you wanted to go with a smaller chainring. Please first determine whether your chainring would be 110 BCD or 104 BCD (if the latter then no issue to find a smaller chainring).

2. Will I have to cough up another $485 for a range extender and cable?

Not necessarily. I don't think your rides are overly long. As long as you would not ride in Turbo mode all the time, the main battery could suffice. These configurations give a long range and a decently strong assistance:

• 40/100%, where hard or high cadence pedalling gives a lot of assistance but regular pedalling saves the battery a lot
• 60/60%, which is the max assistance for the long range

Of course you would use 100/100% Turbo for any steep climb but then no pedalling on descents.
Bear in mind the Mastermind display can show you the remaining Range, and the Microtune mode allows you regulating the assistance as you are riding (my version of Vado SL has none of it!)

It is a great pleasure to ride a Vado SL in the "clean" configuration, that is, without the Range Extender. You could install a second water-bottle-cage and carry a second water bottle instead, which might be useful in South California

3. Will the stiff, unsuspended alloy frame be too jarring — even with the stock FutureShock 1.5 stem and the added Redshift suspension seat post?

I am all against unnecessary mods, and making the necessary ones only when the need arises. First of all, most of the vibration comes from the e-bike front (but that's handled by the FutureShock). Secondly, it is all about the tyre type and the inflation pressure. If you install Pathfinder Pro tyres (especially tubeless) and run them at the minimum pressure allowed for the rider + e-bike + cargo weight, you'd get as much of the suspension as even the suspension seat post might not be necessary! (Currently, I am very attracted to the idea of replacing my ShockStop seatpost with a dropper post - but it has to be either an electronic one or the one activated by a handle under the saddle. I need the dropper for descents in rough terrain or riding in the sand).

Very interested about your experiences!