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

[jason.flood]

First, thanks for all your help in this venture into the unknown with the SL. Working out fine, as so many of you predicted.

Minimal but prepared is my goal, too. Don't plan to carry much on routine rides. Have the Topeak MondoPack saddle bag coming for a few tools and tire repair wherewithal, including the spare tube I've been told to carry for the tubeless Pathfinders about to be mounted.

Might be room left for some small incidentals there as well. The small frame bag will cover the rest of the small stuff. A bigger frame bag would start covering bosses, and I'll need all 3 if an RE comes into my life.

The only remaining item is a light high-vis mesh vest or long-sleeved solid shell. Since it's often hard to predict which I'll need, I often end up wearing one and carrying the other.

View attachment 182528
For that, I'd like something more convenient and elegant than a stuff sack strapped to the rack (above). Thinking a small, low-profile rack bag — which nobody seems to sell at the moment. That's where your helpful list of custom bag makers might come in.

You could try this Jeremy. If fits perfectly to your rack and will allow you to convert any bag/box you like into a custom rack bag.

Amazon.com

 

[jason.flood]

Lovin' the SL 5.0 EQ more everyday, but getting frustrated with the Racktime rack. Still don't want a standard-sized trunk bag back there for now, but I DO want to make use of this rack.

Q1. Is it for SnapIT or SnapIT 2.0 adapters? The Racktime site gives distinguishing characteristics that don't exactly match the rack I have.

I think I should have read this thread in reverse chronological order You need the SnapIT (not the 2.0)

 

[jason.flood]

Ah, bullshit! I could successfully ride my Vado SL with a 32T even in a race.

View attachment 186331
True MTB gearing < 20 gear-in (exactly 17 gear inches). I needed that for hilly gravel rides.

Now, I ride a 42T chainring in our flatland. Less wear on the cassette smallest sprockets.

Don't shoot the messenger. I temped to ask them the question again though

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Don't shoot the messenger. I temped to ask them the question again though

Jason, just for your information: I was trying 32, 36, 42 and 44T chainrings on a Vado SL as well as 36, 42, 44 and 48T ones on a Vado 6.0. No issues. The only limiting factor is the maximum chainring size.

You may ask Specialized how come a Levo SL comes with a 32T chainring with no adverse effects

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

You could try this Jeremy. If fits perfectly to your rack and will allow you to convert any bag/box you like into a custom rack bag.

Amazon.com

Thanks! Will definitely give that adapter a try. All I really want to carry on my rear rack now is another layer of clothing. But in the rack's stock form, even that's a challenge to secure.

 

[jason.flood]

Jason, just for your information: I was trying 32, 36, 42 and 44T chainrings on a Vado SL as well as 36, 42, 44 and 48T ones on a Vado 6.0. No issues. The only limiting factor is the maximum chainring size.

You may ask Specialized how come a Levo SL comes with a 32T chainring with no adverse effects

I got another reply from Spesh but I’m not going to even post it because even I recognised it as a nonsense . However, I pressed and got an additional repsonse. It doesn’t make the situation any clear but I can appreciate the testing process. I’m certainly going to try to see if there would be lower chain clearance to the frame

“The product team test these extensively, and recommend a lower and upper limit. It is usually driven by the capacity of the mech, or down to contact points around the cranks.”

“…All I can relay is the results of the testing of the product team, who test under various conditions and come up with optimal recommendations to give the best experience ”

I also wonder if there could be non technical reasons. Maybe they don’t want folk lowering their gears to the extent that they can get there bikes into MTB territory

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thank you Jason for your effort!

 

[Rás Cnoic]

I got another reply from Spesh but I’m not going to even post it because even I recognised it as a nonsense . However, I pressed and got an additional repsonse. It doesn’t make the situation any clear but I can appreciate the testing process. I’m certainly going to try to see if there would be lower chain clearance to the frame

“The product team test these extensively, and recommend a lower and upper limit. It is usually driven by the capacity of the mech, or down to contact points around the cranks.”

“…All I can relay is the results of the testing of the product team, who test under various conditions and come up with optimal recommendations to give the best experience ”

I also wonder if there could be non technical reasons. Maybe they don’t want folk lowering their gears to the extent that they can get there bikes into MTB territory

Spesh advice often seems at odds with real world riding conditions! I swear they think this bike is designed for pretty boys & girls on sunny days riding just 5km on smooth flat flat ground - like their initial adverts for the Vado SL! Spesh seems to have no idea of the amazing capabilities of this fast & robust lightweight ebilke.

Years ago I emailed them a question about swapping the 700c wheels for 650bs (to fit wider tyres) and I got a warning back about NEVER TO DO THIS, something about pedal strikes etc etc - ignoring the fact that the 650b diameter with wide tyres would be similar to 700c with 38s and the operation has been successfully carried out on these very pages.

Referring to the chainring size I have a 36T on my Vado SL for over a year now and it's great on my steep hills. Plus the motor doesn't have to work as hard (the SL motor hates grinding) so I've helped the motor's longevity. As Stefan said anyway it's the same motor in both the Levo & Kenevo SL full suspension EMTBs which have 32T chainrings and are designed for battle in the harshest conditions.

 

[jason.flood]

Referring to the chainring size I have a 36T on my Vado SL for over a year now and it's great on my steep hills. Plus the motor doesn't have to work as hard (the SL motor hates grinding) so I've helped the motor's longevity. As Stefan said anyway it's the same motor in both the Levo & Kenevo SL full suspension EMTBs which have 32T chainrings and are designed for battle in the harshest conditions.

Thanks for the reassurance Rás. I think I need to go for it because every time I hit a 10%+ gradient I'm having to burn though battery energy way more than I would like due to lack of an extra gear

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

for a long, gradual climb, throw the bike on your car and get as close as you need to palomar mountain to make the round trip doable, and climb this:

Found this ride video. Looks like there are bike-friendly shoulders in some sections but not others. Clearly a beautiful ride. Probably lots of geologically interesting roadcuts for me to use as excuses to stop.

The famous fire lookout in Palomar Mountain State Park would be a worthy goal. Open to the public with commanding views of western SoCal from Orange County south into Mexico — all the way to the coast!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

puta 2 spd on the chainring,now perfect( ask the elderly "spinners" around here)

Not doable and impractical. You would have known it if you owned any good mid-drive motor e-bike.
The motor spindle only accepts a very specific self-extracting e-bike crankarm, and a very specific spider. There is no way to install the front derailleur.
No issue though. The 1x drivetrains are widely accepted nowadays, are simple, and the chainring replacement is easy. Combined with a wide range cassette (like 11-46T or 10/11-50/51T) you can easily select a chainring for your principal riding terrain. No worries about that.

 

[Chazmo]

never had a top of the line middrive the ones I had never impressed me..

Yeah, gee, I would never go back to a front derailleur if I didn’t have to. My two favorite evolutionary changes of bike-craft in the 21st century are disc brakes and single chainrings at the crank. Well, actually, my favorite evolutionary change is the e-bike, but that’s pretty much a given here.