Hello From Prince Albert, Saskatchewan

[mmp65]

Hello all from Prince Albert. My wife and I are purchasing e-bikes in the spring and are in the research phase right now. I am 59 and retired but doing contract work to ease into retirement. I plan to be fully retired by the end of the school year at the end of June 2025.
We plan to move to Saskatoon, a much larger city just over an hour away, when we fully retire.
My wife currently rides a Townie and loves it. She test drove a Townie Go 5i a couple of weeks ago in Saskatoon and really liked it. I think it is the bike for her or whatever IGH iteration Townie has available in the spring.
I currently ride a Marlin 6 but never really ride my bike off road as a mountain bike so won’t need an e-bike that is a mountain bike. At the place my wife test rode the Townie Go 5i the employee pointed me to a Specialized Turbo Como. I haven’t ridden it yet but will likely get a Como but am unsure if it will be a 3.0 4.0 or 5.0 but I think I really like the IGH and belt combo. I will also look at a Vado but the person at the bike shop said the vast majority of riders prefer the Como.
We plan to ride bike trails, they are plentiful and well built and maintained in Saskatoon, as well as short trips shopping and such. To get prepared we had a hitch put on our 2023 RAV XSE this week and will buy a e-bike carrier with a ramp so we can take the bikes wherever we want.
I look forward to being a part of these forums and being a regular contributor. Take care and happy e-biking!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Welcome aboard! Lots of Vado and Como experience recorded in the forum, and I think there are recent reviews on the review side.

Strongly recommend the following:

1. If at all possible, buy from an LBS able and willing to service the bike going forward. Especially important on the electrical side of the bike.

2. If at all possible, test both the Como and the full-power (non-SL) Vado before you decide. The riding experiences will differ significantly, and there's only one way to know which better suits your needs.

My Specialized LBS offers a 30-day 100% satisfaction guarantee with full refunds on new bikes. If yours does, too, that should take some of the anxiety out of the final decision.

 

[mmp65]

Welcome aboard! Lots of Vado and Como experience recorded in the forum, and I think there are recent reviews on the review side.

Strongly recommend the following:

1. If at all possible, buy from an LBS able and willing to service the bike going forward. Especially important on the electrical side of the bike.

2. If at all possible, test both the Como and the full-power (non-SL) Vado before you decide. The riding experiences will differ significantly, and there's only one way to know which better suits your needs.

My Specialized LBS offers a 30-day 100% satisfaction guarantee with full refunds on new bikes. If yours does, too, that should take some of the anxiety out of the final decision.

Thanks for the warm welcome and thorough reply. Yes the purchase is from a LBS that has specialized in e-bikes for quite some time. My wife’s regular bike was serviced there and it was awesome and efficient service. Great advice to try both and to be quite frank there is really nothing about the SL line of either model that appeals to me. The money back guarantee is something we will look into for sure. Thanks again!

 

[JGcycle]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[mmp65]

Welcome to the forum.

Thank you. Much appreciated

 

[DaveMatthews]

Welcome from Vancouver!

 

[mmp65]

Welcome from Vancouver!

Thanks appreciate it! Must be nice to bike pretty much year round. The -50°C in January makes it tough here

 

[PedalUma]

Welcome.

 

[mmp65]

Welcome.

Thank you kindly

 

[DaveMatthews]

Thanks appreciate it! Must be nice to bike pretty much year round. The -50°C in January makes it tough here

Cheers mate! Yes, one of my techs lives in Sask, so I get it, and yes biking here can pretty much happen any month.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@mmp65:
Just bear in mind the Specialized Turbo Como has been designed as a city e-bike. Not sure how it would handle the trail, and that also depends on how difficult the trails are where you live. My Specialized Turbo Vado (which is more sporty than the Como) is not really happy riding any kind of rough terrain. The maximum it can get is an easy trail.

 

[mmp65]

@mmp65:
Just bear in mind the Specialized Turbo Como has been designed as a city e-bike. Not sure how it would handle the trail, and that also depends on how difficult the trails are where you live. My Specialized Turbo Vado (which is more sporty than the Como) is not really happy riding any kind of rough terrain. The maximum it can get is an easy trail.

Thanks for the reply and mea culpa. The trails are paved trails. Sorry for the rookie mistake. If you don’t mind please let me know why you chose the Vado and how different is the Vado from the Como? Thanks

 

[Stefan Mikes]

If you don’t mind please let me know why you chose the Vado and how different is the Vado from the Como?

The main difference is Como has been designed to be ridden in the upright position and is a true Low Step while Vado requires a more sporty riding position, and its lowest configuration is Step Thru.

In the practical terms, you can ride faster on Vado and also a longer Vado ride means less pain in the butt (upright riding position puts the most body weight on the saddle while the moderate forward one makes the body weight more distributed between arms, legs and the backside). Many people do not ride more than 40-50 km and are perfectly happy with the "comfortable" riding position.

For your information, I am on a way to do at least a 155 km Vado ride today

There's also a Como detail that might be annoying to some riders, which is the integrated handlebars. For instance, it is difficult to mount a smartphone on the Como bars.

Having said the above, a close friend owns a Como, a she was together with me on a 60 km mixed terrain (asphalt and forest) ride.


If you like the Como looks and style, just go for it! It is a high quality e-bike with exactly the same capabilities as other Specialized "full power" Turbo e-bikes. The IGH and belt drive is a nice feature.

 

[mmp65]

The main difference is Como has been designed to be ridden in the upright position and is a true Low Step while Vado requires a more sporty riding position, and its lowest configuration is Step Thru.

In the practical terms, you can ride faster on Vado and also a longer Vado ride means less pain in the butt (upright riding position puts the most body weight on the saddle while the moderate forward one makes the body weight more distributed between arms, legs and the backside). Many people do not ride more than 40-50 km and are perfectly happy with the "comfortable" riding position.

For your information, I am on a way to do at least a 155 km Vado ride today

There's also a Como detail that might be annoying to some riders, which is the integrated handlebars. For instance, it is difficult to mount a smartphone on the Como bars.

Having said the above, a close friend owns a Como, a she was together with me on a 60 km mixed terrain (asphalt and forest) ride together with me.


If you like the Como looks and style, just go for it! It is a high quality e-bike with exactly the same capabilities as other Specialized "full power" Turbo e-bikes. The IGH and belt drive is a nice feature.

Thanks for the insightful reply and wow that’s some ride. I will for sure try both out and think I like the sound of the riding position of the Vado. Happy riding and thanks again.

 

[PedalUma]

Thanks for the insightful reply and wow that’s some ride. I will for sure try both out and think I like the sound of the riding position of the Vado. Happy riding and thanks again.

I have oddly long legs and have the Vado XL size with the post almost to the minimum insertion line. It put the saddle well above the grips. Besides upgrading the pedals, one of the first things I did was to install a less flat bar that curves up and sweeps back a bit. I also trimmed it and installed comfort grips. That simple change made a world of difference. It does not look much different but it is nice for me on long rides. The Como bar and stem are what you will get because they cannot be changed by most mortals. You are in practical terms stuck with it. It is a beautiful aero bar and wires run cleanly inside it. The pedal forward lax position of the Como is casual and comfortable. The Vado is more of a rider's bike for extension and mechanical advantage on the crank.

 

[mmp65]

I have oddly long legs and have the Vado XL size with the post almost to the minimum insertion line. It put the saddle well above the grips. Besides upgrading the pedals, one of the first things I did was to install a less flat bar that curves up and sweeps back a bit. I also trimmed it and installed comfort grips. That simple change made a world of difference. It does not look much different but it is nice for me on long rides. The Como bar and stem are what you will get because they cannot be changed by most mortals. You are in practical terms stuck with it. It is a beautiful aero bar and wires run cleanly inside it. The pedal forward lax position of the Como is casual and comfortable. The Vado is more of a rider's bike for extension and mechanical advantage on the crank.

Thanks so much for the reply and all of the great information. I’m like most, when I buy something I am reluctant to change things. Looks like find the solution that works for you.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I’m like most, when I buy something I am reluctant to change things.

Boy, are you in the wrong place!
;^}

I've seen many a "yay, I just got a new bike!" post in my 2 years on EBR. They're fun. And in nearly every case, the bike's already customized, about to be, or both.

Apparently, resistance is futile.

 

[PedalUma]

What is the next thing when you buy a good fitting suit? It gets tailored. That is part of ownership. Fit. The pedals for example on Comos and Vados are nylon place holders with a skateboard type grip tape surface. Ah, the grips, kind of okay, but touch points are specific to each individual. These bikes are made to have high cadence, honestly its almost like ghost pedaling when over 75 rpm on the pedals. They fly. Almost effortlessly. You cannot do that on nylon sandpaper pedals. You must pull back and up from 6-11 O'clock to achieve fast smoothness on good bikes. Not just pound down from 1-5 like a clod hopper PAS fat folder. Clipping in would be good but does not make sense with daily commuter/town bikes with street shoes. No one wants to walk clicking, waddling like a pregnant penguin into a store or restaurant, or to work. These are not Spandex bikes. These are useful daily transportation that can be sporty and fun.

 

[mmp65]

Boy, are you in the wrong place!
;^}

I've seen many a "yay, I just got a new bike!" post in my 2 years on EBR. They're fun. And in nearly every case, the bike's already customized, about to be, or both.

Apparently, resistance is futile.

I am a quick study and making the bike work for you is what I am seeing throughout these forums.

 

[mmp65]

What is the next thing when you buy a good fitting suit? It gets tailored. That is part of ownership. Fit. The pedals for example on Comos and Vados are nylon place holders with a skateboard type grip tape surface. Ah, the grips, kind of okay, but touch points are specific to each individual. These bikes are made to have high cadence, honestly it’s almost like ghost pedaling when over 75 rpm on the pedals. They fly. Almost effortlessly. You cannot do that on nylon sandpaper pedals. You must pull back and up from 6-11 O'clock to achieve fast smoothness on good bikes. Not just pound down from 1-5 like a clod hopper PAS fat folder. Clipping in would be good but does not make sense with daily commuter/town bikes with street shoes. No one wants to walk clicking, waddling like a pregnant penguin into a store or restaurant, or to work. These are not Spandex bikes. These are useful daily transportation that can be sporty and fun.

Thanks for the wise words. The parts evidently do make up the sum of the experience of the ride if not the bike. Much appreciated.