Hello from Spanish Fork, Utah

[Phil Howell]

Hi.

I'm new to the forum but have been watching Court's reviews for years. I'm a semi-retired automotive photojournalist who used to be the Editor-in-Chief of 4Wheel Drive & Sport Utility and Off-Road magazines. I've been riding bicycles for 65 years (started when I was five) and was a serious road bike rider in 1978-80 until my knees started to hurt. My first mountain bike was built by Tom Ritchey in 1981 and I've since owned many others, including Specialized Rockhopper, Stumpjumper, Cannondale Super V, Yeti 575 and SB-95, etc. In the e-bike world, I've owned a Specialized Como 4.0 (my wife's), Trek Rail 7, Rail 9.7, and Rail 9.8. Those are all gone now. I'm getting old and figured a Specialized Turbo Vado 5.0 fits my current riding style, so I purchased one. I'm looking forward to riding it and reporting how it works for me, especially going up the steep two-mile ascent to my house that's at the end of all my rides.

 

[PedalUma]

Welcome.

 

[girlpower]

Hello from St George, UT. My husband does not have the riding experience you do but is looking at the Specialized Vado as his first ebike. I'd love to hear how it is working for you.

 

[Phil Howell]

Hello from St George, UT. My husband does not have the riding experience you do but is looking at the Specialized Vado as his first ebike. I'd love to hear how it is working for you.

I've been riding my bike a lot and the Turbo Vado 5.0 is working very well for me. On my normal loop, there's a stretch of level, 30 mph speed limit street where I can get the Vado up to 28-29 mph. It's interesting that when riding that loop on my Class I (20 mph max) bikes I averaged about 16 mph and on my Vado, which is a Class III (28 mph) bike, I'm averaging about 18 mph. Of course, I have that very steep two-mile climb at the end of my ride that sucks my speed down to 8 mph, even set on Turbo, and that pulls my average down no matter what I'm riding. The Vado has enough front fork travel for pavement/bike trail/gravel riding. The suspension seatpost is disappointing as I adjusted it to as soft as it would go but it still doesn't feel like it's doing much -- and I'm 6' tall and weigh 200+ pounds. The 710Wh battery has plenty of range and I like the Mission Control app that allows me to set each power setting to my preferences. For instance, I have Eco mode set to 30/30%, Sport mode to 40/100% (which makes it almost identical in power delivery to Trek's EMTB mode - the harder you pedal the more assist provided), and Turbo to 100/100%. I never ride in Turbo until I get to that pesky grade on the way home. The color MasterMind TCD2 handlebar display is easy to read, provides much more information than I need, and it's programmable. I have the main screen page set to default and it shows speed, time, cadence, power mode, and battery level. When I ride, my cadence averages 78-90.

Being Specialized, the Vado is a quality bike. I have always been a Shimano fan, but I really like the SRAM group on the Vado and the GX derailleur's shifts are quick and sure. The 11-42 cassette is perfect gearing for the Vado. I thought maybe 42 wouldn't be low enough for that steep grade I have to ride, but it is. I never used the 52 low gear on my Treks, anyway. That steep grade that's hard to ride up is also interesting going down as the Vado can get up to 38 mph coasting. The 4-piston caliper SRAM G2 RS brakes work well and keep the speed under control. I think 4-piston caliper brakes are important when riding on steep downgrades. Lesser Vados have 2-piston calipers. The Specialized Pathfinder Sport Reflect 650Bx2.3 tires are excellent on pavement and even work on gravel. Tannus Armour inserts I installed in them keep the goatheads on our trails from causing flats. The headlight is bright enough and the wide LED taillight in the rack is outstanding. Finally, I thought the Garmin radar was a gimmick I wouldn't use. I was wrong. It's so useful when riding on the street to be able to tell not only that traffic is approaching from behind, but also how many vehicles and how fast they're coming. I use it all the time and feel it's increased my safety tremendously.

I'm very pleased with my Specialized Turbo Vado 5.0. I'm probably kind of a bike snob so to me, the Vado doesn't look as manly as my road bikes or mountain bikes did, but its performance overshadows that and makes it look very nice indeed. Your husband would find it would be the perfect bike for him in St. George whether he's commuting or riding on the bike trails there. I moved here from St. George/Hurricane, so know that even if you ride on East Ridge/Foremaster, Bloomington Hills, on the D hill, in Washington, Zion National Park, or up on any of the bench areas, the Turbo Vado 5.0 would be a great choice.

 

[JGcycle]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I've been riding my bike a lot and the Turbo Vado 5.0 is working very well for me. On my normal loop, there's a stretch of level, 30 mph speed limit street where I can get the Vado up to almost 28 mph. It's interesting that when riding that loop on my Class I (20 mph max) bikes I averaged about 16 mph and on my Vado, which is a Class III (28 mph) bike, I'm averaging about 18 mph. Of course, I have that very steep two-mile climb at the end of my ride that sucks my speed down to 8 mph, even set on Turbo, and that pulls my average down no matter what I'm riding. The Vado is comfortable and has enough front fork travel for pavement/bike trail riding. The suspension seatpost is disappointing as I adjusted it to as soft as it would go but it still doesn't feel like it's doing much -- and I weigh 200+ pounds. The 710Wh battery has plenty of range and I like the Specialized app that allows me to set each power setting to my preferences. For instance, I have Eco mode set to 30/30%, Sport mode to 40/100% (which makes it almost identical in power delivery to Trek's EMTB mode), and Turbo to 100/100%. I never ride in Turbo until I get to that pesky grade on the way home. The color handlebar display is easy to read, provides much more information than I need, and it's programmable. I have the main screen page set to default and it shows speed, time, cadence, power mode, and battery level. When I ride, my cadence averages 85-88.

Being Specialized, the Vado is a quality bike. I have always been a Shimano fan, but I really like the SRAM group on the Vado and the GX rear derailleur's shifts are quick and sure. The 11-42 cassette is perfect gearing for the Vado. I thought maybe 42 wouldn't be low enough for that steep grade I have to ride, but it is. I never used the 52 low gear on my Treks, anyway. That steep grade that's hard to ride up is also interesting going down as the Vado can get up to 38 mph coasting. The 4-piston caliper SRAM G2 RS brakes work well and keep the speed under control. I think 4-piston caliper brakes are important when riding on steep downgrades. Lesser Vados have 2-piston calipers. The Specialized Pathfinder Sport Reflect 650Bx2.3 tires are excellent on pavement and even work on gravel. Tannus Armour inserts I installed in them keep the goat heads on our trails from causing flats. The headlight is bright enough and the wide LED taillight in the rack is outstanding. Finally, I thought the Garmin radar was a gimmick I wouldn't use. I was wrong. It's so useful when riding on the street to be able to tell not only that traffic is approaching from behind, but also how many vehicles and how fast they're coming. I use it all the time and feel it's increased my safety tremendously.

I'm very pleased with my Specialized Turbo Vado 5.0. I'm probably kind of a bike snob so to me, the Vado doesn't look as manly as my road bikes or mountain bikes did, but its performance overshadows that and makes it look very nice indeed. Your husband would find it would be the perfect bike for him in St. George whether he's commuting or riding on the bike trails there. I moved here from St. George/Hurricane, so know that even if you ride on East Ridge/Foremaster, Bloomington Hills, on the D hill, in Washington, or up on any of the bench areas, the Turbo Vado 5.0 would be a great choice.

A great write-up, thank you! Have you ever considered installing a smaller chainring on your Vado for the improved climbing capability? (Of course, that would reduce your speed on the flat!)

 

[Phil Howell]

A great write-up, thank you! Have you ever considered installing a smaller chainring on your Vado for the improved climbing capability? (Of course, that would reduce your speed on the flat!)

You're welcome! I think the gearing is perfect now. If I went any lower I'd be spinning over 100 while going 5 mph up that grade. My Treks had a low 52-tooth cog on the cassette that I never used, even on the steepest grades, because I would spin too fast and be going slower than walking speed.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My Treks had a low 52-tooth cog on the cassette that I never used, even on the steepest grades, because I would spin too fast and be going slower than walking speed.

Haha! My both Specialized e-bikes have the 11T high gear cog that I hardly ever use because of too slow cadence

 

[girlpower]

I've been riding my bike a lot and the Turbo Vado 5.0 is working very well for me. On my normal loop, there's a stretch of level, 30 mph speed limit street where I can get the Vado up to almost 28 mph. It's interesting that when riding that loop on my Class I (20 mph max) bikes I averaged about 16 mph and on my Vado, which is a Class III (28 mph) bike, I'm averaging about 18 mph. Of course, I have that very steep two-mile climb at the end of my ride that sucks my speed down to 8 mph, even set on Turbo, and that pulls my average down no matter what I'm riding. The Vado is comfortable and has enough front fork travel for pavement/bike trail riding. The suspension seatpost is disappointing as I adjusted it to as soft as it would go but it still doesn't feel like it's doing much -- and I weigh 200+ pounds. The 710Wh battery has plenty of range and I like the Specialized app that allows me to set each power setting to my preferences. For instance, I have Eco mode set to 30/30%, Sport mode to 40/100% (which makes it almost identical in power delivery to Trek's EMTB mode), and Turbo to 100/100%. I never ride in Turbo until I get to that pesky grade on the way home. The color handlebar display is easy to read, provides much more information than I need, and it's programmable. I have the main screen page set to default and it shows speed, time, cadence, power mode, and battery level. When I ride, my cadence averages 85-88.

Being Specialized, the Vado is a quality bike. I have always been a Shimano fan, but I really like the SRAM group on the Vado and the GX rear derailleur's shifts are quick and sure. The 11-42 cassette is perfect gearing for the Vado. I thought maybe 42 wouldn't be low enough for that steep grade I have to ride, but it is. I never used the 52 low gear on my Treks, anyway. That steep grade that's hard to ride up is also interesting going down as the Vado can get up to 38 mph coasting. The 4-piston caliper SRAM G2 RS brakes work well and keep the speed under control. I think 4-piston caliper brakes are important when riding on steep downgrades. Lesser Vados have 2-piston calipers. The Specialized Pathfinder Sport Reflect 650Bx2.3 tires are excellent on pavement and even work on gravel. Tannus Armour inserts I installed in them keep the goat heads on our trails from causing flats. The headlight is bright enough and the wide LED taillight in the rack is outstanding. Finally, I thought the Garmin radar was a gimmick I wouldn't use. I was wrong. It's so useful when riding on the street to be able to tell not only that traffic is approaching from behind, but also how many vehicles and how fast they're coming. I use it all the time and feel it's increased my safety tremendously.

I'm very pleased with my Specialized Turbo Vado 5.0. I'm probably kind of a bike snob so to me, the Vado doesn't look as manly as my road bikes or mountain bikes did, but its performance overshadows that and makes it look very nice indeed. Your husband would find it would be the perfect bike for him in St. George whether he's commuting or riding on the bike trails there. I moved here from St. George/Hurricane, so know that even if you ride on East Ridge/Foremaster, Bloomington Hills, on the D hill, in Washington, or up on any of the bench areas, the Turbo Vado 5.0 would be a great choice.

Thanks for the great information. I think this sounds like a great decisions for him . . . now, I have a bit more research for myself! Thank you!

 

[Phil Howell]

Thanks for the great information. I think this sounds like a great decisions for him . . . now, I have a bit more research for myself! Thank you!

You're welcome!

 

[dbsmith]

I've been riding my bike a lot and the Turbo Vado 5.0 is working very well for me. On my normal loop, there's a stretch of level, 30 mph speed limit street where I can get the Vado up to almost 28 mph. It's interesting that when riding that loop on my Class I (20 mph max) bikes I averaged about 16 mph and on my Vado, which is a Class III (28 mph) bike, I'm averaging about 18 mph. Of course, I have that very steep two-mile climb at the end of my ride that sucks my speed down to 8 mph, even set on Turbo, and that pulls my average down no matter what I'm riding. The Vado is comfortable and has enough front fork travel for pavement/bike trail riding. The suspension seatpost is disappointing as I adjusted it to as soft as it would go but it still doesn't feel like it's doing much -- and I weigh 200+ pounds. The 710Wh battery has plenty of range and I like the Specialized app that allows me to set each power setting to my preferences. For instance, I have Eco mode set to 30/30%, Sport mode to 40/100% (which makes it almost identical in power delivery to Trek's EMTB mode), and Turbo to 100/100%. I never ride in Turbo until I get to that pesky grade on the way home. The color handlebar display is easy to read, provides much more information than I need, and it's programmable. I have the main screen page set to default and it shows speed, time, cadence, power mode, and battery level. When I ride, my cadence averages 85-88.

Being Specialized, the Vado is a quality bike. I have always been a Shimano fan, but I really like the SRAM group on the Vado and the GX rear derailleur's shifts are quick and sure. The 11-42 cassette is perfect gearing for the Vado. I thought maybe 42 wouldn't be low enough for that steep grade I have to ride, but it is. I never used the 52 low gear on my Treks, anyway. That steep grade that's hard to ride up is also interesting going down as the Vado can get up to 38 mph coasting. The 4-piston caliper SRAM G2 RS brakes work well and keep the speed under control. I think 4-piston caliper brakes are important when riding on steep downgrades. Lesser Vados have 2-piston calipers. The Specialized Pathfinder Sport Reflect 650Bx2.3 tires are excellent on pavement and even work on gravel. Tannus Armour inserts I installed in them keep the goat heads on our trails from causing flats. The headlight is bright enough and the wide LED taillight in the rack is outstanding. Finally, I thought the Garmin radar was a gimmick I wouldn't use. I was wrong. It's so useful when riding on the street to be able to tell not only that traffic is approaching from behind, but also how many vehicles and how fast they're coming. I use it all the time and feel it's increased my safety tremendously.

I'm very pleased with my Specialized Turbo Vado 5.0. I'm probably kind of a bike snob so to me, the Vado doesn't look as manly as my road bikes or mountain bikes did, but its performance overshadows that and makes it look very nice indeed. Your husband would find it would be the perfect bike for him in St. George whether he's commuting or riding on the bike trails there. I moved here from St. George/Hurricane, so know that even if you ride on East Ridge/Foremaster, Bloomington Hills, on the D hill, in Washington, or up on any of the bench areas, the Turbo Vado 5.0 would be a great choice.

Had to laugh at the comment re: "Vado doesn't look as manly as my road bikes or mountain bikes..."
My first ebike was chosen precisely because it didn't look like an ebike! I was a HUGE snob about people I deemed 'not real cyclists' and I didn't want anyone to know I was accepting electrical aid to do my daily exercise. But reaching 75 years of age has mellowed me -- I just bought a Turbo Como 5.0 IGH with a step-through frame and followed it up with a Haul ST (which looks like has a Big Wheel somewhere in its family tree!).
Neither the Como nor the Haul look "manly" but both are great bikes. And the radar kit for the Haul should be in today's post -- I, too, thought radar on a bike was a gimmick. But I was wrong (again!).
Ride on!

 

[Viking1]

Welcome and a very nice review as well. Stick around here, lots of wonderful folks and great information. Very nice bike as well!!

 

[dodgeman]

We will expect a lot of awesome pictures from you. Welcome to the forum.