Looking for feedback on Specialized 1.2E motor (Brose CB)

[bikeman242]

I have an opportunity to buy a new Specialized Como 3.0 for a steal of $1900. I have ridden the como's and like them, but I am not familiar with the new, weaker motor. Unfortunately I will not be able to get a good test ride before buying.

Looking for some real-life feedback on this motor, and whether it is sufficiently powered to get up steep city hillsl

 

[CoastChimes]

I had a 2019 Vado 2.0 with the more powerful motor, and I had some reservations when it needed to be replaced under warranty, and they offered the 2020 Vado 3.0, because I feared I would miss the extra torque. I can tell you that while, yes, there is a notable difference, I do not miss the power as on really steep hills I just gear down a little bit more than I would have. And I really enjoy the reduced drain on the battery with the 1.2E-- a notable difference. I can tell you I like the 3.0 much more, and I do not miss that more powerful motor (hardly) at all.

 

[AdminUC78]

Greetings from the San Francisco Bay Area. Just went on my first long ride on my one week old 2020 Turbo Vado 3.0. Climbed 15 and 20 degree half mile hills with no problem. I too, was concerned about the "downgrade" to the 1.2e motor with "only" 50nm of torque and the 3.0 Vado's ability to climb steep hills. I am about 165 lbs and the bike had about a 10 pound load of bike locks and picnic food. I do have to increase my cadence along with the shift to the bigger cog, but the motor assist is amazingly efficient and strong, so you can get a workout, but not be wasted at the top of the climb. In anticipation of the climbs I did use Mission Control to tweak the support levels for each assist mode. In so doing, battery depletion was at 80% after a 15 mile ride. Part of the 20% deletion was partly because I did an experiment with a "top speed" Turbo setting run and managed to crank the bike up to 29.6 MPH on a flat clear straightaway with a tailwind of maybe 10-15 mph. I was really pleased with that "top speed" given that my wife's new 2019 Turbo Como has the 1.2 motor with the 85nm torque rating is probably quicker than my 2020 Vado 3.0 with the efficient but less powerful 1.2e engine. So even thought this Class 1 Vado is programmed to halt assist at 20 MPH, your own cadence and momentum can propel you beyond the 20 MPH speed governor. I am not a total novice since I've been mountain and road biking for over 30 years mostly recreationally now, but I did do some MTB local racing back in my 20's. I was hesitant to pull the trigger on an e-mountain bike, but with my wife recovering from a double knee replacement surgery and the fact we both just retired compelled these two boomers to opt for staying active and go for the Turbo Como 2.0 and Turbo Vado 3.0. The e-bikes have allowed us to do long meandering rides which include challenging inclines that have previously resulted in early fatigue on our analog bikes. I have added suspension seat posts, ARS wide body seat, electronic horns, mirrors, SPD dual platforms (to be installed), Topeak rack for my wife's Como and a Rack Time trunk for the Vado. I wanted to add the Redshift suspension stem for the Como but my wife did not like the 90mm length. While these are the so-called "entry level, budget bikes" from Specialized and I did consider mail order, but my long-time LBS has been good to me and the only bikes I have owned over the last 30 years have either been Klein bikes (Gary Klein is now doing other things now, last I read), or Specialized. Had to wait about 2 weeks for the Vado and less than 1 week for the Como. The forum has been informative and even helped to dial in the ingress and egress for the goofy fitting Como/Vado battery packs. Will continue to read and learn! Gotta get another ride in tomorrow!

 

[Sierratim]

I have an opportunity to buy a new Specialized Como 3.0 for a steal of $1900. I have ridden the como's and like them, but I am not familiar with the new, weaker motor. Unfortunately I will not be able to get a good test ride before buying.

Looking for some real-life feedback on this motor, and whether it is sufficiently powered to get up steep city hillsl

We ride Vado 5s in our very hilly mountain town. I can't speak to your topography, but if it's got steep city hills, I'd go with more torque than the 1.2e motor. We've never said "gee, I wish we had less torque on these hills".

Just sayin'...

BTW - Grin Technologies has a motor simulator that helps pick the right motor for you. They have not modeled the Brose or Bosh motors, but you can find others that have similar specs. Pick one. Pick your power output and your hill and see how it goes. This tool was very helpful at picking our first DIY motors.

 

[bikeman242]

We ride Vado 5s in our very hilly mountain town. I can't speak to your topography, but if it's got steep city hills, I'd go with more torque than the 1.2e motor. We've never said "gee, I wish we had less torque on these hills".

Just sayin'...

BTW - Grin Technologies has a motor simulator that helps pick the right motor for you. They have not modeled the Brose or Bosh motors, but you can find others that have similar specs. Pick one. Pick your power output and your hill and see how it goes. This tool was very helpful at picking our first DIY motors.

So I ended up going with a Yamaha PWX powered bike. Tons of torque at low cadence. Like a diesel engine ; ) @FlatSix911

 

[FlatSix911]

So I ended up going with a Yamaha PWX powered bike.

Tons of torque at low cadence. Like a diesel engine ; ) @FlatSix911

Congratulations, you will not be disappointed... the Yamaha drive system is super reliable and had lots of low-end stump-pulling torque!