My 1st 50 miles on the new Como 5.0

[GuruUno]

As stated previously, nice bike, a lot to like, but here are my nit pickings.
1: Kickstand way too high bike is almost vertical, a gust of wind will blow the bike over, had LBS cut it down 1/2", still too high, ordered adjustable Heibe from Germany, I can then make it to the proper height without cutting.

Bike stand 661 T | FIX 40 T - Hebie. Since 1868 made in Bielefeld, Germany.

Bike stands made in Bielefeld, Germany. Our product range of bike stands offers you solutions for different circumstances. Inform yourself here.

www.hebie.de

(who was in charge of designing this that comes with the bike???)
2: As mentioned previously, the "pedal strike" is way out of control.
I never experienced as many scrapes and strikes with my previous Vado 5.0 (2021), or even my 2021 Vado 5.0 SL.
The Como has 650B wheels, the 2021 Vado 5 has 700C, the new Vado 5 (2022) has 650B and the Vado 5 SL (2021) has 700C.

The difference makes all the scraping and scuffing disappear (for me).
So, do I put on 700C?
Does Specialized acknowledge that they have a serious and dangerous specification?

A crank length of 170mm is standard on the Como and Vado, however, on the Vado SL it is 172.5mm
But the BB Height is 275mm on the 2022 Como, 285mm on the 2022 Vado, 270mm on the 2021 VadoSL, and the older Vado 5 (2021) 285mm
With all of the "geometry", I'd almost need to perform a specific visual comparison and real-life test to discern the variables.

A simple, effortless 22-mile ride today, and I scraped the fronts of my shoes at least 8 times or more and had more than a dozen pedal strikes, whether turning left or right.
Never happens on my Vado 5 SL or my previous 2021 Vado 5.0.

 

[CodyDog]

This is the pedal strike clearance on my wife's Como 3.0 Low Entry, Quite a difference.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Guru: There is something known as riding technique. Keep your inner pedal in the 12 o'clock position while cornering and you won't ever need to complain again. Also, you could be well off with shorter cranks.

If you complain about pedals scraping the pavement on cornering, talk to Riese & Muller users... (Can you remember I told you to buy an R&M to teach you not complaining on Specialized?)

 

[GuruUno]

Guru: There is something known as riding technique. Keep your inner pedal in the 12 o'clock position while cornering and you won't ever need to complain again. Also, you could be well off with shorter cranks.

If you complain about pedals scraping the pavement on cornering, talk to Riese & Muller users... (Can you remember I told you to buy an R&M to teach you not complaining on Specialized?)

But.......I never had the issue with my Vado 5.0 (2021), nor the Vado 5.0 SL, only this new Como....there has to be something said for that, design, engineering, who is in charge? I've never experienced this type of problem before, and if I cannot interface with the "Rider Care" people (they have yet to answer the phone on 3 1/2 hour attempts, and once when answered, put me on hold and disconnected).
What are my expectations to address the issue? I don't know but one might think that by making the parties aware and alerting them to the p[roblem/issue, they might either revamp their design or offer a solution. I like the bike, but not the constant threat of possibly injuring myself because of a stu[pid design flaw.
I'm not aware of the R&M item you reference, excuse my ignorance.
I think that by elegantly explaining the problem to the best of my ability, and providing the specifications, etc., it should be clear as anything to discern the design problem. BB height, and wheel size, all make a difference.

And...just to add. example.....I am at a traffic light, I begin to pedal and turn left as peddling, it scrapes, how am I supposed to accelerate and keep my foot at 12 o'clock and there is no 'throttle' to propel me off the starting line????? Possibly a bad example, but another say you are riding on the road and the pavement has a "hump" from a patched water utility or gas utility patch, nice, neat, but not 100% flat with the surrounding road......while moving along at 10, 15, 20 miles per hr. and peddling along, going over that "hump" bottoms out the pedal and scrapes....never, ever has happened before. Ever.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

It has been discussed many times in R&M forums: several popular models have the pedals as low as they scrape the pavement if the rider tries pedalling on cornering. As for EUR8,000 e-bikes that's a serious design flaw you'd say? But it is not. It is down to the proper riding technique.

Let us say you ride at high speed and suddenly press only the front brake lever hard: the Over-The-Bars is imminent. Would you call it a serious design fault? Not. Because you need to press both brake levers to brake safely. Cornering with the inner pedal up is one of the basic riding techniques.

Again: As R&M owners still want to have a greater pedal-to-ground clearance (and you can try talking to R&M forever, good luck), many of them opted to replace their cranks with shorter ones, especially as it is a cheaper option than replacing the wheels (and replacing the 650b wheels with 700 ones will again force you to use narrower tyres etc).

Why is the Como pedal-to-ground clearance so low? Simple: It is expected you could stay in the saddle with your toes touching the ground. The comfort thing. If you wanted a big clearance, you should have bought an e-MTB...

 

[Marci jo]

Guru & Stefan,
Thank you both for being so entertaining!!
I’m tempted to give you both a pair of boxing gloves, put you both in a ring, & take bets on the winner!
Very much appreciated.

 

[GuruUno]

Guru & Stefan,
Thank you both for being so entertaining!!
I’m tempted to give you both a pair of boxing gloves, put you both in a ring, & take bets on the winner!
Very much appreciated.

I'm glad for you that you get some humor from the discussion. However, he's right, I'm wrong, I'm right, he's wrong, that's what makes it a lively discussion.
Nonetheless, the only option to express the experiences of the released products is here, Facebook and Twitter.
Unfortunately, without the correct person to comprehend the meat and potatoes of the conversation (as in the mother ship Specialized), it's a futile attempt to alert others that it's not all peaches and cream, there are specifics associated with every bike, and you've got to find the one that suits you best.
ME, quite frankly, If I am so inclined, may consider buying a Vado 5.0 (2022) and take the handlebars off of the Como 5.0 and see if that works for me.
We can all buy cheaper e-bikes from no-name companies, however, I feel Specialized is a quality item, but I think that their customer service, Rider Cre, and management suck.

 

[mschwett]

the reason bikes have low bottom brackets and correspondingly low pedals is not "dumb" engineering, it's a tradeoff between ability to pedal while cornering and balance, stepover height, correct relationship of saddle and pedal, etc. if the pedals were 2" higher, the saddle would also have to be 2" higher. then you'd probably be complaining that the saddle is too high and bars are too low, so the front would get higher, etc etc.

a BB height of 275mm is quite standard. the big vado is 285mm, a vado SL is lower at 270mm, a creo lower still at at 267mm (less for a smaller size). thankfully specialized (unlike many other makers like gazelle etc) publish this info very clearly on their website.

bigger tires, shorter cranks, smaller and slimmer pedals will all raise the pedal height, but proper riding technique will be the most effective...

 

[GuruUno]

the reason bikes have low bottom brackets and correspondingly low pedals is not "dumb" engineering, it's a tradeoff between ability to pedal while cornering and balance, stepover height, correct relationship of saddle and pedal, etc. if the pedals were 2" higher, the saddle would also have to be 2" higher. then you'd probably be complaining that the saddle is too high and bars are too low, so the front would get higher, etc etc.

a BB height of 275mm is quite standard. the big vado is 285mm, a vado SL is lower at 270mm, a creo lower still at at 267mm (less for a smaller size). thankfully specialized (unlike many other makers like gazelle etc) publish this info very clearly on their website.

bigger tires, shorter cranks, smaller and slimmer pedals will all raise the pedal height, but proper riding technique will be the most effective...

Then....how to find that perfect ride without causing alarm, stress, or expense?

 

[kahn]

Then....how to find that perfect ride without causing alarm, stress, or expense?

Maybe in another 20 years, there will be some automatic adapter to change the bike's height while in "flight"

Until then TECHNIQUE

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Guru: You know the Como is a comfortable e-bike, and I know you like experimenting. Why not replace the existing crankarms with shorter ones?

 

[mattie_b]

I have a Vado 5.0 IGH (2022) and share the same experience as GuruUno in regards of the peddle strikes. That is one of my only complaints about the bike. I am a novice, so I lack much of a riding technique. I am getting much better about the strikes when turning, but it still happens. This was not an issue on my previous ebike (Ride1Up 700).

The peddle strikes I find the most troublesome are from bumps in the road/trail. This happens when going straight. Luckily, it has not caused any falls.

 

[mschwett]

Then....how to find that perfect ride without causing alarm, stress, or expense?

well, there are things you can’t change by much - e.g. the bottom bracket height, which you’ll see does not vary much amongst dozens of similarly purposed bikes. it works for tens of millions of people as such. other things which don’t work as universally are the things which can be changed - pedals, crank arms, saddle, saddle height and angle, bar height, tire size …… so, stating the obvious, try different cranks, pedals, and practice not having the inboard pedal down when you turn. that will become second nature.

in the meantime be careful, a pedal strike at high speed can cause a very bad crash.

 

[GuruUno]

I have a Vado 5.0 IGH (2022) and share the same experience as GuruUno in regards of the peddle strikes. That is one of my only complaints about the bike. I am a novice, so I lack much of a riding technique. I am getting much better about the strikes when turning, but it still happens. This was not an issue on my previous ebike (Ride1Up 700).

The peddle strikes I find the most troublesome are from bumps in the road/trail. This happens when going straight. Luckily, it has not caused any falls.

Exactly.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

So Mattie has a, Vado and Guru has a Como and both of them suffer pedal strikes...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

So Mattie has a Vado and Guru has a Como and both of them suffer pedal strikes...

 

[GuruUno]

So Mattie has a, Vado and Guru has a Como and both of them suffer pedal strikes...

Yes
Both have 650B wheels

 

[GuruUno]

So Mattie has a Vado and Guru has a Como and both of them suffer pedal strikes...

Yes

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Yes

But these are two different e-bike models, with different bottom bracket height. What might have caused the pedal strikes on two different e-bike models of different geometry?

 

[GuruUno]

That is the conversation I am eager to have with Rider Care, if they care to answer their phones.
moving on, the crank length debate is explained very well in this reference article.

What is the best crank length for cycling?

How crank length affects power output and bike fit

www.bikeradar.com

however, I think it’s the wheel size difference.