My 2022 Turbo Vado 4 Review.

[MaxHacker]

Hey guys. There were some request for me to post a review of my brand new Turbo Vado 4.0. Ive had it for about a week now and finally had a chance to sit down and type up a short review on it.

Background:
Im in my late 20s and live in MN. Due to my job Im pretty sedentary most of the day so I wanted something I could get outside and have some fun on while also getting exercise. I knew that i wanted a name brand quality ebike and not something that comes from China and is going to set my apartment on fire when I charge the batteries LOL! So i went to a couple of bike shops in my area and looked at multiple bikes. The ones that caught my eye were the Gazelle Ultimate T10+, Trek FX+2, Turbo Vado SL 4.0 and the 5.0, and the regular Vado 4.0. Initially I was going to go with the Trek FX+2 as it was cheaper than the others and was still a quality bike, but after my test drive I found the gearing frustrating as I could max out its top speed without assist, and with assist it would quickly run out of gears on level ground. It was a great bike IMO otherwise but the gearing was very frustrating. The Gazelle was okay but the design just did not appeal to my as much as the 3 Specializes did. So thats when I test drove the Turbo Vado SL 4.0. This bike was also frustrating. While fun to ride I found it too feel weak and had an extremely harsh ride. After a short test drive I was ready to get off as the ride was just too harsh. Also for some reason it didnt seem to have much power and seemed weaker than the Trek FX+2 that I had test drove earlier. So I came back home and reconsidered what I wanted in a bike as everything I was looking at had massive issues and didnt fit what I what I was looking for. So I found a different bike a shop that happened to have the regular Vado 4.0 and the Vado SL 5.0 in stock. I went there and test drove the Vado SL5.0 first. Man was there a big difference in it and the SL 4.0! The Future Shock made for a much smoother ride and seemed to have a bit more power than the SL4.0 I had test rode earlier as well. I was just about ready to pull the trigger on it when i decided I would go ahead and test drive the regular Vado 4.0. I initially started out without any assist and it was definitely a little harder to maintain the same speed as I could on the Vado SL5.0 on level ground but i didnt find it excessively difficult to pedal. Felt like a nice heavy beach bike you take out for a leisure cruise lol! The SL5.0 was comfy but not this comfy. Then I decided to turn on the assist and that when I was hooked! On turbo I could easily pedal it right up to 28mph no trouble at all on level ground. I was wayy faster than anything I had test ridden before and I knew instantly this was the bike for me haha!

I did not purchase it right away though as I was aware that there was also a regular Vado 5.0 as well. I initially wanted this one over the 4.0 but no nearby shops had one in stock to test drive, and I didnt have 5 grand to spend on a bike. After a few days of going back and forth and having a hard time deciding if i want to wait for 5.0 to be back in stock I decided to forego it and just get the 4.0 instead. Looking back Im glad that I did and Ill explain why later. So I ordered the 4.0 and 2 days later it was ready at the bike shop and I went and picked it up.

Main Review.

Ive had the bike for a week now. By far the best and funnest bike I have ever ridden. Ive ridden about a 120 miles so far and its been an absolute joy to ride. I paired it with the Garmin Varia radar tailight that works seemlessly with the TCD 2 and it works just like it does on the Vado 5. Its connects quickly and reliably everytime. Its like the perfect combo. I set the PAS levels at 30/30, 60/60, and 100/100. I found that the default ECO mode offered just bit more assist than I needed. The 5% decrease seems just right and is just enough to take away the weight of the bike and make it feel like the light weight Vado SL. On level ground and with no wind I can maintain about 16-18 mph in this mode. Going up hill and or into the wind I have to bump up to Sport mode to keep this speed. If its level and no wind I can maintain low 20s in sport mode. I find that I hardly have to use turbo mode. If Im in the city and want to ride in the lane and keep up with the cars I use turbo or If Im pulling hills over like 5 or 6 percent grade and dont feel like working too hard Ill go into Turbo. On level ground in turbo and minimal wind 28mph is easy to reach and sustain. I find that turbo is more power than I need.

After about a 1hr and half I do find that the seat starts the get uncomfortable. At 2 hours Im getting a bit sore. I generally dont ride much longer than 2hrs anyway so this is not really a problem. I think if I was able to tilt the front of the seat up a bit it would make it more comfortable. I havent found a way to do this though. Maybe one day Ill get a redshift or something. The suspension seatpost doesnt seem to do very much except on the biggest bumps which I generally try to take my weight off the seat before going over anyway. The front suspension also seems a little stiff even in the softest setting. Much better than no suspension but I think theres still room for improvement. Maybe the Vado 5.0 Rockshocks would do better here than whatever is on the Vado 4.

On 2 hours rides I can go about 34miles using mostly Eco mode and my average speed is a little over 15mph. At the end of the ride I generally have about 50%-55% battery left. I feel like i could go 60miles before getting uncomfortably low on battery. Definitely satisfied with the range. 4 hours or more on a bike is a long time for me.

Issues.

I have had 2 issues with the bike. The main issue was the screws that hold the mud flap to the front fender was rubbing the wheel and wearing the front wheel out. It was this way when I bought it. I rode about 30miles like this not know why the bike felt like it was dragging and couldnt figure out what was going on. Eventually I took the front fender off and sure enough the bike was significantly easier to pedal. I tried bending the fender and doing everything to reinstall it without it rubbing but nothing seemed to work. Maybe spacers between the front stays and mounting post would have pushed it out far enough away from the tire to keep it from rubbing. But as it is, I dont ride in the rain and dont care for fenders so I just took both the front and and rear fenders off. Removing the rear fenders was real pain because of the integrated tailight. And the only plug for the light is behind the motor cover. So the only option is to either cut the wires or go through the trouble of removing the cranks. I took it back to the bike shop and they refused to remove the fender for me so I had to do it myself. Being that the bike is still under warranty I didnt want to be cutting wires so i decided to remove the cranks and unplug the lights. Getting the cranks off was not fun but I manage to do it. The cranks bolts are really tight. Also unplugging the lights leaves an exposed connector. Again I dont ride in the rain so I dont think it will be a problem but I did make a makeshift cover to cover the little hole the wires ran though just to keep any debris out of the motor compartment. I love the look of the bike without the fenders so I think the trouble was worth it. And this is also one of the main reasons Im glad I didnt get the 5.0. With the fenders rubbing it would have been much harder to remove the rear fender and rack without losing the radar which then would have been a waste of money. It was have been really nice of Speicalized to put a plug back there so the Radar and rear light could have been unplugged and removed from the rear rack and fender.

The only other issue Ive had was I had just gotten back from a bout a 30mile ride when suddenly the TCD2 locked up. The screen dimmed like it was in some low power mode and it would only display the speed, battery level, and the dots for the Garmin radar. Everything else was unaccesable. I had to do a full reset of the system to get it back. Fortunately all of my settings are saved in Mission control so it just took reconnecting to mission control and everything was restored. Not sure why that happened.


Anyway that the end of my review. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

[Ben J]

I think if I was able to tilt the front of the seat up a bit it would make it more comfortable. I havent found a way to do this though.

The seat rails are secured by a clamp on the seat post. There's one screw in the front, and one in the rear. You adjust the tilt by loosening one and tightening the other. To loosen or tighten the entire seat (to slide the rails back and forth, for example), turn them both equally. To adjust tilt I usually do something like take 1/2 to 1 turn off one side (looser) and then retighten the same amount on the other side. Your seat does look quite nose down.

 

[Ike582]

I had the same issue with the front fender hitting the wheel on my '18 Vado 6.0. On my bike, there are two thin arms that connect the rear portion of the fender to the front shocks. I was able to loosen the crews, re-center the fender by pulling on one of the arms, and then tightening the screws. I haven't needed to do it again.

 

[juggernaut]

Nice bike. I love the “naked” look to .

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thank you for your interesting write-up, Max! The part explaining your demo rides and the early ownership experiences is true to life, and greatly agrees with my own (although my full power model of Vado is different from yours).

My Vado SL 4.0 EQ with added front/rear Redshift suspension (and other mods) is my primary e-bike because of its light weight. I agree with you it lacks the power (I personally do not mind on most of my rides). No doubt riding your full power Vado is a fun! I also agree with your assistance settings. The 30/30% is what I use for long range rides, the 55/55% Sport lets me riding with strong and young buddies, and the full Turbo is only for emergency unless I need to climb steep hills on my vacation.

Regarding your issues:

• I eventually removed the long mud flap on my Vado front mudguard. I have kept the rear fender because I need the rear rack and the lighting (especially the STOP indicator available on my model).
• The issue of the TCD 2 going into the "stealth mode" is a known thing. There are several threads about it on the EBR.

You seem to enjoy your Vado as much as I did when I was riding it in the beginnings of my e-bike adventure! Now, I'm riding it slower than before, and that's the "special purpose" e-bike that serves me for long rides (with extra batteries that I carry in panniers, hence the rear rack) or for mountain vacation.

Buying a Vado SL has changed my life again. I appreciated the e-bike that could "live" with me in the same apartment. It's light weight that makes it feel like a regular bike. The fact is the Vado SL gives me a really good workout. Once I got stronger on Vado SL, the big Vado seems too easy for me!

Many happy miles, Max! (Be careful. Riding a new strong e-bike at high speed when you are carried away with happiness and joy might end up in a crash -- been there, done that!)

 

[JayUK]

Great write-up, and congratulations on your new bike!

I went through a similar process and ended up ordering the 2022 Vado 5.0 as I wanted the better fork, battery, and motor. Luckily, in my country, Specialized is doing $1000 off the RRP of the 5.0, so the 5.0 was a no brainer.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@MaxHacker:
Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the suspension fork. I think the Suntour suspension forks on Vados (which are custom and have good oil rebound damping) are surprisingly good. It is only the matter of their setup, which is not obvious.

First of all, I do not recommend even touching the rebound control (the red screw at the bottom of the right fork leg), as the rebound is usually set up correctly at the factory. The only thing you should experiment with is the preload (the left fork leg top dial). Go on a ride to a quiet place with a lot of potholes. Set the dial in the leftmost position and do the test ride. Not happy? Move the dial clockwise a little and repeat. Hopefully, you will find your sweet setting soon! (I did it myself on my Vado when it was upgraded to version 6.0 - it had a rigid fork before). If you are a heavy person, take note that the dial should be turned almost totally clockwise! (otherwise, the spring gets compressed immediately by your weight and no suspension would be available). Also, make sure that the right fork leg has its dial in the "OPEN" position!

Rear suspension: You could try a Cirrus Cycles Kinekt 2.1 seat-post, 30.9 mm diameter. However, the inner seat-tube diameter on the Vado is 34.9 mm, so you would need a massive shim to compensate the difference.

The stock saddle is very good. Only you have a wrong bike-fit I guess. (Order a bike-fitting service).

 

[MaxHacker]

@MaxHacker:
Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the suspension fork. I think the Suntour suspension forks on Vados (which are custom and have good oil rebound damping) are surprisingly good. It is only the matter of their setup, which is not obvious.

First of all, I do not recommend even touching the rebound control (the red screw at the bottom of the right fork leg), as the rebound is usually set up correctly at the factory. The only thing you should experiment with is the preload (the left fork leg top dial). Go on a ride to a quiet place with a lot of potholes. Set the dial in the leftmost position and do the test ride. Not happy? Move the dial clockwise a little and repeat. Hopefully, you will find your sweet setting soon! (I did it myself on my Vado when it was upgraded to version 6.0 - it had a rigid fork before). If you are a heavy person, take note that the dial should be turned almost totally clockwise! (otherwise, the spring gets compressed immediately by your weight and no suspension would be available). Also, make sure that the right fork leg has its dial in the "OPEN" position!

Rear suspension: You could try a Cirrus Cycles Kinekt 2.1 seat-post, 30.9 mm diameter. However, the inner seat-tube diameter on the Vado is 34.9 mm, so you would need a massive shim to compensate the difference.

The stock saddle is very good. Only you have a wrong bike-fit I guess. (Order a bike-fitting service).

Im about 170lbs. I have reduced the preload as much as possible but even with it on the softest setting when i sit on the bike it barely compresses at all. With all of my weight on the front suspension I cant bottom it out on the softest setting. I dont know the technical terms for suspension but it seem like if the load is applied slowly the suspension will easily compress. But if its applied quickly like hitting a pothole or bumps in the road at high speed it does not compress all. At high speed its as if the suspension is in the locked position when its not.

And yeah i think the seat is fine. I just have to find the right angle for it . I tilted it up yesterday and went on a 51 mile ride. Much better than before but I think I actually tilted it up too much . Got to find that sweet spot.

 

[California]

I have had 2 issues with the bike. The main issue was the screws that hold the mud flap to the front fender was rubbing the wheel and wearing the front wheel out. It was this way when I bought it. I rode about 30miles like this not know why the bike felt like it was dragging and couldnt figure out what was going on. Eventually I took the front fender off and sure enough the bike was significantly easier to pedal. I tried bending the fender and doing everything to reinstall it without it rubbing but nothing seemed to work. Maybe spacers between the front stays and mounting post would have pushed it out far enough away from the tire to keep it from rubbing. But as it is, I dont ride in the rain and dont care for fenders so I just took both the front and and rear fenders off.

I don't ride in the rain either, and the front fender on my Tero also bent quickly when taking the front wheel off for transport in my car. I have removed the front fender which is super easy. The back fender I'll keep on until it bugs me.

These bikes are really fabulous. I almost bought a Vado, but somehow ended with a Tero as I want to ride on dirt (and I have some very steep hills). But if I were in Minnesota I don't think I would need the power as I mostly ride in Eco.

 

[Ben J]

Im about 170lbs. I have reduced the preload as much as possible but even with it on the softest setting when i sit on the bike it barely compresses at all. With all of my weight on the front suspension I cant bottom it out on the softest setting. I dont know the technical terms for suspension but it seem like if the load is applied slowly the suspension will easily compress. But if its applied quickly like hitting a pothole or bumps in the road at high speed it does not compress all. At high speed its as if the suspension is in the locked position when its not.

Sounds like the lockout is engaged. Look on the top of the fork on the right side and make sure that knob is all the way to "open". For a spring fork I don't think there's any intermediate setting.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Sounds like the lockout is engaged.

Exactly my thought.

 

[MaxHacker]

I checked the lockout. Its definitely in the unlocked position. Maybe Im expecting too much from this suspension. So long as the roads arent too bad its fine.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I checked the lockout. Its definitely in the unlocked position. Maybe Im expecting too much from this suspension. So long as the roads arent too bad its fine.

Max,
I think I know what it is.
The tyre pressure.
The only way to dampen fast road vibration is to keep the tyre inflation proper to the rider's weight and to the expected vibration dampening level.

First, please check the sidewall for the inflation pressure limits (I think it is 35-65 psi for your tyres). As you are not a heavy person, you can safely deflate the front tyre to 35 psi and better keep the rear wheel at 40 psi. I promise you will be delighted with the comfort level afterwards! Wide tyres as installed on your Vado have enormous suspension capability! Later, you can experiment with the inflation pressure (in 5 psi increments) to find the sweet spot.

After a longer ride, please take a look at the exposed part of the suspension fork inner tube. You will notice dust gathered at the top. With the normal fork operation, expect the dust taking a quarter of the visible tube. It is not normal to be able to bottom out the suspension at the usual riding conditions.
----------
Now, an anecdote. My Vado is equipped with 2" tyres (not as wide as your 2.3" ones), and it originally had a rigid fork. I was wrongly believing riding at high inflation was very good. On my first trip into the forest I had the wheels inflated to 50 psi. When zooming the rough fire-roads, I was groaning as my Vado was terribly shaking my bones! On a stop, I deflated the wheels to 40 psi. I could not believe how comfortable the ride became!

Good luck, Max!

 

[Kilowatt]

I recently bought two Vado 4.0s for the wife and me. One came with spacers between the front fender stays and the fork and the other one didn't. Tire clearance is OK on both so I didn't mess with it. I suspect that all the bikes come with the spacers. It's just up to who assembles the bike as to whether they make it on or get tossed into the junk drawer.

 

[MaxHacker]

Max,
I think I know what it is.
The tyre pressure.
The only way to dampen fast road vibration is to keep the tyre inflation proper to the rider's weight and to the expected vibration dampening level.

First, please check the sidewall for the inflation pressure limits (I think it is 35-65 psi for your tyres). As you are not a heavy person, you can safely deflate the front tyre to 35 psi and better keep the rear wheel at 40 psi. I promise you will be delighted with the comfort level afterwards! Wide tyres as installed on your Vado have enormous suspension capability! Later, you can experiment with the inflation pressure (in 5 psi increments) to find the sweet spot.

After a longer ride, please take a look at the exposed part of the suspension fork inner tube. You will notice dust gathered at the top. With the normal fork operation, expect the dust taking a quarter of the visible tube. It is not normal to be able to bottom out the suspension at the usual riding conditions.
----------
Now, an anecdote. My Vado is equipped with 2" tyres (not as wide as your 2.3" ones), and it originally had a rigid fork. I was wrongly believing riding at high inflation was very good. On my first trip into the forest I had the wheels inflated to 50 psi. When zooming the rough fire-roads, I was groaning as my Vado was terribly shaking my bones! On a stop, I deflated the wheels to 40 psi. I could not believe how comfortable the ride became!

Good luck, Max!

I went on a 45 mile ride yesterday on a better quality road than i have normally been riding on. Bike was very smooth and comfortable. Im starting to think Minnesotas roads just suck because they are also bumpy in my vehicle lol. I checked the dust on the forks as you suggested and I could see a line about 1/3 of the way up the fork which suggest that they are working as designed. Also I have tweaked my seat a bit more and I think I finally got it right. I can ride 45 miles pain free. Not the most comfortable thing in the world but no lasting soreness for days like I was having before. Never realized just how much comfort is affected by the seat angle.

On another note I purchased the Hammerhead Karoo 2 for navigation. I love it. I love that it uses Android as I im very familiar with Android. Bike and GPS sync up and perform flawlessly. There does seem to be a compatibility issue with the motor power as sometimes the Karoo 2 seems to give incorrect readings but besides that its fine. For motor power I just display that on the TCD 2. I just hit 300miles of trouble free riding and Im starting to think its time for me to clean my chain. Starting to look a little dirty.

 

[MaxHacker]

I recently bought two Vado 4.0s for the wife and me. One came with spacers between the front fender stays and the fork and the other one didn't. Tire clearance is OK on both so I didn't mess with it. I suspect that all the bikes come with the spacers. It's just up to who assembles the bike as to whether they make it on or get tossed into the junk drawer.

Hmm thats interesting. Mine did not come iwth any spacers and no matter what I did it rubbed the tire. Sounds like you are correct that it should have had them. Im pretty sure spacers would have stopped the rubbing on mine.

 

[Sefutau2020]

Hey guys. There were some request for me to post a review of my brand new Turbo Vado 4.0. Ive had it for about a week now and finally had a chance to sit down and type up a short review on it.

Background:
Im in my late 20s and live in MN. Due to my job Im pretty sedentary most of the day so I wanted something I could get outside and have some fun on while also getting exercise. I knew that i wanted a name brand quality ebike and not something that comes from China and is going to set my apartment on fire when I charge the batteries LOL! So i went to a couple of bike shops in my area and looked at multiple bikes. The ones that caught my eye were the Gazelle Ultimate T10+, Trek FX+2, Turbo Vado SL 4.0 and the 5.0, and the regular Vado 4.0. Initially I was going to go with the Trek FX+2 as it was cheaper than the others and was still a quality bike, but after my test drive I found the gearing frustrating as I could max out its top speed without assist, and with assist it would quickly run out of gears on level ground. It was a great bike IMO otherwise but the gearing was very frustrating. The Gazelle was okay but the design just did not appeal to my as much as the 3 Specializes did. So thats when I test drove the Turbo Vado SL 4.0. This bike was also frustrating. While fun to ride I found it too feel weak and had an extremely harsh ride. After a short test drive I was ready to get off as the ride was just too harsh. Also for some reason it didnt seem to have much power and seemed weaker than the Trek FX+2 that I had test drove earlier. So I came back home and reconsidered what I wanted in a bike as everything I was looking at had massive issues and didnt fit what I what I was looking for. So I found a different bike a shop that happened to have the regular Vado 4.0 and the Vado SL 5.0 in stock. I went there and test drove the Vado SL5.0 first. Man was there a big difference in it and the SL 4.0! The Future Shock made for a much smoother ride and seemed to have a bit more power than the SL4.0 I had test rode earlier as well. I was just about ready to pull the trigger on it when i decided I would go ahead and test drive the regular Vado 4.0. I initially started out without any assist and it was definitely a little harder to maintain the same speed as I could on the Vado SL5.0 on level ground but i didnt find it excessively difficult to pedal. Felt like a nice heavy beach bike you take out for a leisure cruise lol! The SL5.0 was comfy but not this comfy. Then I decided to turn on the assist and that when I was hooked! On turbo I could easily pedal it right up to 28mph no trouble at all on level ground. I was wayy faster than anything I had test ridden before and I knew instantly this was the bike for me haha!

I did not purchase it right away though as I was aware that there was also a regular Vado 5.0 as well. I initially wanted this one over the 4.0 but no nearby shops had one in stock to test drive, and I didnt have 5 grand to spend on a bike. After a few days of going back and forth and having a hard time deciding if i want to wait for 5.0 to be back in stock I decided to forego it and just get the 4.0 instead. Looking back Im glad that I did and Ill explain why later. So I ordered the 4.0 and 2 days later it was ready at the bike shop and I went and picked it up.

Main Review.

Ive had the bike for a week now. By far the best and funnest bike I have ever ridden. Ive ridden about a 120 miles so far and its been an absolute joy to ride. I paired it with the Garmin Varia radar tailight that works seemlessly with the TCD 2 and it works just like it does on the Vado 5. Its connects quickly and reliably everytime. Its like the perfect combo. I set the PAS levels at 30/30, 60/60, and 100/100. I found that the default ECO mode offered just bit more assist than I needed. The 5% decrease seems just right and is just enough to take away the weight of the bike and make it feel like the light weight Vado SL. On level ground and with no wind I can maintain about 16-18 mph in this mode. Going up hill and or into the wind I have to bump up to Sport mode to keep this speed. If its level and no wind I can maintain low 20s in sport mode. I find that I hardly have to use turbo mode. If Im in the city and want to ride in the lane and keep up with the cars I use turbo or If Im pulling hills over like 5 or 6 percent grade and dont feel like working too hard Ill go into Turbo. On level ground in turbo and minimal wind 28mph is easy to reach and sustain. I find that turbo is more power than I need.

After about a 1hr and half I do find that the seat starts the get uncomfortable. At 2 hours Im getting a bit sore. I generally dont ride much longer than 2hrs anyway so this is not really a problem. I think if I was able to tilt the front of the seat up a bit it would make it more comfortable. I havent found a way to do this though. Maybe one day Ill get a redshift or something. The suspension seatpost doesnt seem to do very much except on the biggest bumps which I generally try to take my weight off the seat before going over anyway. The front suspension also seems a little stiff even in the softest setting. Much better than no suspension but I think theres still room for improvement. Maybe the Vado 5.0 Rockshocks would do better here than whatever is on the Vado 4.

On 2 hours rides I can go about 34miles using mostly Eco mode and my average speed is a little over 15mph. At the end of the ride I generally have about 50%-55% battery left. I feel like i could go 60miles before getting uncomfortably low on battery. Definitely satisfied with the range. 4 hours or more on a bike is a long time for me.

Issues.

I have had 2 issues with the bike. The main issue was the screws that hold the mud flap to the front fender was rubbing the wheel and wearing the front wheel out. It was this way when I bought it. I rode about 30miles like this not know why the bike felt like it was dragging and couldnt figure out what was going on. Eventually I took the front fender off and sure enough the bike was significantly easier to pedal. I tried bending the fender and doing everything to reinstall it without it rubbing but nothing seemed to work. Maybe spacers between the front stays and mounting post would have pushed it out far enough away from the tire to keep it from rubbing. But as it is, I dont ride in the rain and dont care for fenders so I just took both the front and and rear fenders off. Removing the rear fenders was real pain because of the integrated tailight. And the only plug for the light is behind the motor cover. So the only option is to either cut the wires or go through the trouble of removing the cranks. I took it back to the bike shop and they refused to remove the fender for me so I had to do it myself. Being that the bike is still under warranty I didnt want to be cutting wires so i decided to remove the cranks and unplug the lights. Getting the cranks off was not fun but I manage to do it. The cranks bolts are really tight. Also unplugging the lights leaves an exposed connector. Again I dont ride in the rain so I dont think it will be a problem but I did make a makeshift cover to cover the little hole the wires ran though just to keep any debris out of the motor compartment. I love the look of the bike without the fenders so I think the trouble was worth it. And this is also one of the main reasons Im glad I didnt get the 5.0. With the fenders rubbing it would have been much harder to remove the rear fender and rack without losing the radar which then would have been a waste of money. It was have been really nice of Speicalized to put a plug back there so the Radar and rear light could have been unplugged and removed from the rear rack and fender.

The only other issue Ive had was I had just gotten back from a bout a 30mile ride when suddenly the TCD2 locked up. The screen dimmed like it was in some low power mode and it would only display the speed, battery level, and the dots for the Garmin radar. Everything else was unaccesable. I had to do a full reset of the system to get it back. Fortunately all of my settings are saved in Mission control so it just took reconnecting to mission control and everything was restored. Not sure why that happened.


Anyway that the end of my review. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

View attachment 154037

Great review....I love my Vado 4, and after 1 plus years of ownership, I have had no significant issues. This bike is rock solid, with top notch engineering.

 

[Sefutau2020]

Hey guys. There were some request for me to post a review of my brand new Turbo Vado 4.0. Ive had it for about a week now and finally had a chance to sit down and type up a short review on it.

Background:
Im in my late 20s and live in MN. Due to my job Im pretty sedentary most of the day so I wanted something I could get outside and have some fun on while also getting exercise. I knew that i wanted a name brand quality ebike and not something that comes from China and is going to set my apartment on fire when I charge the batteries LOL! So i went to a couple of bike shops in my area and looked at multiple bikes. The ones that caught my eye were the Gazelle Ultimate T10+, Trek FX+2, Turbo Vado SL 4.0 and the 5.0, and the regular Vado 4.0. Initially I was going to go with the Trek FX+2 as it was cheaper than the others and was still a quality bike, but after my test drive I found the gearing frustrating as I could max out its top speed without assist, and with assist it would quickly run out of gears on level ground. It was a great bike IMO otherwise but the gearing was very frustrating. The Gazelle was okay but the design just did not appeal to my as much as the 3 Specializes did. So thats when I test drove the Turbo Vado SL 4.0. This bike was also frustrating. While fun to ride I found it too feel weak and had an extremely harsh ride. After a short test drive I was ready to get off as the ride was just too harsh. Also for some reason it didnt seem to have much power and seemed weaker than the Trek FX+2 that I had test drove earlier. So I came back home and reconsidered what I wanted in a bike as everything I was looking at had massive issues and didnt fit what I what I was looking for. So I found a different bike a shop that happened to have the regular Vado 4.0 and the Vado SL 5.0 in stock. I went there and test drove the Vado SL5.0 first. Man was there a big difference in it and the SL 4.0! The Future Shock made for a much smoother ride and seemed to have a bit more power than the SL4.0 I had test rode earlier as well. I was just about ready to pull the trigger on it when i decided I would go ahead and test drive the regular Vado 4.0. I initially started out without any assist and it was definitely a little harder to maintain the same speed as I could on the Vado SL5.0 on level ground but i didnt find it excessively difficult to pedal. Felt like a nice heavy beach bike you take out for a leisure cruise lol! The SL5.0 was comfy but not this comfy. Then I decided to turn on the assist and that when I was hooked! On turbo I could easily pedal it right up to 28mph no trouble at all on level ground. I was wayy faster than anything I had test ridden before and I knew instantly this was the bike for me haha!

I did not purchase it right away though as I was aware that there was also a regular Vado 5.0 as well. I initially wanted this one over the 4.0 but no nearby shops had one in stock to test drive, and I didnt have 5 grand to spend on a bike. After a few days of going back and forth and having a hard time deciding if i want to wait for 5.0 to be back in stock I decided to forego it and just get the 4.0 instead. Looking back Im glad that I did and Ill explain why later. So I ordered the 4.0 and 2 days later it was ready at the bike shop and I went and picked it up.

Main Review.

Ive had the bike for a week now. By far the best and funnest bike I have ever ridden. Ive ridden about a 120 miles so far and its been an absolute joy to ride. I paired it with the Garmin Varia radar tailight that works seemlessly with the TCD 2 and it works just like it does on the Vado 5. Its connects quickly and reliably everytime. Its like the perfect combo. I set the PAS levels at 30/30, 60/60, and 100/100. I found that the default ECO mode offered just bit more assist than I needed. The 5% decrease seems just right and is just enough to take away the weight of the bike and make it feel like the light weight Vado SL. On level ground and with no wind I can maintain about 16-18 mph in this mode. Going up hill and or into the wind I have to bump up to Sport mode to keep this speed. If its level and no wind I can maintain low 20s in sport mode. I find that I hardly have to use turbo mode. If Im in the city and want to ride in the lane and keep up with the cars I use turbo or If Im pulling hills over like 5 or 6 percent grade and dont feel like working too hard Ill go into Turbo. On level ground in turbo and minimal wind 28mph is easy to reach and sustain. I find that turbo is more power than I need.

After about a 1hr and half I do find that the seat starts the get uncomfortable. At 2 hours Im getting a bit sore. I generally dont ride much longer than 2hrs anyway so this is not really a problem. I think if I was able to tilt the front of the seat up a bit it would make it more comfortable. I havent found a way to do this though. Maybe one day Ill get a redshift or something. The suspension seatpost doesnt seem to do very much except on the biggest bumps which I generally try to take my weight off the seat before going over anyway. The front suspension also seems a little stiff even in the softest setting. Much better than no suspension but I think theres still room for improvement. Maybe the Vado 5.0 Rockshocks would do better here than whatever is on the Vado 4.

On 2 hours rides I can go about 34miles using mostly Eco mode and my average speed is a little over 15mph. At the end of the ride I generally have about 50%-55% battery left. I feel like i could go 60miles before getting uncomfortably low on battery. Definitely satisfied with the range. 4 hours or more on a bike is a long time for me.

Issues.

I have had 2 issues with the bike. The main issue was the screws that hold the mud flap to the front fender was rubbing the wheel and wearing the front wheel out. It was this way when I bought it. I rode about 30miles like this not know why the bike felt like it was dragging and couldnt figure out what was going on. Eventually I took the front fender off and sure enough the bike was significantly easier to pedal. I tried bending the fender and doing everything to reinstall it without it rubbing but nothing seemed to work. Maybe spacers between the front stays and mounting post would have pushed it out far enough away from the tire to keep it from rubbing. But as it is, I dont ride in the rain and dont care for fenders so I just took both the front and and rear fenders off. Removing the rear fenders was real pain because of the integrated tailight. And the only plug for the light is behind the motor cover. So the only option is to either cut the wires or go through the trouble of removing the cranks. I took it back to the bike shop and they refused to remove the fender for me so I had to do it myself. Being that the bike is still under warranty I didnt want to be cutting wires so i decided to remove the cranks and unplug the lights. Getting the cranks off was not fun but I manage to do it. The cranks bolts are really tight. Also unplugging the lights leaves an exposed connector. Again I dont ride in the rain so I dont think it will be a problem but I did make a makeshift cover to cover the little hole the wires ran though just to keep any debris out of the motor compartment. I love the look of the bike without the fenders so I think the trouble was worth it. And this is also one of the main reasons Im glad I didnt get the 5.0. With the fenders rubbing it would have been much harder to remove the rear fender and rack without losing the radar which then would have been a waste of money. It was have been really nice of Speicalized to put a plug back there so the Radar and rear light could have been unplugged and removed from the rear rack and fender.

The only other issue Ive had was I had just gotten back from a bout a 30mile ride when suddenly the TCD2 locked up. The screen dimmed like it was in some low power mode and it would only display the speed, battery level, and the dots for the Garmin radar. Everything else was unaccesable. I had to do a full reset of the system to get it back. Fortunately all of my settings are saved in Mission control so it just took reconnecting to mission control and everything was restored. Not sure why that happened.


Anyway that the end of my review. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

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My longest ride to date is 62 miles all in Eco mode (35/35) and I arrived home with 28% battery left. This was very impressive.

 

[bikeroc]

I am torn between the 4.0 and 5.0 as well. I am hoping to do grocery shopping with the bike and do have to ride home uphill with loaded rear rack and panniers, so I am wondering if the additional torque would be helpful. Have you had a chance to haul a load with your 4.0? Did you have enough ooomph?

 

[Ben J]

I am torn between the 4.0 and 5.0 as well. I am hoping to do grocery shopping with the bike and do have to ride home uphill with loaded rear rack and panniers, so I am wondering if the additional torque would be helpful. Have you had a chance to haul a load with your 4.0? Did you have enough ooomph?

I go up a big hill by my house all the time at the equivalent rear wheel torque of the Vado 4 in turbo (on my Tero X, accounting for assist level and gearing) and it's fine. The main difference would be that my own pedal input is easier because I would be in a lower gear.

If you want speed on the flat, that would be more about watts, and it's harder to find the numbers for the actual max power of all of their various motors (which all say "250 nominal")