Jim in Central CA
Active Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Oakdale
Hello to all of the members of this forum. I have been spying on all of you for the last couple of months as I tried to decide if I should get an e-bike and, if so, which e-bike. Thanks to all of the information available on-line and via this forum I decided to go with mid-drive vs. hub drive, even though mid-drive is more expensive. The whole point of my getting an e-bike was to get more exercise, so I eventually decided on a Specialized Turbo Vado. I then started studying the different models and learned about the changes Specialized made between the 2019 models and the 2020 models. So thanks to all of you for that information, too! 
Along with this knowledge I also found a brand new 2019 Turbo Vado 3.0 on e-bay. The bike shop selling the bikes had four new 2019 3.0 Vados in stock, and with free shipping, too. That was important because I am in California and the bike shop is in Massachusetts. The price was discounted to $2,999 due to the bikes being 2 years old. I am 5'5" so I needed the Small frame size, and they had one. Plus, it was Storm Gray (blue!) which is the color I wanted, so it was tempting, but I still held back. After all, $3,000 for a bike is still very expensive in my book. After a couple weeks they had only sold one of the four bikes, so in early April they discounted them another $200 and I then decided (or perhaps rationalized 
) I would never again have the chance to buy a brand new 2019 Vado 3.0 in my size with the 10 speeds, slightly better shifter, slightly better brakes, in my favorite color, and at such a favorable price, so I took the plunge. The bike arrived new in the box in mid-April and I had it put together by my LBS to ensure the factory warranty is in place. I live in a small town in Central California, and luckily, we have a small LBS here in town and they are an authorized Specialized dealer so that worked out perfectly. As you all know, the 2019 Vados have the BLOKS display, which is not ideal, but I am not a super-serious rider (at least not yet), so while I wouldn't mind having Mission Control capability, it is not a deal-breaker.
Anyway, I am getting to know my bike and really enjoying it so far. My goal is to use it to replace my car for local trips around my little town as a way to get more exercise. I have a set of keyed-alike locks on order from ABUS (again, thanks to the folks posting on this forum), so until the locks arrive I am not willing to leave it outside the grocery store or hardware store while I shop, but I am riding it to church and cruising around town just for fun and exercise. Also, I am already thinking about stepping up to the 48 tooth chain ring that comes on the Vado 5.0. We don't have any real hills to speak of where I live, so hill climbing ability is not critical for me. I am just getting back in to riding after about 12 years away from bikes, but I am always in the higher gears, so perhaps the 48 tooth chain ring would be better for me than the 40 tooth chain ring the 3.0 came with.
Also, I plan to get a set of panniers to use for carrying groceries home from the store, but right now everything seems to be sold out so I will just have to wait until things come back in stock.
Anyway, thanks again to all of you for the information you have shared that helped me decide to get my bike. I am looking forward to a long and happy ownership experience with my new Vado 3.0 and I can see that as I gain more endurance I will want to take longer trips father afield. Perhaps over the coast to the Monterey area, the San Francisco Bay area, and up to the Sacramento area.
Along with this knowledge I also found a brand new 2019 Turbo Vado 3.0 on e-bay. The bike shop selling the bikes had four new 2019 3.0 Vados in stock, and with free shipping, too. That was important because I am in California and the bike shop is in Massachusetts. The price was discounted to $2,999 due to the bikes being 2 years old. I am 5'5" so I needed the Small frame size, and they had one. Plus, it was Storm Gray (blue!) which is the color I wanted, so it was tempting, but I still held back. After all, $3,000 for a bike is still very expensive in my book. After a couple weeks they had only sold one of the four bikes, so in early April they discounted them another $200 and I then decided (or perhaps rationalized ) I would never again have the chance to buy a brand new 2019 Vado 3.0 in my size with the 10 speeds, slightly better shifter, slightly better brakes, in my favorite color, and at such a favorable price, so I took the plunge. The bike arrived new in the box in mid-April and I had it put together by my LBS to ensure the factory warranty is in place. I live in a small town in Central California, and luckily, we have a small LBS here in town and they are an authorized Specialized dealer so that worked out perfectly. As you all know, the 2019 Vados have the BLOKS display, which is not ideal, but I am not a super-serious rider (at least not yet), so while I wouldn't mind having Mission Control capability, it is not a deal-breaker.Anyway, I am getting to know my bike and really enjoying it so far. My goal is to use it to replace my car for local trips around my little town as a way to get more exercise. I have a set of keyed-alike locks on order from ABUS (again, thanks to the folks posting on this forum), so until the locks arrive I am not willing to leave it outside the grocery store or hardware store while I shop, but I am riding it to church and cruising around town just for fun and exercise. Also, I am already thinking about stepping up to the 48 tooth chain ring that comes on the Vado 5.0. We don't have any real hills to speak of where I live, so hill climbing ability is not critical for me. I am just getting back in to riding after about 12 years away from bikes, but I am always in the higher gears, so perhaps the 48 tooth chain ring would be better for me than the 40 tooth chain ring the 3.0 came with.
Also, I plan to get a set of panniers to use for carrying groceries home from the store, but right now everything seems to be sold out so I will just have to wait until things come back in stock.Anyway, thanks again to all of you for the information you have shared that helped me decide to get my bike. I am looking forward to a long and happy ownership experience with my new Vado 3.0 and I can see that as I gain more endurance I will want to take longer trips father afield. Perhaps over the coast to the Monterey area, the San Francisco Bay area, and up to the Sacramento area.
.
