New Vado 5.0 IGH in stock? My LBS's say go for it, they can't get 'em

[Nubnub]

I gave SFBA flex a call to see how after sale service would go. I got an answer on first ring. They indicated they would do the free initial service/check since the LBS I picked up from wouldn't. So I'll schedule that in a month or so. They've also indicated it would be a house call and they have gone as far south as Los Gatos. For more involved service such as an annual tune/clean it is more likely they would pick up and work on the bike in SF and return it. Agreed with you that this sounds like a consumer win tho it is at the expense of the LBS. So far, the rep said they weren't too busy on scheduling. For them to be sustainable, I'd guess they'd have to be selling a lot of bikes thru Specialized Delivery.

BTW the stem mount was in a plastic bag inside the charger accessory bag.

 

[mattie_b]

Wanted to share my experience with Specialized Delivery on my new Vado 5.0 IGH.

My transaction did not go as planned. I am in the Midwest USA. As far as I know, there are no dedicated Specialized shops in my area. When I purchased the bike online via the Specialized website, I was given the option of Specialized Delivery through a LBS located about 12 miles from my house. This LBS does sell Specialized along with other brands.

Per the website, Specialized was to send the bike to the LBS, the LBS was to build bike then setup a delivery at my home where they were to fit the bike and setup the app.

The only part of that my LBS did was build the bike. After that, they refused to deliver it. I had to pick it up. They also did not help with fitment or setting up the app. The fitment and app setup was not a big deal, but I was disappointed about them refusing to deliver the bike.

This was my first interaction with this particular LBS. There is a closer LBS that sells Specialized that I would have preferred to use, but they were not an option for the Specialized Delivery. However, my preferred LBS was an option for the non-Specialized Delivery where they would have received the bike, built it, and then setup a will call pick up. I wish I would have used that option.

From reading other experiences, it seems like Specialized Delivery is great in certain areas. But that is not the case in my area.

But the Vado 5.0 IGH is a great bike! It is awesome to ride!!

 

[gpburdell]

Per the website, Specialized was to send the bike to the LBS, the LBS was to build bike then setup a delivery at my home where they were to fit the bike and setup the app.

The only part of that my LBS did was build the bike. After that, they refused to deliver it. I had to pick it up. They also did not help with fitment or setting up the app. The fitment and app setup was not a big deal, but I was disappointed about them refusing to deliver the bike.

Wow. That's brazen. The LBS is supposed to get a higher commission for delivery orders vs pickup.

I'd be sure to convey your experience to Specialized customer care.

 

[GuruUno]

Wow. That's brazen. The LBS is supposed to get a higher commission for delivery orders vs pickup.

I'd be sure to convey your experience to Specialized customer carre----let me know how that works out for ya.....

 

[Nubnub]

Wanted to share my experience with Specialized Delivery on my new Vado 5.0 IGH.

My transaction did not go as planned. I am in the Midwest USA. As far as I know, there are no dedicated Specialized shops in my area. When I purchased the bike online via the Specialized website, I was given the option of Specialized Delivery through a LBS located about 12 miles from my house. This LBS does sell Specialized along with other brands.

Per the website, Specialized was to send the bike to the LBS, the LBS was to build bike then setup a delivery at my home where they were to fit the bike and setup the app.

The only part of that my LBS did was build the bike. After that, they refused to deliver it. I had to pick it up. They also did not help with fitment or setting up the app. The fitment and app setup was not a big deal, but I was disappointed about them refusing to deliver the bike.

This was my first interaction with this particular LBS. There is a closer LBS that sells Specialized that I would have preferred to use, but they were not an option for the Specialized Delivery. However, my preferred LBS was an option for the non-Specialized Delivery where they would have received the bike, built it, and then setup a will call pick up. I wish I would have used that option.

From reading other experiences, it seems like Specialized Delivery is great in certain areas. But that is not the case in my area.

But the Vado 5.0 IGH is a great bike! It is awesome to ride!!

Although my web order was to pick up at my LBS, my experience was similar. Pointed to it, "there's the bike, there's the door" and out I go. This is the same shop where I have previously bought my Vado SL along with a couple other road bikes over the years. Very different experience.

You should get an email from Specialized asking for feedback on your buying experience. You can let 'em have it for promising white glove home delivery service and failing to provide delivery or setup/ adjustments.

 

[GuruUno]

Upon bringing my new IGH bike into the LBS that was the recipient of the delivery from my current purchase, I had a conversation with the local bike shop manager.
He gave an example of someone buying a bike online vs in the store. He made it seem like if you don't buy it in the store then expect to pay for any service for the bike after the fact. That is what I perceived his statement to mean.

 

[gpburdell]

Upon bringing my new IGH bike into the LBS that was the recipient of the delivery from my current purchase, I had a conversation with the local bike shop manager.
He gave an example of someone buying a bike online vs in the store. He made it seem like if you don't buy it in the store then expect to pay for any service for the bike after the fact. That is what I perceived his statement to mean.

I guess I can see why they wouldn't extend that benefit, but on the other hand IMHO it's not any loss. The LBS "free service" benefit tends to be minimal around here: lube the chain and accessible cables, minor brake & gear adjustment. Stuff most of us either know or can easily learn, and it takes less time to do than it takes to drive to the LBS.

What I don't get is the attitude shown to folks like @Nubnub or @mattie_b ... Sure, they're not gonna give a D2C customer all the benefits they might to someone who bought / ordered from them, but they seem to be forgetting folks need services, parts, accessories, and share their experiences. When you're running a small business you typically can't afford to p|ss off potential customers.

 

[Nubnub]

I guess I can see why they wouldn't extend that benefit, but on the other hand IMHO it's not any loss. The LBS "free service" benefit tends to be minimal around here: lube the chain and accessible cables, minor brake & gear adjustment. Stuff most of us either know or can easily learn, and it takes less time to do than it takes to drive to the LBS.

What I don't get is the attitude shown to folks like @Nubnub or @mattie_b ... Sure, they're not gonna give a D2C customer all the benefits they might to someone who bought / ordered from them, but they seem to be forgetting folks need services, parts, accessories, and share their experiences. When you're running a small business you typically can't afford to p|ss off potential customers.

I think from the LBS perspective particularly smaller LBS, Specialized is slowly squeezing them out by prioritizing stocking website first and not giving the LBS access to that stock. Right now an LBS is lucky if they have floor models for some bikes available for walk in customers. However unlikely they have complete stock of sizes/colors. With Specialized's model, if the LBS makes a "sale" but the customer needs a different size or wants a different color, the LBS can not get them that bike even if the website shows in stock. But the customer can. So it's not surprising there is disenchantment at the LBS about website sales. Still doesn't excuse not following thru on white glove delivery if that is what the website offers. Also agree that it's not a good practice to treat store pick up as hands off delivery. There were 3 unoccupied employees when I picked up my bike - it's not like they didn't have the time to make a minimal attempt at fit adjustments. My seatpost was set about as high as it would go.

 

[gpburdell]

@Nubnub yes, I fully understand why the LBS might not like the D2C model w.r.t. stock availability. But that's a done deal, now the question is whether/how they adapt to the changed marketplace. In your example of the customer walking in and wanting a size/color not in stock, if I were the shop owner I'd be helping the customer place a website pickup or delivery order from my shop. ( as I noted regarding an LBS here, that's not always possible, but if a shop is in the click-to-collect program it would seem wise to leverage the advantages it can offer)

It boils down to the fact that every person who interacts with their store is a potential future revenue stream. Leaving the person with a poor impression tends to direct that future revenue elsewhere.

 

[Onimaru]

Got my wife’s Vado 5 midstep last week. They just finished building mine today (mostly). The LBS needs to get some hardware from the store.

Specialized forgot to pack mine with the fasteners to mount the radar to the rack. I ran some small metrics I had to check but they were too small. So they’ll hook me up with temporary ones to work until specialized sends the right ones.

To answer the frame lock question I had before, the Abus 5750L will fit, but you need to remove the rear wheel to install it (apparently). Will bring it home tomorrow and it’s sunny and 50F on Sunday (raining all this week and next week otherwise) so finally time for a ride! I can’t wait.

 

[GuruUno]

So then, let's make it easy, peasy, black and white.....no grey area.
LBS'es are happy or not? (with the new 'program')
It is to the best benefit of the potential consumer to buy the bike directly from Specialized and not from the LBS?
If a new purchase is made online, the expectation of the consumer is that the experience will be the same as if the LBS was the originator of the sale?
The LBS, only making a percentage of the profit if the bike was purchased online has an attitude?
Or, the LBS is thrilled that they don't need to finance a "floor plan" (inventory) and are extremely happy with the new sales policies.
My early experiences are mixed. Not fully understanding the pluses of the new direct to the consumer I think a lot of the existing bike shops have an attitude.
But quite frankly, I see this very same new "model" of direct sales to be the future of a lot of different businesses.
I think Tesla started it, and with the chip shortage and low inventory, it may be the savior of having a ton of capital tied up and paying for that floor plan.
The future is now. I predict that a boatload of dealerships will fold and there will be a few dedicated 'outlets' to make purchases from.
Specialized is following that model.
Think about it.
How many of us have gone in past years to "computer shows" that are almost non-existent now? They flourished with outdated, previous models and versions of stuff that sat on shelves of stores that most people did not care to buy. They flushed out those items at the flea markets and streamlined the inventory.
I may not convey this thought properly, but I hope my point is understood.

 

[kahn]

So then, let's make it easy, peasy, black and white.....no grey area.
LBS'es are happy or not? (with the new 'program')
It is to the best benefit of the potential consumer to buy the bike directly from Specialized and not from the LBS?
If a new purchase is made online, the expectation of the consumer is that the experience will be the same as if the LBS was the originator of the sale?
The LBS, only making a percentage of the profit if the bike was purchased online has an attitude?
Or, the LBS is thrilled that they don't need to finance a "floor plan" (inventory) and are extremely happy with the new sales policies.
My early experiences are mixed. Not fully understanding the pluses of the new direct to the consumer I think a lot of the existing bike shops have an attitude.
But quite frankly, I see this very same new "model" of direct sales to be the future of a lot of different businesses.
I think Tesla started it, and with the chip shortage and low inventory, it may be the savior of having a ton of capital tied up and paying for that floor plan.
The future is now. I predict that a boatload of dealerships will fold and there will be a few dedicated 'outlets' to make purchases from.
Specialized is following that model.
Think about it.
How many of us have gone in past years to "computer shows" that are almost non-existent now? They flourished with outdated, previous models and versions of stuff that sat on shelves of stores that most people did not care to buy. They flushed out those items at the flea markets and streamlined the inventory.
I may not convey this thought properly, but I hope my point is understood.

Still, I would have had a heck of a time buying my Creo without first having a chance to test its size and performance. That way I knew it was slightly under-powered compared to my other front hub bike. But I could think about it. I think if I had ordered from a catalog or webpage and gotten it that way, my first ride would have been very disappointing.

So while this may be the future, it is not one I fully support. Frankly, I think it is awful.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The future is now. I predict that a boatload of dealerships will fold and there will be a few dedicated 'outlets' to make purchases from.
Specialized is following that model.

I do agree. I'm really lucky to have one of such outlets just 30 minutes of driving away. And these guys are really good in what they are doing.

Now, during my last visit there (before the last huge delivery that might have been related to the direct sales model), I could spot as many as four Como SL occupying the floor but no new "big" Vado. The store will get their first Vado 5.0 IGH for the floor only on Jun 1st. I don't believe it is so easy to sell a Como SL as a Vado.

Now, let us assume I didn't buy my Dove Gray Vado SL in June last year. I could order a White Sage diamond frame or a Limestone Step-Through now in the direct sales model now. And that would be delivered by "my" LBS. It was not possible to order that through the store directly before.

 

[Nubnub]

So then, let's make it easy, peasy, black and white.....no grey area.
LBS'es are happy or not? (with the new 'program')
It is to the best benefit of the potential consumer to buy the bike directly from Specialized and not from the LBS?
If a new purchase is made online, the expectation of the consumer is that the experience will be the same as if the LBS was the originator of the sale?
The LBS, only making a percentage of the profit if the bike was purchased online has an attitude?
Or, the LBS is thrilled that they don't need to finance a "floor plan" (inventory) and are extremely happy with the new sales policies.
My early experiences are mixed. Not fully understanding the pluses of the new direct to the consumer I think a lot of the existing bike shops have an attitude.
But quite frankly, I see this very same new "model" of direct sales to be the future of a lot of different businesses.
I think Tesla started it, and with the chip shortage and low inventory, it may be the savior of having a ton of capital tied up and paying for that floor plan.
The future is now. I predict that a boatload of dealerships will fold and there will be a few dedicated 'outlets' to make purchases from.
Specialized is following that model.
Think about it.
How many of us have gone in past years to "computer shows" that are almost non-existent now? They flourished with outdated, previous models and versions of stuff that sat on shelves of stores that most people did not care to buy. They flushed out those items at the flea markets and streamlined the inventory.
I may not convey this thought properly, but I hope my point is understood.

More likely that the number of LBS selling Specialized will diminish. Whether they fold or not will depend on how dependent they are on Specialized bikes for sales. There are still dozens of shops in the SF bay area that sell specialized - even after Mike's Bikes 12 stores no longer sell Specialized. They picked up Giant I believe. I'm sure Trek/Canondale would be also willing to fill the void if Specialized abandons many of those dozens of shops to go with the centralized model. As for the current situation, my LBS sells other brands, notably Trek. If the choice is telling the customer to order the bike from the website (with the possibility that the customer can just use home delivery from SF Specialized Flex and no sale or deliver to the lbs for 1/2 sale) or finding an equivalent of the other brand, I'm guessing they start pushing the other brands more.

For me, there is a demo center as well as the SF Bay Area Flex which can supply bikes and, apparently service. We shall see. But the good experience of adminuc78 as well as the good phone interactions I have had with them bodes well. In areas where Specialized has an experience center and a local warehouse ( I believe Southern Cal has the same), I think the new model will push buyers away from their LBS and to the website. For others, I agree it makes things worse.

 

[gpburdell]

So then, let's make it easy, peasy, black and white.....no grey area.
LBS'es are happy or not? (with the new 'program')
It is to the best benefit of the potential consumer to buy the bike directly from Specialized and not from the LBS?
If a new purchase is made online, the expectation of the consumer is that the experience will be the same as if the LBS was the originator of the sale?
The LBS, only making a percentage of the profit if the bike was purchased online has an attitude?
Or, the LBS is thrilled that they don't need to finance a "floor plan" (inventory) and are extremely happy with the new sales policies.
My early experiences are mixed. Not fully understanding the pluses of the new direct to the consumer I think a lot of the existing bike shops have an attitude.
But quite frankly, I see this very same new "model" of direct sales to be the future of a lot of different businesses.
I think Tesla started it, and with the chip shortage and low inventory, it may be the savior of having a ton of capital tied up and paying for that floor plan.
The future is now. I predict that a boatload of dealerships will fold and there will be a few dedicated 'outlets' to make purchases from.
Specialized is following that model.
Think about it.
How many of us have gone in past years to "computer shows" that are almost non-existent now? They flourished with outdated, previous models and versions of stuff that sat on shelves of stores that most people did not care to buy. They flushed out those items at the flea markets and streamlined the inventory.
I may not convey this thought properly, but I hope my point is understood.

It is a mixed bag.

Ordering online for Pickup or Delivery appears to cost more than buying directly from the LBS, due to the $50 shipping/destination-fee. I see they also now have a $15 Environmental Fee as well. Customer would save $50-$65 ordering/buying directly from the LBS.

Unlike @Nubnub, in my location there doesn't seem to be a Specialized corporate delivery organization. Ordering for Specialized Delivery used to display a list of nearby shops to do the delivery, though this morning when I mock up an order there are no available Delivery choices. (Still have a variety of Pickup store options). Thus the salesperson in an LBS could work with the customer to place their order for pickup at their store.

As for attitudes... I imagine there are several factors involved. One is a perception of inventory diverted to D2C sales that's not available to the LBS, though I'd ask if that is necessarily a bad thing? If in stock for a customer to order D2C is it not also in stock for the LBS to order? One would think so as that'd make sense from SBC's end, but perhaps not. Perhaps another contributor to attitudes is that compensation models for the sales staff don't yet account for any input they've had leading up to a D2C pickup or delivery? Yet another is the reduced commission to the LBS for D2C pickup/delivery orders - though that is also offset by the savings of perhaps not needing as much in-store stock (as mentioned). Per Specialized website I can see some 2021 Vado leftovers sitting in stores in my region, even a 2020 model. Costs a bit to carry stock for months and month, then perhaps have to sell at a discount because it's one or two model years behind.

Done right, the D2C model could be a good thing for SBC, the LBS's, and the consumers. Maybe it'll happen, or maybe not. Some of that will depend on SBC and some of that will depend on the dealers choosing to adapt to a changing business environment.

We'll see where it all lands. Some stores will find ways to thrive, some will not.

What I don't see changing is that there are a lot of people riding bicycles who don't really know how (or want) to work on them. There are also plenty of people who don't research stuff and want to go to a store and have assistance in choosing what they need. We who found this site likely tend to be more the enthusiast sort needing less hands-on help from the LBS.

 

[AdminUC78]

I gave SFBA flex a call to see how after sale service would go. I got an answer on first ring. They indicated they would do the free initial service/check since the LBS I picked up from wouldn't. So I'll schedule that in a month or so. They've also indicated it would be a house call and they have gone as far south as Los Gatos. For more involved service such as an annual tune/clean it is more likely they would pick up and work on the bike in SF and return it. Agreed with you that this sounds like a consumer win tho it is at the expense of the LBS. So far, the rep said they weren't too busy on scheduling. For them to be sustainable, I'd guess they'd have to be selling a lot of bikes thru Specialized Delivery.

BTW the stem mount was in a plastic bag inside the charger accessory bag.

Awesome. Good to know.

 

[Axis]

Got my wife’s Vado 5 midstep last week. They just finished building mine today (mostly). The LBS needs to get some hardware from the store.

Specialized forgot to pack mine with the fasteners to mount the radar to the rack. I ran some small metrics I had to check but they were too small. So they’ll hook me up with temporary ones to work until specialized sends the right ones.

To answer the frame lock question I had before, the Abus 5750L will fit, but you need to remove the rear wheel to install it (apparently). Will bring it home tomorrow and it’s sunny and 50F on Sunday (raining all this week and next week otherwise) so finally time for a ride! I can’t wait.

Could you take a picture of it installed? I have a 2022 vado 4.0 and want to make sure it will fit. Thanks in advance.

 

[Onimaru]

Could you take a picture of it installed? I have a 2022 vado 4.0 and want to make sure it will fit. Thanks in advance.

I have it installed. It fits. Specifically the 5750L (I’m not sure if there is a non L version. I can’t find them on the Abus product page anymore).

Rear wheel needed removed to install it. A bit of labor, but my LBS did it for me before I picked up my bike.

 

[RAYDAHS]

Interesting....maybe the bike shops don't want to deal with returns in this new process?
Specialized University made videos on how the consumer should pack them up for return

 

[Nubnub]

Interesting....maybe the bike shops don't want to deal with returns in this new process?
Specialized University made videos on how the consumer should pack them up for return

[

I'm guessing this is only for those customers who bypassed the LBS to begin with and had the bike shipped directly to the customer. That is why the customer should already have the box. So far, the direct to ship doesn't seem to apply for ebikes tho.

This is a good video for those people who receive a bike directly from Spesh and may be hrs away from an LBS. Watching the video I did pick up that it is possible that enabling the clutch with the wheel removed may keep tension on the chain - will have to try that out the next time I remove the rear wheel.