New wheels for Vado SL 4.0 EQ 2021 ?

[Sunshine2021]

Hi

I have a Vado SL 4.0 EQ from 2021 with original fenders with approx. 2000 km.
1. When should I change the wheels of my bike ?
2. Which wheels do you recommend ? ( I am located in Switzerland ) .

Unfortunately my LBS no longer supports Specialized and the next feasible shop is too far away . So I need some buying advice.

Thanks for your help !

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Hi

I have a Vado SL 4.0 EQ from 2021 with original fenders with approx. 2000 km.
1. When should I change the wheels of my bike ?
2. Which wheels do you recommend ? ( I am located in Switzerland ) .

Unfortunately my LBS no longer supports Specialized and the next feasible shop is too far away . So I need some buying advice.

Thanks for your help !

I mean if they aren't broken, keep going. Or ask your LBS to check the hubs bearings etc and check spokes. You can check the rims for cracks as well. My wheels are older and still going strong (so far)

 

[Stefan Mikes]

1. When should I change the wheels of my bike ?

When they get seriously untrue, and after truing them by any bike mechanic these become untrue again. That might happen after, say, 20 thousand kilometres but not after two thousand.

2. Which wheels do you recommend ? ( I am located in Switzerland ) .

There are many wheel-builders around the EU (these should also be present in Switzerland). I ordered a rear wheel for my Vado SL from https://lemonbike.eu (a DT Swiss U623 rim and a 350 Classic rear hub wheel and Sapim spokes). You need to know all the parameters of both the front and rear wheel. Whenever you want to know the parametres, drop me a private message.

I mean if they aren't broken, keep going. Or ask your LBS to check the hubs bearings etc and check spokes. You can check the rims for cracks as well.

A sound advice. The wheels on the e-bike such as Vado SL only break when some or all criteria have been met:

• The e-bike has been actively ridden for, say, 5 years x
• Big mileage x
• A heavy rider and cargo x
• Riding the e-bike in rough terrain for long distances; abusing the wheels x
• Letting the spokes be loose or broken.

The criteria met in my own case were the four ones marked with the "x". The original front wheel holds perfectly.

The e-bike wheels are the second most durable components after the derailleur and shifter.

 

[stompandgo]

You can have a custom wheel built, but there are plenty of off the shelf wheels available that should fit your SL. Like Stafan says, you should find out why your current OEM wheels aren't working for you first.

 

[Sunshine2021]

Thank you all for you replies. I just noticed that I have confused wheels for tires ( eg Pathfinder , Schwalbe etc)

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Thank you all for you replies. I just noticed that I have confused wheels for tires ( eg Pathfinder , Schwalbe etc)

You can fit any 700 x 38 mm tire with the stock fenders in place, front and rear. But 38 mm tires are getting harder to find. Up front, you can go as wide as 40 mm with the fender on — at least with some tires.

Others can advise you about when to change tires. But to recommend tires, we'd need to know...

1. What tires you're running now, and what you do and don't like about them.

2. What kind of riding you do — commuting, fitness, etc.

3. What kind of surfaces you ride on — pavement, hardpack, gravel, sand, etc.

When the time comes, your best bet is to take your bike to a bike shop, give them the info above, and let them show you some options.