Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[RabH]

I was going to go out tomorrow but the winds are picking up again so I made the most of the lesser winds today and enjoyed a nice ride in the sun! The winds have now turned to easterlies so I had a headwind setting off so I was looking forward to the tailwind on the way home this time! I passed another of my local lochs today and was shocked at how low the water had become, very strange considering the amount of rain we have had in recent weeks and the loch nearby is back to normal levels so its a real mystery!

I was heading towards Linlithgow today on mostly quiet back roads which were now dry thanks to the sun, this morning they were soaking wet after overnight rain! I waited until after midday and I was rewarded, it was a beautiful day for the time of year but the easterly wind was pretty chilly as always! After passing the loch there's a nice downhill towards Avonbridge, the road in the distance here is one I use a lot but its prone to flooding!

I love the change in colours at this time of year!

The horses had their winter coats on today!

I continued on to Linlithgow where the roads can be busy but strangely they were quiet today and I wasn't complaining, this is at the far side of Linlithgow looking towards the Ochill Hills!

I then turned south to Kingscavil where the road drops away very steeply into the valley and immediately climbs very steeply up the other side, its quite a climb even on an e bike! This is looking south!

This is looking north after the big climb!

This was just before the descent into the valley!

Now I was ready to enjoy the fastest descent of the day with the wind at my back now and heading for Beecraigs Country Park, 44.3mph and what a blast that was! More views of the Ochill Hills from part way up the climb to the park!

After the climb I turned south again heading towards Dechmont, this descent goes right between Beecraigs Park and the loch and is a very fast descent! I was close to 40mph freewheeling here!

I then had a very steep climb to take on so I turned the assist up to level 3 and panted my way up! My legs were feeling the 2 recent rides but I knew I would soon have a very nice tailwind pushing me home! I now had a nice descent again and as I reached the bottom of the hill I was just about to pass a small road and decided to give it a go to see what it was like, it meant I would be heading east for a bit into the wind but I really enjoyed it and came across a field with many horses enjoying the lush grass!

Then I reached the end of the road and turned north towards Dechmont and found another awesome road! It was full of ups and downs and twists and turns, my favourite kind of road!

I reached Dechmont where I would join a busy road but only for a few hundred yards before turning on to a very nice cycle path which was deserted today, with the tailwind I was flying along and very glad the path was quiet! After the cycle path I need to join the main road again which eventually becomes a fast dual carriageway, luckily they were working on the road today and the speed was reduced to 40mph! After I reached the end of the roadworks I noticed they had built a new cycle path which leads all the way to Whitburn, this was a very welcome surprise!

All the way home I had the lovely tailwind behind me, what a fantastic ride once again! I even got home with a clean bike this time, what a bonus! Especially after Sundays ride when I got home in a right mess, the bike was worse than me!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

After Three Years and Over 14,000 Kilometres...

...the motor of my Vado 5.0 died. A broken belt drive of the Specialized 1.2s motor. The LBS promised to do the repair for approximately US$1,000 (including labour and tax). Fifty spare motors of that model are available in the warehouse.

Before that happened. As I got my new Wahoo ELEMNT Roam v2 bike GPS computer, I sold the Bolt v2 to my friend Jerzy. He is happy! Strava app will not steal any hard pedalled kilometres from him anymore!

The motor died after some 70 km ride. I was lucky it happened in the centre of our county city! I pedalled home unassisted and called a friendly taxi driver

 

[DaveMatthews]

After Three Years and Over 14,000 Kilometres...

...the motor of my Vado 5.0 died. A broken belt drive of the Specialized 1.2s motor. The LBS promised to do the repair for approximately US$1,000 (including labour and tax). Fifty spare motors of that model are available in the warehouse.

View attachment 138233
Before that happened. As I got my new Wahoo ELEMNT Roam v2 bike GPS computer, I sold the Bolt v2 to my friend Jerzy. He is happy! Strava app will not steal any hard pedalled kilometres from him anymore!

The motor died after some 70 km ride. I was lucky it happened in the centre of our county city! I pedalled home unassisted and called a friendly taxi driver

Bummer!
Sounds like a bit of a steep price for the repair though...

 

[Chargeride]

A 1000 dollars!
Surely a new motor isnt that much?
Is it the Brose.

 

[Djangodog]

After Three Years and Over 14,000 Kilometres...

...the motor of my Vado 5.0 died. A broken belt drive of the Specialized 1.2s motor. The LBS promised to do the repair for approximately US$1,000 (including labour and tax). Fifty spare motors of that model are available in the warehouse.

View attachment 138233
Before that happened. As I got my new Wahoo ELEMNT Roam v2 bike GPS computer, I sold the Bolt v2 to my friend Jerzy. He is happy! Strava app will not steal any hard pedalled kilometres from him anymore!

The motor died after some 70 km ride. I was lucky it happened in the centre of our county city! I pedalled home unassisted and called a friendly taxi driver

Timing is everything. Sorry about the motor, but glad that you weren’t in the middle of nowhere. Now you will be good for the next 14,000 kilometers.

 

[Readytoride]

Stefan - If you search the internet you'll find a LOT of complaints about the motors in the Vado and Como breaking down within 2 years because the 2019-2020 bike motors were built with cheap parts. Those that were "lucky" had motors that broke within the warranty period (2 years). Those who had motors break just outside of 2 years (like mine did), Specialized will tell you that you're SOL.

That's why there are so many new motors waiting in storage at the warehouse. Because so many 2 year old motors are breaking.

See if you can bargain the repair down to the wholesale value of the new motor (about $600) especially if Specialized wants the broken motor back.

 

[Flannel Guy]

The trail is a bit harder to see but the colors are so awesome this time of year.

 

[Mulezen]

Stefan - If you search the internet you'll find a LOT of complaints about the motors in the Vado and Como breaking down. The 2019-2020 bike motors were built with cheap parts. Those that were "lucky" had motors that broke within the warranty period (2 years). Those who had motors break just outside of 2 years (like mine did), Specialized will tell you that you're SOL.

See if you can bargain the repair down to the wholesale value of the new motor (about $700).

I spoke with my LBS, a recent acquisition of Specialized, recently about this issue. She had read recent bulletins about the smaller belt breaking. I’m no techie…what I remember of the conversation was 1) SP was now utilizing Gates belts at least for the smaller one: 2) SP believed some of the breakage is coming from new user riding (I forget the details). The LBS manager also mentioned that one tech was away at the moment becoming certified in rebuilding the motor. In Stefan’s case…he just wore the poor motor out.
BTW…I asked about continued service on my Bosch System now that they are owned by Specialized. No problem, the Bosch rep is a former employee.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

What? Bosch is owned by Specialized? Where’d that come from?

I need to pay more attention

 

[DaveMatthews]

What? Bosch is owned by Specialized? Where’d that come from?

I need to pay more attention

Just that store/LBS methinks.

 

[RandallS]

What? Bosch is owned by Specialized? Where’d that come from?

I need to pay more attention

Nope, his LBS, where he bought a bosch powered bike, got bought out by Specialized. Just the LBS...

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Well, that certainly seems more likely. It jumped right off the page and short circuited my critical thinking.

 

[DiggyGun]

We haven't been on our bikes since our holiday in September as I’ve been a bit unwell.

Have had very painful Tennis Elbow on my left arm for a while now, that got very painful. This was followed up by a cold for a week or so, which left me a bit breathless.

I’m pleased to report that I’m feeling a bit better now and the pain has reduced, so we got out yesterday in the nice weather.

Went to Millennium Park at Marston Moretaine. It was great to be back on the bike again and we had a lovely afternoon out and took a picnic of course.

One thing we did notice, not only did it look Autumnal, but it smelt Autumnal, which made it a nice ride.

Not a long ride, but just a nice gentle and casual ride out.

DG…

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thank you for sharing your views!

Stefan - If you search the internet you'll find a LOT of complaints about the motors in the Vado and Como breaking down within 2 years because the 2019-2020 bike motors were built with cheap parts. Those that were "lucky" had motors that broke within the warranty period (2 years). Those who had motors break just outside of 2 years (like mine did), Specialized will tell you that you're SOL.

I think I was actually lucky! Three years of flawless operation of my Vado and 14,000 km of adventures! As Django said, I could be caught by the motor malfunction anywhere but that actually happened in the best imaginable location!

Not sure how the new "Mastermind" motors are designed now but the carbon fibre belt drive of the older Specialized/Brose motors was the unique feature, making those motors totally silent. I admit I could hear some delicate irregular clicking in the motor area for several recent months. The motor has got slighty audible in Turbo for the last year. As I know things do break, I was mentally prepared; the day would come. Which didn't spoil the joy of riding my Highway Star!

That's why there are so many new motors waiting in storage at the warehouse. Because so many 2 year old motors are breaking.

I can still remember David Berry being so upset the "indestructible" Gates belt on his Homage got mauled after he rode over 16,000 km. Carbon belts do break.

I would attribute the fact of a big number of 1.2s motors available in the warehouse to one (or both) reasons:

• There are not that many of 45 km/h Vados in Europe (only these get the 1.2s)
• These specific motors might rarely break.

See if you can bargain the repair down to the wholesale value of the new motor (about $600) especially if Specialized wants the broken motor back.

I think I should get the old motor back as it would not be a warranty repair. In such case, I would let Jacek try repairing it. Regarding the price... We have the taxes such as VAT in Europe

On a general note: in case an expensive part in a modern car wears out, the owner has to be prepared to clench their teeth and pay. For me, it is a similar situation! I hardly drive my car nowadays; my e-bikes have successfully replaced my car. Does what I say make sense?

I also need to mention the extremely friendly attitude of the Specialized Warsaw personnel. I was between friends again!

 

[Prairie Dog]

I think I should get the old motor back as it would not be a warranty repair. In such case, I would let Jacek try repairing it.

If your bro can’t fix it, just place it on your mantle/desk as tribute to the memories that you had riding during its lifetime of service.

 

[tomjasz]

Bambi and his 4 legged pest friends had cropped the trees right at munching height.

Deer eating Cypress? Bummer. Leyland Cypress?

 

[Readytoride]

I think I should get the old motor back as it would not be a warranty repair.

The exchange for me getting a new motor "at cost" ($600) was that Specialized got my damaged motor back. Otherwise, I would have had to pay $1,200 for the new motor/repairs.

From what my repair tech told me, I "rode my bike hard and had a lot of miles on it" for my motor' s damage (main bearing just blew apart) to happen. I begged to differ in that I babied that bike and rode it only on certain occasions vs the daily rough work I put my Giant through which is still doing great with 3x the mileage and usage. The Vado is supposed to be a commuter bike. The motor should have been healthy for over a decade if it wasn't abused.

As it is, the Vado is now 3rd string in my 3 ebike line-up. I don't trust it anymore. I don't trust it not to strand me somewhere that would make it difficult to get home. I'll now only use it when I have SAG support available, and no longer where there are a lot of hills enroute that would "stress" the motor. I'll use my Giant and my Gazelle for my fun adventures.

[Edited]

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Oh, I have hardly used my Vado as a commuter e-bike!

It was a road mounting e-bike allowing me doing the most crazy long climbs...

I used my Vado as an off-road mountain e-bike too...

It was a gravel bike able to match competing riders...

...and it allowed me the longest (100+ mile) adventure rides!

No other e-bike I have owned was such universal as my Vado 5.0 was! The fact I could legally ride it as a moped (as opposed to a bicycle, streetwise) was a bonus for my rare urban commutes!

I also do not think the number of years ridden was important: It was the distance. Two other long-runners in this thread (foofer and Rab) had to repair their Yamaha or Bosch motors, too. It is inevitable with such a mileage. (David Berry was simply buying a new Homage).

Let me also tell you another thing: the European 2017 Vado 5.0 and Vado 6.0 (2018-present) were equipped with high end components, for example TRP Zurich brakes, automotive-grade lighting, Electrak tyres, Deore XT drivetrain etc. It was because the Euro version had to be Type Approved as a moped. Even the 1.2s motor was used (not the motors used for 2018-2021 Vado 5.0). I have never complained on the quality of my Vado. It is just the motor that got worn.

The mileage recorded here is only for my Strava rides. The actual mileage for each of these e-bikes has been actually higher, as it was not only me to ride these e-bikes.

 

[Readytoride]

Sorry for assuming. Guess my comments are only applicable to the Vados sold in the US. Nevermind then.

 

[RabH]

After Three Years and Over 14,000 Kilometres...

...the motor of my Vado 5.0 died. A broken belt drive of the Specialized 1.2s motor. The LBS promised to do the repair for approximately US$1,000 (including labour and tax). Fifty spare motors of that model are available in the warehouse.

View attachment 138233
Before that happened. As I got my new Wahoo ELEMNT Roam v2 bike GPS computer, I sold the Bolt v2 to my friend Jerzy. He is happy! Strava app will not steal any hard pedalled kilometres from him anymore!

The motor died after some 70 km ride. I was lucky it happened in the centre of our county city! I pedalled home unassisted and called a friendly taxi driver

14000km is nothing so thats a very poor show from Specialized, imagine if it was your only bike and you only got that kind of mileage out of your motor! I thought it was bad when my Yamaha motor needed new motor bearings but that was after 14000 miles and only cost £102, my motor has now covered 22,666 miles and it goes like new! The company that repaired mine greased all the bearings and gears properly so hopefully it will last for many more years!