Pedego Avenue or Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0.

[Jorge M]

I’m looking for a bike for my wife and I have familiarized myself with all the specifications of my 2 choices. I personally I’m a bike nerd and long time rider and I currently own four bikes including a Colnago C64 and a Specialized Creo ebike. My wife is way more casual and not as “into” bikes as myself. Having said that, I’d like to make the best purchase. The major difference is the roughly 20lbs on the Pedego Avenue vs the Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0. That weight savings costs an extra $1500 since the Pedego as I’d configure it is about $2250 vs $3750 for the Vado. Neither the 28mph vs 20mph or bottom bracket drive vs hub drive respectively will be a big deal. Also the Vado right now is tough to find, not many available and there’s a new Pedego store in town with a bike sitting there I could take home tomorrow. So bottom line is—is the substantially lower weight worth the extra cost and hassle? Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[indianajo]

So bottom line is—is the substantially lower weight worth the extra cost and hassle? Thanks for your thoughts.

Only if you frequently pick up the bike, to put on a car rack or in a pickup bed or something. I can roll my 82 lb bike over on handlebars & seat to change the tire anywhere anytime. I'm age 72. Watch out for the display. I deleted mine for easier repairs.
Mid drives are required to climb >1000' in an hour. They cool better than geared hub drives. Those of us that don't live near the Rockies & Sierras don't have that problem.

 

[Jorge M]

Thanks Indiana! I’m about to turn 72 myself but even though we do take the bikes to trails the 53lbs of the Pedego is not that big a deal to put on my Thule rack. We live in Florida so the cooling issue won’t be a problem.

 

[rayray]

My first ebike was a Trek Allant+ 9.9S, which weighed a bit over 50 lbs. I went from that to a Creo, which as the OP knows weighs about 27 lbs. It may be comparing apples to oranges, as those two bikes are different in many ways, but the Creo is far more nimble, which I think is in part due to the lighter weight. The difference between the Pedego and the Vado may not be quite as noticeable, but I have to believe that lighter is always going to be more enjoyable. I’d spend the money for the Vado.

 

[6zfshdb]

My recommendation is for your wife to test ride both bikes. The ideal bike is the one you like and best fits your needs. The only way to find out is to try them both.

FWIW, I looked at Specialized, Pedego and a host of others when bike shopping. I do all my own work and I found the folks at Pedego to be the most cooperative. I can order parts and do warranty work without having to go through a dealer. Their techs have also been very helpful in diagnosing problems.

At the time, I found Specialized, and several other brands, to be far more proprietary with parts, service and tech support. I'm sure things have changed in the 4 years since I was bike shopping but, at the time, it was the main reason I chose Pedego.

All this makes no difference though if you have local dealers to do your servicing.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The major consideration is who will do servicing and warranty handling. Specialized are really good with that.
The second thing is the technical spec. Vado SL is a mid-drive motor e-bike that very much resembles a traditional bike in any respect. It is expected to be ridden by rather healthy people. The fact it is so lightweight makes it very attractive. (It is my principal e-bike, and I am decidedly not a healthy person!)

Pedego Avenue is a 500 W hub-drive motor e-bike. Certainly giving more oomph at the cost of heavy weight and less natural ride feeling. If the Pedego can be serviced locally, it is an option too.

In any case, a demo ride would be greatly advised.