Turbo Vado Pip
Member
Suspension seatpost is hugely appealing. Was it worth the money? There are quite a few brands/options out there, hard to know which one to go for.
Pimp me your Specialized E ride
- Thread starter Kivis
- Start date
Suspension seatpost is hugely appealing. Was it worth the money? There are quite a few brands/options out there, hard to know which one to go for.
Sierratim
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Nevada City, CA & Paradise Valley, AZ
The battery upgrade is expensive, but worth it if you need the extra range, maybe 20% more than you're getting now. Of course, you'll then have 2 batteries so you'll get more than double your current range! This has been worth it to several of us that at least occasionally do longer rides, though I cheap out and borrow my wife's battery for these rides...
GuruUno
Well-Known Member
Agreed...however, you still need to carry that extra battery.
The crew I ride with does extended rides on weekends, and I'm a bit hesitant to do the 75-102 mile runs simply because of having to pedal back a 50lb. bike my 228 lbs., so as each ride progresses, I experiment, and today did a 40 mile run with 46% remaining at end.
Managing manually is key, plus weather (cold), terrain (hills) and your own desire to push.
The crew I ride with does extended rides on weekends, and I'm a bit hesitant to do the 75-102 mile runs simply because of having to pedal back a 50lb. bike my 228 lbs., so as each ride progresses, I experiment, and today did a 40 mile run with 46% remaining at end.
Managing manually is key, plus weather (cold), terrain (hills) and your own desire to push.
Anything is better than nothing. I have used the thudbuster and it works well. Right now I am using a Brooks B67 and it solves the problem of a comfortable seat and suspension both. Using it on the Como, and since the seat post interchanges with the Vado I made a test switch and it works just as well on the Vado. I have one on order
.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Kinekt 2.1 is so good it almost replaces the rear suspension... Since I lost weight because of e-bike riding, I even replaced the springs to lighter ones (replacement springs were the part of the delivery). Find a good delivery source in Europe (nothing can be shipped from the U.S. now).
I actually have two 604 Wh batteries. On typical Summer riding conditions, assistance of 45/45 lets me ride up to 80 km (50 mi) on a single 604 Wh battery. Using two batteries, I made 122 km on a single ride so far, with the second battery used in Turbo mode for the last 42 km.
Last edited:
Here's my Vado SL 5 EQ. Have not done much yet except swap out the tires. I wanted something more suitable for gravel trails. The stock EQ tire was fine but better suited for pavement.
GuruUno
Well-Known Member
Help me out here, if you can.
I'm not a pro like some here, so if my questions(s) seem ignorant or dumb, it's because I'm kinda new to this whole e-bike scene (3+ years, no bike in my life except when I was a kid over 60+ years ago)
I'm enjoying my Vado 5.0 daily, hooked up with a local bike group that does 20-100 mile rides every day except Mondays (20-35 T-W-T-F, 40-100 Sat/Sun). I've done max 45 mi. (yesterday) with 45% battery remaining choosing to not use any power at times to try to maximize things. The group is all road bikers and I'm the only e-biker...and yea, I do get the looks and sometimes feel like maybe they are either jealous or I'm maybe cheating but that not what this question is about. Just wanted to paint the picture so to speak.
So, I see you have the cassette switched to a Campagnolo 11-27 cassette to have a tighter gear spacing from 11-16t. Can you elaborate? Not really sure to understand the benefit, but willing to attempt to try make my rides better, if that makes sense.
Also, ordered the Specialized Como bars (as I'd like to have more comfort), why then the 1.5" cut down? Doesn't that make the area at the handgrips closer and you still have to lean more forward to compensate? I guess the quest there is why cut down 1.5"??
Finally, I have the new Kinekt 30 degree rise and 100mm length handlebar stem coming Tuesday, thoughts? ( https://cirruscycles.com/products/suspension-stem?variant=33758739922988 )
Brendon@OEB
Well-Known Member
I had the cassette on my race wheels so it was just sitting around. The stock cassette is great but I really only use the bike to commute to the shop and back which doesn't have much elevation. I usually sit at 140-180 watts from rider output so I don't sweat at a cadence of 99-105, the 13-14-15t spread lets me keep my cadence and power consistent while keeping the bike at max speed, 45-47kph, on the ride in. It's a very specific need, I understand, but works just fine for my needs. I did run the battery out on accident and riding home in the 25 and 27t was a little taxing, not horrible though. Usually at full turbo assist in the 14t sitting at an average of 45kph I have around 50% battery left depending on wind.
I ride with my hands on the grips only in town where stopping/traffic handling is needed. Once out of town I'm on county roads and lean over putting my elbows/forearms on the grips and my hands hold the end of the brake master cylinders, kind of like a TT position. I've tried TT bars and I prefer to have less crap on the front of the bike, and in general. It makes a huge difference having an aerodynamic position with regards to how much the bike works. No different than riding a TT bike versus road bike. The more aero you are the less the rider/bike has to work. Cutting the bars down brings my elbows in and is much more comfortable.
I have an extra carbon fork like we put on the Vado 3.0, not totally set on it right now, it's nice to be able to let folks ride my bike even though the fit isn't what the majority of e-bike clients want. That and I run my brakes moto.
Personally I hate suspension stems, but I'm aware that they work wonders for lots of riders. Those stems aren't meant for riders like me and that's totally fine. I'd rather have suspension on the bike than on the seatpost and stem. That said, e bikes are so heavy you can't really "jockey" them around like you do regular road bikes so you end up with more bumping felt through the saddle, hence why I went to a narrower carbon post, it provides a bit of deflection and comfort.
Brendon@OEB
Well-Known Member
Take it with a grain of salt, the way I use my Vado is pretty specific so it might not work for others. Upgrading the wheels is a no brainer for any rider, but the other moves might not work for most.
I suspect the 5.0 SL EQ is similar to the Creo SL E5, but a bit heavier
Kivis
Member
Am I to surmise that it is a bit lighter than the Vado SL 4.0 EQ?
Brendon@OEB
Well-Known Member
Yep, better wheels and carbon fork on the 5.0 SL make it lighter.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
The carbon fork in the 5.0 SL is a deal breaker for me. I often remove the front wheel for transporting my e-bikes inside my car. I just expect trouble with the fork. Will wait and perhaps a step-through aluminium model would be offered some day.
Brendon, what is the chainring size in the SL?
Brendon@OEB
Well-Known Member
44t on the 4.0 SL and 50 on the 5.0 SL from what I can gather. Carbon fork or not, that shouldn't mess up your ability to remove the front tire at all. Low Entry style frame is key, haven't seen anything in the 2021 pipeline yet for that.
Do you know what lighter wheel set can fit on Creo SL E5? E5 is 33lbs as measured by the LBS where I bought it
Brendon@OEB
Well-Known Member
The only "off the shelf" wheelsets are made by DT Swiss and Specialized in terms of carbon options. We've built some our own with Nox Composites rims laced to DT Swiss 240 or 350 hubs and they've worked really well, tubeless capable too, lots of weight savings.
thanks. I heard I can use 15mm to 12 mm sleave and then use MTB 15x110 wheelset. Let me know if you have pointers to any wheelset that I could shop for
Brendon@OEB
Well-Known Member
Yep, correct. The boost spaced DT hubs can be sleeved down to road boost specs. We can build them, or you can order through Nox direct and get the correct hub inserts.
Similar threads
