Range Extender Turbo Vado SL

[BioWheel]

Okay - went to my LBS and I'm on the list for a extra battery. Should be in about a week or so. They didn't mention a cable but I see I need one per Spec web site. Question for anyone that already has an extender - Do I need the 160 or 220 cable? There is a reviewer on the Spec site that says 160 will work for the Vado SL but the Spec site says to order 220.

 

[kahn]

Okay - went to my LBS and I'm on the list for a extra battery. Should be in about a week or so. They didn't mention a cable but I see I need one per Spec web site. Question for anyone that already has an extender - Do I need the 160 or 220 cable? There is a reviewer on the Spec site that says 160 will work for the Vado SL but the Spec site says to order 220.

Well, I have the Creo and went with the, I believe, longer cable.

You might also consider the Y cable so that you can charge both at the same time. Be aware that the Y cable plugs into the regular charging cable. And if used, it will only charge BOTH batteries. It will NOT charge only one of the two - both must be plugged into the batteries. (I gather its electronics knows the difference). It also comes with a water bottle cage.

And really, stock will be in again? I've got my name on a list or two and have heard nothing. I want to be able to possibly extend my distance with a second RE.

 

[Oberst]

Well, I have the Creo and went with the, I believe, longer cable.

You might also consider the Y cable so that you can charge both at the same time. Be aware that the Y cable plugs into the regular charging cable. And if used, it will only charge BOTH batteries. It will NOT charge only one of the two - both must be plugged into the batteries. (I gather its electronics knows the difference). It also comes with a water bottle cage.

And really, stock will be in again? I've got my name on a list or two and have heard nothing. I want to be able to possibly extend my distance with a second RE.

And, apparently the Y cable takes twice as long to charge

 

[kahn]

And, apparently the Y cable takes twice as long to charge

I recall it does take longer to charge but it is charging two batteries from the same adapter block.

You can still opt to use the original charger cable and charge only one of the two.

 

[Allan47.7339]

The Y cable is very convenient to have. I think it's quicker than one at a time since you don't have to watch it. It's way better than getting ready to go for a ride and find you forgot to charge one or the other.

It's definitely the 220 for the Vado SL (I checked my cable.)

 

[GrayFox]

The Y does NOT take twice as long to charge both batteries. 3.5 hours MAX to charge BOTH batteries from a low charge level. If you are going to use the range extender battery I strongly recommend getting the Y cable.

 

[BEC111]

I have the 160 cable. It’s a tight fit, but it does work. I haven’t timed charging since I usually charge up after a ride and come down later in the day or the day after to check and unplug.

FWIW,, the RE is really helpful. The best feature is being able to ride further than I might have planned. Don’t have to worry about going 40 when I’d intended then.

 

[BioWheel]

I have the 160 cable. It’s a tight fit, but it does work. I haven’t timed charging since I usually charge up after a ride and come down later in the day or the day after to check and unplug.

FWIW,, the RE is really helpful. The best feature is being able to ride further than I might have planned. Don’t have to worry about going 40 when I’d intended then.

Isn't a tight fit a good thing? The way your post reads 'but it does work' doesn't sound like a stellar review.

 

[Allan47.7339]

The 220 is the correct cable without any extra and normal routing. You have to disconnect the cable everytime you charge the main battery. I would not want to go any shorter unless the 220 is not available and you need to make do.

 

[BioWheel]

Split charging cable is $65 USD - crazy price so I will have to charge separately. But no problem - feel lucky enough that I have my SL.

At first, the LBS said they could order and get me a range extender end of August shipment. But they checked and already had some coming in early August that were not yet sold yet so should have it in a week or two.

 

[BEC111]

Isn't a tight fit a good thing? The way your post reads 'but it does work' doesn't sound like a stellar review.

It’s good in the sense there’s no slack getting caught on things. The only problem is without slack I have to pay attention when I’m reattaching. Need more than feel. It takes both hands and sometimes a couple of tries. Not a big deal.

 

[BEC111]

Split charging cable is $65 USD - crazy price so I will have to charge separately. But no problem - feel lucky enough that I have my SL.

At first, the LBS said they could order and get me a range extender end of August shipment. But they checked and already had some coming in early August that were not yet sold yet so should have it in a week or two.

I’m inured to specialized pricing. When I got my RE, if gone in to my LBS in May to put one on order so I could have it for the summer. They had it, and the cables in stock so nearly $500 later. You know the story.

 

[Nubnub]

I just picked up a Levo SL. I already had the range extender and 220 mm cable so I did pick up the 160 mm cable as well. On the Vado, the range extender battery connector faces the chainwheel side when using the 220 mm cable. If I rotate the battery so that the connector is on the opposite side, the 160 mm cable is an exact fit for my size M vado. Could be the 220 mm cable will also work on the Vado's downtube cage. If I had a downtube cage I'd try but too lazy to move the seat post cage to see. Eyeballing it looks like it should fit while the 160 will be a little short. If I'd known the 160 mm would work, that is the one I would have picked up for my Vado instead of the 220. Bonus is if you ever get a Levo SL you will already have the cable.

 

[JeffC57]

I have the longer cable for my Vado SL. It is recommended by Specialized and I think the extra length helps get everything situated properly. There’s a little slack but don’t worry because the cable is fairly stiff. I don’t have a Y cable because I have 2 chargers. Even if I only had 1 charger, I don’t think I would get the Y cable because I rarely use the range extender. If I used it a lot and only had 1 charger, I would probably get the Y cable.

 

[GrayFox]

I’m inured to specialized pricing. When I got my RE, if gone in to my LBS in May to put one on order so I could have it for the summer. They had it, and the cables in stock so nearly $500 later. You know the story.

Ditto

 

[Allan47.7339]

This is the range extender Vado SL with 220 cable:

 

[kahn]

This is the range extender Vado SL with 220 cable:
View attachment 94561

That's similar to how my cable runs/attaches on the Creo. I admit that I looked at a number of reviews and videos to see how they arranged the battery and cable. Cable comes out of the battery near the top on the opposite side snakes down through the cage and connects to the non-chain side.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Okay - went to my LBS and I'm on the list for a extra battery. Should be in about a week or so. They didn't mention a cable but I see I need one per Spec web site. Question for anyone that already has an extender - Do I need the 160 or 220 cable? There is a reviewer on the Spec site that says 160 will work for the Vado SL but the Spec site says to order 220.

It's the 220 mm (Road) cable.
@Allan47.7339 has shown the correct orientation of the Range Extender. Notice a notch on the battery: It needs to be oriented towards the bike rear, so the Zee Cage can secure the battery in place. For that reason, the RE cable plug needs to face the chainring and that's the reason the longer cable is used. It is certainly different for Levo SL, where the shorter cable is to be used.

And, apparently the Y cable takes twice as long to charge

It is because the Range Extender takes less of current than the main battery but both need to be charged in parallel. The total time to charge both batteries is same as for charging the RE alone.

 

[Prairie Dog]

The extender battery and 220 mm cable installed on my wife’s Creo. We’ve replaced the specialized Zees with sturdier Lezyne cages as one of them snapped during a bumpy ride.

 

[kahn]

Oh, that's right. The RE also comes with a heavy duty rubber band to secure it in the water bottle cage.

Oh, something I raised in another post - my instructions (Creo, only??) mentioned a spacer or grommet or something to place between the bike and cage for the top bolt. It did not come with such spacer and no reason for its need was suggested. Anyone?