Specialized battery solution. Problem solved!

[Cyklefanatic]

I have a Specialized Vado 4.0 2020. I love the bike and the engineering is generally top notch except for the battery mount. Initially my battery could not be removed at all. A return to the LBS and after an hour of cursing they managed to extract it. They changed a small shim in the battery to make removal easier. Now it’s still very difficult to push the battery in that last little bit to have it seat properly. I practically have to bruise my hand in order to get the battery to seat. My wife cannot do it at all. Still I have had the battery pop out 3 times during my commute to work. I need to remove the battery after every commute so this is a major hassle. I also own 2 Pedago bike and there’s battery slides in and out very easily and never comes out accidentally.
So my question is, has any body found a solution to this problem?
With all their resources you would think Specialized could do better than this. Apparently it is a problem for the whole Specialized line up.
Went back to my local bike shop and they had a new style battery shim. It now wraps around the plastic lip of the battery so that it stays in the right location plus there is a bevel on the leading edge of the shim so that the battery loads in easier. Also sizes are laser etched on the shims for easy identification. Battery now loads easily with just a little extra tap to get it to lock in place. Did a short ride with no issues. Will report after a few long rides to say if it stays fixed.

 

[Hanz]

The bottle cage attached to the battery case assists me in removing my battery

 

[Cyklefanatic]

The bottle cage attached to the battery case assists me in removing my battery

After the initial repair getting the battery out is not a problem. The problem is how hard it is to get it properly locked in and also having it pop out while riding.
Has this ever happened to you?

 

[PaD]

On my present Vado, a 2020 5.0, I haven’t yet taken the battery out. I did experiece a rattling battery once on this bike. The sales guy turned the battery key by mistake when I picked up my bike after a service. He gave the battery a push back and all seemed fine for several kms. I got this rattling noise and finally found out that the battery wasn’t properly seated but the motor was running just fine.
It needed a really firm slap to get back in place. Haven’t had any problems after that with battery coming loose but feel I have to practice the battery out/in procedure before going for overnight trips.
I don’t think Specialized can fix this problem to 100% satisfaction for everybody. It seems like a lot of owners don’t experience a problem with this. There were problems with early Vados and Specialized added shims to make the battery stay in place better. I didn’t have a problem with battery coming loose on my 2018 Vado but it was tricky to get the battery back in place.

 

[Cyklefanatic]

On my present Vado, a 2020 5.0, I haven’t yet taken the battery out. I did experiece a rattling battery once on this bike. The sales guy turned the battery key by mistake when I picked up my bike after a service. He gave the battery a push back and all seemed fine for several kms. I got this rattling noise and finally found out that the battery wasn’t properly seated but the motor was running just fine.
It needed a really firm slap to get back in place. Haven’t had any problems after that with battery coming loose but feel I have to practice the battery out/in procedure before going for overnight trips.
I don’t think Specialized can fix this problem to 100% satisfaction for everybody. It seems like a lot of owners don’t experience a problem with this. There were problems with early Vados and Specialized added shims to make the battery stay in place better. I didn’t have a problem with battery coming loose on my 2018 Vado but it was tricky to get the battery back in place.

I tried every Specialized ebike at my LBS and they were all difficult to get the battery all the way in. The sales guy who is very honest told me that it is an ongoing issue for Specialized.
My problem is that I live in a condo and need to recharge after every commute by removing the battery. So I guess mine is the worst case scenario. However if Pedago can do a good job why can’t Specialized.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The bottle cage attached to the battery case assists me in removing my battery

It makes it hard for me to put the battery in the place, the Step-Through model. The Specialized Rib Cage II hardly fits between the battery and the top tube.

Has this ever happened to you?

I think to all of us Vado users.

 

[FreeWheelie]

Mine goes in with a firm slap to click it in. Have you tried turning the key while inserting the battery to get the latch out of the way, then slapping it to finish it off? Might help to get by the initial lip of the lock.

Interesting if other manufacturers using the same Abus lock for their batteries experience your issues.

 

[PaD]

I tried every Specialized ebike at my LBS and they were all difficult to get the battery all the way in. The sales guy who is very honest told me that it is an ongoing issue for Specialized.
My problem is that I live in a condo and need to recharge after every commute by removing the battery. So I guess mine is the worst case scenario. However if Pedago can do a good job why can’t Specialized.

Yeah, maybe it’s just that most people don’t need to remove the battery.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Yeah, maybe it’s just that most people don’t need to remove the battery.

They have to, at least for winter storage. Perhaps not in the sunny California but in Cham, Switzerland?!

 

[Cyklefanatic]

Mine goes in with a firm slap to click it in. Have you tried turning the key while inserting the battery to get the latch out of the way, then slapping it to finish it off? Might help to get by the initial lip of the lock.

Interesting if other manufacturers using the same Abus lock for their batteries experience your issues.

I will give that a try, thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Cyklefanatic]

I have a Specialized Vado 4.0 2020. I love the bike and the engineering is generally top notch except for the battery mount. Initially my battery could not be removed at all. A return to the LBS and after an hour of cursing they managed to extract it. They changed a small shim in the battery to make removal easier. Now it’s still very difficult to push the battery in that last little bit to have it seat properly. I practically have to bruise my hand in order to get the battery to seat. My wife cannot do it at all. Still I have had the battery pop out 3 times during my commute to work. I need to remove the battery after every commute so this is a major hassle. I also own 2 Pedago bike and there’s battery slides in and out very easily and never comes out accidentally.
So my question is, has any body found a solution to this problem?
With all their resources you would think Specialized could do better than this. Apparently it is a problem for the whole Specialized line up.

 

[Cyklefanatic]

I will give that a try, thanks for the suggestion.

I tried turning the key while pushing to load the battery but it does not help. I lifted the bike onto a bench added some good lighting so that I could see better to analyze the situation. What I found is that the battery needs to overcome the resistance of a wedge that is part of the lock. Once the battery gets past that wedge that piece has to rebound and hold the battery in. However if the clearance is too tight the spring on the wedge is not strong enough to rebound to the home position. The battery appears to be in place but it is not. So as I ride and hit a few bumps the battery pops out of position because the wedge never seated. I am going to try three things. One is to apply some silicone grease to the wedge to help it slide over the battery latch. Two I will file a little ramp on the battery latch to help it engage the wedge better. Three put a thinner shim in the battery so that there is enough room for the wedge to get past it and rebound to its latched position.
My thought is that the factory set the shim up way too tight and the LBS mechanic did put a thinner shim in but was too careful and didn’t go thin enough. His fear is that if the battery is too loose it will rattle. I will post again after the repairs.

 

[Cyklefanatic]

I tried turning the key while pushing to load the battery but it does not help. I lifted the bike onto a bench added some good lighting so that I could see better to analyze the situation. What I found is that the battery needs to overcome the resistance of a wedge that is part of the lock. Once the battery gets past that wedge that piece has to rebound and hold the battery in. However if the clearance is too tight the spring on the wedge is not strong enough to rebound to the home position. The battery appears to be in place but it is not. So as I ride and hit a few bumps the battery pops out of position because the wedge never seated. I am going to try three things. One is to apply some silicone grease to the wedge to help it slide over the battery latch. Two I will file a little ramp on the battery latch to help it engage the wedge better. Three put a thinner shim in the battery so that there is enough room for the wedge to get past it and rebound to its latched position.
My thought is that the factory set the shim up way too tight and the LBS mechanic did put a thinner shim in but was too careful and didn’t go thin enough. His fear is that if the battery is too loose it will rattle. I will post again after the repairs.

See my revised comment above with pictures of the old shim and the new one installed.

 

[SamAlex]

See my revised comment above with pictures of the old shim and the new one installed.
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After the initial repair getting the battery out is not a problem. The problem is how hard it is to get it properly locked in and also having it pop out while riding.
Has this ever happened to you?

I bought my Como 5.0 a few weeks back - on my first ride the battery popped out when I hit a bump. After that it's shaken loose a few other times. It's always a challenge to put back in place so I'm VERY interested in a possible cure. I wrapped a small bungee around it to prevent the battery from skidding down the street when it comes loose again. Not an elegant solution but it's working for now.
Next step is to contact my LBS and ask if they have those parts.

 

[Cyklefanatic]

Although I reported that this problem is fixed I now have a new related battery problem. When I am out riding the battery comes loose. The bike still runs but I fear that if I hit a big bump the battery will fall out of the bike and get damaged. Very frustrating, back to the LBS.

 

[tomjasz]

I've heard of some Juiced owners using Velcro straps as a safety measure to keep batteries in place. Hopefully you don't have to go there, but it would offer temporary peace of mind until it's fixed.

You know, if we are careful riders, most frame mounted batteries will benefit from extra stabilization. Especially those bikes where bottle mount hardware is used for the battery base. For a commuter not so worrisome, but for an off-road rider a good idea. I use long zip ties installed with a zip tie tool. Tight.

Kit builders are less prone to snuggies over using a zip tie. If they won’t warranty heir design fail, it’s best to zip and move on. The joys of saving money on a direct purchase.

 

[PaD]

I've heard of some Juiced owners using Velcro straps as a safety measure to keep batteries in place. Hopefully you don't have to go there, but it would offer temporary peace of mind until it's fixed.

So I got more than just 4 litres of storage when buying the framebag. Extra security for the battery included

Not really super tight but maybe it helps. The conical shape of the down tube is not ideal when using velcro straps but the bag doesn’t slip.

 

[tomjasz]

I got more than just 4 litres of storage when buying the framebag.

Nice! Who made your framebag?

 

[PaD]

Nice! Who made your framebag?

Ortlieb. The logo is reflective so it was washed out by the flash.
The Vado frame has a small triangle almost like a mountainbike so I spent some time looking for a bag with the right dimensions. I can still reach the on/off button.

 

[tomjasz]

Ortlieb. The logo is reflective so it was washed out by the flash.
The Vado frame has a small triangle almost like a mountainbike so I spent some time looking for a bag with the right dimensions. I can still reach the on/off button.

I have triangle bags from 4 sources. One is pure crap the others are OK with some reservations and needed adjustments Will check yours out next!.