Specialized Turbo Vado/Como/Tero/Tero X User Club

[kahn]

Also...Do the users here suggest a cover for the Kinekt?

I got the cover for it. Keeps it cleaner and makes it one less visible theft target! They are a local company, well, Bellingham, WA

 

[jimk]

I'll give it a shot...it was through Amazon but I think it was through their Amazon "Store".

Anyone have an opinion on Pedals? Thinking either the Specialized Bennies or Crank Brothers Stamp 1. Feet slip off way too easy on the stock pedals on the Como.

I have the Stamp 1 and they are great. I went with the large even though I only have a size 9.5 foot but the larger platform makes it easier to find the sweet spot.

 

[Nwr2339]

I have the Stamp 1 and they are great. I went with the large even though I only have a size 9.5 foot but the larger platform makes it easier to find the sweet spot.

Shopped around town and my last stop had the Stamp 1s. I bought a set. Also found some Ergon GP3s. Either tonight or tomorrow morning they are going on.

 

[Nwr2339]

Got them on! If the stem goes this easy I'll have it made! Going to rotate the mirror down below..but other than that it feels great.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

Major score!! Got a 2018 (possibly MY 2017) Vado 6.0 with a bunch of upgrades/extras, only 660mi on it so virtually new! $2,500! This is now my husband's new bike to replace the 2.0 he bought from an acquaintance. Has a suspension seat post, but no suspension fork. The guy said a suspension fork was an option when he bought it new and he opted not to get it.

Husband is stoked! Now I may have to derestrict my bike because I know he will leave me in the dust when we ride together.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Got a 2018 (possibly MY 2017) Vado 6.0

6.0 means it is MY 2018.
Congratulations!

 

[ronr]

Como 3.0. My battery keeps popping out. Not far enough that it’s in danger of falling off but it makes me really nervous. i push it in until it clicks but it doesn’t seem to stay clicked in. Thoughts?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Como 3.0. My battery keeps popping out. Not far enough that it’s in danger of falling off but it makes me really nervous. i push it in until it clicks but it doesn’t seem to stay clicked in. Thoughts?

I'm giving it a good slap. Are you doing that?

 

[ActionJackson]

They are very grippy. I haven’t had pedals dig into my shins since the 1990s, but I rode differently back then. The platform is large and grippy. Your foot will not slip.

Unfortunately Bubbly Pedals are made out of unobtanium. They are always sold out, but they come back in stock in a few weeks. If you’re interested, get on the notification list. SimWorks will let you know 24 hours in advance.

I‘ve never experienced a pedal that spins as freely as these. Just a flick of your finger and it spins and spins. I still can’t believe the watts I was throwing away with all of my previous pedals.
View attachment 93289

These are very nice. As you stated - made by MKS. It looks like they are based on MKS Sylvan. Handmade with double the bearings. Update: here’s the design:

You have a lot of tradition in those pedals - MKS makes a lot of competition components for Japanese Keirin racing. Keirin is a multibillion dollar parimutuel bicycle racing sport - huge in Japan. It used to be an exclusively men’s sport but it’s made a resurgence since introducing girl racing. If you can imagine beer drinking, gambling, and watching girls race single speed bikes - it’s the bomb man!

The headline caption 顔より太もも means “Thighs rather than face”.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

These are very nice. As you stated - made by MKS. It looks like they are based on MKS Sylvan. Handmade with double the bearings. Update: here’s the design:
View attachment 93515
You have a lot of tradition in those pedals - MKS makes a lot of competition components for Japanese Keirin racing. Keirin is a multibillion dollar parimutuel bicycle racing sport - huge in Japan. It used to be an exclusively men’s sport but it’s made a resurgence since introducing girl racing. If you can imagine beer drinking, gambling, and watching girls race single speed bikes - it’s the bomb man!
View attachment 93513

The headline caption 顔より太もも means “Thighs rather than face”.

Not to me.

 

[Rincon]

These are very nice. As you stated - made by MKS. It looks like they are based on MKS Sylvan. Handmade with double the bearings. Update: here’s the design:

You have a lot of tradition in those pedals - MKS makes a lot of competition components for Japanese Keirin racing. Keirin is a multibillion dollar parimutuel bicycle racing sport - huge in Japan. It used to be an exclusively men’s sport but it’s made a resurgence since introducing girl racing. If you can imagine beer drinking, gambling, and watching girls race single speed bikes - it’s the bomb man!

The headline caption 顔より太もも means “Thighs rather than face”.

I’m a fan and I haven’t even seen it yet. NHK English service? I’ll have to research it. Maybe on YouTube.

The Bubbly pedals are based on the New Sylvan Tour pedals. I ordered a pair when SimWorks ran out. They are nowhere near the same, other than the fluid spin. The Sylvans are beautiful but small with zero grip. My feet kept slipping off. They sit on a shelf now. I have the Bubbly pedals on four bikes.

Thanks for the tip on Keirin racing!

 

[Nwr2339]

Well...got the RedShift on. Seems great so far. Quite easy to install and LBS gave me some round spacers to replace the oblong como ones.

One question...is it common for the spacers to be a bit loose after stem has been tightened down? No matter what I do the round ones shift a bit if I try to wiggle them.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

is it common for the spacers to be a bit loose after stem has been tightened down?

Not. Loosen the stem bolts. With feeling, tighten the main bolt that goes through the cap so there is no play of the fork in the steerer bearings. Straighten the bars and tighten the stem bolts again. The bars should still rotate easily. You'll notice no play of spacers.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I and brother are planning a five-day e-bike trip over Polish and Czech Sudety Mts (credit-card tourism type). Roads and easy MTB trails. According to our arrangement, Jacek now owns the Trance E+, and I would be riding my "big" Vado. Therefore, I'm upgrading my Vado for that vacation trip only:

• 38T, 104 BCD Narrow-Wide steel chainring good for 10 and 11-speed drivetrains.
• New SLX CS-M7000-11, 11-46T cassette (the existing one was last replaced in May 2020, and it was repaired in October last year).
• Chain adjusted by length.

The temporary MTB gearing will certainly be a good match to my brother's 38/10-51T drive-train

 

[Stefan Mikes]

(This story is dedicated to @Sierratim)

Cheating LBS, Cheating Mechanic

Tim may recollect our lengthy discussion on how many chain links should be used on 2017 Vado 5.0 (now Vado 6.0). Because the stock chain had 132 links but we have determined together 126 was the proper number. How possible?

May 2020. I leave my Vado at that LBS (disclosing the name makes no sense here) for the warranty based electronics upgrade, and for paid yearly servicing. I'm told I would need to wait for 2 weeks (Specialized Warsaw do such things overnight but that store didn't open yet at that time). Two weeks have passed. I'm getting a phone call from the mechanic:

-- I'm sorry I keep you waiting but I thought your cassette was M7000 11-42t. In fact, your Vado is specified for the 11-46t cassette. Will you wait? The right cassette needs to be brought from our warehouse. Will you wait?

I decided the man knew what he was doing so I waited. Not suspecting anything wrong, I collected the bike.

August 2020. Jacek and I clear a steep climb in Jizera Mts. I'm riding in the granny gear and Turbo mode. I hardly made it.

Autumn 2020. Tim and I discuss the chain length. Eventually we agreed 126 chain links was the proper figure.

Today, Jacek is to replace the existing cassette with CS-M7000-11 11-46t. To our surprise, the two cassettes are quite different...

Top-right: The cassette as installed by the cheating LBS. That asshole eventually used the 11-42t even if he was aware it should have been the 11-46t.
Bottom: The specified cassette, 11-46t. Notice the two black aluminium granny gears. The wrong cassette has a single Alu granny gear.

All that effectively means I need to replace the chain again, and trust me: Long, e-bike specific chain is very expensive. Luckily for me, I'm temporarily replacing the chainring with a 38T one to make my Vado mountain-ready for this year's vacation. I will worry for the new chain later.

 

[GuruUno]

Help me out here. I'm not understanding. If the OEM cassette specs are 42T and are you saying that 46T is what it should be, yet you are going to use a 38T?
Better or worse, benefit or detriment of 38T vs 42T vs 46T?
Reference: http://gears.mtbcrosscountry.com
How to know without spending a fortune and swapping out over and over?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Help me out here. I'm not understanding. If the OEM cassette specs are 42T and are you saying that 46T is what it should be, yet you are going to use a 38T?
Better or worse, benefit or detriment of 38T vs 42T vs 46T?
Reference: http://gears.mtbcrosscountry.com
How to know without spending a fortune and swapping out over and over?

Guru,

I was talking about two different things: the largest cassette cog size; and the chainring (chainwheel) size.

The specifications of MY 2018-2021 Vado 6.0, (and of MY 2017 Vado 5.0) have been:

• Chainring (front sprocket): 48T (it is a large one!)
• Cassette (rear cogs): 11-46T (it is a wide-gear-range, expensive cogset)
• Long cage derailleur (to fit the large 46T granny gear in the cassette).

The design intentions were:

1. In the top gear (48 teeth front, 11 teeth rear), you are getting the top gear ratio >4 meaning you can get at 45 km/h (28 mph) at reasonable cadence of 76-78 rpm (Turbo mode, hard pedalling)
2. In the granny gear (48 teeth front, 46 teeth rear), the gear ratio is slightly above 1, which is pretty low, and it allows climbing very steep hills on road.

To summarize the design: Focused on high speed, and giving the rider a honest break in the hilly area as long as the rider takes paved roads.

If we talk about gearing in terms of gear-inches, the granny gear of Vado 6.0 is equivalent to 30 gear-inches. The granny gear of a premium MTB should be 20 gear-inches or less. It is because a mountain bike is expected to climb extreme hills off-road, on technical single track. However, an MTB is never a speed bike (all premium e-MTBs are Class 1) because the focus is on the climbing capabilities not on speed.

My Vado was specified with the costly 11-46t cassette, and with the long cage derailleur. The mechanic cheated me by replacing that cassette with a 11-42T, and I had at least one steep road climb where I was struggling. I have restored the originally specified cassette to my Vado now.

It is never expected from the owner of a bike to change the chainring size unless a good reason is given. For instance, you are free to swap your 40T chainring with the 48T (11-speed) Praxis one (and replace the chainguard, too) for easier getting at high speed but losing some climbing capabilities. You will also need a longer chain.

My specific need is to temporarily improve the climbing capability of my Vado at the cost of reduced road speed. Therefore, I have bought a 38T, 11-speed, Narrow-Wide, 104 BCD Shimano chainring (SM-CRE80), and standard aluminium MTB chainring bolts with nuts. The setup required removing the motor cover and using a special wrench to keep the nut in place when tightening the chainring bolt.

The large 11-46t cassette in the rear, and the small 38T chainring in the front. I had to shorten the chain, too. See the huge Deore XT SGS (long cage) derailleur.

The outcome: The bike speed decreased to Class 1 range but its climbing capabilities increased to such level that 19-20% grade climbs could be (almost for sure) cleared. (The current granny gear is less than 24 gear-inches). After my mountain vacation is over, I'm swapping the 38T chainring for the 48T back.

See this calculator: https://www.bikecalc.com/gear_inches

 

[Jim in Central CA]

I look forward to hearing all about it when you return. It sounds like a great trip and I would like to be able to do something like that. Due to COVID I did not take any real vacation last year, so I am very much looking forward to one!

 

[Nwr2339]

Had a Flat the other day, changed the tube without issue. looked all over the tire (inside and out) and couldn't find a puncture. Looked all over the tube including spraying some soapy water on it while inflated and couldn't find a leak. Figured it the valve stem got stuck or something. Next day, took it for a ride. No issues. Went out this morning and the new tube is flat. I didn't tear it apart yet but but this time it's actively leaking once I fill it back up...but only after I did a quick test ride. Kind of confused as to what is causing the leak.

I'll obviously know more (hopefully) once I pop the wheel back off and inspect this new tube but....Any unobvious things any of you have experienced that could cause this? I couldn't find a puncture in the tire this second time either, BTW. Air is actively coming out around Valve Stem this time but I assume that is because its easiest place for air to escape between the tube and tire without a large hole in the tire.

 

[kahn]

Had a Flat the other day, changed the tube without issue. looked all over the tire (inside and out) and couldn't find a puncture. Looked all over the tube including spraying some soapy water on it while inflated and couldn't find a leak. Figured it the valve stem got stuck or something. Next day, took it for a ride. No issues. Went out this morning and the new tube is flat. I didn't tear it apart yet but but this time it's actively leaking once I fill it back up...but only after I did a quick test ride. Kind of confused as to what is causing the leak.

I'll obviously know more (hopefully) once I pop the wheel back off and inspect this new tube but....Any unobvious things any of you have experienced that could cause this? I couldn't find a puncture in the tire this second time either, BTW. Air is actively coming out around Valve Stem this time but I assume that is because its easiest place for air to escape between the tube and tire without a large hole in the tire.

Does that tube have a removable presta valve core? Sometimes those loosen when using a pump. Back to materials that can cause flats - I've found very tiny pieces of glass that were very hard to see causing the flat. Some suggestions are to rub a cotton ball along the inside of the tire and see if it gets snagged on something. Also make sure a spoke is not punching the tire.

Good luck finding it.