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

[Onimaru]

The nastiness of that sentence was a Polish kelner actually "serwuje" meals. It was a trap.
It was a friend of mine, an English teacher by education (a Pole) who recently told me about the table. (Perhaps that's a British thing?)

I would have said food and drinks so I can totally see your answer.

 

[mattie_b]

Good morning all!

I am wanting to change the stem on my Vado 5 IGH (2022). I am looking to get a shorter stem so my new handlebars (Jones H Bar) will be closer to the rider.

The original stem is the Flowset (75mm, 20 degree rise), so it is shaped a bit differently than traditional stems. The spacers are also shaped differently and there is no cap.

I am thinking about getting the Specialized Trail Stem (40mm, 6 degree rise), but am concerned the swap will not be straightforward due to the above differences of the Flowstem.

Has anyone replaced the Flowstem with a more traditional stem? Is the swap as simple as removing the old and installing the new? Or are additional parts needed to make this work?

Any insight you have would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Marcela]

Just listed the Vado for any lurkers looking for a Vado 5.0 with improvements.

Ride the Como most all the time and thinking about trying a Class 2. Ran into a guy today who had one and it looked interesting.

 

[Marcela]

Stefan, what's your take on the rear hub drive bikes? Looking at a Juiced with the new 1000W Bafang motor. Wonder how that would compare to our bikes with the 85 Nm motors. Read that Bafang likes to play with numbers so 1000W may not be an accurate number in the real world.

 

[WIVado]

I changed out the bars on my Vado 4 to a pair of Selcof Carbon Flats in 780mm with some Deity Supracush grips.
I didn’t like the swept-back style of the OEM bars on longer rides.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Stefan, what's your take on the rear hub drive bikes? Looking at a Juiced with the new 1000W Bafang motor. Wonder how that would compare to our bikes with the 85 Nm motors. Read that Bafang likes to play with numbers so 1000W may not be an accurate number in the real world.

Give me one reason.

 

[Marcela]

Give me one reason.

No reason, but if I get one you are welcome to ride it.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

No reason, but if I get one you are welcome to ride it.

Marcela, I do own a hub-drive motor e-bike, 250 W nominal. A good commuter, maintaining a constant speed of 30 km/h under calm conditions, and capable to get at 34 km/h. Once put in motion, it tends to maintain a constant speed and is reliable on the battery consumption (hence, an ideal commuter). I made my two first metric centuries on that e-bike. If it were my only e-bike, I would probably be very happy. I would not take it in the mountains though (too little of torque, and the motor could fry on long ascents). A good friend of mine is very happy to ride the Lovelec, which I let him use for a long time.

What I hate about this e-bike is it does not allow me control its e-bike parameters, and forget any connectivity (which is what I am after). Except of four bars, I have no idea about the battery charge! There is even no clock on the display!

Moreover, I discovered I needed a less powerful e-bike, behaving more like a traditional bicycle, so I bought a Vado SL. Vado 5.0 remains my heavy duty e-bike.

Once I got at the level of Specialized e-bikes, I do not intend to ride any inferior e-bike. As much as rude this sentence might sound, let me say it: "Friends do not let friends buy Bafang"

 

[Sefutau2020]

I agree, for a total package, Specialized is HARD to beat. I love my Trek 8s with the Bosch Gen 4 motor.....but the Vado 4.0 and Vado 4.0 SL are complete packages. The Mission Control app is pure genius in my opinion...no offense to the Giant (I've owned 3) folks, as I loved the latest generation displays and Ergo2 controller.

 

[Marcela]

Thanks for the input! Maybe I'm spoiled with the Specialized bikes and don't know it. I probably need to ride one first. Looked like a cool bike to ride, the Juiced bike he had. He told me he paid $2k for it, I was really surprised, that's half of what the Spec bikes cost.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

that's half of what the Spec bikes cost.

I wonder why.

 

[Marcela]

I wonder why.

It looked like a well made bike, China of course. I've read the owner of Juiced is an engineer and has something to do with the aerospace industry so I would think the design is good. You think the Bafang motor such a pos that makes it untouchable?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

It looked like a well made bike, China of course. I've read the owner of Juiced is an engineer and has something to do with the aerospace industry so I would think the design is good. You think the Bafang motor such a pos that makes it untouchable?

I simply see no point to downgrade.

 

[CodyDog]

It looked like a well made bike, China of course. I've read the owner of Juiced is an engineer and has something to do with the aerospace industry so I would think the design is good. You think the Bafang motor such a pos that makes it untouchable?

One of the bikes I owned was a class 2. Heavy and never felt like a bicycle. Primarily used the throttle for around town and I might as well have owned a moped.

 

[Marcela]

One of the bikes I owned was a class 2. Heavy and never felt like a bicycle. Primarily used the throttle for around town and it might as well have owned a moped.

That's what I'm looking at, more of a class 2 setup. Something that doesn't eat chains and gears.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Marcela,
Any of us has different needs. The only reason I started my e-bike life was the need of improving my health. (And I am actually fond of cycling and adventures). After riding my hub-drive motor e-bike (which does not eat the chain and sprockets much) for a longer while, I noticed that e-bike didn't contribute to my health very much. I went with Vado 5.0 and decided that e-bike would not let me down in any situation, and it let me experience so many adventures. In turn Vado SL gives me what the powerful Vado cannot: fitness.

I'm a a cyclist by heart. The last thing I would like to do is "to be ridden" by my e-bike: I prefer riding it by pedalling. Now, so called Class 2 is in fact a "lightweight" motorcycle. You may need it; I don't.

I've read the owner of Juiced is an engineer and has something to do with the aerospace industry so I would think the design is good.

He could be an engineer (even in the aerospace technology) but certainly not a cyclist.

If this is "a good design", them aerospace things and all...

then I don't know what a bicycle is

The thing that does not eat up the chain and gears is called Turbo Vado IGH Or, a Como SL (but I am not a fan of the latter).

 

[CodyDog]

Marcela,
Any of us has different needs. The only reason I started my e-bike life was the need of improving my health. (And I am actually fond of cycling and adventures). After riding my hub-drive motor e-bike (which does not eat the chain and sprockets much) for a longer while, I noticed that e-bike didn't contribute to my health very much. I went with Vado 5.0 and decided that e-bike would not let me down in any situation, and it let me experience so many adventures. In turn Vado SL gives me what the powerful Vado cannot: fitness.

I'm a a cyclist by heart. The last thing I would like to do is "to be ridden" by my e-bike: I prefer riding it by pedalling. Now, so called Class 2 is in fact a "lightweight" motorcycle. You may need it; I don't.


He could be an engineer (even in the aerospace technology) but certainly not a cyclist.

View attachment 125433
If this is "a good design", them aerospace things and all...

View attachment 125434
then I don't know what a bicycle is

The thing that does not eat up the chain and gears is called Turbo Vado IGH Or, a Como SL (but I am not a fan of the latter).

Stephan: You bring up a good point. Riding vs fitness riding. Either is fine depending what your needs and wants are. With that being said, I think a lot of folks (especially new riders) are under the impression that all e-bikes are fitness driven. For me, I started out with a Rad Rover, a powerful cadence sensor bike with a throttle that I soon found out was not really about cycling and fitness. Not to say that the bike wasn't a good bike for some, just not me.

The e-bike industry can be very confusing for the newer riders. The lower price point bikes dominate the global offerings and appear to be great bikes. I also think a lot of marketing surrounding these bikes gives off false impressions of their capabilities. Most don't understand the large difference in quality of group sets, cadence vs torque sensors, drum vs mid drives and mechanical vs hydraulic brakes. In the beginning, I thought $1,400 (US dollars) was a lot for a bike. I guess I was stuck in the old past when $300 was what one paid for a analog bicycle. Everyone has a budget and not all want to spend north of $4,000 for a bike. At the end of the day, you get what you pay for.

After my Rad Bike adventure, I purchased my wife a Specialized Como and a Turbo Levo Comp for myself. What a difference in quality and ride. The journey has now brought me to a Vado SL. Being in my 60's and my quest for fitness and cycling experience, I believe I found a great bike that will offer me many days and miles of pleasure (fitness). Looking back, I could have saved some time and money if I had done a little bit more research in the beginning.

 

[Igor M]

I need to get involved in this discussion .... like Stefan I have both e bikes, and after the first few rides Vado SL, I got the impression that it is now harder for me to ride Vado 6.0 (30% support).
Comparing these two, I would say the following;
- Vado 6.0 is harder to start, but the top speed is higher and easy to maintain.
- Vado SL easier to start (up to 25km / h), but the final speed is lower and harder to maintain. (60% support)

What I’ve also noticed is that the SL is easier to handle climbs, perhaps because of the weight and greater support.
These are my first observations so far.

 

[Marcela]

I think the ebike industry is a lot like the automotive in its infancy.

I need the exercise also and probably won't do the class 2 anyway. I've had a lot of motorcycles over the years and the attraction of an electric style cross between the motorcycle and bicycle sure looks appealing.

Thanks for all the input, some really good points were made.

I wonder how many fewer gears the Vado/Como 5 could be ridden with comfortably, reducing the 11 spd to something with a larger chain. There'd still be the chain line to stay close to also, I think going extreme to either side puts stress on one side of the chain or the other making it stretch. Or maybe the IGH setup.

I do know these used bikes take a beating on the resale market, to part one out would probably be worth more.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

What I’ve also noticed is that the SL is easier to handle climbs, perhaps because of the weight and greater support.

Igor,
I managed to forget where you lived: is your area very hilly? In my Mazovian flatland, there are hardly any hills so the few remaining (including overpasses, of course) are manageable with my Vado SL. However... I'd hesitate taking the SL in the high mountains we have elsewhere.

Although I used to be on many demanding mountain rides, the one to the most remote road destination of Poland felt the most difficult to me. 125 km, 1500+ m of elevation gain. Without the full power Vado (similar to your 6.0), two batteries, and mountain grade gearing I would not be able to complete it!