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

[kahn]

Haven't been able to locate a dealer that will let me do a demo ride, maybe Covid related, but haven't checked recently. How have others gotten demo rides?

I went to the local shop and asked to test ride the Creo. A week later I asked to do another ride to see if it really had sufficient power for our local hills. I decided I would "push" it up hills with umpffff and purchased it.

 

[BioWheel]

Had a creaking noise on the Como for a while. A bike is hard to tell where the sound is coming from I guess because they all sound similar. I thought it was the headset bearings being loose so checked them and they were tight. Would just make the noise and I could feel it in the handlebars when turning abruptly.

Talked to the mechanic at the lbs about it and also asked him about ebike hub drives. He didn't have anything good to say about them but they were a Spec dealer.

So had an idea and checked the spokes. They were loose. The Como has 900 miles on it and hasn't been abused and rider weight is 185# just an fyi. So tightened them up and no more creak! So far. I noticed also the Vado has grommets on the rims for the spokes while the Como does not, don't think this lent to the looseness just an fyi. Imagine they saved a lot of money there. When tightening the spokes if you fill the tires to max psi it takes some of the tension off the spokes and may make it easier to adjust.

Also the kickstand on the Como was loose. Long enough time the screws were bent. So if you replace the screws be careful, they are M6 and come in 15 & 20mm lengths at the hardware store, but the one used is between these values. And if you use one too long it may get into the brake rotor, too short and not enough thread engagement gets into other problems. Blue loctite is your friend here.

Another symptom of a loose spoke is the wheel will not be true. Typically pretty noticeable. Good find Marcela.

 

[PSm]

I went to the local shop and asked to test ride the Creo. A week later I asked to do another ride to see if it really had sufficient power for our local hills. I decided I would "push" it up hills with umpffff and purchased it.

Thanks. I'll have to try LBS again. Might have been Covid restrictions at the time.

 

[Marcela]

Wish somebody would come up with a floating brake caliper. Hello Specialized?!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Wish somebody would come up with a floating brake caliper. Hello Specialized?!

Why would you need that?
Besides, Specialized doesn't make bike brakes. Address Shimano and SRAM

 

[CodyDog]

Wish somebody would come up with a floating brake caliper. Hello Specialized?!

What is the benefit of a floating brake caliber? I'm not familiar with that set up.

 

[Marcela]

What is the benefit of a floating brake caliber? I'm not familiar with that set up.

They self center on the disc. No brake pads rubbing. No brake pads to center. Brake pads wear better and last longer. Better brake feel. Work much better than the fixed caliper.

I tried to float mine by leaving the fastener loose but it is off center so the caliper is pulled down at an angle by the disc and doesn't work, the fastener or rail the caliper rides on needs to be centered over the disc to make it work, or fasteners on both sides of the disc.

Floating discs are meant for heating of the disc and having the ability to expand without being fixed to the spider and warping.

You might be unfamiliar with them because automobiles have used them for a long time and the issues of fixed calipers is long past.

You can have all the electronic gadgetry, give me some meat and potatoes!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

They self center on the disc. No brake pads rubbing. No brake pads to center. Brake pads wear better and last longer. Better brake feel. Work much better than the fixed caliper.

I tried to float mine by leaving the fastener loose but it is off center so the caliper is pulled down at an angle by the disc and doesn't work, the fastener or rail the caliper rides on needs to be centered over the disc to make it work, or fasteners on both sides of the disc.

Floating discs are meant for heating of the disc and having the ability to expand without being fixed to the spider and warping.

You might be unfamiliar with them because automobiles have used them for a long time and the issues of fixed calipers is long past.

You can have all the electronic gadgetry, give me some meat and potatoes!

I don't pretend I'm smarter than Shimano and SRAM; or Magura, Tektro, and TRP too; they know their brakes.

Some hydraulic disk brakes can be centered by loosening the caliper bolt, squeezing the brake lever and re-tightening the bolt. High end brakes such as TRP Zurich are totally fixed. As the matching wheel must come on a thru-axle, the central position of the rotor between the pads is guaranteed.

Why reinvent the wheel? Bikes are not cars.

 

[mschwett]

I don't pretend I'm smarter than Shimano and SRAM; or Magura, Tektro, and TRP too; they know their brakes.

Some hydraulic disk brakes can be centered by loosening the caliper bolt, squeezing the brake lever and re-tightening the bolt. High end brakes such as TRP Zurich are totally fixed. As the matching wheel must come on a thru-axle, the central position of the rotor between the pads is guaranteed.

Why reinvent the wheel? Bikes are not cars.

not exactly guaranteed…. different cassette and freehub configurations along with different amounts of torque on the through axle can absolutely move the rotor. rotor thickness and alignment also varies slightly brand to brand and of course, over time. if you have two wheelsets on a disk brake bike, you’ll see each time you change them that the alignment is slightly different. loosening the caliper fixing bolts, braking, and then tightening the bolts while braking as you note usually does the trick. the tolerances on these brakes are tiny, very different from cars.

all my brakes, from cheap no name on the vanmoof to mt200 on the sirrus, shimano GRX on the creo and the latest shimano dura-ace on the aethos have occasionally required this adjustment. then again, we have HILLS here!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The automotive brake rotor is 22 mm thick, and it is totally stiff, hence the need for the floating brake calliper. The bike brake rotor is 1 mm thick and it is flexible: this is the floating part here.
P.S. TRP Zurich brakes are not adjustable and these are the most premium brakes in the market. These are made the way they cannot go out of adjustment.

 

[Marcela]

Floating rotors will give you some benefit to the self centering effect, floating calipers will always be centered over the rotor, so when you put a small amount of pressure on the pads they will be centered on the rotor and wear evenly, whereas a small amount of pressure on the fixed rotor or caliper will wear whichever side is going to contact first. A self centering rotor and/or caliper will give better brake feel also. Once you have experienced this you will know the difference and benefits. Also less pad wear and less heating of the brake assy from unintentional contact and better brake modulation.

 

[mschwett]

The automotive brake rotor is 22 mm thick, and it is totally stiff, hence the need for the floating brake calliper. The bike brake rotor is 1 mm thick and it is flexible: this is the floating part here.
P.S. TRP Zurich brakes are not adjustable and these are the most premium brakes in the market. These are made the way they cannot go out of adjustment.

what do you mean by not adjustable? they look like they have the same two enlarged holes that any other caliper does, and their manuals reference the exact same procedure that you mentioned above.

they look like nice brakes but at a faction of the cost of sram red axs, campy super record, or shimano dura ace i’m not sure how they’re the “most premium” on the market !

 

[Stefan Mikes]

what do you mean by not adjustable? they look like they have the same two enlarged holes that any other caliper does, and their manuals reference the exact same procedure that you mentioned above.

View attachment 125705

they look like nice brakes but at a faction of the cost of sram red axs, campy super record, or shimano dura ace i’m not sure how they’re the “most premium” on the market !

The TRP Zurich brake is mounted to the frame by two bolts, making it effectively fixed. I can take a picture in the morning my time.
I could never find any bolt to loosen there, and I never needed adjusting the calipers in 2 1/2 years even if I replaced the pads for several times.
Please show me where these "two big holes" are. I simply don't get it!

TRP Zurich are one of very few bike brakes Type Approved for Euro S-Pedelec, a moped.

 

[mschwett]

The TRP Zurich brake is mounted to the frame by two bolts, making it effectively fixed. I can take a picture in the morning my time.
I could never find any bolt to loosen there, and I never needed adjusting the calipers in 2 1/2 years even if I replaced the pads for several times.
Please show me where these "two big holes" are. I simply don't get it!

TRP Zurich are one of very few bike brakes Type Approved for Euro S-Pedelec, a moped.

strange, the manuals i saw show two unthreaded holes just the same as a shimano or sram caliper. the holes are larger than the bolt by a few MM. but i’m sure they make many types of brakes. maybe they have a much larger throw than typical bike brakes, which would allow the pads to be further apart when not braking? the latest shimano brakes have slightly larger clearance to reduce rubbing when not perfectly aligned.

these holes are larger than the bolts, the same as most calipers i’ve mounted/adjusted:

 

[Stefan Mikes]

strange, the manuals i saw show two unthreaded holes just the same as a shimano or sram caliper. the holes are larger than the bolt by a few MM. but i’m sure they make many types of brakes. maybe they have a much larger throw than typical bike brakes, which would allow the pads to be further apart when not braking? the latest shimano brakes have slightly larger clearance to reduce rubbing when not perfectly aligned.

these holes are larger than the bolts, the same as most calipers i’ve mounted/adjusted:

View attachment 125746

Mark,
These holes hold two stout bolts that are firmly screwed to the frame. That makes these callipers totally rigid. As the wheel with the rotor is mounted by a thru-axle, the rotor is always perfectly centred between the callipers. That's why I have never needed to adjust them...

TRP = Tektro Racing Products.

 

[mschwett]

Mark,
These holes hold two stout bolts that are firmly screwed to the frame. That makes these callipers totally rigid. As the wheel with the rotor is mounted by a thru-axle, the rotor is always perfectly centred between the callipers. That's why I have never needed to adjust them...

TRP = Tektro Racing Products.

yes - of course when in use the bolts are rigid! but the caliper is adjusted by loosening them and moving it a bit. all my bikes are through axle and it’s definitely not exactly in the same position, even just through replacing an old rotor with a new one, for example.

maybe we’re talking about different things. i’m not
referring to an automotive style floating caliper, only the normal amount of adjustment in the caliper position.

 

[WIVado]

Put a little beefier tire on the front of the Vado a few days ago. Folding bead and the knobs provide a much-improved experience for the gravel areas I ride.

 

[Marci jo]

Said goodbye to my 2018 Vado 6.0 today.
I re-homed it to my brother, who is recovering from chemotherapy. He LOVES the bike. We did a short 4mi/6km ride and I think created a speed monster. He loves flying along in Sport & Turbo mode, probably because it’s so darn smooth. Now he’s really motivated to build up strength and speed his recovery.
I feel good that the bike has a good home but more importantly I am so grateful that he is beating cancer.

 

[CodyDog]

Said goodbye to my 2018 Vado 6.0 today.
I re-homed it to my brother, who is recovering from chemotherapy. He LOVES the bike. We did a short 4mi/6km ride and I think created a speed monster. He loves flying along in Sport & Turbo mode, probably because it’s so darn smooth. Now he’s really motivated to build up strength and speed his recovery.
I feel good that the bike has a good home but more importantly I am so grateful that he is beating cancer.

I wish your brother well and may great hours of enjoyment on his Vado. You are a kind and giving brother.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

yes - of course when in use the bolts are rigid! but the caliper is adjusted by loosening them and moving it a bit.

Do you mean the holes in the calliper are so big loosening the bolts would make the caliper move? If yes, thank you very much for the education, Mark!

Said goodbye to my 2018 Vado 6.0 today.
I re-homed it to my brother, who is recovering from chemotherapy. He LOVES the bike. We did a short 4mi/6km ride and I think created a speed monster. He loves flying along in Sport & Turbo mode, probably because it’s so darn smooth. Now he’s really motivated to build up strength and speed his recovery.
I feel good that the bike has a good home but more importantly I am so grateful that he is beating cancer.

I'm glad for your brother getting the exquisite e-bike from you as a gift! (A similar situation re my Trance E+ that my brother Jacek got as he craved for that e-MTB and I could not find storage space for it anymore). I only regret you cannot ride it anymore! The time for a newer Vado perhaps?

You are a kind and giving brother.

A sister