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

[Stefan Mikes]

I know this is a very old thread

On contrary: It is the current, live, and ongoing thread!

Good to hear about your resolution of the saddle issue!

 

[Marcela]

I know this is a very old thread; just resurrecting it for one specific point for others’ future reference:

I recently got a Brooks B67 for my upright Dutch-style bike. I had been noticing that the bike was creaking/squeaking while riding. I just assumed it was something somewhere on the bike itself, and that I’d eventually find it and lube it or have it looked at whenever I needed to take the bike to the shop for other reasons. Turns out it wasn’t the bike; it was the seat. I did a bunch of research online and apparently this isn’t uncommon on at least some Brooks saddles. (Never happened at all on the Brooks B17 that’s on my other bike, though, so it never even occurred to me that the seat could be the culprit.) One tip that I read - see here for example: https://www.roadbikereview.com/threads/creaking-brooks-b-17-saddle.140065/ - was to try slightly tightening the tension screw/nut under the nose of the seat, even if it seems like it shouldn’t need any tightening yet (because, for example, the seat is still pretty new, as is my B67). I did so; voila, creaking is gone!

Of course, there could be many causes of the saddle creaking, so if after tightening the tension screw the creaking is still there, proceed to finding and lubricating potential sources of the noise. But it’s definitely worth trying the tension screw first; could save you a lot of trouble.

Thanks for that info. Seems mine creak off and on. Just did the first round town 23 miler on the Vado equipped with the B67. No ass issues and I wear cargo pants. Gotta love that seat

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The L1E TCD-w Replacement Dilemma

The base of my Vado 6.0 display got damaged a long time ago. As my Vado 5.0/6.0 (a 45 km/h Euro S-Pedelec) had the Garmin display mount integrated with the original stem, a makeshift solution involving silicone glue was found and it lasted until I bravely got rid of the original stem in favour of a 120 mm Specialized Comp Multi Stem. Now, I had to install the display onto an external Garmin out-front handlebar mount... not really doable because of the damaged display base! (Temporarily attached with a lot of strong adhesive tape).

The things did not look good for the future. In fact, the Vado 6.0 display is a dongle, enabling the Vado 6.0 system (no display, no e-bike) because the Euro S-Pedelec must be equipped with an operable speedometer! So I wrote Specialized Warsaw...

'Please send me the WSBC serial number of your Vado', which I did to get that answer, 'Unfortunately, the part S176800007 is not produced anymore'.

I had other things to do. After a couple of days, I googled the S176800007... It was the old BLOKS display, really discontinued! I could not understand the situation! Specialized Warsaw have been totally competent until now! I started the research myself to find...

The part number was S196800024!

I wrote an angry e-mail to the LBS. In five minutes my phone rang...

'Good afternoon Mr Stefan, it's Kamil of Specialized Warsaw. I apologize for the confusion. The e-mails are handled by my colleague, and I looked into our e-mail incidentally. Of course, my colleague was wrong! The part is indeed available, and the list price is EUR239. Shall I order it for you?' That's the spirit! The salesman knows me and he is aware I am a loyal paying customer; he is competent and helpful. I should have given him a phone call in the first place! I expect a customary discount, which I will use to pay for the labour of replacing the display.

All went well. It only proves you can find incompetent/lazy people anywhere but there are still people you can trust!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Drivetrain maintenance on my Vado 6.0

Ooh-oh. As I lost the track of the chain maintenance on my Vado 6.0 during its transition from 45 km/h Vado 5.0, it has turned out the five smallest sprockets on the cassette got worn. I decided to replace the entire 11-46T, 11-speed cassette.

The replacement has been successful, and now the shifting has become crisp, and my rides butter smooth I had some doubt about the status of the 42T Garbaruk chainring (7500 km ridden on it). No worries, it is a premium component! However, I decided I could be better off with replacing that ring with a 44T one (also Garbaruk). That would shift the chain towards the larger sprockets, causing less wear on the cassette. I hope I would not need to replace the chain, as there has to be some tolerance in the derailleur (the bigger chainring would technically need two more chain links). The range on the cassette is as huge as I do not actually utilise the biggest cassette sprockets on my rides!

Once replaced, the existing 42T chainring will serve as a spare for my Vado SL.

What a beautiful cassette, isn't it.


Recently, I have noticed I like pedalling my e-bikes with less and less assistance. Sometimes, I pedal my Vado unassisted for a kilometre or so, and now ride the e-bike at 30/30% assistance. The recent range on the best of the "604 Wh" batteries I own has been 109 km, not bad at all!

 

[GuruUno]

The L1E TCD-w Replacement Dilemma

The base of my Vado 6.0 display got damaged a long time ago. As my Vado 5.0/6.0 (a 45 km/h Euro S-Pedelec) had the Garmin display mount integrated with the original stem, a makeshift solution involving silicone glue was found and it lasted until I bravely got rid of the original stem in favour of a 120 mm Specialized Comp Multi Stem. Now, I had to install the display onto an external Garmin out-front handlebar mount... not really doable because of the damaged display base! (Temporarily attached with a lot of strong adhesive tape).

The things did not look good for the future. In fact, the Vado 6.0 display is a dongle, enabling the Vado 6.0 system (no display, no e-bike) because the Euro S-Pedelec must be equipped with an operable speedometer! So I wrote Specialized Warsaw...

'Please send me the WSBC serial number of your Vado', which I did to get that answer, 'Unfortunately, the part S176800007 is not produced anymore'.

I had other things to do. After a couple of days, I googled the S176800007... It was the old BLOKS display, really discontinued! I could not understand the situation! Specialized Warsaw have been totally competent until now! I started the research myself to find...

View attachment 156050
The part number was S196800024!

I wrote an angry e-mail to the LBS. In five minutes my phone rang...

'Good afternoon Mr Stefan, it's Kamil of Specialized Warsaw. I apologize for the confusion. The e-mails are handled by my colleague, and I looked into our e-mail incidentally. Of course, my colleague was wrong! The part is indeed available, and the list price is EUR239. Shall I order it for you?' That's the spirit! The salesman knows me and he is aware I am a loyal paying customer; he is competent and helpful. I should have given him a phone call in the first place! I expect a customary discount, which I will use to pay for the labour of replacing the display.

All went well. It only proves you can find incompetent/lazy people anywhere but there are still people you can trust!

"It only proves you can find incompetent/lazy people anywhere"
A LOT of them are here in the US

 

[decooney]

Hi All, new member here.

• What are the disadvantages trying to use a Tero 5.0 (new, Class 3 offering) as an 80% paved road bike?

Situation:
I'm going back and forth trying to decide between a 2023 Vado 5.0, and 2023 Tero 5.0. I ride 80% road to get to the 20% mild dirt-trail use.
Maximum of 15-20 mile loops, weekend rider only. No commuting. I've demoed the 3.0 and 4.0 of each not the 5.0 yet.

Thoughts appreciated, Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Hi All, new member here.

• What are the disadvantages trying to use a Tero 5.0 (new, Class 3 offering) as an 80% paved road bike?

Situation:
I'm going back and forth trying to decide between a 2023 Vado 5.0, and 2023 Tero 5.0. I ride 80% road to get to the 20% mild dirt-trail use.
Maximum of 15-20 mile loops, weekend rider only. No commuting. I've demoed the 3.0 and 4.0 of each not the 5.0 yet.

Thoughts appreciated, Thanks in advance for your replies.

Disadvantages of Tero 5.0:

• Not equipped. No rear rack, fenders, or lighting. (Important?)
• A MTB rated 36T chainring, hence mountain gearing. With the small chainring, it is hard to achieve high speed on the pavement at reasonable cadence (but an excellent climber). With mostly road use, the smallest cogs on the cassette will wear out at a quick rate. (The chainring on the Tero could be replaced for a bigger one such as a 44T together with applying a longer chain)
• Tero tyres are more suitable for off-road. You will start thinking of replacing otherwise excellent Ground Control tyres with ones of a more all-rounder type (such as Johnny Watts).

Tero 5.0 and Vado 5.0 are very similar e-bikes. If the points I have mentioned are non critical for you, go for Tero 5.0. The true fact is your 20% of dirt trails and no commuting are the factors making the Tero 5.0 a more appropriate choice for you!

15-20 mile loops? "You're gonna need a bigger map!" I'm sure your appetite for the distance with grow with time!

 

[giantkn10]

Disadvantages of Tero 5.0:

• Not equipped. No rear rack, fenders, or lighting. (Important?)
• A MTB rated 36T chainring, hence mountain gearing. With the small chainring, it is hard to achieve high speed on the pavement at reasonable cadence (but an excellent climber). With mostly road use, the smallest cogs on the cassette will wear out at a quick rate. (The chainring on the Tero could be replaced for a bigger one such as a 44T together with applying a longer chain)
• Tero tyres are more suitable for off-road. You will start thinking of replacing otherwise excellent Ground Control tyres with ones of a more all-rounder type (such as Johnny Watts).

Tero 5.0 and Vado 5.0 are very similar e-bikes. If the points I have mentioned are non critical for you, go for Tero 5.0. The true fact is your 20% of dirt trails and no commuting are the factors making the Tero 5.0 a more appropriate choice for you!

15-20 mile loops? "You're gonna need a bigger map!" I'm sure your appetite for the distance with grow with time!

I had a Tero 5.0 during Spring of 2022... back when it was still a Class 1 bike. I was one of the first to install a peartune chip and it was great (excect for inaccurate readings on the display). The bike should have been a class 3 all along.

After one ride being derestricted I realized the 36 tooth chain ring was easy too small. It was hard to go faster than 20mph. I installed a narrow-wide 42 tooth ring, and that was much better... 25+mph was achievable.

I remember thinking a 44 would be better if it fit, but I sold the bike before trying.

I sold it because the Large felt a bit too small (I'm 6'2"), and because the peartune chip just wasn't the same experience as a stock class 3 bike.

Fast forward a year and I still miss that bike and now it's class 3. So I just purchased a size XL with only 245 miles from Pros Closet... I'll be back on a Turbo Tero 5.0 in about a week!

According to Pros Closet, the bike is still set at 20mph cutoff. I'll have to see if a local specialized dealer can update it. Technically Pros Closet is the second owner because it was traded in from the original owner. That makes me the third owner. Can the warranty be transferred to me as the third owner? Also, the bike doesn't have keys for the battery so how can I get replacement keys?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Can the warranty be transferred to me as the third owner?

The 2-year e-bike warranty is transferable but the lifetime frame warranty is not.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Replacing The Chainring

The beauty of Praxis chainrings is these are fastened to the spider by screws (not bolts), and they allow a matching chainguard. However, I prefer the freedom of choice for selecting chainrings, and as Praxis rings are very hard to buy, I standardized on Garbaruk chainrings, which are readily available here (it is an Ukrainian product made in Poland anyway!)

I checked the 42T 104 BCD Garbaruk chainring after 7500 km ridden: no noticeable wear! I, however, decided to go with a new 44T ring now. There are two schools related to chainrings:

• Use a smaller one, do not replace the chain often, and then occasionally replace 4 or 5 worn smallest cassette sprockets together with the chain, or
• Use a bigger chainring, replace the chain as soon it has exceeded the 0.5% stretch mark, and enjoy your cassette for a longer time

Now, I'm going with the larger chainring, as the process of looking for small replacement cogs is a mission nowadays!

Going to alternative to Praxis requires you to resign from using the chainguard, and using standard 8 mm MTB chainring bolts. What is difficult with mid-drive motors is the fact they leave almost no clearance between the chainring and the motor! I had to remove the motor cover (it has been my third voluntary chainring replacement: to 38T, to 42T, and to 44T), and find the way to keep the bolt nut in place while tightening.

I have found these MTB chainring bolts in steel the best in the market. Even if they theoretically require the Park Tool CNW-2 wrench for keeping the nut in place during the fastening, the RocRide steel bolts have the property that actually does not need any wrench for the bolt tightening! (I also used Loctite Blue for thread-locking). The fastening torque is 5 Nm but the steel bolts are very tolerant! (Aluminium ones are delicate, compared).

 

[decooney]

@Stefan Mikes and @giantkn10, Thanks for your thoughts. You both confirmed my concerns about the gearing situation, tires, and a few other things.

If I go Vado to start, the racks and fenders may get removed relatively soon and getting stored. The first of the obvious differences come down to tires, height with 27.5 vs. 29s, gearing as noted, and headset/bar differences perhaps. What's bugging me is not figuring out exactly why the large Vado fits me a little better [or sits lower, and handles better] than the Tero setup. Going Tero, I'd definitely make a knee-jerk reaction and likely go straight into figuring out how to change gearing to split the difference somewhere between Vado vs. Tero. The problem with me is I usually I mess with everything and end up doing mods on cars, motorcycles, dirt bikes, electronics, ugh. Now in my later years, I like to think I'll try and pick one bike, and try not to screw with it, and just leave it. I might be okay with mild mods and stop.

Having to mess with either new bike so much kinda has me spinning to seek alternative bikes again. Also not interested in someting suboptimal either, as a current Specialized owner. I do respect their R&D and results. The one thing I do know is this - I do like the on-road handing of the Vado quite a bit, and have not had enough off-road demo time on a 5.0 Tero, so I guess I'm still shooting in the dark a bit. The only other real demo reference is I own a 2021 Sirrus X 5.0 Carbon, and like it a lot for the short rides I can do on it. Handles great, so maybe I'm biased a bit now after having this as my analog bike or maybe I'm just use to the size/handling perhaps. Your feedback has been helpful. I'll be looking back over notes here a few times to help decide. Thanks.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

If I go Vado to start, the racks and fenders may get removed relatively soon and getting stored.

Not so fast! What would you do to the rear tail-light and related wires? Garmin Varia? It is all tightly integrated!

 

[giantkn10]

When I changed the chain ring to a 42, I went with a Deckas. They are on Amazon for $25. It comes with new bolts. They have a lot of good reviews.

It was a very simple swap... maybe 15 minutes. I did not need to lengthen my chain. I did need to remove the chain guide, but never had an issue of the chain coming off thanks to the narrow-wide teeth on the new chain ring (make sure to slot your chain links on the correct narrow or wide teeth).

 

[decooney]

Not so fast! What would you do to the rear tail-light and related wires? Garmin Varia? It is all tightly integrated!

I spoke to a shop yesterday who confirmed it can be done, i.e. all unplugged, safely. If I proceeded, my plan would be to disintegrate it, plastic bag all the parts, store it in a loft for safe keeping until I resale the bike down the road. Its possible I might like the option of riding in the rain and lights for dusk evening rides too, so if the bike does not feel like a slug (if/when I get one) perhaps I'd get myself straight about leaving it all on the bike and just enjoy it in stock form. This forum and replies is definitely helpful in thinking it through. Thanks!

 

[decooney]

When I changed the chain ring to a 42, I went with a Deckas.

Thanks for sharing this @giantkn10. Something easy to swap like this is more attractive than replacing front and rear both. Sorry if I missed it, and when you mentioned a chain guide, I'm assuming you did this on a Vado maybe. Just to reconfirm, is it a Tero or Vado for this chain ring swap, and what year model is the bike?

 

[giantkn10]

Thanks for sharing this @giantkn10. Something easy to swap like this is more attractive than replacing front and rear both. Sorry if I missed it, and when you mentioned a chain guide, I'm assuming you did this on a Vado maybe. Just to reconfirm, is it a Tero or Vado for this chain ring swap, and what year model is the bike?

Tero 5.0

 

[Stefan Mikes]

If I proceeded, my plan would be to disintegrate it, plastic bag all the parts, store it in a loft for safe keeping until I resale the bike down the road.

Come on... Are you getting rid of something such vital for your road safety as the Garmin Varia? I removed the front fender from my Vado SL (it was causing issues offroad) but kept the rear thing.
Decisions... decisions... I wonder why you had the impression Tero handled badly on your demo ride?

 

[decooney]

Come on... Are you getting rid of something such vital for your road safety as the Garmin Varia? I removed the front fender from my Vado SL (it was causing issues offroad) but kept the rear thing.
Decisions... decisions... I wonder why you had the impression Tero handled badly on your demo ride?

Disclaimer: I only tested 3.0 in Tero, not 5.0, so my feedback might be limited. On the road, the Tero 3.0 for me was a little bit sluggish compared to my own Sirrus X 5.0 and the Vado 4.0 I demoed. I suspect two reasons for starters, types of tires - knobby vs street 50/50 hybrid, and taller 29'er vs. shorter and snappier 27.5 size wheels. I guess this would be expected. My former Santa Cruz and former Specialized '29er bikes did not act as responsive (on the paved street) as the Vado 4.0 I rode and the current Sirrus X 5.0 Carbon I own. Not bad, just different - not as fun for me on the street I guess. We could say the reverse about Tero on the dirt too I guess, i.e. tires/wheel size, perhaps. To be sure, I really need to ride 5.0 Vado and 5.0 Tero back to back. Not sure I'll get that chance any time soon in my NorCal region.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Disclaimer: I only tested 3.0 in Tero, not 5.0, so my feedback might be limited. On the road, the Tero 3.0 for me was a little bit sluggish compared to my own Sirrus X 5.0 and the Vado 4.0 I demoed. I suspect two reasons for starters, types of tires - knobby vs street 50/50 hybrid, and taller 29'er vs. shorter and snappier 27.5 size wheels. I guess this would be expected. My former Santa Cruz and former Specialized '29er bikes did not act as responsive (on the paved street) as the Vado 4.0 I rode and the current Sirrus X 5.0 Carbon I own. Not bad, just different - not as fun for me on the street I guess. We could say the reverse about Tero on the dirt too I guess, i.e. tires/wheel size, perhaps. To be sure, I really need to ride 5.0 Vado and 5.0 Tero back to back. Not sure I'll get that chance any time soon in my NorCal region.

The Vado is a Highway Star or a Roadrunner It becomes a little bit of a nuisance on the dirt My Vado is not the current Vado, and I could still successfully participate in off-road group rides on the Vado but in my honest opinion Vado is NOT an off-road e-bike

 

[decooney]

The Vado is a Highway Star or a Roadrunner It becomes a little bit of a nuisance on the dirt My Vado is not the current Vado, and I could still successfully participate in off-road group rides on the Vado but in my honest opinion Vado is NOT an off-road e-bike

Good points and definitely where my thinking is stuck. I called today and there are no available new 5.0 Vados in my region next 90-120 days.

Oh well - This sort of cuts me loose to look around for potential alternatives. I find it hard to understand how my local incycle (specialized backed, owned) stores can do well with sales people, lights on, limited Spec local and regional inventory. Hope they can catch up again in 2024.