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

[Stefan Mikes]

Guys, I have a feeling inside my guts the Warsaw guys screwed up my Vado and now try and hide the fact and get help and parts from the Netherlands. I wrote an official complaint to the Marketing Manager of the company asking for a sort of compensation. If it is not solved, the matter will go to Specialized Poland, then to Specialized B.V.

 

[TMH]

Stefan Mikes - What do you think may have occurred?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

There are several possible explanations:

1. It is indeed a high season and the LBS planned their activities wrongly. The guy might have thought the conversion would be a piece of cake and then he watched the video, making him feel incapable (and lacking tools), so he sent the bike to the other shop where there is a long queue waiting for service OR
2. The guy tried and screwed up something. For instance, the motor wouldn't start after the conversion. The company needs to cover the fact, get help from Holland, order the inadvertently damaged part.

I don't know. Some guy I know who used to work in a similar business in Warsaw has told me: "It was unusual for us to keep a bike for such a long time. Sometimes, a young inexperienced mechanic might have had damaged a bike part. In such situation, we had to order the spare part and we were getting such a part in 3 days but that was pre-covid times".

 

[Saratoga Dave]

C’mon, Stefan, take a walk on the wild side. Maybe something like a Giant Revolt e+. Get you out in the woods a bit!

 

[Oberst]

C’mon, Stefan, take a walk on the wild side. Maybe something like a Giant Revolt e+. Get you out in the woods a bit!

It would be a Levo, my guess!

 

[pmcdonald]

Full suspension if possible. And the bike must look sexy There are hardly any bikes like that.

Don't talk Haibike: I don't like them visually. R & M are too heavy.

Ooo, fun thought experiment. Tricky to find anything FS that doesn't look like a MTB and weigh over 30 kegs. Is part of your rationale to get away from relying on your Specialized LBS?

If you can do without the rear suspension then the equally sexy looking Trek Allant could be an option . Gazelle T10, Scott Axis, Giant Explore Pro (those Yamaha motors are efficient..), Focus Adventura with second battery?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

TREK e-bikes are sold by exactly the same Warsaw company Besides, there are no Allant+ S models available in Poland. All the bikes you've mentioned @pmcdonald are Class 1... Ah, you're from Australia We can ride speed ebikes here. I consider a FS Class 3 e-bike that I could buy in/import to Poland.

Is part of your rationale to get away from relying on your Specialized LBS?

Precisely this.

 

[Worm]

Majority of EBR Forum owners of Specialized e-bikes ride either a Turbo Vado or a Como. This is natural, as these two major models have been designed for an average cyclist. Turbo Levo and Kenevo are technical ride stuff, discussed on e-MTB fora. Creo is for road cycling fanatics

It is quite interesting American versions of Vado are in the majority Class 3 bikes, while the only speed Vado models for Europe (and I guess Australia) are Vado 5.0 and 6.0. Does anybody own the 6.0? Canadians have to be content with the 32 km/h versions, unluckily.

I'd like you friends to talk more about your experiences with your Specialized e-bikes, for good and for bad. Please post pictures if you like.

I fell in love with my 2017 Specialized Turbo Vado 5.0, which I bought in Autumn 2019. I think buying a 2019 or 2020 model would stretch my budget too far. There are four components and a feature I am extremely happy with in my 2017 model:

1. Rigid fork
2. 29x2" Elektrak tyres
3. TRP Zurich brakes
4. 600 lm headlight and very strong rear light, illuminating the number plate as well

The feature is the beautiful grey colour.
View attachment 45130

When I first mounted the Vado, I was positively shocked with the bike's geometry. So sporty! What I love about my Vado is the agility and the acceleration, both being fantastic, especially in the Sport mode. It is a lot of fun to ride fast!

Now, it is your turn to brag about your Specialized e-bikes!

The only Vado's available in Australia are Vado 3. Th

It is quite interesting American versions of Vado are in the majority Class 3 bikes, while the only speed Vado models for Europe (and I guess Australia) are Vado 5.0 and 6.0.

The only Vado's sold by Australian Specialized distributor is the Vado 3. These seem to be imported in rather small quantities even though Specialized is quite a popular bike brand here. I had to wait several months to get a medium size model. I heard gossip the next iteration of the Vado 3 will have a lighter engine but will be priced much higher (at least in Australia). The current price of Vado 3 is AUD $4500. I am envious of some of the features in the other Vado models but I do not think I would have paid more than the going rate for the Vado 3. I found it slightly irritating I could not mix and match the components; ie faster charger or bigger battery.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I found it slightly irritating I could not mix and match the components; ie faster charger or bigger battery.

Can't you? Because what I've heard is the three different batteries (460, 500, 604) are compatible. Wouldn't Specialized in Australia sell you the larger battery?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

C’mon, Stefan, take a walk on the wild side. Maybe something like a Giant Revolt e+. Get you out in the woods a bit!

Hahaha! I wouldn't be able to get onto such a bike in the first place!

It would be a Levo, my guess!

The Levo is one of my dreams. It is only impractical for me. If I lived somewhere in the Polish South then yes, that would be an option even with the restriction to 25 km/h. Because the Polish South is not flat

 

[pmcdonald]

TREK e-bikes are sold by exactly the same Warsaw company Besides, there are no Allant+ S models available in Poland. All the bikes you've mentioned @pmcdonald are Class 1... Ah, you're from Australia We can ride speed ebikes here. I consider a FS Class 3 e-bike that I could buy in/import to Poland.

Ah, sorry - I'm completely ignorant as to which manufacturers offer Class 3 versions. With our world trailing 25 km/h limit they're not even on our radar down here. I think I just assumed if the national law allowed it and the motor was capable they'd sell a version.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The world is so strange... If you want to do this properly in Europe @pmcdonald, you need to register and insure the Euro "Class 3" e-bike (L1e-B) as if it were a moped. The fact the given Class of e-bikes is allowed in a country/region doesn't mean these are readily available.

• The manufacturer has to equip the S-Pedelec with extra safety features, and the S-Pedelec has to come with the Certificate of Conformity as it were a light motorcycle. That means a lot of effort from the manufacturer; for such reasons Specialized offers Vado 6.0 as their only S-Pedelec for Europe now, at the premium price.
• The owner of the S-Pedelec has to go through the registration and insurance procedure; my Speed Vado has a registration plate.
• Therefore, most of bike stores don't want to carry S-Pedelecs.

I did a thorough research last Autumn and it seems to me that the only S-Pedelec that is easy to obtain in Poland now is the Specialized Vado 6.0. It might be some Haibike, too, probably.

Funny thing is you can still buy exactly the same model of speed Vado 5.0 2017 I own. The liars describe it as the 2019 model. I found out it was the MY 2017 only when I prepared the registration papers. The price in 2019 US$ was 4000. The same bike costs now US$4500. The Vado 6.0 2020 is US$5000 in Poland now.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
The link to the 2017 "speed" Vado 5.0 advertised as MY 2019 at the infamous LBS I was talking about.

 

[Worm]

The bike came with the smallest size battery and then the only stand alone battery available for purchase in Australia is the largest one at AUD $1100 from memory, ...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The bike came with the smallest size battery and then the only stand alone battery available for purchase in Australia is the largest one at AUD $1100 from memory, ...

When you are assured by Specialized the 604 Wh battery is good for the Vado 3.0, go for it and you'd soon forget the expense. I cannot imagine not having two largest batteries today. Note: I haven't made the metric century with my Vado yet. I made two metric centuries with my other e-bike but not with the Vado. Yet.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

S-Pedelecs are so new in Poland that the respective agencies and offices are not sure what to do. The new owner needs to prepare:

• Your ID
• The original purchase invoice
• The EU Certificate of Conformity (CoC) for that specific bike (for example Specialized provide one with each speed e-bike)
• An additional document prepared and signed by the LBS. The LBS is not a motor company so they don't know what to do with it and how properly fill it in (any company selling, e.g., motorbikes knows all about it)
• Authorised Dealer statement from the brand also helps. It means that the LBS has the right to handle mopeds of given brand.

Armed with these documents, you come in the County's Vehicle Department and after long wait you present the papers to the officer. The officer does everything to convince you something's wrong with the papers and the whole idea and you better leave. (Because the idea of an e-moped seems so weird to the officer even if the Road Code exactly specifies what the L1e-B class is). If you managed to convince the officer ("What is the fuel?" -- "Electric energy" -- "Ah. The EE code. I still believe the CoC is wrong but we'll find out the truth!")... then you pay some 111.50 PLN (EUR 25, USD26.50) and you get (on the spot):

1. The registration plate
2. The holographic sticker for the plate
3. Temporary permission
4. The registration, which you collect after 30 days.

Having had these items, you find an insurance agent. The agent is stunned again. After they have got a permission from the insurance company (20 minutes) -- because the whole idea is so unusual! -- you pay (in my case) 151 PLN (EUR 33, USD36) for one year. The agent will send a reminder the next time.

After 3 years, you have to do the MOT. Will be quite interesting.

Except the minors, no license is needed to ride an S-Pedelec in Poland and you have to wear a regular cycling helmet. No bike lanes/paths allowed.

The registration. I keep the insurance policy inside the booklet.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

There are definitely many good things about Switzerland.
P.S. Has anyone wondered why Specialized Turbo Division was located in Cham, Switzerland?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My female friend is shopping for a city e-bike. I advised her to consider either the Giant E.Dailytour E+ 2 LDS or the Specialized Turbo Como 4.0 700C. I am surprised! I've read here the Como comes without rack or mudguards in North America. See how the European model looks like:

Turbo Como 4.0 700C - Low-Entry

Weekendowa rodzinna wycieczka, zakupy w mieście i dojazdy do pracy to tylko kilka przykładów sytuacji, w którym możesz w pełni polegać na komforcie i st...

www.specialized.com

 

[Worm]

My female friend is shopping for a city e-bike. I advised her to consider either the Giant E.Dailytour E+ 2 LDS or the Specialized Turbo Como 4.0 700C. I am surprised! I've read here the Como comes without rack or mudguards in North America. See how the European model looks like:

Turbo Como 4.0 700C - Low-Entry

Weekendowa rodzinna wycieczka, zakupy w mieście i dojazdy do pracy to tylko kilka przykładów sytuacji, w którym możesz w pełni polegać na komforcie i st...

www.specialized.com

Here is Australian" version, ....

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Here is Australian" version, ....

Oh, my...

My friend has finally chosen an extremely nice Giant low step city e-bike, only available in Europe. Great features, the latest Yamaha motor, 500 Wh battery, hub gears. Looking sexy!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Unbelievable

The 2020 collection of Turbo Levo and Levo Comp sold out in Europe (nothing available at the distributor and nothing available in Poland); and only 2021 models would appear in the Autumn...