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

[Stefan Mikes]

Yep, tried the commute in tennies but really prefer having my foot in the same place the whole time, plus running shoe covers is that much easier. Much needed in our winter/spring months!

Nothing wrong with that. I currently prefer MTB platform pedals with MTB cycling shoes (they stick to the pedals!) but it is true only the clipless pedals keep your feet in exactly the same position on every ride...

 

[Brendon@OEB]

Nothing wrong with that. I currently prefer MTB platform pedals with MTB cycling shoes (they stick to the pedals!) but it is true only the clipless pedals keep your feet in exactly the same position on every ride...

Call me superstitious (there's my hockey background) but I really don't want tendinitis again. I'm a stickler to keep everything the same, saddle height, cleat position, and reach (within reason). Riding Mango I don't wear bibshorts so I'm trying the "casual clothing" commute and that seems to be fine, but I really don't want to mess with the bio-mechanics of riding. I've even been thinking about messing with chainring sizing or cassettes out back. Right now I ride most of the commute in the 12t on the cassette but the cadence is lower than I'd like. Usually on my road bikes I spin around 100-110 so it just feels normal. Wondering if I dropped a couple teeth on the chainring if that would get my cadence in the sweet spot. I still sit at 46kph, but it'd be nice to have my cadence in the right spot. If I shift to the 13t out back I need to spin 107 or higher to keep the bike at 46kph, not ideal when I'm not trying to sweat as much! In that gear the bike seems to be more comfy around 44kph. Not a huge deal at all, but I can't help trying to find the right combination. I already have to tell folks the brakes are setup "moto" (right lever is front, left is front like a motorcycle) so a small chainring size would have little impact when folks test ride it.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Call me superstitious (there's my hockey background) but I really don't want tendinitis again. I'm a stickler to keep everything the same, saddle height, cleat position, and reach (within reason).

I hear ya I could ride the MTB clipless and I own a pedal/shoe set. Why I don't ride them is because incidents love to occur to me... The right Shimano pedals unclip with three possible heel jerks and they unclip easily. Still, I need to have more security. On the other hand, my bad legs/feet would be happy to stay exactly at the same position on each ride. Hard choice.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

I hear ya I could ride the MTB clipless and I own a pedal/shoe set. Why I don't ride them is because incidents love to occur to me... The right Shimano pedals unclip with three possible heel jerks and they unclip easily. Still, I need to have more security. On the other hand, my bad legs/feet would be happy to stay exactly at the same position on each ride. Hard choice.

My dad and his friends really like the Crank Bros Candies pedals. Much softer engagement compared to the SPD system. I've tried their pedals but really prefer an audible "click" or "POW" when I click in. I've pulled out of Crank Bros pedals in races before, no thanks. Crank Bros don't have the best bearing assembly so they're something to check with regular wear. Our customers that like them, we replace the pedals annually. Stick to the 3 model I believe, best dollar value. Food for thought!

 

[Oberst]

I have started using the Deore XT pedals that are clipless on one side and platform on the other so I have a choice and if I want to have someone else ride the bike they can do so without needing special shoes. Same pedals I use on my EMTB and especially like that I can unclip if I get to an area where I might want to put a foot down quickly.

 

[rochrunner]

What I'm using are Shimano PD-EH500 two-sided pedals with a non-cleat side that has those small screw-in studs that really make it grippy. My only criticism is that the SPD clips are what they call "light release" that is much lighter than what I'm used to on my other bikes to the point of being too easy to unclip from, although I haven't played around with the adjustment screw much so far.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My only criticism is that the SPD clips are what they call "light release" that is much lighter than what I'm used to on my other bikes to the point of being too easy to unclip from, although I haven't played around with the adjustment screw much so far.

You should play with the adjustment screw, Roch. It is super easy and very important. As for me, I prefer the lightest unclipping force possible. I own Shimano PD-M520. My brother rides in them now and his own are attached to the crank of his Giant mech MTB.

I prefer Crankbrothers Stamp 1 and 7 Large MTB platform pedals and use them on all my e-bikes.

 

[RandallS]

Call me superstitious (there's my hockey background) ..snip...

So were you a clockwise or anti-clockwise shin guard taper? I was clockwise on left leg and anti on right. Had a buddy who wouldn't wash his gear if he kept scoring. He was a good player and it got to a point that no one would pass him the puck, especially the guys who had to sit near him in the dressing room.

 

[Captain Slow]

I like the Eggbeater pedals for commuting and road riding, but I agree they wear out. I suspect they wear out faster than Shimano pedals.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

So were you a clockwise or anti-clockwise shin guard taper? I was clockwise on left leg and anti on right. Had a buddy who wouldn't wash his gear if he kept scoring. He was a good player and it got to a point that no one would pass him the puck, especially the guys who had to sit near him in the dressing room.

Never got into shin guard tape. I was always a smaller player, my mom would sew my socks to cutoff sweats, now I just use the velcro on the jock shorts, seems to work fine for beer league.

 

[RandallS]

Never got into shin guard tape. I was always a smaller player, my mom would sew my socks to cutoff sweats, now I just use the velcro on the jock shorts, seems to work fine for beer league.

Playing defence in Junior B hockey, you wanted your shin guards in the right place at all times! But then again, that was 43 years ago!

 

[rochrunner]

I finally got out for a ride on the 4.0 a couple days ago, for the first time having the time and conditions to do the type of ride I'd been dreaming of when I got the bike. The conclusion: it was great!

My ride was a 50 mile loop utilizing 4 rail-trails and some miles of unpaved rural public roads. It was mostly flat, but the dirt roads had some rollers and a few typical hills of the short-but-steep variety. There were maybe 10 miles of pavement in there and the dirt roads were comparatively smooth as they can get pretty bad depending on how recently graded, etc. Since I'm retired and no longer in a hurry, I was out as always to just enjoy the ride and mostly cruised at 12-15mph except of course for the downhills.

My setting using Mission Control had Eco at a low 15/30, which proved to be exactly what I was looking for. I was looking to get the same type of "workout" as I'm used to with my regular hybrid on these roads, but with an increased range and some help for the hills or when I start to run out of gas. I found that in many of the flat, harder-surfaced sections, it felt pretty good to put the bike in the Off mode and go with pedal power. There's also one rail-trail that follows a creek downstream and has a constant 1-2% downgrade and I was able to fly along at 16-18mph with the motor off for several miles. I finished with an overall 12% average speed and 43% battery remaining. Not bad at all!

I also concluded that I have no need to go with a suspension seat post, as the bike was not much rougher than my regular bikes (~60psi in the tires) and I'm used to getting up on the pegs if need be. I'll also leave the fenders on since they're only annoying when small stones rattle around in them. Powerwise, the SL might work better for me with its lower weight, but I'd have to try that "Future Shock" gizmo on some of this stuff before I'm convinced it's even as good as the low-end forks on the Vado.

Right now, I'm back to being very happy with my choice!

Typical rail-trail:

Michigan dirt/gravel road:

Less-improved rail-trail:

Break for lunch at a trailhead:

 

[Katysax]

Como settings question

My partner just got a new Como and the software is a little different from my bike. We are trying to change the units from metric to imperial. The mission control app is connected to the bike computer. We changed the app from metric to imperial but it won’t change on the bike. We tried changing it on the computer itself but all the instructions we have found seem to be for an different version of the firmware.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Como settings question

My partner just got a new Como and the software is a little different from my bike. We are trying to change the units from metric to imperial. The mission control app is connected to the bike computer. We changed the app from metric to imperial but it won’t change on the bike. We tried changing it on the computer itself but all the instructions we have found seem to be for an different version of the firmware.

Try pressing the left button in the bottom part of the TCD-W display for 5 seconds. System Setup should appear. First screens are for changing the time format, time and date. Press both buttons simultaneously to go to the next page. Finally, you'll be in the Units screen. Press either button to change to Imperial. Confirm by pressing both buttons at the same time. Continue pressing both buttons until you leave the System Setup.

 

[Katysax]

Thanks. I finally figured it out. I don’t get why it didn’t just change when I changed it on mission control. That’s how it worked on my bike.

Also the instructions in the manual differ a little from how it works on the bike. The new bike has different fenders, squarer with taillight on the fender. The new computer has a “power” screen that mine doesnt have.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I don’t get why it didn’t just change when I changed it on mission control.

Because it's Ye Ole Goode Specialized...

 

[PaD]

Because it's Ye Ole Goode Specialized...

My Vado 5.0 has been using more watts or amps or whatever since it was in for service. Maybe 10-15% more than before.Firmware was updated at service and as they help me ” correct” wheel circumference after all other things were done I cheched that Mission Control was connecting and I saw that Eco mode was set at 35/35.
The motor support has felt stronger and less natural and I’ve lowered Eco to 20/20 and then back to 30/30. Still feeling like it was in Sport mode sort of.
Tonight I restarted the bike and M/C after a ride and M/C asked me to enter bike name. I checked the letters and numbers and confrmed. Now Eco mode was 30/80! Probably has been since last update but communication with M/C seems to have not worked as it should.
The 80% Peak power is likely what I have experienced. I’ve always used 35/35 or 30/30 setting.
Too late for test ride now. Tomorrow will be interesting.

 

[rochrunner]

My Vado 5.0 has been using more watts or amps or whatever since it was in for service. Maybe 10-15% more than before.Firmware was updated at service and as they help me ” correct” wheel circumference after all other things were done I cheched that Mission Control was connecting and I saw that Eco mode was set at 35/35.
The motor support has felt stronger and less natural and I’ve lowered Eco to 20/20 and then back to 30/30. Still feeling like it was in Sport mode sort of.
Tonight I restarted the bike and M/C after a ride and M/C asked me to enter bike name. I checked the letters and numbers and confrmed. Now Eco mode was 30/80! Probably has been since last update but communication with M/C seems to have not worked as it should.
The 80% Peak power is likely what I have experienced. I’ve always used 35/35 or 30/30 setting.
Too late for test ride now. Tomorrow will be interesting.

Any particular reason why you always set the assistance and max power the same (20/20, 30/30, etc.)? Just wondering. I like to have minimal assistance but still some good power when I pedal hard.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Let me tell you something. Since I started using Smart Control in the Mission Control App, my rides have become fantastic. (There is a separate thread in the Specialized Forum on that).

The primary function of the Vado is the fast commute. We had a 95-km touring ride with my brother yesterday; he could maintain 32 km/h (20 mph) speed on my Lovelec e-bike. I equalised our leg power by setting the Smart Control to 60 km planned ride distance, 300 m of elevation gain and 20% of the battery left at the end of the ride. My Vado was still more agile and faster than Jacek's e-bike, or I could pedal easier even upwind while keeping at his speed. The use of my both batteries was astoundingly economical. I swapped the batteries at 55th km and the first battery still had 25% charge.

The next ride segment was downwind. I set Smart Control for even longer ride to decrease the pedal assistance. After 40 km covered, there was 50% left on the second battery, and I was still faster than my brother on the ride. That is so different from the manual assistance levels! Now I know using both batteries and Smart Control would allow me far longer rides than I have ever expected.

Try it yourself: If you feel you are a fit rider, set 100 km or 60 mile distance, your planned elevation gain and perhaps 20% battery left in Smart Control. Vado feeling sluggish? Decrease the planned distance on the spot. Too strong? Increase the distance or the amount of the battery left.

(You can thank me later)

 

[PaD]

Any particular reason why you always set the assistance and max power the same (20/20, 30/30, etc.)? Just wondering. I like to have minimal assistance but still some good power when I pedal hard.

No reason really. The original Eco setting was 35/35 on my bike.
I have to experiment more with different settings now that I think I realized how peak power affects the feel. Thanks for bringing it up.