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

[Marcela]

Mine are set at 30/40, 60/80, 100/100. That pretty much covers it for me. I usually ride without assist unless it’s something long and uphill. It’s like having an 11spd transmission with a 3 spd rear end.
Weight is a big factor. The difference between my 34 lb Sequoia and 57 lb Vado is crazy. On the level cruise is not bad, starting out is slow, uphill is a no go.
When assist stops pretty much figure going down a gear.

 

[Marci jo]

Hi all - thought I'd introduce myself. Just picked up a 2020 Vado 4.0 last week and so far....wow! I've got a 7 mile commute (each way) with a couple of gnarly hills in between work & home. As I've gotten a little older my stamina and body aren't what they used to be, and I hadn't been getting on my bikes as much as I would have liked. In one week with the Vado I've rediscovered the joy of riding and have even hopped on my road bike a couple of times. So glad I pulled the trigger and am hoping this new love affair continues well into the future.

That's a great commute JonnyC.
Perfect for an ebike, especially on those hills.
Many miles & smiles!!

 

[Brendon@OEB]

It's the 2017 Vado 5.0

Nothing in the service docs, emailed the service rep to see what they say. Might be a few days but I'll let you know as soon as I hear something.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

@Stefan Mikes I know your objections about the PNY Coast suspension dropper post that you had, but I was wondering about the cable connection on that setup. I'm sure you went with the external cable option, so what did you do about routing it up to the bars? I'm considering trying one so I can get dual functionality out of it, and I don't need that much shock action, but am probably trying to think of a solution for the cable that doesn't exist . Obviously I could just tie-wrap it underneath the top tube, but it seems an ugly "hacked" solution. I recall in some previous thread that someone had a photo of their bike with the dropper cable installed, but I couldn't come up with any search terms to locate it.

So how did you do it? Any others can chip in as well.

There's a product in the bicycle and motorcycle industry called "Flexroute" and they have these slick plastic clips that have provisions to hold the cable neatly and flush mount zip ties. Cleanest way to route external cables without provisions on the frame. Used them to great success.

 

[JohnRC]

On other e bikes that I have ridden I have found them much easier to peddle without any assist. When I go to zero assist on the Como the whole bike just peddles like sludge. The tires are around 30 psi. Higher might be better but there is a point where the ride gets harsh.
Anyone else find this?

 

[Brendon@OEB]

Are the seat heights the same? I find lots of folks riding the Como set the seat height a bit on the low side. Without proper leg extension you don't utilize all of your power and it can seem harder to ride. I too have felt some are "easier" to ride with no assist but that's typically due to tire size. The Yamaha Wabash seemed like a rocket ship without assist compared to the Como or others with large tires. You really don't notice how much drag larger tires change things when the motor is helping you out. It's worth it as the ride is great!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

On other e bikes that I have ridden

Were they mid-drive or hub drive ones?

 

[JohnRC]

I tend to have a high seat for good leg extension.
Yes, all mid drives.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

I tend to have a high seat for good leg extension.
Yes, all mid drives.

I'd chalk it up to wheel/tire differences I think. I've ridden several mid drives, Brose, Yamaha, Bosch, and it's more due to wheel/tire combo than it is drive unit, at least what's palpable as a rider.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

What I read is the Brose/Specialized and Yamaha/Giant motors sport the least motor drag from all mid-drive motors, so Brendon must be right. The cure John is to set a minimal assistance of 5 or 10 or 15% in the Mission Control just to cancel the perceived bike drag.

 

[Marcela]

I think a lot of it is the tire drag. Air them up vs. air them down and feel the difference.

Another thought, I have a trike, and with the two wheels alignment is critical. I put some miles on mine, then the spokes were getting soft. Tightened the spokes and either imagination or not, it felt like the rolling resistance was less. Wonder if loose vs. tight spokes effects rolling resistance any way on our diamond frame bikes.

 

[rochrunner]

Mine are set at 30/40, 60/80, 100/100. That pretty much covers it for me. I usually ride without assist unless it’s something long and uphill. It’s like having an 11spd transmission with a 3 spd rear end.
Weight is a big factor. The difference between my 34 lb Sequoia and 57 lb Vado is crazy. On the level cruise is not bad, starting out is slow, uphill is a no go.
When assist stops pretty much figure going down a gear.

Your Sequoia was that heavy? I never weighed mine, but I found about as big a difference when I went to a carbon Cdale Synapse and saved probably 15lbs. It was an eye opener!

By the way, even with assist it's a good idea to shift down as if you were on pedal power; if the motor has to work hard against a higher great it's taking off range just like it would wear you out.

 

[rochrunner]

I tend to have a high seat for good leg extension.
Yes, all mid drives.

30 does seem a bit low unless the Como tires are really big.

 

[Marcela]

Your Sequoia was that heavy? I never weighed mine, but I found about as big a difference when I went to a carbon Cdale Synapse and saved probably 15lbs. It was an eye opener!

By the way, even with assist it's a good idea to shift down as if you were on pedal power; if the motor has to work hard against a higher great it's taking off range just like it would wear you out.

The Sequoia is an XL, with rear rack and Thudbuster seat post, 34#. The Specialized Epic Expert carbon is 28#, the Vado 5.0 L is 57#. That 28# is reeeaaal nice. I was really surprised at what 20+# feels like on a bike, feel sorry for those guys weighing in the low 200's. That's a lot of weight to move around.

I never lug the motor.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@Sierratim & @TS25, many many thanks again! You are the Vado real experts and always come with the accurate information! I'd like especially thank to TS25 as he can always find something in Germany I can buy and get it fast.

The delivery of the Lightning specialized axle from The Robert Axle Project was lightning fast. It was delivered by Bike24 in just 21 hours!!!

The LIG506. I took measurements with a caliper and the axle will fit my Vado. Specifically, the tapered spacer is very important. I will bring it to my brother in the evening.

My brother told me why the original axle quit. The bolt-head socket is very deep there (10 mm). The bit of the torque wrench is much shorter, so damage of the socket was inevitable.

 

[PaD]

Since I had my Vado 5 ( EU version) at LBS for service where they updated the firmwares the bike feels very different.
It’s like it’s in Sport mode or Turbo when I put it in Eco. The Eco mode factory preset according to Mission Control is no 35% support and 100% Peak power. Mission Control connects and can read data from bike but changing support levels don’t seem to work. The figures change in Mission Control but the motor still feels like a higher Peak power ( or support)
I thought I had it sorted out a few days ago after deleting the bike from MC and also erase the app and download again but it does not seem to work.
The bike uses 10-20% more power and has lost that nice natural feeling I liked so much at an Eco setting of 35/35 or 30/30.
Yesterday I tried 25/25 as Eco mode and I think power consumption went down but I tried different things and rode different roads so I can’t say it was a scientific test.
Strange thing and I’m not happy to loose the nice natural feeling. I haven’t talked to the LBS yet but will after the weekend. When I piced up my bike after service I noticed it was very strong or powerful and my Eco mode showed 35/35. I first thought this was beacause I had been riding the Creo all day while they worked on my Vado.

 

[Sierratim]

@Sierratim & @TS25, many many thanks again! You are the Vado real experts and always come with the accurate information! I'd like especially thank to TS25 as he can always find something in Germany I can buy and get it fast.

The delivery of the Lightning specialized axle from The Robert Axle Project was lightning fast. It was delivered by Bike24 in just 21 hours!!!

View attachment 56040
The LIG506. I took measurements with a caliper and the axle will fit my Vado. Specifically, the tapered spacer is very important. I will bring it to my brother in the evening.

My brother told me why the original axle quit. The bolt-head socket is very deep there (10 mm). The bit of the torque wrench is much shorter, so damage of the socket was inevitable.

Hmmm, better check my torque wrench bit length...

 

[rochrunner]

Anyone else find that the freewheel ratchet on the Vado is a bit on the loud side? I sort of thought this and then a guy riding next to me commented on it (said he thought I had a playing card in the spokes ). This came home to me the other day when I took my Crosstrail out and found it almost silent when coasting. FWIW, I had a set of Mavic wheels on one of my road bikes a while back and they were also noted for having noisy freewheels.

 

[rochrunner]

On my ride through a favorite park this morning I determined that the Vado is definitely not a trail bike, at least for these trails. The weight and long wheelbase make it feel slow to respond, and the OEM tires are tricky on loose gravel. Especially on a couple of downgrades (not that much of a hill), it was difficult to keep the front wheel from plowing due to the extra weight on it. Definitely not fun, but thankfully only a couple of short sections.

 

[Sierratim]

Anyone else find that the freewheel ratchet on the Vado is a bit on the loud side? I sort of thought this and then a guy riding next to me commented on it (said he thought I had a playing card in the spokes ). This came home to me the other day when I took my Crosstrail out and found it almost silent when coasting. FWIW, I had a set of Mavic wheels on one of my road bikes a while back and they were also noted for having noisy freewheels.

Once upon a time, a noisey freewheel was a sign of a top-quality hub. My MTBing sons say no longer, the best are quieter now. So do I tell the best from the cheapest now? I'm sooo confused...