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

[Stefan Mikes]

Congratulations @Kiwimac! I own exactly the same bike, only mine is Step-Through size M. I believe it was the best model-year for the Vado (minus the BLOKS display). You'll fall in love with your Vado! What colour? Please post some photos!

The best news is you'll get the TCD-W upgrade. That will make your Vado actually the 2020 model (minus the suspension fork; and the motor is different). You'll be delighted, I promise you. Things to take care of:

• Together with the display replacement, request full servicing of the bike. With that many kilometres on, the chain would certainly need to be replaced, and most probably the cassette, too. Take that seriously, as negligence might lead to the chainring damage (you don't want that). Let the LBS inspect the brake pads, too; and perhaps the hydraulic lines need to be bleeded.
• A simple A-HEAD compatible stem riser will do the work. Bear in mind that after the electronics upgrade, the cable slack might be rather tight, so you might not be able to utilise the full 75 or 80 mm of the riser height. Use a spacer of the riser to set the handlebars at proper height.
• Ask the LBS to apply software updates not only to the motor but also to the battery.
• After you have your bike upgraded to the TCD-W, use Mission Control to inspect the battery health. If healthy, no worries (she'll be fine). If degraded, order a new UI-600 battery via the LBS. It is US$900 equivalent but you want to ride your bike for several years to come.

Take care of good winter clothing. I managed to survive the last European winter riding, with the temperatures down to 0 C and with terrible winds.

All the best!

 

[Art Deco]

Got to get through winter first - it is 5 degrees and raining today!!

Sorry about that. Kiwimac. Didn't notice the hemisphere.

 

[Sierratim]

@Stefan Mikes has made an excellent point re the bralee pads. They should be checked for wear. We live in a very hilly town. My front brake pads needed to be replaced at 800km. Riding on flatter routes yields better pad life but the cost to check is low. Riding with worn pads can damage the brake rotors requiring replacement and contribute to early brake failure.

 

[Kiwimac]

Thanks - handy advice.

The chain looks fine to me and shifts cleanly but I will certainly ensure that they check it. The brakes were inspected shortly before sale and the rear pads replaced but again, I will have them checked. I never had a bike with discs before - wow, they are something to behold for someone who grew up with sidepulls!

The colour is a sort of matt grey colour. The previous owner seems to have been more careless with his paintwork than I would be but at least it won't rust. I will try and find some paint for touch ups if I can. It's not seriously dinged up at all but there are more marks on there than there would have been if it was my bike and only a couple of years old.

I have a Cane Creek ST Thudbuster seatpost for it that I will put on tomorrow and will post some pics when I have done that.

Overall the bike is great to ride. I did have one issue where all of a sudden I had no power assistance at all. I pulled over and removed/refitted the battery and wiggled the computer and all went back to normal so perhaps something was not quite pushed home. Once I get the fit sorted (it feels as though I have a bit much weight on my hands at the moment) and the service work done we have many more miles ahead.

I have really begun to think of it less as a 'bike' and more as an actual car alternative. I live in the countryside about 3km from the nearest village, so I need not contend with commuter traffic at all on my rides. I have an Ortleib pannier on the back and for small shopping trips or collecting the mail from the PO Box the bike is now my preferred alternative if the weather permits. I am not a martyr though so if it is really wet and wild, the Subaru gets the job instead!

My wife and I are going to ride the Otago Rail Trail next March which will be a fun ride, 30-40 kms per day through the hills and mountains. Looking forward to that.

I think the battery here is NZ$1200 which is a fairly big chunk of change for a battery.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The colour is a sort of matt grey colour.

Same as mine, see post #1

I did have one issue where all of a sudden I had no power assistance at all.

That's the dreaded BLOKS display, I think. See if you can remove the display by turning it (anticlockwise I think). If that's not possible, there should be a tiny screw at the display base (pointing towards you). Remove the screw with the smallest Allen key and store safely. Now, the display can be removed. There is a small silver dot at the base of the display: it is the Reset button. Push it with the smallest Allen key for a longer while: the display will reset. Replace the display in its base.

I had suffered that for 7 months.... When your display is replaced with the TCD-W, no more worries.

I think the battery here is NZ$1200 which is a fairly big chunk of change for a battery.

I hope your battery is healthy. However, it might be, say, 80% good and that will reduce the range more and more until the battery gets unusable. I hope that's not the case. You'll have to buy a new battery some day anyway, so start saving for a new battery. Just saying. My battery was never activated as I got my 2017 Vado 5.0 as New Old Stock in 2019, never ridded before, so the battery was fresh. I have bought a new battery (with extra cover) anyway, rotate the batteries between my rides, have got very long range capabilities and know first the bike becomes obsolete before both batteries die

P.S. Here's how my 2017 Vado 5.0 (2020 electronics upgrade) looks on a 113 km/70 mi ride nowadays

 

[mikecoin56]

Just joined the Specialized Turbo Vado Como User Club when I picked up my Turbo Como 4 today. I was really surprised to see a couple things about the bike that I hadn't expected and were not like I saw in all of the reviews.

The light for the rear of the bike was not under the seat but attached to the rear fender. It was a Herrman's H-Trace mini.

Both the front and rear fenders had the rubber extensions on the bottom.

 

[TS25]

Just joined the Specialized Turbo Vado Como User Club when I picked up my Turbo Como 4 today. I was really surprised to see a couple things about the bike that I hadn't expected and were not like I saw in all of the reviews.

Both the front and rear fenders had the rubber extensions on the bottom.

Welcome to the club and congrats for your (metal?) fenders. Maybe your Como wanted to be a Vado (which has the better fenders)?

 

[TS25]

That's the dreaded BLOKS display, I think.

I had suffered that for 7 months.... When your display is replaced with the TCD-W, no more worries.

I never ever had an issue with my BLOKS display during the last 2 years but I know of a number of issues the new TCD-W display had at the beginning.
So you probably would have suffered anyway if they had converted your display to the TCD-W earlier.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Both the front and rear fenders had the rubber extensions on the bottom.

It looks the fenders are the famous Dry-Tech ones, the same as used on my Vado. The long rubber mudflap protects the motor chamber against being soiled.

Congratulations, Mike!

 

[BEC111]

Just joined the Specialized Turbo Vado Como User Club when I picked up my Turbo Como 4 today. I was really surprised to see a couple things about the bike that I hadn't expected and were not like I saw in all of the reviews.

View attachment 58333

The light for the rear of the bike was not under the seat but attached to the rear fender. It was a Herrman's H-Trace mini.

Both the front and rear fenders had the rubber extensions on the bottom.

Beautiful. Specialized makes very attractive bikes.

When I went on a group ride the other day, many of the members commented favorably on my Vado Sl. I’m sure you will experience the same. Making riding it even more satisfying.

 

[jenfeu]

Just joined the Specialized Turbo Vado Como User Club when I picked up my Turbo Como 4 today. I was really surprised to see a couple things about the bike that I hadn't expected and were not like I saw in all of the reviews.


The light for the rear of the bike was not under the seat but attached to the rear fender. It was a Herrman's H-Trace mini.

I was surprised to see this on my Como too. I'm glad because I will be putting a rear rack on like you did. Which rack do you have?

 

[Art Deco]

Just joined the Specialized Turbo Vado Como User Club when I picked up my Turbo Como 4 today. I was really surprised to see a couple things about the bike that I hadn't expected and were not like I saw in all of the reviews.

View attachment 58333

The light for the rear of the bike was not under the seat but attached to the rear fender. It was a Herrman's H-Trace mini.

Both the front and rear fenders had the rubber extensions on the bottom.

The local bike shop probably installed the light the way it should be for the fenders.

 

[Nxkharra]

Just joined the Specialized Turbo Vado Como User Club when I picked up my Turbo Como 4 today. I was really surprised to see a couple things about the bike that I hadn't expected and were not like I saw in all of the reviews.

View attachment 58333

The light for the rear of the bike was not under the seat but attached to the rear fender. It was a Herrman's H-Trace mini.

Both the front and rear fenders had the rubber extensions on the bottom.

Congrats on a beautiful bike. Welcome to forum. You will a lot from this forum.
Your great journey just began!

You will find out that @Sierratim and @Stefan Mikes are great resources in this forum among others

 

[Marci jo]

Just joined the Specialized Turbo Vado Como User Club when I picked up my Turbo Como 4 today. I was really surprised to see a couple things about the bike that I hadn't expected and were not like I saw in all of the reviews.

View attachment 58333

The light for the rear of the bike was not under the seat but attached to the rear fender. It was a Herrman's H-Trace mini.

Both the front and rear fenders had the rubber extensions on the bottom.

Congrats on your new ebike!
Many wonderful miles to you.
Be prepared for questions, especially at rest stops. I’m into my third season and always get asked about ebikes.
Two most common:
- what kind of range
- how much do they cost.

 

[BEC111]

I love the cost question. If someone is riding a Schwinn they get apoplectic when I say mine was $3500. If they’re riding a carbon framed superbike, they say, “hmm, that’s reasonable“.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

I love the cost question. If someone is riding a Schwinn they get apoplectic when I say mine was $3500. If they’re riding a carbon framed superbike, they say, “hmm, that’s reasonable“.

It's all relative and during these harsh economic times lots of folks can't fathom spending that money when toilet paper is hard to come by. I can't imagine spending $3k on a camera, but I can TOTALLY understand spending money on a Vado.

To each there own. A Kia and a Porsche can both get you from a-b, I'll let y'all figure out which one is more fun

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I have mastered answering the questions Marci Jo mentioned:

1. What is the range? The range depends on how hard you can pedal. It could be 40 or 140 km.
2. How much does e-bike cost? Too much.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Gone to Warsaw to see an optician, Vado, full traffic, high assist levels. The bike secured with ABUS alarm U-lock and the battery removed just in case. No issues.

P.S. I proclaim Turbo Vado the best commuter e-bike ever!

Cheers!

I wouldn't make it faster with my car during the rush hours.

 

[Marci jo]

I love the cost question. If someone is riding a Schwinn they get apoplectic when I say mine was $3500. If they’re riding a carbon framed superbike, they say, “hmm, that’s reasonable“.

So very true Bec111.
I usually answer the cost question by starting super high: the first Specialized Creos at $17,000 and they were sold out. Then end with a lower range of $1500-$3000.

 

[Nxkharra]

Gone to Warsaw to see an optician, Vado, full traffic, high assist levels. The bike secured with ABUS alarm U-lock and the battery removed just in case. No issues.

P.S. I proclaim Turbo Vado as the best commuter e-bike ever!
View attachment 58487
Cheers!

View attachment 58488
I wouldn't make it faster with my car during the rush hours.

Gone to Warsaw to see an optician, Vado, full traffic, high assist levels. The bike secured with ABUS alarm U-lock and the battery removed just in case. No issues.
View attachment 58449
Cheers!

Ride safe.