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

[45srbest]

Just a few more questions folks;
1- when I pick up my Vado 5.0 hopefully next week I know I will check a few things
A- have them take battery in and out a few times to make sure it locks in
B- I’m going to go into mission control while at the dealer to make sure I can
C- ask if all the firmware has been updated (not sure how I can verify this)
Anything else I should verify when there?

2- my other question is what is the difference between a sport setting of 50-50 and a sport setting of 50-100 . I read some things on the forum but I still don’t get it. Simple explanation is the best for this old brain!
Thank you once again for your help folks!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Just a few more questions folks;
1- when I pick up my Vado 5.0 hopefully next week I know I will check a few things
A- have them take battery in and out a few times to make sure it locks in
B- I’m going to go into mission control while at the dealer to make sure I can
C- ask if all the firmware has been updated (not sure how I can verify this)
Anything else I should verify when there?

2- my other question is what is the difference between a sport setting of 50-50 and a sport setting of 50-100 . I read some things on the forum but I still don’t get it. Simple explanation is the best for this old brain!
Thank you once again for your help folks!

0. Make sure they have inflated the tyres. You would be surprised how often that's forgotten by the LBS.

The Assist % vs. Max Motor Power %:

Your 1.3 motor can yield the maximum power of 550 W. That motor will amplify your own power with 3.6 times at 100% assist. Therefore:

Assist 50%, Max Motor Power 50%:
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Assist: 50% of 3.6 = 1.8. Every watt of your legs will be amplified with 180% by the motor. If you can push 80 W (almost everybody can), the motor will add 80 * 1.8 = 144 Watts to your effort. If you input 100 W, that would be 180 W from the motor and so on.

Max Motor Power: it is 50% of 550 W or 275 W. However strong you are, the motor will never yield more than 275 Watts.

Now: if the setting is 50-100, your legs still will be assisted 1.8 times but the motor has the capacity to produce as much as 550 Watts.
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Now imagine a weird setting of 100-50: The legs are supported 3.6 times and the motor is allowed to produce up to 275 Watts. You have input 100 Watts yourself. With 3.6 times amplification, the motor should yield 360 W but it will not do it and you'll get only 275 Watts of support.

Here are typical schemes:
Eco: 35/35. There is a ceiling of .35 * 550 = 192.5 Watts delivered, and the assist is .35 * 3.6 = 1.26 times (126% of rider's input)
Sport: 65/65: The assist is .65 * 3.6 = 2.34 x or 234%. Motor power is limited to .65 * 550 = 357.5 Watts
Turbo: 100/100: The assist is 3.6 x and the motor is capable to produce 550 Watts.

Note: It is not guaranteed that the motor will ever produce the full power if the rider's legs are weak.

 

[45srbest]

Thank you Stefan. Now I have an explanation that I understand!

 

[Sierratim]

Just a few more questions folks;
1- when I pick up my Vado 5.0 hopefully next week I know I will check a few things
A- have them take battery in and out a few times to make sure it locks in
B- I’m going to go into mission control while at the dealer to make sure I can
C- ask if all the firmware has been updated (not sure how I can verify this)
Anything else I should verify when there?

2- my other question is what is the difference between a sport setting of 50-50 and a sport setting of 50-100 . I read some things on the forum but I still don’t get it. Simple explanation is the best for this old brain!
Thank you once again for your help folks!

You can check for firmware updates in the Mission Control app. Checking this at the shop is a good idea.

I'd also suggest a test ride from the shop to check for anything that's loose or squeaking. Some have reported loose fender bolts, etc.

@Stefan Mikes did a great job explaining the asst levels. The default settings he used as examples are a good starting point. Some feel that 35/35 for Eco is too much for flats and for strong riders in general. Tweak the settings for your terrain and riding style. You'll be glad you did.

Enjoy your new Vado!

 

[RichM]

How do look up what firmware I’m at and what it should be On a como 4.0.?

 

[Sierratim]

How do look up what firmware I’m at and what it should be On a como 4.0.?

Do you have the TCD dispaly/controller on your Vado 4 and the latest Mission Control app on you phone?

 

[Sierratim]

How do look up what firmware I’m at and what it should be On a como 4.0.?

Assuming you have the TCD display controller and have linked the latest Mission Control app to your Vado you can check for firmware updates in the app by selecting DIAGNOSE from the app's home screen. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and select DEVICE UPDATES. That screen will list the firmware (FW) versions installed for your battery, motor, and display. If everything is up to date it will have a green message to that effect at the bottom of the screen.

My app reports that my Vado 5 FW is up to date with the following versions;

Battery: 7.3.4
Motor : 7.1.1
Display: 12.4.0

 

[Marcela]

Coming up on 1k miles on the Vade 5 with the thudbuster. The elastomers are getting tired already, very noticeable difference between it and another bike with little mileage. Was hoping they would last a little longer.

anybody with the Kinekt seat post, how much movement is there possible without the springs or estimated.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

anybody with the Kinekt seat post, how much movement is there possible without the springs

Not sure if I can understand your question?

 

[Marcela]

Not sure if I can understand your question?

That would be like total possible travel. The Thudbuster has around 3" of possible travel. From the pictures the Kinekt looks like it has less travel, wondering how much there actually is.

A suspension with little travel that has to be sprung stiff to keep from bottoming would be my avoidance effort.

 

[Hextall]

... I also plan on using it to shuttle my truck when floating and flyfishing out of my raft down select NH rivers. I previously biked back to the put in... and as rivers flow downhill, the ride to the put in was always tiring. Just have to figure out a transport plan while towing the raft...

I finally got a chance to use the ebike as a "poor" man's shuttle. A dual hitch receiver from Harbor Freight and some short pieces of a cut up pool noodle on the 1up rack (to save scratching up the rear fender) made it work.

 

[Ebiker53]

You can move the rear tire rest on the arm and keep it on the tire instead of the fender.

 

[Hextall]

You can move the rear tire rest on the arm and keep it on the tire instead of the fender.

I can't see how you can do that on the rear fender with the fender going well past half way on the tire. Regardless, the pool noodles worked really well because I use this rack for multiple bikes and not moving anything is easy.

 

[BarryS]

You can move the rear tire rest on the arm and keep it on the tire instead of the fender.

Yeah I agree The 1 up system is very adjustable : I bought their Fender protector (NOT Impressed) and didn't like it : So I just adjusted My bracket to make it set lower : I've hauled some 60 pounders with no issues

 

[Hextall]

Maybe I'm missing something on where to position the rear tire rest so it's below the fender, which seems like it would be less than halfway down the tire and not very secure... any pictures you can share?

 

[Art Deco]

I finally got a chance to use the ebike as a "poor" man's shuttle. A dual hitch receiver from Harbor Freight and some short pieces of a cut up pool noodle on the 1up rack (to save scratching up the rear fender) made it work.

View attachment 62654

How does it ride while towing? Turning sharp corners looks dicy?

I finally got a chance to use the ebike as a "poor" man's shuttle. A dual hitch receiver from Harbor Freight and some short pieces of a cut up pool noodle on the 1up rack (to save scratching up the rear fender) made it work.

View attachment 62654

 

[TS25]

That would be like total possible travel. The Thudbuster has around 3" of possible travel. From the pictures the Kinekt looks like it has less travel, wondering how much there actually is.

A suspension with little travel that has to be sprung stiff to keep from bottoming would be my avoidance effort.

Kinect is described as an isolation system, and not a suspension system. So it works different and doesn't need that much possible travel as suspension systems like the Thudbusters do.

From the FAQ: "KINEKT needs about 10cm of space between your seatpost clamp and your saddle rails to allow for proper function. Lighter riders (<110lbs) can work with it about 8cm. "

 

[Hextall]

How does it ride while towing? Turning sharp corners looks dicy?

Plenty of room. I hacked into my rear view camera to be able to turn it on whenever I want via a switch and when making a couple of sharpish turns I had plenty of room. I guess if the trailer was 90 degrees the bike rack might hit the trailer (like the winch), but if that happens, then I already f'ed something up.

 

[Art Deco]

Plenty of room. I hacked into my rear view camera to be able to turn it on whenever I want via a switch and when making a couple of sharpish turns I had plenty of room. I guess if the trailer was 90 degrees the bike rack might hit the trailer (like the winch), but if that happens, then I already f'ed something up.

I like it... never even heard of a dual hitch receiver before.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

That would be like total possible travel. The Thudbuster has around 3" of possible travel. From the pictures the Kinekt looks like it has less travel, wondering how much there actually is.

A suspension with little travel that has to be sprung stiff to keep from bottoming would be my avoidance effort.

@Marcela, Kinekt 2.1 has indeed far less travel. I can't even measure that without dismantling the post and removing the springs. Don't be, however, misled by the travel figure, as the Kinekt works on quite different principle. The first time you sit on the saddle mounted on the Kinekt (with the correct springs selected), the suspension sags. At that moment, the second person (or even you) needs to make several rotations with the adjustment screw (at the back of the seatpost). That will cancel the initial sag, so next time you are getting on the bike, the saddle won't make the initial downward movement. When you, however, ride over an obstacle, the suspension starts working. It wouldn't be OK if the Kinekt bobbed too much when you just pedal. The pedal bob will occur with any suspension seat-post, though. The easy technique to cancel the pedal bob is upshifting by one gear. After getting used to the Kinekt, you'll notice your pedalling has become regular, and the pedal bob won't happen, or at least not too often.

I must tell you most of people ride with the spring tension of "1" because they prefer a lot of suspension. As I am still heavy as for the "black" (medium) springs, I set the springs to "2", while I had started with "3".

Kinekt is surprisingly well designed. Since I own a full-suspension e-bike, too, I can say the Kinekt 2.1 is almost as good as the rear damper if I had it in my Vado