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

[DaveHertle]

Hi Stefan. I purchased a spare battery for my Vado 3. I have done several 100km+ rides. I take the spare in a bag on the rack. Works well.

I ordered a 2nd battery for my Vado 3.0 604wh should be a nice addition to the original 460 wh battery. I also ordered the cover plate that matches the color scheme of the bike. Nice fit. I only wish I could plug them together in series like some do with bottle batteries. I bet someone has done it
I recently mapped out a 50 mile circuit ride with a stop at the 30 mile point for lunch and recharge. I want to try it on the new battery including a short lunch stop recharge and see if I can make the entire trip on one battery. I will carry the 2nd one just in case. I have a wire basket that goes onto my racktime narrow rack with a mesh netting that holds everything in the basket. I attached a 2nd bottle cage to the battery and the entire unit fits within the basket. No more range anxiety.
[Followup] I went out on the 604 wh battery on a windy day. I usually go in arcs from the house that allow several points where I can cut it short if I need to and head for home. The wind was cold and about 2 hours into the ride fun ceased to be and work began. I remembered a route that lead back, a country road I had not been on for nearly 20 years. Still very quiet and secluded. I had been using Smart Control and heart rate mode, allowing my pulse to climb to 100. At 110 bpm and higher, the higher support kicks in. When I was about 10 miles from the house. I finally took it out of Smart Control and put the bike into Turbo. I hit 5% battery as I was finishing the last hill and gladly cranked it home at that point. 45 miles on one battery. I never had to engage the 2nd battery. As a point of reference. I am 72 and 2 months post-op since my last cardiac procedure. The Turbo Vado has become my primary method of serious and effective cardiac therapy.

 

[Kam1936]

Turbo Vado 5.0 4life! Few photos from lbs, bike trails, local park and the lake. Santa Clarita Valley, California U.S.A.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I have just ordered and prepaid the second 604 Wh battery for my Vado, complete with the cover. Yes, there is an extra for the cover. The cover will be black. I'm not a picky person and can accept the black battery on the satin grey Vado. At least both batteries will be easily identifiable
The price including the cover is around US$925.

 

[Kam1936]

I have just ordered and prepaid the second 604 Wh battery for my Vado, complete with the cover. Yes, there is an extra for the cover. The cover will be black. I'm not a picky person and can accept the black battery on the satin grey Vado. At least both batteries will be easily identifiable
The price including the cover is around US$925.

Great News brother! More range for sure. And you still have the for backup TVCT. The price is similar to here 900 to 1000 U.S. Hope all is well on your side. Live free to many more safe and joyful rides!

 

[EClem]

So a vado and a como? You're the guy I've been looking for Wait that didn't come out Right : I'd be interested to get your Opinion Como Vs Vado :

I went through same quandary. Wife and I are in our 70's. Long time bike riders - road and MB. Athletic people and lucky for good health. Because of my age (74) I thought the Como might be best because of upright cruiser type comfort. But my LBD said because I am a long time acoustic rider I'd like the Vado's more forward geometry. Tried them both and he was right. I bought a 2020 Vado 3 in medium for my old 5ft 8' body. (30 inch inseam). I do 10 + miles every day when temps are at least 50 degrees to keep fit. We live in rural hilly NE CT USA and so far everything about this bike is very good. Only one problem: the front fender and headlight are held by the same fasteners to the fork. My first bump caused the fender to drop and rub the tire. The hex screw was very tight but not holding the fender. I was able to pull the fender up so that it was not rubbing but down it went on next bump. LBS fixed this design flaw. Doing fine for 30 miles.

 

[rochrunner]

I don't have enough ride time to post a formal "report" here, but thought I'd post this pic of my new Vado 4.0 on its first ride a few days ago. What I'm particularly pleased with is my solution for a rear bag, for which I repurposed a really nice Arkel "Tailrider" bag that I bought for use with a previous road bike and then never ended up using. To make it work, I bought a Racktime base unit from Amazon and then attached the Arkel bag to it using the included bolts. Looks nice and sleek, and easy on/off.

 

[DaveHertle]

I went through same quandary. Wife and I are in our 70's. Long time bike riders - road and MB. Athletic people and lucky for good health. Because of my age (74) I thought the Como might be best because of upright cruiser type comfort. But my LBD said because I am a long time acoustic rider I'd like the Vado's more forward geometry. Tried them both and he was right. I bought a 2020 Vado 3 in medium for my old 5ft 8' body. (30 inch inseam). I do 10 + miles every day when temps are at least 50 degrees to keep fit. We live in rural hilly NE CT USA and so far everything about this bike is very good. Only one problem: the front fender and headlight are held by the same fasteners to the fork. My first bump caused the fender to drop and rub the tire. The hex screw was very tight but not holding the fender. I was able to pull the fender up so that it was not rubbing but down it went on next bump. LBS fixed this design flaw. Doing fine for 30 miles.

I had the same problem with the stem bolt holding my front fender and headlight. The Stem bolt loosened up during a ride and rubbed the front tire. I tightened it up and later got some blue lok-tight to keep it tight.
On another trip, first lost one stem bolt holding rear fender, before I got home, lost a 2nd causing rack with a load to seize the rear wheel from turning.
Have the LBS put lok-tight on these threads. Now I carry extra m-5 stem bolts in my tool bag.

 

[Jimbo08]

I don't have enough ride time to post a formal "report" here, but thought I'd post this pic of my new Vado 4.0 on its first ride a few days ago. What I'm particularly pleased with is my solution for a rear bag, for which I repurposed a really nice Arkel "Tailrider" bag that I bought for use with a previous road bike and then never ended up using. To make it work, I bought a Racktime base unit from Amazon and then attached the Arkel bag to it using the included bolts. Looks nice and sleek, and easy on/off.

View attachment 48557

I have the same Arkel Tailrider bag. Love it, but not sure how to attach it to the rack at the same time as pannier bags. The Racktime base part you used, is it called the Snapit System Adapter?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Awww, @rochrunner, what a nice bike! Congratulations!

 

[rochrunner]

I have the same Arkel Tailrider bag. Love it, but not sure how to attach it to the rack at the same time as pannier bags. The Racktime base part you used, is it called the Snapit System Adapter?

Yes, that's it. After positioning the bag on the adapter, I punched holes in the bottom of the bag for the screws. The base of the bag has some fairly thick padding so that I had to go buy some longer screws (the screws have standard #8 machine screw threads). The hardware that comes with the adapter includes large washers for the screws so there's no chance of them pulling through. The adapter comes set up for the wider Racktime form factor, but you can easily change this (it's suggested to use an open-end wrench to rotate the rails into position since it's too tight to do by hand).

The other thing I did was to fold the velcro straps underneath and shove them between the adapter and the bottom of the bag to get them out of the way. I could also have just cut them off, but didn't want to irreversibly alter things. As you know, those straps seem excessively long and the whole setup looks a lot cleaner without them sticking up along the side of the bag.

 

[DaveHertle]

Yes, that's it. After positioning the bag on the adapter, I punched holes in the bottom of the bag for the screws. The base of the bag has some fairly thick padding so that I had to go buy some longer screws (the screws have standard #8 machine screw threads). The hardware that comes with the adapter includes large washers for the screws so there's no chance of them pulling through. The adapter comes set up for the wider Racktime form factor, but you can easily change this (it's suggested to use an open-end wrench to rotate the rails into position since it's too tight to do by hand).

The other thing I did was to fold the velcro straps underneath and shove them between the adapter and the bottom of the bag to get them out of the way. I could also have just cut them off, but didn't want to irreversibly alter things. As you know, those straps seem excessively long and the whole setup looks a lot cleaner without them sticking up along the side of the bag.

I did almost the same thing using the adapter plate and a tactical bag, meant for carrying handguns and ammo to the range. I wanted something sturdy. I was able to detach a strap and place it into one of the many zip pockets. The handle straps velcro together so were not an issue. Easy on and easy off. I can carry the bag away from the bike with ease. It is a whole new world.

 

[Marcela]

Just purchased the 5.0. Really nice bike, first ebike. The lbs didn't provide any manual that was worth anything, shock info, battery info, or components. Is that the way it is, and one has to look the info up on the www?

 

[TMH]

Just purchased the 5.0. Really nice bike, first ebike. The lbs didn't provide any manual that was worth anything, shock info, battery info, or components. Is that the way it is, and one has to look the info up on the www?

Head over to the Turbo Vado 5.0 page on the Specialized web site:
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/turbo-vado-5-0/p/171132?color=264262-171132&searchText=95020-3002

Scroll down to the dark background and just to the left of the Technical Specifications is a 'Manual Download' drop down box.

Congrats on the new bike! I just ordered my Vado 4.0 on Friday. Couldn't resist Specialized's double discount: $2,719 OTD including sales tax!

 

[Marcela]

Head over to the Turbo Vado 5.0 page on the Specialized web site:
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/turbo-vado-5-0/p/171132?color=264262-171132&searchText=95020-3002

Scroll down to the dark background and just to the left of the Technical Specifications is a 'Manual Download' drop down box.

Congrats on the new bike! I just ordered my Vado 4.0 on Friday. Couldn't resist Specialized's double discount: $2,719 OTD including sales tax!

Thanks for that. Answers some configuration questions. Mine has the slower charging charger, is there a preference between the two, one takes 4 hrs+, the other 9+ hrs. Doesn't address how often to take it to full charge vs. 80% or disregard the 80% theory and take it to full charge all the time.

I was going to buy the Allant 7, on my way, and stopped at the lbs to look at their ebike offerings. Cost me another $1k, but like the components and other little stuff of the 5.0. So far so good!

 

[TMH]

Faster charging more convenient, but maybe harder on the cells in the battery pack. Lower amp charger probably gives better battery pack longevity but takes longer.

Some folks hook up a multimeter to battery when charging, and determine time it takes to get to 80% charge based on voltage. Then if they charge from essentially the same state of discharge, they just pull the battery off the charger at the given time.

Others use more advanced charger (e.g.: Cycle Satiator) which allows one to set the level of charge (70%, 80%, 90%, etc.) and then just let the charger stop itself automatically when that level is achieved. Added benefit if you are using the bike to commute is that you can keep your OEM charger at work, and the advanced charger at home - no range anxiety. With an advanced charger, make sure you can get the correct adapter for your battery's charge connector.

Seems cells 'live' the longest if maintained between 20-80%.

 

[Sierratim]

I have the same Arkel Tailrider bag. Love it, but not sure how to attach it to the rack at the same time as pannier bags. The Racktime base part you used, is it called the Snapit System Adapter?

This is an issue with the Vado rack. It's single horizontal rail prevents the use of clip-on panniers, like Ortliebs, from bring clipped to the rail when any Racktime accessory is snapped in. The pannier clips interfere with the Snapit frame that sits tight to the top rail of the rack. Your can attach a trunk bag to the rack with the often included straps, like the Arkel bag has, and still clip on panniers. This is what I do to get max capacity on my Vado. There are panniers that use strap systems to attach to a rack. These may work with Racktime accessories, but the bags are cumbersome to take with you. Racktime does offer a pannier set that attaches with their Snapit system, but no top bag.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@Marcela and @TMH,

Congratulations! Quick answers:

1. You better don't use the Grin Satiator as it might be incompatible with the proprietary Specialized battery;
2. Slower charging is better for the battery. Faster charging is more practical;
3. The faster charger can be bought from Specialized, the price is around US$135;
4. The school I believe in teaches we should enjoy our rides, so I charge my both batteries to 100% and discharge them to the Vado minimum of 5%.

I'm so glad you both joined the Vado community!

 

[DaveHertle]

This is an issue with the Vado rack. It's single horizontal rail prevents the use of clip-on panniers, like Ortliebs, from bring clipped to the rail when any Racktime accessory is snapped in. The pannier clips interfere with the Snapit frame that sits tight to the top rail of the rack. Your can attach a trunk bag to the rack with the often included straps, like the Arkel bag has, and still clip on panniers. This is what I do to get max capacity on my Vado. There are panniers that use strap systems to attach to a rack. These may work with Racktime accessories, but the bags are cumbersome to take with you. Racktime does offer a pannier set that attaches with their Snapit system, but no top bag.View attachment 48612

I suppose one solution might be using the racktime adapter to bolt on a wider platform to better hold the bag. I recently added a tactical bag and as part of the install, I inserted a piece of wood, 1" x8" x 16" into the bottom of the back and then bolted through the board and bag onto the rack adapter. Now the bag has a look and feeling of integrity.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'm very excited to read about the Creo. Unfortunately I'm not in the shape to ride a road-bike, and especially the one intentionally designed as low-powered. The more I am happy with your happiness!

Besides, have you found out already if you could fit a larger chain-ring on your Creo? Have you thought about upgrading the drive-train to 1x12?

 

[rochrunner]

Worst aspect of the bike is the limited gearing - while 1 x 11 is fine for my MTB, I don't like it on the road. I would really prefer a 2X drivetrain for the road. Others may not feel that way, but I do. The other thing I don't like is the front wheel being 110 x 12 thru axle, no one else uses that so it's a pain having to find an adaptor so I can get a 2nd set of wheels for the bike.

Agree on the gearing even on my Vado. My Felt VR5 has a 12mm thru axle in the front, but I'm not sure if it's a 110 although that sounds familiar.