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

Picked up my new Vado 4 today Sat 4/25 and went for a 24 mile ride. I didn't hear any grinding noise just the very low growl that Sierratim mentioned. Had a good ride, went out with my daughter and son-in-law who were both on road bikes. My 72 year old body would never have kept up if not on the Vado and kept it on low levels almost the whole time. Bike needs to go back as when I put on my glasses to see what the blinking message was telling me I have a battery error. Hopefully I won't be w/o a bike for long.
My wife's bike had the same. The LBS needed to do a firmware update. They finished it while we waited. Kind of surprised they didn't catch it before delivering the bike...
 
Well.....
@Stefan Mikes has told me that I have now earned my right to be part of this thread: I picked up my Turbo Vado 4.0 this afternoon. While I have not had a lot of time to ride it yet, it looks like it will be exceeding my expectations. Stay tuned for more observations this weekend when the rain in Southern Connecticut will have subsided.
 
Well.....
@Stefan Mikes has told me that I have now earned my right to be part of this thread: I picked up my Turbo Vado 4.0 this afternoon. While I have not had a lot of time to ride it yet, it looks like it will be exceeding my expectations. Stay tuned for more observations this weekend when the rain in Southern Connecticut will have subsided.
Congrats, Hope you have better luck than I did. My Vado 4 is back in the shop after one day with a "battery error" which is going to require a new battery. Probably won't get it back for a week or so.
 
Motor working fine on my Como but 2 flat rear tires in the first 150 miles. My wonderful drug dealer neighbor has been sprinkling small pieces of glass on the street. My bike now has mr tuffy strips and green slime in the tires.
 
Motor working fine on my Como but 2 flat rear tires in the first 150 miles. My wonderful drug dealer neighbor has been sprinkling small pieces of glass on the street. My bike now has mr tuffy strips and green slime in the tires.
Slime is good defense. I'm on the brink of a 1000 miles. No flats so far. I do need my derailleur adjusted. Specialized Thorn resistant tubes have been solid for me too.
 
Went for another drive today, prob had over 20 miles on 8 or 9% battery, riding without support is not too bad on the Vado really. Probably the biggest drag is the tires and the weight, that extra 30# can really be felt when starting out, once moving not too bad. At least there is very little drag via the motor.

I was doing good on the conservation of energy til granny passed me on the Como:).
 
Went for another drive today, prob had over 20 miles on 8 or 9% battery, riding without support is not too bad on the Vado really. Probably the biggest drag is the tires and the weight, that extra 30# can really be felt when starting out, once moving not too bad. At least there is very little drag via the motor.

I was doing good on the conservation of energy til granny passed me on the Como:).
I do feel the drag on my Vado 5. It is not much but I feel it when going uphill. Not noticeable on flat and of course not downhill. I was told it is about 3 watts or so.
 
For those with Velosurance or those thinking about getting it. Today I used road side assistance. The guy came and picked me and my bike up in a hugh flatbed.🤣 From the time of my call it took about 45 minutes for him to arrive. We used strap clamps, a blanket and a towel to keep the Vado from getting scratched. Aside from the flatbed being overkill, the ride was smooth from my home to the lbs. Bike is getting cleaned, wheels trued, derailleur lubed and adjusted, both brakes adjusted and bolts checked and tightened to specs. $150.00. Probably won't be ready for a couple days due to COVID-19 slowing everything down.
I know someone was curious about how it would work. Well, today I found out. Everything went smooth. Once you put in your phone number they connect you to a local tow service. I'm sure my neighbors were like what the hell? 🤣 That's ok, served its purpose and didn't cost a penny.
 
I do feel the drag on my Vado 5. It is not much but I feel it when going uphill. Not noticeable on flat and of course not downhill. I was told it is about 3 watts or so.

I was trying to get the assist down to where it felt like a normal bike, could still feel it at 10%, went to 5% and switching between that setting and off couldn't really tell the difference, so turned assist off and rode it that way. Now I don't have ebike legs anymore:).
 
For those with Velosurance or those thinking about getting it. Today I used road side assistance. The guy came and picked me and my bike up in a hugh flatbed.🤣 From the time of my call it took about 45 minutes for him to arrive. We used strap clamps, a blanket and a towel to keep the Vado from getting scratched. Aside from the flatbed being overkill, the ride was smooth from my home to the lbs. Bike is getting cleaned, wheels trued, derailleur lubed and adjusted, both brakes adjusted and bolts checked and tightened to specs. $150.00. Probably won't be ready for a couple days due to COVID-19 slowing everything down.
I know someone was curious about how it would work. Well, today I found out. Everything went smooth. Once you put in your phone number they connect you to a local tow service. I'm sure my neighbors were like what the hell? 🤣 That's ok, served its purpose and didn't cost a penny.
I have the same insurance and was curious. Thanks for sharing.
 
I was considering the insurance....it is nice to hear of a positive experience.
I had a flat tire couple of weeks ago and thought about calling them. I ended up fixing the flat in the field as I didn’t know how the towing would work. Good to know.
Better flat bed (overkill) than a tiny car that you have to jam the bike into trunk.
 
I had a flat tire couple of weeks ago and thought about calling them. I ended up fixing the flat in the field as I didn’t know how the towing would work. Good to know.
Better flat bed (overkill) than a tiny car that you have to jam the bike into trunk.
You are now officially a certified bike home mechanic!
 
I kept getting mixed up with which brake lever is for front/back because with all my motorbikes including the actual one it has always been the right lever for the front brake and the Vado (like other bikes) has it to the opposite.

As this could lead to a/my wrong reaction in an emergency situation I have switched the brake sides on my Vado today.
Doing it carefully as you are opening the brake system it has worked well, and I survived my 15km test ride afterwards. 😉
I'm happy now, right side is for the front brake as I am used to.

Has any other motorcyclist had that mind problem or is it just mine which isn't able to switch?
 
I kept getting mixed up with which brake lever is for front/back because with all my motorbikes including the actual one it has always been the right lever for the front brake and the Vado (like other bikes) has it to the opposite.

As this could lead to a/my wrong reaction in an emergency situation I have switched the brake sides on my Vado today.
Doing it carefully as you are opening the brake system it has worked well, and I survived my 15km test ride afterwards. 😉
I'm happy now, right side is for the front brake as I am used to.

Has any other motorcyclist had that mind problem or is it just mine which isn't able to switch?
Bikes in N. America are usually setup with the right brake lever controlling the rear brake; 'right rear' is the saying here. Surprised that Specialized bikes sold in Europe don't follow Euro conventions. Certainly confusing and could be a bit sketchy in an emergency stop.
 
I was confused also. As @Sierratim mentioned: In the U.S., the law requires that all bikes are sold with the left hand controlling the front brake, and the right hand the rear brake. It's the same in France. In Italy and Great Britain, it's the other way around.
 
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