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

[Stefan Mikes]

@Igor M:
You should replace the chain when it becomes stretched, not because you rode this and that distance.

@TS25's rule: "Get a caliper (possibly a digital one), and measure the distance between centre pins of 10 consecutive chain links. 127 mm is for a brand new chain, 128 mm indicates the need of replacement, 129 mm means the stretched chain has probably already damaged some cassette cogs".

Chain:

CN-E8000 11-speed E-Bike Chain with Quick-Link

Better performance: Shimano 11-speed CN-E8000 E-Bike Chain with Quick-Link Special E-Bike chain with SIL-TEC surface treatment, a quieter ride, increased chain life and better performance await you. Features - Shimano CN-E8000...

www.bike-discount.de

Select the 138 link version.

 

[Igor M]

Chain:

CN-E8000 11-speed E-Bike Chain with Quick-Link

Better performance: Shimano 11-speed CN-E8000 E-Bike Chain with Quick-Link Special E-Bike chain with SIL-TEC surface treatment, a quieter ride, increased chain life and better performance await you. Features - Shimano CN-E8000...

www.bike-discount.de

Select the 138 link version.

THX, but it is not available, and this is how it is on all websites with 138 links

 

[Stefan Mikes]

THX, but it is not available

Holy cow, @Igor M! Not sure how I could help you...

See how lucky I am in Poland:

Łańcuch SHIMANO CN-E8000 | CentrumRowerowe.pl

Łańcuch do roweru elektrycznego – Shimano CN-E8000 jest mocny i posiada fluorowaną powierzchnię pinów i ogniw, co skutecznie redukuje tarcie.

www.centrumrowerowe.pl

There's one thing you could do: Buy two shorter 11-speed chains and join them with extra Quick Links bought separately...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Friends,

I've got quite a story to tell you! Has anyone tried to ride their Vado/Como to squeeze the last electron out of the battery? I have done it for many times. When the battery level was going down to 5%, the electrical assistance was being switched off. The TCD-w display and lighting were remaining operable.

Yesterday, I rode for a long journey with a spare battery. User @Nubnub told me about some exciting features of the BLEvo app: Smart Power and Smart HR. These features adjust assistance levels automatically so you are kept at your desired workout leg power during the ride, and Smart HR prevents you against too fast heart rate. All at the cost of (possibly) increased battery consumption.

With Smart Power and Smart HR features on, I was speeding on the pavement and zooming through forest paths on my Vado 5/6. At some point of my trip, the battery #1 dropped to 5% (it was at 56.5 kilometres from the ride start). I expected I should stop to swap batteries on the e-bike. To my surprise, the Vado's motor was assisting me as if nothing happened! (I could see the Motor Power on BLEvo dashboard). Believe it or not but I made 3.5 km extra to get to the 60th kilometre with 1% battery left! BLEvo was telling me: "Range 0 km, 12 m elevation gain still possible. 6 Wh of bike battery left".

Now: It is a matter of some recent firmware update? Or, can BLEvo tweak the Vado electronics as much as to force the assistance to work below 5% battery level?!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

shimano has 11 speed chain pins

How odd.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

and 12 speed comes in that size too, need it when you use 10-51 deore cassette

@vado4.0: The photo I have just posted is of my brand new Shimano CN-E8000-11 138 L that I keep as a spare. It is clear it uses a Quick-Link. Moreover, I own a batch of 11-speed Shimano Quick-Links. Please do not spread uninformed news

I agree the 12-speed chain comes with a pin. We are not talking on 12-speed here though.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

no pin ql
full of useless info about 5.0sl

English, please?

@Igor M has asked for a chain for Vado 6.0. The question was fully and truly answered. Any comments?

 

[Nubnub]

Now: It is a matter of some recent firmware update? Or, can BLEvo tweak the Vado electronics as much as to force the assistance to work below 5% battery level?!

Is the normal behavior of the Vado to cut power assist at <5%? On my SL, I ran main battery below 5% and assist was still available albeit limited to about 50 W motor power displayed on Blevo. This was at 4% battery remaining in both normal Eco mode as well as using Smart Power from Blevo. One interesting thing was that the range extender was down to 5% at the start of the ride. Stayed at 5% until I took the main battery down to around 30% and the range extender discharged as well until 3% remaining.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Is the normal behavior of the Vado to cut power assist at <5%?

Yes it is!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My Vado has reached the 10,000 km mark as of today. The warranty expiring in less than a month.

No cracked frame. No faulty motor. No issues. How odd

I had a situation this morning. As you know, my Vado 5.0/6.0 is registered as a moped (so I'm obliged to ride with traffic). At 7:30 am, my mate was riding his gravel bike in front of me, so my Vado was visible as a moped to any driver catching up with us. 7:30 on Sunday means no traffic whatsoever. Yet, there was a driver with a mission who honked at us, opened a car window and was abusing me because I was not riding a bike path that was on the opposite side of the road.

I blinked with my high-beam headlight thrice, turned the Turbo on, and got the driver at the next intersection:
-- Don't you need an eye-test, sir? -- I asked -- can't you see the number plate on my moped?
-- I honked at your buddy!
-- Bullshit. The only thing you could see was my moped.
And he stopped talking.

 

[Dallant]

My Vado has reached the 10,000 km mark as of today. The warranty expiring in less than a month.
No cracked frame. No faulty motor. No issues. How odd

Wait til the end of the month!

 

[RGVCycling]

Any recommendations for a wheel damper for the Como bikes? I want to prevent that front wheel flop when I got stuff on the pizza rack.

 

[kahn]

Any recommendations for a wheel damper for the Como bikes? I want to prevent that front wheel flop when I got stuff on the pizza rack.

Do you mean while pedaling? Or after you stop and engage the kickstand?

If it is after you stop and want to keep the front wheel from moving, the following elastic bands might help. They grab the brake levers and lock either front or back wheels or both. I got them as part of the "click-stand" product. You could probably make a similar band.

https://shop.click-stand.com/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=8

 

[RGVCycling]

Do you mean while pedaling? Or after you stop and engage the kickstand?

If it is after you stop and want to keep the front wheel from moving, the following elastic bands might help. They grab the brake levers and lock either front or back wheels or both. I got them as part of the "click-stand" product. You could probably make a similar band.

https://shop.click-stand.com/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=8

Yes, when I stop and get off the bike. I don't want the front wheel to flop over when I got something on the pizza rack.

How do you use those bands?

 

[RGVCycling]

Is the normal behavior of the Vado to cut power assist at <5%? On my SL, I ran main battery below 5% and assist was still available albeit limited to about 50 W motor power displayed on Blevo. This was at 4% battery remaining in both normal Eco mode as well as using Smart Power from Blevo. One interesting thing was that the range extender was down to 5% at the start of the ride. Stayed at 5% until I took the main battery down to around 30% and the range extender discharged as well until 3% remaining.

I know it does cut out or significantly reduced assist at 5%. maybe even sooner on my Como.

 

[kahn]

Yes, when I stop and get off the bike. I don't want the front wheel to flop over when I got something on the pizza rack.

How do you use those bands?

You leave the bands on the handlebar somewhere. I believe it works for both drop and flat bars.

Here's a quick video I just found. I like her use of that other band to secure the front wheel, too.

At around 2:55 you can see it on a flat bar:

One of the guys in the photo/video thread mentioned the Click stand when I asked how his bike was defying gravity. Turns out the product is made in WA state, my home state in Kurt Cobain's home city! (g)

 

[Onimaru]

Yes, when I stop and get off the bike. I don't want the front wheel to flop over when I got something on the pizza rack.

How do you use those bands?

@Court might. Charlie (DC) that has filmed with Court had one for just this purpose on his Como 5.0.

 

[Calcoaster]

I know it does cut out or significantly reduced assist at 5%. maybe even sooner on my Como.

I haven’t seen a description of the Specialized battery management system but I know electric cars‘ lithium ion battery packs typically reserve 5% or so capacity both at the top and bottom ends. Fully charging or discharging drastically reduces cell life. A side benefit (for the manufacturer) is that if you take your car in to claim a battery warranty because its maximum charge falls below 70%, they can “release” a little of the reserve to bring it back over the 70% warranty threshold. So, if BLEvo allows your battery to discharge below 5% and Specialized doesn’t, I would be very wary of dramatically shortening battery life Using BLEvo, and possibly voiding the battery warranty.

 

[Camasonian]

Do you mean while pedaling? Or after you stop and engage the kickstand?

If it is after you stop and want to keep the front wheel from moving, the following elastic bands might help. They grab the brake levers and lock either front or back wheels or both. I got them as part of the "click-stand" product. You could probably make a similar band.

https://shop.click-stand.com/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=8

You can also use any sort of Velcro strap of the sort that come with laptop power cords to keep the cord bundled up. Just keep it wrapped around your stem or someplace out of the way when not in use, and use it to cinch down your front brake lever when parking. Velcro does a more secure job of cinching down your brake lever than elastic. I used to do this with my Co-motion Tandem which is heavy and tippy when parked. It is more of an issue if you are using the flix-stands rather than a conventional kick stand.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I haven’t seen a description of the Specialized battery management system but I know electric cars‘ lithium ion battery packs typically reserve 5% or so capacity both at the top and bottom ends. Fully charging or discharging drastically reduces cell life. A side benefit (for the manufacturer) is that if you take your car in to claim a battery warranty because its maximum charge falls below 70%, they can “release” a little of the reserve to bring it back over the 70% warranty threshold. So, if BLEvo allows your battery to discharge below 5% and Specialized doesn’t, I would be very wary of dramatically shortening battery life Using BLEvo, and possibly voiding the battery warranty.

The problem is I'm not inclined to try discharging the batteries of my Specialized e-bikes so deep anymore. I only wonder whether the capability of discharging below 5% was the outcome of the special mode of BLEvo or it is now in the bike's firmware.