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

[Onimaru]

We have a place (city park) with groomed areas for cross country skiing and kids sledding in the winter and hiking + MTB in the Summer. Both single and two track. It was a pump track style hilly ramp in the single track. I landed in the mud (it rained the day before) but not enough apparently, to soften the blow. I stalled in the middle and when I tried to restart I lost my balance and tipped sideways. At least I didn’t really have forward momentum.

Tomorrow is a Vado ride to the Biergarten and back. Should be much more enjoyable!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@Gionnirocket:
Just FYI, my other brother took the Vado rear rack to his work to professionally repaint it and wrap it for further protection.
A "thank you very much bro!" again. There are things a DIYer cannot simply do. The keyword is "the family"

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Your other brother??? Holy cow, there’s three of you now?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Your other brother??? Holy cow, there’s three of you now?

Jacek and Piotr are brothers. Both are my first cousins. However, we grew together with Jacek in the same homestead. That's why all we three address each other "a brother".

 

[ReedM]

Jacek and Piotr are brothers. Both are my first cousins. However, we grew together with Jacek in the same homestead. That's why all we three address each other "a brother".

@Stefan Mikes : Does Piotr ride a bike also?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@Stefan Mikes : Does Piotr ride a bike also?

Yes he does. However he is fascinated more with the automotive things (he's 11 years younger than I am). He owns a pretty lightweight traditional XC bike, and only rides on weekends in the nearby Kampinos National Park, and only during fair weather. He's not the type of Jacek, the latter commuting all year long on an e-bike. Piotr prefers a light motorcycle for the purpose.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

 

[CodyDog]

Just sold my 2021 Specialized Turbo Levo Comp, great bike but after a few bad crashes it's time to ride more reasonable terrain. Broke a rib again three weeks ago. Getting too old for big rocky trails.

With that being said, I'm looking at the new Vado, Vado SL and Tero mainly for chip seal and dirt roads as well as light (smooth) trails which will be the majority of my riding. Although most of our time is spent in The Hill Country (Fredericksburg, TX), there aren't a lot of steep hills here (at least where I ride). We spend three months out of the year in Salida (CO.) which offers me gravel and trails. Some may ask why didn't I just keep the Levo Comp? I know if I did , I wouldn't be able to resist the more advanced MTB trails.

My wife has a class three Specialized Como which leans me more toward the Vado or Tero to keep up while were riding. The SL model just looks so appealing to me but not sure if I'll miss the 4X assist that my Levo Comp offered. My first ebike was a Rad Rover so at least I'm a little familiar with bikes (did not like hub motor).

I'm looking forward to testing the three I have chosen and fortunately have found a few dealers in the area that have some inventory. I forgot how much fun it is to shop for a new bike!

 

[ReedM]

Just sold my 2021 Specialized Turbo Levo Comp, great bike but after a few bad crashes it's time to ride more reasonable terrain. Broke a rib again three weeks ago. Getting too old for big rocky trails.

With that being said, I'm looking at the new Vado, Vado SL and Tero mainly for chip seal and dirt roads as well as light (smooth) trails which will be the majority of my riding. Although most of our time is spent in The Hill Country (Fredericksburg, TX), there aren't a lot of steep hills here (at least where I ride). We spend three months out of the year in Salida (CO.) which offers me gravel and trails. Some may ask why didn't I just keep the Levo Comp? I know if I did , I wouldn't be able to resist the more advanced MTB trails.

My wife has a class three Specialized Como which leans me more toward the Vado or Tero to keep up while were riding. The SL model just looks so appealing to me but not sure if I'll miss the 4X assist that my Levo Comp offered. My first ebike was a Rad Rover so at least I'm a little familiar with bikes (did not like hub motor).

I'm looking forward to testing the three I have chosen and fortunately have found a few dealers in the area that have some inventory. I forgot how much fun it is to shop for a new bike!

@CodyDog: Note that the Tero is a Class 1 bike. I easily spin out at 21 mph and lose the motor. You would not be able to keep up with a Class 3 bike unless you were quite strong. Also, 4X assist is nice.

 

[Marcela]

I've been riding the Como quite a bit. The Vado seems cramped in comparison. I feel the Como geometry without the granny bars is similar to bikes of old, say 45 yrs ago which feels familiar. Still liking the 36 tooth chainring.

Also had an electric anomaly the other day. The display indicated no battery for some reason. Did that twice and went away on its own I guess. Electrical gremlins I guess.

 

[Onimaru]

Had my wife drop me at the local nature center today. Met a coworker there. Rode 21 miles to the Biergarten then 12 miles home. Mostly in Eco (maybe 3 miles in Turbo total). Headwind for half of it. Still 31% left on the battery.

Coworker had a road bike and got a flat around mile 28. Really loving my big SUV tires now!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The display indicated no battery for some reason.

"No Battery" but not "Low Batt", right?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Just sold my 2021 Specialized Turbo Levo Comp, great bike but after a few bad crashes it's time to ride more reasonable terrain. Broke a rib again three weeks ago. Getting too old for big rocky trails.

With that being said, I'm looking at the new Vado, Vado SL and Tero mainly for chip seal and dirt roads as well as light (smooth) trails which will be the majority of my riding. Although most of our time is spent in The Hill Country (Fredericksburg, TX), there aren't a lot of steep hills here (at least where I ride). We spend three months out of the year in Salida (CO.) which offers me gravel and trails. Some may ask why didn't I just keep the Levo Comp? I know if I did , I wouldn't be able to resist the more advanced MTB trails.

My wife has a class three Specialized Como which leans me more toward the Vado or Tero to keep up while were riding. The SL model just looks so appealing to me but not sure if I'll miss the 4X assist that my Levo Comp offered. My first ebike was a Rad Rover so at least I'm a little familiar with bikes (did not like hub motor).

I'm looking forward to testing the three I have chosen and fortunately have found a few dealers in the area that have some inventory. I forgot how much fun it is to shop for a new bike!

@CodyDog: Note that the Tero is a Class 1 bike. I easily spin out at 21 mph and lose the motor. You would not be able to keep up with a Class 3 bike unless you were quite strong. Also, 4X assist is nice.

It also depends on how Cody's wife rides her Como.

Since I have acquired my Vado SL (and ride it on weekdays), I got used to lower assistance and speed. When I'm riding my big Vado on weekends, I feel indecently good. It is like a guilty pleasure: the e-bike rolls so easily, fast, and with such a little effort from my side! It makes little sense for me to use the strong Vado for anything less than a metric century (or mountains) as I otherwise feel "I'm cheating" The great thing about the 3.2x Vado I own is long trips are completed in relatively short time.

However, my specific (no suspension) Vado model handles rather badly in rough terrain, preventing me from riding fast there. I have acquired a Metric Century ride plan from an experienced gravel cyclist. I'll try to do the ride on my Vado SL on this Saturday to see how I would like it. Necessary to mention I feel forced to use high SL assistance levels for such a ride: ECO: 70/70, SPORT: 85/85, and TURBO: 100/100 to complete the ride fast. Having 800 Wh combined in the main battery and three Range Extenders will give me the range of 150 km in the "Power Eco". -

Interestingly, the main battery + a single Range Extender allowed me riding for 116 km at average assistance of 55/55% in the warm season. Now, my strong brother could ride for 50 km on a single Range Extender only at the assistance of 45/45%!

 

[CodyDog]

@CodyDog: Note that the Tero is a Class 1 bike. I easily spin out at 21 mph and lose the motor. You would not be able to keep up with a Class 3 bike unless you were quite strong. Also, 4X assist is nice.

There always a catch. Like the Terro but didn't realize it was a class 1.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

There always a catch. Like the Terro but didn't realize it was a class 1.

Cody: Do not tell anyone but you actually can derestrict the Tero

 

[Marcela]

"No Battery" but not "Low Batt", right?

Correct.

 

[ColeWorld]

Has anyone gotten the alarm feature to work on a new Vado? The System Lock functionality works fine, but I haven’t been able to get the alarm to sound regardless of how much I move the bike. My Vado 5.0 was delivered in March 2022, so I think it should have this feature on the bike.

I have tried contacting Specialized rider care via emails, tickets, and a few phone calls over the last 2 weeks, but it seems they’re back to just ignoring customers. My LBS that took delivery doesn’t know anything about the feature.

 

[BEC111]

Has anyone gotten the alarm feature to work on a new Vado? The System Lock functionality works fine, but I haven’t been able to get the alarm to sound regardless of how much I move the bike. My Vado 5.0 was delivered in March 2022, so I think it should have this feature on the bike.

I have tried contacting Specialized rider care via emails, tickets, and a few phone calls over the last 2 weeks, but it seems they’re back to just ignoring customers. My LBS that took delivery doesn’t know anything about the feature.

While I have no direct knowledge, a recently released firmware update is supposed to fix this feature.

 

[giantkn10]

There always a catch. Like the Terro but didn't realize it was a class 1.

PearTune 3.0 works great

 

[mogulman]

It also depends on how Cody's wife rides her Como.

Since I have acquired my Vado SL (and ride it on weekdays), I got used to lower assistance and speed. When I'm riding my big Vado on weekends, I feel indecently good. It is like a guilty pleasure: the e-bike rolls so easily, fast, and with such a little effort from my side! It makes little sense for me to use the strong Vado for anything less than a metric century (or mountains) as I otherwise feel "I'm cheating" The great thing about the 3.2x Vado I own is long trips are completed in relatively short time.

However, my specific (no suspension) Vado model handles rather badly in rough terrain, preventing me from riding fast there. I have acquired a Metric Century ride plan from an experienced gravel cyclist. I'll try to do the ride on my Vado SL on this Saturday to see how I would like it. Necessary to mention I feel forced to use high SL assistance levels for such a ride: ECO: 70/70, SPORT: 85/85, and TURBO: 100/100 to complete the ride fast. Having 800 Wh combined in the main battery and three Range Extenders will give me the range of 150 km in the "Power Eco". -

Interestingly, the main battery + a single Range Extender allowed me riding for 116 km at average assistance of 55/55% in the warm season. Now, my strong brother could ride for 50 km on a single Range Extender only at the assistance of 45/45%!

When you have that much battery/weight, wouldn't it just be better to run the regular vado on a lower assistance level. Isn't the battery 700wh?

I can see riding with a range extender, but just wondering if I needed 2-3 range extenders, why not ride an ebike with more assistance/battery? Or is it because the Vado SL does better on gravel?