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

[Marcela]

Re my above posts about the battery, I have not had any problems after I looked at it. I believe expanding the female contacts in the battery that contact the male on the bike have resolved the blackout issue.

I did replace the kickstands on the Vado and Como 5. One had the plastic portion of the leg break. Replaced them both with a PDW power stance kickstand, part #545. Whatever you get you want the 40mm spacing on the fasteners. This kit provides the fasteners, though I don't know if they are soft or graded. I used cap head screws because I wanted something hard. I am not sure the ones I took off were the originals, but they were soft and the head and threads were no longer perpendicular because they kept coming loose. On the front fastener, M6 btw, you can go longer and put a lock nut on it, which I did. The rear fastener is very tight with the brake disc so it cannot extend too far past the threads in the kickstand.

 

[teskow]

@Eheller, don't hesitate! Giant FastRoad certainly is an excellent bike, yet it has even smaller battery than Vado 3.0 (375 vs 460 Wh). The torque perception could have been subjective as the Yamaha SyncDrive Pro sports the torque of 80 Nm and the Specialized Brose offers 90 Nm.

Regarding the battery it is good if you ask the dealer if the 460 and 604 Wh batteries are interchangeable (I can bet they are). All in all, you might need a spare (and a bigger) battery in the future, when your next budget allows it.

Note: The temperature in your area is now in some 40's. Bear in mind to charge the battery at the room temperature and expect far lower battery range than you will be able to get when temperature becomes higher than 55 F.

There was a point I forgot to discuss before: The motor. It is completely silent in Turbo Vado. I haven't ridden e-bikes with different make of the mid motor but I was watching YT videos and it is clear to me other brand motors are audible: they seem to whine. I will have to hear the Specialized Brose motor yet

You compared the riding positions Vado vs Como. Of course, the forward riding position helps faster riding. However, my tummy is rather large and I initially felt discomfort while riding my Vado. I got the steering tube extended by some 3" riser and spacers. Now, I ride more upright and more comfortable.

Waiting for your experiences, hopefully soon!

I have the Brose 90 NM motor in may Ride1Up and it too is completely silent. I appreciate that and the smooth power delivery more can I can explain, especially after having two bikes with whinie motors and bad power delivery.

 

[Marcela]

Re my above posts about the battery, I have not had any problems after I looked at it. I believe expanding the female contacts in the battery that contact the male on the bike have resolved the blackout issue.

I did replace the kickstands on the Vado and Como 5. One had the plastic portion of the leg break. Replaced them both with a PDW power stance kickstand, part #545. Whatever you get you want the 40mm spacing on the fasteners. This kit provides the fasteners, though I don't know if they are soft or graded. I used cap head screws because I wanted something hard. I am not sure the ones I took off were the originals, but they were soft and the head and threads were no longer perpendicular because they kept coming loose. On the front fastener, M6 btw, you can go longer and put a lock nut on it, which I did. The rear fastener is very tight with the brake disc so it cannot extend too far past the threads in the kickstand.

Really liking this kickstand. Well worth the $24 usd.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

A morning of frustration.

The rear wheel on my Vado 6.0 got a flat with no apparent reason (the e-bike not ridden when that happened). I spent almost two hours to replace the inner tube and the tyre! Cannot comprehend how come it has been 139 years since inventing the bicycle and yet no-one invented a simple way and appropriate tools to remove the tyre from the rim and then pulling the bead back onto the rim!

Good inner tubes have a removable valve core. When my wheel was ready, I removed the valve core and poured a good amount of sealant into the inner tube. Let us see how it works!

 

[BikeOn]

I have tubeless on mine. Significant flat reduction. I agree -- with your lack of 'tool for the job' assessment. Enjoy your ride.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I have tubeless on mine.

Vado, or? Is that even doable?

I don't want to go tubeless on the big Vado as I'm swapping the tyres for studded ones for harsh winter...

 

[Calcoaster]

A morning of frustration.

The rear wheel on my Vado 6.0 got a flat with no apparent reason (the e-bike not ridden when that happened). I spent almost two hours to replace the inner tube and the tyre! Cannot comprehend how come it has been 139 years since inventing the bicycle and yet no-one invented a simple way and appropriate tools to remove the tyre from the rim and then pulling the bead back onto the rim!

Good inner tubes have a removable valve core. When my wheel was ready, I removed the valve core and poured a good amount of sealant into the inner tube. Let us see how it works!

A morning of frustration.

The rear wheel on my Vado 6.0 got a flat with no apparent reason (the e-bike not ridden when that happened). I spent almost two hours to replace the inner tube and the tyre! Cannot comprehend how come it has been 139 years since inventing the bicycle and yet no-one invented a simple way and appropriate tools to remove the tyre from the rim and then pulling the bead back onto the rim!

Good inner tubes have a removable valve core. When my wheel was ready, I removed the valve core and poured a good amount of sealant into the inner tube. Let us see how it works!

This makes installation a lot easier! On my last install I did have to pinch the tire with a small C clamp ahead of the tire jack to keep it from coming out of the channel.

 

[BikeOn]

Vado, or? Is that even doable?

I don't want to go tubeless on the big Vado as I'm swapping the tyres for studded ones for harsh winter..., I have studded tires on mine and they are tubeless Specialized Rhombus Pro Gripton. But we each enjoy our own ride.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Rhombus Pro are not equipped with steel studs/spikes.

You certainly misunderstood me. I meant I need to change tyres twice a year on the big Vado. With tubeless, it would mean going through a mess two times a year

I have tubeless on my Vado SL as I do not change tyres for winter there.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

View attachment 187162

This makes installation a lot easier! On my last install I did have to pinch the tire with a small C clamp ahead of the tire jack to keep it from coming out of the channel.
View attachment 187163

@Calcoaster: I owned it. It just snapped when I was replacing tyres this spring Cheap plastic.
Do I need to say more?

 

[Calcoaster]

@Calcoaster: I owned it. It just snapped when I was replacing tyres this spring Cheap plastic.
Do I need to say more?

I agree the Kool Stop Jack does feel lighter duty than I’d like. So far it has helped me mount a couple of gp5000’s, Mondos and now Pirelli p-zeros, all 700X35. Six tires now and each time it did feel a little flimsy but it sure worked well. It does help to keep both beads in the center channel as much as possible.

 

[niko83]

Has anyone mounted an RE on a tero? Or for that matter on a specialized ebike not set up for an RE?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Has anyone mounted an RE on a tero? Or for that matter on a specialized ebike not set up for an RE?

It is not possible. Different voltage and the battery architecture.

 

[niko83]

I don't mean an RE specifically for specialized SL, but a third-party RE. Has anyone ever tried it?

 

[Marcela]

Anybody find the need or desire to change the brake fluid? Believe mine uses mineral oil. Any degradation or what not? The oil is cheap, the parts not so much.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Anybody find the need or desire to change the brake fluid? Believe mine uses mineral oil. Any degradation or what not? The oil is cheap, the parts not so much.

I do the brake bleeding (which involves the hydraulic fluid replacement) extremely rarely. The only situation in which I deem the process necessary is when the brake pads are new but the levers are very soft.

 

[BioWheel]

Anybody find the need or desire to change the brake fluid? Believe mine uses mineral oil. Any degradation or what not? The oil is cheap, the parts not so much.

Hey Marcela - I do all my own maintenance and haven't had to change brake fluid since it's closed system. And it's not expensive if you choose to do it - there are kits for not too much $$. And videos showing how to replace/bleed.