OK Stefan, a question for you. I think I am going to do pretty much the same thing.
how did you disconnect the taillight? Just snip the wire and tape over the end, or did you actually unplug it somewhere in the bottom bracket shell?
Specialized Turbo Vado SL: An Incredible E-Bike (User Club)
- Thread starter Stefan Mikes
- Start date
how did you disconnect the taillight? Just snip the wire and tape over the end, or did you actually unplug it somewhere in the bottom bracket shell?
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
This ^
It is possible to remove the TCU (use Torx 10 wrench). One of the plugs on the TCU is for a very long wire that goes all the way back to the tail-light...
Te. S
Well-Known Member
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- USA
Did you have to drop the motor or not to remove the light I have the Eq model
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
If you just want to cut the wire and tape its end then there's no need to drop the motor.
Now, it you want to unplug the wire from the TCU and pull the long wire through the whole frame to remove it, I simply don't know whether the tail-light wire is fastened somewhere on the way or not.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
It's at least simple to do!
rochrunner
Well-Known Member
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- USA
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- Rochester Hills MI
My 2022 Vado SL 5.0 in its 2024 incarnation. Changes include:
- Custom built wheels with silent Vesper Onyx hubs by prowheelbuilder.com
- Specialized Pathfinder Pro 700x42 tires
- Ergon Evo saddle
- Ergon grips
- Shimano flat pedals (replacing SPDs)
This is also a bit of an experiment to go back to flat pedals, and I even bought some really nice Adidas FreeRider shoes to go with the new pedals. If these work out I might switch pedals on my hybrid bike but will retain the SPD clips on my road bike.
Unfortunately, since this photo was taken just a couple weeks ago, the weather has practically turned into winter again and I haven't been willing to go out for a longer ride to get a better feel for the changes.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
What rear rack are you using?
That’s a smart looking machine!
Chatham fox
New Member
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Very nice looking ride!
rochrunner
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- USA
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- Rochester Hills MI
That's a really inexpensive "Transit" rack from a mail-order company in the U.S. called Performance Bike (performancebike.com). I used the trick of using a single mounting strap and attaching to the bolt under the rear seat stay bridge where a fender mounts on an equipped model.
rochrunner
Well-Known Member
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- Rochester Hills MI
I'll let you know as soon as the weather lets me put some miles on it. I'm no longer as much of an all-weather rider like I used to be or like @Stefan Mikes is.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Thank you! So far. I'm happily riding with a backpack. However, I might go your way for long summer rides when I would need food, drinks, Range Extenders, tools, etc. The metal strip trick is very smart indeed, and I am sure my brother could "cook" something like that for me. Or, I could consider a saddle bag as many gravel cyclist do (the benefit is a properly loaded saddle bag is not as shaky as a pannier is).
@mfgrep: I know you love good things Jason but before you go and spend $$$ on the wheels, please listen to this:
Specialized SL wheels are of a very high quality. These are tubeless ready! You would be well off if you just converted the stock wheels to tubeless as I did myself. Yes, it is nice to see "DT Swiss" on the rims but would you like to spend a lot of money just for that? The wheels of my Vado SL have rolled for 14,275 km (8,871 mi) and show no signs of tear or wear. And now they are tubeless.
Another matter is the rear hub, which is indeed noisy when you are coasting. @rochrunner (Doug) hated the ratchet noise as much as he must have spent a good money for the Onyx hubs. Me and brother have inspected the stock rear hub of the Vado SL to find it of a high quality. The cheapest way to silence the hub is to pack the freehub body tightly with grease... Possibly not as good as Onyx but let me just tell you the legendary DT Swiss 350 rear hub is silent as it is new just because its freehub body comes packed with grease...
Just saying.
rochrunner
Well-Known Member
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- Rochester Hills MI
You're right on this, and I considered getting the DT350 hubs with the star ratchet but it was so much fun configuring my wheels that I went top-end all the way. Too bad that this model bike has a black and silver color scheme since the Onyx hubs are available in a number of anodized colors; you can also get spoke nipples in color. My old road bike was white and blue, and the wheels I had built for it had blue hubs and spoke nipples and it looked really sharp. For the SL wheels I at least specified silver bladed spokes to give it a little flash.Another matter is the rear hub, which is indeed noisy when you are coasting. @rochrunner (Doug) hated the ratchet noise as much as he must have spent a good money for the Onyx hubs. Me and brother have inspected the stock rear hub of the Vado SL to find it of a high quality. The cheapest way to silence the hub is to pack the freehub body tightly with grease... Possibly not as good as Onyx but let me just tell you the legendary DT Swiss 350 rear hub is silent as it is new just because its freehub body comes packed with grease...
Just saying.
I also agonized over going tubeless, but given the limited e-biking that I do these days and the fact that I haven't had an on-the-road puncture flat in the last two years (and actually across all three of my bikes!), going tubeless just wasn't worth the hassles of dealing with the sealant and all that. So I mounted them with tubes.
By the way, one of the guys in my regular biking group has a similar SL and his hub ratcheting has been commented on by some others (so it's not just me). What makes it particularly annoying is that he is one of those riders who keeps up a constant pedal-pedal-coast cadence instead of pedaling more consistently, but at least I always know when he's close behind me!
I have no intentions of purchasing a custom wheelset for my Vado SL. I am, however, still very interested to hear about @rochrunner's experiences with his new wheelset on his bike. I am FAR too cheap to invest that kind of money in my Vado SL. I do occasionally browse the used wheelset offerings in hopes of finding the odd-duck partial boost spacing required but the chances of finding such a thing are close to 0% around here. I choose to be satisfied with the OEM wheelset.Thank you! So far. I'm happily riding with a backpack. However, I might go your way for long summer rides when I would need food, drinks, Range Extenders, tools, etc. The metal strip trick is very smart indeed, and I am sure my brother could "cook" something like that for me. Or, I could consider a saddle bag as many gravel cyclist do (the benefit is a properly loaded saddle bag is not as shaky as a pannier is).
@mfgrep: I know you love good things Jason but before you go and spend $$$ on the wheels, please listen to this:
Specialized SL wheels are of a very high quality. These are tubeless ready! You would be well off if you just converted the stock wheels to tubeless as I did myself. Yes, it is nice to see "DT Swiss" on the rims but would you like to spend a lot of money just for that? The wheels of my Vado SL have rolled for 14,275 km (8,871 mi) and show no signs of tear or wear. And now they are tubeless.
Another matter is the rear hub, which is indeed noisy when you are coasting. @rochrunner (Doug) hated the ratchet noise as much as he must have spent a good money for the Onyx hubs. Me and brother have inspected the stock rear hub of the Vado SL to find it of a high quality. The cheapest way to silence the hub is to pack the freehub body tightly with grease... Possibly not as good as Onyx but let me just tell you the legendary DT Swiss 350 rear hub is silent as it is new just because its freehub body comes packed with grease...
Just saying.
I gave some consideration to going tubeless when I switched to the Gravel King slicks but I decided against it. (knocking on wood) I have had ZERO flat tires and ZERO punctures during the recent 12 month period. I am riding 99.9% of my time on paved surfaces. I do not wish to deal with the tubeless ecosystem or its messes. Tubes have been extremely reliable and easy for me to deal with so I am sticking with it.
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I have been giving some mild consideration to adding a rear rack to my Vado SL. Admittedly I have not been able to pull the trigger on doing so thus far and now I have the big Vado with its excellent rack for panniers, lock, cargo etc. I really have enjoyed my Vado SL in a naked format (no racks, fenders or other add-ons). It would be nice to have the option to strap a lock onto a rear rack.....or to carry a small/lightweight pannier to the Vado SL. If I make any 'upgrades' this season it would likely be limited to a rear rack on my Vado SL....and even this upgrade is doubtful. We shall see.Thank you! So far. I'm happily riding with a backpack. However, I might go your way for long summer rides when I would need food, drinks, Range Extenders, tools, etc. The metal strip trick is very smart indeed, and I am sure my brother could "cook" something like that for me. Or, I could consider a saddle bag as many gravel cyclist do (the benefit is a properly loaded saddle bag is not as shaky as a pannier is).
@mfgrep: I know you love good things Jason but before you go and spend $$$ on the wheels, please listen to this:
Specialized SL wheels are of a very high quality. These are tubeless ready! You would be well off if you just converted the stock wheels to tubeless as I did myself. Yes, it is nice to see "DT Swiss" on the rims but would you like to spend a lot of money just for that? The wheels of my Vado SL have rolled for 14,275 km (8,871 mi) and show no signs of tear or wear. And now they are tubeless.
Another matter is the rear hub, which is indeed noisy when you are coasting. @rochrunner (Doug) hated the ratchet noise as much as he must have spent a good money for the Onyx hubs. Me and brother have inspected the stock rear hub of the Vado SL to find it of a high quality. The cheapest way to silence the hub is to pack the freehub body tightly with grease... Possibly not as good as Onyx but let me just tell you the legendary DT Swiss 350 rear hub is silent as it is new just because its freehub body comes packed with grease...
Just saying.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
My decision to go tubeless came after I punctured the same tyre three times in a row (I decided something must have been wrong, so I poured a good dose of sealant into the tube, which temporarily helped). Another factor is that tubeless allows me to ride at a lower pressure, which is a good thing in gravel cycling. Last but not least: having both tubeless tyres and rims, I wouldn't hesitate to use them!
P.S. Gravel cyclists who converted to tubeless make funny faces when the group is waiting for the wretches repairing punctured tubed wheels
P.S. Gravel cyclists who converted to tubeless make funny faces when the group is waiting for the wretches repairing punctured tubed wheels
Oh I understand the desire to go tubeless and its costs/benefits. I have weighted those costs/benefits and decided to remain fully tubular. Bro! lolMy decision to go tubeless came after I punctured the same tyre three times in a row (I decided something must have been wrong, so I poured a good dose of sealant into the tube, which temporarily helped). Another factor is that tubeless allows me to ride at a lower pressure, which is a good thing in gravel cycling. Last but not least: having both tubeless tyres and rims, I wouldn't hesitate to use them!
P.S. Gravel cyclists who converted to tubeless make funny faces when the group is waiting for the wretches repairing punctured tubed wheels
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
I had a chance to try my new Specialized Tracer Pro 2Bliss 42-622 tyres (tubeless setup at 2.8 bar/40 psi) in a sandy terrain! These tyres are excellent! It was the first time I could ride my Fearless through the sand with no fear!
Dusty a litte bit
Dusty a litte bit
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