Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
@gpburdell: Will Ortlieb Quick-Rack fit the Vado SL 12x148 rear hub spacing? Are the rack mounting holes 5 mm in Vado SL?
Your quick answer is vital.
Specialized Turbo Vado SL: An Incredible E-Bike (User Club)
- Thread starter Stefan Mikes
- Start date
Your quick answer is vital.
I’ve seen a couple mentions of the Ortleib Quickrack working with the Vado SL but don’t have personal experience. Can’t say whether the Vado SL rack mount holes are 5mm since I don’t have a Vado SL.
As for width, every rear rack I’ve seen has a bit of flex and the extra width wouldnt be an issue.
example of the Ortleib rack on Vado SL:
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Thank you!
Now, after having replaced the previous chainring with a 32T, 104 BCD (Deckas) giving the 32-51T gearing, Fearless is ready for steep hills! Provided my combined leg and motor power would be enough to climb the hills at a stable speed...
Now only waiting for the Ortlieb Quick-Rack!
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Uh oh! It sounds like my post last week got Stefan interested in putting some clothing on his naked SL!?! I had said that I am trying VERY hard to NOT put a rear rack on my SL but that I was sorely tempted to do so....and here you are!
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Let me explain it Jason
I have to ride Sudovia Gravel E-Sprint on my Vado SL with a 32-51T gearing as I am unable to replace the Vado 6.0 chainring (a stupid story...) The race is to take the place among extremely steep hills with (fortunately) short climbs. To make sure I will return assisted, I have to carry my 2 or 3 Range Extenders. Plus three water bottles, tools, snacks etc. I'll ride without the backpack, so I must take a pannier with me...
I understand Stefan and was just teasing. I too occasionally have the desire to 'travel lightly' on the SL but with a need to carry a few bits with me. For example...I am heading out this morning to a trail for about 25 miles and it really would be nice to have a lightweight rack on the SL today. I'll make do without (as always) but darn it is a temptation.Let me explain it Jason
I have to ride Sudovia Gravel E-Sprint on my Vado SL with a 32-51T gearing as I am unable to replace the Vado 6.0 chainring (a stupid story...) The race is to take the place among extremely steep hills with (fortunately) short climbs. To make sure I will return assisted, I have to carry my 2 or 3 Range Extenders. Plus three water bottles, tools, snacks etc. I'll ride without the backpack, so I must take a pannier with me...
BTW....that new chain ring of yours!.....TINY. You must be able to just 'easy pedal' up the steepest grades now!Let me explain it Jason
I have to ride Sudovia Gravel E-Sprint on my Vado SL with a 32-51T gearing as I am unable to replace the Vado 6.0 chainring (a stupid story...) The race is to take the place among extremely steep hills with (fortunately) short climbs. To make sure I will return assisted, I have to carry my 2 or 3 Range Extenders. Plus three water bottles, tools, snacks etc. I'll ride without the backpack, so I must take a pannier with me...
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Not necessarily! As @mschwett was kind to explain it to me, the low gearing only ensures you can maintain a very slow climb at the proper cadence. Now, negotiating a given ascent at given speed, you must provide a certain amount of power with your legs and the motor. The SL motor only provides 240 W of power. With my bad legs, I could make a short 16% climb but that would not be possible at the 26% grade (walking the e-bike in Walk Mode would be necessary).
I would not have these issues with the Vado 6.0 that provides 520 W peak power if I had the 32-46T gearing but it is not practical at the moment
The current 44-46T gearing is a no-go for the Sudovian hills!For normal rides, like not when I need to carry groceries etc for which I use panniers, I much prefer a handlebar bag then trunk bag. This KLICKFix one is great, very roomy I can carry coats spare gloves, sandwiches and so on. And the top pocket is ideal for phone and back up power bank.
Saratoga Dave
Well-Known Member
Can’t wait to hear this ride report, Stefan! 16% ain’t no joke, and I would say that 26% is call the elevator time. Last time I did a 16+ on my Creo with 42/42 gearing I can’t say I enjoyed the experience all that much, but it does feel great when you get to the top!
Maybe you can go steal that mountain bike back from your brother while he’s not looking. Good luck on this adventure
Maybe you can go steal that mountain bike back from your brother while he’s not looking. Good luck on this adventure
At 26% with that low gearing your biggest concern will be not stalling the bike due to low speed. Especially if this is technical with ruts, tree roots, rocks etc. You'll need patience, balance and core and arm strength to keep moving, the bike will want to veer left or right against the gradient which means trouble if that leads to obstacles and you lose your line. Keep your weight balanced so if on gravel or sand your back wheel doesn't spin out. Don't try and stand up unless you are sure of the grip. The Vado SL has long enough chainstays so your front end is unlikely to pop up, especially with the low power motor, but if it gets technical keep enough speed in reserve so you can free wheel to get you past tricky bits and a chance to recover balance before pedaling to get up a bit of speed for the next tricky section-Not necessarily! As @mschwett was kind to explain it to me, the low gearing only ensures you can maintain a very slow climb at the proper cadence. Now, negotiating a given ascent at given speed, you must provide a certain amount of power with your legs and the motor. The SL motor only provides 240 W of power. With my bad legs, I could make a short 16% climb but that would not be possible at the 26% grade (walking the e-bike in Walk Mode would be necessary).
I would not have these issues with the Vado 6.0 that provides 520 W peak power if I had the 32-46T gearing but it is not practical at the moment
If on road or smooth even gravel you can ignore most of that.
But is it all steep hills? 32/11 will have you spinning out on any long flat or downhill straights.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Thank you for your encouragement and advice Dave and Ras!
The Sudovian Mountains (as some call the area on the borderline of Poland and Lithuania in the Suwalki Gap) is the land of the most premium gravel roads in whole Poland. There are almost no flats only violent ascents and descents there. Here is the elevation profile for the Sprint Race:
It is (intentionally) a 50-miler.
Do I believe in the 26% ascent? Not. Do I believe in the 16% climb? Yes. I even do not intend to pedal on the descents because I need to conserve the battery, so let the gravity do its job. I am even more afraid of the descents as these are steep, short, and often end with a sharp turn! All of this makes the race so exciting!
I cannot borrow the Trance E+ from Jacek now (he is travelling to Bieszczady Mountains -- the opposite side of Poland -- on the same weekend; his younger son will be my transport though).
(Photos by Szymon Gruchalski).
The Sudovian Mountains (as some call the area on the borderline of Poland and Lithuania in the Suwalki Gap) is the land of the most premium gravel roads in whole Poland. There are almost no flats only violent ascents and descents there. Here is the elevation profile for the Sprint Race:
It is (intentionally) a 50-miler.
Do I believe in the 26% ascent? Not. Do I believe in the 16% climb? Yes. I even do not intend to pedal on the descents because I need to conserve the battery, so let the gravity do its job. I am even more afraid of the descents as these are steep, short, and often end with a sharp turn! All of this makes the race so exciting!
I cannot borrow the Trance E+ from Jacek now (he is travelling to Bieszczady Mountains -- the opposite side of Poland -- on the same weekend; his younger son will be my transport though).
(Photos by Szymon Gruchalski).
That sounds familiar terrain to me up down up down. If it’s twisty, pedaling on the descents isn’t going to be a worry but hope your brake pads have enough wear. But remember even with low gears and assist the constant hills will drain your energy far more then a flat gravel route. Pace yourself, use the descents to recover or if really in the red stop for breaks and eat & drink plenty throughout. Coach out.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
I feel I might not make it. Will try my best to loosen the chainring bolts on the Vado 6.0. Been riding the powerful e-bike in high mountains and know it is the power and gearing that together make the big climbs easy...
mschwett
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
I think you’ll be fine - although it’s up and down and up and down with what look to be a few very steep spots, no long sustained climbs and less overall than the standard for “hard” which is 100’ per mile around here, or 20 meters per km in your part of the world
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Thank you, Mark! It is really encouraging!I think you’ll be fine - although it’s up and down and up and down with what look to be a few very steep spots, no long sustained climbs and less overall than the standard for “hard” which is 100’ per mile around here, or 20 meters per km in your part of the world
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
@mschwett: Another question, I know you can do the math.
I calculated that at cadence of 70, with the 44-46T gearing and 47-622 tyres, my Vado 6.0 would ride at some 9 km/h. Now, providing the max combined motor and leg power of 600 W, rider weight of 105 kg and the total bike weight of 32 kg, I would be able to climb a 16% grade short hill at the predicted speed. As you know there are not many really steep climbs en route.
Given I can produce bursts of a good power from my legs but cannot sustain it, wouldn't it be more reasonable to ride a full power e-bike instead of hoping for the performance of the low power motor of Vado SL?
I calculated that at cadence of 70, with the 44-46T gearing and 47-622 tyres, my Vado 6.0 would ride at some 9 km/h. Now, providing the max combined motor and leg power of 600 W, rider weight of 105 kg and the total bike weight of 32 kg, I would be able to climb a 16% grade short hill at the predicted speed. As you know there are not many really steep climbs en route.
Given I can produce bursts of a good power from my legs but cannot sustain it, wouldn't it be more reasonable to ride a full power e-bike instead of hoping for the performance of the low power motor of Vado SL?
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Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
A mindblowing invention!
Ortlieb Quick-Rack
@gpburdell: I'd like to thank you so much for the recommendation! (Also in this thread).
@mfgrep: the beauty of the Quick-Rack is you can make your Vado SL naked anytime you like Click, click, click - done!
Ortlieb Quick-Rack
@gpburdell: I'd like to thank you so much for the recommendation! (Also in this thread).
@mfgrep: the beauty of the Quick-Rack is you can make your Vado SL naked anytime you like
Click, click, click - done!
mschwett
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
i think that's conservative, given how short the climbs on this ride are, nothing wrong with going 7.5kph at 60rpm for a few minutes at a time. 500 watts is required. cut the bike weight in half and you need 450 watts, but your gearing is so much better that if you can balance, 6kph is reasonable, and now only 360 watts is required. supply 120 watts yourself, 240 from the bike, and go up those hills on the SL!
the steepest one appears to be at the 15km mark, about 50m of climb, only a couple hundred meters long - it shouldn't even take 4 minutes. the question is simply whether you can balance at 6kph on rough ground, and whether you can provide 120 watts of leg power for 4 minutes. the other climbs all appear much easier. 9kph on the vado vs 6kph on the SL over a handful of those climbs is only going to be 5 minutes or something for the overall ride, really not worth the other negative effects of the full vado for the rest of the ride. even if you have to walk up the steepest one.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
All the information is so useful, thank you so much!
Eventually, I'm taking the big Vado for Sudovia, and will keep a spare battery just in case. I have tested both e-bikes recently on several rides, shorter or pretty long (involving easy singletrack climbs). Given the same (theoretical) assistance for both e-bikes, that is, the same amplification and max motor power, Vado 6.0 feels faster and stronger! For instance, the Assist of only 16% on Vado 6.0 (amplification of only 0.51 x) felt easier on a 4% overpass compared to 55% on Vado SL (amplification of 0.99x).
Both rides gave a similar average speed over the same route! It is difficult for me to find the reason for such a different behaviour of either e-bike. It could be the 25 km/h speed restrictor in Vado SL compared to the 45 km/h limiter in Vado 6.0. For Vado SL, the speed of 22 km/h is 88% of the maximum assisted value while it is 49% for Vado 6.0. As the assistance shall drop to zero at the assisted speed limit, Vado SL must be near the top end of the assisted curve while it is the low end for Vado 6.0, giving far more assistance for the powerful e-bike.
My performance has degraded this year (I'm getting older!) Vado 6.0 will give me the confidence I really need as I was on numerous mountain roads with that e-bike while I have never tried my Vado SL in a really hilly area!
I'm reserving Vado SL for Mazovian Gravel 120 (June). This e-bike in its current setup is a dream to ride off-road (which is the case for the MG), it handles sand very well, and is lightweight enough to be carried over multiple "technical terrain obstacles" so loved by the MG organizers!
The steepest climb on MG 120 is a 10% cobblestone ascent I already successfully made with Vado SL during the 2023 MG 250
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