Specialized Turbo Vado SL: An Incredible E-Bike (User Club)

2wheelsgood said:
Got the Crankbrothers Stamp 1s fitted today and I am really pleased with them, so much better than the stock pedals. I got the small and they are perfect size for me. - prefer the fact that they are composite so they shouldn't chip so bad and look scruffy after 6 months.

Thanks Stefan for the recommendation!
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When I was riding a rental e-bike in Ireland last week, I thought I would love replacing the pedals... Now I can understand the difference between proper and cheap platform pedals!
 
2wheelsgood said:
Got the Crankbrothers Stamp 1s fitted today and I am really pleased with them, so much better than the stock pedals. I got the small and they are perfect size for me. - prefer the fact that they are composite so they shouldn't chip so bad and look scruffy after 6 months.

Thanks Stefan for the recommendation!
Click to expand...
My Vado SL (bought over a year ago) and my Vado (bought this summer) both had the same big thick flat sandpaper pedals.
I saw a set of new Stamp 7 pedals advertised on FB Marketplace for $70 and I've loved them.
More recently....but still on FB Marketplace....there apparently is an Ecuadorian MTB rider that is endorsed by CrankBrothers and he apparently gets freebies. He sends those freebies to KC and his dad (I'm guessing here) is selling Stamp 7's for $50 each. So I bought another set of Stamp 7's for $50 for the Vado too.
Yes the Stamp 7's are way over-kill for my road use(s).....but they are SO much better than the Spesh flats. I'm happy to have them and have grown fond of them.
If these 'deals' on the Stamp 7's were not available I would definitely have purchased the Stamp 1's.

For what its worth.....after many miles....I finally lowered the pegs on the Stamp pedals as low as they go. I find them to be grippy enough but now more easily allow me to readjust my feet when riding. YMMV.
 
Has anyone replaced the charging port cover on Turbo Vado SL? The spring mechanism on mine has stopped working, the flap just flaps at the moment! The hinge bar became displaced and I think the end of the spring came out of its notch or from wherever it’s supposed to be fixed. I can either remove the current cover and try to repair this or order a new part which I have found online. I’m just a little concerned that when I remove the four bolts that hold the the port cover in place and remove the part that there may be small rubber gaskets or other parts that move such that it will be difficult to replace. Also the bolt heads are a rather unusual, what tool fits them?
 

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Howie7 said:
Has anyone replaced the charging port cover on Turbo Vado SL? The spring mechanism on mine has stopped working, the flap just flaps at the moment! The hinge bar became displaced and I think the end of the spring came out of its notch or from wherever it’s supposed to be fixed. I can either remove the current cover and try to repair this or order a new part which I have found online. I’m just a little concerned that when I remove the four bolts that hold the the port cover in place and remove the part that there may be small rubber gaskets or other parts that move such that it will be difficult to replace. Also the bolt heads are a rather unusual, what tool fits them?
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I’ve had to do so twice. The part is inexpensive and built to stay that way. The screws are tiny two mm torx for which it is difficult to find a decent tool. Most strip the screws or themselves. The first time it happened, I had my LBS fix it. The second time I tried myself but met the crappy torx wrench issue and had to go to the shop anyway. I subsequently bought a better quality tool.

The port cover design is poor, easily strained by the charge or RE cables. When you order the replacement I suggest getting two as you will need it again and you won’t have to wait for a replacement if luck makes it challenging to obtain in the future.
 
BEC111 said:
I’ve had to do so twice. The part is inexpensive and built to stay that way. The screws are tiny two mm torx for which it is difficult to find a decent tool. Most strip the screws or themselves. The first time it happened, I had my LBS fix it. The second time I tried myself but met the crappy torx wrench issue and had to go to the shop anyway. I subsequently bought a better quality tool.

The port cover design is poor, easily strained by the charge or RE cables. When you order the replacement I suggest getting two as you will need it again and you won’t have to wait for a replacement if luck makes it challenging to obtain in the future.
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Thanks, so if I undo the four screws and lift off the broken part, will the new cover just fit in place, with nothing to be careful not to displace?
 
Rás Cnoic said:
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.

View attachment 175829
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Hello, my first visit to this forum I was looking for threads on bags suitable for Vado handlebars with the screen being right there in the middle. Bags that mount with a clip around the bars at the riser won't work. Could you post a picture of the bag mount from the rider's view to show how it mounts? I'm thinking a bag with a sleeve for my phone would put it right where I need it.
 
BurroBabe said:
Hello, my first visit to this forum I was looking for threads on bags suitable for Vado handlebars with the screen being right there in the middle. Bags that mount with a clip around the bars at the riser won't work. Could you post a picture of the bag mount from the rider's view to show how it mounts? I'm thinking a bag with a sleeve for my phone would put it right where I need it.
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Hey, Burro, you own a Vado, not a Vado SL! A wrong thread? :)
 
I noticed recently a whistling noise when pedaling my Vado Sl 4.0. No noise when coasting and the noise occurs with the motor on or off. The noise does not seem to
increase with pedal speed. I've attached a link to a video in hopes that someone can identify the noise. I did clean and lube the chain and the noise is the same. The noise seems to be where the crank meets the motor housing. Any ideas would be appreciated.


Thanks,
Marty
 
mogulman said:
So. I've always felt pretty confident riding Vader, my 5.0 SL. Felt like I could keep up with other riders. My son, 22 year old, got an older Felt carbon road bike 10x2 gearing and we decided to do a ride together. He isn't a bike rider, but is wanting to start getting into it. He is pretty fit.

We rode about 20 miles with about 500 feet of ascent over the course. Basically he was blowing me away. I tried keeping up with him and setting microtune. 70, 80, 90,100 percent.

I was peddling at about 80-85 rpm cadence almost the entire time. I could catch him on bigger hills. All the other times I had to keep my power at 90-100% in order to keep up with him. I think he was consistently riding at 19mph and higher on the flats.

Do I just relegate myself to ”Thats just the way it is!". Or maybe I'm too weak to ride with fit bike riders on a road bike? Or maybe I need a full ebike to keep up with them?

I mostly ride alone or with some people who aren't in great shape, so it's not a big deal. Just felt bad that I couldn't keep up.

Just wondering what other people's experience is with riding a Vado SL and trying to keep up with fit road bike riders? Is it partially due to aerodynamics too?
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My new SL is coming this week, but I get passed by roadies on my 500W, 65 Nm hub-drive all the time on flats and descents. So no expectation that the SL with half the power and torque will be any different.

Understand your situation and goals are very different from mine. I've made my peace with it at 76:
1. Usually ride alone and am seldom in a hurry.
2. Prefer to ride at lowest assist whenever possible, and my level 1 of 9 is pretty low.
3. Keep repeating to myself that my Tour de France days are over, and that there will always be those lesser and greater than myself.

Also keep getting passed by school kids idly ghost-pedaling RadRovers. That's the part that kinda hurts.
 
Jeremy McCreary said:
My new SL is coming this week, but I get passed by roadies on my 500W, 65 Nm hub-drive all the time on flats and descents. So no expectation that the SL with half the power and torque will be any different.

Understand your situation and goals are very different from mine. I've made my peace with it at 76:
1. Usually ride alone and am seldom in a hurry.
2. Prefer to ride at lowest assist whenever possible, and my level 1 of 9 is pretty low.
3. Keep repeating to myself that my Tour de France days are over, and that there will always be those lesser and greater than myself.

Also keep getting passed by school kids idly ghost-pedaling RadRovers. That's the part that kinda hurts.
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My regular route today: at point of steepest incline I was in Sport on my SL and a young girl on an old Schwinn cruiser pulled out of a driveway in front of me and easily climbed that hill. She was probably 12 years old. It was immasculating.
 
Jeremy McCreary said:
My new SL is coming this week, but I get passed by roadies on my 500W, 65 Nm hub-drive all the time on flats and descents. So no expectation that the SL with half the power and torque will be any different.

Understand your situation and goals are very different from mine. I've made my peace with it at 76:
1. Usually ride alone and am seldom in a hurry.
2. Prefer to ride at lowest assist whenever possible, and my level 1 of 9 is pretty low.
3. Keep repeating to myself that my Tour de France days are over, and that there will always be those lesser and greater than myself.

Also keep getting passed by school kids idly ghost-pedaling RadRovers. That's the part that kinda hurts.
Click to expand...
One thing I discovered recently that could have been contributing, is that my rear brake seemed to be slightly rubbing my rotor. I was riding on a longer ride a few weeks ago, and it got worse. So much so that I actually removed my rear brake pads to continue my ride.

When I got home, I discovered that one of my pistons on my rear brake was out really far and the other was pushed in all the way. I could push the one that was out, back in using a tire tool, but it would keep popping out. The "pushed in" piston was stuck, causing the other piston to extend too far. I pushed in the extended piston and held it while pump the brakes a bit. This caused the stuck piston to push out. Pushed them both back in, inserted pads and seems to be working fine now.

Anyway... Moral of the story.. Could also be some equipment failure mixed with being old :)
Check your brakes!
 
mogulman said:
One thing I discovered recently that could have been contributing, is that my rear brake seemed to be slightly rubbing my rotor. I was riding on a longer ride a few weeks ago, and it got worse. So much so that I actually removed my rear brake pads to continue my ride.

When I got home, I discovered that one of my pistons on my rear brake was out really far and the other was pushed in all the way. I could push the one that was out, back in using a tire tool, but it would keep popping out. The "pushed in" piston was stuck, causing the other piston to extend too far. I pushed in the extended piston and held it while pump the brakes a bit. This caused the stuck piston to push out. Pushed them both back in, inserted pads and seems to be working fine now.

Anyway... Moral of the story.. Could also be some equipment failure mixed with being old :)
Check your brakes!
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What a drag! [groan emoji]

Hope you find a way to keep up with your son on the SL. Have you considered paying him not to leave the old man behind?

Maybe $20 a ride with another $20 to make it look like he's struggling to keep up with you.
 
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fatshark said:
A quick follow up on this bag which I remain pleased with. I've started carrying a small pair of binoculars for birdwatching or a little Sony camera, both of which make the bag sag down a bit and obscure the light, so contradicting my statement above. A bit of searching and boosting of Amazon's profits and I sourced some GoPro extension brackets in 6, 8 and 10 cm lengths. These allow the light to be dropped out of the way of the bag and hold the light securely enough. It's worth putting some threadlocker onto the screws/bolts to hold everything tight.

Cheers
David

View attachment 146887
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Well done! Seriously considering this mod and a similar handlebar+saddle bag combo for my own yellow SL 5.0 EQ, as we discussed elsewhere. The yellow accents on your handlebar bag work well.

Three questions, please:

Q1. Looks like the Go Pro extension arm just bolts in between the headlight and its original mount on the underside of the stem. Correct, or is there more involved?

Q2. How long is the extension shown?

Q3. Any cable routing issues with the bag shown?

Thanks!
 
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