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

[2wheelsgood]

Glad to hear this Rás, I've just ordered the Speedrockers yesterday!... and a few days ago I ordered some Continental Terra Speed (40C) gravel tyres for extra grip on the muddy/gravel paths... Gives me some confidence that they might fit!

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It must be me but I really dislike the way SKS Speedrockers look on the bike from the photos.

I bought the SKS X-Blade and I think it suits the aesthetics of the bike perfectly. Takes 20 secs to fit and unfit as well.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

It must be me but I really dislike the way SKS Speedrockers look on the bike from the photos.

I bought the SKS X-Blade and I think it suits the aesthetics of the bike perfectly. Takes 20 secs to fit and unfit as well.

But that doesn't give you a lot of coverage. The speedrockers give around 80% front & rear i think. Mind you I'm fitting a front mudflap tomorrow. I'll pop up some pics when done - roads here are like streams with all the water flowing off the moors and even with the speed rockers theres a lot of water kicking up. Doing a lot of riding at the moment and am aware all this water is hitting my feet (have waterproof boots but still) and the motor area. So got this German 'FAHRER LATZ' mudflap off amazon, arrived today. Lets see if it fits the speed rockers.

Agree with you that they are clunky looking. That front fork velcro binding might be practical but it is bloody awkward looking!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

According to Specialized support, SL e-bikes are IP 56 while full power Turbos are IP 67 water resistant.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Water will still find a way!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

According to Specialized support, SL e-bikes are IP 56 while full power Turbos are IP 67 water resistant.
View attachment 186971

Wow, we're protected against 2-inch rounds! Good to know.
;^}

 

[BioWheel]

Been through downpours on my SL many times. Never had an electrical issue. And I use RE batt.

I do need new orings at the connectors though if anyone knows the size.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Nobody would say Marts has got a water ingress after several weeks of riding a Vado SL..

 

[MartsEbike]

I've been googling and can find others with symptoms exactly the same or very similar to mine, some have had their LBS suggest water/moisture is the problem. (Cabling!)

All I know is, my battery was charged to 80%, and was showing as much yesterday morning.... Today it reports Maximum Capacity as 0%. The Charge Cycles never updates, just spinning circle of doom, and the advanced diagnostics never completes.

I have a funeral to go to today but tomorrow I'm dropping it off at the bike shop. I've only had it about 5 weeks, so I'm confident whatever the issue is they'll sort it out.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Could be just a bad contact at the main battery.

Martin, I am not sure how they do that in your country but here a new user has to do a mandatory 1st service after several hundred km ridden, with an entry in the Warranty Card. Use it as an opportunity to uphold your warranty!

 

[MartsEbike]

Could be just a bad contact at the main battery.

Martin, I am not sure how they do that in your country but here a new user has to do a mandatory 1st service after several hundred km ridden, with an entry in the Warranty Card. Use it as an opportunity to uphold your warranty!

Yeah it could be as simple as a loose connection. With the RE connected it all works fine. In other circumstances I'd be opening it up and having a look but given its age and under warranty I'm going to leave it for the shop to sort out. I don't want to do anything to void that warranty, especially as Specialized sound proactive at fixing/replacing things.

The bike shop does offer a free 6-week 1st service, so I'll get them to do that at the same time.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Interesting (and hopeful I think) that the system diagnostics haven't come up with a warning. Could well be just a loose cable rattled loose on your various adventures. Here's a screen grab from when my TCU failed. It's pretty cryptic and at that point I didn't know if it was motor, battery or TCU - assumed it was battery. I did unscrew the TCU and checked inside but it was bone dry so the water ingress must have been at the motor and possibly shorted the TCU or something. The bike shop just told me the TCU failed but gave no reason and replaced it promptly. I'd had the bike around 4 months at that point, but had been riding all winter from Oct to Feb 21.

Re Warranty card? Not sure what this is, I've never come across this. You just ring the bike shop & they said pop by and drop off the bike. They knew I'd bought the bike there so no fuss whatsoever.

 

[Te. S]

I just went with a cargo bag had to buy the attachment for it but it works great carries all my tools,Jacket, and anything else that I need depending on what type of ride I am going on.

 

[jason.flood]

Quick follow-up question: how do I tell what model year I have? The bike store sticker says 2023, but seems there is a more definite way to tell? I'm happy either way, just curious. Thanks!

Sorry if this has already been answered but if you login to your Specialized account - assuming you registered you bike online.

Goto: Account -> Registered Bikes

It will show a picture of your bike, model and serial number and purchase date.
At the bottom there is a link "View Model Details"
This takes you to the technical spec page of you bike.
In my case it is the archive page for the 2022 model year.

 

[jason.flood]

Thought you guys might like to know: On a recent group ride with many fancy road bikes, I found myself out-rolling many of them when we were all coasting downhill — even at rough parity in gross (rider+bike+cargo) weight, and despite my more upright posture (with my flat bars to their drops).

This was on 38 mm tubeless Pathfinder Pros at 37 psi with the SL weighing in at 38 lb.

As you know, gross weight is the only weight that counts WRT to both tire resistance and the component of gravitational force pushing you down a hill. So no more or less push than I got for a 20-pound heavier rider on a 20-pound lighter bike.

Leaving, in theory, only differences in coefficient of (tire) rolling resistance and bearing resistance to blame. But maybe I'm missing something. Thoughts?

I have also noticed on a couple of rides, coasting with other analog road bikes that I have been closing on them. I was very happy about this but could not rationalise it in my head. maybe my significant weight on the downhill is out-powering wind resistance of lighter riders on lighter bikes.

 

[jason.flood]

That's true!... Some people say English is easy to learn... But they are so wrong. We have included tricks to test Britishness.

Rubbish!! - English is easy

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I have also noticed on a couple of rides, coasting with other analog road bikes that I have been closing on them. I was very happy about this but could not rationalise it in my head. maybe my significant weight on the downhill is out-powering wind resistance of lighter riders on lighter bikes.

Interesting. Relative to a lighter rider on a lighter bike, you'd definitely have a higher gross weight and bigger downhill push from gravity.

Some of the riders I out-rolled definitely fell in that category. But some were probably pretty close to my gross weight. The latter are the ones I just don't understand. Neither does a sixty-something friend who's been a serious rider all his life.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

There was something I could not understand myself way back in 1990

I was 29, and worked scientifically for a German chemical company in Duisburg. As I needed a bicycle for commuting, the Scientific Director lent me the family treasure: A 1953 bicycle, the first German bike with an IGH. A tiny gear lever resembled the stick of a car and was installed on the top tube (here: pictured with the Professor's son Klaus).

The bicycle was impeccably clean and perfectly lubed. It seemed to have no rolling resistance! I was successfully keeping up with German roadies! How was that possible? Some magic, I guess

On one afternoon, I parked the bike in a small square and went into a telephone booth to give my wife a call. Meanwhile, the bike was surrounded by a group of moustached German men, each of them holding a bottle of beer (a normal thing in Germany). As I returned, I could see the men forming a wide circle (maintaining a proper social distance), and pointing their fingers at different details of the bicycle (no one would even dare to touch a private property!) They were in awe! I explained the story of the bicycle to them in English. They were greatly impressed!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

700-mile follow-up
As recorded by the Specialized app, yesterday's 33 mi hill/river/coast loop brought the SL to exactly 700 mi in 84 days. Could be another 5 mi in unrecorded test rides.

The overall 43 vertical ft/mi reflects a roughly 2-to-1 mix of gently rolling coast and generally much steeper inland hill miles.

At 84 days, still loving everything about the bike itself. After some initial adjustments (probably an LBS setup issue), it's performed flawlessly. Occasional recording glitches in the Specialized app, which I like a lot otherwise.

Still debating the wisdom of springing for the EQ package but got a much-needed kickstand and a color I love out of it, so I should just get over it.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Easy way to track rider power (Pr) graphically over time?

Never had a Pr meter before and am now fascinated by the Pr data my SL 5.0 reports. Have no formal training aspirations whatsoever, but the SL's definitely making me a stronger rider, and I'd like to see how that plays out over time.

The most-used page by far on my Mastermind TCU is the one I made to show assist mode and real-time Pr and cadence. And I now eagerly look over my Pr stats in the Specialized app after every ride.

Would love to track my average and adjusted average (normalized?) Pr on a graph in some semi-automated way. Could always enter Specialized app data into a spreadsheet manually on a ride-by-ride basis. But with 60+ rides already recorded, that'd be way too much work.

I see that the Specialized app will upload ride data to a Strava or Komoot account automatically.

Q1. Will it upload past rides, too?

Q2. If yes to Q1, all past rides at once, or only one selected ride at a time?

Q3. Will Strava or Komoot plot Pr over time for me?

Q4. If yes to Q3, would I need a paid subscription for that?

Please bear in mind that I have no compelling use for Strava or Komoot beyond this one tracking and plotting task. Ditto for a Wahoo or Garmin computer.

Any other plotting options to consider? Thanks!

 

[MartsEbike]

Easy way to track rider power (Pr) graphically over time?

Never had a Pr meter before and am now fascinated by the Pr data my SL 5.0 reports. Have no formal training aspirations whatsoever, but the SL's definitely making me a stronger rider, and I'd like to see how that plays out over time.

View attachment 187129
The most-used page by far on my Mastermind TCU is the one I made to show assist mode and real-time Pr and cadence. And I now eagerly look over my Pr stats in the Specialized app after every ride.

Would love to track my average and adjusted average (normalized?) Pr on a graph in some semi-automated way. Could always enter Specialized app data into a spreadsheet manually on a ride-by-ride basis. But with 60+ rides already recorded, that'd be way too much work.

I see that the Specialized app will upload ride data to a Strava or Komoot account automatically.

Q1. Will it upload past rides, too?

Q2. If yes to Q1, all past rides at once, or only one selected ride at a time?

Q3. Will Strava or Komoot plot Pr over time for me?

Q4. If yes to Q3, would I need a paid subscription for that?

Please bear in mind that I have no compelling use for Strava or Komoot beyond this one tracking and plotting task. Ditto for a Wahoo or Garmin computer.

Any other plotting options to consider? Thanks!

Q1 - No, I believe it only uploads rides since you linked accounts. You would have to manually export past rides from the Specialized App and upload them to Strava. As you have 60+ rides this could be tedious.

(edit) Just noticed you can upload 25 rides in one go on Strava, which will make it easier!

Q3 - Strava does this.

Q4 - Yes you need a subscription

Another option is Garmin Connect. (I know you don't want one!!!! ) It's "free", and by that I mean you need a garmin device but there is no extra charge to use Garmin Connect. It offers quite extensive riding / health stats. I can't speak for Wahoo as I've never owned one, but I would imagine they offer much the same.

Cycling Stats in Garmin Connect

Some screenshots below.

ps. Keep in mind I've only just started paying for Strava and my SL is my first ebike with data!... And I only bought my garmin last month! So not the most extensive stats yet!

That said I think you would enjoy the stats provided by either Garmin or Wahoo.