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

[rayray]

Hi everyone,

Here's a picture of my bike's recent adventure.

View attachment 126183

Grand Teton National Park
Jackson Hole, Wyoming​

I’m impressed that you can even ride at that elevation. I was planning on going for a day hike near Jackson Hole, but after walking up a stairway we knew that was not going to happen. We hired a guide and went for a great horseback trip.

 

[kahn]

Hi everyone,

Here's a picture of my bike's recent adventure.

View attachment 126183

Grand Teton National Park
Jackson Hole, Wyoming​

Nice looking mountains, ahem, I mean bike. Nice color.

 

[CodyDog]

Hi everyone,

Here's a picture of my bike's recent adventure.

View attachment 126183

Grand Teton National Park
Jackson Hole, Wyoming​

Awesome pic!

 

[Nubnub]

so here's my derailleur pics on a 4.0 EQ. Mostly to show the difference in tire clearance between the 32 mm Gatorskins and the 42 mm Pathfinders. My chain can be shorter because the big cog on the casette is 36 instead of the original casette so my derailleur positions aren't quite as extreme.

 

[Seasider]

A nice 40km ride around the Magic Kingdom at Tokyo Disneyland. Ship ahoy! The SS Columbia

 

[Stefan Mikes]

tire clearance between the 32 mm Gatorskins and the 42 mm Pathfinders

I'm surprised the 42 mm tyres fit inside the fenders...

 

[Seasider]

Crank it up I installed some new Praxis Carbon Cranks for the VSL!


View attachment 126178

Did you order them directly from Praxis or through an LBS? Was the main reason to upgrade a bit of weight saving?

 

[rochrunner]

What groupset is that?

SRAM GRX Eagle. During the pandemic, Spec switched from Shimano to SRAM on some (most?) models mainly due to supply issues.

 

[rochrunner]

Hi everyone,

Here's a picture of my bike's recent adventure.

Grand Teton National Park
Jackson Hole, Wyoming​

Will it outrun a grizz in Turbo mode?

 

[AdmChr]

Did you order them directly from Praxis or through an LBS? Was the main reason to upgrade a bit of weight saving?

Yep, ordered from Praxis. Pretty much, just had some extra bike funds laying around that was burning a hole in my pocket.

 

[ronaan]

80%

63.5% currently but I concede

 

[rochrunner]

I got my SL 5.0 out on some of our gravelly trails that I'm very familiar with yesterday for the first time, comparing it to both my Vado 4.0 and my old Crosstrail hybrid. It's much closer to the Crosstrail than the old Vado, which is exactly what I was looking for. The first part of this ride ends with a short downhill with lots of loose gravel. This is never fun on anything short of a "fat bike", but the SL certainly felt more secure than the heavier Vado. Even though the front wheel was starting to plow a bit, the bike felt in control the whole time, which was definitely not the case when I rode this part last year.

Another thing I did just for fun was to take it on one of the recently added MTB trails that they've put in over the last couple of years. I took the same easy-rated trail that I did last year on the Crosstrail (never attempted with the Vado 4) and the bike did pretty well. I might note that they have a number of constructed ramps and such and always provide a bypass route if you don't want to attempt them. Except for a couple of the really easy ones I always took the bypass; I'm no MTBer! But again, the SL handled quite well in the many tight (but nicely banked) curves and I was able to keep it on 10% assist the entire way.

The big difference was that erosion on the trail has made it quite bumpy is spots with rocks and roots exposed, and it was here that the difference between the Futureshock (or probably any stem-based suspension) and decent suspension forks as on my Crosstrail comes through. With the stem-based products, the bike itself is not really suspended at all and can be thrown off-line when hitting these obstacles that are impossible to avoid. So I had to slow down and stand on the pedals when hitting the bumpy stretches. Whereas I had fun doing a couple laps of the trail last year on the Crosstrail, I was glad to get to the end this time and not repeat it. Great bike, but not a serious off-roader!

 

[CodyDog]

View attachment 126218

I got my SL 5.0 out on some of our gravelly trails that I'm very familiar with yesterday for the first time, comparing it to both my Vado 4.0 and my old Crosstrail hybrid. It's much closer to the Crosstrail than the old Vado, which is exactly what I was looking for. The first part of this ride ends with a short downhill with lots of loose gravel. This is never fun on anything short of a "fat bike", but the SL certainly felt more secure than the heavier Vado. Even though the front wheel was starting to plow a bit, the bike felt in control the whole time, which was definitely not the case when I rode this part last year.

Another thing I did just for fun was to take it on one of the recently added MTB trails that they've put in over the last couple of years. I took the same easy-rated trail that I did last year on the Crosstrail (never attempted with the Vado 4) and the bike did pretty well. I might note that they have a number of constructed ramps and such and always provide a bypass route if you don't want to attempt them. Except for a couple of the really easy ones I always took the bypass; I'm no MTBer! But again, the SL handled quite well in the many tight (but nicely banked) curves and I was able to keep it on 10% assist the entire way.

The big difference was that erosion on the trail has made it quite bumpy is spots with rocks and roots exposed, and it was here that the difference between the Futureshock (or probably any stem-based suspension) and decent suspension forks as on my Crosstrail comes through. With the stem-based products, the bike itself is not really suspended at all and can be thrown off-line when hitting these obstacles that are impossible to avoid. So I had to slow down and stand on the pedals when hitting the bumpy stretches. Whereas I had fun doing a couple laps of the trail last year on the Crosstrail, I was glad to get to the end this time and not repeat it. Great bike, but not a serious off-roader!

What tires are you running? I'm looking to make a change.

 

[kahn]

A nice 40km ride around the Magic Kingdom at Tokyo Disneyland. Ship ahoy! The SS Columbia

View attachment 126206

Welcome and enjoy that ride.

 

[kahn]

Will it outrun a grizz in Turbo mode?

Possibly on a steep downhill stretch with a good tail wind!

 

[rochrunner]

What tires are you running? I'm looking to make a change.

Just the OEM Pathfinders at this time. I might go with tubeless Pathfinder Pros next year, possibly 42s, but want to fully understand what I'm getting into with a tubeless setup before taking the plunge. Some recent articles on things like maintaining the sealant level, etc., have put me off a bit.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

63.5% currently but I concede

The current price of the Bennies is 90 EUR, while Stamp 7 Large are EUR 115 (Germany). 78% I could even see Stamps for 105 euro!

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Just the OEM Pathfinders at this time. I might go with tubeless Pathfinder Pros next year, possibly 42s, but want to fully understand what I'm getting into with a tubeless setup before taking the plunge. Some recent articles on things like maintaining the sealant level, etc., have put me off a bit.

If you do not swap for winter tyres, go tubeless and never look back. The greatest thing is you can ride at greatly reduced inflation, so you could experience true comfort in rough terrain. And you need to replenish the sealant every 6 months only.

 

[Nubnub]

I'm surprised the 42 mm tyres fit inside the fenders...

But just barely. I found that if I pump the tires up to 60 psi it does start to rub - probably against the seat stay or rack/fender bolt heads. I'm planning to remove the fenders for the summer - just not sure if/how I want to try to keep the rear light salvageable. Right now it seems disconnect the power and clean cut the wire will be the way to go. There's this thing called a Tail gator that includes an accelerometer to allow the (battery within the unit) rear light to function as a brake light as well.

 

[GGinMP]

Thanks in large part to the input here, I’m now a member of the Turbo Vado SL club. I used to ride my Specialized Crossroads hybrid (analog) bike, but lost interest and lost stamina over the last 20 years. Planning a move to a less busy environment with a lot of beachside and low-traffic forest roads and paved paths made me want to get back into biking, but with some assistance.

The decision to pick a Vado vs. a Como was easy for me coming from a Crossroads (I prefer a slightly forward posture), so the big choice was the regular Vado vs. SL. One one side I thought, I’m paying a lot for a new bike, so why not get as much ”improved” power vs. my non-electric? The lighter weight of the SL was a big selling point, but so was realizing that getting exercise is the reason I want to get back on a bike. On a test ride I found it was easy to feel that the Vado SL was a normal analog bike; it didn’t feel like it was pushing me along, I just felt a little stronger. The Sport mode was great, and I think I’ll save the Turbo for hills. As I gain stamina, I I hope to use Eco more. That feeling of a “normal” bike that gives me some added stamina/strength made me decide that the SL was better for me than a regular Vado.

My old helmet was too old, so I got a Specialized Echelon II (very comfortable!) and my dealer recommended the Arbus Bordo 6100 lock as a “coffee stop” lock. Not something I’d use for anything other than when I need to pop into the market or coffee shop during the daytime. He likes it because it’s easy to mount on the frame and therefore it’s always with you.

Next, I’m looking at a Hafny left-hand mirror and I’m leaning towards the M903 shape (probably the silver mirror), and some type of Apple AirTag holder “just in case.” I can fit the bike in my Civic Hatchback with the front wheel on, but if I want to go somewhere with my wife and I may look at a car rack bike holder. I have Thule Evo bars for standup paddle boards, so I’d just need the bike holder add-on.

My garage door as a background isn’t very exciting, so as soon as possible I’ll get new pictures by Spanish Bay or the Lone Cypress on the Monterey peninsula.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Congratulations on your excellent new ride, GG!

There is something in good e-bikes that makes us ride them over and over.... Unlike a traditional bike