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

Nothing like studded bicycle tires for icy conditions. We had a few icy dry winters where I used the Marathons with studs for the morning commute. I don't need to commute and we seem to be in a wet warm winter cycle so I haven't used them for a while.
 
Rás Cnoic said:
I found that if riding uphill with assist on, when I reached the brow of the hill and switched off assistance suddenly it felt like I was loaded down with full panniers. Heavy drag in other words. I realised after a while that the road was still going uphill and hadn’t fully flattened and I was experiencing gravity and weight of bike after being assisted greatly.
I’d say if you experience this on the flats or downhill you might have a motor problem but if it’s just gravity & the difference of having that helpful assistance then nothing at all, then you’ll get used to that very soon.
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I've done this number of times LOL... As the hill abates, it hasn't fully leveled out and me being the consummate battery saver, turns off assist and then feels the amazing amount of drag from gravity that I would have had to deal with previously (and then I marvel at technology).
 
Rixtory: Perhaps it would be better if you upgraded your wheels in the Spring? I'm not competent enough but feel the sealant might behave wrongly at low temps (freeze or not perform). When I was preparing my Giant Trance E+ for the last Winter, I went back to the tubes (and never returned to tubeless as I hated the messy work at replacement). I think tubeless are a good thing on a road e-bike but not necessarily for the winter time?
 
Stefan Mikes said:
Rixtory: Perhaps it would be better if you upgraded your wheels in the Spring? I'm not competent enough but feel the sealant might behave wrongly at low temps (freeze or not perform). When I was preparing my Giant Trance E+ for the last Winter, I went back to the tubes (and never returned to tubeless as I hated the messy work at replacement). I think tubeless are a good thing on a road e-bike but not necessarily for the winter time?
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Thanks Stefan - I am just reading what it takes to prep the wheel (new stem, tape if not already in there, and stan's sealent). I think I will hold off to the spring.
 
Rixtory said:
Thanks Stefan - I am just reading what it takes to prep the wheel (new stem, tape if not already in there, and stan's sealent). I think I will hold off to the spring.
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You also need a small wrench for the stems (typically sold with the stem), and access to a compressor equipped with a Presta nozzle. Or, a Tire Booster (Schwalbe makes such pumps). The point is you need to rapidly inflate your tyre so it clinches into the rim (later, the air or gas is let out and you inflate the tyre normally). I would give the work to an LBS.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
You also need a small wrench for the stems (typically sold with the stem), and access to a compressor equipped with a Presta nozzle. Or, a Tire Booster (Schwalbe makes such pumps). The point is you need to rapidly inflate your tyre so it clinches into the rim (later, the air or gas is let out and you inflate the tyre normally). I would give the work to an LBS.
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I do have a 30lb air compressor. Normally, I put a schrader adaptor on my presta valves to inflate. I would think this would work, but it will be interesting. Thank you for the tip.
 
Rixtory said:
Thank you Stefan - I might just upgrade to tubeless this month! :)
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I keep debating moving to tubeless but then back off. Bike shop folks I've talked to suggest it is not all that terrific and can be messy. Yet lots of people seem to really like the tubeless "FLATLESS" method!
 
lots of pros and cons to tubeless.

temperature shouldn’t be one of them, lots and lots of people ride tubeless MTBs in snow and ice; stan’s states their sealant is good to -28C.

i went tubeless on both road and gravel wheelsets a while back; for road i think it makes most sense in conjunction with a switch to wider tires, enabling meaningfully lower pressures and a super comfy ride. a very different experience than the higher pressures required by smaller tires.

i rode thousands of miles on conventional tubed conti gatorskin hardshells tires; no flats, urban roads and gravel. also no flats on my tubeless conti gp5000 setup. my reneherse tubeless 42mm knobbies suffered a sealant valve clog failure, cores had to be replaced. they had not been ridden for a few weeks, and in retrospect i might not recommend tubeless to someone riding infrequently.

the only flat i’ve gotten is on the tubed schwalbe tires on my city/commute bike.

it makes me nervous that i don’t have the expertise/experience required to deal with tubeless problems!
 
I use tubeless on my Creo and road bike but I am running 42mm tires. I tend to get a lot of micro punctures with tubed tires that I am trying to avoid with tubeless.

I agree there are a lot of pros and cons to tubeless and I also would not recommend tubeless for most general road or infrequent riders.
 
Guys,
When I was buying my Vado SL in June this year, I was thinking it was a delicate and fragile e-bike. I could not imagine Winter riding on the SL (actually I was anxious what I would do with the e-bike during the winter time: put it in the storage?) Now, this Winter is somewhat harsher than the last one: the temperature approaching -4 C, with (luckily) mild winds. I regularly use my Vado SL for a 15 km round trip grocery rides and my e-bike behaves fantastically! I typically come back with two full panniers. The outbound ride is done in 70% Sport, and I return in full Turbo (why not?) The studded tyres give me the feeling of security. The main battery use is 40%, so what?

I don't know what the future holds but I hope my Fearless would survive this Winter with no issues. I was thinking of reducing the e-bike weight by removing fenders and the rack but I was just stupid: the mudguards and the rack in my EQ turned out to be priceless! And I'm riding on the main battery: It needs to heat up by the internal heat loss not to freeze!

An amazing e-bike.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
Guys,
When I was buying my Vado SL in June this year, I was thinking it was a delicate and fragile e-bike. I could not imagine Winter riding on the SL (actually I was anxious what I would do with the e-bike during the winter time: put it in the storage?) Now, this Winter is somewhat harsher than the last one: the temperature approaching -4 C, with (luckily) mild winds. I regularly use my Vado SL for a 15 km round trip grocery rides and my e-bike behaves fantastically! I typically come back with two full panniers. The outbound ride is done in 70% Sport, and I return in full Turbo (why not?) The studded tyres give me the feeling of security. The main battery use is 40%, so what?

I don't know what the future holds but I hope my Fearless would survive this Winter with no issues. I was thinking of reducing the e-bike weight by removing fenders and the rack but I was just stupid: the mudguards and the rack in my EQ turned out to be priceless! And I'm riding on the main battery: It needs to heat up by the internal heat loss not to freeze!

An amazing e-bike.
Click to expand...
Very interesting report. I don’t ride at temps lower than 7C or so. And at my age snow and ice are verboten. Seeing how you made it work makes me think I might be OK if necessity required riding outside my winter comfort zone.

Thanks
 
BEC111 said:
Very interesting report. I don’t ride at temps lower than 7C or so. And at my age snow and ice are verboten. Seeing how you made it work makes me think I might be OK if necessity required riding outside my winter comfort zone.

Thanks
Click to expand...
The point is I must ride or my legs are jeopardized with amputation. Things were easy when I lived in my own house. Following the fire, I live in a social care flat where I can keep a single e-bike. By chance, that's the SL. Skiing clothes and electrically heated insoles make miracles! Still, I wish this Winter were over, BEC...
 
Sorry to hear. I hadn’t understood the true nature of your health issues. My bad.

My cardiologist says my bike saved my life but I think she’s exaggerating. My heart condition is pretty much ok since I got the ebike, so perhaps she‘s right.

I’ve been concerned about losing my conditioning this winter. I was unable to ride at all of last January and February. It took a while to get my endurance back, even with an ebike. You’ve proven I can ride reasonably safely and comfortably so I will consider riding in more extreme conditions this winter.

Keep riding.
 
There was something that made me worried on today's ride. Normally, I can lift my right leg and straddle the Vado SL top tube. I could not make it today! (Heavy clothes, boots?) So I laid my e-bike on the non-drive side, straddled the frame, lifted the SL. It worked!

Where are you located BEC?
 
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