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

[Richard Stallard]

Did everyone get an email from Specialized about updates to Turbo e-bikes?

The email is very vague about the effect of the update for TCU-equipped models.

Has anyone done the update and noticed any differences, good or bad?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

No idea. I didn't get any e-mail, and my Vado SL needs no updates. That is, "Display" needs an update but what does "Display" actually mean? The TCU or TCD?

 

[mjh5]

Did everyone get an email from Specialized about updates to Turbo e-bikes?

The email is very vague about the effect of the update for TCU-equipped models.

Has anyone done the update and noticed any differences, good or bad?

View attachment 119920

I got the email. If you watch the video it is clear they are referring to the Mastermind TCU that now comes with the 2022 Vado Sl 5.0 and the standard i.e. non SL new bikes. One hopes they will make this TCU available for older bikes so one can update firmware over the air, and most importantly get the added benefit of theft protection via a personal pin.

 

[mjh5]

Thank you very much for an excellent write-up, Marty! Your observations are so similar to mine! Allow me several remarks:


When the SL1.1 motor does not deliver any assistance, it becomes silent. The "sound of cicadas" comes from the rear-hub freewheel. As you live in the United States, it is hard for you to ride past the speed limiter. Here, with the speed restricted to 25 km/h, the motor silence mostly means you ride faster than the speed restriction (just on your own leg power). I often forget pushing a button to derestrict my Vado SL. If I can feel my thighs stiffer and there is no noise whatsoever, it means I'm pedalling alone (without the motor assistance).


I asked two different riding buddies of mine how they felt about the SL1.1 motor noise as we are riding side by side. Each of my mates said the motor noise was barely audible for them. One of them specifically remarked the SL motor noise felt pleasant to him, and he said himself he liked the fact the motor indicated it was working that way.


Such thinking is obsolete nowadays. Many girls ride male bikes (road or gravel, for instance), and many men choose ST or Low-Step for practical reasons. (Very few females ride in long skirts nowadays, for one). While I have to accept the fact my SL is high-step (there was no other option at the time I was buying it), I am so happy riding my big Vado in ST! On my off-road Vado ride of yesterday, I had to stop for many times. How convenient it was to get on and off the ST! Besides, I dismount my ST the same way I mount it. Not complicated if you keep your brake lever depressed for safety and use the handlebar as a support.


It's lovely!


Never say that! The appetite may grow the more you ride!

Regarding a "girls" bike, my friends were mostly just pushing my buttons for a bit of fun, but your point is well taken. Interestingly Specialize characterizes the grips as "Body Geometry Women's Contour." Are men's hands so different from women's? Ironically, I noticed a bit of numbness in my fingertips of my left hand towards the end of each ride which I don't experience with the more standard grips on my "twist shift" Cannondale. Am I being punished for buying a step through! Ha, Ha.
Yes, cultural norms have changed and continue to. Back in the late 1970's I was running a kindergarten intervention program for children at risk of reading failure. I mentioned that my wife was a doctor and one of the boys in the group said, "girls can't be doctors." Just shows how early one's biases can be established.

 

[rochrunner]

Anyway if a guy like Stefan, who can hold his bike over his head in one hand, is lusting after a step through it must be ok.

What you don't see in that photo are the thin wires that are suspending the bike from the tree that he is standing under.

On my regular Vado 4.0, the only noise comment that I got was about the rear hub freewheel when not pedaling, but am not sure if the SL is louder. My wife's Trek is quiet in this regard. I might someday splurge on a replacement wheelset and will be more selective about the hub. I suspect that some of this is due to requiring heavier-duty pawls or other such mechanism due to the high torque of an e-bike.

By the way (maybe Stefan knows this), if you get a range extender, where does it mount? Both the bottle cage mounting points that I see are farther away from the plug-in than on a non-step-thru frame. Do they make an extra long cable?

 

[Richard Stallard]

I got the email. If you watch the video it is clear they are referring to the Mastermind TCU that now comes with the 2022 Vado Sl 5.0 and the standard i.e. non SL new bikes. One hopes they will make this TCU available for older bikes so one can update firmware over the air, and most importantly get the added benefit of theft protection via a personal pin.

No idea. I didn't get any e-mail, and my Vado SL needs no updates. That is, "Display" needs an update but what does "Display" actually mean? The TCU or TCD?

Stefan: It is not saying the display will get an update. It is saying that bikes equipped with the original TCU display will also benefit from the updates to the underlying control system, and that the effects of the update will be felt rather than seen. It does not give any details of what aspects have been altered, but I get the impression it is more like minor tweaking rather than major changes.

 

[mjh5]

Richard could be right. Here are the instructions that came with the email ( I'm not at my home where my bike is to see if there really is an update for the older TCU) but anyone can give it a try and report back:

Get the Update​

Download Mission Control. Already have it? Skip to step four. Open the app and create an account or log in with your Specialized account. Turn on your bike and connect it to the app. Tap the Diagnose icon on the home screen. Watch the tutorial video for additional support.

 

[fatshark]

My TCU display (Vado SL 5.0 EQ) was updated today. All troublefree. I now appear to have a PIN/lock option which I didn't have before (or had never seen?). I think the other three changes are; 1) an indicator on the screen that a ride is being recorded, 2) an indication of the gear you're in if you have one of the fancy SRAM changers (doesn't apply to me) and 3) something to do with microtuning.

 

[mjh5]

My TCU display (Vado SL 5.0 EQ) was updated today. All troublefree. I now appear to have a PIN/lock option which I didn't have before (or had never seen?). I think the other three changes are; 1) an indicator on the screen that a ride is being recorded, 2) an indication of the gear you're in if you have one of the fancy SRAM changers (doesn't apply to me) and 3) something to do with microtuning.

Did your bike come with the Mastermind TCU or the older TCU that just shows battery level? And are the indicators and pin function on mission control so you would need to ride with your phone?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

By the way (maybe Stefan knows this), if you get a range extender, where does it mount? Both the bottle cage mounting points that I see are farther away from the plug-in than on a non-step-thru frame. Do they make an extra long cable?

The Specialized Zee Cage II (LEFT) and a rubber band come together with the Range Extender. The cage has to be installed to the cage mounting points on the seat tube. The 220 mm Road SL Cable is to be bought separately. Everything fits as good as a dream!

Top: Left view; Bottom: Right view.

 

[fatshark]

Did your bike come with the Mastermind TCU or the older TCU that just shows battery level? And are the indicators and pin function on mission control so you would need to ride with your phone?

Mastermind TCU (it's a 2022 model Vado SL 5.0) ... both the indicator and PIN function display on the TCU screen.

 

[mjh5]

The Specialized Zee Cage II (LEFT) and a rubber band come together with the Range Extender. The cage has to be installed to the cage mounting points on the seat tube. The 220 mm Road SL Cable is to be bought separately. Everything fits as good as a dream!

View attachment 119944
Top: Left view; Bottom: Right view.

 

[mjh5]

The step through does not have mounting points on the seat tube like the regular Vado Sl. It does have two sets of mounting points so one set is likely meant for the range extender. Hard to believe they wouldn't have a cable long enough to reach.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The step through does not have mounting points on the seat tube like the regular Vado Sl. It does have two sets of mounting points so one set is likely meant for the range extender. Hard to believe they wouldn't have a cable long enough to reach.

I'm sure it is doable to fit the 220 mm Road RE cable for the ST. It is clear to me that the distance from the top tube is sufficient. Note how rearwards the cage mounting points are! The cage will hold the top of the RE in the rearwards direction. A notch in the RE makes the thing resting immovable in the cage. The cable would have a short distance to the charging socket.

 

[rochrunner]

I'm sure it is doable to fit the 220 mm Road RE cable for the ST. It is clear to me that the distance from the top tube is sufficient. Note how rearwards the cage mounting points are! The cage will hold the top of the RE in the rearwards direction. A notch in the RE makes the thing resting immovable in the cage. The cable would have a short distance to the charging socket.

It still looks like it would take a longer cable, plus it would not route as cleanly due to the curve it would have to take. But maybe we should just wait and see if someone with a ST will get one and report back.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

It still looks like it would take a longer cable, plus it would not route as cleanly due to the curve it would have to take. But maybe we should just wait and see if someone with a ST will get one and report back.

Doug... I don't think Specialized could made that grave design mistake SL is a very well organized system.

160 mm MTB RE Cable:

• Levo SL
• Kenevo SL

220 mm Road RE Cable:

• Creo
• Vado SL
• Como SL

 

[mjh5]

I have a new Vado Sl 4.0 step-through with the SRAM 11 speed. Compared to my non electric hybrid 3 x 8 with Shimano Deore, the shifting is noisier, a bit of a clunk when downshifting, but no grinding. I haven't had a chance to see if it is the same with the motor off. I do ease off when shifting. I believe I read somewhere that SRAM were noisier than Shimano.
A question: I notice that sometimes my right heel is hitting the bottom of the crank arm so I have to pedal on the outer part of the pedal. I do have very wide feet, 4E shoes. Wondering what my options are. Do they make wider pedals as replacements? What about pedal extensions? And how difficult would it be to either add the extensions or get wider pedals on the Vado Sl? I'm not that handy. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Crank Brothers Stamp 1 or 7 Large pedals. And Adidas FiveTen FreeRider Pro shoes (optional).

 

[rochrunner]

And how difficult would it be to either add the extensions or get wider pedals on the Vado Sl? I'm not that handy. Thanks for any advice.

Not difficult at all using a hex wrench from the back side of the crank arm, although it depends on how tight the mechanic installed them at the shop. The important thing to remember is that the left-side pedal uses left-hand threads, meaning that you loosen and tighten it opposite the usual direction. Basically, to loosen either pedal, turn the wrench to rotate toward the rear of the bike.

 

[ronaan]

I have a new Vado Sl 4.0 step-through with the SRAM 11 speed. Compared to my non electric hybrid 3 x 8 with Shimano Deore, the shifting is noisier, a bit of a clunk when downshifting, but no grinding. I haven't had a chance to see if it is the same with the motor off. I do ease off when shifting. I believe I read somewhere that SRAM were noisier than Shimano.
A question: I notice that sometimes my right heel is hitting the bottom of the crank arm so I have to pedal on the outer part of the pedal. I do have very wide feet, 4E shoes. Wondering what my options are. Do they make wider pedals as replacements? What about pedal extensions? And how difficult would it be to either add the extensions or get wider pedals on the Vado Sl? I'm not that handy. Thanks for any advice.

I have rather large feet as well (EU 47), and went with the Specialized "Bennies" (posted a pic of them here https://electricbikereview.com/foru...incredible-e-bike-user-club.43468/post-519677 ). Crank Brothers make some fine stuff too, I don't think you can go wrong with those.