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

[mogulman]

Ok. First time riding over 30ish miles today(on any bike). Did a little over 50 miles, with 1800 ft elev gain. 4 hours. Really proud of getting this distance. It was 60 degrees F when I left. 90 when I returned. So the heat was getting to me.

Things I noticed. One water bottle isn't enough. Ended up stopping and refilling once. Luckily there was a place to refill about halfway.

Things that hurt me after about 30 miles: My Butt was super sore. Feet were getting a little numb. Left glute where I have nerve damage was starting to cramp up. I'm a big dude, so losing weight would surely help

I have a few different shoes. Going to try my wider MTB shoes next time. Not sure if there is anything I can do about my butt. Already wearing padded shorts. Tried a lot of seats and this one seemed the most comfortable to me. Can't really do anything about the glute either.

For the bike itself. Seemed to work great over that distance. I rode almost the whole way in Eco 30/30. Pushed it up to sport on some hills. I had a out 45% battery left after 42 miles. So I pushed it into sport/turbo for the last 8 miles because it was getting hot. Felt like the battery could have made it 70-80 miles on Eco/sport for me.

 

[BEC111]

A 30 deg stem decreases reach by a very significant amount, though probably not quite as much as a 3-4 inch riser does. It might not be as far off as you think. Check out this visual stem calculator:

Stem Comparison Tool | yojimg.net

yojimg.net

Thanks for the information and the link. Very reassuring. Now I just have to wait for the back order situation to resolve in a month or two. Then I can try it out.

 

[TYJ]

Ok. First time riding over 30ish miles today(on any bike).
Things that hurt me after about 30 miles: My Butt was super sore…

Not sure if there is anything I can do about my butt. Already wearing padded shorts.

If you have the stock Spec saddle, look into a SQ Labs saddle. They are “custom fit” to your body. I couldn’t recommend them more highly.

 

[GGinMP]

If you have the stock Spec saddle, look into a SQ Labs saddle. They are “custom fit” to your body. I couldn’t recommend them more highly.

The custom fitting bench/station in the video looks cool, but figuring out the right fit at home doesn’t seem very easy for getting an accurate measurement.

 

[TYJ]

The custom fitting bench/station in the video looks cool, but figuring out the right fit at home doesn’t seem very easy for getting an accurate measurement.

It’s actually quite simple and accurate. Give it a try… or not.

 

[Cary W]

If you have the stock Spec saddle, look into a SQ Labs saddle. They are “custom fit” to your body. I couldn’t recommend them more highly.

Even though the stock saddle has generally worked well for me, I’ve been having issues with perineal pressure so I’ve decided to take your advice. I just found the chromoly 611 Ergowave saddle on sale for $60 at REI in a size that should work for me. I can pick it up tomorrow so we shall see. Thanks for the tip.

 

[rayray]

Reach: Bit of discomfort on upper middle back so doing a bike fit to see if it can be addressed. SQLab inner bar ends ordered as well.

I’ve been having the same problem with my Creo, so I went into my LBS for a fitting session a few days ago. I expected to see changes made on the front end. Instead he raised my seat, and changed the angle. He said I may still need changes on the front end, but felt the seat position was more likely the problem and wants me to try that first. We’ll see, as I’ve been out of town and haven’t ridden with the changes yet, but it felt good on the trainer.

Oh, and I tried out a new saddle, the Specialized “S-Works Power with Mirror”. It’s expensive, but very comfortable, so I bought it. Hopefully I’ll still like it after actually using it.

EDIT: BTW, my saddle was a 155mm, and he measured me as needing a 143. Thus, why I was looking at the new saddle.

 

[GGinMP]

It’s actually quite simple and accurate. Give it a try… or not.

Good to know. I’ve just got my VadoSL5, so I’m going to give the stock saddle more time. If I decide to upgrade, this will be high on my list to check out. Thanks.

 

[mschwett]

….

Oh, and I tried out a new saddle, the Specialized “S-Works Power with Mirror”. It’s expensive, but very comfortable, so I bought it. Hopefully I’ll still like it after actually using it.

great saddle. i’ve had both the power mirror and power romin on my creo. the romin was a better fit for me (narrower) but both are amazing!

keep in mind it has elliptical carbon rails… hopefully the shop hooked you up with the clamp you need!

 

[rayray]

great saddle. i’ve had both the power mirror and power romin on my creo. the romin was a better fit for me (narrower) but both are amazing!

keep in mind it has elliptical carbon rails… hopefully the shop hooked you up with the clamp you need!

I edited my previous post to mention that he also measured me as needing a smaller saddle (143mm vs 155), thus the reason for looking at it in the first place. I guess my fat butt isn’t related to bone structure.

My previous saddle also had carbon rails, so no problem with the clamp, but thanks for mentioning it just in case.

 

[mschwett]

I edited my previous post to mention that he also measured me as needing a smaller saddle (143mm vs 155), thus the reason for looking at it in the first place. I guess my fat butt isn’t related to bone structure.

My previous saddle also had carbon rails, so no problem with the clamp, but thanks for mentioning it just in case.

nice. i actually think most men need the narrower saddle!

 

[rayray]

nice. i actually think most men need the narrower saddle!

Hmmm….Sell the bike with the larger saddle, so they can sell the smaller as an add-on more frequently. Pretty sneaky. Of course, todays supply chain issues could be the real reason. Or, the “wrong” opinion won out. Who knows.

 

[mschwett]

Hmmm….Sell the bike with the larger saddle, so they can sell the smaller as an add-on more frequently. Pretty sneaky. Of course, todays supply chain issues could be the real reason. Or, the “wrong” opinion won out. Who knows.

actually, on many specialized bikes the smaller bikes come with the wider saddle.

 

[GGinMP]

First ride of my Vado SL5 down to the beach! My wife’s a trooper, as she rode her 100% human-powered Specialized Crossroads.

 

[PDX Sid]

If you have the stock Spec saddle, look into a SQ Labs saddle. They are “custom fit” to your body. I couldn’t recommend them more highly.

I agree the stock Vado 4.0 saddle is a bit harsh and unforgiving. So I bought a Specialized Body Geometry Comfort Gel saddle for $50. Huge improvement. Strongly recommended.

 

[Badders]

Thanks to all the help and advice on this thread, I’m now the proud owner of a new Turbo Vado SL 5.0!

What an amazing machine. I’ve just taken it for a full test around the Pentland Hills and roads near Edinburgh. A mixture of tarmac, gravel, towpaths and some gnarly hill sections.

I had an absolute blast - used all the gears and all the power modes. Fell into a burn (stream for non-Scots) and also fell off at one point dodging someone and their dog. I’m 62 and this is the most fun I’ve had in ages!

Here’s a pic of the bike. I’ve swapped the stock pedals for DMR V6 Flats, removed the chain guard ring and I’m using my phone with Mission Control for now.

 

[kahn]

Thanks to all the help and advice on this thread, I’m now the proud owner of a new Turbo Vado SL 5.0!

What an amazing machine. I’ve just taken it for a full test around the Pentland Hills and roads near Edinburgh. A mixture of tarmac, gravel, towpaths and some gnarly hill sections.

I had an absolute blast - used all the gears and all the power modes. Fell into a burn (stream for non-Scots) and also fell off at one point dodging someone and their dog. I’m 62 and this is the most fun I’ve had in ages!

Here’s a pic of the bike. I’ve swapped the stock pedals for DMR V6 Flats, removed the chain guard ring and I’m using my phone with Mission Control for now.

Enjoy but keep those bones intact. Nice looking machine. The battery tube sure hides it well.

 

[mogulman]

I'm riding a WTB Rocket Chromoly wide (150mm). It's served me well on a bunch of bikes, but my again..I don't usually ride more than 2 hours or so. Maybe I just need to get used to riding longer.

 

[waghmare]

I am running into iPhone battery getting dead on 6+ hr rides when I have 22VadoSL5 connected to Mission Control + iPhone showing the stats/map.
Would the following work better?

1. Garmin watch instinct/forerunner/fenix - set to auto-detect bike ride with GPS and upload to strava - Long battery life, GPS, heartbeat
2. Apple watch - Start/stop ride in strava on Apple watch - Doubles battery life with both iPhone and Apple Watch with me

 

[BEC111]

I am running into iPhone battery getting dead on 6+ hr rides when I have 22VadoSL5 connected to Mission Control + iPhone showing the stats/map.
Would the following work better?

1. Garmin watch instinct/forerunner/fenix - set to auto-detect bike ride with GPS and upload to strava - Long battery life, GPS, heartbeat
2. Apple watch - Start/stop ride in strava on Apple watch - Doubles battery life with both iPhone and Apple Watch with me

I run Strava from my Apple Watch Series 4 and the watch charge declines significantly. My iPhone battery also runs down quickly if I’m using it for navigation, etc. I carry a power bank (battery powered charger) which I can fit in my phone holder for the time it takes to recharge the phone. For me, this happens in on rides of over three hours. My human battery funds down even further if I were to try a 6 hour outing.

A Garmin or other dedicated cycling computer definitely may have better battery life. The question, then, is whether the cost of the cycling computer can be justified.