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

Kris Mason said:
Yep it seems that way! thats what saved the battery!
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I'm glad to hear it all worked so well for you! If I had to ride against such terrible wind, I would have used Turbo myself.
As I said before, the 25 km/h restrictor is a game changer. If it were the U.S. Class 3 Vado SL (or a derestricted e-bike), you might have used the whole battery charge for the ride at a minimal gain with the speed under the conditions described. As it is in your situation, it looks there's no need to worry about your battery in the long run!

I admit I have derestricted my Vado SL because my bad legs don't let me ride unassisted. The same bad legs and the need to conserve the battery charge make my rides slower (that is, I rarely exceed 25 km/h in real life but the motor works all the time).

I was on a 63 km ride yesterday. The assistance was 60/60% Sport. I use Range Extenders in "Fully Discharge RE First" mode to save the main battery. The average speed was only 21.5 km/h (even if the bike was derestricted) and I only can tell you the main battery would not be enough to complete my ride! Different riders, different needs.
 
When I looked at specs for the (USA) 2022 Turbo Vado SL, I couldn't find the actual motor strength listed. Can anyone confirm? Thanks.
 
GGinMP said:
When I looked at specs for the (USA) 2022 Turbo Vado SL, I couldn't find the actual motor strength listed. Can anyone confirm? Thanks.
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Any SL 1.1 motor has the nominal power equal to its max power, and it is 240 W (mechanical) at 35 Nm torque.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
I'm glad to hear it all worked so well for you! If I had to ride against such terrible wind, I would have used Turbo myself.
As I said before, the 25 km/h restrictor is a game changer. If it were the U.S. Class 3 Vado SL (or a derestricted e-bike), you might have used the whole battery charge for the ride at a minimal gain with the speed under the conditions described. As it is in your situation, it looks there's no need to worry about your battery in the long run!

I admit I have derestricted my Vado SL because my bad legs don't let me ride unassisted. The same bad legs and the need to conserve the battery charge make my rides slower (that is, I rarely exceed 25 km/h in real life but the motor works all the time).

I was on a 63 km ride yesterday. The assistance was 60/60% Sport. I use Range Extenders in "Fully Discharge RE First" mode to save the main battery. The average speed was only 21.5 km/h (even if the bike was derestricted) and I only can tell you the main battery would not be enough to complete my ride! Different riders, different needs.
Click to expand...
I forgot to look but made it home in similar time 42:09 with the strong wind - I used turbo the whole way and found another rider for half the ride who provided a nice slipstream 😂 and still had plenty of battery power when I got home - a great outcome - no extra charger/range extender needed at stage! Average speed 24.6 for 17.3 kms
 
A question: I have the Vado Sl 4.0 EQ with Shift Levers Sram NX, 11-speed, multi-shift; Chain KMC X11eT, 11-speed.
I was riding up a hill I believe in the lowest gear in "sport" mode when the chain came off. I had a devil of a time getting it back on. I couldn't get the front of the chain past the black ring that protects the chain. The chain wasn't stuck but the space between the ring and the bike was tight enough to keep the chain from passing it. The Sram doesn't have a clutch, but it has a spring that can be moved to create slack in the chain. I didn't see a way to lock it in place to maximize the slack so that made it tricky as well as one hand had to hold the chain in the "slack" position. I did eventually get it back on, but I'm not even sure exactly how I did it. Is there a trick to doing this? Any thoughts on why the chain came off? Also, as I didn't remember for sure what gear the chain was on I just replaced it in the middle in the rear. I assume that doesn't matter as I was able to shift to the high and low limits. As there is no gear indicator am I correct that that it just shifts until it hits each limit so essentially resets itself to the correct position?
Thanks for any advice you guys might have.
 
mjh5 said:
A question: I have the Vado Sl 4.0 EQ with Shift Levers Sram NX, 11-speed, multi-shift; Chain KMC X11eT, 11-speed.
I was riding up a hill I believe in the lowest gear in "sport" mode when the chain came off. I had a devil of a time getting it back on. I couldn't get the front of the chain past the black ring that protects the chain. The chain wasn't stuck but the space between the ring and the bike was tight enough to keep the chain from passing it. The Sram doesn't have a clutch, but it has a spring that can be moved to create slack in the chain. I didn't see a way to lock it in place to maximize the slack so that made it tricky as well as one hand had to hold the chain in the "slack" position. I did eventually get it back on, but I'm not even sure exactly how I did it. Is there a trick to doing this? Any thoughts on why the chain came off? Also, as I didn't remember for sure what gear the chain was on I just replaced it in the middle in the rear. I assume that doesn't matter as I was able to shift to the high and low limits. As there is no gear indicator am I correct that that it just shifts until it hits each limit so essentially resets itself to the correct position?
Thanks for any advice you guys might have.
Click to expand...

Can't help with getting chains back on. My Creo now has a small thingie mounted to keep the chain from jumping off (and getting jammed between the chainring and the motor housing). It just takes fiddling and as you found - Wowwie - it is back on!!!

But, yes, the chain will self-correct as you spin up/down and change the gearing so that it will wind up in the correct position.
 
There should be a little button to press, that holds the derailleur in position after you push it forward, so no need to hold it with your hand.
I had the same thing happen to me, it's very tight between the chainring and the motor housing as you say, but using the button to hold the derailleur forward to give some slack, helped to get the chain back on after pulling it free.
 
Roger Dyer said:
There should be a little button to press, that holds the derailleur in position after you push it forward, so no need to hold it with your hand.
I had the same thing happen to me, it's very tight between the chainring and the motor housing as you say, but using the button to hold the derailleur forward to give some slack, helped to get the chain back on after pulling it free.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Just took a look and saw the button and confirmed how it works. Good to know. Still I did scratch the paint slightly getting it out. Seems like a design flaw.
 
mjh5 said:
Thanks. Just took a look and saw the button and confirmed how it works. Good to know. Still I did scratch the paint slightly getting it out. Seems like a design flaw.
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Me too, like you say, definitely a design fault. Hate marking the paintwork, but had to get it out!!
 
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Has anyone else installed a chain catcher on their Vado Sl and if so where is it installed and how is it working? Any downsides to installing one?
 
mjh5 said:
Has anyone else installed a chain catcher on their Vado Sl and if so where is it installed and how is it working? Any downsides to installing one?
Click to expand...
Not for a vado, but for one of my ebikes I installed the Third Eye chainwatcher (spelling?), and it helped tremendously for preventing chain coming off!
 
mjh5 said:
Has anyone else installed a chain catcher on their Vado Sl and if so where is it installed and how is it working? Any downsides to installing one?
Click to expand...
No need in my case. As long as the derailleur clutch is on, the chain has never dropped on my Vado or Vado SL. A single chain drop when the clutch was incidentally not engaged.
 
grnmtnbk said:
Has anyone upgraded their 4.0 SL with any of the following:
1) Enve riser bar (I saw one on an upgraded Orbea alloy MTB while out riding yesterday, and thought I might like one for dampening, etc.);
2) Carbon fork from the 5.0 SL model (if so, could you please provide the P/N?);
3) Future Shock 1.5 from 5.0 SL model (if so, could you please provide the P/N?);
4) MasterMind Turbo Control Unit (TCU) from 5.0 model (Specialized told me this isn't compatible with the 4.0, but I've yet to confirm whether this is correct);
5) 1x12 drivetrain (for added gearing, which I would use and enjoy as I'm regularly topping out at the highest gear; I particularly like SRAM's XX1 1x12 drivetrain);
6) Carbon rims.
Click to expand...
Hi everyone,

I've completed several upgrades since my post above. Here's a list of what I've added with some LBS help.

*Enve carbon riser bar.
*Carbon fork (same part from 5.0 model).
*Future Shock (same part from 5.0 model).
*Redshift suspension seatpost.
*Sella Italia Diva Gel Ti Superflow saddle.
*Niterider Lumina headlight.
*Spurcycle bell.
*JBL portable waterproof bluetooth speaker—allows me to jam out to SiriusXM radio while still being aware of my surroundings 🎶. This particular model is marketed to kids but, from the reviews, many adults use it too. It has a strap that wraps around the bar and snaps on and off for stowing and charging. It's also in keeping with my bike's color scheme. I absolutely love it!

FWIW, I bought my bike direct from Specialized and was told at the time of purchase that it "wasn't possible" to do the upgrades I just completed. Frankly, I thought they were full of sh*t and I felt as though I was being pushed into buying the 5.0 stock model when that was not what I wanted. Since purchasing my bike, I found a LBS who has been terrific to work with! They just completed the fork and future shock swap and, in my view, the price was a steal. I was somewhat dubious about how the black fork would look on the bike, but I actually like it better with the modification—both aesthetically and functionally. If you've owned a carbon bike, you'll understand. For anyone looking to modify their Vado SL 4.0, call around—my closest shop wanted an arm and a leg to do the upgrades, but a shop farther away was super to deal with and offered a great price while throwing in labor, etc.

Have a great day!☀️

IMG_3126.jpg
IMG_3126.jpgIMG_3129.jpgIMG_3130.jpg
 
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PSm said:
Not for a vado, but for one of my ebikes I installed the Third Eye chainwatcher (spelling?), and it helped tremendously for preventing chain coming off!
Click to expand...
I had my LBS install one for me — there's a specific Specialized one — after I dropped my chain twice in the same week. It jammed both times between the crank and the frame. The second time it would not come loose and I had to call my wife to come get me. Thank goodness I was on a dirt road and not a trail. So far so good.
 
Here's what the TOGs look like mounted. Note that I rotated my shifters upward to compensate for my bad thumb.
 

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