Hi everyone,
I'm buying an e-bike to use for my commute three days a week. About 7-8 miles each way, with a few hills. If necessary, I have access to a gym with a shower once I get to work. I want a bike that can help flatten the hills and make things smoother, but I'm young and able bodied so I'm fine with having to work at pedalling as well. I also plan to use the bike for pleasure rides on weekends and such. Nothing more than 15-25 miles though.
I thought I was going to get a Vado 4.0 step-through, but when doing a trial ride the SL 5.0 EQ caught my eye. I tried that too, and really liked it. The SL was on sale for $2.5k, so I ordered that one. It just came in and I can pick it up today.
So, a few quick questions:
1. Do you all think the SL would work well for me?
2.Anything to keep in mind or check when I pick the SL up? (Is there a pick up checklist around?)
3. Welcome suggestions for upgrades to the bike! I already saw the Ergo handlebars, so I am doing that. Curious to hear what other things to consider.
Thanks!
Welcome aboard! An unused ebike as beautifully engineered, well-made, and well-supported as the SL 5.0 EQ is an absolute steal for $2.5k.
Q1. Hard for us to tell how much help you're looking for on your particular hills, but I find the SL a much better climber than the power and torque specs would suggest. Ditto for battery capacity and range.
I typically ride my SL 10-15 mi and 300-1000 vertical ft a day and get 3-4 days of riding out of a single charge. Not the strongest rider, but I usually average 13-16 mph per ride.
That's with riding in mostly OFF and ECO on the flats and at most SPORT on the hills (6-10% grades common). Since you're willing and able to do some of the work, guessing that would cover your commute pretty well. But if you're looking to commute at much higher speeds, you might consider a more powerful motor.
Q2. Perhaps others can help you there.
Q3. Very happy with the following mods — all recommended by experienced EBR members I've come to trust:
o Ergon GP2 grips for more hand position options.
o Tubeless Pathfinder Pro tires for added ride quality, puncture protection, and offroad capability. Best improvement I've made by far, but maybe not the best tread choice for rainy commutes.
o Mirrycle bar-end mirror and Incredibell XL bell. Won't ride in traffic without a good mirror and loud bell, and these fill the bill. This bell is the best attention-getter I've tried by far.
o The "Any Bottle Cage" by Bikase holds literally any bottle securely, including my stainless thermos. Regular bottle holders can't handle rigid straight-sided containers.
o Wolf Tooth narrow-wide 40-tooth chainring to keep cadence in the motor's sweet spot (80-90 rpm) on my steeper hills.
Test your own cadence on your own hills before changing your chainring, but an essential mod for this 76 year-old.
Got tons of great help with my new SL in this thread and another called "EBR made me do it". The forum search function is your friend.
Some of users here are very senior and some are not able bodied (to say it mildly) but are happy with their Vado SL! If you could ride a pedal bike where you live, the SL will be exactly what you need. I even expect you riding more and more for recreation!
