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

[Jeremy McCreary]

I think you can set almost anything on the Mastermind TCU display?

Will check available fields when I'm back with the bike.

 

[Cycologist]

Unfortunately, I don't have the Mastermind, but my Garmin GPS does something similar. It will track the ride and charge level and estimate miles remaining.
I just do it in my head. At the start of my ride, I pass a few flagpoles and get a read on wind speed and direction. I take a guess as to when I should turn back based on battery level remaining with a little extra for safety. So far, so good.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Unfortunately, I don't have the Mastermind, but my Garmin GPS does something similar. It will track the ride and charge level and estimate miles remaining.
I just do it in my head. At the start of my ride, I pass a few flagpoles and get a read on wind speed and direction. I take a guess as to when I should turn back based on battery level remaining with a little extra for safety. So far, so good.

I don't have Mastermind either
I assess the range based on my experience.
Have you tried Smart Control in the App?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

The Specialized app screen shown while recording a ride on my SL 1 5.0 EQ:

All 6 data fields are programmable. Here are the options:

Nothing explicitly about range. In a few days, I'll check the bike's TCU.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The Specialized app screen shown while recording a ride on my SL 1 5.0 EQ:
View attachment 195494

All 6 data fields are programmable. Here are the options:
View attachment 195495View attachment 195496
Nothing explicitly about range. In a few days, I'll check the bike's TCU.

App updated? E-bike updated?

 

[Base]

the manual is also not that clear on the mastermind tcu

8.7. CUSTOMIZING PAGES ON THE MASTERMIND TCU​

The MasterMind TCU has customizable screens that show options such as
speed, odometer, battery charge level, mode, heart rate, and more.
100
You are able to set up the units, date and time, view legal information, and
pair sensors manually on the MasterMind TCU.
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
„ To access the settings menu, press and hold the (+) and (-) buttons on
„ To navigate the settings, use the remote (+) and (-) buttons to scroll up
„ Long-press the (+) button (2 sec) to select an option and long-press the
2
2
2
the remote for two seconds.
and down.
(-) button (2 sec) to go back.
To fully customize the setup of the MasterMind TCU, pair your
bicycle to the Specialized app and adjust your preferred settings
in the app

Currently not near the full power Vado of my partner so cannot check how this would look lie in the app.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

App updated? E-bike updated?

App's up to date, and the bike firmware was updated 2-3 months ago.

 

[BEC111]

Now for something sort of different. (Apologies to John Cleese.)

I had a nice ride in the mist the other day. Not rain, just mist. Got home, wiped the bike down with a towel and racked it in my garage. I went down yesterday to clean and lube the chain. I was running the chain through the Park Tools Chain Scrubber when suddenly I couldn’t turn the cranks. It just locked up.

I took the bike of the stand and did a quick ride of about fifty yards And it was really hard to turn the pedals. Whether the motor was powered on or not. I put the bike back on the stand and finished lubing the chain. The cranks still sticking.

Now the complicated part. The shop where I’d bough the bike had been purchased by Trek. The alternative Specialized dealer I was using dropped the line. (Or Specialized dropped them?) I spent some time identifying local Specialized dealers and finding one that could deal with the motor. Not all of them do E-bikes. I also would rather not drive an hour or more to get the bike fixed.

I’ve found one and will bringing the bike in today. It will be interesting. I will post more when I know more.

 

[Calcoaster]

You sure it’s not a rear brake issue or a chain/ gear issue? Take the rear wheel off and you’ll isolate the motor to test it.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Now for something sort of different. (Apologies to John Cleese.)

I had a nice ride in the mist the other day. Not rain, just mist. Got home, wiped the bike down with a towel and racked it in my garage. I went down yesterday to clean and lube the chain. I was running the chain through the Park Tools Chain Scrubber when suddenly I couldn’t turn the cranks. It just locked up.

I took the bike of the stand and did a quick ride of about fifty yards And it was really hard to turn the pedals. Whether the motor was powered on or not. I put the bike back on the stand and finished lubing the chain. The cranks still sticking.

Now the complicated part. The shop where I’d bough the bike had been purchased by Trek. The alternative Specialized dealer I was using dropped the line. (Or Specialized dropped them?) I spent some time identifying local Specialized dealers and finding one that could deal with the motor. Not all of them do E-bikes. I also would rather not drive an hour or more to get the bike fixed.

I’ve found one and will bringing the bike in today. It will be interesting. I will post more when I know more.

Please check the derailleur pulleys! These could be broken or stuck!
Was in a similar position not a long time ago. The tension pulley was broken and impeding the chain movement.

 

[BEC111]

Please check the derailleur pulleys! These could be broken or stuck!
Was in a similar position not a long time ago. The tension pulley was broken and impeding the chain movement.

Stefan, I wish you’d replied two hours sooner. It would have saved me the effort of mounting my hitch rack and the bike onto it and driving to the LBS. That was what the mechanic discovered. They’re going to check the derailleur as it appears to be a bit wobbly but otherwise it’s no big deal.

Saved me a bunch of money of course.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Stefan, I wish you’d replied two hours sooner. It would have saved me the effort of mounting my hitch rack and the bike onto it and driving to the LBS. That was what the mechanic discovered. They’re going to check the derailleur as it appears to be a bit wobbly but otherwise it’s no big deal.

Saved me a bunch of money of course.

I was on a ride, sorry!
--------------
Some time ago I was about to return home "on the wheels" from my favourite META Bar on Vado 6.0. As I pedalled a short distance from Specialized Warsaw to META, I wanted to do it in the OFF mode to save some battery. Normally, I could have done it but not that time. Needless to say, I was afraid the motor got stuck. A closer inspection the next morning revealed the chain was stuck between the derailleur cage and the broken pulley...

When you described your own experience, it rang a bell... Glad to hear your issue was resolved!

 

[BEC111]

I was on a ride, sorry!
--------------
Some time ago I was about to return home "on the wheels" from my favourite META Bar on Vado 6.0. As I pedalled a short distance from Specialized Warsaw to META, I wanted to do it in the OFF mode to save some battery. Normally, I could have done it but not that time. Needless to say, I was afraid the motor got stuck. A closer inspection the next morning revealed the chain was stuck between the derailleur cage and the broken pulley...

When you described your own experience, it rang a bell... Glad to hear your issue was resolved!

Thanks, Stefan.

Now I have to wait to hear from the shop to confirm our judgement. I also learned a lesson: don’t try to identify a problem with darkly colored components in poor lighting. When the bile was put on the stand in the well lit bike shop the truth was easy to see.

 

[BEC111]

Thanks, Stefan.

Now I have to wait to hear from the shop to confirm our judgement. I also learned a lesson: don’t try to identify a problem with darkly colored components in poor lighting. When the bile was put on the stand in the well lit bike shop the truth was easy to see.

I just picked up the bike today and all is well. The rear derailleur pulleys should optionally be replaced but the dealer didn’t have them is stock. I’ll order them and install them myself when I confirm the correct model as the original was replaced two years ago.

I also have to sandpaper the brake pads and the rotors as the pads are glazed and the rotors need to be cleaned up. It’s a hobby after all which means it occupies time and cost money.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

It’s a hobby after all which means it occupies time and cost money.

That's what I keep telling my wife.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Meanwhile, I got completely rid of the tubeless system from my Fearless. The system is certainly good if it is installed and maintained by a professional but I admit I'm too stupid to do it myself. TPU inner tubes (even if expensive) are lightweight and reparable. (I would use regular butyl inner tubes if I had to). I, however, greatly appreciate the properties of tubeless ready foldable tyres! My new Rhombus Pros just rock!

The Rhombus Pro tyres are visible here. Besides, it is how we handle milk in the EU (but not the UK!) UHT milk doesn't need to be refrigerated in the storage, only after opening. Here, whole milk from the most popular brand of Poland.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

The promised follow-up on this post, confirming that my SL 1 5.0 can indeed display Estimated Range and Range Trend on its Mastermind TCU — even though the app's real-time ride recording screen cannot:

The TCU display is programmed from the app while actively connected to the bike. Just added this 3rd TCU page as a test to see how these range figures work.

Normally prefer to toggle back and forth between just these 2 TCU pages. The upper is the startup page, but the lower gets 90% of the saddle time. A 3rd page would have to be extraordinarily useful in the saddle to earn its keep.

Below are all the data items available to display on the TCU — many more than on the app's real-time riding screen:

ADDENDUM: The app interface for TCU page management is quick and easy enough that you could whip up an extra page or two for some special occasion and then delete them afterward to keep the number of TCU-related button presses to a minimum in daily riding.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Motor power mechanic! Now, it is possible to truly calculate the motor efficiency by also using Motor power electric!