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

zbikeman said:
After playing drop-the-wedge-in-the-seat-tube
Click to expand...
I have pushed some pieces of sponge into the sear tube. If I forget about the wedge, it won't drop down into the motor chamber.

zbikeman said:
my workaround is to drop the bike on its side (on an old blanket to prevent scratching) whenever adjusting saddle height or changing saddles.
Click to expand...
I invert the bike, let the wedge drop on the floor and put the bike on the wheels again :)
--------------
The Kickstand Blues
Just recently, an unpleasant incident has happened (don't ask). As the outcome, the Vado SL (Gen 1) kickstand got broken. First I thought removing the kickstand would make my Fearless even more lightweight (the kickstand is heavy!) But no, I cannot live without the kickstand. The issue is I couldn't find the exact replacement! I should have measured the length of the kickstand before I threw both halves away...

I've ordered a 332 mm Specialized Turbo kickstand, similar to the one used on my big Vado. What I don't know is whether the bolt spacing in the new kickstand would be 40 mm, and also if the length would be proper (the original was adjustable).

Perhaps you know the part number of the original adjustable, 40 mm Vado SL kickstand? As I can see, the Specialized Turbo 332 mm MY 2017 kickstand is bolted from the inside, while the original was fastened from the outside (still keep the original 25 mm long bolts).
 
Upway Certified Pre-Owned E-Bikes Upway E-Bikes Mobile
Re: Kickstand

1775048493157.png

I bought this one. It is OK but a bit long... Such long you even cannot adjust it, just bolt it on and use.

1775048543533.png

This one would be better. It would ensure a better tilt to the side.

In case anyone of you needs a replacement kickstand for a Vado SL Gen 1 :)
 
Stefan Mikes said:
Re: Kickstand

View attachment 207975
I bought this one. It is OK but a bit long... Such long you even cannot adjust it, just bolt it on and use.

View attachment 207976
This one would be better. It would ensure a better tilt to the side.

In case anyone of you needs a replacement kickstand for a Vado SL Gen 1 :)
Click to expand...
Bought a bog standard Halfords one in '23. Cheap, length adjustable and solid, seems fine after over 2 years of use:

www.halfords.com

M:Part Essential Adjustable Kickstand, 24-29" 20kg | Halfords UK

www.halfords.com www.halfords.com
 
Urtopia E-Bikes Urtopia E-Bikes Mobile
Just out of interest, Ras -- in your own time -- could you please measure your current distance from the mount down to the floor along the kickstand and tell me?
 
Friends,

I may want to write a good article about the Wheeltop EDS OX2.0 93 mm electronic derailleur and wireless shifter. I have realized it would be a big technical paper, while numerous video tutorials do already exist on YouTube. However, let me just list some important facts first so you do not make some mistakes we did :) And... there are some things not described in the video tutorials!
  • After you have attached the derailleur to the hanger, do not use the chain yet. Hang the bike on a repair stand or rotate it and stand it on the bars and the saddle on the floor. Locate yourself behind the bike, so you can later clearly see the derailleur pulley and the cassette sprockets in line
  • Remove the old derailleur and mount the EDS, tightening the bolt to 8 Nm with a wrench key
  • There is a clearly marked detachable label pointing at a small screw. Use a 2 mm hex key and remove that little screw. Do not lose a tiny O-ring that is on the screw! Slide the cover outside (it's easy)
  • Now, locate the L screw (it is the bottom one in a normal bike orientation). Turn the L screw with a 2 mm hex wrench this or the other way until the derailleur pulley ideally aligns with the smallest cassette sprocket!
It is such an important action! It is because the alignment of the pulley and the smallest sprocket is the only action that must be done mechanically (you cannot adjust it electronically!) Other interesting facts are:
  • By default, the gears are counted from the smallest sprocket (it is intuitive for the derailleur setup but counter-intuitive for us cyclists). Settings -> Preferences -> Gear Mirror will change the gear numbering from the largest to the smallest sprocket
  • If you connect the derailleur to a Garmin or Wahoo or Karoo computer, the Gear Number data field will always number the gears from the largest sprocket as 1
  • The translation of the Chinese app to English has been greatly improved!
How to remove the existing mechanical shifter cable?
  • Drop the motor :)
  • Unscrew a clamp that holds all the cables in the motor chamber
1775187458401.png


The early impression
A shiznit :) The shifter design is just perfect!
We have reused the existing cassette, chainring and the chain without any changes!
--------------------
Here is some information I've already written for the article. Check "Availability"!

Wheeltop EDS: An electronic derailleur and wireless shifter system for any flat handlebar derailleur bike (OX2.0 93 mm)

The Chinese company Wheeltop has come with electronic/wireless derailleur systems of advanced capabilities and high manufacturing quality. Currently, such systems are available:
  • EDS TX: road bikes
  • EDS GeX: gravel bikes
  • EDS TT: time trial/triathlon bikes
  • EDS OX2.0: flat handlebar bikes (I will only cover this version).
The revolutionary idea behind the Wheeltop EDS derailleurs is the electronic derailleur could be installed on any derailleur bike with any cassette disregarding the number of gears. The OX2.0 93 mm (SGS) can be installed for anything between 3 and 14 gears and with the cassette capacity from 10T (the smallest sprocket) to 52T (the largest sprocket). Currently, Wheeltop only sells the 93 mm version because it can be installed even on a bike with a small cassette but the derailleur cage won't limit the future cassette upgrades for you.

Additional features:
  • ANT+ connectivity: display the current gear, derailleur battery charge % and/or the shifter battery status on your GPS bike computer or a compatible smartwatch
  • Built in a clutch for keeping the chain tightened and bounce free
  • IP67 waterproof
  • A big battery (integrated with the derailleur), allowing for the operation even for a month without recharging
Availability (I have not listed Asia here):
  • The European Union as well as Switzerland and Norway
  • The United Kingdom
  • Australia
  • Canada
Wheeltop does not sell its products to the United States or New Zealand.

Pricing:
399 EUR or 348 GBP (not sure about the Canadian price).

Delivery time: The system is being sent out from the regional distributor. I had waited for mine for 8 days (shipped to Poland from Germany).
 
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Q. I've used 3-finger brake levers all my life. How am I going to feel about 1-finger MTB levers on my SL 1?

I ask because my mechanic has proposed 2 all-Shimano brake upgrades — both affordable, both higher-performance than the stock Tektro brakes. (Details to follow.) Keeping my current levers isn't an option due to various brake line incompatibilities.

Problem is, the better-quality, higher-performance option I'm leaning toward requires 1-finger levers. He says these brakes will still be easier to activate than my stock brakes despite the shorter levers.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Jeremy,
I had one-finger brake levers on my e-MTB. These give a big leverage on the hydraulic fluid even if they are shorter than the long regular ones. I also trust the compatible Shimano brakes could have a greater stopping power. However, I could notice I was using two fingers on the lever because of the habit :)

I'm sure your mechanic knows his trade!
 
Jeremy McCreary said:
Q. I've used 3-finger brake levers all my life. How am I going to feel about 1-finger MTB levers on my SL 1?

I ask because my mechanic has proposed 2 all-Shimano brake upgrades — both affordable, both higher-performance than the stock Tektro brakes. (Details to follow.) Keeping my current levers isn't an option due to various brake line incompatibilities.

Problem is, the better-quality, higher-performance option I'm leaning toward requires 1-finger levers. He says these brakes will still be easier to activate than my stock brakes despite the shorter levers.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I have 2-finger M9200 XTR XC levers. It took one ride to get used to them. Most of the time, I only use one finger to brake.
 
Quagmire with the EDS OX2.0 :)

I thought I went insane. This morning, an attempt to upshift to the toughest gear ended in gear 06! The app reported it as gear 01 (by the Wheeltop default convention). A new derailleur broken?! Already?! I wrote to the technical support in China. Then I chatted with the man who had convinced me the Wheeltop EDS was a good thing. He copied a page from the FAQ. Oh. The app has a tool to explain the derailleur in what gear it actually is. Good work Wheeltop! Thank you Przemek for such a great help!

Now, something I would not expect. The tension pulley in the EDS is Narrow-Wide! You need to align the chain on the pulley's teeth when threading the chain through the derailleur!

Working on the perfect adjustment now.

P.S. Adjusted! Yay! :)
P.S.2. As long as the cassette is a Shimano and you have perfectly adjusted the L-screw, the derailleur will perfectly shift at the default settings!
 
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