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

[BEC111]

I have been using a Zero Gravity wall hanger for my bike. The Rack hangs the bike from the top bar. When I bought it I had an analog hybrid bike that weight about 28 pounds. When I got my Vado SL1 4 EQ I still had no serious problem lifting the bike onto the rack. Now that I have the SL2 5 EQ, I’m finding lifting it becoming too difficult. I’m 78 and not as strong as I was 6 years ago so this is not too surprising.(Zero Gravity is out of business. )

My garage is pretty small with barely enough side clearance for my Honda CR-V and only about 5 feet clearance from the front of the car to the mounting back wall.I need suggestions on alternatives that don’t require lifting the bike three feet off the floor.

 

[RunForTheHills]

This is on sale for $7 at Harbor Freight. Or you could get an electric winch.
https://www.harborfreight.com/bicycle-lift-95803.html

 

[2wheelsgood]

Another month, another rattle.

This one was easy to locate, the front light just rattles around and has lateral movement of around 10mm both sideways and up and down, so just flapping around. I have not had time to have a proper look but I could not see anything to tighten.

 

[2wheelsgood]

Had to take the bar clamp off to to add a bit of tape to try and get a firmer grip on the light slot but the plastic fixing slot snapped off pretty easily. I have had to tape the light to frame for now The bike is only 2 years old but the list of issues to fix are building up now.

To think it was only serviced two months ago.

 

[mogulman]

SL 1 brake upgrade report
After 60-70 mi of testing on some pretty steep terrain and a variety of surfaces, happy to say that my all-Shimano brake upgrade appears to be a success.

View attachment 209597View attachment 209598
New rotors and calipers.

Compared to the stock Tektro brakes, much better stopping power, vastly better modulation, and just love those new 1-finger levers! Also saved a little weight in the rotors alone. With nonmagnetic ceramic pistons, fingers crossed that the rear Tektro's recurring piston sticking never returns.

View attachment 209599
The only downside: Due to the way the outside (grip) end of the new lever body is braced against the bar, the remote had to be moved inboard of the lever mount. Still getting used to the longer reach to the buttons, but not a deal-killer.

Parts list:
Deore XT BR-M8110 2-piston gravel calipers
L04C-MF finned metallic pads
GRX SM RT64 160 mm gravel rotors
Deore BL-M6100 trail levers
SM-BH-90 SS hose kits
BR RS505 front caliper mount bracket
SM-MA-R160D/D disk brake adapter

The $300 in labor included dropping the motor to route the rear hose through the frame. Total cost about $750.

Worth it? If the improved performance continues, and the rear pistons never stick again, I'll be happy with the cost.

My rear brake was sticking today on a ride. About to go out there and see if I can unstick it.

Was there a cheaper option you considered? I feel like I don't really need a lot of stopping power most of the time.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

My rear brake was sticking today on a ride. About to go out there and see if I can unstick it.

Was there a cheaper option you considered? I feel like I don't really need a lot of stopping power most of the time.

Since I wanted to fix the sticking rear piston problem AND improve stopping power at the same time, I pretty much had to change the calipers — and specifically to ones with ceramic pistons. (Mechanic said that steel pistons are more prone to caking with dust, as mine were doing.)

But due to all the tricky compatibility issues in bicycle disk brake systems these days, every new caliper option meant changing other things as well.

Ultimately, I chose to go up 2 tiers in Shimano brake quality and performance. And of course had to change the entire system to make it all work together — levers, brake lines, calipers, pads, and even rotors.

Could probably have saved $100-200 with a lesser upgrade. But I'm really happy with the result. I live in a hilly area, and now the SL's as responsive in braking as it is in every other respect.

 

[mogulman]

I worked on the pistons this afternoon (clean and lube) and got some new pads. We'll see.

 

[2wheelsgood]

Fixed the front light. the little plastic attachment was 10 pounds with delivery which is a bit crazy but I had no choice. It is now rock solid with no play and I am still a bit confused how the previous part was so loose.

Next project is getting the Eagle AXS gear change working smoothly again. I think when my chain guard fell off and the screws got stuck in the chain and it has done some damage to the cassette and/or the front chain ring, to be fair they have had a hard time anyway for the 2 years I have had the bike so time for another upgrade.

I do most of my riding above the 25km/h cut off limit so I am thinking of moving to Wolf Tooth 46T front ring. A little chat with Mr GPT came up with the following proposal. I know that AI can easily go off the rails with this stuff so I would love to check with the real experts on this thread on possible way forward with the upgrade.

Your current drivetrain​

• Rear derailleur: GX Eagle AXS (your upgrade)
• Cassette: SRAM PG-1230 NX 11–50T
• Chainring: 44T 110 BCD
• Crank: Praxis M30
• Rear hub: Specialized Boost 148

Option 1 – Best value (£300–£400)​

• Wolf Tooth 46T Drop-Stop B
• New SRAM PG-1230 cassette
• SRAM X01 Eagle chain
• Hanger alignment and full setup

Option 2 – Premium (£450–£600)​

If your Specialized hub can take an XD driver:

• Wolf Tooth 46T
• GX XG-1275 cassette
• X01 chain
• XD driver
• Full setup

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@2wheelsgood: before you do anything...
I'm sure your existing AXS can report to the app in what gear you were mostly riding. Check this and consider if a bigger chainring would really meet your needs. With a smaller chainring, your chain works at small cassette cogs, which are equally geared. Go with a bigger cassette and you will notice significant gaps between the gears (you would be spinning in one gear and mashing in another). What is your typical cadence? 80-90? For your information: I intentionally use a 32T chainring with a 10-51T Shimano cassette. No issue to ride above 25 km/h if I maintain the proper cadence.

Now, your Articial Moron friend wants you to spend a lot of money on the future maintenance. Thirdly, I am not sure at all if the Specialized hub could take the xD driver.

Please also check this calculator.

 

[2wheelsgood]

The 46T recommendation was instigated by me. The AI initially recommended 44T but after some questions about where I ride and my riding style then it threw in the 46T as a possibility. I use the bike as transport and a little bit of fitness as well if I am going somewhere where I do not mind getting a bit sweaty - gym, supermarket etc. The majority of my riding is 30-35kmh (A lot more when I am pushing) and I only really hear the motor on step off and hills. A lower cadence at those higher speeds would be welcome I think.

@Stefan Mikes It seems you agree with the AI on the hub, it wasn't sure either. The GX XG-1275 cassette would be the attractive upgrade but I need to find out about the hub.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I have tried the calculator i mentioned before.

• Wheels 38-622
• Chainring 44T
• The smallest cassette cog 11T

You will hit 35 km/h at the cadence of 67. Now, if you replace the chainring with a 46T one, the cadence will further drop to 64. Are you aware it is mashing and it is bad both for you and the drivetrain and the e-bike motor? Meanwhile, the proper cadence begins at 70. Necessary to mention, the difference between the 46T vs 44T is less than 5%!

Let us assume you could change your ways and learn pedalling between at least 70 and 80 rpm. You would hit 35 km/h at the cadence of 77 with a... 38T chainring! (Note: I use a 32T chainring and can hit 35 km/h at the cadence of just 83:

• Wheels 42-622
• Chainring 32T
• The smallest cassette cog: 10T.

@2wheelsgood: Think of your cadence first. Many of us here pedal at the cadence of 80-90... With all the benefits.

P.S. If you hit the 35 km/h in any gear but the top one, the idea of using a larger chainring becomes totally impractical.

 

[Chargeride]

 

[2wheelsgood]

@Stefan Mikes I am not sure I understand. Anything above 25km/h surely cannot damage the motor as it is not in play? Also, you keep mentioning 35km/h as some kind of maximum but I assure you it is not and I regularly hit 40+ when I am pressing on - there are also other cogs to choose in any case.

Still, I probably will just stick with the 44T as I do not want to go to all the fuss and expense on an unknown that is not really a problem at the moment. The thing I want to improve is the gear change smoothness and shift quality above all.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@2wheelsgood: I need to rectify the matter as a single thing I said before was indeed wrong! Of course, there is no danger to the motor at your low pedaling cadence when the motor is cut off. Sorry for that.

With the 44T chainring and the 11T cassette cog you would hit 45 km/h at the cadence of 86. If you changed the chainring to 46T, the cadence at the speed would drop just to 81 rpm. Worthwhile?

Your main concern is the gear change smoothness. The PG-1230 NX cassette is equally geared in the five top gears: 11,13,15,17,19. That's where you normally ride. The 19T cog still gives you the speed above the 25 km/h at the cadence of 86. The gearing with the 44T chainring is as smooth as it can only be; and the maintenance is pretty inexpensive here.

Now, let us assume you could replace the existing freehub body with the xD one, and you went with the XG-1275 cassette. The top five gears here are spaced 10,12,14,16,18. With the 44T chainring, you would maintain the same speed as before at the cadence of 79. Replace the chainring with the 46T and your cadence would drop to 75 RPM.

In either case, the shifting at your high ride speed is smooth. Either PG-1230 or XG-1275; either 44T or 46T; only the cadence is affected,

My point is your existing drivetrain is very well thought out. It is also relatively inexpensive for the maintenance. Your planned upgrades would give marginal gains if any.

 

[Herbs]

Not sure if this is of any use to anyone but I got this made this to help me get a feel whilst riding for the different gearing before I make any changes to mine so I don't have to keep looking between by legs to work out what gear i'm in.

Its designed to be printed and laminated as a small guide

 

[Stefan Mikes]

A small issue here is the chart ends at 20 mph The other is the chart refers to a specific cassette. Not applicable for another cassette.
Also, the whole purpose of the drivetrain is to help the rider to maintain a proper cadence, so I'm not sure whether the chart would be practical on the ride?

so I don't have to keep looking between by legs to work out what gear i'm in.

The way you use the derailleur is to shift to get at a proper cadence. No need to check what gear you are in.

 

[Herbs]

A small issue here is the chart ends at 20 mph The other is the chart refers to a specific cassette. Not applicable for another cassette.
Also, the whole purpose of the drivetrain is to help the rider to maintain a proper cadence, so I'm not sure whether the chart would be practical on the ride?


The way you use the derailleur is to shift to get at a proper cadence. No need to check what gear you are in.

It did go to 25 but was too big to print.

I understand cadence and gearing - my point for this is understanding what gear i'm in relevent to cadence/speed so that if/when I upgrade, I can make a more informed choice as to what suits me best and identifying any areas that I could tweak - much like you have done with yours.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Well, I'm doing well with my mechanical Deore XT with no gear indicator. Electronic drivetrains (AXS, Di2) can report the current gear and even the gear ratio to a smartphone or a cycling computer. I have a Di2 XTR on my Vado SL. The knowledge of the current gear is yet another distraction... I'm more happy to see my current cadence and the leg power on my Wahoo.