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

[mogulman]

It's been 2 yrs since I messed with that light mount, but I don't recall a screw between mount and stem. Wiggled mine just now, and no left-right play.

I know you wouldn't be asking if it were just a matter of tightening the screw holding the light to the mount.

Yeah. I looked at manuals and took it apart. Couldn't figure it out. Just added a dab of glue

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

The SL 1 makes a pretty good flat-bar gravel bike. Good discussion of gravel tire options and trade-offs.

My recent SL 1 makeover was mainly to get a better-for-purpose tubeless rear gravel tire (a 40 mm Tracer) than the existing semi-slick 38 mm Pathfinder Pro.

40 mm Tracer with low center lugs.

38 mm Pathfinder with center slicks.

Not pretending that the Tracer's the best possible tire for me, but definitely a big improvement in rear traction and a noticeable bump in comfort. No obvious hit in pavement rolling resistance, just a little more tire noise at speed.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Well, Jeremy, I was happy with Pathfinder Pro when I had my Fearless "equipped". Many gravel cyclist value the 45 mm Pathfinders as these are very fast rolling on asphalt and are quiet. My idea of "de-equipping" my Vado SL 1 was to be able to install the 42 tyres of choice. At that time, Specialized Rhombus Pro were available both in 42 and 47 mm, so I installed that model on both my Specialized e-bikes and intend to keep them until they are worn (these look to be very durable). Unfortunately, Rhombus are discontinued, and the market gave up the size 42.

Where the Pathfinders were performing miserably was mud and sand. Now, I can ride through patches of sand on the Rhombus with full confidence! And I have at least next two warm seasons to enjoy them!

Interestingly, it was Schwalbe Smart Sam 47 mm that safely brought me through the mud of Sudovia Gravel 2025...

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Well, Jeremy, I was happy with Pathfinder Pro when I had my Fearless "equipped". Many gravel cyclist value the 45 mm Pathfinders as these are very fast rolling on asphalt and are quiet.

My situation's a little different. Most offroad surfaces here are hardpack with anywhere from a fraction of a millimeter to several inches of loose dry sand on top. We also have a lot of grades above 8%.

Traction-wise, the 40 mm Tracers are VASTLY better than 38 mm Pathfinders on that stuff — especially when braking downhill.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Starting to experiment with Tracer tire pressures. The sidewalls say 30-65 psi.

First try was 40 psi, where I usually ran my 38 mm Pathfinders. The 40 mm Tracers were noticeably cushier on all surfaces and definitely grabbier — especially on dirt. As predicted by drum tests at www.bicyclerollingresistance.com, rolling resistance (RR) felt about the same.

Seeing no reason to go higher than 40 psi, tried 30 psi on flattist pavement next, going over every bump and dip I could find. WAY cushier than 40 psi but too bouncy for my taste. Maybe a little RR penalty but hard to say. Will see what it offers on dirt today, but don't see myself running 30 psi routinely.

Then on to 35 psi and play it by ear from there. Once I've picked a favorite for routine use just by feel, will see what the Silca, Rene Herse, and Pirelli pressure calculators have to say.

How do you guys dial in pressure?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

It is the Wolf Tooth Bike Tire Pressure Calculator, Jeremy. Two examples, metric.

Vado 6.0

• Bike Type: Gravel
• Weight: 133 kg (26 + 99 + 8)
• Tire setup: Tubed
• Casing type: Medium
• Riding conditions: Medium gravel/Rocks
• Inflation/Riding Temperature; 18/14 C
• Tire/Wheel Size: 29" (700c)
• Measured tire width (R/F): 48/49 mm

Inflation pressure: 2.7 / 2.5 bar (40/36 psi), riding pressure (38.5/35.5 psi).

Vado SL 1

• Bike Type: Gravel
• Weight: 124 kg (17 + 99 + 8)
• Tire setup: Tubed
• Casing type: Medium
• Riding conditions:
• Medium gravel/Rocks
• Inflation/Riding Temperature; 18/14 C
• Tire/Wheel Size: 29" (700c)
• Measured tire width (R/F): 43/43 mm

Inflation pressure: 2.9 / 2.7 bar (43/40 psi), riding pressure 2.8 / 2.6 bar (42/39 psi).

As I might expect some segments on the ride even more demanding, I set R/F to 2.7/2.6 bar (40/38 psi) for either e-bike for a weekend ride and never look back

 

[edobici_forza]

Starting to experiment with Tracer tire pressures. The sidewalls say 30-65 psi.
. . .
How do you guys dial in pressure?

Jeremy, I have a bunch of different tire sizes across various bikes, so I need a cheat sheet. So I use Notes on my phone and computer to have reference. No spreadsheet, just text and sections.
I went through all of the calculators over the years and have each listed to see similarities and differences.

Wolftooth

Bike Tire Pressure Calculator

The Bike Tire Pressure Calculator allows cyclists to find their ideal tire pressure based on terrain and riding conditions for the route ahead for mountain bikes, gravel bikes, and fat bikes.

www.wolftoothcomponents.com

SRAM is simple

SRAM | AXS

axs.sram.com

Vittoria is more complete

Bicycle Tire Pressure Calculator | Vittoria

The Vittoria Tire Pressure Calculator is a step-by-step tool that provides optimal tire pressure for your tires according to the variables that affect your performance.

vittoria.com

Silca is advanced as well

SILCA Professional Tire Pressure Calculator

Dial in your ride with the SILCA Pro Tire Pressure Calculator. Get data-driven pressure recommendations for speed, comfort, and efficiency.

silca.cc

Pirelli

Pirelli Cycling: Tires & Accessories Velo for Bike

Bike tires and accessories for all types of bicycles: MTB, road bikes, hybrid bikes and others

www.pirelli.com

Note: these links may be stale

For each calculator, I have two pressures per tire listed: Dirt/gravel trail and pavement.
it is a very long file with many tires across 4 bikes.

I have a separate file with only the latest preferred pressures (after many rides) for both surfaces, for quick reference:

Grav 45: Creo, RD: 41f-42r, DT: 34f-37r
Grav 55: Creo, RD: 36f-38r, DT: 25f-26r

Road 32: Hakka, RD: 60f-62r, DT: 47f-48r

MTB 2.4: Exie, DT: 24f-25r, RD+GVL: 30f-32r

I always have a mini electric tire inflator with me on all rides -also functions as a gauge. So, if I come across a surface that is very different I change the pressure accordingly.

Occasionally, I will remember the preferred pressure, without referring to my reference file

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I always have a mini electric tire inflator with me on all rides -also functions as a gauge. So, if I come across a surface that is very different I change the pressure accordingly.

Ditto — very, very handy. This capability alone is a good argument for an electic mini-pump. When I shopped for hand pumps with gauges a while back, couldn't find any I was willing to carry.

Thanks for the calculator links and preferred pressures for your various bikes. How did you resolve pressure discrepancies among the calculators and your own field testing?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Starting to experiment with Tracer tire pressures. The sidewalls say 30-65 psi...

Seeing no reason to go higher than 40 psi, tried 30 psi on flattist pavement next, going over every bump and dip I could find. WAY cushier than 40 psi but too bouncy for my taste. Maybe a little RR penalty but hard to say. Will see what it offers on dirt today, but don't see myself running 30 psi routinely.

Rode 16 mi today with the 40 mm Tracers still at 30 psi front and rear. Really liked the added comfort and sure-footed handling on the 3 mi of bumpy sandy hardpack. Especially good crossing the deeper sand pockets.

The 30 psi also seemed plenty fast enough on the 13 mi of rolling Coast Highway pavement — which I easily did in mostly ECO with some OFF. Not as boucy today for some reason.

Conclusion: 30 psi is a great option for typical offroad surfaces here and certainly acceptable on rolling pavement as well. When speed's more important than compliance or grip or floatation, I can always air up with the portable electric mini-pump I carry.

Tomorrow: 35 psi.

 

[edobici_forza]

How did you resolve pressure discrepancies among the calculators and your own field testing?

via Butt dyno.

and on the rare occasion of riding with friends, I check their set up. My 15psi MTB friend has been influential! he is lighter than me, but it fun to experiment!

 

[edobici_forza]

Rode 16 mi today with the 40 mm Tracers still at 30 psi front and rear. Really liked the added comfort and sure-footed handling on the 3 mi of bumpy sandy hardpack. Especially good crossing the deeper sand pockets.

The 30 psi also seemed plenty fast enough on the 13 mi of rolling Coast Highway pavement — which I easily did in mostly ECO with some OFF. Not as boucy today for some reason.

Conclusion: 30 psi is a great option for typical offroad surfaces here and certainly acceptable on rolling pavement as well. When speed's more important than compliance or grip, I can always air up with the portable electric mini-pump I carry.

Tomorrow: 35 psi.

if you have a specific trail that is awesome! you can experiment. It is when you venture out to unknown trails where tires and pressures come into play!

Another thing...MTBers typically rides a wider front than rear. So if you are headed to unknown trails, wider front for more traction is a bonus.
if you are not riding in any mud. I suggest the widest tire fit with 3mm clearance. Yep the standard is 6mm clearance, but that is average. if you always ride the same routes and no surprises, wider is better. I am riding 32mm on my road tires for casual 25 mile rides, at 60psi. The Creo's 45s range from 35 to 42 depending on the surface

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

if you have a specific trail that is awesome! you can experiment. It is when you venture out to unknown trails where tires and pressures come into play!

Another thing...MTBers typically rides a wider front than rear. So if you are headed to unknown trails, wider front for more traction is a bonus.
if you are not riding in any mud. I suggest the widest tire fit with 3mm clearance. Yep the standard is 6mm clearance, but that is average. if you always ride the same routes and no surprises, wider is better. I am riding 32mm on my road tires for casual 25 mile rides. amazing.

Good arguments for having multiple widths to choose from, but the SL will likely be stuck with 40s for the foreseeable future.

Widths between 40 and 45 mm seem to be vanishing — at least in the gravel tires I'm interested in. Guessing the rear could take a 45 but the front may be too tight.

I think @Rás Cnoic may know the max tire sizes on a fenderless SL 1.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Jeremy, even if a wider tyre would fit, you need to leave a generous clearance for pebbles or any debris.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Jeremy, even if a wider tyre would fit, you need to leave a generous clearance for pebbles or any debris.

Understood. Didn't you get a 42 on the front of your de-fendered SL 1? With the stock rims? No room for a 45, right?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Understood. Didn't you get a 42 on the front of your de-fendered SL 1? With the stock rims? No room for a 45, right?

Even more complicated. First, my frame size is M. No issue with 42 mm tyres. However, the rear SKS Speedrocker fender would not fit. Our rims are 21mm internal width, which is narrow as for the standard of today. If you squeeze a wider tyre into a narrow rim then the tyre "swells", or becomes wider than the rated value.

As I had a feeling my rear wheel was getting worn, I ordered a proper 25 mm internal rim wheel (with excellent hub and spokes, 12-speed ready). Now, my rear tyre had assumed a more proper shape.

It is all inter-related.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Even more complicated. First, my frame size is M. No issue with 42 mm tyres. However, the rear SKS Speedrocker fender would not fit. Our rims are 21mm internal width, which is narrow as for the standard of today. If you squeeze a wider tyre into a narrow rim then the tyre "swells", or becomes wider than the rated value.

As I had a feeling my rear wheel was getting worn, I ordered a proper 25 mm internal rim wheel (with excellent hub and spokes, 12-speed ready). Now, my rear tyre had assumed a more proper shape.

It is all inter-related.

Life is complicatd, no? Need to pony up for a range extender before even contemplating another set of wheels, so 40 mm is my foreseeable future.

Fine with me. Every indication so far is that 40s will be fine for my needs.