Specialized’s ultra-light 120-mile range e-bike - Turbo Vado SL

Captain Slow said:

I found this video comparison of the Vado and the Vado SL, and I found it interesting. Given I ride in Eco about 90% of the time I'm not looking for more power in the motor. But I would like a bigger battery. It occurred to me that if Specialized made a cross between the two bikes that's what I'd want. Say the SL motor with a 480 wh battery and removable if possible. I mean the extender battery only weighs 2.2 lbs, doesn't it? I'd take another 2.2 lbs, to get a bigger stock battery.

If I had that battery on my Creo then I'd be able to taunt my roadie buddies on our rides :) - I'd probably be able to do a ride in Sport for 100 km's pretty easily and could even be using turbo a reasonable amount. Oh that would be good for a few laughs, though I suppose it would only be funny the first couple of times then it would get old and just annoy them. Ok, maybe not the greatest idea after all.
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I don't know.....riding by your buddies, while going up a steep hill, yelling, "SEE YA, SUCKERS!" would be fun....until they flattened your tires when you weren't looking. :p
 
Wow, 37 lbs class 3 really jumped out at me. It would be way easier to load than my current Vado beast. Could even get it inside my suv without help.

I’m addicted to the 90nm of torque on the current bike. And because of that I find it slightly difficult to ride along below 15 mph (25 mph). Doable but just not as much fun.

Motor noise? Can anyone comment on how that Mahle motor sounds?
 
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E-Wheels said:
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
I don’t see much information or history about this motor, or of any other manufacturers using it Is it up to the task in terms of realiability and performance
Appreciate most of the design and functional elements, but the deal breaker for me is that the battery is not easily removable (without dropping the motor) for charging off the bike
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antboy said:
I know I've seen Mahle come up a few times in past searches for my next e-bike. Don't some of the Orbea bikes use a Mahle rear hub motor (IIRC it's called the ebikemotion motor)?
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I have posted previously about Mahle... they are a respected OEM automotive supplier with a 100 year history.
www.ebikemotion.com

Home - MAHLE Smartbike Systems

A new era in the riding experience beginsDiscover the power of the new MAHLE X20 systemMore infoFind the perfect balanceThe lightweight and compact design of X35 makes it the ideal system for urban solutions.More infoROSE Bikes SNEAK+ ePowered by MAHLEROSE Bikes is relying on MAHLE to launch...
www.ebikemotion.com www.ebikemotion.com
  • Drive unit: Hub and mid-drive motors - we offer suitable drive units for every type of bicycle.
  • Battery: Range extender and integrated battery provide sufficient power.
  • Board computer: Remote control, display (HMI) and bespoke applications offer an intelligent user interface.
  • Connectivity: New applications in the field of Internet of Things (IoT): GPS, ANT+, 4G as well as App applications for OEM, dealer and user are made possible by our connected components.
1589393444499.png
 
In response to the dog weight analogy, the click bait thumbnail for the youtube link I posted above shows a picture of her holding the bike aloft. I think the light weight will be a selling point with new non-bike users. I am well out of the demographic the influencer is targeting but a lighter bike would allow it to be carried to an inside storage. I just use my Turbo S for errands now and carrying it up the stairs is a bit of an impediment.
 
Marci jo said:
Wow, 37 lbs class 3 really jumped out at me. It would be way easier to load than my current Vado beast. Could even get it inside my suv without help.

I’m addicted to the 90nm of torque on the current bike. And because of that I find it slightly difficult to ride along below 15 mph (25 mph). Doable but just not as much fun.

Motor noise? Can anyone comment on how that Mahle motor sounds?
Click to expand...
I don't ride with a decibel meter but I find it to be quiet. You can definitely hear it more at higher cadences, but I find it's a soft whirring. Some of my ride companions have at times asked me if the motor is on. I tell everyone to stop talking and then ride beside them and then they say "oh, ok I hear it now". This is going around 15-20 km/hr. going up a hill.

When I ride with the faster group going say 30-40 km/hr. you never hear the motor because the wind noise at those speeds is so great it's hard to hear much. Or is that maybe because I'm in pain trying to keep up. I will say the 32 km/hr. limit does suck because some of them know that once we get past that speed that I'm just riding a heavier bike with no assistance so they put the hammer down.

It's not silent, but it's pretty quiet.
 
Check out Court's video review for the motor noise. I think it might be an adjustment if you are accustomed to the silence of the Brose motors. I purchased a Luna X1 with M600 motor last year and I thought the noise was excessively loud, but I was coming from riding a bike with virtually silent BBS01 (very similar to the Brose motors in terms of quiet). Others didn't seem to think it was that bad, but they were accustomed to riding bikes with louder motors.
 
Wow, one day after they announce some sizes showing sold out. How many bikes did they have available? That just seems really odd. I mean, I know the Creos have sold well, but still. I mean it's not like you're checking a retailer's website who might only bring in say 2 or 3 of each size and a few bikes sell.

Come to think of it, maybe it's because xxx bikes are promised to dealers and Specialized has only so many it can sell through the website. I mean how many of these bikes would they sell in a year?

I wonder what bike is next to get the Turbo SL treatment. First was the Creo, then the Levo, now the Vado. Certainly the first year of this motor has been a success for Specialized. I wonder what the future holds.

If they could find some way to produce the same amount of power but make the motor thinner to reduce the Q factor so there's room for a double chainring that would be really nice for a road bike. I can appreciate that it's not needed for a mountain bike, but I find my cassette too gappy and would love a tighter cassette and to get the wider range from a double chainring setup.
 
They may have a limited amount available from their web store .
I recall the web store being out of stock on one model in the past but my LBS check Specialized's warehouse inventory and found it in stock .
 
tomdav said:
Check out Court's video review for the motor noise. I think it might be an adjustment if you are accustomed to the silence of the Brose motors. I purchased a Luna X1 with M600 motor last year and I thought the noise was excessively loud, but I was coming from riding a bike with virtually silent BBS01 (very similar to the Brose motors in terms of quiet). Others didn't seem to think it was that bad, but they were accustomed to riding bikes with louder motors.
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How's the Luna X1 been treating you? Any issues other than motor noise? Have you taken it out on trails?
 
I am almost 65, certainly not a good physical specimen over 200 and 6ft of loose skin and mush :) but I do ride a lot, 65-100 miles every other day and depending on which bike 20 miles unpowered. I live near the Silver Comet rail to trail, 100 mile total length Not very hilly , not flat but not bad. Then main thing I carry in my panniers is spare batteries. I would very much like to try this bike. I am not sure if I am fit enough for it it or not. I would use more battery than a fit rider but would carry spare as much as needed or could take by weight. I have already put a down payment for a WattWagon of some kind with it multiple batteries and power to spare , This could be a 2nd bike which would satisfy one of my major concerns of Stealth. Keeping a eye on this , especially reliability reports. Need to find local or someone near Atlanta who gets one and will let me test ride...
 
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byunbee, I returned the X1 due to the noise (there wasn't a silent gear option at the time, otherwise I would have kept it). Main reason for purchasing was to get out and enjoy nature and I felt the noise would be too much of a buzzkill in that regard (even if others couldn't hear it, I could). I test rode a Turbo Levo to compare and was impressed with how quiet it was and concluded a quieter motor would better complement my nature experience. That's not to say people will find the SL motor objectionable, I haven't seem many complaints, just thinking it might be more of an adjustment for some.
 
For sure will be watching this one and how it behaves in the field.
And I suspect a low/mid step frame is coming.
 
I had never heard of the Silver Comet trail before. Given it is a rail to trail I was envisioning a hard packed gravel/dirt path. But when I looked up information all I saw was paved path. Looks interesting, though it does seem too narrow to get going fast. I think it would be dangerous to go too quickly given the pedestrians and other riders on what looks to be a somewhat narrow path.

Maybe one day I'll be able to get down there to ride the trail.
 
tomdav said:
Check out Court's video review for the motor noise. I think it might be an adjustment if you are accustomed to the silence of the Brose motors. I purchased a Luna X1 with M600 motor last year and I thought the noise was excessively loud, but I was coming from riding a bike with virtually silent BBS01 (very similar to the Brose motors in terms of quiet). Others didn't seem to think it was that bad, but they were accustomed to riding bikes with louder motors.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tomdav.
I was thinking the same thing as I watched Court's video, that the motor made a significant amount a noise. But then I thought it was maybe because he had mounted the camera directly above the motor.
Regardless, it would be fun to test ride this bike.
 
Marci jo said:
Wow, 37 lbs class 3 really jumped out at me. It would be way easier to load than my current Vado beast. Could even get it inside my suv without help.

I’m addicted to the 90nm of torque on the current bike. And because of that I find it slightly difficult to ride along below 15 mph (25 mph). Doable but just not as much fun.

Motor noise? Can anyone comment on how that Mahle motor sounds?
Click to expand...

When I posted this thread I was intrigued by the new trend in lightweight class 3 bikes.
I think we will see a lot more bikes using this formula to attract younger, athletic riders.

A case in point, BD just introduced a lineup of new 28 mph mid-drive bikes from 33-35 lbs.
Looks like high spec SRAM or Shimano components, hydraulic discs and integrated battery.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products...tric-flatbar-road-bikes-emulekick-express.htm
1589414370937.png


http://www.bikesdirect.com/products...s-electric-gravel-road-bikes-emulekick-sl.htm
1589414491457.png
 
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