Thanks for the review. I just ordered one today, it will be ready Wednesday, and you hit upon my main concerns.
My friend and I road our analog bikes about 8 miles to the dealer. I was therefore really warmed up and a bit tired so my legs were about right for evaluating an ebike on a long ride which is a main driver for going electric. On my test ride I liked the smooth assistance, but was concerned it might not fully do the job, but the Vado 4 was just too heavy for me to handle. The extra oomph would be nice, but the penalty doesn’t work for me.
I picked up my new Vado 4 SL yesterday. The dealer had assembled it and fully charged the battery. They made a couple of adjustments to the seat height, tweaked the handlebars and most importantly, slid it into the back of my CRV. Got it home And out of the car very easily, demonstrating the advantage of the bike’s low weight.
I couldn’t wait or course and did a quick round-the-block lap to make sure everything was working. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Then things got a bit complicated. In order to setup Mission Control, I needed the PIN number which is found on the TCU which required use of a T10 Torx wrench, which I didn’t have. Fortunately, my cycling buddy did have one and we were able to remove the TCU, take a snapshot of the PIN and restore the TCU. And Mission Control synced and worked!
Then I let my friend go for a test ride. He’s somewhat younger and is a more experienced rider than me. He keeps me riding for longer distances, and he’s also much faster than me on our analog bikes, so he kindly goes more slowly for my benefit. He was overjoyed by the performance and had a lot of fun. Even with the bike seat being set much too low for him. He realized that he is going to have to up his game to keep up with me now.
He went home and I couldn’t resist going out for a short ride on the W&OD trail to which we’re adjacent. I have a 2 1/2 mile ride between my entry location and the next road crossing. I’ve been using this route for training, getting into shape for longer rides, and to keep moving when all I can spare is an hour (counting setup, safety check, ride and putting the bike and accessories away.
On my analog bike I average about 10 1/2 MPH, though there are a couple of stretches where I’ve been able to get up to 18 1/2 MPH for a short distance. (Slightly downhill, tree sheltered from the wind.) There are benches and picnic tables at the turn around location. I’ve been stopping there for about five minutes for water and a breather before heading back.
With the Vado SL, I averaged almost 14 MPH while expending comparatively little effort, and for the section where I can get the speed up, was going 24 MPH. I hit that speed with little more effort than I was expending while intentionally going slowly.
(The trail has been pretty busy, so we have to deal with lots of pedestrians, skaters and skate boarders. This appropriately limits speed.)
I did all of this using only abut 5% of the battery.
Of interest to me and perhaps you older men, the saddle was surprisingly comfortable. By looks, the saddle looked narrow and hard. In reality, it fit my butt great, was adequately cushioned and my crotch was happy too.
Now I have to wait for better weather to prove that my new quick ride will be much longer. Probably about 15 miles using the same self-imposed rule of needing a spot to sit, drink and stretch at the turn around.
More rides to come. Unlike last year, I intend to keep the pace up until it gets too cold in the fall.
planet3.bike
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20005992/2._Eeyo_1_orange_lobster_carry_up_stairs.jpg)
www.theverge.com
electrek.co
