SUPPORT vs POWER settings in Eco, Trail and Turbo modes

[Jeremy McCreary]

Not very well. There are a few bits floating about the interwebz like this https://supportdev.specialized.com/home/turbokenevo/features-benefits-range/support-and-peak-power?scroll-translations:language-key=en

or like this https://support.specialized.com/home/missioncontrol/en/using-mission-control/tune-your-bike

Thanks for the links! The 2nd suggests that you can add custom support/power presets to the stock 3 or 4. Correct? How many?

Have yet to ride a mid-drive, so for all I know, Specialized mid-drives don't need many assist presets. Different story on my torque-sensing hub-drive. I can opt for 3, 5, 6, or 9 assist levels. The levels themselves aren't adjustable, but having 9 levels at my fingertips lets me fine-tune effort and battery consumption on the fly in a reasonably effective way.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Can you catch up to those guys using 100% Stefan? If not....cough cough....you must be eating a load of their dust on gravel!

120% SL motor (such as the future SL 1.2 one) would be OK. I was on a ride with pros. It required my Vado 6.0 with 60/60% assistance (120/120% SL assistance) to be on par with them. The issue being, it only needs a single Vado 6.0 spare battery to complete a Metric Century with them while the same ride on an SL would require multiple Range Extenders.

Today's ride per BLevo....if this is what you are looking for: Total Biker Energy Wh = 162.2. Wh Ride 239.2Wh, Biker 67.8% 162.2Wh, Battery 32.2% 77Wh.
Is this what you are looking for?

Nay. Please look for the Rider's Power: Average and Max. It is expressed in W not Wh.

The trail was relatively quiet. Sure there was a walker, stroller, dog here and there....but much quieter than on the weekend. I was cruising along in my own little world....I'd guess about 16-17mph....but I really am not a big time tracker. I just enjoy the ride and the workout whatever it may be. Suddenly ZOOOM I was passed by 3 analog roadies who were packed tightly and deep into a loud conversation between them. They were going FAST. So fast in fact that I wouldn't wish to navigate this trail at those speeds....forget the stamina and strength....I'm not sure I could handle a bicycle that fast on this path. So I bumped up my speed, of course, in a futile attempt to stay with them. No way. Impossible. Those guys were BEASTS.

I can only outrun roadies in Vado 6.0 Turbo Mode. If they want a sprint, they will win! I cannot ride faster than 45 km/h on Vado 6.0. They can!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thanks for the links! The 2nd suggests that you can add custom support/power presets to the stock 3 or 4. Correct? How many?

Have yet to ride a mid-drive, so for all I know, Specialized mid-drives don't need many assist presets. Different story on my torque-sensing hub-drive. I can opt for 3, 5, 6, or 9 assist levels. The levels themselves aren't adjustable, but having 9 levels at my fingertips lets me fine-tune effort and battery consumption on the fly in a reasonably effective way.

Specialized e-bikes have these distinct and named assist mode presets:

• OFF
• ECO
• SPORT/TRAIL
• TURBO
• SMART
• MICRO

The Smart Control allows you to ride on your battery (including a Range Extender):

• For a predefined Distance/Elevation Gain to be left with the desired Battery % at the end of the ride, or
• For a predefined duration of time, or
• Not to exceed the specified Heart Rate (requires a HR monitor paired with the Mission Control App/the e-bike).

The MICRO mode is a distinct mode in which you are adjusting the assistance freely as you are riding. You are continuously informed on the Range Remaining and on the Range Trend.

 

[mfgrep]

Thanks for the links! The 2nd suggests that you can add custom support/power presets to the stock 3 or 4. Correct? How many?

Have yet to ride a mid-drive, so for all I know, Specialized mid-drives don't need many assist presets. Different story on my torque-sensing hub-drive. I can opt for 3, 5, 6, or 9 assist levels. The levels themselves aren't adjustable, but having 9 levels at my fingertips lets me fine-tune effort and battery consumption on the fly in a reasonably effective way.

I can't speak for the other models but my Vado SL provides 3 'levels' for assist power. They can each be customized to the individual's liking. I know other brands offer many levels, however, I have never felt that 3 is insufficient for my use(s).

 

[mfgrep]

120% SL motor (such as the future SL 1.2 one) would be OK. I was on a ride with pros. It required my Vado 6.0 with 60/60% assistance (120/120% SL assistance) to be on par with them. The issue being, it only needs a single Vado 6.0 spare battery to complete a Metric Century with them while the same ride on an SL would require multiple Range Extenders.

Nay. Please look for the Rider's Power: Average and Max. It is expressed in W not Wh.


I can only outrun roadies in Vado 6.0 Turbo Mode. If they want a sprint, they will win! I cannot ride faster than 45 km/h on Vado 6.0. They can!

Today: Average Biker Power 146 Watt Maximum Biker Power 536 Watt
Tuesday: Average Biker Power 139 Watt Maximum Biker Power 491 Watt
Monday: Average Biker Power 142 Watt Maximum Biker Power 498 Watt

Amateurish numbers I'm sure.....but ignorance is bliss!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Today: Average Biker Power 146 Watt Maximum Biker Power 536 Watt
Tuesday: Average Biker Power 139 Watt Maximum Biker Power 491 Watt
Monday: Average Biker Power 142 Watt Maximum Biker Power 498 Watt

You are a perfectly healthy person and that explains your low assistance levels very well.

My continuous leg power (FTP) is around 80 W.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I can't speak for the other models but my Vado SL provides 3 'levels' for assist power. They can each be customized to the individual's liking. I know other brands offer many levels, however, I have never felt that 3 is insufficient for my use(s).

Your SL has five assist modes You only do not have the MICRO

 

[mfgrep]

You are a perfectly healthy person and that explains your low assistance levels very well.

My continuous leg power (FTP) is around 80 W.

You got me thinking about those numbers that I never look at...and according to this I am at the lowest possible range of "amateur" lol. I cannot argue with that! https://datacranker.com/cycling-power-to-weight-ratio-calculator/?cn-reloaded=1#google_vignette

We each ride for differing reasons. I wear a fitness tracker watch. I cycle to enjoy myself, decompress, and to get a lengthy cardio workout for extended time(s). I cannot find a more enjoyable way to increase and maintain heart-rate for extended periods when compared to cycling (at my age anyway). I love to ski occasionally and that would be my favored option....but I am 9 hours from the nearest slopes. As a matter of routine...cycling it is. So the numbers that I LOOK AT at the end of the ride are time, miles, avg heart rate, and total time spent within my preferred heart rate zone(s). That is all.

 

[mfgrep]

Your SL has five assist modes You only do not have the MICRO

huh? 3 presets right? Are you counting the instant Turbo setting button and the walk assist button?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

huh? 3 presets right? Are you counting the instant Turbo setting button and the walk assist button?

Read post #23

 

[mfgrep]

Read post #23

Huh? <--- again lol.

Where the hell is this Micro mode?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

huh? 3 presets right? Are you counting the instant Turbo setting button and the walk assist button?

Instant Turbo button, eh? What does it do exactly? When do you tend to use it?

 

[mfgrep]

Instant Turbo button, eh? What does it do exactly? When do you tend to use it?

When riding....you have a + button and a - button. I typically click + once to enter ECO (lowest) assist mode....and can either enter + again to move up one level or - to turn the assist off.
There is an independent button atop the +/- buttons which if pressed will immediately put the bicycle into assist level III or 'turbo' mode. It is not a throttle....but merely a way to skip the other 2 levels of lighter assist putting you at the highest level of assist that you have programmed for without having to press through the other levels.

I mean.....of course....it would be dreadful to have to click 3 times to reach Turbo mode right!

I have literally never used that button once. Never. In fact I forget that it exists...as it is a bit 'over the top' of my viewing angle. Oh....and because I rarely use turbo Level III mode but for < 1% of most rides.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Instant Turbo button, eh? What does it do exactly? When do you tend to use it

It is a button used by Specialized in some generation of SL e-bikes as the company had no better idea how to utilize the top button at that time...

Now Specialized uses the top and bottom button as F1 and F2 in Mastermind e-bikes.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Where the hell is this Micro mode?

In Mastermind e-bikes

 

[mfgrep]

In Mastermind e-bikes

When speaking to the uninitiated asking "how many support levels do you have"......I can credibly say 3......as this does answer their question succinctly and without complicating the matter. I do not consider Smart Control to be one of the assistance levels.

My bicycle does not have the Mastermind

 

[Stefan Mikes]

When speaking to the uninitiated asking "how many support levels do you have"......I can credibly say 3......as this does answer their question succinctly and without complicating the matter. I do not consider Smart Control to be one of the assistance levels.

My bicycle does not have the Mastermind

If you used a Wahoo, you would see the LEV Travel Mode data field displaying OFF, ECO, SPORT, TURBO and SMART for you SL e-bike. The Wahoo even displays MICRO for newer e-bikes! All these (including OFF) are distinct LEV Travel Modes. Heavy Turbo e-bikes show these modes on their displays. COLOR CODED!!!

Ironically, my older Vado 6.0 fully supports the Smart Control mode but is unaware of its name, so it displays TURBO instead of SMART on the Wahoo computer

 

[mfgrep]

If you used a Wahoo, you would see the LEV Travel Mode data field displaying OFF, ECO, SPORT, TURBO and SMART for you SL e-bike. The Wahoo even displays MICRO for newer e-bikes! All these (including OFF) are distinct LEV Travel Modes. Heavy Turbo e-bikes show these modes on their displays. COLOR CODED!!!

Ironically, my older Vado 6.0 fully supports the Smart Control mode but is unaware of its name, so it displays TURBO instead of SMART on the Wahoo computer

I cannot take something called 'Wahoo' seriously and you shouldn't either

 

[fifteenkey]

First post. Thank you for accepting me to the group. 64m, 5' 11" 255lbs with a double hip replacement. I've been riding for about 10 years, and am picking up my first bike (Vado 4.0 SL Step-through) today. I need to spend more time on this thread. I didn't think I needed a degree in quantum mechanics to ride it!

 

[kevinmccune]

You’re right about the Power setting, but the Support setting gives you a percentage of your own input power as motor power. So if you were climbing the hill, putting 250 watts of your leg power into the cranks, your bike at 15% support would be adding roughly .15 X 250 X 2 (for the 2X factor of the SL motor) = 75 watts. That’s still under the 35% power setting you chose so your bike would have been powering up the hill with your 250 plus the motor’s 75 = 325W.

I find it hard to believe anybody can put out1500 watts on leg power, looks like they would dehydrate in a matter of minutes and their legs would get very hot. The old standard for Man output was around 500 watts.