MrBritton
New Member
After 11 months with a Vado 3.0, I politely asked my bike shop to tell Specialized I wanted my money back due to a series of issues and my total lack of confidence in the bike. I cited these issues:
o Computer crashes and motor stops. (Once I couldn't get it restarted even after removing and reinserting the battery.)
o Doesn't assist beyond 26 mph (I think it used to before the cassette was swapped).
o Under-designed rear cassette caused much time and trouble (chain was swapped, motor was swapped, then sprocket was replaced, then cassette was replaced).
o Broken spoke probably due to manufacturing.
o No app.
The shop owner said I deserved a new bike, but Specialized wouldn't simply refund me.
My guess is that Specialized fully realizes they've created a bike with serious issues and are giving out replacements to those who have trouble.
Anyway, not really wanting the same bike again, I paid the difference and got a Vado 6.0 - no doubt making the bike shop happy!
Looking back, when I first bought the Vado 3.0, I wished I'd gotten the 6.0 after realizing how much I would ride it.
So far, I love it - I think the upgraded components are more of what this bike line needs.
Bigger battery, tweaked motor, brake actuation feeds the computer (but does the computer listen?), and the fat tires are better on dirt roads.
I even like the matte finish, and the mirror (if I can figure out how to keep it in place when riding washboard roads...)
Is it really worth the price difference? I'm not sure, but it's working for me.
BTW, when looking at the Vado 3.0 vs 6.0 specs, I noticed that some components on the 3.0 are already different than a year ago, probably due to the issues they've had.
Of course, time will tell. Doubling down might not have been a wise move. And it's very frustrating to have a bike computer with GPS and mapping capability which is not enabled, and to not have the trip data accessible from my phone. It's hard to imagine how they've screwed up the app so badly, though I've certainly seen plenty of problems when hardware manufacturers try to do software...
o Computer crashes and motor stops. (Once I couldn't get it restarted even after removing and reinserting the battery.)
o Doesn't assist beyond 26 mph (I think it used to before the cassette was swapped).
o Under-designed rear cassette caused much time and trouble (chain was swapped, motor was swapped, then sprocket was replaced, then cassette was replaced).
o Broken spoke probably due to manufacturing.
o No app.
The shop owner said I deserved a new bike, but Specialized wouldn't simply refund me.
My guess is that Specialized fully realizes they've created a bike with serious issues and are giving out replacements to those who have trouble.
Anyway, not really wanting the same bike again, I paid the difference and got a Vado 6.0 - no doubt making the bike shop happy!
Looking back, when I first bought the Vado 3.0, I wished I'd gotten the 6.0 after realizing how much I would ride it.
So far, I love it - I think the upgraded components are more of what this bike line needs.
Bigger battery, tweaked motor, brake actuation feeds the computer (but does the computer listen?), and the fat tires are better on dirt roads.
I even like the matte finish, and the mirror (if I can figure out how to keep it in place when riding washboard roads...)
Is it really worth the price difference? I'm not sure, but it's working for me.
BTW, when looking at the Vado 3.0 vs 6.0 specs, I noticed that some components on the 3.0 are already different than a year ago, probably due to the issues they've had.
Of course, time will tell. Doubling down might not have been a wise move. And it's very frustrating to have a bike computer with GPS and mapping capability which is not enabled, and to not have the trip data accessible from my phone. It's hard to imagine how they've screwed up the app so badly, though I've certainly seen plenty of problems when hardware manufacturers try to do software...
