The new turbo Vado 2017
- Thread starter Ciyrus 5000
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Embra
New Member
I'm in Gettysburg, and the weather is warming up. I've gotten a couple of 10-milers in now and am looking at a chance tomorrow to really stretch it out. Brakes continue to slow me down without making noise. It is indeed a 2016, and I am indeed enjoying the best quality bike and components that I've ever had in my life. The only thing I'm thinking about changing is getting a stem that would allow a slightly more upright riding position--anybody do that? No rush, though, I'm willing to wait, observe, and shop around a little.
Chris Nolte
Well-Known Member
Formula actually went out of business. It's nice that they swapped the brakes before you got the bike.
Douglas Ruby
Well-Known Member
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- Groton
All of the base Turbos for 2016 were actually leftover 2015 models, many of which (like mine) were built in late 2014. The 2015 Turbo X had identical brakes, gearing and derailleur as the base Turbo. Specialized switched from Formula to Shimano brakes and SRAM to Shimano mech for the all-new 2016 Turbo X.
Drew224
New Member
I called specialized today because I had my heart set on a S, but from what I was told....this will be the last year of the turbo series and now will be the "unliked" Vado in my opinion. The reason for the change I guess was because of broken spokes. I asked as well if the price point of the turbo's may have contributed to the change...and figured he wouldn't respond on that...and he proved me right...lol. So now I'm in a predicament...I buy the X or the S...5 years or so down the road I may need a new battery or part...am I screwed or should I buy an extra battery, a few parts before they discontinue them all together?!?! Or go with a cheaper let's say E motion bike that have been making the same battery and or parts for years now, so if there's an issue...things should be easy replaced. If by chance their not still making these parts....I won't be out $4-7k?!?! UGH!!!!!
bazzapage
Active Member
You will always be able to get your battery repacked by a 3rd party in the future. I think you do have to accept though that ebikes don't have the same practical lifespan as a regular bike. So 5 years might be a reasonable expectation, possibly with a battery replacement in the interim.
Embra
New Member
Drew224, don't know if you saw my post on the previous page, but what tipped me toward the Turbo line at this time were close-out discounts. I got my Turbo X for $3K, and could have opted for the base Turbo for $1800. I forget if the S line was discounted at this time or not (my understanding from reading, not talking to a rep as you did, was that the Turbo S would be continued as the sole Turbo model...so we might not see the discounts there). I'm on the east coast, at that time available stock in warehouse inventory seemed to be dwindling quickly. But I'd check with a dealer for their current prices and availability if you haven't yet done so.
bazzapage
Active Member
I think the Vados will be very nice though. To get the same speed as a current Turbo you will need to go for the upper models (5.0). I see the model line-up isn't yet available on the Spesh USA site but try Switzerland or Deutschland (using Chrome to translate it into English).
Drew224
New Member
Thanks for the info on that and yes I saw your post. As for quantity in stock I'll find out tomorrow from our local shop here in Chicago. I know I can get one from Wisconsin as well...but being a few hours away vs down the street...I'll see where my negotiation skills whined me up at. I like the S and bit better being I'll be using it as a commuter and with the price point as well they may have a few more in stock...not sure. As for production...the rep was saying that "All" were being transferred over which is kind of a shame being they've only been in production for only 3 years...so why change something that's not broken is why I'm confused. I'll post more as I find out.
Douglas Ruby
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I absolutely love my base Turbo with the 691 Wh replacement battery. I can get incredible range (min 40 mi/max 80 mi) but I can give you some very good reasons why they are changing...
1. All of the "smarts" of the Turbo series are in the battery. Firmware updates are very tedious for the dealers (I have seen the diagnostics) and it is relatively easy to "bork" the battery. Feature updates are difficult to do since even if GOSwissDrive does offer new features, Specialized has to have their own software engineers integrate them into their battery package. Having "over the air" updates integrated into the bicycle (like Stromer ST2 series) with a relatively "dumb" battery makes support easier and replacement batteries more cost effective.
2. The handlebar controller has proven to be somewhat fragile and offers very little information. It can be hard to read and mounting is awkward on the SRAM equipped bikes. The architecture of "Battery, controller, and motor" in the Turbo series makes improving this problematic.
3. The rear wheel motors are not adaptable to the electric mountain bike market, thus the adoption of Brose for the Levo line. By standardizing on Brose for Levo and Vado, Specialized can focus their own engineering and support resources and take advantage of wheel, suspension, and mech developments by Shimano and others separate from the e-bike components.
My opinion is that Specialized was "ahead of the game" when the Turbo came out in 2013, but had reached a developmental dead end and were locked into an architecture that made updating using GOSwissdrive difficult. MY biggest wish is that Specialized will committ to having replacement batteries for some future window (like 3-4 years).
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Drew224
New Member
Thanks for all that....but now makes me more nervous about the battery issue and replacement. I can deal with the controller issue and understand about the rear hub and suspension...but now there will be chain issues more often than their were spoke issues with the hub...so damn if you do, damn if you don't on that I guess?!?! Back to the software updates though...the rep said they will hold onto batteries for that time period (4-5 years), but in the off chance that they don't...or you miss it by 6 months or so let's say...going with an aftermarket company to redue the cells....will that process have to go through the firmware updates to get it back up to speed or will it be a $800-$1k paperweight?!?! Good to hear btw about your base....I love the rear hub style...just not completely sold on center drive quite yet.
ronin2000
Member
Douglas Ruby
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- Groton
I ended up paying $200 over the price of the standard battery when my original battery had to be replaced under warranty. Otherwise the 691 Wh batter is $1000.
Drew224
New Member
Update...Pulling the trigger on the "S"....last one in stock anywhere from what I can tell. $1000 off...and will buy another battery down the road!!! From what the tec at specialized told me...rebuilding these aren't as easy as we would think, because their made especially for specialized...so if you know of any company that does...I'd love to research this. GETTING EXCITED...lol!!!
Allan47.7339
Well-Known Member
The search function doesn't seem to work for my posts other than this year. I posted this before on one of Douglas's threads but couldn't find it so I re-weighed:
Turbo SC Battery Model SBC-B05 19Ah/691Wh - 4061.7 g or 8.95lb
Turbo Battery Model SBC-B02 14Ah/504Wh - 3647.7g or 8.04lb
An increase of 415 grams or .91 pounds. 37% increase in Wh and only 11% increase in weight. I purchased it to upgrade and still have the 504Wh battery. The Turbo SC makes a huge difference in riding and range since you have an extra margin to use the Turbo mode and not worry about battery capacity. Paradoxically I find I am working harder and going faster on my commutes because I am not trying to save battery. My commute time have dropped but they are starting to be more limited by stop lights rather than peddling faster at present conditioning. I still been passed and dropped by a young fit rider starting his afternoon training loop while I was on my return commute.
I consider it to be the best upgrade to a Turbo and more than I would have expected. The Specialized Bluetooth app is handy for Turbo SC battery. You can check to see how many charge cycles the battery has been through. Guarantee is 300 cycles but they show 700 cycles as when it might be time to think about replacement. That is a fair amount of riding and I may want to upgrade bicycles by then anyway.
Turbo SC Battery Model SBC-B05 19Ah/691Wh - 4061.7 g or 8.95lb
Turbo Battery Model SBC-B02 14Ah/504Wh - 3647.7g or 8.04lb
An increase of 415 grams or .91 pounds. 37% increase in Wh and only 11% increase in weight. I purchased it to upgrade and still have the 504Wh battery. The Turbo SC makes a huge difference in riding and range since you have an extra margin to use the Turbo mode and not worry about battery capacity. Paradoxically I find I am working harder and going faster on my commutes because I am not trying to save battery. My commute time have dropped but they are starting to be more limited by stop lights rather than peddling faster at present conditioning. I still been passed and dropped by a young fit rider starting his afternoon training loop while I was on my return commute.
I consider it to be the best upgrade to a Turbo and more than I would have expected. The Specialized Bluetooth app is handy for Turbo SC battery. You can check to see how many charge cycles the battery has been through. Guarantee is 300 cycles but they show 700 cycles as when it might be time to think about replacement. That is a fair amount of riding and I may want to upgrade bicycles by then anyway.
ronin2000
Member
Oh forgive me for not properly phrasing it. What I meant to ask was how much better was your range switching batteries?
ronin2000
Member
I’m at 100KM a week and I’m averaging close to +50 KM a charge ,the battery could last me well past 3 years in which time ill probably be ready to upgrade.
Douglas Ruby
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- USA
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- Groton
With the stock 468 Wh battery range was min 25 mi/max 50 mi. With the 691 Wh battery it is min 40 mi/max 80 mi.
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