Trek Super Commuter 8S or the Specialized Vado 6.0

[AZ Dave]

I have finally come down to making my buy decision between the Trek Super commuter 8 and the Specialized Vado 6.0. My hesitancy on the Vado is having read many of the issues on the discussion boards and don't want to have a bike which is constantly requiring me to fight for service from my LBS or Specialized.

One bike store told me that they only had one issue but did not tell me what it but also keeping in mind they wanted to sell me a bike.

Any thoughts on either of these bikes with known issues on the 2018 models will be greatly appreciated, and any known issues with the Trek. Your recommendations from owners would be great.

Thank you,

AZ Dave

 

[John from Connecticut]

Hello AZ Dave,

Wow ! What a Choice, two fine bikes. I have no experience or knowledge regarding Specialized other then they are
one of the 'big three' manufacturers and they make great bikes.

I can speak to Trek, I own two Trek e-bikes ( an XM 700+ Commuter and a Powerfly 7 MTB.) From
my experience the bikes are rock solid, tons of fun to ride and do exactly what they designed to do and do it extremely well.
Trek service after the sale is great .

I had one minor issue with the chain guard on the XM 700+. Working with my LBS and Trek, who sent replacement parts,
( no charge ) and the issue was promptly resolved. I have had zero problems with both Bosch Power Trains. Combined miles 2500 ish.
The Bosch system is powerful and silky smooth.

A quick story I've told multiple times. My Powerfly 7 arrived with the Bosch controller damaged in transit. The controller was
backordered from a third party Bosch supplier. I suggested my LBS get one from a Bosch LBS shop, if in stock, and swap it out.
Trek said, no "You shouldn't have to swap parts on a brand new bike. "... They immediately shipped a second Powerfly 7 from
Wisconsin to CT and in 4 days I was off and riding. I love my bikes and I do not regret my decision one bit. I'd do it all over again.

John from CT

 

[AZ Dave]

Hello AZ Dave,

Wow ! What a Choice, two fine bikes. I have no experience or knowledge regarding Specialized other then they are
one of the 'big three' manufacturers and they make great bikes.

I can speak to Trek, I own two Trek e-bikes ( an XM 700+ Commuter and a Powerfly 7 MTB.) From
my experience the bikes are rock solid, tons of fun to ride and do exactly what they designed to do and do it extremely well.
Trek service after the sale is great .

I had one minor issue with the chain guard on the XM 700+. Working with my LBS and Trek, who sent replacement parts,
( no charge ) and the issue was promptly resolved. I have had zero problems with both Bosch Power Trains. Combined miles 2500 ish.
The Bosch system is powerful and silky smooth.

A quick story I've told multiple times. My Powerfly 7 arrived with the Bosch controller damaged in transit. The controller was
backordered from a third party Bosch supplier. I suggested my LBS get one from a Bosch LBS shop, if in stock, and swap it out.
Trek said, no "You shouldn't have to swap parts on a brand new bike. "... They immediately shipped a second Powerfly 7 from
Wisconsin to CT and in 4 days I was off and riding. I love my bikes and I do not regret my decision one bit. I'd do it all over again.

John from CT

Thank you John,

You have just reinforced what others have told me about Trek and Bosch but I guess I needed to hear it again as I am Supposed to give the Specialized LBS my answer on Tuesday on the bike they have and what way I have decided to go.

I test road the SC again today and the Bosch motor seemed quieter than on my previous ride or the test rides on last year's models with Bosch. Not sure if the motor has been upgraded, but it was quieter than I remember but not sure if I was imagining it.

Again, thanks for your help in my decision process. Your quick story I think really sold me on the company.

Dave

 

[Barry S]

The Trek is a BEAUTIFUL bike. Since I bike to work, my wife agreed that my bike is our second car and gave me her blessing on my getting an ebike. However, I'm pretty sure she expects me to stay in the Ford Fiesta price range and away from the Mustang.

 

[AZ Dave]

The Trek is a BEAUTIFUL bike. Since I bike to work, my wife agreed that my bike is our second car and gave me her blessing on my getting an ebike. However, I'm pretty sure she expects me to stay in the Ford Fiesta price range and away from the Mustang.

Your wife sounds like a smart woman. There are a lot of great ebikes in all price ranges. Picking up a year old or carefully taken care of used bike can be a good thing, but make sure the battery is good.

Good luck,

Dave

 

[Barry S]

Your wife sounds like a smart woman. There are a lot of great ebikes in all price ranges. Picking up a year old or carefully taken care of used bike can be a good thing, but make sure the battery is good.

Good luck,

Dave

No used bikes for me. The ones I've tested were ready for pasture. I've got a pretty good short list of new bikes under $2k. Been dreaming and researching since October last year and I finally said "enough already...pick one." Got one more test ride in a couple of weeks when I'm on business in Seattle and then I'm done window shopping.

 

[John from Connecticut]

Thank you John,

You have just reinforced what others have told me about Trek and Bosch but I guess I needed to hear it again as I am Supposed to give the Specialized LBS my answer on Tuesday on the bike they have and what way I have decided to go.

I test road the SC again today and the Bosch motor seemed quieter than on my previous ride or the test rides on last year's models with Bosch. Not sure if the motor has been upgraded, but it was quieter than I remember but not sure if I was imagining it.

Again, thanks for your help in my decision process. Your quick story I think really sold me on the company.

Dave

Dave,
You're welcome. I'm very reluctant to tell anyone "Buy this" or "Buy that" . I'll only share what I have experienced. Should
you go with the Trek and you're at your LBS I urge you to check out Treks Intuvia Controller....It came stock on my bikes and I
love it. It's not a standard option. All the best.

https://www.bosch-ebike.com/us/products/intuvia/

John from CT

 

[elyhim]

I've checked out both and they both seem to be really nice bikes. In my area Trek has more people used to ebikes and Bosch motors. The Specialized dealers have been following the lead of the local bike groups and not really supporting ebikes.

 

[AZ Dave]

I've checked out both and they both seem to be really nice bikes. In my area Trek has more people used to ebikes and Bosch motors. The Specialized dealers have been following the lead of the local bike groups and not really supporting ebikes.

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.

Dave

 

[Nova Haibike]

A friend of mine stopped into the co-op on Sunday. He is a technician at a shop that sells both Trek and Specialized bikes. We had a conversation about warranty issues, and he said Trek is much better than Specialized in that regard.

 

[AZ Dave]

A friend of mine stopped into the co-op on Sunday. He is a technician at a shop that sells both Trek and Specialized bikes. We had a conversation about warranty issues, and he said Trek is much better than Specialized in that regard.

A friend of mine stopped into the co-op on Sunday. He is a technician at a shop that sells both Trek and Specialized bikes. We had a conversation about warranty issues, and he said Trek is much better than Specialized in that regard.

Great info from a knowledgeable source. Thank you.

 

[rich c]

Specialized lack of development on their Mission Control worries me about the company. I loved the test ride of the Como, but not a lot of confidence in the company right now.
https://electricbikereview.com/foru...cialized-products-help-solutions-fixes.13209/

 

[AZ Dave]

Specialized lack of development on their Mission Control worries me about the company. I loved the test ride of the Como, but not a lot of confidence in the company right now.
https://electricbikereview.com/foru...cialized-products-help-solutions-fixes.13209/

Rich,

You have nailed my concerns and I think with almost 100% certainty that Trek is the way to go.

Dave

 

[Over50]

I've checked out both and they both seem to be really nice bikes. In my area Trek has more people used to ebikes and Bosch motors. The Specialized dealers have been following the lead of the local bike groups and not really supporting ebikes.

This is exactly what I found at my local shops. 1 mostly Trek and 1 Specialized. The mostly Trek shop was way more knowledgeable about e-bikes in general and their Bosch products than the Specialized shop was about e-bikes and their Vado lineup. Of course that only speaks to my limited experience with two shops and I can't use that to make conclusions about the brands. I was pretty high on the Vado 6.0 after the initial release and videos but after a visit to that Specialized shop and a lot of the commentary on this forum I bumped the Vado 6.0 way down my list of potential future purchases.

 

[elliot friedman]

AZ, these are what they call, good problems

 

[bob armani]

Dave,
You're welcome. I'm very reluctant to tell anyone "Buy this" or "Buy that" . I'll only share what I have experienced. Should
you go with the Trek and you're at your LBS I urge you to check out Treks Intuvia Controller....It came stock on my bikes and I
love it. It's not a standard option. All the best.

https://www.bosch-ebike.com/us/products/intuvia/

John from CT

FYI-Most of the new Trek models come standard with the Purion display, however, for another $200.00 US, you can upgrade to the Intuvia interface which is my personal preference. Not sure if Intuvia has MTB mode attached to the firmware or not. I failed to ask that question at the dealer.

 

[AZ Dave]

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.

Dave

After all the great input from the members I have decided to pass on the Vado 6.0 and went ahead and ordered the Trek Super Commuter 8 today. I expect to have it next week and can't wait.

Making a decision based on al the great information I received made that decision much easier. The potential handling of service issues that may arise was big factor in my final decision.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[elyhim]

FYI-Most of the new Trek models come standard with the Purion display, however, for another $200.00 US, you can upgrade to the Intuvia interface which is my personal preference. Not sure if Intuvia has MTB mode attached to the firmware or not. I failed to ask that question at the dealer.

The Intuvia also has emtb mode. It's a software update. I have both controllers and now prefer the Purion after initially disliking because of the smaller information window and difficulty to see. However, after a bit the controller became less of a focus and I look at it less and less. Now it's a distraction from my ride other than the battery/range checks as I get into the high miles during rides.

 

[elyhim]

After all the great input from the members I have decided to pass on the Vado 6.0 and went ahead and ordered the Trek Super Commuter 8 today. I expect to have it next week and can't wait.

Making a decision based on al the great information I received made that decision much easier. The potential handling of service issues that may arise was big factor in my final decision.

Thanks,

Dave

The other thing about Specialized was the bad taste that Specialized discontinued support and parts for the older hub models when they went to the Brose motor. Specialized just didn't care about supporting those customers. They make a great product yes but their core values obviously don't include support.

 

[bob armani]

The Intuvia also has emtb mode. It's a software update. I have both controllers and now prefer the Purion after initially disliking because of the smaller information window and difficulty to see. However, after a bit the controller became less of a focus and I look at it less and less. Now it's a distraction from my ride other than the battery/range checks as I get into the high miles during rides.

Thanks for the heads up! I tried both Purion and Intuvia. Perhaps the Purion does take some getting use to. The buttons seem a bit sticky in some places and you have to place your thumb on the inside to make sure you make contact when changing assist modes. Not sure if this is a design flaw or just the way it is intended for use.