Turbo Vado 4.0 - mysterious torque problem?

Darth Vado

New Member
Well, here's my first post and consummate with my nickname . . . I'm not going to be a white shiny soldier of the Specialized "Empire".

My Vado has only 1500 kms on it and it's been into the shop twice now. But I anticipate it will be there more often. It's already had all the wiring replaced (the only thing that showed up on what the mechanic called "primitive" diagnostic software). The problem that occurs is intermittent. Sometimes right out of the gate when I turn it on, the motor won't engage and it feels like I'm pushing against motor resistance as well. Sometimes the problem comes on well into a ride, like when I pass someone. The motor is supposed to kick out at 32 kph, which it does when I put on some leg power to pass, but then it doesn't kick back in. If I restart the system, it comes back on but the transition is no longer smooth. Every time you let off slightly on the pedal (like when changing gears), the motor kicks right out, then it takes a cycle or two of the pedals before it abruptly kicks back in again. Even when just turning the bike on, it might lurch forward for a split second, or when rolling it backwards, you can feel the motor trying to kick in. Removing the battery and replacing it fixes the problem briefly, but it will return when you least expect it. It happened 3 times on a 1 hour ride with my wife. My wife's Como so far has not shown any of these symptoms.

The mechanic is going to try swapping another battery from a new bike, or the motor from the new bike if the battery doesn't resolve it. Now that doesn't sound good to me that a new bike needs to have all it's wiring, it's battery and it's motor replaced . . . in the first couple months of use! The mechanic also said that the software he has available from Specialized is very limited ("primitive" was how he referred to it). The support for even him from Specialized is inconsistent and not prompt, plus it seems like whomever he talks to from Specialized doesn't really understand the technology. His experience with BioniX was entirely different. Their diagnostic software was superior and they could connect to the bike through his computer to do deeper diagnostic dives, tell him what was wrong, how to fix it or get the parts out to him immediately. BioniX response was always prompt and efficient. Specialized in his opinion is not as advanced or experienced in making e-bikes.

Add to all this the fact one of the rear spokes is already broken (another seemingly common problem with the Vado), Specialized has not followed through on their promised "Mission Control" app for the Vado, plus the already unreliable nature of this bike, I would not recommend Specialized, even to my worst galactic enemies. I just hope they can get this sorted out, but I'm concerned now about the reliability of this bike in the long term and feel like I'd rather just have a different bike.

I'll keep readers posted on the progress of the repair or anything else that might be of note. May the torque be with you . . .
 
Last edited:
That's interesting and not too different from the issues I've experienced.

I've ridden about 2/3 of the miles/km you have, just under 600 miles (1000km).

I've broken two spokes so far, which is two more than I have ever broken on any other bike. Granted, I've pedaled far more miles and far faster on this bike.

My bike shop gave me a hard time and asked me if I hit a pothole. Of course I hit potholes. I commute about 8 miles each way on city streets. The streets in the urban L.A. area atrocious. I've gotten to know the road hazards pretty well, but some of them span the entire lane and can't be avoided.

I've also had a lot of trouble with my motor disengaging at unexpected times. When this happens to you, does the speed spike on your display? If I'm pedaling hard on an uphill, my displayed speed will incorrectly spike, and then the motor cuts out and it nearly stops me.
 
I've also had a lot of trouble with my motor disengaging at unexpected times. When this happens to you, does the speed spike on your display? If I'm pedaling hard on an uphill, my displayed speed will incorrectly spike, and then the motor cuts out and it nearly stops me.

There was no spiking of the speedo that I've noticed. Speedo seems to read just fine. The behavior is more like trying to pedal through deep sand, even when downshifting. The mechanic tried the bike after I was able to get it to fail and he said it just felt like it was acting like a non-powered bike. But he was just going up a short hill. Just after it happened (and before I handed it off to him), I was going up a medium length but somewhat steep incline and every time I downshifted, it still felt like I was trying to pedal through deep sand. In fact, I made it all the way down to the lowest gear and it still felt that way. My legs were burning by the time I reached the top; so much so I almost had to get off the bike and walk.

Now I've ridden enough normal bikes in my time to know that in that gear and for that kind of an incline, I should have been pedaling like crazy and moving slowly, but not having to pedal that hard! . . .Regardless, the fact that the motor is not working at that point (whether I'm pushing against it creating resistance or not) is probably the most important part of the equation to focus on.

Just heard back from the mechanic, and he's replaced the motor and saying it's resolved . . . we'll see . . . stay tuned.
 
Last edited:
I rode 15 km in to work this morning and couldn't make the issue reappear (e.g. passing someone for a short burst beyond the bikes speed limiter). The new (replacement) motor does feel a bit smoother transitioning between exceeding the limited speed and back under power again. So perhaps the torque sensor was defective all along and just got worse at times. I'm not 100% certain there is even a torque sensor in the motor, but I'm going on the word of a mechanic with over 15 years experience with electric bikes. . . . So, so far so good. I'll add an update in the near future after I have more km's on the bike.
 
I rode 15 km in to work this morning and couldn't make the issue reappear (e.g. passing someone for a short burst beyond the bikes speed limiter). The new (replacement) motor does feel a bit smoother transitioning between exceeding the limited speed and back under power again. So perhaps the torque sensor was defective all along and just got worse at times. I'm not 100% certain there is even a torque sensor in the motor, but I'm going on the word of a mechanic with over 15 years experience with electric bikes. . . . So, so far so good. I'll add an update in the near future after I have more km's on the bike.

That's neat it's fixed. From what I read and hear from my big bike store, it appears Specialized is good about supporting us.

You bring up that we don't know where and what kind of torque sensors are on these bikes. I have the Como and it appears the Vado is pretty much the same electrically and I'm curious how the bikes work. Is there a cadence sensor with passing magnets on the chain ring? or something else? I read an article listing the many different ways a bike system can sense how hard we pedal (is that what torque sensor means?) What method do our bikes know how hard I push on my pedals? Anybody please correct me if I'm wrong, but it doesn't seem Specialized has published this kind of information for public consumption.
 
Back