Turbo Vado 4.0 questions: range and reliability

[Kevineque]

Hello specialized community,

I'm currently debating about whether to purchase a Trek Allant+ or a Turbo Vado 4.0. I know that the Vado has a nice 710wh battery, but I'm a little unsure about the expected range. I've tried the specialized calculator app and it's super buggy. What kind of range would I get on 100% turbo? I'm a big guy, weigh about 260lbs. My new commute is 18 miles and I would plan on riding in top assist as much as possible to get to work quickly. Moderate hills.

I'm also curious as to you all's experience with the brose motor. Has it been reliable? My general impression from reading around is that bosch seems to have a better reputation for reliability, is that true in your experience?

Any insights you can give me would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[RTeremi]

I have a 2020 Vado 4.0 and I just passed 3000miles.
i Swapped out the smaller chainring at about 1000miles (keep in mind I did this change for ‘flat land’ speed) and replaced the cassette and chain at the same time, only because I wanted the drivetrain to all be ‘aged’ the same) and now at 3000miles I just replaced the tires; the trigger sports were somewhat worn, but this was my choosing. I’ve replaced the watch battery in the display…but that’s it.

Range wise: ‘your mileage may vary’ rules here: but I’m 185lbs riding a 560wh? battery and if I run 100% support here in the Utah mountains of 900ft climbs + I can expect about 20-25miles. If I run ‘2’ which I have at 60% I’m getting ~35miles-40miles. There are so damn many factors to consider to give you anything definite.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

• What kind of range would I get on 100% turbo?

Expect 25 miles for the Vado. (Given your weight. It also strongly depends on the elevation gain on your route). Riding in 100% Turbo is not the best of ideas. It would be killing your chains one after another. Also, you would end up with a high number of battery recharging cycles, and the new battery might be US$1,700 or so.

There are two better ways:

• You might set your Sport mode to 70/70% assistance with Mission Control. Still ensuring a fast ride on the flat, easier on chain, easier on the battery, better range. Resort to Turbo on steep hills only and downshift as much as to maintain the cadence > 70 rpm, or
• Use Mission Control -> Smart Control -> Distance. There, enter your ride distance, predicted elevation gain (can be done with RideWithGPS on a computer), and say you want to leave 20% of battery at the ride end. It will be automatically adjusting the assistance to ensure you would end your ride still on the battery, and in its powerful charge region (above 20%). Smart Control is conservative and it will be giving you less assistance on first few miles but later the assistance will considerably increase. You will still be able to hit the + button on the handlebar remote for Turbo bursts.

Also, stop pedalling on descents and let the gravity do its job!

I'm also curious as to you all's experience with the brose motor. Has it been reliable?

The current Specialized/Brose motors has been greatly improved. The reason for failures of the Gen 1 motors was internal carbon fibre drive belt (that ensured noiseless motor operation). The Gen 2 Spec/Brose motors are audible but believed to be reliable.

Bosch, well... No other e-bike gives you as deep control over your motor and e-bike system as Specialized does. I would be curious to learn about any other e-bike system with Smart Control

 

[Kevineque]

Expect 25 miles (Given your weight. It also strongly depends on the elevation gain on your route). Riding in 100% Turbo is not the best of ideas. It would be killing your chains one after another. Also, you would end up with a high number of battery recharging cycles, and the new battery might be US$1,700 or so.

There are two better ways:

• You might set your Sport mode to 70/70% assistance with Mission Control. Still ensuring a fast ride on the flat, easier on chain, easier on the battery, better range. Resort to Turbo on steep hills only and downshift as much as to maintain the cadence > 70 rpm, or
• Use Mission Control -> Smart Control -> Distance. There, enter your ride distance, predicted elevation gain (can be done with RideWithGPS on a computer), and say you want to leave 20% of battery at the ride end. It will be automatically adjusting the assistance to ensure you would end your ride still on the battery, and in its powerful charge region (above 20%). Smart Control is conservative and it will be giving you less assistance on first few miles but later the assistance will considerably increase. You will still be able to hit the + button on the handlebar remote for Turbo bursts.

Also, stop pedalling on descents and let the gravity do its job!

The current Specialized/Brose motors has been greatly improved. The reason for failures of the Gen 1 motors was internal carbon fibre drive belt (that ensured noiseless motor operation). The Gen 2 Spec/Brose motors are audible but believed to be reliable.

Bosch, well... No other e-bike gives you as deep control over your motor and e-bike system as Specialized does. I would be curious to learn about any other e-bike system with Smart Control

Some really great ideas, thanks!

Can you still get up to 24-25mpg riding at 70% assistance rather easily? Or will it kind of cut out on you? A lot of my commute is on straight aways slightly uphill without much starting and stopping, so as long as I can maintain higher speeds with less assistance I think that would work.

I had forgotten about the Smart Control, definitely something to try out.

Yeah one of the things that is kind of pushing me towards Specialized is the great app and display. In order to get a display close with the bosch system you need to upgrade to the Nyon for like $400, on an already more expensive ebike like the Trek Allant+ 8s. But speaking off chain wear, the bosch does have some shift detection so that's a plus in their camp I guess. Have you all had any issues with chains breaking or anything like that? I converted a Specialized Rockhopper with a Bafang BBSHD and I was constantly worried about breaking the chain with that thing.

It just occurred to me that there really isn't a ton of risk trying out the Turbo Vado. If it doesn't work for my commute I could return it within 30 days.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Can you still get up to 24-25mpg riding at 70% assistance rather easily?

23 mph is a more realistic figure. The point is, the air resistance starts taking its toll there.

But speaking off chain wear, the bosch does have some shift detection so that's a plus in their camp I guess.

It is not about the shifting (you're gonna learn shifting without that noisy "clunk" really fast!) It is because your combined leg power plus 470 W of actual mechanical motor power exerts a lot of stress on the chain, especially at lower cadence. I'm talking about the rollers getting worn due to the stress (like old body joints) causing so-called "chain stretch". The chain stretch is killing your drive-train if the chain is not replaced at the right moment.

I had a chain break twice and it was not related to the excessive power input for sure.

If it doesn't work for my commute I could return it within 30 days.

Correctly!

 

[Jim in Central CA]

My two cents is that you could expect up to 30 miles, but that is just a guess based upon the information you have provided and my own experience with my 2019 Vado 3.0, which is the equivalent of the 2020 and 2021 Vado 4.0. Also, I agree that riding in Turbo all of the time is not advisable and that setting your bike to 70/70 in Sport, or perhaps a little more, is a better option. Personally, I ride in Eco and only move up to Sport or Turbo to climb hills or scoot across a busy roadway or highway and then immediately drop it back down to Eco. It is hard to give you a more precise answer without knowing the hills you will be climbing, but this is my best guess.

 

[Allan47.7339]

Some really great ideas, thanks!

You don't mention if there are many stops on your route which will also affect range. Either bike should meet your needs but which one has the LBS that you like, has a good reputation and maybe close by?

 

[Sefutau2020]

I have a 2022 Vado 4 and I owned a 2022 Trek Allant 8s. The Specialized Misson Control app, with the Brose motor has no equal in my opinion. I never ride in Full Turbo mode, but mostly in ECO. My Sport setting at 100/40 yields between 40-50 miles per charge. This involves some hills and grades, and averaging anywhere between 16 to 17 mph per ride. I am also a big guy, and I have roughly 2500 trouble free miles on my Vado 4. My longest ride on my Vado 4 is 56 miles, returning home with 27% battery left....all in ECO 35/35. Hope this helps.

 

[jigglyjamster]

I have a 2022 Vado 4 and I owned a 2022 Trek Allant 8s. The Specialized Misson Control app, with the Brose motor has no equal in my opinion. I never ride in Full Turbo mode, but mostly in ECO. My Sport setting at 100/40 yields between 40-50 miles per charge. This involves some hills and grades, and averaging anywhere between 16 to 17 mph per ride. I am also a big guy, and I have roughly 2500 trouble free miles on my Vado 4. My longest ride on my Vado 4 is 56 miles, returning home with 27% battery left....all in ECO 35/35. Hope this helps.

How many chains have you gone through?

 

[Sefutau2020]

ZERO.....zilch.

 

[Marquezdl]

So far, riding my Turbo Vado 4.0 around Medellin I find that I average about 1 km per 1 % Battery drain.
Medellin is a big valley and the floor sits just above 5000’. The valley floor slopes, so most of the time I am either gently descending or gently ascending. I live on the hillside on the west side. Its a measured 27% grade up to my apartment. In Colombia 25-30% grades are pretty common. So mostly I ride between 15-20 mph in eco mode (which I have set for 25% in software) and when I want to speed up to 25 mph I move into sport mode. The only time I use Turbo is the steep climbs. Roughly 90% of my riding is on the valley floor, and the other 10% is going down/up to/from my apartment.
I ride on the city streets, arterials, and bikepaths and I try to get a good workout every time I ride. But the 1% of battery usage equals 1 km of riding seems pretty consistent, unless I go play in the hills and spend my time in Sport/Turbo mode. Then it drops a bunch, maybe 1 km = 2-3% battery.
I am 72 years old, 185 lbs.

 

[Sefutau2020]

Just had the LBS upgrade the firmware on the Vado 4 from the November 2022 release. In addition, they checked the chain, cassette, brakes, etc...and found zero issues. This bike has roughly 2500 miles on it, with the same Super Moto X tires that replaced the stock tires on day one of ownership. No flats at all, which would include 1500 miles on my Giant Fastroad, and 2100 miles on the Trek 8s. That's 6k miles on the Super Moto's...a great tire in my opinion. Pretty impressive to say the least, and no issues with my Vado 4.

 

[Sefutau2020]

Some really great ideas, thanks!

Can you still get up to 24-25mpg riding at 70% assistance rather easily? Or will it kind of cut out on you? A lot of my commute is on straight aways slightly uphill without much starting and stopping, so as long as I can maintain higher speeds with less assistance I think that would work.

I had forgotten about the Smart Control, definitely something to try out.

Yeah one of the things that is kind of pushing me towards Specialized is the great app and display. In order to get a display close with the bosch system you need to upgrade to the Nyon for like $400, on an already more expensive ebike like the Trek Allant+ 8s. But speaking off chain wear, the bosch does have some shift detection so that's a plus in their camp I guess. Have you all had any issues with chains breaking or anything like that? I converted a Specialized Rockhopper with a Bafang BBSHD and I was constantly worried about breaking the chain with that thing.

It just occurred to me that there really isn't a ton of risk trying out the Turbo Vado. If it doesn't work for my commute I could return it within 30 days.

My ECO setting is at default on my Vado 4, and I weigh a little north of 250lbs, yet I consistently get 50-55 miles on a ride, arriving home with 27-34% battery left. I usually average between 80-85rpm's per ride....that's the target. My setting for Sport mode is 100/40....and I easily get 40 miles per charge riding in that setting alone. I never use Turbo, as for my riding style and routes, it is just not needed.

 

[Twowheelxtc]

I bought a Vado 5 a couple of months ago for a tour. Ferry to Rotterdam for Hull Uk then along the Meuse River until Nancy in France was about due East then turned and returned via the Moselle to Koblenz, then The Rhine back to Rotterdam. Distance was 2000k and we were carrying lightweight camp gear, averaging 40miles a day. I’m a reasonably fit (and light) 73 yr old so managed the tour on one full battery recharge using it mainly to get up steep ramps after ferries.
Which all goes to show eBike range is totally a personal thing…..the terrain, temperature and speed all playing a part but the main factor is how much effort we are willing/able to put in. I’m also an idiot who can’t accept my advanced years,!

 

[Twowheelxtc]

Forgot to mention…..I swapped the chainring to a praxis 36, put shorter non riser bars on for a more stretched out position and replaced the tyres with Marathon Efficiency.