Turbo Vado 5.0: IGH or chain?

JayUK said:
A colleague has just got the Vado 5.0 IGH and I warned him of problems mentioned in this forum. He has had the bike a couple of weeks and is blown away and would not go back to chain. He said there was a learning curve and getting the settings correct was critical. I have a feeling issues raised on this forum are more user error / laziness then anything actually fundamentally wrong with the IGH bikes.
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I start coming to the same conclusion. The Vado 5.0 IGH might be an interesting city commuter e-bike.

I have given a second thought to whether I would be happy with the IGH and now I would say: "It's not for me". I've realized I mostly ride mixed terrain (it is called "gravel cycling"). However fantastic the IGH might be, it cannot do the single important thing: the IGH cannot predict the type of terrain ahead. It often happens I am confronted with a sudden hill on my forest rides. With the derailleur/chain, I simply dramatically downshift in advance and often go into Turbo mode to negotiate the hill. Were it the automatic IGH, it would only start working during the climb; and I would lose the momentum. Or, I could be just riding into the sand: the same action with the derailleur: a dramatic downshift before I rode into the sand. The automatic IGH would make me suddenly stop, and that might mean a crash.

Horses for courses. The IGH might be a perfect commuter e-bike but not an all-rounder!
 
JayUK said:
A colleague has just got the Vado 5.0 IGH and I warned him of problems mentioned in this forum. He has had the bike a couple of weeks and is blown away and would not go back to chain. He said there was a learning curve and getting the settings correct was critical. I have a feeling issues raised on this forum are more user error / laziness then anything actually fundamentally wrong with the IGH bikes.
Click to expand...
I would have to strongly disagree with you, the guys on this forum are good cyclists, more knowledgeable and experienced than I am, they had real issues and it’s well documented, although I have had no issues with mine. I’ve often wondered why Specialized would not do the calibration while they are in California,usually the battery is already installed in the box ( just a guess, not sure about that) with the amount of bikes they ship this may not be doable.think about how many dealers are calibrating these bikes, the dealer that set up mine actually owns one of the S-works carbon turbo bikes, is that why mine is trouble free? Let me tell you, money doesn’t guarantee perfection
 
Stefan Mikes said:
I start coming to the same conclusion. The Vado 5.0 IGH might be an interesting city commuter e-bike.

I have given a second thought to whether I would be happy with the IGH and now I would say: "It's not for me". I've realized I mostly ride mixed terrain (it is called "gravel cycling"). However fantastic the IGH might be, it cannot do the single important thing: the IGH cannot predict the type of terrain ahead. It often happens I am confronted with a sudden hill on my forest rides. With the derailleur/chain, I simply dramatically downshift in advance and often go into Turbo mode to negotiate the hill. Were it the automatic IGH, it would only start working during the climb; and I would lose the momentum. Or, I could be just riding into the sand: the same action with the derailleur: a dramatic downshift before I rode into the sand. The automatic IGH would make me suddenly stop, and that might mean a crash.

Horses for courses. The IGH might be a perfect commuter e-bike but not an all-rounder!
Click to expand...
Wow Stefan, we at least got you thinking about it, before we know it you’ll be talking about a throttle (not) …. I’ve been on trails with hills and sand, I couldn’t possibly change gears faster than the automatiq can, I just put it in higher assist and it does the rest, but I do understand your point, to each his own
 
Stefan Mikes said:
The Automatiq will not downshift in advance.
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Actually it does Stefan,I have watched the ratio screen it downshifts as you slow and when you stop it goes to the lowest ratio, this also works when you top a hill, even coasting downhill the Automatiq will go to the highest ratio without pedaling, also if your go off-road it will shift to the needed ratio according to foot pressure in less than 1/4 turn on the crank, that’s the reason I couldn’t possibly change that fast manually , I have actually learned to change ratios by the amount of foot pressure, it frustrates my grandson, I’ll do it suddenly on the road and leave him behind, of course he’s a teenager, he will get geared up and catch me
 
Wait, that’s him on my bike, how’d that happen?
 

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Stefan Mikes said:
I start coming to the same conclusion. The Vado 5.0 IGH might be an interesting city commuter e-bike.

I have given a second thought to whether I would be happy with the IGH and now I would say: "It's not for me". I've realized I mostly ride mixed terrain (it is called "gravel cycling"). However fantastic the IGH might be, it cannot do the single important thing: the IGH cannot predict the type of terrain ahead. It often happens I am confronted with a sudden hill on my forest rides. With the derailleur/chain, I simply dramatically downshift in advance and often go into Turbo mode to negotiate the hill. Were it the automatic IGH, it would only start working during the climb; and I would lose the momentum. Or, I could be just riding into the sand: the same action with the derailleur: a dramatic downshift before I rode into the sand. The automatic IGH would make me suddenly stop, and that might mean a crash.

Horses for courses. The IGH might be a perfect commuter e-bike but not an all-rounder!
Click to expand...
Agree, IGH is only valid for leisure / commuting, one of the reasons I did not go the IGH route as I have some mixed terrain I want to ride.
 
rarobo said:
Actually it does Stefan,I have watched the ratio screen it downshifts as you slow and when you stop it goes to the lowest ratio, this also works when you top a hill, even coasting downhill the Automatiq will go to the highest ratio without pedaling, also if your go off-road it will shift to the needed ratio according to foot pressure in less than 1/4 turn on the crank, that’s the reason I couldn’t possibly change that fast manually , I have actually learned to change ratios by the amount of foot pressure, it frustrates my grandson, I’ll do it suddenly on the road and leave him behind, of course he’s a teenager, he will get geared up and catch me
Click to expand...
You probably do not quite understand what I am saying. Do you ride unpaved trails? Have you ever tried to climb a very steep anti-flood river embankment? A sandy but ovegrown dune on a singletrack? Cross a marsh? Did you experience a gravel road turning into deep sand? These are the situations where and when you need two things: momentum and manual gear control.

Ever heard of a genuine MTB with AutomatiQ IGH? Because I haven't. How many car racers use automatic transmission?

In situations I described you need to be spinning. What does the AutomatiQ do when you're spinning? It upshifts...
 
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The cadence works with the wheel speed, it will no shift up until the wheel speed increases. I have been on trails with hills and sand, nothing technical. Stefan, I’m not saying this bike could compete, just trying to give info on my experiences with the bike, maybe it will help someone looking to buy something that fits their needs. Isn’t that what we’re here for?
 
While it is possible to form a predictive opinion on the use of a technology just by reading about it, I think definite statements one way or another have better value if they are done after trying and fully learning how to use it with an open mind
Sometimes you can discover new and better ways to do things than you could imagine. :)

And remember, the AutomatiQ can be run either in automatic or manual mode, so you have access to the best of both world if you need to, and with the CVT this gives you a very precise gear selection.
 
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georgemoore13 said:
I also get the impression is it an adjustment for those who have used chain bikes for their whole lives.
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Not really, on the Automatiq you simply get on the bike and enjoy the ride, what I’ve been doing since last September is disproving absolutely false statements about this hub made on the forum, , not trying to promote one over the other. This bike works great for me, but I do understand it’s not for everyone
 
rarobo said:
The cadence works with the wheel speed, it will no shift up until the wheel speed increases. I have been on trails with hills and sand, nothing technical. Stefan, I’m not saying this bike could compete, just trying to give info on my experiences with the bike, maybe it will help someone looking to buy something that fits their needs. Isn’t that what we’re here for?
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If the Automatiq can be manually overridden, that is, I can downshift to the lowest gear and start spinning before entering the difficult terrain, then I can accept that.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
If the Automatiq can be manually overridden, that is, I can downshift to the lowest gear and start spinning before entering the difficult terrain, then I can accept that.
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That would probably not be good, since the Automatiq is near twice the price of the manual shift. I would not think that anyone who rides the SL like you would really like this hub… and you’re right this bike’s primary use would be road and light trails, even though I have stretched the limits a few times and been pleasantly surprised
 
Stefan Mikes said:
If the Automatiq can be manually overridden, that is, I can downshift to the lowest gear and start spinning before entering the difficult terrain, then I can accept that.
Click to expand...
You can purchase a manual selector that wirelessly talks to the Automatiq system so you could manually change gears
 
Stefan Mikes said:
You probably do not quite understand what I am saying. Do you ride unpaved trails? Have you ever tried to climb a very steep anti-flood river embankment? A sandy but ovegrown dune on a singletrack? Cross a marsh? Did you experience a gravel road turning into deep sand? These are the situations where and when you need two things: momentum and manual gear control.

Ever heard of a genuine MTB with AutomatiQ IGH? Because I haven't. How many car racers use automatic transmission?

In situations I described you need to be spinning. What does the AutomatiQ do when you're spinning? It upshifts...
Click to expand...
 
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