Turbo Vado 5.0 IGH - The Nightmare Continues

[JJ Lad]

For those who asked...just ordered one of these. Is it as capable at the Turbo Vado 5.0 with IGH...no. But neither is it as complex. Plus being largely open source hardware, I'm not beholden to the manufacturer for parts or repair. (Price shown in $CAD)

 

[gpburdell]

77 pounds? Yowza.

 

[JJ Lad]

77 pounds? Yowza.

Wont bother me a bit

BTW, my Radwagon4 weighs in over 100 lbs.

 

[Rycar]

I was about the pull the trigger on the Vado 5.0 IGH but after hearing about this trouble you're having I'm hesitant, as there's no Specialized dealers anywhere near me which means I'd have to take it to a general bike store and hope for the best if something were to happen. I guess I'll shop around for an alternative and make my mind up later.

 

[GuruUno]

Good luck.

 

[dynamic]

So, I am jumping back into the IGH. The bike is just so good when it works. Hopefully this time around will be a better experience.

 

[JJ Lad]

I was about the pull the trigger on the Vado 5.0 IGH but after hearing about this trouble you're having I'm hesitant, as there's no Specialized dealers anywhere near me which means I'd have to take it to a general bike store and hope for the best if something were to happen. I guess I'll shop around for an alternative and make my mind up later.

Proprietary equipment is required to update certain firmware on this bike, so a general bike shop would be unable to perform all works. Plus I wonder if they have access to some of the proprietary components on this bike.

Going forward, I will limit my ebike choices to parts-bin bikes, where spares can be purchased online (Amazon), or bikes where a TRUSTED authorized dealer is close by.

 

[Rycar]

Proprietary equipment is required to update certain firmware on this bike, so a general bike shop would be unable to perform all works. Plus I wonder if they have access to some of the proprietary components on this bike.

Going forward, I will limit my ebike choices to parts-bin bikes, where spares can be purchased online (Amazon), or bikes where a TRUSTED authorized dealer is close by.

I see that you ordered an Aventon. I was considering one of those too but it seems that they can't be shipped to Ireland. Most dealers around me don't sell reputable brands or brands that I'd be interested in. One dealer sells Giant bikes however, so I guess I'll have a look at one of those

 

[JJ Lad]

I see that you ordered an Aventon. I was considering one of those too but it seems that they can't be shipped to Ireland. Most dealers around me don't sell reputable brands or brands that I'd be interested in. One dealer sells Giant bikes however, so I guess I'll have a look at one of those

 

[Rycar]

What a nightmare! I think Giant is my only real choice at this point though if I want a brand that I can take to a local dealer. I had a look at their range of bikes but none of the commuter type bikes look that great so I think I'll get an MTB instead. This is what I'm leaning towards atm

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Any e-bike can break. With big brands, you usually get a good service and warranty (unless you are snake bitten). What kind of sustainability can one expect from Aventon?

 

[rarobo]

I was about the pull the trigger on the Vado 5.0 IGH but after hearing about this trouble you're having I'm hesitant, as there's no Specialized dealers anywhere near me which means I'd have to take it to a general bike store and hope for the best if something were to happen. I guess I'll shop around for an alternative and make my mind up later.

I’ve had my Vado 5.0 IGH since August, put about 1000 miles on it rode it on roads, trails (paved and unpaved, beaches, and a couple places I probably shouldn’t have been with it) it has been flawless ZERO issues, the auto shift has been spot on for me 95% of the time, the cvt is about smooth consistent riding, not a racing mindset, I use turbo mode only 5-10% of the time,have you ever heard of a cvt transmission in a race car? Don’t think so… some people got full refunds after what, 3 or 4 months? Try that with the other brands, IMO a lot of people out there are very happy with these bikes, you just don’t hear from them

 

[Rás Cnoic]

I see that you ordered an Aventon. I was considering one of those too but it seems that they can't be shipped to Ireland. Most dealers around me don't sell reputable brands or brands that I'd be interested in. One dealer sells Giant bikes however, so I guess I'll have a look at one of those

Cicli Bikes is around 40 miles away from Derry town. Long est. dealer. Looks good. Sell Speccy bikes & Giant:

Cicli Sport | Cicli Sport | Bike Shop Moneymore | Bikes, Cycle Clothing

From road bikes to mtb, from components to custom builds and repairs we have everything for the cycling enthusiast. Come and check out our showroom for clothi

www.ciclisport.com

Specialized have a few 'concept stores' but mostly sold through general bike shops. I'm in Devon and bought my bike from a shop 50 miles away (during lockdowns was only place I could find this VADO SL). An hour's drive to drop it back there for repairs/warranty issues isn't too bad. Much prefer having a bricks & mortar shop with good rep. and friendly staff when things go wrong.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Also all e bikes could/can have problems. Not a single one is immune from motor or battery problems. Key is getting a good reputable brand but most important is the warranty and the dealer who will assess the bike and request new parts/replacement/repairs. I lucked out in both. Before I got my e bike, back when I bought ordinary bikes, the brand warranty or the bike shop/online wasn't important as anything mechanical was pretty straightforward to fix and most components not too dear to replace. E Bikes are more like cars! They can quickly become a money pit and unless an electrical engineer are impossible to repair.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Also, thinking about it Rarobo, if you're in norn iron, maybe check out Vitus bikes owned by Chain Reaction/Wiggle. Their worldwide HQ is there somewhere & I think they have a bricks & mortar shop(s) there too. Good bikes and often good value, do a lot of sales. Their Vitus E Summit emtb range gets rave reviews.

 

[Rycar]

Thanks for the advice guys. You've definitely given me something to think about. I really want to go for a Specialized so I might just take the risk and hope for the best. On the other hand the Vitus E-Sommet 297 VRS Mountain Bike looks the s*it too so that could be a good shout.

 

[PSm]

Also all e bikes could/can have problems. Not a single one is immune from motor or battery problems. Key is getting a good reputable brand but most important is the warranty and the dealer who will assess the bike and request new parts/replacement/repairs. I lucked out in both. Before I got my e bike, back when I bought ordinary bikes, the brand warranty or the bike shop/online wasn't important as anything mechanical was pretty straightforward to fix and most components not too dear to replace. E Bikes are more like cars! They can quickly become a money pit and unless an electrical engineer are impossible to repair.

%
Any LBS or online brand can have a problem with an individual bike. Depends on what your LBS or you personally have the ability or perseverance to deal with. And how much you have.

I really like the designs of some of the Specialized and other big brand bikes, but I start to get concerned the more high tech they are, and the less they use generic easily swappable hardware or software.

If I had the money to burn, the $14000 Specialized S-Works Turbo Creo would be a fun ride, and more my speed (lightweight ride for the road is my jam).

But instead I have a $1500 single speed belt drive lightweight e-bike (cost includes the external add on battery), that has been almost trouble free over 7000+ miles, only requiring a $50 new carbon belt over that time. And the rest of bike easy to do maintenance myself.

 

[JJ Lad]

Resurrecting this old thread with an update.

After a year of considering all options, and Aventon being unable to deliver the bike I ordered (a story for another day), I'm pleased to report that I've added a second ebike to the stable.

Rather than buying a factory bike, I decided to build my own. I wanted a light-weight road bike with decent range. Budget was limited to $2K.

I found an outfit that manufactured bike conversion kits who could build a hub-motor to fit within 130mm dropouts. With the kit in hand, I fitted it to a Trek 7.7FX all carbon fiber hybrid.

The bike went from 9.5Kg (21 LBS) to 14.5Kg (32 LBS).

The power system is made up of a 350W motor, and 10AH battery running at 36V. Installation is dead-simple as the PAS is located inside the rear cassette assembly making this a one wire install.

Range can be pushed over 100Km on the low power assist setting.

Link to system provider: https://www.100g.tech/

Final cost with donor bike came in just below $2K USD.

Except for the oversized water bottle style battery, you would be hard pressed to know this was an ebike at all.