Turbo Vado SL 5.0 and Specialized App - Range Extender

[Cycologist]

Did a 30 mile ride with the new range extender while I had it in RE Discharge First mode. Got about 20 miles out of it and I used Turbo mode a bit more, which I almost never do. It was fun! That bike can go fast!

Shortly after when the RE battery got down to 1 bar, I switched back to dual mode.
I'm going to try and ride in dual discharge mode next time to see how that works.
One of my goals is to try and minimize the internal battery charge cycles by utilizing the RE battery.

I really wish there was a way to use the RE battery first and then have it seamlessly switch to the internal battery without having to stop and change modes.

One strange thing I noticed is that the black elastic band used to keep the battery secure turned completely white by the end of my ride.
Turns out it was attracting dust from the trail and it stuck on there pretty good. I do most of my riding on crushed limestone and dirt trails.
I'm still learning to trust those Pathfinder Sport tires. My old bike has Schwalbe Landcruiser Plus tires which grip pretty good on that type of terrain.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I really wish there was a way to use the RE battery first and then have it seamlessly switch to the internal battery without having to stop and change modes.

Just wait until the RE gets at 5% (or so). It will automatically switch off, and you will get a fresh boost from the main battery. Or, disconnect the top RE plug at 10%. No need to change the modes!

 

[Cycologist]

I'll have to try that. The docs for the bike say that it will lose power below a certain level though. Isn't that kind of distracting during a ride?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'll have to try that. The docs for the bike say that it will lose power below a certain level though. Isn't that kind of distracting during a ride?

The loss of the power is prominent below 10% battery charge, be it the RE or the main battery. It is done by the SL system to protect batteries against damage or premature wear. If this happens in the middle of the steep climb, it is definitely distracting!

I was on a big gravel group ride once. As fast riding was expected, I was using 80/80% assistance for primary riding, 100/100% when I had to catch up with the group on asphalt or 60/60% when I was riding with tired cyclists by the end of the ride. I had multiple Range Extenders with me. After, say, 57 km into the ride, both the main battery and the 1st RE of my Vado SL were already spent (I was riding in the dual mode). Then I was swapping the RE for a fresh one as needed. After some 70 miles, we finished the group ride and I was about to ride back home. One of the remaining REs was at some 25% while another was well below 20%. As I was pedalling to the train station, I had to negotiate a single serious climb en route. Guess what? The current RE went below 10% as I was in the middle of the climb! I wept, stopped, swapped the RE and then finished the climb

The general advice is to ride an SL e-bike in the dual mode for long demanding trips but "discharge RE first" on any predictably short ride within the 85% of the RE capacity. Before the RE drops below 10%, I would stop and simply unplug the top of the RE cable from the battery then continue the ride. (The discharge mode change is never required).