Turbo Vado SL

[Lizzybnh]

I am really interested in the Turbo Vado SL; it seems like a perfect bike for the kind of riding I do, and it is light enough for me to transport. I do have a question for those who have had theirs for a while. How does the bike ride without power? I currently have an ebike from a different company. It is very heavy and no fun to ride without power. Being as light as many non-motorized bikes, I was hoping that the Vado SL might be fairly easy to ride without power. I would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.

 

[Recontra]

The Turbo Vado SL rides and pedals just fine with the motor off, no motor drag. I'll never get stranded with mine, because with the motor off, it's just a mid-30 pound hybrid road bike, except it rides and pedals much nicer than any other non-motorized mid-30 pound hybrid, because it has nicer components. I've ridden for miles on rolling flats, and even gentle uphill without the motor. In fact, when I first got it, I did that a lot, turning the motor off when I crested a hill or was riding on rolling flats, thinking that was better cycling than keeping it on--I got over that really quickly. It's just so darn much fun to ride with the motor engaged, even on Level 1, that I now cannot come up with any legitimate reason to ride it without the motor engaged in at least ECO Level 1 for any distance. Who doesn't want to go twice as fast for the same energy output? I've never ridden my Vado SL up any really steep hills without power (because why on earth would I want to do that? , but it would do it. The Vado SL is much lighter than an old Schwinn Continental and loads lighter than a Schwinn Varsity--both of which bikes have been pedaled up miles and miles of steep hills all across the country.

This past weekend, my buddy's Trek Verve ran out of battery power about 7 miles short of our destination. End of bike trip for us. His bike is so heavy, that he doesn't even try to ride it without power, unless it's downhill or flat.

 

[BEC111]

I don’t ride distances without assist, but I’ve gone a few miles as a test and I warm up before a ride without assist too. i get really good range, even using sport level assist and an occasional turbo. I haven’t killed the battery on a single ride but have ridden 60 plus miles in two rides with about 15% charge left.

Getting comfortable with no assist is a good idea, not only in case you do drain the battery but also as part of a battery life strategy on a really long ride.

I will have to get the range extender for next year I think because longer rides seem to be a future direction.

 

[Lizzybnh]

The Turbo Vado SL rides and pedals just fine with the motor off, no motor drag. I'll never get stranded with mine, because with the motor off, it's just a mid-30 pound hybrid road bike, except it rides and pedals much nicer than any other non-motorized mid-30 pound hybrid, because it has nicer components. I've ridden for miles on rolling flats, and even gentle uphill without the motor. In fact, when I first got it, I did that a lot, turning the motor off when I crested a hill or was riding on rolling flats, thinking that was better cycling than keeping it on--I got over that really quickly. It's just so darn much fun to ride with the motor engaged, even on Level 1, that I now cannot come up with any legitimate reason to ride it without the motor engaged in at least ECO Level 1 for any distance. Who doesn't want to go twice as fast for the same energy output? I've never ridden my Vado SL up any really steep hills without power (because why on earth would I want to do that? , but it would do it. The Vado SL is much lighter than an old Schwinn Continental and loads lighter than a Schwinn Varsity--both of which bikes have been pedaled up miles and miles of steep hills all across the country.

This past weekend, my buddy's Trek Verve ran out of battery power about 7 miles short of our destination. End of bike trip for us. His bike is so heavy, that he doesn't even try to ride it without power, unless it's downhill or flat.

Thank you so much for your detailed input - it sounds like a fantastic bike. Now to track one down to test ride. . .

 

[Lizzybnh]

I don’t ride distances without assist, but I’ve gone a few miles as a test and I warm up before a ride without assist too. i get really good range, even using sport level assist and an occasional turbo. I haven’t killed the battery on a single ride but have ridden 60 plus miles in two rides with about 15% charge left.

Getting comfortable with no assist is a good idea, not only in case you do drain the battery but also as part of a battery life strategy on a really long ride.

I will have to get the range extender for next year I think because longer rides seem to be a future direction.

Thanks for your input. I love the idea of the range extender!

 

[BEC111]

One minor detail: they’re so out of stock they are not even being shown on Specialized website.

 

[STLABRAT]

On level ground or downhill I turn off the assist often mostly to keep my heart rate up if I’m doing a short ride. I have the Eco set at 20% so there isn’t that much difference. It rides perfectly without the assist. It is a slightly heavier normal bike. I have a SL 5.0. Really fun and this week I’ve been hitting all the steep climbs around me. Yes I’m still puffing even in turbo but there is no way I’d be on that road without my sl. The real issue is I’m having so much fun in the hills I’m wondering about the Creo gravel bike.

 

[BEC111]

Endorphins are a great chemical to affect one’s judgement.

 

[Nubnub]

One minor detail: they’re so out of stock they are not even being shown on Specialized website.

Have you checked your local specialized dealers? Even tho the website pulled the range extender a couple months ago, the lbs here in California had them. If you wanted to go mail order it looks like mikesbikes.com had them and will ship. You also need the road cable.

 

[BEC111]

Thanks for the input. I’m not ready to buy yet. Probably waiting until spring. I’ve far overspent my bike budget for the year.

 

[Lizzybnh]

On level ground or downhill I turn off the assist often mostly to keep my heart rate up if I’m doing a short ride. I have the Eco set at 20% so there isn’t that much difference. It rides perfectly without the assist. It is a slightly heavier normal bike. I have a SL 5.0. Really fun and this week I’ve been hitting all the steep climbs around me. Yes I’m still puffing even in turbo but there is no way I’d be on that road without my sl. The real issue is I’m having so much fun in the hills I’m wondering about the Creo gravel bike.

I rented a demo model of the Creo gravel bike. I LOVED it - very fast and super fun on the dirt/gravel trails that I took it on. I didn’t think that I would like the drop bars, but I was extremely comfortable on the bike. If it wasn’t double the price of the Vado SL, I would get the Creo in a heartbeat.

 

[Lizzybnh]

Have you checked your local specialized dealers? Even tho the website pulled the range extender a couple months ago, the lbs here in California had them. If you wanted to go mail order it looks like mikesbikes.com had them and will ship. You also need the road cable.

One of the LBS has one in my size. I am hoping that they are open tomorrow. I didn’t think that ebikes could be shipped because of the battery. Is that true?

 

[STLABRAT]

I rented a demo model of the Creo gravel bike. I LOVED it - very fast and super fun on the dirt/gravel trails that I took it on. I didn’t think that I would like the drop bars, but I was extremely comfortable on the bike. If it wasn’t double the price of the Vado SL, I would get the Creo in a heartbeat.

Sooo not helping!!!
I have decided to get at least 1000 miles on my SL before considering an upgrade. It’s going to start to get cold, wet, and dark soon So I’ll see how many miles I keep up per week.

 

[Nubnub]

One of the LBS has one in my size. I am hoping that they are open tomorrow. I didn’t think that ebikes could be shipped because of the battery. Is that true?

I believe the restriction is for air transport only. So bike shops should still be able to ship an ebike. For the SL, the idea is it is ok to air travle with the 160 Wh range extender but the in bike battery would have to be removed.

I think there is a member on here who is a dealer and he's mentioned he is willing to ship out of state (think he is oregon) as well. If you go to Specialized website it will show the SL's all sizes out of stock but does let you pick show in stock at the closest dealer locations. I may be shopping for an SL 5.0 unequipped. Not sure how accurate it is but there are multiples in different sizes within 30-50 miles of me. Since I'm not in a hurry I'd probably just order from my regular lbs.

 

[Captain Slow]

I have a Creo and several times I have forgotten to turn the motor back on after an extended stop. It takes a while to even realize that I was riding with the motor off.

As for range, I've never come close to using the entire battery on a ride and I've done multiple 100+ km days.

 

[Lizzybnh]

I have a Creo and several times I have forgotten to turn the motor back on after an extended stop. It takes a while to even realize that I was riding with the motor off.

As for range, I've never come close to using the entire battery on a ride and I've done multiple 100+ km days.

I tried to get the bike shop to sell me the demo I rode at a discount since it had some miles on it. No go. I wish it wasn’t so expensive!

 

[Lizzybnh]

So, this is what happened today!

 

[Art Deco]

Is that a ride or a purchase? Pretty either way ...

 

[Recontra]

So, this is what happened today!

Saweeet!! Love the white!

 

[Lizzybnh]

Is that a ride or a purchase? Pretty either way ...

A purchase!!!