Two issues with new Vado 2.0

[Dave E]

I'm a new-ish owner with about 115 miles on the bike so far. I bought it for commuting (ride from home to the train station, and then from the city station to my office).

I've noticed two issues.

First, the trip odometer doesn't reset. It reset one time, so the bike miles are about 3 miles higher than the trip miles.

The second issue is a little more complex and I can't tell if it's in my head or not. For starters, is it my imagination, or does the bike tap the rear brake at 19mph or is that just what it feels like when the pedal assist cuts out? I swear it feels like the bike is actually braking. I can coast through that 19mph barrier if I'm going downhill, but I can't pedal through it. Am I just a weenie who can't pedal faster than 19mph?

Last night on the way home from work, I started up the monster hill at the foot of my neighborhood (this hill is the real reason I bought an e-bike). I was pushing pretty hard, but had still left it in Eco mode and was going 9mph. Then the back brakes slammed on (I swear this isn't in my head, is it?). I looked down at the display and it temporarily read 22mph, even though I was quickly coming to a stop. I caught my breath and tried to restart, but the wheels still wouldn't go. So I powered off and back on again and everything was back to normal.

Has anyone else had anything like this happen?

And break it to me gently: Do the brakes actually come on at 19mph, or am I actually just a weenie?

I bought this bike because I'm overweight and I wanted to force myself to exercise and I figured that combining commuting and working out was the best way to make it mandatory for myself. I also got fed up with the unpredictable traffic and perpetual construction on our L.A. freeways. So far, this bike has been a great answer to my commute, but I feel like I'm still working the kinks out of the bike's tech.

 

[Dave E]

One other thought just came to mind: Is the max speed (19mph) user-configurable in any way? I would love to bump that up to 24mph if I could.

 

[bob armani]

One other thought just came to mind: Is the max speed (19mph) user-configurable in any way? I would love to bump that up to 24mph if I could.

Dave-
Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the Vado. I have seen so many unhappy riders with these bikes not to mention problems with the Specialized Mission Control App updates etc. I personally would just stay away from this brand altogether.
Brakes or motor lock out sounds extremely dangerous and I would not ride that bike until it is checked out by a qualified tech IMHO. Hope someone can help you here so you know in advance what to expect. Good luck and be safe...

 

[MisterM]

One other thought just came to mind: Is the max speed (19mph) user-configurable in any way? I would love to bump that up to 24mph if I could.

I'm a new-ish owner with about 115 miles on the bike so far. I bought it for commuting (ride from home to the train station, and then from the city station to my office).

I've noticed two issues.

First, the trip odometer doesn't reset. It reset one time, so the bike miles are about 3 miles higher than the trip miles.

The second issue is a little more complex and I can't tell if it's in my head or not. For starters, is it my imagination, or does the bike tap the rear brake at 19mph or is that just what it feels like when the pedal assist cuts out? I swear it feels like the bike is actually braking. I can coast through that 19mph barrier if I'm going downhill, but I can't pedal through it. Am I just a weenie who can't pedal faster than 19mph?

Last night on the way home from work, I started up the monster hill at the foot of my neighborhood (this hill is the real reason I bought an e-bike). I was pushing pretty hard, but had still left it in Eco mode and was going 9mph. Then the back brakes slammed on (I swear this isn't in my head, is it?). I looked down at the display and it temporarily read 22mph, even though I was quickly coming to a stop. I caught my breath and tried to restart, but the wheels still wouldn't go. So I powered off and back on again and everything was back to normal.

Has anyone else had anything like this happen?

And break it to me gently: Do the brakes actually come on at 19mph, or am I actually just a weenie?

I bought this bike because I'm overweight and I wanted to force myself to exercise and I figured that combining commuting and working out was the best way to make it mandatory for myself. I also got fed up with the unpredictable traffic and perpetual construction on our L.A. freeways. So far, this bike has been a great answer to my commute, but I feel like I'm still working the kinks out of the bike's tech.

Brakes don't come on - all you're feeling is motor cutting out - and experiencing the effort required to push the bike under your own power. Of course, bike is heavy and there's added drag from the motor. Some displays allow you to set cutoff at a higher speed.

 

[ROJA]

No specific answers (I have the prior gen of hub-driven Turbo) but welcome to the forum and glad you are (mostly) liking your bike so far!

 

[rich c]

How could it tap the brakes? Can you see any link from the computer to the caliper? It's a hydraulic brake, not electric. You have to have fluid move in the hose to apply brakes.

 

[Toast]

I have a Vado 3. Sometimes mine would start to feel like I had intermittent power. Pushing the battery down the tube a bit seemed to help the issue a little. Had the firmware updated a week ago and the issue went away though.

 

[e-levity]

... is it my imagination, or does the bike tap the rear brake at 19mph or is that just what it feels like when the pedal assist cuts out? ...

It's your "imagination", or more correctly your mind sensing the relative change. The brakes don't come on automatically and the cassette freehub allows the rear wheel to roll independently of the drive system. Shifting down from Turbo to Sport, from Sport to Eco, or from Eco to Off mode gives a similar "feeling" - like some one hit the brakes, you got a flat tire, or your parachute deployed. Your body takes a few seconds to adapt/adjust to the new workload.

If you want assist to go faster get a Vado 5 or 6. But you'll still experience that same feeling when the motor stops contributing at 28 mph or you shift to a a lower power level.

 

[Dave E]

It's your "imagination", or more correctly your mind sensing the relative change. The brakes don't come on automatically and the cassette freehub allows the rear wheel to roll independently of the drive system. Shifting down from Turbo to Sport, from Sport to Eco, or from Eco to Off mode gives a similar "feeling" - like some one hit the brakes, you got a flat tire, or your parachute deployed. Your body takes a few seconds to adapt/adjust to the new workload.

If you want assist to go faster get a Vado 5 or 6. But you'll still experience that same feeling when the motor stops contributing at 28 mph or you shift to a a lower power level.

Thanks everyone.

When I left home this morning, I experimented by starting off without turning on the bike's power and just pedaling it like a mortal bike. It was slow and heavy--felt like the crank and hubs were full of chunky gravy. This confirmed that it was definitely just my imagination that the brakes were being applied.

This must be how the astronauts feel when they return to Earth's gravity.

 

[Dave E]

Hi Dave,

I have a 4.0 and amusingly I find this momentary “speed bump” sensation helpful. I treat it as a “feedback” that I’ve reached around 25/26 km/h and from now on it’s all my own power.
I tested some bikes with a Bosch engine where this was not felt (but the engine was much noisier normally and then goes quieter) and I really liked the Vado way of handling this.

Like you I use the bike for some exercise so this “feedback” from the motor without looking at the display is helpful for me - I know the speed I’ve reached and I know that from now on it’s all burnt calories ;-)

Yesterday I was riding home about 50 yards behind a guy I sat next to on our commuter train. I was gaining on him, but I didn't want to be a jerk and blow past him, so I turned off pedal assist and just pedaled behind him. Surprisingly, I still gained on him and had to just coast to stay behind him. I was surprised to see how well this bike just freewheels. I figured the high price of this bike was just for the pedal assist, but this big bike and huge wheels roll pretty well.

 

[Jhorrick]

I'm a new-ish owner with about 115 miles on the bike so far. I bought it for commuting (ride from home to the train station, and then from the city station to my office).

I've noticed two issues.

First, the trip odometer doesn't reset. It reset one time, so the bike miles are about 3 miles higher than the trip miles.

The second issue is a little more complex and I can't tell if it's in my head or not. For starters, is it my imagination, or does the bike tap the rear brake at 19mph or is that just what it feels like when the pedal assist cuts out? I swear it feels like the bike is actually braking. I can coast through that 19mph barrier if I'm going downhill, but I can't pedal through it. Am I just a weenie who can't pedal faster than 19mph?

Last night on the way home from work, I started up the monster hill at the foot of my neighborhood (this hill is the real reason I bought an e-bike). I was pushing pretty hard, but had still left it in Eco mode and was going 9mph. Then the back brakes slammed on (I swear this isn't in my head, is it?). I looked down at the display and it temporarily read 22mph, even though I was quickly coming to a stop. I caught my breath and tried to restart, but the wheels still wouldn't go. So I powered off and back on again and everything was back to normal.

Has anyone else had anything like this happen?

And break it to me gently: Do the brakes actually come on at 19mph, or am I actually just a weenie?

I bought this bike because I'm overweight and I wanted to force myself to exercise and I figured that combining commuting and working out was the best way to make it mandatory for myself. I also got fed up with the unpredictable traffic and perpetual construction on our L.A. freeways. So far, this bike has been a great answer to my commute, but I feel like I'm still working the kinks out of the bike's tech.

I have a como 3.0 and had the same issues. The trip I reset by holding in the - button until the flash back and forth and read zero because it does not reset as per owners manual. The second thing is how at times it feels like the brakes are coming on and loose assist and going to talk to dealer today about this issue which started after 30 miles on the bike so I will let you know what happens.