I decided to change out the stem on my Vado SL 4.0 to get my bars incrementally higher and closer to me. So of course I had to get rid of the unique stem that came with the bike, with its computer and light mounts. And its worth saying here that I had already removed the computer mount. So I had to come up with another way to mount the headlight. I priced "go-pro" style mounts that connect to the stem faceplate and they were pricey - in the $35-40 range. While looking at the Lezyne site, I realized that the upgraded (on the 5.0) light, the STVZO Pro E115, is produced by them with a bottom mount, and that it comes with both the stem and top-of-the-fork mounts, all for around $65. And which is 50% brighter than the E65 light! I definitely wanted to verify that the bottom mount E115 was the same as the one on the 5.0 so I contacted Lezyne's tech department and they said the specs were identical. So here is my upgrade process:
These pic show the package with the stem faceplate mount and the light mounted on the top of the fork with the included rather nice metal fork top mount.
Next, I opened up the plate with the on/off switch and discovered a nest of wiring-
By trial and error, the skinny yellow and black wires are to the headlight and the red and black ones are to the tail light. Both sets to the battery are red and black, which is why on tests to be sure. There are little spade connectors that can be gotten from Peter White cycles, but I had some small crimp-on connectors that I used. One could also solder. So the wire that comes with the new light is run through the side of the frame and up out through the top opening. I cut the wires on both ends to appropriate sizes (not without trepidation), removed the insulations, threaded some heat-shrink tubing on the new wires, crimped the 2 sets of wires together, and moved the heat-shrink tubes up over the new connectors, and shrunk them with a lighter. My results:
Huzzah! I tested the wiring by firmly pulling on both ends, then turned on the light before I carefully stuffed all the wiring back in place. Here are a few more pics showing the 2 beams, the E65 and E115 on my living room brick wall, and some finished bike pics:
The light looks considerably brighter on the road. I do not do a lot of night riding but I like to have a nice bright light when I do. This turned out to be a really nice upgrade. I am trying out the fork mount which I like so far, but I also now have the option of moving it back to the stem.
And I do have to say that for only a $20 difference in the 2 lights, why did Specialized not put the E115 on both levels of bike, at least for the sake of safety?
And just btw, the light was not available on Lezyne's site, but other places such as an Amazon associated company. Let me know if you have any questions.
These pic show the package with the stem faceplate mount and the light mounted on the top of the fork with the included rather nice metal fork top mount.
Next, I opened up the plate with the on/off switch and discovered a nest of wiring-
By trial and error, the skinny yellow and black wires are to the headlight and the red and black ones are to the tail light. Both sets to the battery are red and black, which is why on tests to be sure. There are little spade connectors that can be gotten from Peter White cycles, but I had some small crimp-on connectors that I used. One could also solder. So the wire that comes with the new light is run through the side of the frame and up out through the top opening. I cut the wires on both ends to appropriate sizes (not without trepidation), removed the insulations, threaded some heat-shrink tubing on the new wires, crimped the 2 sets of wires together, and moved the heat-shrink tubes up over the new connectors, and shrunk them with a lighter. My results:
The light looks considerably brighter on the road. I do not do a lot of night riding but I like to have a nice bright light when I do. This turned out to be a really nice upgrade. I am trying out the fork mount which I like so far, but I also now have the option of moving it back to the stem.
And I do have to say that for only a $20 difference in the 2 lights, why did Specialized not put the E115 on both levels of bike, at least for the sake of safety?
And just btw, the light was not available on Lezyne's site, but other places such as an Amazon associated company. Let me know if you have any questions.
The integrated Li-Ion battery holds for hours! That's why I'm not at least inclined to modify my Vado SL 4.0 re lighting.
