Vado 5.0 - 45 months ownership - approximately 23,000+ miles

[Kam1936]

What's really funny is that you seem to think Specialized aren't mass produced! C'mon... Do you actually think they are being assembled in a small craftsman's attic by hand or something?

It has already been said; the individual components used are what make the real distinction between the manufacturers and within that paradigm I would argue that the differences aren't substantial enough for the majority to warrant the 2X-3Xs (10X?) price increase to own a "high end" bike.

Prove to us that you get $3-4k more value out of your "high end" bike than that $2k Juiced. A fiend of mine has 4500 miles on his and loves it.

How can one put into words the quality, handling and smoothness of the ride. Example, I suppose a person living in a decapitated community will eventually come to love and defend that community despite its quality of living. (Never been to Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood, Encino...)
All the person knows is the war torn communities of Watts , South Central (ghettos) and loves it!! Say someone tried to remove or save him from his environment and move him to the suburbs, he would probably fight like hell to stay there and defend it. That's all the individual knows. Get my point.

 

[Kam1936]

How can one put into words the quality, handling and smoothness of the ride. Example, I suppose a person living in a decapitated community will eventually come to love and defend that community despite its quality of living. (Never been to Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood, Encino...)
All the person knows is the war torn communities of Watts , South Central (ghettos) and loves it!! Say someone tried to remove or save him from his environment and move him to the suburbs, he would probably fight like hell to stay there and defend it. That's all the individual knows. Get my point.

Sorry delapitated community. Typo. One has developed a taste for being a product of his environment.

 

[cuwatra]

NO Offense : I know nothing about The Bike Industry : But I do know that Not all Bike Frames are made with the same level of tolerances and measurements . SO when the final product is assembled It fits like a Glove : Lesser priced Bikes that have the same hardware are cutting their cost in Tolerances on the frames they use : Maybe some of it is hardware : But Most of it is How exact the specs on the Frame are. How well teh crank Fits and lines up to the Front and Rear Etc. Otherwise you could buy top of teh line hardware and throw it on a Walmart Frame and have a Top quality Bike : You can't Though.

One thing I do know for sure : The people making 2K Bikes are making more profit then those making 4K Bikes : It's that way with all manufacturers :

Also I know from Courts Video Trek and Specialized aren't these big massive Shops : Most assembling is done inside large Pole barns : Individually Setup

You must be thinking of Banks LOL JK

LOL.

The Specialized bike brand is based in Morgan Hill, California. They do research and design, prototyping, and product development at the headquarters. Once the bicycle has been given its specifications, it is produced by a contract manufacturer in Taiwan.

The main contractor that Specialized bikes use, is called Merida. Merida has expansive factories that produce the bikes. The company does not buy and rebrand other people’s products. This is true for all their middle-level to high-end bikes. The cheaper ones are sometimes made in China. You’d be interested to know that in 1974, Merida (A Taiwanese manufacturer) bought around 49% equity from Specialized, so it is no surprise that a large part of their manufacturing is in Taiwan.

 

[Kam1936]

What's really funny is that you seem to think Specialized aren't mass produced! C'mon... Do you actually think they are being assembled in a small craftsman's attic by hand or something?

It has already been said; the individual components used are what make the real distinction between the manufacturers and within that paradigm I would argue that the differences aren't substantial enough for the majority to warrant the 2X-3Xs (10X?) price increase to own a "high end" bike.

Prove to us that you get $3-4k more value out of your "high end" bike than that $2k Juiced. A fiend of mine has 4500 miles on his and loves it.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

 

[Jimbo08]

LOL.

The Specialized bike brand is based in Morgan Hill, California. They do research and design, prototyping, and product development at the headquarters. Once the bicycle has been given its specifications, it is produced by a contract manufacturer in Taiwan.

The main contractor that Specialized bikes use, is called Merida. Merida has expansive factories that produce the bikes. The company does not buy and rebrand other people’s products. This is true for all their middle-level to high-end bikes. The cheaper ones are sometimes made in China. You’d be interested to know that in 1974, Merida (A Taiwanese manufacturer) bought around 49% equity from Specialized, so it is no surprise that a large part of their manufacturing is in Taiwan.

I thought Specialized did all their ebike research and design, prototyping, and product development at their dedicated facility in Cham, Switzerland?

 

[Rick53]

LOL.

The Specialized bike brand is based in Morgan Hill, California. They do research and design, prototyping, and product development at the headquarters. Once the bicycle has been given its specifications, it is produced by a contract manufacturer in Taiwan.

The main contractor that Specialized bikes use, is called Merida. Merida has expansive factories that produce the bikes. The company does not buy and rebrand other people’s products. This is true for all their middle-level to high-end bikes. The cheaper ones are sometimes made in China. You’d be interested to know that in 1974, Merida (A Taiwanese manufacturer) bought around 49% equity from Specialized, so it is no surprise that a large part of their manufacturing is in Taiwan.

I said I knew nothing about The Bike Industry. I know bikes though and Motorcycles : I've stripped down 100's. Not all frames are equal by a long shot : Just the spec of how a Crank and Rear derailleur line up makes a major difference in Ride : How the Forks line up etc etc. Minor differences result in Major change: Like a Wall of a House that's built 1/2 out of square in 40 Ft . Doesn't sound like much . But it is when you go to hang sheeting or put in the flooring: Same rules apply for Lower priced Bikes : Same materials But that's where it ends. I could care less where it's built and designed : Even though that's what I am talking about . AKA MACHINING

 

[cuwatra]

More to report on the expensive Vado's...really has me wondering if I want this bike. I just watched a video featuring Mike Sinyard (CEO) where he admits to quality issues on the Vado and I quote "We own that" and he goes on to tout the Apple/Android app for the Vado. A friend purchased the 2019 model, which still has the BLOKS display and does not hook up to the app. Specialized told him he would have to submit a warranty claim to get the proper head unit, and it should be free if its a 2017/2018 Vado, but the 2019 model is out of luck. Local bike shop mentioned the fix for the 2017/2018 was never free, regardless he has the 2019 so now he gets to spend 10% of what he paid for the bike to get one of the features that was promised from the beginning. I asked what he thought about Specialized...

"Good bikes, terrible customer support." He said to do your research and buy a 2020 model if I still want one to avoid this issue.

 

[Kam1936]

Turbo Vado & Como Tune - A Hidden Gem for BLOKS Display Users

While the users of Turbo Levo and Turbo Kenevo could have enjoyed the benefits of the Mission Control app for a ling time now, that was not necessarily case for the users of Turbo Vado and Turbo Como e-bikes. Everybody makes mistakes; the mistake of the Specialized Bicycle Components was to...

electricbikereview.com

Known work around for the Blok Display. It worked for me. (Turbo Vado 5.0 2019)
The customer support depends on where you purchase the bike. My lbs worked with me since they told me the Blok is compatible with MC app. I now have the TCD-w display. It didn't cost me anything they did it for free. Specialized told me to work it out with my lbs. I did.
Also, the Blevo app works with this display for those wondering. It allows you to tune the motor in 1% increments rather than 5% increments. The TCD-w display has more features than the Block TFT 2.2 that was originally on my bike. Such as calories burned, AV Speed, Max Speed and more. There's a learning curve for sure. I prefer Blevo to MC because it has more features. I'll post follow up pics with screens along with bike connected to Blevo app.

 

[Kam1936]

TCD-w display screens. 1-5.

 

[Kam1936]

Blevo app connected to Turbo Vado 5.0 TCD-w display.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Blevo app connected to Turbo Vado 5.0 TCD-w display.

Have you written to Paolo at BLEvo to tell him the app worked with TCD-W of Vado? Paolo would be very interested!

 

[Kam1936]

Have you written to Paolo at BLEvo to tell him the app worked with TCD-W of Vado? Paolo would be very interested!

Right now I've only connected and input settings. Today I will (God Willing) go on my first ride using the app. Will report my findings afterwards.

 

[Kam1936]

A few stats. Working well.

 

[Kam1936]

It really is a lot of information, input. I have to full around with settings. Information is pretty close to Turbo Como Tune as far as range motor in ECO tuned down to 20%. I was lazy this morning and used the motor more. Also, little head wind slowing me down. Still 14 + mph average is decent considering the conditions. On a good at this same location (ECO 20%) I'm at 93%. Probably due to me pedaling a lot more. About to continue my ride.

 

[Kam1936]

Stats ride completed. Going back it's going to totally different I imagine because I'll be pedaling half the time without assistance.

 

[coffeemaker]

Thanks for the info Kam!
Do you mind checking if the rear wheel size in the BLEvo can be lowered?
I'm not sure if that's been blocked in the most recent firmware.

Edit: Since Kam's TCU version is 5.019, I believe the max speed limit can be increased, as per this thread: https://blevo.forumfree.it/?t=76130073

TCU version 2.019 (Mission Control says 13.b) or V1.7.0 = wheel size and speed limit are changeable

TCU version 2.025 (Mission Control says 19.b) or 2.026 (Mission Control says 1a.b) or 2.034 (Mission Control says 22.b) = wheel size and speed limit are NOT changeable.

PS: The first digit of the TCU version could be also 3 (e.g. 3.019, 3.025, 3.026, 3.034). The conclusions are the same

 

[Kam1936]

My weight 180 pounds. Weight on the rear rack in Thule bag 22 pounds. At the end of ride. TCD-w recorded a higher average speed at 15 + mph. Also, 81% instead of 80% showing in Blevo. Overall, it looks pretty accurate. I was able to pause and resume my ride at rest stop on the trail. The Blevo app didn't miss a beat. I didn't have my phone on the handle bars. I kept it in my pocket while I was riding. No distractions.

 

[Captain Slow]

KAM do you need the TCW display for that, or is it just software? The software looks interesting. Is it available on iOS?

 

[coffeemaker]

KAM do you need the TCW display for that, or is it just software? The software looks interesting. Is it available on iOS?

It's a third party app called BLEvo.
Available for iOS as well: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/blevo-for-smart-turbo-levo/id1293644903
You'll need the TCD-W, since the original BLOKS display doesn't support Specialized's Mission Control app.

 

[Kam1936]

Thanks for the info Kam!
Do you mind checking if the rear wheel size in the BLEvo can be lowered?
I'm not sure if that's been blocked in the most recent firmware.
Edit: Since Kam's TCU version is 5.019, I believe the max speed limit can be increased, as per this thread: https://blevo.forumfree.it/?t=76130073

There is a setting to adjust wheel size. I haven't messed around with it though. I'm still learning my way around the app. I know people want to use this feature to go faster but in my case I have no need to fool around with it because 28mph is enough speed for me. I'm very impressed with all the stats it gives you. To Stephen, I emailed Pablo and let him know it works with Vados "using the TCD- w display." It doesn't work with Bloks. At least not the one I had.