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

[Stefan Mikes]

To Stephen, I emailed Pablo and let him know it works with Vados "using the TCD- w display."

Kam, thank you very much for that! Paolo was kind to me in the past granting a free license of BLEvo to me. I could not help him as it turned out BLEvo didn't work with BLOKS.

 

[rochrunner]

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.

Wow - that is some interesting data! Looks like the app is well worth what they charge for it and I'm sure I'll give it a try.

 

[Kam1936]

Total ride over 30+ miles. Stats coming home. I hung out at Starbucks for awhile and ate a Mcdouble at McDonald's. I'm a little tired. I was pedaling like crazy unassisted/assisted. The last stretch was uphill. I was sweating profusely. I'm burning calories, just not sure how much. If it wasn't for the wind, I could of easily got 1 mile for every percent. Also, my average is above 13 + mph. I'm done. Time for a shower and a nap.

 

[Kam1936]

Kam, thank you very much for that! Paolo was kind to me in the past granting a free license of BLEvo to me. I could not help him as it turned out BLEvo didn't work with BLOKS.

. Stefan sorry for misspelling your name and Paolo's. I don't regret purchasing Blevo. I'll probably never use Mission Control now.
Pros: All the Stats!! Saves rides. Continues rides. And there's a feature for repeating rides. Tuning motor in 1% increments. Adjustment wheel size(not sure if it works with my firmware). Many more features I have left to explore. Stays connected.

Cons: This app will drain your battery on your phone. So, I would bring a battery pack with you or use a designated device for connecting the app with your bike.

Amazing app!!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Kam, I assume you use an iPhone. I use an Android smartphone that keeps the screen on for 5.5 hours, and the battery holds for far more with the screen off. Lucky me Currently I run Mapy.cz (bike GPS navigation/planner), Endomondo for ride stats and Turbo Vado/Como Tune on my rides.

I wonder what is the percentage of North Americans using Android phones vs iPhone. I think it is more Android in Europe.

 

[Kam1936]

Kam, I assume you use an iPhone. I use an Android smartphone that keeps the screen on for 5.5 hours, and the battery holds for far more with the screen off. Lucky me Currently I run Mapy.cz (bike GPS navigation/planner), Endomondo for ride stats and Turbo Vado/Como Tune on my rides.

I wonder what is the percentage of North Americans using Android phones vs iPhone. I think it is more Android in Europe.

No iPhone. I've always used android.

Final report on range. I repeated the same ride on the same battery charge. 60 + miles total ride in 2 days with an average speed of 13.43 mph. 9% battery remaining. Lots of hills not to windy today but I used Sport and Turbo quite a bit returning on my ride home. Total mileage on my Turbo Vado to date (March 9) since purchasing Feb 10, 2020 = 544 miles. I Used Mission Control today. Not a bad app either. It stayed connected the whole time. No where near as many stats as BLevo.

 

[Sierratim]

Kam, I assume you use an iPhone. I use an Android smartphone that keeps the screen on for 5.5 hours, and the battery holds for far more with the screen off. Lucky me Currently I run Mapy.cz (bike GPS navigation/planner), Endomondo for ride stats and Turbo Vado/Como Tune on my rides.

I wonder what is the percentage of North Americans using Android phones vs iPhone. I think it is more Android in Europe.

I am a big Apple fan (worked for them for a bit in the 80's) but use an Android phone for cost considertions now. I use the Mission Control app most rides, works great with long battery life on the Android phone.

 

[rochrunner]

I've always used Android, as least partially because I wanted to write a couple of apps and it was easier to do with Android (also I've always used PCs as opposed to Macs etc.). I plan on using either Mission Control or Blevo to monitor my rides, but since I'll be using my bar-mounted Garmin Edge to do my "real" ride recording and uploading, I'll keep my phone in my pocket with the screen off.

It's interesting that on the new Trek "Allante" series of bikes, they only have a fairly rudimentary display built in and instead supply a smartphone mount and app that you are expected to use to do all the complex control, recording, nav, etc. I think that this includes a USB connection to supply power from the bike's battery (a negligible added load). But I really don't want to have an expensive phone out there in the open, and besides my Edge is totally waterproof.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Anyone knows what wrench is needed to remove this from the handlebars? I can't see well.

 

[Rick53]

Anyone knows what wrench is needed to remove this from the handlebars? I can't see well.

View attachment 47567

Can't tell exactly But those are usually Hex head Wrenches - H5 or H6 in size Or what we call Allen Keys in The USA You can find Socket sets or I have one from Trek That has a 4,5 and 6 all together in a T-handle : If you're going to work on the Bike I'd spend the $20 and buy a Set H3 -H12 They do come Standard or Metric. But I haven't run into a Bike yet that didn't use the Metric Sizes : Definitely hard to strip : But Imossible to get off if you do :

 

[Sierratim]

Anyone knows what wrench is needed to remove this from the handlebars? I can't see well.

View attachment 47567

Looks like this needs a T8 'star' bit. The actual fastener faces are recessed into the fastener so I had to use trial and error to get a bit that fit well. The bit is pretty small so I was careful not to over tighten.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You mean, Torx?

 

[Sierratim]

You mean, Torx?

Yes. My apologies.

 

[Rick53]

Looks like this needs a T8 'star' bit. The actual fastener faces are recessed into the fastener so I had to use trial and error to get a bit that fit well. The bit is pretty small so I was careful not to over tighten.

It could be Either torx or Hex head : I said Hex because that's what My Generic Specialized has . So do My Treks

 

[Sierratim]

It could be Either torx or Hex head : I said Hex because that's what My Generic Specialized has . So do My Treks

I wasn't able to find a metric hex head that would fit. The T8 bit fit well.

The Vado has a mix of hex and torx fasteners. Doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to the mix. I'm guessing it's related to component suppliers.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I wasn't able to find a metric hex head that would fit. The T8 bit fit well.

The Vado has a mix of hex and torx fasteners. Doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to the mix. I'm guessing it's related to component suppliers.

Thank you very much @Sierratim! Your advice was very good. Among other things, I got me the T8 wrench and indeed I was able to unscrew and rotate the Vado remote into the appropriate position. Now I'm ready to change my handlebars to Baramind BAM Trek suspension ones! Provided the Red-Motion the maker who are in France are currently in operation. Their handlebars disappeared from Amazon.

 

[Rafulas]

Accessories I currently use are [...] Thule child bike seat (2 year old)

Hi @2wheels - I just bought a Vado 4.0 and I'm looking at child seat options but cannot find much online. Looking at the link in your old post, it seems like you were able to attach a Thule Ridealong. I'd like to get a frame-mounted seat vs. a rack-mounted one, as the rack in my model is only specked up to 20K / 44 lbs and I'd rather avoid changing the rack, fenders, etc. Thanks!

 

[2wheels]

Hi @2wheels - I just bought a Vado 4.0 and I'm looking at child seat options but cannot find much online. Looking at the link in your old post, it seems like you were able to attach a Thule Ridealong. I'd like to get a frame-mounted seat vs. a rack-mounted one, as the rack in my model is only specked up to 20K / 44 lbs and I'd rather avoid changing the rack, fenders, etc. Thanks!

I love riding with my kids and wanted to respond to this thread to let you know the I have used the Thule Ride Along for years on my Vado 5.0 with out any significant problems. Though the metal rods have shown some corrosion over time it has not shown to effect the child seat performance. My thought on these racks and weight in general is to keep it as close to the bottom bracket as possible which this child seat does. I like this particular child rack in that I could remove it and install it quickly.

 

[2wheels]

I have not visited this thread in about 2 years. Was it life with 2 young kids, covid, buying our first house, or all three?

I've updated the title of the thread and miles on the bike. Since receiving the replacement 2020 Vado, I've replaced the motor twice, both under warranty and with Specialized in Santa Monica, fka Cynergy. I've grown accustomed to expecting the motor to fail every 2000 miles or so.

My commute to work is now only about a mile, so I am not putting on nearly as much mileage as I was before. Instead of riding along the Pacific Ocean to work on a dedicated bike path, I bike past a petrochemical plant everyday on a 7-lane road where the speed limit is 45 mph, and though the signs say 'bike route', there is no bike lane. I bought this reflective jacket which I think is helping create some space on the road for me.

We also bought a Benno Boost cargo bike for our family which I now use to take my kids around. We have about 1700 miles on that bike and I have tried to reserve judgment on this bike until we reached 2000 miles. That being said, the chain and cassette have not required to be replaced yet in contrast to the Brose Specialized motor which required replacing the chain and cassette every 700 miles. I plan to write more about the Benno Boost in the Benno thread. We bought this bike from Propel in Long Beach. They did this video of me taking our kids to school.

I came pretty close to purchase an old man mountain rack for the front of my Vado 5.0. Has anyone done this install on their Vado or thought about it? The install was going to be a skewer clamped within the thru bolt of the Vado. I love our mid tail Cargo Bike. I think I've been trying to change my Vado 5.0 into a Mid Tail Cargo bike for sometime.

 

[Rafulas]

I love riding with my kids and wanted to respond to this thread to let you know the I have used the Thule Ride Along for years on my Vado 5.0 with out any significant problems. Though the metal rods have shown some corrosion over time it has not shown to effect the child seat performance. My thought on these racks and weight in general is to keep it as close to the bottom bracket as possible which this child seat does. I like this particular child rack in that I could remove it and install it quickly.

Thank you so much for your reply. Just ordered one