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

[Captain Slow]

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.

I own both a Juiced CCS and a Specialized Creo.

I've had the Juiced just over 2 years and I've ridden around 8,000 km's on it. I've had the Creo about 3 weeks and ridden it 400 km's.

Not really enough time to conclude for my sample size of 1 that one is higher quality than the other. But there are things like the componentry, the Juiced came was lower level components, I think Alivio or similar. Anyhow way lower than the Specialized which came with Ultegra level components. No surprise the shifting is much better on the Specialized. I have to say that the brakes on the CCS are really good. I've had cars pull out of spots and completely cut me off and I've had to slam on the brakes and I can't imagine brakes being any better.

The fenders on the CCS are crappy and get knocked out of position easily. I had rubbing issues which I resolved by just going from a 45 mm wide tire to a 40 mm tire. I wanted narrower anyways so it didn't bother me. The CCS feels heavy and ponderous compared to the Creo but that's not really a quality difference and more the type of bike.

What I find really interesting is that the CCS comes with a 614 wh battery and the Creo comes with a 320 wh battery. However the range of the Creo is far greater than the CCS. I can easily do over 100 km's on the Creo, that's not the case with the CCS, not even close.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

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

Captain, you don't need the display. Your Creo has the TCU with the battery. Trust me.

The Turbo Control Unit is a wireless device installed on Creos, Levos and Kenevos. That unit lets the cyclist ride display-less. Optional TCD display is wireless. You connect with MC and BLEvo to the TCU without any display.

The users of Comos and Vados must have the TCD-W (wired) because the TCU is in their display.

 

[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.