Vado 5.0 igh making a great bike better

jimji

New Member
Region
USA
I'm not a long term bicycle rider but fell in love with ebikes first time I tried one in MX on vacation. The Vado is actually my 5th ebike in one year. I currently also own a Trek Rail 9.7 full suspension emtb and a Priority Current which I shouldn't have bought but fell in love with the belt drive it has. So here's my experience with the Vado 5.0 igh. Test rode one and was so impressed with that auto shifting and belt drive combo. Couldn't find one my size locally and finally found a shop in CA willing to ship a large to Colorado but only to a Specialized dealer. Bike was assembled at the factory with a magnetic ring in the hub put in backwards and had to have a part replaced at my LBS. 2nd ride I get a flat rear tire.-not a great start but I am pretty sure there is a lot of potential here. I also notice as many others have mentioned that I run out of gearing at higher speeds with the igh. So here are the changes I have made.
.
(1) Replaced light weight balloon tires with Schwaulbe emtb plus touring tires: $175.00
(2) New ergon grips: $40.00
(3) Replace stock suspension post with Thudbuster ST-LT: $180/each
(4) Replace rear 24t cog with 22 t: $185

If you only count one of the Thudbusters as Canecreek would not take back the ST once it was installed that's $580 additional to a $5500 bike. One could argue it should have come with better tires and a higher gearing but all I know is these upgrades have really made this into a great bike. I am still checking out the Thudbuster LT and didn't care for the ST and am peaved at them as a company for their cheezy return policy so can't really recommend that product yet. I can't say enough about the Schwaulbe tires though which I can't seem to find an exact match for online as they were acquired by a local shop for me. I have used them offroad with great result, and they even do well in light snow but most importantly also roll quietly on pavement. I can now pretty much go wherever I want around the city and not worry about traction or flats anymore.

Now about that gearing. I believe Specialized should have shipped this bike with a 22 t rear cog instead of the 24t as it totally runs out of gearing at higher speeds in stock form even in the slowest cadence setting. With the 22t it rides like it should imo. Before changing the cog riding in the slowest cadence I was doing 71rpm at 20mph, 92rpm at 25mph, and about 100rpm at 28mph. I notice I don't care to regularly pedal at more than about 80 rpm. Now after the change I am at 64rpm at 20mph, 79rpm at 25mph, and about 90rpm at 28mph. I find that 25 mph is generally fast enough for me and meets my 80rpm preference and 64rpm for 20mph is very sweet and relaxing. The 90rpm is still awfully high but I don't need to go that fast for long periods of time. The cadence numbers might vary plus or minus an rpm or so but the change was totally worth it. The $185 my shop charged me included $50 to rerun the software so that the speedometer would read correctly. Some of the other cadence settings might now become more useful as before they were only used on very steep terrain or on trail riding.

One last thing is I would not buy any of the lower models if you like a full power ebike as the 5.0 is the only one with the highest torque numbers. There is a pretty steep gravel hill of about 200 yards near me and both my 54 lb Trek emtb which is made for climbing, as well as the 51 lb Priority Current can climb that hill at 18.5 mph while my new 61 lb Vado will only do it at about 17.5. Still it has plenty of power and is smoother than both of the others as well with no surging.

To sum up the Vado 5.0 igh cruising at full speed is not really different than any other class 3 ebike that could be acquired for quite a bit less money. It really comes into its own though when you are starting from a stop or any time you are changing speed like is so common in the city and that silky smooth shifting starts happening automatically. For comparison I recently rode a Trek Allant 8.0 with a 10 speed and it just felt so outdated. It certainly could get to 28 mph but I was clunking through that 10 speed 3 gears at a time and after the Vado experience it felt really quite annoying. My advice is make the change to your favorite heavier duty tires and change out the rear cog to the 22t and you will have something very special. Not sure I can ever go back to a derailer again.
 

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Nice write up and glad you are enjoying your bike!

The $185 my shop charged me included $50 to rerun the software so that the speedometer would read correctly.
Did the lbs say they had to do this because of the new rear cog? Unless I’m missing something, changing the cog size should have no affect on the speedometer calibration.
 
Actually they did not say why the software needed to be rerun and I did not ask. I will try to find out.
 
Those are not my tires but they look pretty nice except if I am reading right they are only 1.75" wide which is pretty thin for this heavy bike. I think this is the tire I have: https://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/schwalbe-marathon-plus-29-mtb-e-bike-tire-hs-468?fltr= but not sure about the diameter as it says 29". You can see it says Marathon Plus MTB/E-bike tire and mine are 2.25 " wide which seems to be perfect for me. I believe it might be smart to go with something made for an ebike.
So far I am liking the Thudbuster LT (long travel) but even the LT is a firm ride unlike the spring types that are more active but tend to bob with pedal strokes which just looks wrong to me. The ST wasn't for me as even over medium washboard it was too harsh. Keep in mind that the elastomer is temperature sensitive so gets firmer in cold weather but I am guessing warms up in use. I also forgot to mention that I changed out the pedals to some aluminum ones for about $60 which was really a good move imo. Enjoy
 
Actually they did not say why the software needed to be rerun and I did not ask. I will try to find out.
Definitely because of changing the rear cog. Just too much computer stuff going on with the igh and auto shifting and cadence choices. Thats about all they could tell me.
 
The N+1 rule definitely applies here. LBS need more customers like you.
Happy cycling and thanks for the info.
 
Priority Current which I shouldn't have bought but fell in love with the belt drive it has.
Do you have any posts going deeper into this?

The current also made me love belt drive. But I also shouldn't have bought mine. The thing I missed about the current (vs vado) is you can still pedal down hills. Which really made you fly. If I didn't have so many steep hills in the area, I would have considered just matching the vado gearing to the current gearing. (22 rear 55 front I think)

The automatic + radar is ridiculously good. I am struggling picking other bikes without them. (radar can be added to most, obviously).
 
Actually they did not say why the software needed to be rerun and I did not ask. I will try to find out.
They reran the software most likely due to the Tire size changes . More then anything else . Otherwise your miles would be messed up. That makes sense . The Cog I doubt would effect the software calibrations . But tires definitely make a difference .
 
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Do you have any posts going deeper into this?

The current also made me love belt drive. But I also shouldn't have bought mine. The thing I missed about the current (vs vado) is you can still pedal down hills. Which really made you fly. If I didn't have so many steep hills in the area, I would have considered just matching the vado gearing to the current gearing. (22 rear 55 front I think)

The automatic + radar is ridiculously good. I am struggling picking other bikes without them. (radar can be added to most, obviously).
One of my complaints about the Priority Current is it also ran out of gearing at higher speeds. I had my friend take the Current out and I rode the Vado next to it before changing the rear cog to the 22t. I was shocked to find that in the highest gear and in the Vado's case the slowest cadence that the Current was actually pedaling ever so slightly slower than the Vado. Now with the 22t on the Vado that is no longer the case. I am told that the Current has the smaller range Enviolo compared to the Vado but the lowest gear is much higher than low on the Vado. I wouldn't mind an even slower top cadence on the Vado but they don't make anything smaller than the 22t for the rear. I would have to increase the front "chain" ring from I believe 50t to 55t and likely replace the belt to something longer as well which would make for an expensive 10% less rpm. More of a problem is I believe it would screw up the speedometer, distance and range readings which I like to have correct and I am not sure Specialized is on board with this change or not. I would think that with a 22t-55t that you would still have plenty low enough gearing in some of the faster cadence settings to get up any hill in Turbo especially if you set your hub up to its lowest setting in the Enviolo app no ? Right now I am just enjoying the change to the 22t and loving the sound of that auto shifting so much and it is getting so cold out anyway.
 
They reran the software most likely due to the Tire size changes . More then anything else . Otherwise your miles would be messed up. That makes sense . The Cog I doubt would effect the software calibrations . But tires definitely make a difference .
I don't think so. I had a different shop put the new tires on. The shop that order and installed the new cog wanted to rerun the software exclusively due to that change. I would have liked to have tried the bike before and after the update but I didn't get that chance.
 
One of my complaints about the Priority Current is it also ran out of gearing at higher speeds. I had my friend take the Current out and I rode the Vado next to it before changing the rear cog to the 22t. I was shocked to find that in the highest gear and in the Vado's case the slowest cadence that the Current was actually pedaling ever so slightly slower than the Vado. Now with the 22t on the Vado that is no longer the case. I am told that the Current has the smaller range Enviolo compared to the Vado but the lowest gear is much higher than low on the Vado. I wouldn't mind an even slower top cadence on the Vado but they don't make anything smaller than the 22t for the rear. I would have to increase the front "chain" ring from I believe 50t to 55t and likely replace the belt to something longer as well which would make for an expensive 10% less rpm. More of a problem is I believe it would screw up the speedometer, distance and range readings which I like to have correct and I am not sure Specialized is on board with this change or not. I would think that with a 22t-55t that you would still have plenty low enough gearing in some of the faster cadence settings to get up any hill in Turbo especially if you set your hub up to its lowest setting in the Enviolo app no ? Right now I am just enjoying the change to the 22t and loving the sound of that auto shifting so much and it is getting so cold out anyway.

It sounds like you have a 5 speed shimano nexus current not the enviolo? The shimano gearing "tops out" just below the vado. The enviolo on the current(s) I had I believe was identical to the one on the vado (enviolo n380 heavy duty, but may have been trekking). There is no question that my current had a higher top end (much higher). Or maybe priority made a spec change at some point.

I average 9-12% hills for 0.5-1.5 mile chunks. One of the reasons the vado seemed better I think *was* the lower gearing. While neither is a deal breaker in either direction, over time, as I adjusted to the crazy hills, I would definitely gravitate toward vado with 22/55.
 
I'm not a long term bicycle rider but fell in love with ebikes first time I tried one in MX on vacation. The Vado is actually my 5th ebike in one year. I currently also own a Trek Rail 9.7 full suspension emtb and a Priority Current which I shouldn't have bought but fell in love with the belt drive it has. So here's my experience with the Vado 5.0 igh. Test rode one and was so impressed with that auto shifting and belt drive combo. Couldn't find one my size locally and finally found a shop in CA willing to ship a large to Colorado but only to a Specialized dealer. Bike was assembled at the factory with a magnetic ring in the hub put in backwards and had to have a part replaced at my LBS. 2nd ride I get a flat rear tire.-not a great start but I am pretty sure there is a lot of potential here. I also notice as many others have mentioned that I run out of gearing at higher speeds with the igh. So here are the changes I have made.
.
(1) Replaced light weight balloon tires with Schwaulbe emtb plus touring tires: $175.00
(2) New ergon grips: $40.00
(3) Replace stock suspension post with Thudbuster ST-LT: $180/each
(4) Replace rear 24t cog with 22 t: $185

If you only count one of the Thudbusters as Canecreek would not take back the ST once it was installed that's $580 additional to a $5500 bike. One could argue it should have come with better tires and a higher gearing but all I know is these upgrades have really made this into a great bike. I am still checking out the Thudbuster LT and didn't care for the ST and am peaved at them as a company for their cheezy return policy so can't really recommend that product yet. I can't say enough about the Schwaulbe tires though which I can't seem to find an exact match for online as they were acquired by a local shop for me. I have used them offroad with great result, and they even do well in light snow but most importantly also roll quietly on pavement. I can now pretty much go wherever I want around the city and not worry about traction or flats anymore.

Now about that gearing. I believe Specialized should have shipped this bike with a 22 t rear cog instead of the 24t as it totally runs out of gearing at higher speeds in stock form even in the slowest cadence setting. With the 22t it rides like it should imo. Before changing the cog riding in the slowest cadence I was doing 71rpm at 20mph, 92rpm at 25mph, and about 100rpm at 28mph. I notice I don't care to regularly pedal at more than about 80 rpm. Now after the change I am at 64rpm at 20mph, 79rpm at 25mph, and about 90rpm at 28mph. I find that 25 mph is generally fast enough for me and meets my 80rpm preference and 64rpm for 20mph is very sweet and relaxing. The 90rpm is still awfully high but I don't need to go that fast for long periods of time. The cadence numbers might vary plus or minus an rpm or so but the change was totally worth it. The $185 my shop charged me included $50 to rerun the software so that the speedometer would read correctly. Some of the other cadence settings might now become more useful as before they were only used on very steep terrain or on trail riding.

One last thing is I would not buy any of the lower models if you like a full power ebike as the 5.0 is the only one with the highest torque numbers. There is a pretty steep gravel hill of about 200 yards near me and both my 54 lb Trek emtb which is made for climbing, as well as the 51 lb Priority Current can climb that hill at 18.5 mph while my new 61 lb Vado will only do it at about 17.5. Still it has plenty of power and is smoother than both of the others as well with no surging.

To sum up the Vado 5.0 igh cruising at full speed is not really different than any other class 3 ebike that could be acquired for quite a bit less money. It really comes into its own though when you are starting from a stop or any time you are changing speed like is so common in the city and that silky smooth shifting starts happening automatically. For comparison I recently rode a Trek Allant 8.0 with a 10 speed and it just felt so outdated. It certainly could get to 28 mph but I was clunking through that 10 speed 3 gears at a time and after the Vado experience it felt really quite annoying. My advice is make the change to your favorite heavier duty tires and change out the rear cog to the 22t and you will have something very special. Not sure I can ever go back to a derailer again.
I have the the same bike with the 24T cog, just curious did you ever try 28 mph with the fast cadence setting? A few weeks ago I did a 75 mile ride and had several chances to test it, on the slowest cadence there seems to be more load on the drivetrain ( us old folks call it lugging) so I found it difficult to get to 28mph, but on the fast+ settings, I could maintain the same exact speed/cadence as you are ( 28.4 at 92).
 
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