Vado/Creo Q-factor

[TurboTed]

Some of the reviews I've read suggest the q-factor (distance between left and right crank) on the Creo at 181 mm will be an issue for some riders coming from an acoustic road bike at around 140 mm. I've been worrying about this while awaiting my Creo delivery in November and it occurred to me today as I was riding my Vado that the q-factor for it is likely similar to the Creo and, if so, will not be unfamiliar to me. I use clipless pedals on my Vado and my acoustic bike.

I can't find a published q-factor for the Vado and I'm not sure about how I would go about measuring it accurately on my own bike. Anyone have information on what the spec is or a method for accurately determining a bike's q-factor?

 

[Sierratim]

This post by Court quotes the Brose motor q-factor as 179mm. This post also by Court discusses q-factor in more detail.

Measuring the q-factor can be difficult without special tools. If I were to do it in my home shop I'd mount my bike in the work stand by its seat post. With the cranks vertical I'd drop a plumbob down from the face of each crank arm marking their positions on a piece of paper taped to the floor. The distance between the marks is the q-factor.

 

[Captain Slow]

I've got a Creo and a carbon road bike, I don't notice the difference in Q factor between the two.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I agree with Sierratim. I've made a quick measurement. While the approximate Q-factor for a traditional type of e-bike (the hub-motor one) is around 140 mm, the Q-factor for my Vado 5.0 is approximately 180 mm. However, Creo has a completely different motor from Mahle!

 

[TurboTed]

Thank you for the replies everyone. The links you provided were very informative, Sierratim and real world experience is always good, Captain Slow. Given the constraints dictated by the bottom bracket motor it's no surprise that Q-factors for them are increased over what has been 'normal' but there appear to be no major consequences.

 

[Captain Slow]

For me the biggest consequence of the bigger Q factor is that the Creo is single ring. While I'm fine with that on my MTB, on a road bike I don't like it. I'm hoping future improvements shrink the motor so it's narrower and they provide a 2X set up.