SpeccyLeccy
New Member
- Region
- United Kingdom
I've had the Vado SL 5.0 non-EQ for a few months now, great bike, but I hadn't appreciated the high cost of 12 speed Shimano parts, so I have just downgraded to 10 speed.
Why do that when I have purchase such a high spec bike?! Well, I am used to buying 9 speed parts that are a fraction of the cost of 12 speed parts, even with the lower spec Deore range that has been released. Also, I found the small 10T cog was so small that I never used it, I guess I don't have the legs to push that gear!
The small matter of swapping the Micro Spline freehub body for a 9-11 speed Shimano body? The Bear Pawls website suggested their hub parts were interchangeable. Specialized Rider Care weren't 100% sure, but advised the freehub body would probably be Specialized part number: S202100004 / Bear Pawls part number: BMB-00412O1A. I ordered one from Certini (the only place I could find one in stock in the UK (Rider Care had advised that Specialized UK were out of stock at the time, probably at least for a couple of months, so no point in speaking to my local dealer)).
Swapping the freehub body was easy, pulled the Micro Spline one off by hand and pushed the new 9-11 speed one back on in it's place, simple.
What to replace the 12 speed with? As the plan was for economic replacement parts, it was a compromise between the number of gears versus cost. 11 speed would have cost more, but would have given a wider spread of gears. I still have a manual bike MTB running SRAM 9 speed, so I am used to having fewer gears. Yes, the 12 speed was very slick and I did notice a big difference switching between the two bikes. However I was often changing at least 2 gears at a time on the Vado for the level of gear change my legs were used to.
After a lot of deliberation, what I ended up going for is the new-ish Microshift Advent X groupset. 1x10 speed designed around a 11-48 cassette, with their specific rear derailleur and shifter. They don't make their own chains and say that any brand will work, but recommend KMC.
Before deciding to jump to the 10 speed I'd already purchased a 38T chainring to replace the 44T stock one, that was based on what a couple of others on this forum had done.
I've only done on 20 mile road ride so far with the new gearing, but found the new range of gears were working well and it is quite hilly where I live. I did not have any problems of running out of gears, I think I was doing around 25mph at 90rpm downhill, and now have a wider gear range for going up the steep hills. I am happy with the quality of the parts. Yes, the gear changes are a bit clunky compared to the slick Shimano 12 speed, but no worse than my other bike with the SRAM 9 spd.
If any SL 4.0 owners in the UK (with deeper pockets than me) fancy seeing if the Micro Spline freehub body fits their hub, or any 5.0 owners are needing a replacement / spare, then here is a cheeky link to my old freehub body that is on Ebay...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284393236932?hash=item42372869c4:g:8qwAAOSwYUJhBvAm
Why do that when I have purchase such a high spec bike?! Well, I am used to buying 9 speed parts that are a fraction of the cost of 12 speed parts, even with the lower spec Deore range that has been released. Also, I found the small 10T cog was so small that I never used it, I guess I don't have the legs to push that gear!
The small matter of swapping the Micro Spline freehub body for a 9-11 speed Shimano body? The Bear Pawls website suggested their hub parts were interchangeable. Specialized Rider Care weren't 100% sure, but advised the freehub body would probably be Specialized part number: S202100004 / Bear Pawls part number: BMB-00412O1A. I ordered one from Certini (the only place I could find one in stock in the UK (Rider Care had advised that Specialized UK were out of stock at the time, probably at least for a couple of months, so no point in speaking to my local dealer)).
Swapping the freehub body was easy, pulled the Micro Spline one off by hand and pushed the new 9-11 speed one back on in it's place, simple.
What to replace the 12 speed with? As the plan was for economic replacement parts, it was a compromise between the number of gears versus cost. 11 speed would have cost more, but would have given a wider spread of gears. I still have a manual bike MTB running SRAM 9 speed, so I am used to having fewer gears. Yes, the 12 speed was very slick and I did notice a big difference switching between the two bikes. However I was often changing at least 2 gears at a time on the Vado for the level of gear change my legs were used to.
After a lot of deliberation, what I ended up going for is the new-ish Microshift Advent X groupset. 1x10 speed designed around a 11-48 cassette, with their specific rear derailleur and shifter. They don't make their own chains and say that any brand will work, but recommend KMC.
Before deciding to jump to the 10 speed I'd already purchased a 38T chainring to replace the 44T stock one, that was based on what a couple of others on this forum had done.
I've only done on 20 mile road ride so far with the new gearing, but found the new range of gears were working well and it is quite hilly where I live. I did not have any problems of running out of gears, I think I was doing around 25mph at 90rpm downhill, and now have a wider gear range for going up the steep hills. I am happy with the quality of the parts. Yes, the gear changes are a bit clunky compared to the slick Shimano 12 speed, but no worse than my other bike with the SRAM 9 spd.
If any SL 4.0 owners in the UK (with deeper pockets than me) fancy seeing if the Micro Spline freehub body fits their hub, or any 5.0 owners are needing a replacement / spare, then here is a cheeky link to my old freehub body that is on Ebay...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284393236932?hash=item42372869c4:g:8qwAAOSwYUJhBvAm
It does look smart, but not in a flashy way, quite understated. I did not want the EQ version as a friend has a Vado and I'd seen that the pannier rack is quite small and doesn't suit their bag, so I wouldn't have used it, I have fitted 3rd party mudguards though as the bike is mainly for commuting.
) I would have done the same as you and gone for the 4.0 with plans to upgrade certain parts. I almost cancelled the order on the 5.0 once I'd discovered details of the Redshift stem, but by that time I'd already been waiting for months and suddenly the bike finally arrived into the dealer anyway. If I was buying again I'd definitely get the 4.0. 
