Vado SL tuning?

Stefan Mikes

Stefan Mikes

Gravel e-biker
Region
Europe
City
Mazovia, PL
Not that I would have to derestrict my future Vado SL. I could live with the 25 km/h speed limiter. The problem is that would eliminate me from most of traditional bike group rides. (A healthy person can easily pedal Vado SL at 27-28 km/h unassisted; due to my health issues I have to pedal motor-assisted).

Planet3 mechanical derestrictor is out of question because the maker says it would specifically not work for Vado SL.

Has anyone tried a dongle? Does a dongle for SL 1.1 motor exist?
 
@Stefan Mikes there are delimiting chips out there; i haven't personally tried one since my SL is class 3 US model, but reviews are positive. of course, be mindful of liability issues when riding on public infrastructure!

www.twowheelsempire.com

Levociraptor Gen1 E-BIKE TUNING KIT for BROSE Specialized Creo SL, Vado SL, Levo SL, Kenevo SL 2020-2023

Levociraptor Tuning Kit Compatible with all Brose Specialized 2019-2021 motor, for LEVO, KENEVO! The Levociraptor connects to your Levo/ Kenevo via the TCU and speed calibration within BLEvo app allows you to retain accuracy of speed and distance. From now on you will be able to ride even at a...
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Not an issue for me since I am in the US. But I was under the impression that Blevo could be used to derestrict. I remember I did change the wheel size a bit so that the Blevo odomer readings would match up with my garmin.
 
Nubnub said:
Not an issue for me since I am in the US. But I was under the impression that Blevo could be used to derestrict. I remember I did change the wheel size a bit so that the Blevo odomer readings would match up with my garmin.
Click to expand...
No no. BLEvo has the option to display correct speed and record correct distance despite of using a mechanical or other derestrictor that cheats the e-bike by giving incorrect speed.
 
Apart from the legal problem (this depends very much form your country) the SL delimiters seem also quite expensive. And I heard from other drives (not from SL yet, but that am be just to the small number), that they sometimes change the drive characteristics a lot. So yes, you have motor support over 25km/h, but very not very harmonic, not "in sync" with the rider/with you.
I may try it if I could do the change myself or for $30. So I don't mind if it doesn't work fine. But the price I've seen are mor about $200, plus intercontintental shipping and taxes/customs, so easily $300, quite a lot for a blind try...

Stefan Mikes said:
A healthy person can easily pedal Vado SL at 27-28 km/h unassisted; due to my health issues I have to pedal motor-assisted).
Click to expand...
I don't know why you have that thoughts or fear. If you say, you need to go faster/like with a 45km/h ebike, ok. But where's the relation to others and why is 25km/h so bad? A healthy race cyclist can also cycle 35 or 40km/h if it's flat. And? If the limit would be 32km/h you would complain as well I guess.
I sometime think myself about a 32 or 45km/h limited Creo. I would be faster and need less time of course. But with more battery consumption, less range and I don't think with so much more fun. I don't care about 3mph more in the flat I need the support uphill.
As I already said before, in a group over 25km/h you can ride in the slipstream as a slower rider.
And why do you want to buy such a dongle months before you get the SL? Why don't you first try it out when you have the bike. And if it's really not enough, you still can try the dongle.
 
jodi2 said:
If the limit would be 32km/h you would complain as well I guess.
Click to expand...
I would not. I need to ride up to 30 km/h because everybody in the group would forgive me the pace but 25 is out of question. Of course, I can ride my S-Vado on group rides. (We are not talking about competing cyclists on my group rides).

I have good experience with a German company selling tuning chips. My Trance E+ rides like a marvel with VolSpeed V2. Actually my brother Jacek tends not to derestrict the e-MTB because he is strong and wants to do even very long rides on a single battery. So he often rides past the limiter, with the motor automatically OFF. I cannot.

The German company would refund money in case the chip couldn't be used. I can instantly see the problem with PearTune: too short cables.

Regarding the SL purchase: I'm buying Vado SL 4.0 EQ (High-Step, Size M, color Dove Gray) on the coming Thursday :) Why wait? I need to give myself a birthday present, as I'm turning 60 on July 22nd, 2021 :D
 
Stefan Mikes said:
I would not. I need to ride up to 30 km/h because everybody in the group would forgive me the pace but 25 is out of question. Of course, I can ride my S-Vado on group rides. (We are not talking about competing cyclists on my group rides).

I have good experience with a German company selling tuning chips. My Trance E+ rides like a marvel with VolSpeed V2. Actually my brother Jacek tends not to derestrict the e-MTB because he is strong and wants to do even very long rides on a single battery. So he often rides past the limiter, with the motor automatically OFF. I cannot.

The German company would refund money in case the chip couldn't be used. I can instantly see the problem with PearTune: too short cables.

Regarding the SL purchase: I'm buying Vado SL 4.0 EQ (High-Step, Size M, color Dove Gray) on the coming Thursday :) Why wait? I need to give myself a birthday present, as I'm turning 60 on July 22nd, 2021 :D
Click to expand...
Happy 59th (recursive) birthday. It seems like you may have gotten a bit younger this year.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
I would not. I need to ride up to 30 km/h because everybody in the group would forgive me the pace but 25 is out of question. Of course, I can ride my S-Vado on group rides. (We are not talking about competing cyclists on my group rides).

I have good experience with a German company selling tuning chips. My Trance E+ rides like a marvel with VolSpeed V2. Actually my brother Jacek tends not to derestrict the e-MTB because he is strong and wants to do even very long rides on a single battery. So he often rides past the limiter, with the motor automatically OFF. I cannot.

The German company would refund money in case the chip couldn't be used. I can instantly see the problem with PearTune: too short cables.

Regarding the SL purchase: I'm buying Vado SL 4.0 EQ (High-Step, Size M, color Dove Gray) on the coming Thursday :) Why wait? I need to give myself a birthday present, as I'm turning 60 on July 22nd, 2021 :D
Click to expand...
I am glad we don't have problems with speed that limited.

Happy BIRTHDAY in advance. Oh, to be 60 again!!! :)
 
Congratulations on your birthday and your new ride.

A version of the Levo which I was interested in was offered in white in the EU but not in the USA. Too bad as I really liked it in white. Maybe the dove gray is the same way, it will look great in the photos you undoubtedly will share.

It's the reverse of your problem, I want the EU color, you want the US speed. :)

Do you plan to lengthen the PearTune cables or go another route?

I watched some of the video regarding the Planet3 compatibility with the Vado SL, I was tired and not very attentive, but it seemed there are some parts for the axle, or perhaps replacing the axle (which is admittedly a hassle) which can make it work?

25km/hr is draconian when a person pays that much for a bike which is inherently capable of more and most regular bikes are ridden above that speed fairly often by any enthusiastic cyclist.
 
Scott,

Regarding the colour, the Dove Gray is not indeed that bad :)

1624071898601.png


There is a demo V SL 4.0 (non-EQ) in the store, and its colour (Crimson Red Tint) feels repulsive to me :)

What really matters to me is the SL is so lightweight that it would probably become my everyday e-bike. Since the moment I had to move to a block of flats, carrying a 26 kg traditional e-bike up three flights of stairs started to be an ordeal to me. The SL can be just carried in one hand, making it so easy to use as a trad bike: No more lengthy preparations to just ride out anymore! And the integrated battery (paradoxically) would make life easier.

Taking into account I already own as many as three >25 km/h e-bikes, the SL doesn't necessarily need to be fast. For instance, I might store other e-bikes in the cellar of my old house and just ride up there with SL to swap for a faster e-bike for a long fast trip. Also, I feel a seasoned e-biker now; I'm am not such an e-bike nerd as I used to be in the past; I feel more pleasure from just riding than doing it fast. The group rides would be proper application for, say, my full Speed Vado.

De-restricting the diamond-frame Vado SL might be very difficult. As you say Scott, it would require lengthening of the chip cables and extremely difficult routing them. Should I need that hassle? Not necessarily. Technically speaking, tuning the motor with Mission Control or BLEvo should provide as much of assistance to me as to ride close to 25 km/h: the average speed might be not that hopeless. One more strong point of the SL: In case of sudden need of getting at 28-30 km/h (to overtake a slow cyclist), I am still able to pedal past the speed limiter (and that's so great with SL e-bikes!)

Now I think I need to ride for some 1000 km with unmodified SL to understand the bike better :)
 
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