Vado touring?

[Nxkharra]

With California's stay at home order still in effect I find that I have too much time on my hands. The Spring weather is finally making its way up the Sierras so more riding, but I have had had time to checkout a couple more items for our touring kit. Here's one:

Planet Bike Dial Pressure Gauge

An old school pressure gauge with a quality feel. Soild and heavy for its size. Agrees well with my Topeak electronic gauge to ~1 psi. Best of all, no batteries or recharging needed, ever! Ah, the good ole days (my sons still laugh at my battery free calculator, a Post Versalog slide rule).

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Why a pressure gauge for touring? Neither my CO2 inflator nor hand pump have pressure gauges. My preferred fill for a trail side repair is CO2, it's just faster on a hot day. Tubes do lose pressure quite a bit faster with CO2 so our normal practice is to stop at a gas station and refill the tire with good ole air as the first opprotunity. I want to be sure to not over inflate so hence a gauge.

I actually get less air loss with this gauge than with my Topeak electronic. Like an electronic gauge, it holds the pressure reading until you press the reset button. Handy for readings in awkward or low light conditions. I find the white dial very easy to read. The manufacturer states that the dial has a 'crystal lens'. I can't confirm this, but it doesn't feel like plastic.

View attachment 50845

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It works with Schrader or Presta valves. A brass threaded adapter is included for Presta valves. The dial gauge goes to 140psi / 10bar.

All in all, a solid addition to out kit.

$18

SKU 1029

Also available as a fat tire bike gauge with a max 15psi range, SKU 1027

Again, thanks to Mr. Coffee's post at https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/tools-for-field-repairs.32350/ for some new ideas.

What is the weight of your stuff to carry as of now?

 

[Sierratim]

What is the weight of your stuff to carry as of now?

Total weight for panniers & bags, clothes, water, snacks, and pieces and parts for repairs should be comfortably under 50lbs, about what what I would carry as a (much) younger backpacker. We'll be credit card touring so no sleeping bags or pads, cook gear, etc. With the continuing stay at home order our schedule is slipping so we're still a bit away from final weigh-in.

Are you asking just about the pieces and parts stuff? I could weigh that and report back.

 

[Nxkharra]

Total weight for panniers & bags, clothes, water, snacks, and pieces and parts for repairs should be comfortably under 50lbs, about what what I would carry as a (much) younger backpacker. We'll be credit card touring so no sleeping bags or pads, cook gear, etc. With the continuing stay at home order our schedule is slipping so we're still a bit away from final weigh-in.

Are you asking just about the pieces and parts stuff? I could weigh that and report back.

You answered the question. So total weight that Vado would carry is about 50lbs? Plus you?

 

[Sierratim]

Correct.

 

[Sierratim]

The Vado's Racktime rack has a manufacturer's weight limit of 22Kg or ~45lbs, a bit lower than an average rack but I was willing to live with it considering the bike's other advantages. I was doing some searching re loading bikes for touring and found the attached 2018 Specialized manual addebdum; Rider/Bike Weight Limits and Terrain Conditions. It's intended as an addendum to their general bike manual. It is not available on the 2020 model year pages. I'm not aware of any structural changes to the Vado frame since 2018 so I'm using this as a guide to loading my 2020 Vado.

This addendum provides specifics on the "structural weight limit" for each model which is defined as "rider weight + cargo weight". Each model is also categorized by riding style. The Vado is detailed on page 3 with the specs summarized on page 9.

As my LBS quoted, the Vado is rated for a total (structural) load limit of 300lbs. Surprisingly the Vado cargo rack has a load limit of 33lbs, well below the Racktime rating of 45lbs. This puts a bit of a crimp in our plans with an anticipated cargo load of 50lbs I think we can still make it work by being sure we distribute cargo to other areas.

I know I've shared my reservations re the Vado rack on other threads. This just adds to my lack of enthusiasm.

 

[PaD]

The Vado's Racktime rack has a manufacturer's weight limit of 22Kg or ~45lbs, a bit lower than an average rack but I was willing to live with it considering the bike's other advantages. I was doing some searching re loading bikes for touring and found the attached 2018 Specialized manual addebdum; Rider/Bike Weight Limits and Terrain Conditions. It's intended as an addendum to their general bike manual. It is not available on the 2020 model year pages. I'm not aware of any structural changes to the Vado frame since 2018 so I'm using this as a guide to loading my 2020 Vado.

This addendum provides specifics on the "structural weight limit" for each model which is defined as "rider weight + cargo weight". Each model is also categorized by riding style. The Vado is detailed on page 3 with the specs summarized on page 9.

As my LBS quoted, the Vado is rated for a total (structural) load limit of 300lbs. Surprisingly the Vado cargo rack has a load limit of 33lbs, well below the Racktime rating of 45lbs. This puts a bit of a crimp in our plans with an anticipated cargo load of 50lbs I think we can still make it work by being sure we distribute cargo to other areas.

I know I've shared my reservations re the Vado rack on other threads. This just adds to my lack of enthusiasm.

Just to make things more confusing
The Racktime rear rack on my 2020 Vado 5 is stamped - max load 20kg. ( = 44lbs)

 

[Sierratim]

Just to make things more confusing
The Racktime rear rack on my 2020 Vado 5 is stamped - max load 20kg. ( = 44lbs)

Right! My point exactly.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

(Mine is rated for 22 kg).