My New Commuter and Family E-Bike: Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0 Step-Through EQ Review

[@BestSideCycling]

What do you think of the bike? What do you think of e-bikes in general? Would you get or use a bike like this?

[@SeattleBMXer]

@@BestSideCycling Absolutely right now looking at the Velotric Summit 1 and Troxus Lynx Plus very nice bikes , the Vado looks real nice but too expensive. I would rather get 2 so I can ride with a friend.🙂

[@SeattleBMXer]

Good job!! New subscriber!! And I enjoy your commuting to Seattle videos!!❤❤❤

[@allanohlsen7729]

Nice review. To me, not getting too sweaty is the best selling point for a commuter ebike.

[@BestSideCycling]

Very true, the affordance to just ride complete chill is super nice too!

[@roblebeau7169]

Enjoying your content 🙏 I built a mid drive bafang Rockhopper, commuting from Maple Valley into Renton, mix of hard pack gravel, paved trail and a little city riding. 38 mi round trip and the ebike really makes this a great ride under a hour commute.

[@merson812]

Good video, very informative. Thank you.

[@BestSideCycling]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@sklegg]

That traffic on the Jose Rizal bridge! 🤣 It's a great looking bike, though. If I had a commute I would seriously consider this one.

[@BestSideCycling]

Lots of traffic-skipping featured in this video and in my daily commutes! Yeah it's been fantastic to use so far with all our good weather.

[@readyplayer2]

I love my Haibike trekking / commuter class 1 e-bike, it’s my ride of choice for my 18 mile round trip commute downtown. This Specialized bike looks great and stealthy with the concealed battery but that does mean that charging is more of a pain vs older external frame mounted batteries like mine (very similar to the Bosch and Shimano down tube styles) that comes inside easily for charging and storage while the bike remains at a rack or in my garage at home. I also like that you have multiple water cage bosses. I use a “feed bag” strapped to my stem and handlebar to hold a water bottle, snacks, keys, etc. Highly recommend for a second water bottle and to be able to empty your pockets while riding.

[@czarinapiebaker2139]

Great!! I do want to pedal too! ❤️❤️❤️

[@tonytigerking]

Not a bad choice for commute and running errands in the neighborhood, to be honest…I’ve always find it ridiculous to have to drive a 3 tons SUV just to get some groceries from local supermarket that’s only about 2-3 miles away.

[@BestSideCycling]

Bromptons are perfect for this!

[@tonytigerking]

Yeah…but I don’t feel like going up the hill on MI with a Beomotons 😅

[@kapponeification]

I have the same bike and I love it! When you bought your racktime basket, did you choose the snap it 1 or snap 2 system? Which one is the right fit for this rack? Thank you.

[@jimbo4203]

I have over 2000 mi on my Turbo Vado SL 4.0 and I love it , I just did a video of me putting on new gravel tires on my channel

[@SeattleBMXer]

I've seen your channel and enjoyed your video with your Turbo Vado with wider tires!!❤❤❤

[@jimbo4203]

@SeattleBMXer cool 😎 it's a fun time

[@mattkeller5388]

I am looking at one of these for a similar use case, shared between myself (6’) and wife (5’6). Any advice on frame sizing?

[@bogenskm]

Hi I’m also in Seattle and looking for a commuter bike. How do you like this on hills? My office doesn’t have a shower so coming in with the least amount of sweat is a priority haha

[@BestSideCycling]

This bike will definitely help smooth out the hills and there's ample gearing to make sure you won't need to sweat for majority of gradients. Though I'll say, this bike model in particular prioritizes being lightweight and you'll still need to put in some effort. There's the heavier version (Turbo Vado) which gives 4X power which basically makes hills feel like nothing if that's more what you're looking for too!

[@bogenskm]

@@BestSideCyclingthanks so much for the quick response! I like the idea of a lighter bike which is why I was drawn to this one. As someone new to e-bikes your response was super helpful in understanding the differences between the two models.

[@BestSideCycling]

@@bogenskm there's lots more stock nowadays so give it a test ride at like Greggs cycles! There's a couple hills right near the Green lake location to try out :) hope to see you out there riding

[@czarinapiebaker2139]

May I turn on assist while pedaling up already?

[@BestSideCycling]

Yes you can change the assist level any time.

[@czarinapiebaker2139]

@@BestSideCycling thank you! Looking at a pre-owned specialize walk through bike. Just got anxious seeing posts about warning people about e-bikes.

[@IsItTrueThat]

Great content and video. Couple of questions. How long does the recharging take? How long does the charge last you on the commute. Does the charging cord stay with the bike? Very interested in an ebike to allow a slower rider keep pace with a faster rider. You showed that functionality, but could you expand a bit? Can your spouse keep up with you on rides but still give her a workout as well?

[@jimbo4203]

Mine takes about 3 hours to charge and it depends on what power setting and how much you weigh how hilly etc... for how long the battery lasts

[@IsItTrueThat]

@@jimbo4203 Thanks!

[@jimbo4203]

No problem , I've gone 35 mi on mine using full power on all the hills and still had 2 bars left

[@czarinapiebaker2139]

Can I use it for uphill?

[@BestSideCycling]

Hundred percent! It will definitely help and the bike has ample gears to choose

[@craigconway9930]

Hey have you had any problem with rear casset durability on your ebike? I'm having trouble on my cannondal ebike and wondering if specialized has a better drivetrain setup or not? Mine failed after only 400 miles!

[@BestSideCycling]

None of the sort yet! What kind of issues did you have

[@craigconway9930]

@@BestSideCycling My cannondale neo tesoro X speed chewed up the rear 12th and 11th gears within 400 miles. $150 to replace which is more expensive than gas... dollars to replace after a month.

[@jakelondon]

Jose Rizal Bridge!

[@BestSideCycling]

Such is a Seattle commuting classic.