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specialized turbo vado 2.0 electric bike

specialized turbo vado

i have long thought that the electric bicycle, or e-bike was marketed to the wrong audience. pretty much all the cyclists i know use cycling either as a means of getting or keeping fit, or for more pro-active sporting endeavours. the notion that their velocipedes be augmented with a smidgeon of electrical power would rather undermine the inherent joy of the bicycle. advertising the e-bike to such an audience would surely be to miss the point?

better, it would appear, to aim all that copywriting at the moped market, those who look upon the bicycle as simply an alternative - albeit economic - means of commuting. aside from one or two drop-bar aberrations, that appears to be the more current thinking and probably not before time.

specialized turbo vado

nonetheless, i feel it's worth my pointing out that i do not consider myself in any way the sort of cyclist who might be thought of as an e-bike customer. however, in the interests of proving that assertion, even if only to myself, i was more than happy to accept an offer from the specialized bicycle company to conduct a review of their turbo vado e-bike. the model under consideration sits comfortably at the bottom of the specialized urban range web page, priced at £2,600 and available in both gents' and ladies' versions.

specialized turbo vado

like many e-bikes, the turbo vado employs the pedal-assist means of propulsion; to be ridiculously obvious, unless you actually pedal, the bike remains stationary. and unlike other models with which i have had brief dalliance, there is no 'throttle' that will enable the bike to travel independently of pedalling input.

unlike regular bicycles, an electric bicycle has arguably less need to proffer metallic or carbon resilience, the sort of spring in its step that excites the pedalling aficionado. because in an electrically powered bicycle, the principal impetus of movement arrives via the electric motor concealed (or otherwise) about its person. a previous experience of an electrically powered bicycle was on a faux mountain bike in which the motor was fitted to the rear wheel. the specialized turbo vado, more sensibly in my view, houses the 250w, belt-drive motor in what we once referred to as the bottom bracket. there, it is strategically placed not only to provide a sturdy centre of gravity, but also to provide the pedal assist that ensures the rider has to shoulder at least some of the effort.

specialized turbo vado

classified under the heading of urban e-bikes the vado's substantial frame is basically constructed from aluminium, though it features a healthy dollop of plastic within that colossal downtube (the word seems barely adequate) where the battery sits in silence. the top tube is heavily sloped towards the seatstays, joining each other at the top of a seat tube which kinks as it disappears inside the enormous bottom bracket region. those seatstays effectvely curve back towards the aforementioned bottom bracket, becoming chainstays in the process.

specialized turbo vado

the battery is built to slot (almost) seamlessly into its pre-ordained slot on the left side of the downtube, a construct the girth of which is cleverly diminished by a black-painted lower portion. in direct contrast to virtually every other bicycle in the wide specialized range, the manufacturer's name, often writ large, almost looks like an afterthought on the vado. built into the side of the tube is a key-operated lock designed to release the battery from the frame's grip, just ahead of the charging socket. the battery can be charged in situ, or when removed from the bicycle.

specialized turbo vado

there's a single chainring crank, married to a nine-speed shimano alivio rear dérailleur and 11-36 cassette. changing is managed by a rapid-fire, bar-mounted, right-hand alivio nine-speed gear changer. those gears help power a fairly substantially sized pair of thru-axle wheels, shod with trigger sport, 700 x47mm tyres. stopping is via a pair of tektro hydraulic disc brakes, with specialized's customary larger rotor (180mm) up front reducing to 160mm at the rear. the short stem grasps a 68cm wide handlebar, featuring a 15mm rise and swept back towards the rider. just a tad. the steel-railed specialized canopy sport saddle sits atop a black alloy two-bolt 31.8mm seatpost.

specialized turbo vado

the steel-steerer, front suspension fork is made by suntour, offering up to 50mm of travel and with a lockout dial on the rightmost fork leg, easily reachable while riding. for part of the review, i fitted a pair of crank bros. candy pedals, but in civilian mode, i rode a good few kilometres on the supplied resin platform pedals.

cut from the top of the downtube, between the battery and the head tube, is a shallow slot featuring the on-off button and five green leds displaying the level of battery charge. however, there is no need for the pilot to rely on those green lights to gauge how much power might be left in the tank, as such matters are more clearly handled by the bar mounted, lcd blok display. this slots into a custom bracket; should the display be removed from this housing, the motor is disabled.

specialized turbo vado

the default display shows the chosen power mode (there are three levels on offer, selected via a bar mounted switch), speed, remaining battery level, time of day and a switchable portion that provides trip distance/ride time/odometer, depending on rider choice. the country in which the vado is sold, decides on whether the motor support is either limited to a maximum of 25kph (pedelec), or 48kph (s-pedelec). in the uk, the former reigns. rather obviously, the bike can be ridden faster than 25kph, but from 26kph and above, the motor provides no assistance and you're on your own with that rather heavy (21kg) bike.

specialized turbo vado

going for a ride

after a slight delay, pressing the on/off button on the fuselage lights up the handlebar mounted display, at which point the vado is ready and willing to go. by default, two of the three available levels of motor assistance are engaged at this point; decreasing to one, or increasing to three is achieved by pressing either the + or - buttons on the left-side control switchgear. as a honed, self-respecting athlete, i was less than keen to engage anything above level one, relying on the nine-speed rear cassette to take care of pesky gradients.

however, it would be remiss of me in my position as reviewer to have avoided the two greater levels of support, so rest-assured, purely in the interests of scientific research, i tried the lot.

depending on your more regular style of riding, you might well find, as i did, that you exceed the maximum speed of motor support and end up riding faster than the limiter. this gives the effect of an independent braking system, holding you back with an unseen hand. in essence, so doing rather defeats the point of riding an electrically powered bicycle in the first place, becoming ultimately responsible for powering a heavy bicycle without assistance. therefore, it takes but a few kilometres to gain the mindset akin to that of a passenger, growing quickly accustomed to riding at 25kph no matter whether tail wind assisted or headwind hindered.

specialized turbo vado

in fact, that last statement is somewhat vacuous, for even when faced with a galeforce wind, it remains possible to continue unabated at 25kph, either by increasing the level of motor support, or simply pressing a tad harder on the pedals. the rapid-fire, nine-speed gear comes in remarkably handy as the terrain varies, though changing up the block was pretty fierce on occasion. of course, increasing the motor support drains the battery more quickly, a fact in itself that alters your behaviour as a cyclist.

the bar mounted display shows the graphic equivalent of an aa battery, split into five discrete levels. once the first level has been used up, i immediately became the e-bike equivalent of a clock-watcher, overly concerned that the second level would disappear before i wanted it to. when the third level disappears from view, all of the remaining bike ride is absorbed with mental calculations as to whether home could be reached before i was running on empty. for your information (admit it, you were wondering when i'd get round to it), at level one motor support, i reckoned to get around 15km per battery level, offering an effective range of 75km out and back. increasing the motor support tautologically reduces the bicycle's range.

specialized turbo vado

throughout the review period, i only ever depleted the battery to the point where two levels remained. however, restoring the charge took approximately five hours which, i must confess, was a bit longer than i'd expected.

the need for a key to remove the battery seems a sensible precaution, allaying fears that you might return to a batteryless bike if parked in town. however, i can't help thinking that specialized missed a trick by not having the key enable/disable the electrics entirely. thus, it would be necessary to insert and turn the key to enable the motor; taking the bicycle without a key would restrict any chance of a quick getaway. this might not prevent theft of an expensive bicycle, but it would surely throw another hurdle in the direction of a would-be thief?

specialized turbo vado

at one point during my reviewing schedule, i had need of undertaking a morning ride of 10km for a meeting. had i ridden my specialized 'cross bike - the more usual non e-bike choice - i fear i would have been a touch more perspirational on arrival than desired. riding the vado meant that i arrived, not only punctually, but as cool as the proverbial cucumber. used for its specified purpose as an urban e-bike, this facet of electric riding might well pay great dividends in a close-captioned office environment where the only heat might transpire from a charging battery.

specialized turbo vado

assuming either my calculations to be accurate or when closely proximitous to base, i occasionally switched the motor support up to level three at the foot of any untoward gradient. at such a point, the vado almost rode up the hill on its own and i tend to think this is the most sensible strategy to employ when riding to work, school or the shops. when the road's flat: level one. when the road slides minimally upwards: level two. when there's a real hill: level three. just remember to switch down to a more appropriate support level whenever possible to not only save the battery, but simultaneously indulge in a modest degree of exercise.

specialized turbo vado

after all, that's what cycling's really all about.

i'm not a fan of flat bars; i never have been. however, currently specialized do not offer an e-bike with drop bars (are you listening mr sinyard?), and it's possible that the average commuter is more comfortable with flat in any case. however, i cannot believe that mr average cycle commuter would be any happier with 68 centimetres of width than was i. there's a small gap in the wall leading to the washingmachinepost bikeshed and prior to riding through said gap, i always switched off the motor to allow unaided navigation via handlebars that were but a few centimetres narrower. navigating rush hour traffic would surely be an easier task with narrower bars?

specialized turbo vado

if this were my bike, i'd cut the bars down.

part of my disdain for flat bars revolves around the upright riding position engendered by such. though i doubt there are such severe headwinds in an urban setting, bolt upright is not the way to scrabble along uiskentuie strand in a stiff breeze. aside from which, sitting upright placed more weight on my posterior and the canopy saddle, centre slot notwithstanding, is not the most comfortable upon which i have ever placed my butt. however, the sturdy 47mm rubber fitted front and rear, ameliorated the sting in the tail to an impressive degree and certainly helped me float over the hundreds of potholes encountered over the course of a day.

in this, they were aided and abetted by those suspension forks on which i'd originally locked out the bounce, as any self-respecting roadie would. however, given the nature of the beast, i opted into the spring after only a few days; after all, it's a heavy bike. if you're going to spend more than £2,000, on a bicycle, it doesn't seem too wrong to use every potential advantage it provides.

specialized turbo vado

the substantial frame of the vado displays none of the ride properties to be found in such as a specialized crux, roubaix or venge, but then that's hardly the point. designed as a means of urban transport, it manages precisely what it says on the tin and does so remarkably well. however, given the difficulty of lifting it in and out of the bikeshed, you'd need either to live on the ground floor, or have somewhere to safely park it at street level. it would be naive to encapsulate the e-bike as the sole vision of the future, but it's definitely one particularly successful vision that offered a bit more fun than i'm currently willing to admit to.

specialized turbo vado 2.0

monday 4 june 2018

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................

reasons to be gearful

100 derailleurs

'bugsy' berndt was the guy's name. he was a bit taller than me and heading into second year when i arrived in first year. and he had a ten-speed racer; metallic green and red, though for the life of me, i cannot recall what name appeared on the downtube. far less cool, though possibly a tad more pragmatic, my own cycle-to-school transport was a green, raleigh twenty, the latter number referring to the wheel diameter. it could manage but three sturmey archer gears, though it did have mudguards, a hub dynamo and a tartan covered box that affixed to the rear rack and sported a carrying capacity that rivalled that of pickfords furniture removers.

100 derailleurs

a sensible bike.

not unnaturally, however, bugsy's ten-speed racer was an object of desire. while the yobbo kids would dismantle my front light, remove the cover from the tartan box and light matches in the ends of the bar grips, master berndt's bicycle was left well alone (though that could have been more as a result of his aggressive demeanour and muscular build).

when my brother commenced secondary school a couple of year's later, he owned a five-speed racer, two gears closer to bugsy's than my raleigh and but one less estrangement from coolness. when my father and i paid a visit to mr benzie's cycle shop in kyle street, (just past the library), to ask what would be the cost of acquiring ten gears for yours truly, he put paid to any further thoughts by warning that such explicit gearing systems were liable to drop the chain as quickly as you could say disraeli. distraught at this revelation, i plucked up the courage to ask andrew berndt (his 'real' name), if this was a malfeasance that plagued his commute to and from school, he simply grunted and shook his head.

100 derailleurs

many years later, as an independent and allegedly intelligent adult, i purchased my very own ten-speed racer, choosing to remain in the inner ring for weeks due to concern over what might happen to the system when shifting into the outer ring. did the rear dérailleur simply reset itself to first gear? was there any hitherto unknown incantation to be offered prior to flicking that downtube lever? there was, to be perfectly honest, only one way to find out.

yet even nowadays, when my gear changers are at my fingertips on the brake levers, there is no longer any need for careful adjudged shifting and at least two of my fellow pelotonese have electric buttons rather than levers, the actions of that rear dérailleur still seem close to magical. for the chain, comfortably in place over individual sprocket teeth, seems to offer little in the way of resistance to lateral movement, yet providing the average rider several more gear ratios than are truly necessary to get to and from school, work or the shops. try it for yourself; lean the bicycle against the coal bunker and prod at the chain's sideplates in a vain attempt to have it shift upwards to the next sprocket.

100 derailleurs

it simply doesn't work.

what on earth suggested, to the inventor of the bicycle rear dérailleur, that constructing a device capable of pushing that chain in either direction to achieve that which the prodding finger failed to realise, would end in success? it is truly one of the marvels of the velocipedinal universe, one that has played its part in more than a few remarkable race victories, all the while enduring endless variations and improvements encompassing electrons and even hydraulics.

if you've never ever stopped to think how such a simple mechanical principle has achieved so much in the last quarter century, perhaps it's time that you did. and should its fascination grab you every bit as much as it has yours truly, perhaps you might find solace, answers and maybe even a few more questions by attending mike sweatman's presentation, 'a history of the world in 100 dérailleurs' at the edinburgh festival of cycling held between 7 - 24 june.

100 derailleurs

mr sweatman is a co-founder of the edinburgh bicycle co-op and has an enviably large collection of dérailleurs, several of which he intends to bring along in person. the illustrated talk is being held in edinburgh's pleasance theatre, itself but a short cycle from waverley station, on sunday 10 june between 15:00 - 16:30. tickets at £11 each can be booked via the weblink below.

coincidentally enough, in later life, i found myself playing in the same band as 'bugsy' berndt, who, it transpired, was every bit as adept with four bass guitar strings as he was with ten gears. and nowhere near as belligerent as his reputation had suggested.

a history of the world in 100 dérailleurs | disraeli gears website

friday 1 june 2018

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................

why people do sh*t that sucks

project y

it will probably not surprise you to learn that the above heading was not originated within washingmachinepost croft. i am scarcely the sort of fellow that is seen to be so cavalier with the english language, but in the context of the following discourse, i feel it fair to say that 'i know a man who is.' that man, aided and abetted by kyle vonhoetzendorff, is the almost inevitable daniel wakefield pasley, he of manual for speed, yonder projects and now 'mythical state of' fame. dwp, were he not to exist, would probably have to be invented, though i fear there may be more than one or two dissenters from that assertion.

project y

five of the latter may just possibly be the subject athletes who (allegedly) willingly participated in project y, a reputedly serious, "feature-length science documentary about why people do shit that sucks within the context of the Dirty Kanza 200, the world's premiere gravel race." in partnership with specialized bicycles, clif bars, wahoo fitness "and several other concerned brands", kyle and daniel set out to scientifically discover how such a set of circumstances could come into being in the first place.

well, sort of.

project y

under the banner of project y, the documentary was produced in order to finally provide a salient answer to the question "Whats the deal with endeavours, sports and activities commonly referred to as Type 2 or 'Latent Fun'? according to mr pasley, they interviewed " Scientists, Rabbis, Nutritionists, Anthropologists, Jungian Dream Therapists, etc.", but mostly experimented with a control group of subject athletes (the possible dissenters mentioned above), while they trained for the aforementioned 'dirty kanza 200', an event promoted as the world's premier gravel race.

project y

sparing no expense while edging over budget and past deadlines to create this documentary, they tried every which way they could to figure out just why it is that people will undertake 'sh*t that sucks'. being less inclined to refer to everyone as 'dude', we'd probably rephrase that as 'physical activity that doesn't actually make sense'. having spent a substantial portion of their recent years carrying out this scientificness, daniel and kyle are now ready to share their world with our world.

project y

their intention is to release the movie for a three-day period commencing today until 2 june, when you, i and the rest of the known world will have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes, substantially adding to our collective knowledge and ultimately wondering why we bothered in the first place. but it is only right and proper that we give them a fair hearing; having known daniel since the early days of the original rapha continental and kyle since he was at chris king's in portland, well do i know of their earnest inquisitiveness and slightly off-kilter means of satisfying it.

their presentation of the facts may not adhere to the more traditional means of disseminating learned and hard-won information, but at one point in time, there was no such thing as traditional; everything was new and revolutionary. there's just an outside possibility that this is the next stage in the evolution of informational science. or not, as the case may be.

let's watch it and see.

project y movie

thursday 31 may 2018

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................

battle of the bing

battle of the bing

i am slightly annoyed with yours truly, regarding my attentiveness to the recently ended giro d'italia, the grand tour that, for me at least, trounces the other two. however, like many another cycling aficionado across the world, i found it hard to set aside an hour and a half every evening to watch eurosport's daily highlights programme, even when my pal brian smith was offering his considered opinion on the day's strategies. i did, however manage sufficient viewing time to keep abreast of the g.c. competition, though embarrassingly, only after simon yates was already in pink. imagine missing that.

it is but a matter of weeks since i presented myself as besotted with the spring classics, the early series of races with which i can more readily identify, if only on the basis of the prevailing weather conditions. if necessity truly is the mother of invention, then actually enjoying the weekly ploughing through galeforce wind and rain is surely manifest confirmation. but, though all too real at the time, those single-day events are but distant memories, supplanted by the stage races that inevitably lead towards the only bike race of which the girls in the office have ever heard.

the one featurng ned boulting's yellow jumper.

havng moaned about the comic's shameless promotion of their tour de france special when the giro was still very much to the forefront of our apprecation, there's little doubt that i will be offering several more victor meldrew-like comments on the ubiquity of a race that has, to all intents and purposes, become a self-fulfilling prophecy in the popularity stakes. and i have every intention of following previous years' modus operandi by making no mention of the yellow proceedings as they take place. (this is not arrogance or ignorance, but merely to offer a safe haven for those who feel they are surrounded by overwhelming jaune-ness; self included).

but, there are those possessed of a more refined perspective on velocipedinal life, those for whom the annual three weeks in july are but a hurdle to be leapt in the pursuit of less overtly commercial concerns. yes, indeed, i am once again talking about cyclocross, a genre of the sport that is usually kept under wraps until nearer the end of september. however, the intrepid fellows and fellowesses at west lothian cycle circuit are already on the pre-season ball (so to speak), promoting their battle of the bing cyclocross race to be held at broxburn united sports centre on 29 july.

yes, this particular date will allow all potential competitors to have watched every pedal stroke of froomey's attempt to equal marco's 1998 double, but it signals a more than welcome stretching of the 'cross season, conceivably bringing it to the attention of those who would usually hibernate once lombardy and paris-tours have taken place. and that can only be a good thing in my book.

with the full amenities of the sports centre made available on the day, including shower and café facilities, the main racing of the day will be open to men and women of 16 years and over. and as if one early season cyclocross race were scarcely sufficient, the battle of the bing offers a buy-one-get-one-free arrangement where competitors get two races for the price of one.

and not to ignore the cyclocross stars of tomorrow, there are free to enter kids' races; assuming the juniors (6-10 & 10-16) have a working bike and a helmet, the world is their oyster. with no entries allowed on the day and assuming your sporting appetite has been appropriately whetted, click the link below and your oyster too, can see the part of the world that is broxburn.

battle of the bing

wednesday 30 may 2018

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................

nothing's ever worse after a bike ride

a sunny day for a bike ride

i have joked for many a year about my long-held desire to become a consultant. even passive observation has determined that this breed of professional appears to have the freedom to dispense advice with little in the way of accountability, charging inordinate amounts of cash in the process. when it subsequently turns out the advice was well wide of the mark, it seems a simple matter of passing the onus onto the client on the basis that they were the ones who implemented those recommendations and are thus entirely to blame.

it appears that the ideal position to hold, one that i'm tempted to add to my already overloaded business card, would be that of knowledge management consultant, if only because it would be hard to prove that i wasn't. it encompasses a beautifully indefinable nomenclature that only just stops short of prevarication.

however, despite my humorous approach to consultancy as a career, towards the end of last year my wish almost came true when i was asked to offer my expert advice on a forthcoming publication. the basic terms of this advisory role revolved around a local education establishment compiling the contents, before committing them to paper and eventual publication. as one with recognised experience in the art of page layout, the game plan, as i understood it, was that i would stand idly, yet concentratedly by, while others pressed fingers to keyboards. i had intended to thoughtfully stroke my chin a few times in a sagely manner before pretending to offer a competent solution. and, should the end result resemble that of a dog's dinner, i would have walked away while muttering "my work here is done."

but, like the very best of modern fairytales, it didn't work out like that. instead of impersonating a languid - and languishing- consultant, guess who ended up as the keyboard finger presser? and, as with everything in this modern harum-scarum world, there is a deadline, one that has already insouciantly sneaked past, without so much as a by-your-leave. you may also recall that i earlier identified this project as one ultimately leading to publication, meaning that when my part of the equation is complete, there is a printing press ready and waiting to get started. thus, the longer it takes me to reach completion, the longer it will be before the book is in the shops.

and i get the distinct feeling that everyone's watching. just because i'm not paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get me.

during yesterday's blazingly warm may bank holiday, while distilleries were being visited, beaches were being sunbathed upon and motorhomes were being parked in places where motorhomes really shouldn't be parked, i was sat in front of a warm imac pressing keys to fill as many a4 pages as possible. however, this monologue is not designed to elicit waves of sympathy from those who spent the day in the saddle, grinning from ear to ear and wondering whether dumoulin should perhaps have given one more dig on that last climb. and seriously, had no-one actually recce'd the finishing circuit in rome before sunday, to evaluate it from a safety point of view?

perish the thought.

though i undoubtedly have you convinced as to the veracity of my stoic fortitude, a hardened individual no more inclined to acquiesce to the vicissitudes of adversity than chris froome is unlikely to look interminably at his handlebar stem, even i have limits. those limits were reached at around 3pm yesterday afternoon, when i closed up shop (so to speak), headed home to change into my secret identity and rescue the overly warm ritchey logic from the bikeshed.

the long stretch of road between blackrock/uiskentuie and foreland road end offered a beautiful, cooling breeze, removing all recall of a day spent screen watching. ultan coyle was right; nothing's ever worse after a bike ride.

tuesday 29 may 2018

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................