I recently purchased a Specialized Turbo Vado 5.0 IGH and thought I’d provide an early review in case anyone else is agonising over a purchase - it took me forever to decide on one.

For some context, I live in Australia, so in terms of legal options, bear in mind this will seem very tame compared to a lot of the bikes available to the US market. With some small caveats, legal e-bikes in Australia generally need to the 250w and with a top motor assisted speed of 25km/h (15.5mph). They also have no throttle. You can go quicker, will just be leg power after that.

Anyway, onto the review with that caveat upfront haha.

Thus far, I’ve ridden about 225km (140miles) so it’s still an early review.

Pros:

It’s incredibly smooth to ride, low noise, very smooth gear shifts (through an automatiq IGH) which allows you to set your preferred cadence and then delivers the ‘correct’ gear to keep you at that cadence. The automatic gear shift did take a little getting used to, although as I was a fixie rider for a long time, that probably has helped the transition. I’ve found it a really positive experience for commuting.

I’m enjoying the belt drive too, very quiet and in theory low maintenance (shall keep you posted as I rack up kms). Do keep in mind that a belt drive is a little less efficient than the traditional chain set up and so if you’re looking to break lap records or do races, it wouldn’t be your choice.

Granted, as per the earlier caveat about legalities in Australia, I think it has sufficient power and torque for my use case. I’m a commuter and it has handled urban traffic, quick from a stop, as well as all manner of hills. I’ve never felt like I needed any more (for my needs).

This could be considered a positive or a negative depending on your needs (and potentially your country haha) but for me, I enjoy the fact it’s a pedal assist set up. I get home having felt my legs have had a little of a workout, and the mid drive makes it feel similar to an acoustic bike, but, the assist means I tackle hills much easier and don’t arrive sweaty.

I’ve thus far also got great range out of the battery.

Cons:

For those in other markets that have different laws, the obvious con will be the power and speed limit. For me, no issue, the same as any other bike available here (legally). It’s definitely plenty for my need of commuting and basically looking for a similar experience to my old acoustic bike, just a little easier on my ageing body.

I will say I think the pedals are pretty atrocious for an expensive bike. I’ll definitely look to change those. Similarly, although not as bad, the grips aren’t fantastic but are good enough. I do think if you’re spending a reasonable amount like this bike, I think you shouldn’t need to change out components almost immediately. I’d like to think specialized will upgrade the pedals and grips at least for their next model.

Although largely being picky, I also think the cable management could be better at the stem (otherwise they are well hidden).

It’s also heavy, about 25kg, so that may be a consideration if you live anywhere where you need to take it up stairs.

Overall: As is probably obvious, I’m really enjoying the bike thus far. Has really brought a lot of fun back to cycling as I get older and is a great match for my use case. While there are some negatives, they are largely minor or cosmetic for me.

I’ll aim to update the review in a few months or so. I did consider, and test ride, a number of other bikes, so if you’re in Australia and looking for a legal pedal assist option, of course feel free to dm as there are some good options depending on your price range.

Happy riding to all :)