My New Grocery-Getter

DaveC

Industry Expert
Nov 16, 2014
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I've been considering the purchase of a small car, possibly an EV, to do some errands around town. I just got an ebike, a Specialized Turbo Vado 4, and thought I'd share it here as it's a great alternative to a car for some uses. I live in Boulder County, CO, which is on the Front Range and traffic is getting to be an issue. We have a lot of greenways with bike paths, and towns in Boulder County often have bike paths and routes in between them. This makes using a bike practical, you can get many places without sharing a road with cars for most of the trip.

An ebike makes biking more practical as well, the time to get somewhere is about half of regular bike and effort is up to 1/4, the bike will multiply your efforts by up to 4x. It will assist your pedaling efforts up to 28 mph as well. This also means you can accelerate much faster than a normal bike, which makes it easy to simply take a lane in urban traffic without annoying the vehicles behind you.

The bike comes with an app and a dashboard, which can be customized, and it can do over the air updates and upgrades just like a Tesla. The app can also lock the motor and set an alarm.

This is a great option for transportation that can play a big role in reducing carbon emissions and environmental impacts of both ICE and EV cars. The battery is only a few lbs and the total vehicle weight is about 50 lbs. It's also great fun to ride, and if you do want a workout assist levels can be changed. If you want less than 4x assist you can choose exactly how much. If anyone has been considering an ebike, I'd say go for it, and if you're not aware of how awesome modern ebikes are, now you know a little more and maybe would consider one. It's so much better than sitting in traffic!



 

rando

Well-Known Member
Sep 22, 2019
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Congrats Dave, now put the most puncture proof tires you find on there. You'll regret every mile a little more, but you'll not regret every minute spent dealing with the alternative outcome.

Haha, don't break your bike stand with it either.
 
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DaveC

Industry Expert
Nov 16, 2014
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Congrats Dave, now put the most puncture proof tires you find on there. You'll regret every mile a little more, but you'll not regret every minute spent dealing with the alternative outcome.

Haha, don't break your bike stand with it either.

Thanks! I've run Specialized Armadillo tires on my town bike for the last ~20 years, never got a flat. The Pathfinder Sport tires on this bike are really nice semi-slicks in 27.5 x 2.3. About half of the bike paths in the area are crushed gravel, the tires work great on this surface as well as pavement.

Good point on the bike stand, the portable Ultimate stand I have probably would break if I tried to put this thing on it!

Awesome!! The wife and I just got RAD Power bikes and we love them!

Enjoy!!

Nice, RAD bikes are getting really popular and offer a great value. Good choice!
 

Addicted to hifi

VIP/Donor
Sep 8, 2020
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Australia
I've been considering the purchase of a small car, possibly an EV, to do some errands around town. I just got an ebike, a Specialized Turbo Vado 4, and thought I'd share it here as it's a great alternative to a car for some uses. I live in Boulder County, CO, which is on the Front Range and traffic is getting to be an issue. We have a lot of greenways with bike paths, and towns in Boulder County often have bike paths and routes in between them. This makes using a bike practical, you can get many places without sharing a road with cars for most of the trip.

An ebike makes biking more practical as well, the time to get somewhere is about half of regular bike and effort is up to 1/4, the bike will multiply your efforts by up to 4x. It will assist your pedaling efforts up to 28 mph as well. This also means you can accelerate much faster than a normal bike, which makes it easy to simply take a lane in urban traffic without annoying the vehicles behind you.

The bike comes with an app and a dashboard, which can be customized, and it can do over the air updates and upgrades just like a Tesla. The app can also lock the motor and set an alarm.

This is a great option for transportation that can play a big role in reducing carbon emissions and environmental impacts of both ICE and EV cars. The battery is only a few lbs and the total vehicle weight is about 50 lbs. It's also great fun to ride, and if you do want a workout assist levels can be changed. If you want less than 4x assist you can choose exactly how much. If anyone has been considering an ebike, I'd say go for it, and if you're not aware of how awesome modern ebikes are, now you know a little more and maybe would consider one. It's so much better than sitting in traffic!



Great way to keep fit.
 

Tuckia

Well-Known Member
Jun 3, 2019
471
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Looks like fun. Can it power wheelie?
 
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DaveC

Industry Expert
Nov 16, 2014
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Looks like fun. Can it power wheelie?

I'm sure it can, but I'm not sure I'll ever try it. I can wheelie my mt bikes poorly, maybe 5-6 pedal strokes. The Turbo Vado is pretty heavy and has long chainstays but the extra power would make up for it...

It is a lot of fun though, and a nice change from driving. It's surprising how quickly you can cover ground on this thing, no red lights and very little traffic on bike paths! :)
 

MtnHam

Industry Expert
Jan 12, 2014
275
50
335
Nothern California Wine Country
I've been using an e-bike for almost all my inner city (San Francisco) transport for 5 years. I can ride almost anywhere in town in 20 minutes- quicker than driving; dedicated bike lanes and free parking are everywhere. The hills of SF are a are a pleasure- I often ride up to Twin Peaks just for the fun of it. My daily ride down Market Street to the Ferry Building connects me with SF's past. Watch this wonderful 1906 video:
As of this year they have banned automobiles (Taxicabs exempted) on Market Street, so it's even calmer.

A good rack with panniers and a back pack allow for carrying considerable cargo.
 
Last edited:

Addicted to hifi

VIP/Donor
Sep 8, 2020
4,610
2,039
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Australia
I've been using an e-bike for almost all my inner city (San Francisco) transport for 5 years. I can ride almost anywhere in town in 20 minutes- quicker than driving; dedicated bike lanes and free parking are everywhere. The hills of SF are a are a pleasure- I often ride up to Twin Peaks just for the fun of it. My daily ride down Market Street to the Ferry Building connects me with SF's past. Watch this wonderful 1906 video:
As of this year they have banned automobiles (Taxicabs exempted) on Market Street, so it's even calmer.

A good rack with panniers and a back pack allow for carrying considerable cargo.
its good to c how the world once was.
 

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