I have now done several rides that I normally would not have tried due to the very large hills. I am 6'4" 235 lbs and this bike kept me moving rapidly up the hills. My biggest concern was battery life since I am a lot heavier than most people. A couple of weeks ago I rode 20 miles with 8 large hills in the ride. I used only half the battery, so I think the battery can easily go 40 miles even with my weight. I can ride the flats and down hills with no assist and it pretty much feels like a regular bike. I can also take my bike up and down the basement steps with no issue, but my wife's bike (Canyon PrecedeON 5) is too heavy. So, I gave up some power going with a specialized bike instead of a Canyon, but the lighter weight is much better than riding something that feels like a heavy moped. Great bike - I highly recommend it.

I've been riding the bike for 3 months now and have put around 750 miles onto it. The good: It is a fun ride and feels like a regular bike. The motor is smooth and provides an even level of assist. The front headlight is bright. The battery indicator is intuitive and it is easy to change the assist levels. The bad: The wire harness for the rear light was designed incompetently and got cut when I ran over some pebbles that got pulled into the mudguard. It is an expensive fix, and I'm sure it will keep happening, so I no longer have a taillight. In my first 6 weeks I got 3 flats. I upgraded to heavier duty tires and have stopped getting flats. I weigh around 200 lbs and get about 15 miles of range at max assist. If I have a headwind on my commute the range is reduced to around 12 miles. For its price I expected a lot more, especially given the quality of the Specialized brand and the other bikes I have purchased from them. I would not buy this bike again.

As a road cyclist/duathlete I always saw ebikes as sacrilegious. I started bike commuting, loved it, but realized that the Seattle hills were hard enough to discourage me from doing it as much as I wanted. I bought this bike because my commute involves 1,000' of vert and I wanted my energy to be saved for my actual workouts. This fits the bill. It's not a weekend cruiser. It's a tool to make my commute easier on my body so I will actually ride to work more often and still have plenty of energy to hit it hard at the gym or running or cycling afterwards. The bike is light enough to carry up the stairs to my office. I use the assistance on hills up to a 12% grade and they are totally doable. I've test ridden lots of other ebikes and this one is the right tool for me because it is agile, light, feels like a real bike, and gets me up the hills without destroying me in the process.

I have owned my Vado SL 4.0 EQ for 2 years and 3 months now with 12000 km on the odometer.. I bought it on the spot after demo riding a SL 4.0 non-eq. What won me was the light weight of the e-bike. It is easy for me to carry the VSL up steep stairs, and keep it in my apartment. Vado SL has become my daily ride but I also ride the e-bike for longer recreational rides with the maximum distance of 140+ km on a single day using Range Extenders, and I often ride Vado SL on gravel roads or forest fire-roads. A typical range for main battery + single Range Extender at 55/55% assistance is 116 km. Vado SL has helped me become more fit and healthier. The only feature I did not like was the front mudguard that was picking small twigs and sticks on my forest rides, which was blocking the front wheel, so I had to remove that fender and replace it with an AssSaver. Vado SL is the closest approximation of a traditional bicycle by an e-bike!

If you want an electric motorcycle that you can pretend to pedal, this isn't the bike for you. It's meant for people who want a regular bike to get things done that gives you a little extra help (or a lot of help when the situation demands it). Had a big ride (non-e) ride over the weekend and the legs are tired for the Monday commute? The SL helps you recover. Day 5 of the work week? Get there without being exhausted. I'd concur with the tire clearance issues others have mentioned with the fork, but the rear can almost certainly handle a 42mm tire with fenders (though likely not with the stock fender). Overall, it's a great bike for the right kind of rider.

Living where I do, in the lower slopes of the Alps on the Italian/Swiss border I researched the web for e-bikes with good power to weight ratios. I chose the Turbo Vado SL EQ, and have not been disappointed. I hadn't ridden for a while before buying my Vado, because the road to my house has in parts a 30% gradient and I'm nearly 70. But I can manage it very well on the Vado, and have been gradually increasing the range of the rides I'm doing. Comfortable bike, very stable, very fast (I averaged 20km/h this morning on a 50km. ride, including a climb up from 200 m to 630 m) and I'm really loving it. Still haven't run out of power. Now I'm going to get the range extender and do some serious uphill stuff.

200 miles in first month. My situation: city-based marathoner looking for a different type of cardio fix. My results: turbo mode is great for most errands and commuting. Smart Control is great for longer rides. I did a 50-mile ride (1000 ft elevation diff, 15 mph avg.) and had 20% remaining battery, as programmed. No range extender. I’m impressed.

I’ve only done a few rides so far, but I’m loving this bike! I slowly migrated from racing geometry to upright / casual frames over the decades. I still love to ride hard for cardio, but have problems on hills and pushing hard on the flats due to a knee issue. This bike is perfect. I can provide the bulk of the power and add just enough assist to ease up the pressure on my knee. I can also kick it into turbo mode so that I can catch up to (or keep up with) my faster friends. Battery life is decent, but real world numbers are less than official specs. I did a 30mile ride on moderately hilly terrain and had 25% battery left. I was playing around with the turbo a lot, so I would probably would have gotten 40-50 miles if I backed off the assist a little. I’m going to pick up the extra battery just for insurance on longer rides. This is a great bike if you are a cyclist and still want to ride hard, but need a little boost!

It's like a Range Rover, great when it works but it's full of issues. Bike itself is great mechanically but I've had problems with the bike going on then immediately off. Currently it's in the shop for over a week as it randomly refuses to turn on. The TCU is being replaced under warranty but when will Specialized deliver it? Like a Range Rover maybe it's not wise to own out of warranty. I'm a bit over its issues and regret my purchase.

Range is around 20 miles if you have any fitness whatsoever and are using the highest assist. I feel misled. The non-electric aspects of the bike are pretty good, but you could get a comparable non-electric bike in the 23 lbs range for $2,000 less. As an aging and slightly overweight ex-racer who was hoping for a little fun and excitement, I just don't see the value here. Also, the apps are not great and the app support is non-existent.