This urban commuter from Specialized uses their Turbo pedal assist technology, it’s a bike designed to get the rider from A-B quicker, a bike to help the rider get errands done quickly with out starting the car or get to work sweat-free and after an early morning bout of fresh air.

The Turbo Vado 4.0 features Specialized’s custom 250-watt motor (made by a company called Brose) and 504Wh battery that are both fully integrated with the bike. The motor is tuned for city riding and as is usual with e-bikes it reacts to the force of pedaling, the harder you pedal the more power it delivers. There are three modes of assistance available, Eco, Sport and Turbo, providing 20%, 50% and 100% support respectively. The bike is also Bluetooth® compatible to allow riders to utilise the Turbo Vado Mission Control App to toggle with battery modes, tune settings (motor characteristics) and power modes.

Specification wise the Turbo Vado provides the ability to soak up small bumps with the 50mm travel on the Suntour NCX forks, whilst 700cc wheels and 47mm tyres will do the rest to smooth out the cobbles. The 11 speed drivetrain comes in a mix of Shimano SLX and XT kit alongside Shimano Deore M506 hydraulic brakes. The cock pit and contact points are all Specialized branded and female specific where it matters – the grips and saddle. This, along with the motor and battery all adds up to 23.5kg without pedals. Specialized also produce the Turbo Vado in a men’s version, the main difference being the low standover available on the female specific bike. This causes other geometry figures (reach, front-centre and wheelbase) to measure up just 1mm longer on the women’s specific bike. The head tube on the women’s bike is also 10mm taller across the size range when compared to the men’s bike.

The Turbo Vado seems to have all the bells and whistles too - LED lights at the front and rear using the battery power so no charging needed, a pannier rack at the rear and full front and rear mudgards.

Rachael from the off-road.cc team will use the Turbo Vado to get to and from our offices in Bath. Rachael will be experimenting with an e-bike commute to find out if it will it provide her with the transport means she needs all whilst saving her legs for the weekend rides, we’ll get back to you with her progress and a full review of the bike soon!