Creo Remote Control DIY

[Forkliter]

Hi everyone, I was able to get this working and put a test ride on it. Everything works as expected. The remote (Specialized PN S194200007) let's you run up "+" the modes 0 (no assist), 1, 2, 3 and back down again with the "-". Also intact is the Turbo button at the top which takes you from any mode to Turbo. And at the bottom is the walk assist button if you want to walk along side up a hill, etc.

How do you do this? I'm not going into ever excruciating detail but basically here it goes. The remote will plug into the open connector on your TCU (the unit in the top tube)[you need a Torx T-10 to get that open]. I removed the unused port on the left top tube and basically milled it out so that the connector could pass through (too small as it is on the bike).

Then you need to mount the remote. I opted to place it as you can see on the left bar. The remote wants to see a specific mounting condition. A 7/8" dowel or bar. For now I cut off a length of MTB bar to do this. At the end I drilled a hole through all the way so I could pass a cable tie for mounting. I really couldn't find a way to mount this dowel without an exposed cable tie on the drops. I did hide the connector wire under the bar wrap best as I could.

Future plan is to fabricate a black nylon dowel and replace the handlebar end since that has some sharpness against the handlebar and wrap.

My 90 minute test ride was great. Just slip your left hand back a touch on the hood and choose your mode. No more fumbling with the top tube at all. I like to ride with as little assist as possible but have an easy way to adjust the mode, and this does the trick. Wish Specialized had a drop bar solution for us, but for now this is great. Let me know if you have questions.

No programming or anything is required. Power down, connect, power up...it works.

 

[Nxkharra]

Hi everyone, I was able to get this working and put a test ride on it. Everything works as expected. The remote (Specialized PN S194200007) let's you run up "+" the modes 0 (no assist), 1, 2, 3 and back down again with the "-". Also intact is the Turbo button at the top which takes you from any mode to Turbo. And at the bottom is the walk assist button if you want to walk along side up a hill, etc.

How do you do this? I'm not going into ever excruciating detail but basically here it goes. The remote will plug into the open connector on your TCU (the unit in the top tube)[you need a Torx T-10 to get that open]. I removed the unused port on the left top tube and basically milled it out so that the connector could pass through (too small as it is on the bike).

Then you need to mount the remote. I opted to place it as you can see on the left bar. The remote wants to see a specific mounting condition. A 7/8" dowel or bar. For now I cut off a length of MTB bar to do this. At the end I drilled a hole through all the way so I could pass a cable tie for mounting. I really couldn't find a way to mount this dowel without an exposed cable tie on the drops. I did hide the connector wire under the bar wrap best as I could.

Future plan is to fabricate a black nylon dowel and replace the handlebar end since that has some sharpness against the handlebar and wrap.

My 90 minute test ride was great. Just slip your left hand back a touch on the hood and choose your mode. No more fumbling with the top tube at all. I like to ride with as little assist as possible but have an easy way to adjust the mode, and this does the trick. Wish Specialized had a drop bar solution for us, but for now this is great. Let me know if you have questions.

No programming or anything is required. Power down, connect, power up...it works.

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Great job. Now this:

 

[Forkliter]

Great job. Now this:

Yes I saw that today. And you can see they use this remote on the flat bars for the new Vado SL.

 

[Deacon Blues]

I wouldn't be surprised if Specialized included a hood mounted level button on future Creo models. Ease of use and safety makes it a no-brainer.

I've told this story on another post, but it's relevant to this thread too.
I was test riding a Creo carbon (about 20 mph) and coming up to a hill I looked down and reached over to use the power button. Just as my finger pressed down on the level button I hit a patch of rough pavement, which I didn't see because I was looking down at the level button, and the front end did a serious wobble dance. If I had not been looking at the button on the down tube and had both hands on the handlebar it wouldn't have been much of an issue.

I didn't come really close to crashing, but it did give me a scare, especially since I had signed a waiver stating that I was responsible for any damage to the bike, which is worth $10,000 Canadian.

 

[StmbtDave]

Great info Forkliter. I wasn't aware of the Walk and Turbo functions. I just placed an order. It should be here in a week.

 

[StmbtDave]

I received my controller yesterday afternoon and had it installed by dinner time. It's a great addition to the bike. On the carbon Creos, the blank, unused port is on the right side so the wire coming off the left bar makes a nice clean routing into the frame. I used a piece of plastic pipe with just under 7/8" OD to mount the remote. It was easy to cut slots in each side to run the zip tie. I ran it so the head of the zip tie is inside the pipe so it's not visible.

 

[Forkliter]

I received my controller yesterday afternoon and had it installed by dinner time. It's a great addition to the bike. On the carbon Creos, the blank, unused port is on the right side so the wire coming off the left bar makes a nice clean routing into the frame. I used a piece of plastic pipe with just under 7/8" OD to mount the remote. It was easy to cut slots in each side to run the zip tie. I ran it so the head of the zip tie is inside the pipe so it's not visible.

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Nice job with that!!!!

 

[StmbtDave]

I just got back from a ride and it's a real improvement not having to take my hand off the bars or my eyes off the road when changing boost levels. I had a strong tailwind coming home and I could drop to zero boost with just push with my thumb. It's well worth the $66 spent.

 

[kattanm]

This great. Such a shame though we can't program either the buttons on top of the shifters or even the left shifter to cycle through the boost levels.

 

[kattanm]

Nice job with that!!!!

So it's not an etube wire that you could just run into the left shifter instead of its own remote control?

 

[Deacon Blues]

I'm hoping that someone in the Specialized organization reads this thread. Come on Specialized, how hard would it be to put a power level button on or by the left hood.
And while you're at offer the red colour in Canada!

 

[Forkliter]

So it's not an etube wire that you could just run into the left shifter instead of its own remote control?

No, not really. The remote we are using has four buttons. No doubt you could gut the current remote and find the contacts and probably put then under a hood or something. Or if you knew how the wiring works maybe even adapt SRAM blips or a Shimano remote to the bike. I think you would have to but the remote so that you had a way to plug into the bike (unless you are OK with cutting into the harness inside). For now, this is WAY better than no switch for sure.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Reconsidering a Creo now? If they offered red, would you get one?

Not now, since Specialized Canada has just raised the price by $500.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Looks like all Creos went up by $500. It doesn't look like the Vado line went up in price. Kinda strange to increase the price mid-season. Usually, price increases happen for the next year's model.

 

[sfebiker]

Is it possible to mount this remote on the stock handlebar? Or is the handlebar diameter > 7/8" IE: 15/16?

 

[StmbtDave]

Is it possible to mount this remote on the stock handlebar? Or is the handlebar diameter > 7/8" IE: 15/16?

No, the remote is designed to mount on a flat bar which is 7/8". The road bar is larger diameter. You'll need to make a 7/8" adapter to mount the remote.

 

[kattanm]

If you are riding in a group ride using the Creo to help when your back pain creeps in, I cannot recommend this remote option here strongly enough. It absolutely makes this bike fantastic to actually dial almost exactly the amount of assist you need with your thumb. This is especially critical if you are riding in a paceline and with hills. In an ideal world, we would just use the left shifter to accomplish the same thing, but until then, this DIY and an absolute necessity.

 

[sfebiker]

Can someone comment or post a picture of how far they milled down the connector?
I have it dremel'd it out to this but feel it needs to be even slimmer to fit through the cable hole

 

[kattanm]

Can someone comment or post a picture of how far they milled down the connector?
I have it dremel'd it out to this but feel it needs to be even slimmer to fit through the cable hole

I just removed the hole cover (unscrewed it) and then put black tape around the connector to cover the hole. It doesn’t look completely professional but I got over it

 

[Dazmanturbo]

I have friend here in the UK with have swapped the remote to work on the redundant DI2 left shifter. Basically he used the Levo remote and cut the wire to just use the plug. He extended the wires the the left shifter and the up and down on the shifter now does the power settings. Got a Levo remote on order to do the same with mine