2013 Turbo Experiences

Marko

Active Member
Hello,

New here. I bought mine March this year and here are some observations. I bought the bike to better cope in tough commuting conditions. I ride through the winter and sometimes the roads are not plowed (for example, 20 cm wet snow, ice, etc.) or there is heavy headwind, which is very common in winter. I am planning to change the tyres for the winter period (Nov-March) to Schwalbe Marathon Winter studded ones.

Pros
+ Beautiful design, I especially like the red colour. The add on rack and mudguards look good too.
+ Good brakes
+ Good gear ratio (sufficient at least for my purposes)
+ Lightweight (in ebike scale compare e.g., ST2)
+ Rides quite easily even without assist
+ Good (looking) lights (Supernova E3), nicely integrated rear light in the rack
+ Relatively easy to maintain topspeed (45 km/h) even in Eco30 (if no head wind or snow)
+ Regen (Nice idea, although not that useful except when braking). I have actually managed to pedal about 4% battery in about 2 km. But it's hard without downhills.
+ I like the computer and how it is setup in the middle. Also the mode control is very nicely located just by the right handlebar. This is important because I keep constantly changing the mode (back and forth from Eco30 to regen, in downhills mostly). I actually prefer the 2013 look to the new joystick version.
+ Fast recharge
+ Good kickstand (although the fastening bolt needed tightening and some locktite quite soon. Also, the bolt's placement is quite difficult)

Cons
- Front mudguard is too short for commuting purposes; feet get wet/muddy every time. Added an extension folded of a beer can aluminium. Needs further work still.
- Chain is constantly dropping off the chainring when going over bumps and pedaling hard. Possible solutions: upgrade to Type 2 XO derailleur (SRAM), change chainring to narrow wide type (such as Wolftooth 110 BCD) or add Rohloff chainguide (needs modding). Specialized has acknowledged this problem.
- 19 March 2015: I am adding as an update that after about thousand miles the chain drop remains to be a problem. Still looking for a solution. Specialized forbids drilling holes to the frame to attach a chain guide.

- Slight drag in backwheel when off (DD feature)
- After a hubgear derailleur is a real downgrade in usability especially when commuting in city traffic
- I have a strange clicking sound coming from the pedal area especially when under high torque. This is probably related to the chainring attachment but could also have to do with the FSA MegaEvo crankset. The latter was tightened with locktite but did not solve it. Tightening the chainring bolts helped some.
- I had to update the battery software because it kept resetting the odometer reading. Now that is solved with sw ver 1.8 but it still resets on its own the trip and max speed. This is only in the 2013 models, though. UPDATE 19.3.15: Not an issue anymore.
 
Last edited:
I have not had any issues with my gears, i have a few hundred miles on mine now and still love it. So much fun to head home after work, glad i bought this instead of a motorcycle, money in my pocket everyday with no gas insurance and reg, plus easy to get to work using trails
 
I am intrigued with you idea of swapping tires for winter threads and keep going. I have, sort of, chickened out and prepared for a purchase of a winter fat bike and utilize the local woods to get to work. What winter tire do you plan on putting on and is it studded?
 
i concur on the chain falling off although in my case it only happens when i go downhill over a huge bump and do NOT pedal. if i pedal and keep a tension on the chain it will NOT fall off.
 
Last edited:
I am intrigued with you idea of swapping tires for winter threads and keep going. I have, sort of, chickened out and prepared for a purchase of a winter fat bike and utilize the local woods to get to work. What winter tire do you plan on putting on and is it studded?

This one: http://www.schwalbe.com/en/spike-reader/marathon-winter.html
Size: ETRTO 42-622 (28 x 1.60 Inch
(Need to leave some space between the tyre and the guard. Snow has a tendency to pack in between).

It is not that bad in terms of rolling resistance but it still has 240 spikes for a pretty good grip.

On a fatbike with assist and spikes one should be able to manage pretty much any winter conditions. Spikes you may need to put on manually, though.
 
This one: http://www.schwalbe.com/en/spike-reader/marathon-winter.html
Size: ETRTO 42-622 (28 x 1.60 Inch
(Need to leave some space between the tyre and the guard. Snow has a tendency to pack in between).

It is not that bad in terms of rolling resistance but it still has 240 spikes for a pretty good grip.

On a fatbike with assist and spikes one should be able to manage pretty much any winter conditions. Spikes you may need to put on manually, though.
Man you are hard core! Under 45 F and Im not on a bike!

You've probably already tried this, but have tried going with the largest chainring and larger rear cog when going over rough pavement?
 
I have not had any issues with my gears, i have a few hundred miles on mine now and still love it. So much fun to head home after work, glad i bought this instead of a motorcycle, money in my pocket everyday with no gas insurance and reg, plus easy to get to work using trails

To me, motorcycle was never even an option. You hear often people say "for that price why not buy a motorcycle or a cheap car". I think they are missing the point of ebikes. Or there is the general conception that people who buy ebikes do it only because they are too lazy to ride a normal bike. I have a car but I at least would not like to commute with it because in a car (or a motorcycle) you get no exercise, not to mention all the parking problems and other sources of stress. Actually, I think I get almost more exercise on the Turbo than on a regular bike. Or at least it is much more aerobic especially when trying to maintain speed at around 25 mph in eco mode. Like I mentioned above, my motivation came from hoping to get some assistance to the extreme conditions, of which, I feel, I have already sufficient experience on a normal bike.
 
Man you are hard core! Under 45 F and Im not on a bike!

You've probably already tried this, but have tried going with the largest chainring and larger rear cog when going over rough pavement?

No I haven't. The drop off occurs usually when riding at high speed and pedaling and then hitting a bump. That means that usually the rear cog will be in one of the smallest three to maintain good cadence. Specialized helpdesk actually proposed to change the rear derailleur to the Type 2 version, which provides more tension to the chain. Apparently, those are used in mountain bikes which are taken to much rougher terrain where chain slapping/dropping can be a problem. That, together with a wide-narrow chain ring might already solve the problem.
 
I'm wondering how much we'll have to control/reduce our speed during a winter commute - even with winter tires and studs ? I'm also worried about the effect of snow removal chemicals on our precious bikes ;-)
 
I'm wondering how much we'll have to control/reduce our speed during a winter commute - even with winter tires and studs ? I'm also worried about the effect of snow removal chemicals on our precious bikes ;-)
Can tell you from owning many boats in South Florida that: Salt+Water+Aluminum+SS fastener or CS components will age your bike rapidly.. Just have to keep it waxed and washed regularly which isnt easy winter.
 
Thanks . Looks like the 28x1.60 translated to a 700x40 on Amazon?

This one: http://www.schwalbe.com/en/spike-reader/marathon-winter.html
Size: ETRTO 42-622 (28 x 1.60 Inch
(Need to leave some space between the tyre and the guard. Snow has a tendency to pack in between).

It is not that bad in terms of rolling resistance but it still has 240 spikes for a pretty good grip.

On a fatbike with assist and spikes one should be able to manage pretty much any winter conditions. Spikes you may need to put on manually, though.
 
I'm wondering how much we'll have to control/reduce our speed during a winter commute - even with winter tires and studs ? I'm also worried about the effect of snow removal chemicals on our precious bikes ;-)

I am not so concerned about the corrosion. They do also here spray CaCl2, although mostly on car roads. Luckily, the bike is mostly covered with paint which should help. Here a bigger concern is the gravel they throw on the cycle paths; it is quite sharp and is likely to puncture a tyre, especially if it is worn already.

With regard to winter commute and speed. Surely, the speed drops drastically. If there is ice on the road, especially bumpy ice, extreme caution is necessary even with studs. You will eventually slip and possibly fall down, you just have a bit more time to react with studs on.
 
Last edited:
... prepared for a purchase of a winter fat bike and utilize the local woods to get to work.

Maybe this would be of interest to you: http://www.haibike.de/produkte_detail_en,3006,22840,detail.html

Comes standard with this: http://www.bosch-ebike.de/en/produkte_neu/nyon/nyon__portal_und_apps.php


The Bosch motors supposedly offer high torque (60 nM w derailleur gears in Performance Line) which should be useful in a fatbike taken to woods and other difficult places. This was just introduced in Eurobike end of August so it is probably not available yet. (In German: http://pedelec-elektro-fahrrad.de/news/messe/rueckblick-das-war-die-eurobike-2014-teil-1/)

Here's an interesting story by a fatbiker in Anchorage: http://gypsybytrade.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/studded-nate-grip-studs/
 
Last edited:
Yeah. It's not available here yet. I am aware of this model. Thanks for the link to the Anchorage blog. Reading it now.:)
 
SAM_4670_zpsb277c262.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
$_82.jpg
just a superbike
i love him ,and my kids to
 
Last edited:
Winter experiences.

Last Friday there was the first significant snowfall. Leaving to work in the morning and looking at the forecast I was aware there was going to be maybe little snow in the afternoon but did not think it was going to be that bad. With 32F snow on the ground and slicks I headed bck home riding very carefully. On one straight and flat stretch I thought its not so bad, thought I was doing fine and put up some more speed (up to maybe 15 mph) and pretty soon after that the bike started to slide and landed on my left flank. Outcome: a broken rib, 6-8 wks recovery.
Lesson: Do not even attempt to ride with the Turbo standard tires if there is the slightest amount of snow. When you compare to just normal summer tires their grip non-existent on snow (I have ridden a lot in snow with summer tires). The irony is that the studs had arrived a day before but I just didnt "have the time" to install them. As a sidenote, the standard 45 mm tire is already too tight and collects snow between the fender. The studded ones are more narrow (42 mm) but the gap between the tire and the guard might still be too narrow.
 

Attachments

  • Turbon_nastat.jpg
    Turbon_nastat.jpg
    301.2 KB · Views: 362
get well soon Marko... Rib injuries never let you forget while you're healing. Living in Florida I can't imagine ever riding a bike in snow, let alone below 40F..
 
Back