2014 Turbo S vs 2016 base Turbo

[SteveH]

Cross shopping a barely used 2014 Turbo S vs a brand new base Turbo. Price is about the same. Can you guys point me in one direction or the other? I like the warranty of a new bike and I understand there have been some upgrades. On the other hand, the 2014 Turbo S seems to be better in almost every component.

 

[BlackBeard]

Since the 2014 has been barely used, do you have any info on how the battery was stored or kept. If you went the 2014 route, you might be in the market to buy another battery for it... and those are expensive.

 

[SteveH]

Since the 2014 has been barely used, do you have any info on how the battery was stored or kept. If you went the 2014 route, you might be in the market to buy another battery for it... and those are expensive.

Probably my main concern with the 2014. The owner seems to have taken care of it, but it's still a few years old....

 

[Douglas Ruby]

The primary issue is the condition of the battery and motor. The 2014 Turbo S has a 504 Wh (14 Ah) battery while the 2015/16 Turbo has a 468 Wh (13 Ah) battery. Neither has the the bluetooth connection. The Turbo S has a 250W motor (same as 2016 Turbo X). Either should be able to be upgraded using the newer 691 Wh bluetooth capable battery. This is a substantial issue wrt. warranty, however. If the base Turbo battery fails, it will be covered under warranty. When mine did, I was able to upgrade to the SBC-05 (691 Wh bluetooth) battery for the price difference ($200). If you can get someone to run the LBS diagnostic on the 2014 Turbo S to check battery life indication, it would be a good idea.

The frames are (for all intents) identical. The 2014 Turbo S has somewhat upgraded mechanicals with SRAM X0 instead of X7, 11-36 cassette instead of 11-32, and Formula R1 instead of C1. However, I would maintain that functionally, with an upgrade to a 10-speed 11-36 SRAM cassette and some organic brake pads like Kool-Stop, the base Turbo should be just as good as the Turbo S. The 2016 Turbo S, OTOH, has MUCH better mechanicals than the 2014 Turbo S with Shimano brakes and Deore XT 11 speed mech. I did the Shimano XT 11-speed mod to my base Turbo as well.

Were I in your shoes, given that I already have a base Turbo with the uprated battery and Shimano mech, I would get the 2014 Turbo S and then swap components I already have (shifters, battery, fenders, etc.) over to the Turbo S as well as install new brake pads. I would clean up and put the SRAM and older battery on my base Turbo and restore it it to near factory condition. I would have my dealer do a diagnostic on it and provide the report when I resell the bike. In your situation, it all depends on how much local support you expect from your LBS and what confidence you have in the battery.

 

[bazzapage]

@Douglas Ruby has offered good advice. Having had both motors in my base Turbo, the S motor (250W) is that much nicer ~20% more powerful and the difference is quite noticeable. My 468Wh battery was made in 2014 anyway which is probably the case for all new 2016 base Turbos. If you can get the LBS to do the battery health diagnostic, and go for the S if it's OK (or be prepared to shell out $999 for a new 17Ah battery (which is no bad thing, I'm about to do exactly that for my bike).

IMHO if it is entering into your consideration I wouldn't worry too much about the rest of the components apart from brakes, they are just more expensive without a huge benefit. It's not a light-weight XC mountain bike where the grams count...

Oh, and the 2014 S looks really nice in red compared to the somewhat 'understated' base turbo.

 

[Allan47.7339]

I would tend to go with the 2016 and a warranty over the 2014. It's not the bike parts but the e-bike parts that are a concern. I recently been the recipient of some excellent warranty support from Specialized and my dealer for my 2014 Turbo S that was close the edge of still being covered by the warranty. They took care of it and I am back on the road.