2016 Turbo questions

[Cameron Newland]

So apparently the 2016 Turbo is going to be sold for $3,000 ($800 less than in 2015), and the Turbo X is going to remain at the same price as 2015's ($4,000).

I prefer to ride ebikes with front suspension. Given that the Turbo X costs $1,000 more than the baseline Turbo, does anyone think that they could just buy the $3,000 Turbo and then switch out the alloy fork for a suspension fork?

I assume that the Turbo has the same geometry as the Turbo X, and hence would work with a front suspension fork (not all bikes can accomodate front suspension forks).

Does that provide for a superior value proposition (buying a Turbo and adding a front suspension fork) vs. buying the more expensive Turbo X?

 

[Cameron Newland]

It looks like it's going to hae a 468Wh capacity for the 2016 Turbo in the US:

http://www.specialized.com

 

[opimax]

Cameron, the link is to the 2015 us bikes I beleive

 

[Brambor]

...and Gurbo

 

[Deleted member 803]

I have just put a deposit down on a 2016 turbo sc. They are adding a larger 500W (nominal) 1000W (peak) Go swissdrive to the bike and also providing a mobile app that allows for many adjustments to motor performance (controller can be tuned). Bike now supports ANT+ so I can use my chest strap heart monitor. Same price at 2015 turbo s ($6K). I am very impressed with Go SwissDrive as an engineering company. Bike nows comes with Armadillo tires (which I am not a fan of), Shimano brakes (which are terrific), and an XT groupset (ok for this bike). Battery capacity has been upped to I believe somewhere around 690W (19A).

Attached is a pdf of the new motor from GoSwiss: 45NM of torque should be sufficient.

My dealer tells me late August/early September.

http://www.buerokolberg.de/presseservice/go-swissdrive/GO_SwissDrive_brosch_e_2014_2015_web.pdf

 

[Deleted member 803]

Congrats. We will impatiently await your review. Kinda tempted too... But I think the Turbo X matches my requirements better given my propensity to take the "scenic route" (read dusty trails or poorly paved roads in the vineyards).

Did the dealer by any chance give you the specs and price of the other Turbos? There seems to be some confusion about them. I heard that the X was inheriting the current 2015 Turbo S drive with an upgraded battery (562 wh has been mentioned elsewhere). The 2016 Turbo USA has a battery of 394wh in the link in this thread, which has me a bit puzzled...

The X matches my requirements for comfort since my bones are very brittle, however, I want the new 500W motor. Not sure about the specs. The website was vague. You can probably get more accurate info from your dealer. I inquired about the X and they said it will come with the 250W version. No info on battery capacity.

 

[OldGuy]

I've been wondering whether I could transplant a sprung front fork from the X model onto my 2013 Turbo without screwing up the handling?
The streets of Portland might as well be off-road, and that frame is very stiff, even with a Thudbuster ST on it.
Anyone know whether it would fit properly?

 

[Deleted member 803]

I've been wondering whether I could transplant a sprung front fork from the X model onto my 2013 Turbo without screwing up the handling?
The streets of Portland might as well be off-road, and that frame is very stiff, even with a Thudbuster ST on it.
Anyone know whether it would fit properly?

I am sure your local bike dealer can measure the front fork and make a recommendation.

 

[Chris Nolte]

The 2016 Turbo X will have the 562Wh battery and the 250Watt motor from the Turbo S and will be $4500. There might be some discounts available on the 2015 version through select dealers. The 2016 version will also have the Mission Control App, but the standard Turbo will not. The newer larger batteries are required for the App, but you could potentially upgrade the battery to get the App. As other mentioned the geometry isn't the same, you could add a suspension fork, but it wouldn't be ideal. Hope this helps.

 

[migellica]

Hallo, schöne Grüße aus Deutschland
klick...http://eggisbikeplanet.de

 

[EbikeR2]

Gorgeous bikes -- if I wanted to spend $6000 (assuming it's priced similar to 2015 Turbo S version) that would be my top choice.

 

[Chris Nolte]

It will be the same price. Just a bunch of upgrades.

 

[Tom G]

I want to like the Turbo line but just can't warm up to these bikes. I do appreciate the nice design - battery well integrated into frame, bottle mount, lights, ANT+ computer, different size frames, quality parts, through-axle, etc. Great price on the basic Turbo now too (I do not want front suspension). I'm looking for an ebike that rides like a road bike, but the Turbos just don't do it for me - they are heavy, they _feel_ really heavy, the bars are too high (head tube too long), and feel more like a fast balloon tire cruiser than a road bike to me. I would not feel comfortable riding a turbo in a pack of fast road cyclists (or leading them in motor pacing). The BH Easy Motion EVO Race and Raleigh Misceos feel much more like "real" bikes to me. Anybody feel similarly or differently?

 

[Deleted member 803]

I want to like the Turbo line but just can't warm up to these bikes. I do appreciate the nice design - battery well integrated into frame, bottle mount, lights, ANT+ computer, different size frames, quality parts, through-axle, etc. Great price on the basic Turbo now too (I do not want front suspension). I'm looking for an ebike that rides like a road bike, but the Turbos just don't do it for me - they are heavy, they _feel_ really heavy, the bars are too high (head tube too long), and feel more like a fast balloon tire cruiser than a road bike to me. I would not feel comfortable riding a turbo in a pack of fast road cyclists (or leading them in motor pacing). The BH Easy Motion EVO Race and Raleigh Misceos feel much more like "real" bikes to me. Anybody feel similarly or differently?

Interesting opinion: I rode the Raleigh Misceo and it just feels like a mediocre kit bike to me. To say that you would not feel comfortable riding a turbo in a pack of fast road cyclist can only be that you would be embarrassed to leave them in the dust. The Turbo is one of the best performance "road" bike on the market especially with a change to slightly narrower road tires. The 2016 model shipping soon has a 500W GoSwiss drive and should be a very fast road bike.

Now, if you ride with folks who average 60km an hour then I might agree with you. To call the Specialized Turbo a cruiser is laughable unless your last name is Froome.

 

[Tom G]

The Turbo is one of the best performance "road" bike on the market especially with a change to slightly narrower road tires.
Now, if you ride with folks who average 60km an hour then I might agree with you. To call the Specialized Turbo a cruiser is laughable unless your last name is Froome.

Interesting opinion as well! I certainly agree that the Turbo is fast, but I felt pretty disconnected from the road and had a hard time making small changes to my position on the road the 2 times I have ridden it. I also could not slalom as well as my regular road bike (fewer slalom "cycles" in the same distance of road). Thanks for pointing out that different tires help.

I think that the frame geometry may be causing the handling that I don't like. The head tube is a whopping 180 mm long on the small model, vs 110 mm on my road bike or 120 mm on the Misceo. This means that the bars are quite high compared to the seat, making it difficult to get in an aero position. The back heavy balance of the Turbo amplifies that - hard to put more weight on the front wheel. I find that important for countersteering when descending at speed (over 30 mph). I also worry that it will cripple the aerodynamics so that it will be very hard or impossible to ride with a fast group on flat ground or slightly downhill at 30+ mph when the motor cuts out. This would be competing with road cyclists whose hands are ~8" or more lower than the seat when in the drops on drop bars.

 

[Deleted member 803]

Interesting opinion as well! I certainly agree that the Turbo is fast, but I felt pretty disconnected from the road and had a hard time making small changes to my position on the road the 2 times I have ridden it. I also could not slalom as well as my regular road bike (fewer slalom "cycles" in the same distance of road). Thanks for pointing out that different tires help.

I think that the frame geometry may be causing the handling that I don't like. The head tube is a whopping 180 mm long on the small model, vs 110 mm on my road bike or 120 mm on the Misceo. This means that the bars are quite high compared to the seat, making it difficult to get in an aero position. The back heavy balance of the Turbo amplifies that - hard to put more weight on the front wheel. I find that important for countersteering when descending at speed (over 30 mph). I also worry that it will cripple the aerodynamics so that it will be very hard or impossible to ride with a fast group on flat ground or slightly downhill at 30+ mph when the motor cuts out. This would be competing with road cyclists whose hands are ~8" or more lower than the seat when in the drops on drop bars.

Unfortunately there is no ebike on the market that currently mimics an S Works or BMC Team Machine geometry. Aggressive, highly conditioned cycling athletes are not a target market for ebikes and I know of no ebike that is purpose built with drop bars. I do understand the geometry issue. When I took up motorcycling some 20 years ago (at age 60), the best riding position for road feel and control was to place as much body weight over the front wheel as possible.

Perhaps in a few years we will have such a beast.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Unfortunately there is no ebike on the market that currently mimics an S Works or BMC Team Machine geometry. Aggressive, highly conditioned cycling athletes are not a target market for ebikes and I know of no ebike that is purpose built with drop bars.

This is incorrect. Haibike Xduro Race (NOT Super Race) is a very well built road bike with drop bars and capable of reaching 28mph. It is 12lbs lighter than Turbo S as well.

Interesting opinion as well! I certainly agree that the Turbo is fast, but I felt pretty disconnected from the road and had a hard time making small changes to my position on the road the 2 times I have ridden it. I also could not slalom as well as my regular road bike (fewer slalom "cycles" in the same distance of road). Thanks for pointing out that different tires help.

I think that the frame geometry may be causing the handling that I don't like. The head tube is a whopping 180 mm long on the small model, vs 110 mm on my road bike or 120 mm on the Misceo. This means that the bars are quite high compared to the seat, making it difficult to get in an aero position. The back heavy balance of the Turbo amplifies that - hard to put more weight on the front wheel. I find that important for countersteering when descending at speed (over 30 mph). I also worry that it will cripple the aerodynamics so that it will be very hard or impossible to ride with a fast group on flat ground or slightly downhill at 30+ mph when the motor cuts out. This would be competing with road cyclists whose hands are ~8" or more lower than the seat when in the drops on drop bars.

Tom,
Have you tried Haibike Xduro Race? or the Super Race?
Super Race is 2lbs lighter than Misceo and can reach 28 mph nonchalantly. It is one of those beautiful road machines.
My observation of Turbo or ST2 is similar to yours. While these are great bikes, their weight distribution is not ideal for 30+ flat sprints. Also, I tried adding aerobars to my ST2, but the handling was so squirrely because of the heavy downtube.
I added some bar ends and positioned them like faux aerobars and I was able to hold 40ish descents pretty well by tucking in.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[Allan47.7339]

I picked a Turbo S because it had more of a road bike feel to make it easier switching between an ebike and my road bike. I tried the Felt but it has skinny tires and a too harsh ride.

 

[Deleted member 803]

This is incorrect. Haibike Xduro Race (NOT Super Race) is a very well built road bike with drop bars and capable of reaching 28mph. It is 12lbs lighter than Turbo S as well.




Tom,
Have you tried Haibike Xduro Race? or the Super Race?
Super Race is 2lbs lighter than Misceo and can reach 28 mph nonchalantly. It is one of those beautiful road machines.
My observation of Turbo or ST2 is similar to yours. While these are great bikes, their weight distribution is not ideal for 30+ flat sprints. Also, I tried adding aerobars to my ST2, but the handling was so squirrely because of the heavy downtube.
I added some bar ends and positioned them like faux aerobars and I was able to hold 40ish descents pretty well by tucking in.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

I stand corrected. Even test rode it and remember it being very hard edged...much better than the Raleigh but also the same price as the ST2. Mea Culpa!