A few questions about the Turbo (especially Turbo X)

[ROJA]

Hi Everyone-

I've been lurking for a while, but this is my first post. I'm really interested in getting an e bike for my commute. I'm an avid road cyclist, but I'm excited to go electric to save both time and energy.

MAIN QUESTION: If I'm pedaling with decent effort (I'm a regular cyclist already), can I realistically expect to be able to cruise at 25-26 mph on the flats for ~20 miles?

I would love some real-world experience here! Cruising on my road bike with a solid effort yields 20-22 mph, but I want to go even faster (shorten my long commute), be less tired (especially due to a shorter ride time, if not lower effort), and be able to ride hard-packed trails that aren't great on a road bike (see below)

Details- I want to commute between 15-25 miles and I want to go as fast as possible. I'm willing to ride with a good solid effort. Looking to spend up to about $4k and keep it light enough to load in and out of a hatchback. I also want the ability to ride on hard-packed trails (not real mountain biking but rougher than pavement).

I was getting really excited about the Trek XM700+ but the sizing is really weird (the 55cm is HUGE and the 50 is likely too small) and they are hard to find (no one has them in stock and unclear when/if they'll be widely available). Stromer ST1 is cool but too heavy I think. So the Specialized sounds like a good bet at a reasonable price point (Turbo X is $4000, similar to the Trek XM700+).

This is a bit open ended, but I'd love any thoughts or experience.

 

[Douglas Ruby]

The 2015/16 Turbo and 2015 Turbo X both have the "200W" motor with 468Wh battery. The 2016 Turbo X has the "250W" motor from the 2015 and older Turbo S and a 540Wh battery. My experience is from the former rather than the latter, but I suspect one can extrapolate.

If you can maintain 20-22 mph on the flats on a road bike, this suggests you are putting out at least 150-200 watts continuously. With the additional 200 to 250 watts from the Turbo motors, you should be able to maintain 25 on either the older Turbo/Turbo X or new Turbo X, with the caveat that you have a more upright riding position and wind resistance than on a drop bar road bike. The gearing with the 11-32 rear cassette on the 2 older bikes is such that you would be cruising in 8th or 9th gear (48/13 or 48/12 around 100-108 gear inches) in order to maintain the bike at its assist limit of 26 mph. With the newer Turbo X, you can cruise up to 28 mph. It comes with a 10 speed Shimano 11-36 cassette, so you will be in 9th or 10th (48/13 or 48/11 around 100 to 120 gear inches).

Doug

 

[Cameron Newland]

Hi Everyone-

I've been lurking for a while, but this is my first post. I'm really interested in getting an e bike for my commute. I'm an avid road cyclist, but I'm excited to go electric to save both time and energy.

MAIN QUESTION: If I'm pedaling with decent effort (I'm a regular cyclist already), can I realistically expect to be able to cruise at 25-26 mph on the flats for ~20 miles?

I would love some real-world experience here! Cruising on my road bike with a solid effort yields 20-22 mph, but I want to go even faster (shorten my long commute), be less tired (especially due to a shorter ride time, if not lower effort), and be able to ride hard-packed trails that aren't great on a road bike (see below)

Details- I want to commute between 15-25 miles and I want to go as fast as possible. I'm willing to ride with a good solid effort. Looking to spend up to about $4k and keep it light enough to load in and out of a hatchback. I also want the ability to ride on hard-packed trails (not real mountain biking but rougher than pavement).

I was getting really excited about the Trek XM700+ but the sizing is really weird (the 55cm is HUGE and the 50 is likely too small) and they are hard to find (no one has them in stock and unclear when/if they'll be widely available). Stromer ST1 is cool but too heavy I think. So the Specialized sounds like a good bet at a reasonable price point (Turbo X is $4000, similar to the Trek XM700+).

This is a bit open ended, but I'd love any thoughts or experience.

Yeah, the Turbo X sounds like a good fit for you. From my understanding, most of the Turbo models are reticent to provide assist up to 28MPH, but do offer assist to ~25MPH. When I bought my first ebike last spring, I was in the same boat as you (I was commuting on a road bike at around 17MPH average moving speed) and wanted something faster, so I bought an IZIP E3 Dash, which is beefier than the Turbo X when it comes to top-end speed. I was able to cruise at 28MPH, and when I really pushed it, I could get the bike up to 30 or 33MPH on flat ground. Given that I wanted to go faster than my road bike so as to reduce my commute time, getting a 28MPH ebike was important to me. Considering that you're already pedaling at 22MPH, going 25MPH isn't that much of an improvement if you're spending $4,000.

My favorite 28MPH bike is the Stromer ST2. It's really smooth and it's probably the best bike on the market when it comes to 28MPH cruising. Have you considered the ST1X, which will be available in a few months? Another idea you might consider would be buying a Haibike SDURO or XDURO (or any Bosch or Yamaha-equipped mid-drive) and buying a dongle (~$150) to allow you to increase the top speed from 20MPH to 28MPH. If you do that, you'll get better top-end performance than the Turbo X, so you'll be getting an experience similar to the Trek XM700+ except on a frame that fits you well. You might also consider calling up Crazy Lenny's Ebikes and seeing if they have any deals on the ST2. It might be closer to the Turbo X price range than you think. The only downside is that the ST2 doesn't come with a front suspension fork (but you can buy a SR Suntour Epixon front suspension fork for $200).

 

[reoutput]

I think the turbo x would be a great choice for you. My commute is very similar to what you have in mind with parts of my commute path being unrideable on a road bike or very difficult at best.

My commute is 16 miles and via Strava I average 18-22mph depending on weather and energy level and can usually keep 25mph on flats with little to no wind. Unlike you, I am not an avid road biker so I don't know what I could do before but going unassisted through sections gives me a good idea. Without actually doing the commute unassisted my best guess would be that my average would be 12-15mph on the turbo x...which is really heavy(55lbs). On my commute, I have been getting to work/home with 58-60% battery left while in full turbo mode so I don't think range will be an issue.

I have a FJ cruiser and have no problem getting the bike into my vehicle but putting the turbo into a hatchback migh be a bit of a work out. I guess you could take out the battery before putting the bike in which would make it 5-6 lbs lighter and taking the front wheel off which would help as well.

If you are dead set on getting the 2016-2017 turbo X which has Bluetooth connectivity, then the MSRP is $4500...I believe. Specialized had a sale on their 2015 turbo x which we sold at $2900 and I think they still have these in stock. Don't quote me on this price though because shops set their own prices...your best bet is to got to your local rep and inquire there.

My best explanation of the experience riding the turbo x is that it makes me feel like an elite roadie without actually being one keep us posted!

 

[Douglas Ruby]

...If you are dead set on getting the 2016-2017 turbo X which has Bluetooth connectivity, then the MSRP is $4500...

Actually, they just dropped the 2016 Turbo X list price to $4000 (from $4500) and the 2015/16 base Turbo to $2500 (from $3000). I believe that any of the leftover 2015 Turbo X's are going for around $2700 now (base Turbo + $200).

 

[reoutput]

Ahh, didn't know that. Still haven't got any Vado's yet though.

 

[ROJA]

Thanks, everyone! Super helpful info so far. A few responses below.

Why not the Stromer? I loved riding it, but I think it's simply too heavy to put into my car or carry up stairs (my commute would involve either or both). Am I wrong? It seems like 45 (XM) or 50 lbs (Turbo X) vs. 60+ lbs (ST1 T) is a huge difference. Stromers are also more expensive (even the ST1).

Why pay $4k to gain a few mph? While I can cruise at 20-22, my average on flat rides is more like 17-18 when you include stoplights. If I could bump that to 25-26 on the flats and 22 average, I'd be saving a fair amount of time. I also imagine I'd be less tired with the e assist (even if I'm working just as hard, it's a shorter amount of time spent working). There is also a route I'd like that often has a tough headwind (Coyote Hills and Dumbarton for any SFBA people). While I know this would reduce battery life, I'd love some extra power and speed to fight the wind. Finally (and perhaps most importantly), my road bike can't take a rack and isn't much good on the dirt sections, both of which the e bike should handle much better than a road bike with skinny tires.

Why not Haibike? I don't know anything about them, but I wasn't really looking for a mountain bike (I imagine they would be slower or heavier, or both). I'm looking for 26-28 mph out of the box (not really interested in doing mods at this point).

Reoutput, that's great news about the range (less than 50% of the battery required to go 16 miles on full turbo is awesome and way better than I expected)!

I'm not dead set on a 2016- is there a good description of the differences between the '15 and '16 models? Anyone happen to know a shop in the Bay Area that might have either or both in stock (ideally East Bay or mid-peninsula)? Thanks!

 

[grench]

You may also consider the Juiced Cross Current. Lots of happy folks with the CC. My boss has one...he had basically stopped riding bikes until he bought the CC. Now he commutes a few days a week.

 

[ROJA]

You may also consider the Juiced Cross Current. Lots of happy folks with the CC. My boss has one...he had basically stopped riding bikes until he bought the CC. Now he commutes a few days a week.

I just took a look and it's less than half the price, so I'm guessing it's a pretty different class of bike (lower level electrical and regular components)?

 

[reoutput]

Besides the thud buster post, Bluetooth app "Misson Control" and the brakes are now Shimano as well as the cassette and shifter. Like Doug said, the motor is also upgraded from 200 to 250W. I would love to have this wheel but I guess I have to make up the 50W diff with my legs...

 

[James Kohls]

Thanks, everyone! Super helpful info so far. A few responses below.

Why not the Stromer? I loved riding it, but I think it's simply too heavy to put into my car or carry up stairs (my commute would involve either or both). Am I wrong? It seems like 45 (XM) or 50 lbs (Turbo X) vs. 60+ lbs (ST1 T) is a huge difference. Stromers are also more expensive (even the ST1).

Why pay $4k to gain a few mph? While I can cruise at 20-22, my average on flat rides is more like 17-18 when you include stoplights. If I could bump that to 25-26 on the flats and 22 average, I'd be saving a fair amount of time. I also imagine I'd be less tired with the e assist (even if I'm working just as hard, it's a shorter amount of time spent working). There is also a route I'd like that often has a tough headwind (Coyote Hills and Dumbarton for any SFBA people). While I know this would reduce battery life, I'd love some extra power and speed to fight the wind. Finally (and perhaps most importantly), my road bike can't take a rack and isn't much good on the dirt sections, both of which the e bike should handle much better than a road bike with skinny tires.

Stromers do have the "walk" feature which lets the motor help move the bike when hand pushing it up a hill, etc. It may be useful walking it up stairs if the rear wheel can have something to grip on—or it may tear up the carpet. Maybe check with the Stromer forum to see if anyone's tried this. ST1 more expensive? For $3,999, Ebikes of New England sells the Stromer ST1 platinum with free lock and extra battery for $3999.00 shipped (US). Platinum is the 28mph version. Even a 50lb bike will be a chore to get up stairs, if you have a lot. But that's pretty average for e-bikes.

There are still places selling the 2015 Turbo S model for ~ $4400 if speed is of top concern. Unfortunately Specialized does not allow dealers to ship bikes out of market. So you'd have to find a local dealer—ask them to Check Specialized's warehouse. Even if Specialized's warehouse is out, ask them what other previous-model-year bikes are still available. I will say, if Specialized's history is anything to go by, next spring the 2016 Turbo X should see a decent price drop with the new Vados coming out. If memory serves correct, it was in like May 2016 when the 2015 Turbo X dropped in price.

 

[Senseiwai]

It really depends the road you commuting. I have about 19km (11miles) commute to work. It's suburb through city commute 90% bike path and I have about average speed 27km/h (16-17mph). It doesn't matter if riding Stromer, Haibike or a Turbo X (S), I have no doubt you can get up to average speed 20mph or above on flats open road but it all depends on traffic situration fi you can hit that high average speed. You can buy a more powerful bike if the road or the traffic doesn't allow you to do that it just waste of money to buy a 28mph version bike. I suggest you buy a Giant Dirt E+ less expensive but still can get up to cruising speed at 30km/h (18mph). Hardtail with plus size wheels very comfortable you can ride off road and city commute. You can also buy tuning chip and get up to 40+km/h (24+mph) pretty effortless. If you commute flat open road less traffic go ahead buy a Turbo you won't regret, but if you spent most of your commit in urban city on bike path stuck with regular bike commuters at slower speed and you want to hit off road sometime when get a Giant Dirt E+.

 

[Berry78]

You definitely want a speed pedelec. Don't do a dongle, voids your warranty.

Also check out other brands. Ohm has very nice bikes...speed pedelec and throttle. I love the look, ymmv.

The Haibike xduro race might appeal to you. Only 28mm tires though...

Take your time deciding. Lots of options to sort through!