Bought Tero 3.0, Want to Switch to Tero X 4.0

[gromto]

Greetings, this is my first post. Last week I picked up Specialized Tero 3.0 on sale, and overall I find the bike to be pretty good. However, I saw that nearly all the other bikes on the trails I ride in the Southern California area are filled with full suspension bikes, both electric and plain. While the ride is fairly good, I find that the coil front shocks are very jarring over rocky paths and wonder how much happier I would be on a full suspension. My bike shop will allow me to return the bike for another one. Pretty much the only FS e-bike at the shop in my budget is the Tero 4.0 X, which has a full suspension, dropper seat, but it also looks quite silly with the fenders which are not necessary in dry SoCal. The bike shop is recommending going up to a Turbo Levo, however, that is a bit out of my budget and I feel like it is overkill. I do not plan to do any jumps, or very technical trails, but I would still like the ability to comfortably go on something a bit more than gravel roads, such as singletrack with rocky patches, roots, etc.

Do I pay $1700 more to step up to the Tero X? From my short test drive I felt like the FS is much better (I have never had a FS bike before except in childhood). It has Rockshox air forks, better cassette, better brakes, etc. I was about to say yes, but the bike shop owner is telling me that the the Tero X is just a poor attempt at an all purpose commuter, not appropriate for any type of moutain biking, "a tero for women" and not a success. Or do I keep my Tero 3.0, which I find ok and a fair bit lighter, but I will always wonder what I am missing? My old non-e bike was a hardtail and it was just ok, but always made me avoid any rocky areas etc.

 

[Ben J]

Well, I'm biased as a Tero X 6 owner.

Is it a "poor attempt at an all-purpose commuter"? Kind of. It's trying to span a really wide range of applications and in some cases (e.g. full fenders) it goes hard in one direction with no compromise for the other. It's also class 3 which excludes it from trail use in a lot of areas (although so is the Tero 3) while the Levo is class 1. I do used it as an all-purpose bike. Since I live in a wet area and I ride on roads to get to the trails, I appreciate the commuter features. On the trail end I do more gravel than single track and nothing technical.

Is 120mm of rear travel a lot for an MTB? No. Is it 120mm more travel than a hardtail? Yes.

For what you want to do a Levo is the right bike, but the Tero X isn't bad. You can remove the fenders (dealer might need to help with the rear one because of the integrated light). The ideal choice for you might be a used Levo.

 

[gromto]

Class 1 vs Class 3 is not really a concern for me. I believe my Tero was sold as a class 1 even though it is a class 3 in reality with the new update.

If I remove the fenders, wouldn't that make it a decent entry moutain bike for less technical trails? I get the shocks have less travel (130mm vs something like 160mm on the Levo) and the Tero X is a few pounds heavier, but it is also much more affordable. Or am I missing something major? Are the fenders and lights the only commuter features? I noticed the rear suspension is a different design- single point or something like that. What does this mean in reality? Much worse for off road?

Unfortunately due to the trade-in situation, I am forced to buy a new bike.

 

[Ben J]

I think the other major ebike thing that the Levo has is "shuttle" mode which is like an even higher assist levels meant to drag you up the hill with minimal effort. That's not available on bikes other than Levo/Kenevo.

The rear geometry isn't as fancy as a "real" MTB but if you have to ask you're probably not going to notice it.

Off the top of my head, the Levo features that make it more MTB like:

• More travel front and rear
• Fancier rear geometry
• Wider handlebars
• MTB grips instead of ergo grips
• Display built into the top tube instead of hanging out on the bars
• Available in fancier trims (like carbon frame)
• Smaller front chainring (all gears ~10% lower)
• Larger brake rotors front and rear (depending on frame size)
• Available in Specialized "S" sizing

What you give up vs Tero X

• Fenders
• Lights
• Kickstand
• Rear rack
• Available front rack
• Amount of data visible on integrated display
• Class 3

 

[decooney]

... The bike shop is recommending going up to a Turbo Levo, ... but I would still like the ability to comfortably go on something a bit more than gravel roads, such as singletrack with rocky patches, roots, etc.

My old non-e bike was a hardtail and it was just ok, but always made me avoid any rocky areas etc.

This is why your local bike shop is recommending Turbo Levo to you. It really does come down to where and how you'd like to use the bike. I started down a similar path with many many demo rides with Vado to Tero and finally on to more demos with Turbo Levo. Was not planning on paying notably more for a Turbo Levo, yet came to realization of how/where I would end up using the bike. Can do any of the single track, roots, and "rocky areas" I want. Now the paved trails are a means to get to the dirt off-road trails. Having good suspension is really nice IF you plan to take the bike on more off-road sections. It's worth taking extra time to figure it out, and/or saving more to get the bike that is more fit-for-purpose for you.

 

[gromto]

I ended up sticking with the Tero 3.0. It came down to the fact that the Tero 4X, even with the discount, would be twice as much money as the 3.0 on discount. Although FS is great, it just didn't feel like twice the bike on the test drives. For twice the money, I would like to see at least a more powerful motor, bigger battery, etc, but with the 4X, it would still be the same.

I took the Tero 3 on a bunch of sand/gravel trails over the weekend, and, after lowering the tire pressure, actually found it extremely comfortable even on rocky sections. I am very happy with it, I was smiling the whole time. The only time I feel the need for the rear suspension is when going downhill and hitting a bump, which causes the rear wheel to come off the ground for a second, but this is less than 1% of my riding. Eventually I may want to get a full suspension bike, or perhaps as a second non e-bike.

 

[Kilowatt]

I ended up sticking with the Tero 3.0.

Good choice!

 

[AvalancheRun]

Eventually I may want to get a full suspension bike, or perhaps as a second non e-bike.

Smart move, and this is the way to go imo. 4.0 wouldn't have made a difference.

Btw, those tires are tubeless ready, so you could easily convert them to run tubeless with lower pressure. Should improve comfort a bit more.

 

[decooney]

@gromto hats off to you on making a decision that works for you right now, and maybe for a long time to come based how you described the riding you enjoy doing. As for the downhill "bump" situation, hahah, one other option is to simply slow down a tad when those sections are ahead of us, and enjoy the bike for all the other capabilities you mention. I think that Turbo Tero 3.0 is a great value in the Spec lineup, particularly when they go on sale . A lot of fun to be had on your bike, Congrats, enjoy!