Help with decision to buy 2016 Turbo!

[Aceali]

My LBS has a 2016 specialized turbo for sale for $2200 cad (ie $1600 USD). It is brand new. The store was not well educated on the bike itself and this concerns me but it's the only shop carrying specialized.
I'm wondering what thoughts are on the suitability of this bike given I'd be using it mainly for commuting between 10-20miles per day on the flat flat prairies with basically almost no hills (yes, I'm lazy). I'm wanting a fast bike, and was hoping for racks, fenders add on. Couple questions
1. Is the speed of this bike limited for Canada?
2. Anyone know where to buy the commuter kit?
3. Is there the ability to change the display out for a better one?
4. Is this bike maybe more than I need?

Thanks!
Ali

 

[bazzapage]

It's a really good deal. Get it if you want a bike that is hard (harsh even) and fast... with conditions attached.
If you can't get the genuine racks and fenders via your dealer you could probably put on aftermarket kit. Many do.
I believe that Canadian bikes are limited to 20mph. In that respect you are buying a bike designed for high speed which has some compromises to comfort that won't ever achieve it. Unless you can convince someone with the diagnostic kit to take a minute and unlock it.
You can't change the display. If you want more data get a Garmin or similar.

 

[Douglas Ruby]

I second @bazzapage. This is fundamentally a terrific bike. See if the dealer can order or if you can direct order the fender/rack kit. Making your own with separate rack and fenders is not difficult. Plus, finding bags to fit the Racktime OEM rack is a bit difficult. The specs on the bike can be found here: (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Do check with the dealer or test ride the bike to verify its top assisted speed. The specs say 20 mph (32 km/h). The 2015/16 Turbo (they are all identical and actually most were manufactured in late 2014) normally has a top speed of 42 km/h (26.2 mph) in US tune. Check with other Canadian users to see what they report for top speed.

 

[KDX]

I'm guessing that the bike is at Bruce's Cycle in Saskatoon.

 

[Steve Pierce]

Hello All.
Just purchased the base Turbo for $1999.00 from the LBS. I know this is an older model and not as powerful as the "S" model but I see posts from people saying they can cruise easily around 27mph. I can maintain 20mph easily in Turbo Mode, but have to work very hard to even get to 27mph, much less maintain it for any significant amount of time. I weigh about 265 lbs. Is my weight causing this or is it possible the battery is not up to specs?

Steve

 

[Allan47.7339]

The weight of the rider will affect how much effort it takes to get to the assisted top speed. If you're only putting in a hundred watts and the bike is adding 250 it's not really enough to always maintain the higher speeds. I am frequently at the recommended max gross weight commuting on my Turbo S and I can only keep it about 24 MPH on the flats. It also depends on the wind.

 

[ROJA]

Congratulations - I think you will love the bike! How fast can you ride on a regular bike (try it on the same stretch of flat road with similar effort on both bikes)? I think that will be a good comparison for you.

How long of a warranty do you get in Canada?

 

[Douglas Ruby]

Steve,

I am 66 yrs old, ride a 2016 base Turbo with the upgraded 691Wh Turbo S battery and I weigh between 235-240 lbs. With our Turbos, we have a 200W motor that provides assist to 42kph (26.2 mph) rather than 45kph (28 mph). While I regularly hit speeds above 30 mph on descents, I usually can cruise only in the 22 -24 mph range on the flats at a cadence of 85-90 rpm in 9th gear (48T-13T). I cannot comfortably cruise on the flats in top gear (48T-11T). The highest average speed I have maintained on a 10 mile+ ride segment is around 21.5 mph though I have had 1 mile laps above 25 mph on mild descents near my home.

There is a big difference between our 200W motor and the 500W motor in the Turbo S. I have ridden with another rider on a Turbo S and found he could power up hills at much higher speeds and maintain an average closer to 25+ mph where I slow down a lot more on hills and maintain my 20 - 22 mph average. OTOH, I have a much longer useful range of 50-100 miles using the same battery (691Wh).

Doug

 

[Charlie Rohlfing]

The weight of the rider will affect how much effort it takes to get to the assisted top speed. If you're only putting in a hundred watts and the bike is adding 250 it's not really enough to always maintain the higher speeds. I am frequently at the recommended max gross weight commuting on my Turbo S and I can only keep it about 24 MPH on the flats. It also depends on the wind.

Hello All.
Just purchased the base Turbo for $1999.00 from the LBS. I know this is an older model and not as powerful as the "S" model but I see posts from people saying they can cruise easily around 27mph. I can maintain 20mph easily in Turbo Mode, but have to work very hard to even get to 27mph, much less maintain it for any significant amount of time. I weigh about 265 lbs. Is my weight causing this or is it possible the battery is not up to specs?

Steve

Just a suggestion ... make sure you are not in too high a gear when trying to push the bike up past 20 mph. Slightly lower gears may help you "push" the torque sensor in the rear wheel, thus adding more boost. In my experience there is a tendency with these ebikes to just roll in a high gear (slow pedal cadence) because the boost takes up the slack. But you're not putting much input into the torque sensor that way. Try pedaling in the 80-85 per minute range and see what happens. Let us know! : )

 

[Steve Pierce]

Thanks for the information. I will try a lower gear with a higher cadence and see how that works. Would like to purchase a cadence sensor. Any good recommendations? Currently using the Cyclo 315 bike computer.

@ROJA I am liking the bike very much. I haven't ridden a normal bike in over 20 years so have no idea how fast I could go on one. No idea on warranty in Canada, I'm in the frying pan known as Houston Texas. Only 111 degree heat index today. One of the cooler days.