I will be keeping my Specialized Tero 3.0!

michaeljk1963

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EDIT: I changed the name of the thread to reflect my decision to keep my Tero 3.0 after putting about 75 miles on it this past weekend on National Forest Fire Roads, primitive trails, rocky roads, gravel roads and pavement. I am thrilled with the versatility of this bike, and how comfortable I feel in controlling it in all kinds of different riding environments. The motor and battery are just fine for my purposes, so I am relieved that I have no need to spend a lot more money on something like the Tero 5.0 or the Tero X. I am also enthralled with the options available in the Mission Control App and the way it works with the bike's onboard system. It is SO much better than what I have on my Trek Verve+ 3 (Bosch Purion system), even though I really like my Trek for city riding.

First post here. Last night I bought a Specialized Tero 3.0. I am pretty sure I want to keep it, but have 30 days to consider a return. It was on sale for $2,999 (normally $3,249). Would love to hear from others who own this bike, or considered it and rode it.

I am 60 this year, have some lower back issues, have had Type 1 diabetes for nearly 30 years (in pretty good control), so I haven't ridden my old Specialized Rockhopper for several years. I own a cabin on the North Shore of Lake Superior, so there's lots of national forest fire roads I want to try, in addition to the paved Gitchi-Gami trail that runs along the lake (and highway). I also have a Trek Verve+3 that I love for my city riding and commuting (around Minneapolis lakes and such). I am also 6'4" with a long torso, so definitely need something that comes in an "XL" frame size. I don't want a bike with a very "aggressive" frame and posture due to the fact that I get shoulder pain, and I am not going to be doing wild single track stuff, but will be doing quite a bit of gravel roads and grassy paths.

A few weeks ago, after doing some research, I bought a Trek Powerfly FS (full suspension) 4. It was on sale, and seemed to hit all the spots (and not too much added cost for full suspension). I returned it because the motor made a noise that both bothered me and concerned me. It was a very different kind of noise than the one on my Verve+ and watching reviews of the same motor on the Powerfly and other bikes, here and in other places, that didn't make that noise. It was not the kind of whining electric noise that I expect, but a kind of grinding noise, like something was rubbing inside the motor that shouldn't be rubbing. It also only made the noise on half the pedal cycle (on the left foot down stroke), so maybe it was something going on with the crankset? (I am no bike expert). I concluded there was something wrong (defective?) with this particular motor and if this was truly a normal noise for this motor, I didn't want it, and the local dealer (normally good guys) said this was normal (I just don't think it was) and they didn't have any other Pathfinder FS 4s in my size to try out for comparison. Also, on my first ride on the bike, with a fully charged battery, I rode 20 miles, mostly flat, mostly in eco and tour, and only had "8 miles" left on the charge. This higher than expected battery drain continued on two subsequent rides, which also made me wonder if the motor was requiring more juice than it should.

After returning it and doing some additional research, I came upon the Specialized Tero 3. I wanted to stay under $3,000, if possible. I don't really need full suspension, but front suspension is necessary for me for some of the grass/dirt/bumpy gravel roads around my cabin. One thing that surprised me was how different (and better) the Tero 3 felt compared to the Pathfinder FS 4. Even though (I think) the Tero 3 is only a little lighter (51 pounds, weighed at the dealer at the time of purchase) than the Pathfinder FS 4 (just under 60 pounds with my mods), it feels much more maneuverable, like the weight is better distributed. This might be just a bias against the Pathfinder after being disappointed with it. I did read a couple of reviews of the Tero 3 that complained about its motor as being underpowered and not very well matched to the drivetrain. My verve 3 has a Bosch motor with 50nM of torque, the same as the Specialized/Brose 2.0E motor, which seems like enough power for what I want to do.

I am posting this question here because I can return the Tero if I decide I don't want it or there are better options at roughly this price point, for a tall guy, who wants to do 50/50 paved trails and gravel roads. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
 
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There isn't any information on the tero without the turbo adjective. Court reviewed the turbo tero 6, which cost about $6000. I don't imagine for $3000 you will be getting the SRAM eagle one touch shifter. No telling what else is different.
In lake country Michigan, having a 250 w motor is not really a problem. In mountainous areas, people want 750 w, the maximum legal power on road. High torque will start a big load on a hill. High power will make the speed the bike climbs that hill higher. Yes, you want to start on the hill in the lowest sprocket. On the picture of tero, I don't see any dish sized 48 tooth sprocket to boost the torque of the wheel over what the motor puts out. (mid drive motors usually have 46 tooth drive sprocket).
One potential problem, perhaps less for a tall person with long legs. In my early sixties I began to have trouble lifting my leg over the seat and back fender. I have ridden drop frame bikes since that time. There is a step-through tero on the specialized website, I would have bought that one at age 60 if I wanted a mid drive. At 160 lb with up to 80 lb cargo, I don't have any problem with frame flex on my yuba (shown left).
I hope you have a support plan, for if you drop a chain, or have an electrical problem, you are fixing it there, pushing it home, or calling for help. With my geared hub motor bike, chain fault the motor drags me home. Electrical (rain takes out the throttle, gears in motor wear out) I just pedal it home. No calls for a SUV, the wife drives a tiny Elanta. The middrive should last >10000 miles except for the chain, which is a <2000 mile item on a 9 speed bike. My geared hub motors tend to last 3000 miles, but they only cost $36-$350. I keep a spare in the garage for minimal down time.
I use about 1/3 the 840 wh battery for a 30 miles trip with 77 hills, but I pedal 2/3 the distance unpowered. I believe the brose motor allows you to do pedal unpowered without dragging the motor with your feet. Exercise is good for the heart & lungs. Just not too much, like on days with a 25 mph headwind. Took me 6 hot sweaty hours at 140 bpm to make 27 miles home 9/18 before I electrified my bike.
 
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There isn't any information on the tero without the turbo adjective. Court reviewed the turbo tero 6, which cost about $6000. I don't imagine for $3000 you will be getting the SRAM eagle one touch shifter. No telling what else is different.
In lake country Michigan, having a 250 w motor is not really a problem. In mountainous areas, people want 750 w, the maximum legal power on road. High torque will start a big load on a hill. High power will make the speed the bike climbs that hill higher. Yes, you want to start on the hill in the lowest sprocket. On the picture of tero, I don't see any dish sized 48 tooth sprocket to boost the torque of the wheel over what the motor puts out. (mid drive motors usually have 46 tooth drive sprocket).
One potential problem, perhaps less for a tall person with long legs. In my early sixties I began to have trouble lifting my leg over the seat and back fender. I have ridden drop frame bikes since that time. There is a step-through tero on the specialized website, I would have bought that one at age 60 if I wanted a mid drive. At 160 lb with up to 80 lb cargo, I don't have any problem with frame flex on my yuba (shown left).
I hope you have a support plan, for if you drop a chain, or have an electrical problem, you are fixing it there, pushing it home, or calling for help. With my geared hub motor bike, chain fault the motor drags me home. Electrical (rain takes out the throttle, gears in motor wear out) I just pedal it home. No calls for a SUV, the wife drives a tiny Elanta. The middrive should last >10000 miles except for the chain, which is a <2000 mile item on a 9 speed bike. My geared hub motors tend to last 3000 miles, but they only cost $36-$350. I keep a spare in the garage for minimal down time.
I use about 1/3 the 840 wh battery for a 30 miles trip with 77 hills, but I pedal 2/3 the distance unpowered. I believe the brose motor allows you to do pedal unpowered without dragging the motor with your feet. Exercise is good for the heart & lungs. Just not too much, like on days with a 25 mph headwind. Took me 6 hot sweaty hours at 140 bpm to make 27 miles home 9/18 before I electrified my bike.
Thanks for the detailed response. There are certainly aspects of a hub motor that interest me, especially the option of a throttle, but having tried a few of them, I didn't think they felt very naturally. Maybe now that they are more often using torque instead of cadence sensors, the feeling is more natural. Not sure. I'd be open to suggestions with hub motors in light of my other considerations.
 
Michael, please do not listen to a man without expertise in mid-drive motor e-bikes.

Is there anything that you do not like about your Tero 3.0? Did you miss any climbing capability?
Because it looks to me you are only speculating about any potential deficiencies of your e-bike. Tero 3.0 is a darn good e-bike, especially for the price segment you mentioned.
 
Hi Stefan,

I definitely like the bike so far, but I've only taken it on a 20 minute test ride when I was at the bike shop. I've only ever used or had a Bosch motor, so am not sure what to think about the Specialized/Brose motor 2.0E. It's gotten some fairly bad reviews both in user forums and in straight reviews (I think BikeRadar and maybe even EBR gave it mixed reviews). I am aware that some people might be using the standard of "is this a 'real' mountain bike?" and then comparing it to a Levo or a Trek Rail or something. I don't pay attention to that. I know that's not what this big is designed for and it is not my intended use. Like I said in my initial post, I want a bike that is roughly 50/50 in terms of paved (urban) paths and light trail (gravel or dirt paths). Relatively flat single track without jumps and narrow bridges would also be fun at times.

I will say that what brought me to the Tero is a review (can't remember now which one) that basically said that for Specialized, there are three bikes in the categories of a mix between paved and trail, with the Vado tipping more toward paved/urban but capable of some trail, the Tero right in the middle, and the Levo a mountain bike that can also do pavement. The local bike store manager confirmed this. From that perspective, the Tero sits right where I want it to be.

So, again, I am not in any way harping on the Tero, and after researching lots of different brands, configurations, price points and size options, the Tero does seem to fit my needs best. On the other hand, there are mixed reviews of the Tero's motor and drivetrain and I've read several forum posts here and elsewhere calling into question the Specialized/Brose electric motor reliability (and after just dumping a Trek Powerfly due to weird motor issues, I am a bit "gun shy" on weird motor issues), and there seems to be a very large wealth of experience here on this forum, so I wanted to make sure there wasn't some other bike that might fit my needs without the questions about the drivetrain and motor on the Tero.
 
Hi Stefan,

I definitely like the bike so far, but I've only taken it on a 20 minute test ride when I was at the bike shop. I've only ever used or had a Bosch motor, so am not sure what to think about the Specialized/Brose motor 2.0E. It's gotten some fairly bad reviews both in user forums and in straight reviews (I think BikeRadar and maybe even EBR gave it mixed reviews). I am aware that some people might be using the standard of "is this a 'real' mountain bike?" and then comparing it to a Levo or a Trek Rail or something. I don't pay attention to that. I know that's not what this big is designed for and it is not my intended use. Like I said in my initial post, I want a bike that is roughly 50/50 in terms of paved (urban) paths and light trail (gravel or dirt paths). Relatively flat single track without jumps and narrow bridges would also be fun at times.

I will say that what brought me to the Tero is a review (can't remember now which one) that basically said that for Specialized, there are three bikes in the categories of a mix between paved and trail, with the Vado tipping more toward paved/urban but capable of some trail, the Tero right in the middle, and the Levo a mountain bike that can also do pavement. The local bike store manager confirmed this. From that perspective, the Tero sits right where I want it to be.

So, again, I am not in any way harping on the Tero, and after researching lots of different brands, configurations, price points and size options, the Tero does seem to fit my needs best. On the other hand, there are mixed reviews of the Tero's motor and drivetrain and I've read several forum posts here and elsewhere calling into question the Specialized/Brose electric motor reliability (and after just dumping a Trek Powerfly due to weird motor issues, I am a bit "gun shy" on weird motor issues), and there seems to be a very large wealth of experience here on this forum, so I wanted to make sure there wasn't some other bike that might fit my needs without the questions about the drivetrain and motor on the Tero.
Given your description of your own use cases.... among specialized models I believe that you purchased the right bike. The question is do you like it? You have 30 days. I would suggest that you get out there and be sure that this is the bike for you. Please update us.
 
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and the Levo a mountain bike that can also do pavement.
It cannot. Levo is a purely technical singletrack Trail class e-bike. You would cry from despair trying to ride a Levo in an urban environment. Too slow, too noisy, uncomfortable, requiring a high cadence, requiring a lot of effort from you to ride a distance. Levo is a climber for purely off-road.

I rode a Tero 3 in a rough terrain and also in the city, and I liked it, if not two features:
  • A heavy suspension fork (but I am a picky person)
  • A smallish battery (a deal breaker)
Tero is exactly the thing that allows you riding in mixed terrain and climbing. Unless your climbs are extreme and long, you would be delighted with Tero 3.0. Although I would choose the 4.0 for the bigger battery alone myself.
 
Stefan, you raise some really good points. I don't need rear suspension, although if it didn't cost too much, and didn't add to much weight, I would have liked it (rode the Trek Powerfly Full Suspension all over Minneapolis and liked how it smoothed things out for me). The main thing I like about the Tero is that it is does not put me in an aggressive forward position. This will hurt my shoulders (beginnings of arthritis there), while also having the tires and a base front fork for light trail riding. I agree on the Tero 4.0. Would have been my first choice, for sure, except it is not available for sale and service in the US. I want to be able to bring my eBike to my local bike shop for service, and the Tero 4 is not a choice for me (unfortunately). I asked, they said nope. Seems weird, but Specialized has made that decision for now.
 
I will definitely be keeping the Tero 3.0. I went for about a 30 mile ride today near from my cabin. Had a blast. I haven't had this much fun on a bike in 20 years! It feels so capable on a rocky, uneven, primitive road (not a single track trail but plenty of obstacles). The power is plenty for getting up a long, pretty steep fire service road that heads to the ridge of the "Sawtooth Mountains" (not mountains, just what they're called locally, but about 800 feet of elevation gain). The motor is rated as max torque of 50 nM, which is the same as my Trek Verve (Bosch), but I have to say it feels considerably more powerful. I am also pleased with the battery performance so far, although I would have preferred something a little bigger. After about 30 miles, with a pretty good climb involved, I returned to the cabin with 57% charge remaining, using about 40% eco, 30% trail and 30% turbo. I realized I don't really need rear suspension for what I want to do, since I am spending a lot of time off my seat on rougher road, and on the flat gravel, I don't need it--was plenty comfortable. I can finally go explore a bunch of roads and trails up here I've never been on before.

Not that this matters too much, but it is also a beautiful bike! Below is a picture of the bike new at the shop and another one from an hour ago up on the trail after hitting some mud on the trail.
 

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Good to hear! FYI...if you can avoid the use of turbo (i know i know) you will DRASTICALLY improve your battery life.
Today I rode 16.7 miles.
Vado SL owner here....but I believe the comparison is valid.
ECO (30% assist) was 4.14 miles and used 15Wh
TRAIL (60% assist) was 2.06 miles and used 24Wh
TURBO (100% assist) was 0.28 miles and used 6Wh
I rode with no assistance for the remaining 10+/- miles.
Total battery consumption for 16.68 miles was 15%

Your terrain differs greatly from mine....and you will need Trail and Turbo more than me....I understand. Just relaying that those assist levels at 60% and > really drain the battery.
For my use(s) the battery life is superb. For your use(s) I understand the need for improved battery performance.

Some days I am very 'battery conscious' and when feeling strong get a better cardio workout. Other days when I'm not feeling so strong I will rely heavier on the battery at the expense of battery longevity.
Riding about 100 miles per week I find myself recharging every 5-6 days.

Enjoy your new bike!
 
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Hey mfgrep ;) Sometimes one needs to use the Turbo mode!
I can remember my solo rides in high mountains (on asphalt). There was no way but to switch to Turbo often! However, I was not using any assistance on descents... :)

Michael, congratulations on your aware decision!
Besides, you will be able to buy a bigger battery (and the battery cover) in the future (it will fit).
 
Hey mfgrep ;) Sometimes one needs to use the Turbo mode!
I can remember my solo rides in high mountains (on asphalt). There was no way but to switch to Turbo often! However, I was not using any assistance on descents... :)

Michael, congratulations on your aware decision!
Besides, you will be able to buy a bigger battery (and the battery cover) in the future (it will fit).

I did say "(i know i know)".

I don't hesitate to use Turbo if/when needed....and my terrain doesn't call for it often. Turbo does deplete the battery and quickly.
 
Turbo does deplete the battery and quickly.
On an SL e-bike yes. The battery starts "diving" from the assistance 65/65% and up for the SL. The bigger batteries on full power e-bikes are more forgiving! (Within a reason!) :)
 
Just did a little mod/upgrade to our Tero 3.0: Eagle GX 12 speed (11-50) combined with a Praxis 44T chainring. Greatly improved top end performance and also better climbing ability. Great bike, my wife loves it, but it was lacking in both top end and climbing categories. Now it is fast enough for any street application, and also climbs better with a 44:50 low ratio rather than the OE 36:36. Also the SRAM stuff shifts a bit better than the OE Shimano.

I see than the 2023 3.0 now comes with a 40T chainring which provides a minor improvement for top speed but makes climbing worse since they stuck with the 9 speed 11-36 cassette. So depending on how your riding evolves with the 3.0 you might consider similar mods. I used Bikecalc.com to make some initial estimates and then did a little experimenting to get it right.

Parts for this mod as follows:
SRAM GX Eagle 12 peed derailleur
GX trigger shifter
GX 12 speed chain (126 links)
NX PG-1230 11-50 cassette

The bike is much more versatile now and since our rides include a combination of trails and roads, the higher top end speeds allow safer interaction with vehicles.

https://www.bikecalc.com/speed_at_cadence I used several of the calc options here and had a lot of fun exploring various combinations based on my riding experiences. Very helpful in determining improvements.
 

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With the "micro tuning" option, I was able to go in between Trail and Turbo and use 90% power, instead of Turbo's 100%, which seemed like it saved me some juice. This morning, I watched some videos on the Mission Control app, and learned how to set my own presets--so now have a preset like the one you mentions (Eco at 30% instead of 35%, Trail at 60% instead of 75%, and Turbo at 100%). This will be my standard set up. For flat/paved trail riding, I've changed it to eco at 25%, Trail at 50% and Turbo at 100%. I also really like being able to lock my bike with the App and really wish my Trek had this feature. I was also glad to finally figure out why the "My rides" was not working (hadn't yet set up a profile on the website, and didn't know I needed to do that). With my Type 1 diabetes, it's nice to know my wife can track my rides and be notified if there's a problem. I suspect it has limited usefulness, though, because most of the places I will be riding don't have reception (near Canadian border here at the cabin).
 
Hi Rich,

Nice to see someone else with a Tero 3.0. Mine is a 2023. Living in Grass Valley CA I can imagine your climbs are quite a bit longer and steeper than what I have available where I am. I just checked the topo map for my location and it looks like my ride yesterday involved a 900 foot elevation gain over the course of about 2 miles, and with Turbo at 100%, I never needed to go all the way down to 1st gear (mostly 2-4 while climbing).
 
We have a nice trail system nearby - Hidden Falls, Auburn Ca, and a really low 1st is necessary for some of the single track climbs. Im 65, 235lbs and this is something I never would have attempted before, and I would say I’m not good at it at all, but it is something I can now attempt with at least a little confidence. Also I can fearlessly descend into canyons on the trails around here knowing I’ll be able to climb back out. I didn’t have this type of riding in mind when I bought the bikes but it’s nice to have more options.
 
With my Type 1 diabetes, it's nice to know my wife can track my rides and be notified if there's a problem. I suspect it has limited usefulness, though, because most of the places I will be riding don't have reception (near Canadian border here at the cabin).
With type 1 diabetes, and frequently going off cell phone service, you might want to invest in a Garmin Inreach mini . https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=c8a9...3d3cuZ2FybWluLmNvbS9lbi1VUy9wLzU5MjYwNg&ntb=1
Tracks you by satellite and about $30 a month. Can call for help via satellite.
I've had a friend go into the coma at work. Too much calculation and balancing required.
 
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