michaeljk1963
Member
- Region
- USA
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.
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.
Last edited:
Sometimes one needs to use the Turbo mode!
