No longer using the Creo for road riding

[Captain Slow]

I enjoyed getting the Creo and riding it when I first got it. But this year I bought an Aethos, which cost slightly less than what I paid for the Creo. For road riding the Aethos is just so much nicer to ride. It doesn't have a motor, but that hasn't been an issue for me and since we have a 32 km/hr. limit in Canada there were many times when I was riding the Creo where the motor wasn't doing anything but adding weight to the bike.

The Creo is still a nice ride, but the Aethos is just so much nicer that I don't bother with the Creo.

Now the Creo has become my gravel machine and will be used as a commuter in the fall when my employer has staff returning to the office.

As light as the Creo is for an electric bike, it just can't ride the same as a regular carbon bike and that affects the ride quality. I used to read how others said they'd never buy a Creo because of the under powered motor and I thought to myself, it's enough for me. But now I find myself moving in that direction. Since the weight adversely affects the feel of the bike I'm now thinking an electric bike around 40 lbs, that has a more powerful motor and bigger battery is the way to go. If you're going to take that handling hit, then get some more power!

I still like the Creo, but the honeymoon is over and the Aethos is my preferred bike now.

 

[Deacon Blues]

For me the Canadian Creo would only make sense if its motor was de-restricted. Some would be happy with the 32kph cutoff, but I wouldn't.

 

[Captain Slow]

That's one of the reasons it's become my gravel bike. For gravel the 32 km/hr. limit doesn't bother me nearly as much. If I'm over 32 km/hr. it's on a paved portion and it's a smaller part of the ride. Having said that yesterday we were on the shoulder of the highway for a bit and pushing 38-40 km/hr. and it would have been useful there, but it was a pretty short portion.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

I enjoyed getting the Creo and riding it when I first got it. But this year I bought an Aethos, which cost slightly less than what I paid for the Creo. For road riding the Aethos is just so much nicer to ride. It doesn't have a motor, but that hasn't been an issue for me and since we have a 32 km/hr. limit in Canada there were many times when I was riding the Creo where the motor wasn't doing anything but adding weight to the bike.

The Creo is still a nice ride, but the Aethos is just so much nicer that I don't bother with the Creo.

Now the Creo has become my gravel machine and will be used as a commuter in the fall when my employer has staff returning to the office.

As light as the Creo is for an electric bike, it just can't ride the same as a regular carbon bike and that affects the ride quality. I used to read how others said they'd never buy a Creo because of the under powered motor and I thought to myself, it's enough for me. But now I find myself moving in that direction. Since the weight adversely affects the feel of the bike I'm now thinking an electric bike around 40 lbs, that has a more powerful motor and bigger battery is the way to go. If you're going to take that handling hit, then get some more power!

I still like the Creo, but the honeymoon is over and the Aethos is my preferred bike now.

I can understand that. I've used my Vado SL all winter and it's been brilliant. One of the fitness benefits it has created is that I now can ride my ordinary bikes much further and deal with hills that were impossible unassisted last summer. Yesterday I took my old (but v light) 'ordinary' mtb to a trail center and did the Red trail for the first time. (second hardest trail technically after Black) The combination of the lightness of my mtb and my extra fitness made it both doable and great fun. Really surprised myself. So I'm using the SL for a daily exercise bike and every now and then using my ordinary bikes for fun and to check how my fitness is doing. There is something lovely and simple and above all nimble in riding a lightweight and unassisted bike. Because of the steep hills around here I won't be giving up the SL, it's made it possible to cycle in places I would never have dreamed of previously and I love it.

 

[Captain Slow]

Agreed on the fitness improvement the Creo helps facilitate. Between the Creo and a winter on Zwift I'm climbing hills much, much easier than I have in the past 10-15 years. I'm now climbing like I was when I was 25 years younger! Ok, maybe not that well, but it feels like it

 

[Prairie Dog]

I enjoyed getting the Creo and riding it when I first got it. But this year I bought an Aethos, which cost slightly less than what I paid for the Creo. For road riding the Aethos is just so much nicer to ride. It doesn't have a motor, but that hasn't been an issue for me and since we have a 32 km/hr. limit in Canada there were many times when I was riding the Creo where the motor wasn't doing anything but adding weight to the bike.

The Creo is still a nice ride, but the Aethos is just so much nicer that I don't bother with the Creo.

Now the Creo has become my gravel machine and will be used as a commuter in the fall when my employer has staff returning to the office.

As light as the Creo is for an electric bike, it just can't ride the same as a regular carbon bike and that affects the ride quality. I used to read how others said they'd never buy a Creo because of the under powered motor and I thought to myself, it's enough for me. But now I find myself moving in that direction. Since the weight adversely affects the feel of the bike I'm now thinking an electric bike around 40 lbs, that has a more powerful motor and bigger battery is the way to go. If you're going to take that handling hit, then get some more power!

I still like the Creo, but the honeymoon is over and the Aethos is my preferred bike now.

I get where you’re coming from. The Aethos sounds like an amazing bike and I believe you when you say that it handles like nothing else you’ve ridden. I personally don’t see the honeymoon ending anytime soon for me plus my better half has a renewed sense of vigor since acquiring her Creo. She won’t ride anything else. I also ride an e-MTB all year round so splitting time between both lessens the focus on either discipline. My brother-in-law recently purchased a Creo Evo and we all look forward to riding together.

Neither of us belong to a competitive group so we have the luxury of riding at our own pace and hence there’s no anxiety of keeping up or waiting for others. The Creos have simply allowed us to further extend our riding pursuits as a couple during the short season here and that to me is reason enough to celebrate.

I do like the idea of using the Creo as your daily gravel commuter which is what I would do if I had to put myself in your position.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Agreed on the fitness improvement the Creo helps facilitate. Between the Creo and a winter on Zwift I'm climbing hills much, much easier than I have in the past 10-15 years. I'm now climbing like I was when I was 25 years younger! Ok, maybe not that well, but it feels like it

I love the elegant simplicity of the Aethos frame. I know it's carbon & astonishingly light but it does remind me of the steel framed 80s road bikes I raced as a teenager!

 

[Deacon Blues]

Even though I have an awesome e-gravel bike I still love riding my 2018 Giant Defy Advanced Pro 0. 18 pounds, carbon frame, carbon wheels, and Di2 shifting. What's not to love.
There's something special about riding a light, quick handling road bike.

 

[stw]

Great to hear your preference for the non-e bike. As a long-time cyclist one of my worries about getting an e-bike was that it would make me drop my interest in non-assisted riding and I'd lose interest in my regular bikes. Your story is encouraging--you finding you still like non-assisted riding (on the right bike), and find it preferable to assisted riding on an e-bike with a similar fit and shape. Cycling is cycling.

 

[AzDave]

Captain, Fellow creo owner here and sort of get where you are coming from. The battery and motor do add weight..something my old 'lighter' Roubaix didn't have. But man...been getting a lot of headwinds lately...an occasional hill to contend with...Sometimes I need to catch up with my gf on her powered bike...or make a traffic light. I mean there are tradeoffs no matter how you cut it. The Aethos sounds very very intriguing but is it as versatile as the Creo? Hey if you got the money for both why not but the Creo to me takes a lot out of the downsides in riding.

 

[Captain Slow]

No the Aethos is not as versatile as the Creo. The Creo can go lots of places the Aethos can't and there's nowhere the Aethos can go that the Creo can't. Not only that, but if I want to tow a trailer with things in it, I'm not worried about the Creo with it's aluminum frame. I doubt I'd do that with the Aethos.

But the Aethos has a ride quality that the Creo can't match. The Creo might be light for an electric bike, but it still weighs about 80% more than the Aethos.

It might be purely psychological, but when I compare the Aethos to my Cervelo or Creo it feels like every pedal stroke on the Aethos results in more forward motion. I'm not sure if it's because the bottom bracket is stiffer, or what it is but it feels like it. Whether it is or not I'm not sure. But it does "feel" faster going up hills. On the Aethos I am flying up hills that had me panting a couple of years ago on my Cervelo. Now, the biggest difference there is my weight loss, but I've ridden my Cervelo in the past year and the Aethos just feels faster. Maybe it's because the Cervelo is a decade old and the frame has lost stiffness, I'm not sure.

But you bring up a good point. If I could only own one bike I think I'd reluctantly choose the Creo over the Aethos because it is more versatile. But if you asked me which bike is the most enjoyable to ride, then it's the Aethos hands down.

 

[mschwett]

@Captain Slow and i have discussed this before, but i mostly ride my creo (the carbon version) with the motor off. i made the mistake of riding an aethos a few weeks ago, and i have to agree with the assessment that somehow it feels MUCH FASTER up a hill than the modest total difference in weight (no more than 15 lbs out of a 220lb total load!) would suggest. i rode this totally unfamiliar bike hard for 30 minutes, up some decent san francisco hills, and it felt freaking amazing. when i got on my vanmoof s3 after the test ride, i was deeply depressed. then i rode my creo again and since it came after the vanmoof, it felt pretty good.

if the bike had been a color i like i might just have had to buy it.



when i find a place to store it, i'm getting one too, and will use it for any rides <50 miles and <1,500' of climbing. the great thing about the creo is that it is a very capable road bike with the motor off, so i can find out what my limits are.

 

[Captain Slow]

Agreed on the colour. I got the black one. If that colour was the only available I would have waited or gotten a different bike. The irony is that I wasn't looking to buy an Aethos. I was just looking to buy a bike with Rival AXS and that was the first bike I could buy that I was interested in. I actually wanted a Cervelo Caledonia Rival AXS but Cervelo didn't announce at launch they were going to have one and I just wanted one right away due to the pandemic. In a normal year I would have waited, but I knew waiting might mean a year to get the bike so I bought the first thing I could get. I'm not unhappy with my decision.

 

[BigNerd]

Since the weight adversely affects the feel of the bike I'm now thinking an electric bike around 40 lbs, that has a more powerful motor and bigger battery is the way to go.

Does such a unicorn exist? I haven't been able to find many bikes sub-40lb with a decent motor (and throttle).

 

[Captain Slow]

If Canyon sold this in Canada I'd seriously consider getting this

Grail:ON CF 8

Gravel riding is what you make of it: freedom, high speed, nature, adventure. And the Grail:ON CF 8 is ready for them all. With its powerful motor, big battery reserves, innovative design, and range of high-end features, this is an agile, powerful gravel machine with an extra kick!

www.canyon.com

16.8 kg is a tick under 37 lbs.

 

[AzDave]

No the Aethos is not as versatile as the Creo. The Creo can go lots of places the Aethos can't and there's nowhere the Aethos can go that the Creo can't. Not only that, but if I want to tow a trailer with things in it, I'm not worried about the Creo with it's aluminum frame. I doubt I'd do that with the Aethos.

But the Aethos has a ride quality that the Creo can't match. The Creo might be light for an electric bike, but it still weighs about 80% more than the Aethos.

It might be purely psychological, but when I compare the Aethos to my Cervelo or Creo it feels like every pedal stroke on the Aethos results in more forward motion. I'm not sure if it's because the bottom bracket is stiffer, or what it is but it feels like it. Whether it is or not I'm not sure. But it does "feel" faster going up hills. On the Aethos I am flying up hills that had me panting a couple of years ago on my Cervelo. Now, the biggest difference there is my weight loss, but I've ridden my Cervelo in the past year and the Aethos just feels faster. Maybe it's because the Cervelo is a decade old and the frame has lost stiffness, I'm not sure.

But you bring up a good point. If I could only own one bike I think I'd reluctantly choose the Creo over the Aethos because it is more versatile. But if you asked me which bike is the most enjoyable to ride, then it's the Aethos hands down.

Yep totally get that. Truth be told there are times I've thought about having my Roubaix back. The lightness and more fluid gearing was definitely superior to the Creo. The Aethos would be nice to have as well. Thats a heck of a two bike combo.

 

[Deacon Blues]

If Canyon sold this in Canada I'd seriously consider getting this

Grail:ON CF 8

Gravel riding is what you make of it: freedom, high speed, nature, adventure. And the Grail:ON CF 8 is ready for them all. With its powerful motor, big battery reserves, innovative design, and range of high-end features, this is an agile, powerful gravel machine with an extra kick!

www.canyon.com

16.8 kg is a tick under 37 lbs.

I own a Cannondale topstone Neo Lefty 3 (e-gravel) which weighs around the same weight as the Grail (39 pounds). Same Bosch gen 4 motor, but the Lefty has both front and rear suspension.
I love this bike!

 

[mschwett]

If Canyon sold this in Canada I'd seriously consider getting this

Grail:ON CF 8

Gravel riding is what you make of it: freedom, high speed, nature, adventure. And the Grail:ON CF 8 is ready for them all. With its powerful motor, big battery reserves, innovative design, and range of high-end features, this is an agile, powerful gravel machine with an extra kick!

www.canyon.com

16.8 kg is a tick under 37 lbs.

37lb…. way too heavy IMO! my ideal road e-bike would be lighter than the creo, with a smaller battery (i never use more than half), perhaps even no internal battery and just a 120 WH bottle battery. that would last me for a typical 50-80 mile ride with lots of hills, and when i’m on a flatter ride, the weight can be left behind. given the weight of the SL motor, it ought to be possible to make a 20lb bike like this!

 

[Captain Slow]

Ideally I like riding a bike lighter than the Creo as well, that's why I love my Aethos!

I like the idea of the Topstone as well if it didn't have suspension. Unless I'm mountain biking I'd rather not have suspension. More maintenance and expensive maintenance at that. I suppose if you don't mind paying then yeah it's nice to have that comfort.

 

[Elkman]

I enjoyed getting the Creo and riding it when I first got it. But this year I bought an Aethos, which cost slightly less than what I paid for the Creo. For road riding the Aethos is just so much nicer to ride. It doesn't have a motor, but that hasn't been an issue for me and since we have a 32 km/hr. limit in Canada there were many times when I was riding the Creo where the motor wasn't doing anything but adding weight to the bike.

The Creo is still a nice ride, but the Aethos is just so much nicer that I don't bother with the Creo.

Now the Creo has become my gravel machine and will be used as a commuter in the fall when my employer has staff returning to the office.

As light as the Creo is for an electric bike, it just can't ride the same as a regular carbon bike and that affects the ride quality. I used to read how others said they'd never buy a Creo because of the under powered motor and I thought to myself, it's enough for me. But now I find myself moving in that direction. Since the weight adversely affects the feel of the bike I'm now thinking an electric bike around 40 lbs, that has a more powerful motor and bigger battery is the way to go. If you're going to take that handling hit, then get some more power!

I still like the Creo, but the honeymoon is over and the Aethos is my preferred bike now.

I bought the Creo Carbon but also have my Trek non motorized carbon frame bike as well. The Creo can accommodate fatter tires and provides a bit of boost when fighting headwinds which are very common in my area. The Creo weighs 25.8 lbs as compared to 17.2 lbs for the Trek road bike which is a negligible difference unless going up a long steep grade.

My primary concern is theft and it is much easier and far less costly to replace my Trek non electric e-bike than the Specialized Creo. Our two road bikes if stolen would cost less than $3,000 to replace as compared to $15,000 for the two Creo bikes. Or I could pay $5,000 to insure the Creo bikes over the next 5 years. So where the bikes may be out of our sight we take the standard bikes and leave the e-bikes at home.