Hi everyone,
Just thought I would introduce myself! I’ve been mulling the idea of an electric bike for a while after I saw a couple at the London Bike Show last year. I liked the idea but wasn’t particularly blown away by any of the bikes I saw at that show which all looked somewhat cobbled together. Moving on a year and with the entry of new bikes that had the battery built into the frame, something I personally think is much more pleasing to the eye, I set about trying to see if I could source one.
Actually had my heart set on a Kalkhoff Integrale as I liked the integrated battery, large capacity and the very nice cockpit and large display and went off into London to try one. I actually tried an Integrale 10XT which is quite a lot of fun but unfortunately the only size they had was slightly too big for me and, as enjoyable as it was, the whole thing felt just a bit too clunky and heavy.
Disappointed, my wife and I carried on to a Specialized Concept store, where she wanted to look at a road bike for herself. Whilst there, I noticed that they had a Specialized Turbo on sale. It was also a little big for me (at least I thought it was) in a medium but the sales guy told me to give it a try just to see what I thought. Wow… For me it was like the difference between driving a nimble, swift sports car and driving a powerful but large Mercedes (the Kalkhoff). Perhaps even more importantly for me it really was just like riding a bike - but one that was just constantly riding down a nice slope so took only the minimum of effort to get up to a good speed. I just loved it. I returned to the dealership a bit reluctantly but I felt the sales guy was probably concerned that he would never see me again.
Anyway, because I really knew very little about bike (although I knew the brand and how my wife who is a keen rider thought was one of the best) I decided it was really dumb to buy it there and then but rather I should go and do some homework. Did my homework and it just seemed to make more and more sense, especially when I called the Specialized UK HQ and staff there couldn’t have been more helpful and informative with all my questions. Just bought a 2015 Turbo X which are very reasonably priced now in the UK as there are only a few left. I went for the X for the RockShox and the colour (pretty much all black, so less noticeable). For me I am sold by the large number of dealers, class act parent company support, good parts and finish and IMHO the best looking e-Bike today if you are after something that looks like a stylish, sporty ‘real bike’.
I will also purchase the 691Wh battery which you can also get in the UK and maybe change the Formula C1 brakes which (from what I have read) can be problematic and require bleeding too often. It’ll be a few weeks til I get to try the bike as I am out of the country but I frankly can’t wait…
Boring ramble over (yes, sorry about the length!). Looking forward to learning more about the bike via this interesting and supportive group!
All the best!
Just thought I would introduce myself! I’ve been mulling the idea of an electric bike for a while after I saw a couple at the London Bike Show last year. I liked the idea but wasn’t particularly blown away by any of the bikes I saw at that show which all looked somewhat cobbled together. Moving on a year and with the entry of new bikes that had the battery built into the frame, something I personally think is much more pleasing to the eye, I set about trying to see if I could source one.
Actually had my heart set on a Kalkhoff Integrale as I liked the integrated battery, large capacity and the very nice cockpit and large display and went off into London to try one. I actually tried an Integrale 10XT which is quite a lot of fun but unfortunately the only size they had was slightly too big for me and, as enjoyable as it was, the whole thing felt just a bit too clunky and heavy.
Disappointed, my wife and I carried on to a Specialized Concept store, where she wanted to look at a road bike for herself. Whilst there, I noticed that they had a Specialized Turbo on sale. It was also a little big for me (at least I thought it was) in a medium but the sales guy told me to give it a try just to see what I thought. Wow… For me it was like the difference between driving a nimble, swift sports car and driving a powerful but large Mercedes (the Kalkhoff). Perhaps even more importantly for me it really was just like riding a bike - but one that was just constantly riding down a nice slope so took only the minimum of effort to get up to a good speed. I just loved it. I returned to the dealership a bit reluctantly but I felt the sales guy was probably concerned that he would never see me again.
Anyway, because I really knew very little about bike (although I knew the brand and how my wife who is a keen rider thought was one of the best) I decided it was really dumb to buy it there and then but rather I should go and do some homework. Did my homework and it just seemed to make more and more sense, especially when I called the Specialized UK HQ and staff there couldn’t have been more helpful and informative with all my questions. Just bought a 2015 Turbo X which are very reasonably priced now in the UK as there are only a few left. I went for the X for the RockShox and the colour (pretty much all black, so less noticeable). For me I am sold by the large number of dealers, class act parent company support, good parts and finish and IMHO the best looking e-Bike today if you are after something that looks like a stylish, sporty ‘real bike’.
I will also purchase the 691Wh battery which you can also get in the UK and maybe change the Formula C1 brakes which (from what I have read) can be problematic and require bleeding too often. It’ll be a few weeks til I get to try the bike as I am out of the country but I frankly can’t wait…
Boring ramble over (yes, sorry about the length!). Looking forward to learning more about the bike via this interesting and supportive group!
All the best!
