specialized creo 2

[wattage_this]

I'm curious if anyone going from an analog road bike to this bike (or Creo 1) can provide some insight for their experience regarding difference in Q-Factor. road-bike Q-Factor is considerably less than to something like this Creo2 - does it cause any knee or foot pain? was it unnoticeable or quick to get acclimated? i'm interested in 25-35+ rides where things may start to surface. really like this bike but wondering if this has been an issue for anyone.

 

[mschwett]

I'm curious if anyone going from an analog road bike to this bike (or Creo 1) can provide some insight for their experience regarding difference in Q-Factor. road-bike Q-Factor is considerably less than to something like this Creo2 - does it cause any knee or foot pain? was it unnoticeable or quick to get acclimated? i'm interested in 25-35+ rides where things may start to surface. really like this bike but wondering if this has been an issue for anyone.

i have ridden both the creo 1 and analog road bikes quite a lot in the past few years, and the very large q factor of the creo did not bother me, rides up to 110 miles, more typically 20-70.

that said, i’m 6’2 or so and it may be that a smaller person would be bothered. i honestly can’t really tell.

 

[Dazmanturbo]

i have ridden both the creo 1 and analog road bikes quite a lot in the past few years, and the very large q factor of the creo did not bother me, rides up to 110 miles, more typically 20-70.

that said, i’m 6’2 or so and it may be that a smaller person would be bothered. i honestly can’t really tell.

Yea same here at 6' 2". That said, I did notice the Q factor decrease nicely when I swapped from alloy to carbon cranks, as my alloy one were MTB one....

 

[Dazmanturbo]

What is Q factor?

Measurement between the pedals. Ebikes tend to be wider due to the motor

 

[mschwett]

Yea same here at 6' 2". That said, I did notice the Q factor decrease nicely when I swapped from alloy to carbon cranks, as my alloy one were MTB one....

that's true, i put carbon cranks on my creo from almost the beginning, and definitely before i did any really long rides.

 

[Dazmanturbo]

Got my Creo 2 today and just done a quick shakedown ride to test all was put together right. I went for the Carbon Comp as already have many of the upgrades I am looking to put on the bike. Out the box it dies feel good. Much quieter motor then 1.1 and can feel it is stronger. The seatpost is horrid and make the seat hard as hell, but luck that will not be staying on the bike.

I will do 3 rides tomorrow if the weather plays ball, each a 5 mile loop. The first on Creo 1, the second on Creo 2 as out the box and the third on Creo 2 with 28mm light carbon wheels on and seatpost changed. This will drop 1.5kg from the bike and roll much easier. This will give me a good understanding of the new bike and how it improves over the Creo 1.

 

[Twowheelxtc]

I’ve an Expert on order so am looking forward to your review and re your replacement seatpost which is a mod I’ll be doing once I can decide a good shock absorbing carbon replacement. I’m hoping the bike doesn’t arrive at the local Specialized shop too soon as we are going through a cold spell and I’d be so fraustrated having the Creo 2 in the garage and not being able to try it!

 

[Pattant]

Hi all,

I’m new on this forum. I really appreciate all the info being shared here by everybody, so I wanted to share some of my experience with the Creo 2, which I bought a month ago.

I bought a Creo 2 comp after comparing with the Vado SL, the Santa Cruz Skitch (newer Fazua) the Pinarello Nytro (older Fazuas were on sale), Bulls and Canyon (Bosch drives). I test rode all of them except the Canyon.

For me, the Creo 2 hit the sweet spot as a fitness-oriented commuter bike that gave a smooth and quiet ride. For the price, I wish it had a bit more power but you can’t have everything.

I originally had the dealer swap out the stock tires for Pathfinder Pro 47mm tires. It was a nice ride but felt a bit slow on my commute (which is pavement + gravel) and I got one flat pretty quickly (with tubes+sealant!). So I switched to running tubeless tires that seemed to have a good combination of rolling resistance and puncture resistance:
Challenge Strada Bianca HTL 40mm
(The above web site has a ton of data on tires! Very interesting)

Picture of my bike with the 40mm tires:

So far the ride has been fast and without flats so I’m happy. However my confidence while cornering on gravel is definitely reduced.

In terms of real world performance, I can reach ~25mph on the flats in turbo mode with modest exertion (100-150W from me). The max motor output seems to be about 340W. It is definitely easier to hit >25 mph with the Bosch bikes but I couldn’t accept their noise level.

On my ~22 mile commute, I can average close to 20mph whereas it would be closer to 15 mph (including all stops needed). So I can meet my goal of keeping my commute close to 1 hour each way.

Once again, thanks to all who have been sharing info here, it was really helpful.

 

[Dazmanturbo]

I’ve an Expert on order so am looking forward to your review and re your replacement seatpost which is a mod I’ll be doing once I can decide a good shock absorbing carbon replacement. I’m hoping the bike doesn’t arrive at the local Specialized shop too soon as we are going through a cold spell and I’d be so fraustrated having the Creo 2 in the garage and not being able to try it!

The best I have found is the Ergon CF3 / Canyon VCLS 15 (they are the same seatpost, the companies are owned by brothers). That is what is going on to mine from my old Creo

 

[AvalancheRun]

The best I have found is the Ergon CF3 / Canyon VCLS 15 (they are the same seatpost, the companies are owned by brothers). That is what is going on to mine from my old Creo

Have you tried the Roval Terra seatpost? Got a Diverge on order with this post.

 

[Dazmanturbo]

Have you tried the Roval Terra seatpost? Got a Diverge on order with this post.

Yes, my Creo 1 came with a very similar seatpost and it offers nowhere near the same comfort levels of the Ergon CF3. The split leaf carbon spring allows for some really nice deflection

 

[pete1967]

Hello...
new here in this forum and since a few weeks owner of a Specialized Creo 2 Expert in size 58.
I´m a mountainbiker since nearly 20 years now and I´m afraid that my rides on my Fuel EXe will be getting significantly less now that I own this incredible new bike.
I exchanged the dropper and the bar against Roval carbon parts and got rid of the tubes to set up my wheels tubeless.
The only thing I would critizise is the all black paintjob that I find a little bit sad.

@WildPaul Can you explain a little bit what the pointwork of the S-Works model really is? Matte army green with sprinkles?

 

[AvalancheRun]

The more expensive the Spec bike, the less I like the colors. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[WildPaul]

Hello...
new here in this forum and since a few weeks owner of a Specialized Creo 2 Expert in size 58.
I´m a mountainbiker since nearly 20 years now and I´m afraid that my rides on my Fuel EXe will be getting significantly less now that I own this incredible new bike.
I exchanged the dropper and the bar against Roval carbon parts and got rid of the tubes to set up my wheels tubeless.
The only thing I would critizise is the all black paintjob that I find a little bit sad.

@WildPaul Can you explain a little bit what the pointwork of the S-Works model really is? Matte army green with sprinkles?

Hey there - sure thing I personally love the s-works paint job, which is a matte dark grey with shiny flakes that catch and subtly reflect the light. Not really sure why they call it green, I can't discern any green tint to it at all under any lighting condition

This photo (from the spec website) does the best job of capturing what it really looks like in person, although the flakes are perhaps a bit more shiny than this when they catch the light just right. As you can see in this photo, it's 100% grey with no green to be found anywhere. I also love how the s-works logo is subtly embossed on the side.

I've only had the bike for a few months, so I can't speak to how it will hold up long-term, but so far: it hides dirt fairly well, but that's possibly because the matte/speckled pain already looks a bit "dirty" (which I personally like, compared to a full glossy paint job.) Anyway, when I have gotten it dirty it's been trivial to wipe it off and restore it to looking new. I already have a few scratches as well, but they're also pretty hard to see (despite taking some decent falls!) and hidden well by the dark/matte color.

Hope that's helpful!

 

[Deacon Blues]

I wonder if Specialized is planning to ever offer a road version.

 

[Dazmanturbo]

Update on my road spec Creo 2. I have now done 60 miles on the bike, 3000ft of climbing and 27% battery remains. Given that I have been testing out higher modes and micro tune, I don't think that is a bad return. The Creo 2 can match my Creo 1 for range with the option of more help if it needed. I did a 30 mile ride this eve in -3c (26f), which is not the most efficient temp for a battery and I used 30%

 

[Calcoaster]

Hello...
new here in this forum and since a few weeks owner of a Specialized Creo 2 Expert in size 58.
I´m a mountainbiker since nearly 20 years now and I´m afraid that my rides on my Fuel EXe will be getting significantly less now that I own this incredible new bike.
I exchanged the dropper and the bar against Roval carbon parts and got rid of the tubes to set up my wheels tubeless.
The only thing I would critizise is the all black paintjob that I find a little bit sad.

@WildPaul Can you explain a little bit what the pointwork of the S-Works model really is? Matte army green with sprinkles?

How do you compare the motor noise of the creo 2 vs the fuel EXe?
I haven’t heard from anyone yet who can directly compare the new SL 1.2 Creo motor with the TQ, both the noise level under similar conditions and the feel of the motor assist. Thanks!

 

[pete1967]

Hey there - sure thing I personally love the s-works paint job, which is a matte dark grey with shiny flakes that catch and subtly reflect the light. Not really sure why they call it green, I can't discern any green tint to it at all under any lighting condition

This photo (from the spec website) does the best job of capturing what it really looks like in person, although the flakes are perhaps a bit more shiny than this when they catch the light just right. As you can see in this photo, it's 100% grey with no green to be found anywhere. I also love how the s-works logo is subtly embossed on the side.

View attachment 167378

I've only had the bike for a few months, so I can't speak to how it will hold up long-term, but so far: it hides dirt fairly well, but that's possibly because the matte/speckled pain already looks a bit "dirty" (which I personally like, compared to a full glossy paint job.) Anyway, when I have gotten it dirty it's been trivial to wipe it off and restore it to looking new. I already have a few scratches as well, but they're also pretty hard to see (despite taking some decent falls!) and hidden well by the dark/matte color.

Hope that's helpful!

Interesting! It seems to me that it also depends on how the light falls on the frame.

In this video - for example - when the mechanic puts the bike on the workstand, the paintwork looks like an army green:

But in other picture settings it seems to be a matte grey.

And in the official launch videos from Specialized, when the camera focuses on the motor (after 18 seconds in the video), it also seems to be a green color:

 

[pete1967]

How do you compare the motor noise of the creo 2 vs the fuel EXe?
I haven’t heard from anyone yet who can directly compare the new SL 1.2 Creo motor with the TQ, both the noise level under similar conditions and the feel of the motor assist. Thanks!

I do at least 90 percent of my riding in eco, rarely trail and as good as never in turbo mode. The TQ motor is still a hair quieter than the motor of the Creo 2.
I find the 1.2 motor in similar assist levels a little more powerful compared to the TQ. Both motors feel really natural. In this respect, I would describe the result as balanced.

 

[gpburdell]

One reason I believe Spesh went with wider tires is for rider comfort. In order to support the motor and battery and additional weight of this bike, the frame must be built much stiffer. The best way to provide cushion and compliance on a bike is with wide tires set at a medium low pressure. I'd imagine a stiff framed ebike with 28mm tires would be a very harsh ride. I've been riding the 47mm tires on my new Creo 2 Expert on the road for about 180 miles so far and it feels great. Personally I couldn't be happier they went more gravel oriented on this bike. Living in Oregon, USA, I find overall I ride pavement to gravel ratio is about 50/50.

That makes no sense. The only appreciable weight gain on the Creo2 models relative to the non-EVO Creo1 models is from the Creo2’s wheels, tires, and dropper post.

The non-EVO Creo1 models came with 28 & 30mm tires depending on model, with similar weights, and the ride on those is fine.