Late last week I took delivery of an S-Works Creo 2 in size 56. I'm still getting it dialed in, with the help of our awesome local Specialized-owned dealer (Biker's Edge here in CT.) I'll do a full/proper review after a few more weeks of riding, but thought I'd drop a few initial impressions here -
First, for context, I currently own and regularly ride a Vado 5.0 IGH, temporarily owned a Vado 5 SL for a few weeks (before returning it), and have test-ridden many other e-bikes over the past few years. Otherwise my acoustic bike experience is decades old at this point ;-)
So - after just a few dozen miles on the s-works creo 2 over the last few days, first impressions: this is
easily the most amazing bike I have ever
personally ridden. Which, of course it should be, at over $15k with accessories! Straight from the store, I was a bit underwhelmed - the ride felt harsh, the derailleur was making strange noises under load, the tires felt soggy, the seat was uncomfortable, and my riding position/comfort was off. Here's what it took to get that all sorted:
- Swapped OEM seat for s-works power with mirror (my personal favorite saddle)
- Disassembled, re-greased, re-assembled, and re-calibrated the entire groupset
- Installed 3 supplied spacers to increase stack height by 15mm
- Replaced OEM dropper post with a roval terra carbon seatpost with 20mm setback
- Converted tires to tubeless
- Installed shimano pd-eh500 pedals
After these adjustments, I am very happy to report that I now feel like I'm getting my money's worth (which is really saying something, given the
eye-watering price tag!) Of all the changes listed above, I think the seatpost replacement easily had the most impact. Specialized's decision to install a
heavy, stiff/uncomfortable, nearly-useless (drop range) seatpost on this otherwise insanely nice carbon bike is just baffling to me. It's just laughably bad, a ridiculously overweight piece of hardware on an otherwise top-spec, superlight machine. I haven't weighed it yet, but I'd guess that replacing the seatpost easily shed a pound, maybe even two - and the roval carbon is SO much more comfortable, while still maintaining that "crisp-but-compliant" carbon feel that matches the bike perfectly.
Ok - so after these adjustments I was finally able to get a few "this feels right now" rides in today and I'm happy to report: this bike is so, so,
so good. Like, it's almost hard to describe how good it is. It is an
incredibly smooth, supple, and FAST ride. The closest I've ever come to feeling like a bike just disappears underneath me. Half of my rides today were power OFF and astonishingly (for me at least), I still felt like I was one with the wind - this bike wants to GO. I also
really love the more relaxed geometry, personally. My back/neck won't let me ever become a super-aero speed demon anyway, so for me the gravel-inspired geometry (together with the electric assist!) is the perfect compromise between something even more upright (i.e. Vado SL) vs a pure acoustic road bike (i.e. Tarmac).
Regarding the 1.2 motor: Riding in eco (currently set to 35/35) feels like MORE than enough assist on this bike. By way of comparison, during my previous rides on an SL 1.1 motor (Vado SL 5.0) I felt like eco/35/35 was
just barely enough to compensate for the weight of the bike, and I only started feeling the "benefit" of assistance (that "wind at my back" feeling) when I set power to sport (50/50) or above. With this new 1.2 motor, a setting of eco/35/35 feels equivalent to what sport/50/50+ felt like on the 1.1 motor (with the obvious caveat that the Vado SL 5.0 was probably ~5 pounds heavier than my current creo 2 setup.)
I have yet to do any range tests/calculations, but my guess is that
@Stefan Mikes' assertions are correct: IF you dial the assist level on this bike to output similar
wattage (equivalent to a lower assist level on this bike vs the SL 1.1 motor), then range will be the same - otherwise I'd assume that range will be reduced compared to the creo 1 at the same settings (although you'll go faster!) There's no magic here - watts are watts after all
Still, I really like this setup - it means that I can get the same efficiency when I want to use an even lower assist, but then I also have even more power on demand if/when I decide I need it (to catch up to the group, tackle a hill, etc.) In default sport mode on this bike, I quickly reach 28mph on the flats. Turbo is
insane, way overpowered for anything other than a super steep incline (and actually I just realized I still have my turbo set to 80/80... I haven't even tried 100/100 yet
)
Oh, also, the motor is extremely quiet. It's basically imperceptible to my ears most of the time, with a very soft whir that I can only really hear when going up-hill, slow, with full assist. It is equivalent or maybe even quieter than the 2.2 motor on the Vado 5, and definitely a LOT quieter than the 1.1 motor at all speeds.
That's it for now. I'll report back after a few hundred more miles! Also of course please feel free to hit me up with any questions and I'll do my best to answer. Next big milestone for me is achieving my first century, which I'm planning with some family and friends at next year's Marin Century ride in CA. Hoping this bike can help me get it done!
Best,
Paul
