Specialized releases Turbo Tero X

[Sopa]

Hi @Stefan Mikes,
I'll get used to the range, but I'm not super impressed that the 4 year old Bosch display on my Cannondale was simpler, but way more informative. It's kind of funny the the "range anxiety" display of the mastermind doesn't really help in that regard. Thanks for advice re: headlight too, I'll fix that today. Riding comfort is amazing! I tested this, the Levo, and the hardtail Tero, which I thought I was going to buy, and was blown away by the X's comfort. My shop, High Desert Bikes in Albuquerque set the sag, and the fork and shock respond well to adjustment, which I change from commuting vs mild single track. Cutting down the bars helped too, and I'm thinking about trying to convert it to Jones riser H bars like I have on my Surly Karate Monkey. They're great, and I could then relocate light and run my bar bag. By the way, High Desert didn't hesitate to let me ride whatever I wanted to, and even encouraged me to stay out longer. Cheers.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'm thinking about trying to convert it to Jones riser H bars

I'm afraid that would decrease the efficiency of the front suspension... as less of your body weight would lean on the bars.
Just thinking.

 

[Sopa]

No more complaints re: range. I started ride with fully charged battery, rode 20 miles of single track, and about 10 miles on road to get to trail, and here are the results. Average speed was 12 mph, or about 19 kph, I used eco at 30% assist on single track, and turbo / trail on road. Duration of ride was just under 4 hrs, which included a couple beverage breaks by the river. I can live with that.

 

[newheights]

No more complaints re: range. I started ride with fully charged battery, rode 20 miles of single track, and about 10 miles on road to get to trail, and here are the results. Average speed was 12 mph, or about 19 kph, I used eco at 30% assist on single track, and turbo / trail on road. Duration of ride was just under 4 hrs, which included a couple beverage breaks by the river. I can live with that.

Are you still pleased with the comfort of the ride? That is my hesitation on going for a turbo levo, I get uncomfortable after about 5 miles of pedaling that far forward and down. The turbo x seems a bit more upright and less aggressive, do you think that is accurate after using it?

 

[Sopa]

@newheights The X is super comfy, and with the great geometry and awesome brakes, it's really a do it all platform. I tested the Levo, and found it to be uncomfortable. I think it's probably a great bike for single track, but too aggressive for all round use. I could ride the Tero X all day.

 

[newheights]

@Sopa good to hear. Do you feel like the Tero X is fairly capable on the single track you have taken it on? I'm more used to big 29 x 2.6 wheels so the 2.35 max width is giving me some hesitation.

 

[Sopa]

@newheights It's more capable than I am for sure. I've never owned a full suspension mtb and never had a dropper, which makes a huge difference when technical obstacles come up. I'm able to do things on the tero I can't do on my Surly Karate Monkey, and honestly wouldn't even think of trying. Now I want a dropper for it too! Being able to adjust power delivery is nice too. I'm 54, and have had some pretty bad injuries, so I'm not sending it or anything, but this will handle difficult terrain no problem.

 

[DeepintheShires]

@Sopa hi, congrats and thank for sharing your impressions on the tero X 5.0. could you please tell me if the front sus fork is air or coil? I tried googling it and there are both coil and air variations of the rockshox 35 silver TK so none the wiser!

 

[Sopa]

@DeepintheShires I hope this helps! This is the fork cap. On a comical note, the bell broke yesterday. I would think Specialized could make a bell that lasts longer than a month, but oh well, kind of want a spurcycle bell anyway.

 

[DeepintheShires]

@DeepintheShires I hope this helps! This is the fork cap. On a comical note, the bell broke yesterday. I would think Specialized could make a bell that lasts longer than a month, but oh well, kind of want a spurcycle bell anyway.

Thanks

 

[Ryder71]

I picked up a 5.0 in mid March, and am coming from a Cannondale Synapse NEO SE. I added Ortlieb panniers, better pedals, a bar bag, cut an inch off each side of the bars, and it's set up tubeless, a must in New Mexico. So far so good. It's really fun to ride, a great commuter, great power and handling, comfortable, and the dropper is really cool on and off road. The negatives, range for sure. My Cannondale had an estimated range of over 150 miles in eco, and the Tero X displayed 25 miles of range at 91% charge. The range display also doesn't change regardless of being in Turbo or Eco, which is really lame, because it can't possibly be the same. It would be great if the headlight had different modes, like blink, or dim, because cyclists on the bike trail (especially roadies-why are they so angry?) have yelled at me about it. The light is also placed in a manner that doesn't allow me to use my favorite bar bag. I would love it if Specialized had something in mind for the cage on the bottom bracket, I can't seem to find anything that could fit there. Why not one of their SWAT gear bags? The rear rack is also a bit disappointing, I wish I could have run my Topeak MTX trunk bag, which is awesome. One more cool thing is being able to program power delivery in the different modes, it's pretty handy and works well. The app is kinda lame though, although I'm still learning. One odd thing is that the distance covered and odometer reading are different. Lastly, I do want to address that I'm aware that Class 3 ebikes are not technically allowed on bike trails in the US. I'm super respectful regardless of what bike I'm riding on trail, unlike a lot of folks I see riding the moto like throttle ebikes, which is lame. I get as mad at ebikes hauling ass on the trail as I do at roadies pacelining through congested areas. Oh, and the kickstand is cool too, although poorly designed, this thing is a heavy beast, and it's already hit the deck because it sunk into dirt. Gotta be really careful where you deploy it. That's it for now.

Can you tell me which Ortlieb panniers you used and if the included adapters were sufficient?
Additionally, are the panniers connected solidly top and bottom? I am picking up my Tero X 6.0 next week and I'm not at all familiar with the type of rack utilized.
Thanks for your help.

 

[Marcela]

Specs say Specialized motor, is that the Brose or Specialized making their own motor now?

 

[gpburdell]

Specs say Specialized motor, is that the Brose or Specialized making their own motor now?

Brose makes the motor for Spesh

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Specs say Specialized motor, is that the Brose or Specialized making their own motor now?

This is the newer line of Brose motors made for Specialized. Same as found in the current Vado, Como, or hardtail Tero.

 

[Sopa]

Can you tell me which Ortlieb panniers you used and if the included adapters were sufficient?
Additionally, are the panniers connected solidly top and bottom? I am picking up my Tero X 6.0 next week and I'm not at all familiar with the type of rack utilized.
Thanks for your help.

This is what I got. So for so good, they have hooks that lock them to bottom of rack, and little clips that connect to the top. https://www.rei.com/product/188014/ortlieb-gravel-pack-panniers-pair?redirect-pup=false

 

[Sopa]

Swapped the Jones bar off my Karate Monkey, and it was ok, but really didn't work with the light set up, even though I made a bracket to lower it. The stock light is one of the few things I don't like about this bike. It really needs more modes and to be able to turn it off. Back to flat bars. Unrelated to this thread, I finally sold my Cannondale Synapes Neo. Resale of ebikes is concerning. That bike was nicely set up for commuting, and at way less than half what I bought it for, it never got one response on the for sale forum here. My lady sold it to one of her clients at her salon, go figure...

 

[GuruUno]

re: "Resale of ebikes is concerning", I recently saw a 2021Vado SL 5.0 for $2,195 with 10 miles on it. ( https://www.facebook.com/marketplac...wse_serp:44807224-0619-438c-a9b4-97f0172c6e9b )
I have to agree, it's nuts.
Opinion: New e-bikes are gonna blow things out of the water in the next few years, range, perfection, etc. So, we shall see.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

re: "Resale of ebikes is concerning", I recently saw a 2021Vado SL 5.0 for $2,195 with 10 miles on it. ( https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/6233007700068615/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp:44807224-0619-438c-a9b4-97f0172c6e9b )
I have to agree, it's nuts.
Opinion: New e-bikes are gonna blow things out of the water in the next few years, range, perfection, etc. So, we shall see.

Looks like second hand prices are only going to drop further- Rumours on the emtbs forums are that Specialized has been holding off releasing the new Levo SL with the new SL 1.2 motor because dealers have a glut of older Levo SL’s yet to sell. They are panicking that these will have to be heavily discounted if the shiny new motor ones come out. Post Covid there is a worldwide glut of bikes that will take time to sell off. A glut in some areas, yet still scarcity in some areas or manufacturers apparently.

 

[Ryder71]

This is what I got. So for so good, they have hooks that lock them to bottom of rack, and little clips that connect to the top. https://www.rei.com/product/188014/ortlieb-gravel-pack-panniers-pair?redirect-pup=false

Thank you so very much.

 

[smorgasbord]

A friend asked me about the differences between the Tero X 6.0 (which I initially pointed him at), and one of the Levo's (not sure which). Can someone summarize the geometry/philosophy differences, or point me at comparisons?
He's old, like me, and still goes off-road with his current acoustic Santa Cruz trail bike. He and his wife rented crummy Pedegos and took an easy ride with us, and are now thinking of getting eBikes that can do trails and pavement. They're not hard-core and don't do jumps, but do sometimes do singletracks and downhills.
TIA