Huh, I'm not sure the Creo can't be ridden unassisted?! I'm a similiar age 51 & I have a Vado SL 4 with same motor & battery and I ride it about 50% of the time without assist. Basically on the flats or downhill unless there is a strong headwind or I'm knackered. I was looking at the Ribble Al e which has the Mahle eMotion and is a lighter bike, but it's extremely hilly where I live with very steep gradients and the reports I read said the eMotion would struggle with low cadence on the 20%+ slopes. The Vado Sl is brilliant at climbing. If I was to go the drop bar route in the future & given how unashamedly expensive the Creo's(!) are, I now think I'd look at getting a Fazua equipped bike like the Cairn E Adventure gravel bike. I like the idea of being able to take the battery out and riding it like a normal bike. But I haven't ridden one so I can't compare the Fazua motor to the Speccy one.
Specialized, Trek or Orbea, which one?
- Thread starter Firnatine
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Yep, but I was replying to a poster who said that unlike riding an Orbea E Motion bike you couldn't ride a Creo without assistance.
cj3209
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I meant that it's pretty hard to ride a heavy bike without the motor assist, unless you are only on flats. The Creo is pretty heavy right? Over 40 lbs?
Stefan Mikes
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cj3209
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vdev said:
Aluminum Creo weighs 33 lbs with pedals - that come with bike
Carbon one weighs 29lbs.
That's not too bad. My eMotion road bike is 27 lbs and my eGravel bike is 37lbs.
Aluminum Creo weighs 33 lbs with pedals - that come with bike
Carbon one weighs 29lbs.
That's not too bad. My eMotion road bike is 27 lbs and my eGravel bike is 37lbs.
My road Creo Expert is set up for gravel with 40c tubeless tyres and pedals weighs in at 29lbs. It’s absolutely fine on the flats although arguably more fun with a little bit of assistance to offset the weight, but I find that eco mode is enough to make if feel like a normal carbon road bike.
I think it’s also what bikes & materials you are used to. My 2 ordinary bikes; a steel Genesis CdeF is 29lbs without racks, bottles, tools etc so probably 32lbs but it’s lively and feels really light & comfortable to ride. And my old 26” alloy mtb is about the same weight so the Vado SL isn’t much heavier. Where I really feel the added weight of the motor/battery is if after bombing down a hill with assist turned off I forget and suddenly the road veers uphill! For a few seconds it feels so heavy and sluggish until I hit the eco button again! Whereas the steel ‘analogue’ bike just dances up the slope. Or does until my fitness pulls me up short
It's been awhile since I dropped in and I'm surprised to see all the additional replies since my last post. I want to thank everyone who took the time to post replies with suggestions; I found them to be very helpful and informative.
I've been doing my research for a long time now and will be test riding the Specialized Turbo Creo Evo and most likely purchasing the same day. Besides the three bikes in my original post I looked at every class 3 road and gravel ebike available in the U.S. and keep going back to the Turbo Creo.
I love the looks of the Orbea Gain; due to having a hub motor you really can't tell its an eBike. It is also the least expensive of the ones I'm looking at. After many hours of reading and watching youtube reviews, I now know the hub drive is not for me.
As for the Trek Domane HP+ 7 it has the most power with the Bosch motor putting out 85nm. It would be great for the mountains I'll be climbing where I'm going to want the greatest assist but on the flats I want a lighter bike so I can easily ride without using the assist if I choose. My rides will be long so battery range is very important. Being the most powerful of the three bikes it is also the heaviest which may cause me to rely too much on peddle assist. The other factor is the price. It is by far the most expensive of the three.
Lately I have been looking at the new Canyon Grail On class 3. It too has the same set up as the Trek and weighs around 36 lbs. The price is also reasonable compared to the Trek and Specialized. Problem is the only way to purchase it in the U.S. is to buy direct online. Not one dealer in my area carries it and only a few are designated as service reps. I would have to order online and shipping timeline may be an issue. I may still go that way if the my test ride of the Creo doesn't go well.
The Specialized Turbo Creo checks all my needs. Specialized has good customer support, are located near where I live and I know someone who works for them. Unfortunately that won't get me a discount. The medium size Creo will weigh about 29 lbs., its motor is mid drive, it doesn't look like an eBike, it has good battery range. Every review has been mostly very positive. They claim the transition from assist to no assist is smooth. For me the only negative is the price and maybe the 35nm of torq...I will know more once I test ride it. I'm in pretty good shape and a decent climber but not as strong as the guys I'll be riding with. I think the Creo will be just the ticket for me to stay with them and not be the one to slow them down. Thanks again.
I've been doing my research for a long time now and will be test riding the Specialized Turbo Creo Evo and most likely purchasing the same day. Besides the three bikes in my original post I looked at every class 3 road and gravel ebike available in the U.S. and keep going back to the Turbo Creo.
I love the looks of the Orbea Gain; due to having a hub motor you really can't tell its an eBike. It is also the least expensive of the ones I'm looking at. After many hours of reading and watching youtube reviews, I now know the hub drive is not for me.
As for the Trek Domane HP+ 7 it has the most power with the Bosch motor putting out 85nm. It would be great for the mountains I'll be climbing where I'm going to want the greatest assist but on the flats I want a lighter bike so I can easily ride without using the assist if I choose. My rides will be long so battery range is very important. Being the most powerful of the three bikes it is also the heaviest which may cause me to rely too much on peddle assist. The other factor is the price. It is by far the most expensive of the three.
Lately I have been looking at the new Canyon Grail On class 3. It too has the same set up as the Trek and weighs around 36 lbs. The price is also reasonable compared to the Trek and Specialized. Problem is the only way to purchase it in the U.S. is to buy direct online. Not one dealer in my area carries it and only a few are designated as service reps. I would have to order online and shipping timeline may be an issue. I may still go that way if the my test ride of the Creo doesn't go well.
The Specialized Turbo Creo checks all my needs. Specialized has good customer support, are located near where I live and I know someone who works for them. Unfortunately that won't get me a discount. The medium size Creo will weigh about 29 lbs., its motor is mid drive, it doesn't look like an eBike, it has good battery range. Every review has been mostly very positive. They claim the transition from assist to no assist is smooth. For me the only negative is the price and maybe the 35nm of torq...I will know more once I test ride it. I'm in pretty good shape and a decent climber but not as strong as the guys I'll be riding with. I think the Creo will be just the ticket for me to stay with them and not be the one to slow them down. Thanks again.
Having owned both the Orbea and the Specialized, I can safely say that the torque rating on the Orbea is not accurate. The Specialized feels as though it has 50% more power and it delivers it consistently whereas the Orbea delivered it in fits and spurts. I will say that both bikes have more than enough power for even the toughest of climbs, but the Creo just does it better.
I did it and now its mine! Went for an nice test ride with a lot of climbing including good 20% grade and was smiling the whole way. Also tried it without assist and the bike responded as well as my Santa Cruz Stigmata. Never once noticed the added 10 pounds between the two.
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