Specialized Turbo Creo 28mph Electric Road Bike

[rob_s]

I could see a version without the carbon wheels and maybe another without Di2 to lower the cost
Probably going with aluminum would make it to much like the Vado so I don’t think we will see that
All speculation of course

 

[rob_s]

Thanks
Good to know
That effects my interest for sure

 

[Scott Adams]

According to a published article in road.cc this month, the motor is being made in conjunction with Mahle from Germany who is also big in the automotive industry like Brose. Mahle has also recently purchased ebikemotion who is a supplier of e-bikes in Europe.

Thanks, the Mahle website showed a road bike with a belt drive and an internally geared hub instead of a rear derailleur, I wonder why Specialized did not choose to go that route. Mahle also mention the possibility of a mountain bike with their motor.

The battery in the Creo has 30 18650 cells, at 320 Wh that gives 10.67 Wh per cell, at 3.65 V nominal, they are rated for 2922 mAh per cell. However, the Mahle website says they use Panasonic 18650GA, which are rated for 3450 mAh. Perhaps Specialized selected the PF cell instead? Would provide for a somewhat more rugged cell now as well as a simple upgrade path for the next generation of Creo.

Also curious why specialized limits the Levo to 20 mph in the USA. Do they think mountain bikers only deserve slower bikes, even while riding non technical terrain on the way to the trails?

 

[kathik]

Thanks, the Mahle website showed a road bike with a belt drive and an internally geared hub instead of a rear derailleur, I wonder why Specialized did not choose to go that route. Mahle also mention the possibility of a mountain bike with their motor.

The battery in the Creo has 30 18650 cells, at 320 Wh that gives 10.67 Wh per cell, at 3.65 V nominal, they are rated for 2922 mAh per cell. However, the Mahle website says they use Panasonic 18650GA, which are rated for 3450 mAh. Perhaps Specialized selected the PF cell instead? Would provide for a somewhat more rugged cell now as well as a simple upgrade path for the next generation of Creo.

Also curious why specialized limits the Levo to 20 mph in the USA. Do they think mountain bikers only deserve slower bikes, even while riding non technical terrain on the way to the trails?

The heat and humidity has been so high here the last few days I decided to skip my regular trail riding and go for a road ride last evening. My Levo is not a lot of fun on the road. I kept an eye on what speed the motor stops assisting. My bike consistently cuts out at 18.2 mph. Gives your legs a good workout!

 

[Scott Adams]

When riding a Levo around the cutoff point the behavior of the motor feels like the rug is being pulled out from beneath you. It reminds me of watching a fish toying with a bobber, but I'm riding a $5k bike, kind of unbelievable that Specialized make other bikes that top out at 28mph but see fit to keep that from Levo riders as if they can't be trusted to have enough judgement when to use it.

Glad the Creo continues to provide power up to 28mph.

 

[tegnamo]

When riding a Levo around the cutoff point the behavior of the motor feels like the rug is being pulled out from beneath you. It reminds me of watching a fish toying with a bobber, but I'm riding a $5k bike, kind of unbelievable that Specialized make other bikes that top out at 28mph but see fit to keep that from Levo riders as if they can't be trusted to have enough judgement when to use it.

Glad the Creo continues to provide power up to 28mph.

They are keeping eMTBs in the class 1 ebike category, which is 20mph. Don't quote me, but you'd likely never see an eMTB in the class 3 category that's from a major bike company.

 

[MikeDee]

This bike is a lot more expensive than the Orbea Gain, and not much better. It has a little bit bigger battery, but my Gain M20 has a double crank. I wonder too if it's capable of really utilizing that 28 mph top speed cut-off seeing that the motor is only 240 watts. I'd like to see a comparison between it and a similarly equipped Gain.

 

[Guitar dave]

I do plan on riding one when my dealer gets one in August. I am a bit concerned about the 35 nm figure of torque. I thought the 40 nm of the Orbea was low but this is even lower...

 

[rob_s]

I think the aim of this product line is to provide a little support. The Vado is the work horse if you need lots of support.
If you need a lot of help, I don't see this as the right choice so the lower torque and wattage is not a problem.
I have a Vado and it can climb very steep grades with little assistance from me. I don't see this as a replacement to the Vado, just another option.

 

[MikeDee]

I do plan on riding one when my dealer gets one in August. I am a bit concerned about the 35 nm figure of torque. I thought the 40 nm of the Orbea was low but this is even lower...

And the Orbea is torque at the rear wheel whereas the Specialized is at the bottom bracket, which gives even less torque at the rear wheel because it's reduced by the bicycle gearing, which has only a 48x42 low gear.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

Peak power of only 240 watts and peak torque of 35Nm means this ebike is meant for riders who are already physically fit and want to have an edge over other competitive riders.
At least, it provides consistent power across a wide cadence range for a very natural feel while pedaling.

 

[jim6b]

When riding a Levo around the cutoff point the behavior of the motor feels like the rug is being pulled out from beneath you. It reminds me of watching a fish toying with a bobber, but I'm riding a $5k bike, kind of unbelievable that Specialized make other bikes that top out at 28mph but see fit to keep that from Levo riders as if they can't be trusted to have enough judgement when to use it.

Glad the Creo continues to provide power up to 28mph.

Am surprised to hear Levo's have the on/off problem near maximum motor support speed. I had thought this was taken care of by having the motor support begin to fade out 1 or 2 miles below the legal limit, be it 20 or 28 mph. On my Vado I can feel the effort needed from me to be increasing at an increasing rate as I get past 26 mph. and the motor is reducing its assist.

Would have thought the same feature would have been put into Class 1's to minimize or eliminate the herky, jerky of sudden motor cutoff/cut on. But I could be wrong, and have been before.

 

[rob_s]

After downloading the manual for the Creo, I noticed it lists the models that will 'eventually' be available:

CREO SL SW CARBON
CREO SL EXPERT CARBON
CREO SL EXPERT CARBON EVO
CREO SL COMP CARBON
CREO SL COMP CARBON EVO
CREO SL E5 COMP ( I expect this is the aluminum version)

 

[Scott Adams]

If I'm mountain biking I don't see a need to go faster than 20 mph or even 15 mph. I'd be using the motor on hills which is usually a slow grind.

The problem is real life mountain biking includes many types of road and terrain. There are plenty of times and at least a few thousand miles I have ridden regular mountain bikes at speeds between 20 and 25mph that weren't even downhill.

 

[Guitar dave]

After downloading the manual for the Creo, I noticed it lists the models that will 'eventually' be available:

CREO SL SW CARBON
CREO SL EXPERT CARBON
CREO SL EXPERT CARBON EVO
CREO SL COMP CARBON
CREO SL COMP CARBON EVO
CREO SL E5 COMP ( I expect this is the aluminum version)

Anxious to see which of these comes in at a lower price point while including lower spec carbon wheels. They make such a difference and combined with this motor I would definitely be a buyer at something closer to $7k.

 

[Guitar dave]

The elephant in the room here is how much this bike is a step up from the Ebikemotion bikes in the US, while not much of a change in countries with the 15.9 limit. To get this bike with a 28 mph assist is kind of like buying a bit of a hot rod! Not sure I would pay the steep up charge in EU but here in the states, well let’s just say I am very anxious to give it a try! The other side of the coin is that the US Ebikemotion powered bikes such as Orbea would be a real option if they assisted to 28 mph. Yes it will very rarely be utilized but it is nice to have the option.

 

[rob_s]

If you compare to the Roubaix line, the Comp will be without carbon wheels.
For me the big factor would be if the Comp comes with Di2.
After having Di2 on my Roubaix, I can't see going back to the old mechanical version.

 

[JRA]

[QUOTE="Scott Adams, post: 206199, member: 10315"

Glad the Creo continues to provide power up to 28mph.[/QUOTE]

I've been riding an eRoad bike for a few years and it is my opinion based on the 5k or more miles I have ridden that it takes at least 500w to maintain 28mph on level ground with no wind in either direction. Plus you also have to have a big enough gear to be able to get there. Looks like at least a 48t on the Cleo which with an 11t is about a 118" gear which you will be spinning out on at that speed. Also you will be eating wh's and these manufacturers versions have pretty small batteries.

Forget going 28mph up any type of grade, that takes twice as much power. Even with 1000w it is hard to maintain 20mph up a decent grade and at the same time it is eating wh's like popcorn. But if I run my bike strictly at 250w I still get a decent ride speed at more than I can maintain on my own and range goes way up as I can stay under 10wh's per mile. But my road bike weighs 45lbs. with a 780w battery. It handles just fine and I see no reason to have it weigh less but I don't ride alot without the power on except for in town and on downhills.

eRoad bikes are a completely different machine than eMTB's or more utilitarian models. The use of drop bars and road positioning won't be for everybody. I would get the gravel model as my bikes are set up like that and it is nice to be able to go both pavement and gravel, with even some trails, on the higher volume tires run at a lower psi. Negates the need for suspension for my needs. But I could build 3 like mine for the price of one cheapest Cleo so I won't be considered their target customer.

 

[JRA]

"Is your set up a custom one you put together yourself?"

Yes, when I put it together that I would rather ride an eBike over my KTM on the road I built up my first one and at that time there were no models available. I had decided via riding mid drives with PAS that they didn't provide me with the autonomy to pedal at my desired cadence all the time so I used a front hub motor, also for the front wheel drive which has always intrigued me after building an eMTB back in 2003 using one. I just use a throttle that has cruise control that I can regulate the watt limit in increments of 250w up to 1000w, which is legal where I reside btw. I use Schlumpf drives so that I get a good high gear ratio but I only used my speed drive on the first bike which does run out of push at around 28mph also as it only is the equivalent of a 45t/11.

I built another using a different front hub motor that has a built in torque arm and the ability to be removed without tools. It also is a 1000w motor and I used my High Speed Drive on it so it has a really high gear, the equivalent of a 60t/11 and I can pedal along with good watt input at 28mph with that. I am in the process of deconstructing that bike and building up a different frame that I am testing for a friend that features yet another new wheel size....

 

[bazzapage]

FYI I have reviewed this bike. https://electricbikesnz.com/2019/07/25/specialized-creo-sl-expert-evo/
My son has also reviewed it and I believe came to similar conclusions - it's a darn good bike.