Specialized Turbo Creo 28mph Electric Road Bike

Yes we do have excellent taste don't we ;) The only thing I don't like about the paint job is what was done on the top face of the top tube. Glossy black at the ends and fade out to just the black carbon. The painter kind of missed & didn't do it smoothly in a spot. They should have just painted the entire face glossy black. Probably nobody will notice it but me. Yes, I'm not sure about that dropper seat post either. In the court of internet opinion, it seems to be mostly thumbs down. If I decide it needs to go it will be easy to rip out, especially where we put the dropper lever. Also, there are two slotted "holes" in the seat tube, just below the seat clamp. Holes in quotes because they are not countersunk with threading and don't go all the way through the tube. I'm not sure what they are for. I did notice that some flavors of the Creos have a taller seat clamp than mine which appear to cover them up. At first I thought my frame was flawed then talked myself off the cliff after looking at pictures on the Specialized site of other flavors of Creos with lighter paint colors. You can also see them on the green CC Evo that Court rode for his review. Anybody know why they are there? Can't wait to ride it. Light dusting of snow this morning with below freezing temps most of the day so I think not. Thanks for your kind thoughts. Stay safe and healthy.
Holes in seat tube? Don't think they're "holes." Think they are slits in the tube that show under the clamp that enable the tube to clamp around your seatpost when the bolt is tightened. No? Any bike that uses a seatpost clamp has to have a tube with some sort of void in order to tighten around the seatpost. Otherwise cracky or denty of seat tube.
 
And the dropper post is very heavy compared to a normal seat post...
I only felt the need for it in two tours with MTBs, were it was so steep, that I walked. But I missed more than a dropper post: Better brakes/bigger discs, supension fork, much wider tires. Then I really would appreciate also a dropper post...

Jeff how tall are you? I'm always suprised about the length of the seat posts when I see Creo photos here and often thought "In the U.S. they choose their bikes very very small...". My seat post looks much much lower in real life. But now I saw a photo a took from my bike and seat post looks almost as long as yours. Seems photos or the position of the photographer cause a lot of perspective distortion here...

Accdording to winter weather: I did not have much luck the last three winters for graveling. Two winters ago it was very dry and sunny and my gravel tours were easy due to the flat region, but therefore also soon boring. Last winter also dry and our first one in the new house and area. The landscape here is great and interesting but due to the mountains my gravel tours were very exhausting and short. Now I have the perfect bike with the Creo which allows me three times more mountains/longer tours, almost without limits. But it's really wet and cold this winter, you often don't have the mood to go for a ride. And if you do so, you get sick if you cycle more than two hours... :-(
Jodi:

I'm 6'-3" with about a 35" inseam, so long legs. The seat post is set by the LeMond method which works well for me. The Specialized sizing tool actually recommended a XXL frame but there wasn't a Creo in my area that size to try. The top tube is actually lower on my XL Creo than my L Vado SL. At 63, my leg doesn't lift as high as it used to so the Creo's lower top tube provides a more comfortable dismount for me.

In this part of the US, some of the best graveling options are the old railroad lines that have been converted to trails. They are certainly more scenic in the summer however.

Stay safe and healthy

Jeff C
 
Holes in seat tube? Don't think they're "holes." Think they are slits in the tube that show under the clamp that enable the tube to clamp around your seatpost when the bolt is tightened. No? Any bike that uses a seatpost clamp has to have a tube with some sort of void in order to tighten around the seatpost. Otherwise cracky or denty of seat tube.
That makes sense. Thanks
 
I was thinking of replacing my dropper with a Redshift Shock stop suspension seat post or even waiting for the new one which includes a dropper saddle
Has anyone any experience as £227 in the UK
 
I'm 6'-3" with about a 35" inseam, so long legs. The seat post is set by the LeMond method which works well for me. The Specialized sizing tool actually recommended a XXL frame but there wasn't a Creo in my area that size to try. The top tube is actually lower on my XL Creo than my L Vado SL. At 63, my leg doesn't lift as high as it used to so the Creo's lower top tube provides a more comfortable dismount for me.
I'm 6'-0.4" I think in your units. 35" should be around 89cm? This would be my inseam as well. I'm between L and XL, but as top and seat tube are quite low on the Creo as you said I preferred XL with my inseam. But the 110mm stem was to long for me, I changed it to 90mm.
 
Replaced the Dropper post with a Redshift Rock-shot suspension seat post and rode 50 miles and it is a great product, very comfortable
You need to make sure you are in the right gear to avoid bounce when putting a lot of effort into peddling, otherwise it is fine
With the new satellite power adjusters that sit on your handlebar in conjunction with a Planet 3 assist this is truly a great bike
I have ridden 8000 miles in a year and just love it. It is a lot of money, but is great value if you use it a lot
I recently purchased a new Mavic Carbon front wheel for snow tyres (Had a spare rear wheel already) and did not realise that the front fork was 110mm and road wheels are 100mm. After a fair amount of investigation I came across a "Boost" system that enables you to marry the two together. The Boost coverts the disc from Center Lock to 6 pin and you then have to introduce 2 x 5mm spacers, and works great
The total cost was £290 which was great value as you can only purchase the original Roval C38 in pairs @ over £1,000
It is difficult to get a direct 110mm replacement as the Creo is 12mm axle and most 110mm wheels are 15mm axle
After I went through the exercise I found out that Strada Wheels can build what you want for around £260 on aluminium or £530 for carbon
The guy I spoke to at Strada; Darren was very helpful 01903214956
 
I bought a MTB front wheel that is 110 x 15 and got MTB tools to make a part that fits inside the axle to reduce the diameter from 15 mm to 12 mm. I think it was about $25 US.
Necessity is the mother of invention along with the cliche: There is more than one way to crack an egg
 
Any ideas on my chainring having a little give when rocking back and forth? Tight bolts for the spider, and also tight for the 1 little bolt between the chain ring and spider.

When I ride over bumps, the area rattles.

 
@abercrombie - that's definitely not normal! Which model is it?
We have two Creo Comp Carbon EVOs (Praxis cranks) that have seen a lot of rough trail miles, and the chainrings remain rock solid.

I can't tell from your video, does the spider move on the shaft?
Or, do the spindle and crank arm move with the ring and spider?
Have you removed the crank arm and/or spider to better see exactly where the slop is?

And of course, do you have a shop nearby???
 
Any ideas on my chainring having a little give when rocking back and forth? Tight bolts for the spider, and also tight for the 1 little bolt between the chain ring and spider.

When I ride over bumps, the area rattles.

There is a lock ring that holds the spider arm in place. If it’s not seated properly there will be lateral movement. Took me awhile to figure that out. I took it to LBS and all they did was slapped a bunch of grease to remove the noisebut there was still lateral movement.

Remove the lock ring, push the spider arm against the spindle and reinstall the lock ring. Make sure the lock ring is seated flat.
 
Hello everyone! First post here... I read this entire thread within the past couple weeks as I researched the decision between a Turbo Levo SL and a Creo SL. First and foremost, I want to give a big thanks to everyone who contributed to this discussion. It really helped me make my decision.

My desire to find a trail capable bike is what got me researching a purchase in the first place. For the past decade or so, I've been exclusively a road cyclist, mainly for exercise and touring but also for commuting. My current road bike is a Cannondale Synapse. My last mtn bike was retired many years ago, a '97 hardtail aluminum StumpJumper (Comp M2) that was my all time favorite bike... Until now. I used to put slicks on that bike to ride it on roads more efficiently and make it a bit of a hybrid, do it all bike. This Creo basically achieves that goal more effectively and adds pedal assist. It's a bit of a dream bike really.

I joined the club this week and had my LBS order one of the last few Comp Carbons in my size (M) from Specialized. The Mediums are sold out online now. I could have stepped up to the Expert as there seem to be plenty Mediums left in the Forest Green (which looks gorgeous), but after tax it would have been nearly an extra $3,000 USD. I thought about it, but I would have had to finance a portion of the purchase and I didn't want to go that route if I could help it. Plus I'm not sure the extra coin is worth it for the carbon wheels and Di2 if I plan to do a lot of gravel and light single track riding.

So here she is, my Creo SL Comp Carbon Evo:

Creo1.jpg
Creo2.jpg


Besides coming here to share and to give a big shout out to everyone who contributed to this thread, I wanted to ask a very important question:

Is the warranty still 4 years for the motor and battery? I read in this thread that Specialized had extended that warranty from 2 to 4 years for Turbo components, but I couldn't find any documentation and I'm not sure if that is still the case or if that was back when they were having more issues. Can someone confirm and share something I can reference just in case I need it?

Cheers!
 
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Nice looking bike, I have one in blue, as for the warranty I was under the impression the 4 year warranty did not include SL motors, However that may just be the UK.
 
Congrats! Just picked up exact same bike Saturday. Was going to get the Levo 5.0 EQ but none available so got the Creo (same color/size) ordered, added the rack and lights, range extender so ready for paved and dirt!
 
What a terrible choice, I would never ever choose a Creo in that colour! ;-)

To the warranty question: For Germany there was an announcement last august, that the warranty will be extended to 4 yours for all 2019-2020 Turbo Levo and Turbo Kenevo. So not for SL models.
But if I understood correct, the extension was to due some problems 2019+2020 with these Turbo models, which are fixed in the 2021 models. So no extended 4 year warranty for 2021 models or in general. And seems the extension was no kind of goodie or "We believe so much in our Turbo models...". More to give the customers who bought a 2019 or 2020 Turbo model the safety, if they encounter one of these flaws after more than 2 years, that Specialized will cover it. And Specialized avoids a general recall of all Turbos models of these two years.
So maybe no reason to wish such a warranty extension also for SL models, if it comes along with general defects/flaws...
 
What a terrible choice, I would never ever choose a Creo in that colour! ;-)

To the warranty question: For Germany there was an announcement last august, that the warranty will be extended to 4 yours for all 2019-2020 Turbo Levo and Turbo Kenevo. So not for SL models.
But if I understood correct, the extension was to due some problems 2019+2020 with these Turbo models, which are fixed in the 2021 models. So no extended 4 year warranty for 2021 models or in general. And seems the extension was no kind of goodie or "We believe so much in our Turbo models...". More to give the customers who bought a 2019 or 2020 Turbo model the safety, if they encounter one of these flaws after more than 2 years, that Specialized will cover it. And Specialized avoids a general recall of all Turbos models of these two years.
So maybe no reason to wish such a warranty extension also for SL models, if it comes along with general defects/flaws...

I see, thanks for the info!

I was about to ask what color you had and then realized you were being sarcastic. I remember the pics of your bike from researching this thread.

I like how understated the satin sage can be in certain lighting. It's not trying to be flashy at all, yet in direct sunlight still pops. Dig the green and black motif it has going.
 
Congrats! Just picked up exact same bike Saturday. Was going to get the Levo 5.0 EQ but none available so got the Creo (same color/size) ordered, added the rack and lights, range extender so ready for paved and dirt!

You probably ordered the last one available. Nice choice! I have zero complaints after a weekend of ownership.

However, I am going to ask my LBS about the road remote (I thought all new models were supposed to come with it at this point, but I didn't get one, maybe because they are backordered) and chainguide.
 
Our model does not come with them but my shop had several in stock so when he built my bike up he installed them for me.
 
You probably ordered the last one available. Nice choice! I have zero complaints after a weekend of ownership.

However, I am going to ask my LBS about the road remote (I thought all new models were supposed to come with it at this point, but I didn't get one, maybe because they are backordered) and chainguide.
I got my Creo CC EVO in mid January. At that time, the remote buttons were in stock and the LBS installed them while doing the initial build up of my bike. Last week the chain guide was installed. It arrived from the factory in less than a week. Mine is blue. If I'd have seen the green in the flesh, I probably would have gone with that color.....Enjoy your ride.
 
I was about to ask what color you had and then realized you were being sarcastic. I remember the pics of your bike from researching this thread.
Ironic is the word... In my native language I would have left out also the twinker smiley. But I'm to unsure about irony in English, in general I have the impression that it's less common (or maybe just in english forums).
I like how understated the satin sage can be in certain lighting. It's not trying to be flashy at all, yet in direct sunlight still pops. Dig the green and black motif it has going.
I also like the understatement look. And I don't care for a nice glittering look for a heavily used item like my bikes. Also I find the colour very suited for an EVO/gravel bike. Looks like you came right out of the forest, even if it was only the bike shop half a mile behind you... ;-)
 
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