Hi folks. I am narrowing my choices in bikes down -- I like the specialized options as they appear to be lighter (at the $10kCAD pricepoint) and have an integrated power meter in the motor. The one thing I am concerned about and makes me lean towards my alternative (currently Pinarello Nytro) is the removal of the battery. I do not have heated storage for my bikes and the temps can get pretty low over the winter. Have any other Canadian (or Northern US) owners encountered problems storing the bike in the cold?
Specialized Turbo Creo 28mph Electric Road Bike
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Your correct in that they do weigh more. Like about 5+ lbs I would assume. On the lightest power setting they do not feel sluggish especially with the tires psi being somewhere near 60. It is nice to remove the battery and it is quick and convenient. The range for me is about 70 miles on a charge. That riding at the eco setting and averaging around 19 mph on flat to rolling roads. I test rode the Specialized Turbo Creo also and really liked it too. I have a hair under 1500 miles on mine. The Bosch system has been trouble free. The other question is what is available? The Domane's in the US are pretty tough to get.
Storing lithium-ion batteries in cold condition is no problem (even if there are myths that say so).
The only problem is that "electron flow" is much slower, means charging or decharging (=using/riding with motor support). Charging can be very slow with a frozen battery or even harm the battery, but the solution is easy. Do not charge in the morning before your trip after leaving the battery in a long&cold night. Charge directly after a ride, when battery is warm and it'll stay warm during charging, even if it's freezing outside. With decharging/riding with a full but frozen battery it depends on size of the battery and the load you try to squeeze out of it. You normally can't damage the battery here, but the maximum current the battery can give may be reduced until heated a little bit by the load. Creo's battery is quite small, but the load is as well, so I guess it will act like many other ebikes, where maximum support may be reduced with a really cold battery. Level1+2 of the SL drive should work fine I guess.
But I only know "german" standard, which means maximum maybe -15 till -10 degree Celsius outside in winter and maybe -5 or -8 for the battery in the garage. If we talk about -30 and -20 for the battery, this may be worse. But personally I can't ride bicycle or do sport outside below -10 degree Celsius...
The only problem is that "electron flow" is much slower, means charging or decharging (=using/riding with motor support). Charging can be very slow with a frozen battery or even harm the battery, but the solution is easy. Do not charge in the morning before your trip after leaving the battery in a long&cold night. Charge directly after a ride, when battery is warm and it'll stay warm during charging, even if it's freezing outside. With decharging/riding with a full but frozen battery it depends on size of the battery and the load you try to squeeze out of it. You normally can't damage the battery here, but the maximum current the battery can give may be reduced until heated a little bit by the load. Creo's battery is quite small, but the load is as well, so I guess it will act like many other ebikes, where maximum support may be reduced with a really cold battery. Level1+2 of the SL drive should work fine I guess.
But I only know "german" standard, which means maximum maybe -15 till -10 degree Celsius outside in winter and maybe -5 or -8 for the battery in the garage. If we talk about -30 and -20 for the battery, this may be worse. But personally I can't ride bicycle or do sport outside below -10 degree Celsius...
abercrombie
Member
I ride a Creo Comp Carbon in size Small and find it perfect. If I'm shopping around unpowered Specialized bikes, what would be an equivilant size and which bike does it most resemble? Per the size guide, I'm somewhat in the middle of two sizes. At 5'5" I'm a little tall for 49cm while I'm encompassed within the low end of a 52cm.
Somewhere I read that the Creo is similar to the Diverge, but comparing it’s geometry to the Creo there are differences. Also the Diverge is set up as a gravel bike. The Roubaix is the most similar road bike. Not to start an argument, Specialized bike cost more than similarly equipped bikes from other manufacturers, so you might want to expand your search.
To follow up on this question, what type of bottom bracket does the Creo use and what is the minimum crankset q-factor the frame supports? Is there anything special about replacing the crankset? Not a fan of 175mm crankset/182mm q-factor.
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Answering my own question, the bottom bracket is proprietary to the motor and will not accept another crankset. Praxxis does sell the crank arms separately, as short as 160mm, available in carbon and alloy. Carbon arms ($280) are about ~150g lighter (340g vs 485g) than alloy ($80). Q-factor cannot be reduced.
mschwett
Well-Known Member
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i swapped mine out too, but for a much lighter SRAM 10-42 (XG-1195) version, which required changing the driver too. also LOTS of weight savings in the driver too. a nice option if you want to reduce weight and also get 10% taller top gear. or you can shrink your chainring and keep the top end the same but get more low end.
Highest gear of 10 is great and together with the weight saving worth the money for the new driver. But price for XG-1195 is terrible, more than three times the price of the Shimano XT cassette. An alternative/a compromise could be XG-1175.
Dazmanturbo
Well-Known Member
With Shimano cassette, the driver has the smallest limit at 11 teeth. The SRAM drive is narrower, so can take 10 teeth rear, or 9 in the case of E13 cassettes for example. Weight wise, the Sunrace is terrible at around 500g for example. I use the SRAM XXO at 268g for 10-42. I also reduced my front chain ring for 46 to 42. The 10 tooth rear gives same top speed, but the front chain ring again is half the weight. Less weight = further battery range in my book, does make them hill easier to !!!
There is a bike calculator app for iPhones.
5 miles with a 5%grade, rider power =150watts, rider wt=180
29lbs bike takes 49.64 minutes and speed =6.04mph.
27lbs bike takes 49.21 minutes and speed =6.1
so for the cost to decrease a Creo Sl Carbon by 2lbs-26 seconds are saved on a 5 mile climb. On a level 5 mile ride only 2 seconds are saved.
5 miles with a 5%grade, rider power =150watts, rider wt=180
29lbs bike takes 49.64 minutes and speed =6.04mph.
27lbs bike takes 49.21 minutes and speed =6.1
so for the cost to decrease a Creo Sl Carbon by 2lbs-26 seconds are saved on a 5 mile climb. On a level 5 mile ride only 2 seconds are saved.
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