Specialized Turbo Creo 28mph Electric Road Bike

[OzGreg]

@OzGreg I hope you will continue your extremely interesting posting about you and Creo!
May we assume the long range of your Creo could be in part the result of your significant pedalling input?

Due to the pedaling input and time above 27.5km/hr. You can see above that when I get into the hills the battery dropped by 13% in 8km!.
I want to keep fit and I'm very happy to put in the pedal input while I can. I just ride the Creo like I would ride any bike, but I'm getting the benefit I want which is much less wear and tear on my ageing body parts when climbing.
Its very interesting that as the terrain gets steeper the effort actually gets easier for me. I struggle to keep up on flat roads because of the boost cutout at 27.5km/hr but I can easily keep up with much stronger riders when the going gets hilly. And thats just using the 40% support setting. I think the bike would be fabulous in the USA with the 28 mph boost cutout but of course the downside would be very much reduced range.

I'll be taking this bike to Europe in June and I'm sure the range will be a big issue there as its all hills.

 

[Ebiker01]

Last post on Creo range, I promise....

Just showing again that the 80mi (128km) range for just the internal battery advertised by Specialized is for me very conservative and in typical conditions I can go much further.
This is from a fairly average ride yesterday, although there was some headwind/tailwind. Settings are as usual, Sport selected with settings shown. Just using the internal battery.
Bike turned on at start of ride and nothing touched after that. I was riding with one other person, side by side all the way so no drafting at all.
On the graph below red is my heart rate and grey is my speed.
There was a slight headwind during the first part of the ride and you can see from the graphs below I was sticking close to the 27.5km/hr where the boost cuts out.
The middle part of the ride (from about 38km to 48km mark) has some hills (up to 20%) and then a tailwind home so frequently above the 27.5km/hr motor cutoff.

View attachment 43772
View attachment 43766 View attachment 43767 At 33km have used 13% battery

View attachment 43768 At 40km with first climb, have used 20%

View attachment 43769 End of second climb 33% battery usage

View attachment 43771 At the coffee shop, used very little battery between 48km and 87 km due to tailwind.

Extrapolating these figures, on this type of ride I could expect something like 100/41 x 87 or just over 200km range.

It’s uselsss for a bike rider a 15.5mph speed. Most cyclists ride at 22mph average.
That will give Creo a 45-55mile range.

For the very few people who just ride at 12-18mph speeds , sure It can help.

 

[rob_s]

I don't think the Creo is aimed at anyone who needs support riding flat or downhill.
The cutout is a pain on my Vado when you have a 65lb weight to push around but with the lightweight Creo I think it's actually a benefit for the support to cut out.
Here in Canada, the assist limit is 32km/h which I think is perfect. Riding flat or downhill with a light bike I can exceed that speed easily without any assistance.
When the headwinds blow or the road goes up then I need help and that's when the Creo will be there to assist.
I think people are way too hung up on the assist cutting out.

 

[Solom01]

I agree 100% with rob. My only real issue with my US spec. Orbea Gain is that the cut out is too high at about 21 mph. I wish I could lower it to 15.5 so that it would only come on when absolutely needed. You could do that by powering it off but it would be easier to just have it automatically happen.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You can see above that when I get into the hills the battery dropped by 13% in 8km!

The amount of potential energy that is to be overcome by the rider + motor to climb is often underestimated. You wrote Greg you negotiated over 1000 m rise on your group ride. If you were using (hypothetically) the throttle only, then it would be over 270 Wh necessary to just counter that 1000 m of rise for a 100 kg (rider + bike). Thanks to your substantial muscle input (and low speed) you are able to save the battery energy very much.

I can only follow your trips and am jealous! Don't stop writing!

 

[Deacon Blues]

With the Gain and the Creo, if you're in the lowest level, do you have to go through the higher levels to turn the motor off, or can you just hit the "off" button?

 

[OzGreg]

With the Gain and the Creo, if you're in the lowest level, do you have to go through the higher levels to turn the motor off, or can you just hit the "off" button?

I never turn the motor off on the Creo but if I wanted to it's done with a long press of the select button. A short push cycles through the three support levels and a long push turns support off or back on but leaves power on to the TCU electronics. If I turned it off completely by pressing the power button the bike is still rideable but the TCU stops sending speed cadence and power to my Garmin.

 

[Brew]

With the Gain and the Creo, if you're in the lowest level, do you have to go through the higher levels to turn the motor off, or can you just hit the "off" button?

With my Gain, Yes you have to go through the higher levels unless you want to turn it totally off, then you hold the button down for a couple seconds. It really doesn't take much to scroll through the two higher settings to get to the off setting.

 

[Johnny]

Just saw the review. Thanks to @Court for this nice review.

This bike seems just perfect. I can't believe what I am saying but $6500 may even be considered cheap and there is nothing like this on the market. Only 31.5 pounds and for that it comes with stem suspension, 330wh battery and a quiet beautiful motor. Its main competitor is selling 250wh 20mph versions for more or a 52+lbs "carbon"(what is the point of carbon when it is this heavy and without a suspension!), flat bar non-suspension bike for a similar price.

If I had the opportunity I would get one for weekend rides.

 

[steve mercier]

What do you peeps think about this one at 29.9 lbs? https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...mane-lt-9/p/32579/?colorCode=reddark_bluedark

 

[Deacon Blues]

that Trek is nice, but $12,500 is too rich for my blood. By the way, that bike is $17,000 in Canada.

 

[Brew]

What do you peeps think about this one at 29.9 lbs? https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...mane-lt-9/p/32579/?colorCode=reddark_bluedark

Only 20mph assistance so really can't compare.

 

[Johnny]

What do you peeps think about this one at 29.9 lbs? https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...mane-lt-9/p/32579/?colorCode=reddark_bluedark

It is only 1.5lbs lighter but it has 250wh battery vs 330wh (80 wh less), no stem suspension, Brose in Specialized is probably a nicer motor with 28mph cutoff instead of 20mph, no dropper seatpost(not necessary but I guess one can remove it to save weight), and almost 2 times the price. Trek has an advantage though, you can remove the battery and the motor and ride it as a nice road bike but then what is the point of an ebike...

I like Trek's offering but Specialized is the better bike even if Trek offered its version for the same price.

 

[PaD]

It is only 1.5lbs lighter but it has 250wh battery vs 330wh (80 wh less), no stem suspension, Brose in Specialized is probably a nicer motor with 28mph cutoff instead of 20mph, no dropper seatpost(not necessary but I guess one can remove it to save weight), and almost 2 times the price. Trek has an advantage though, you can remove the battery and the motor and ride it as a nice road bike but then what is the point of an ebike...

I like Trek's offering but Specialized is the better bike even if Trek offered its version for the same price.

It’s not a Brose motor in the Creo. Specialized says that they designed it but they also say it’s co-developed with a large German company in the automotive business.
Found that info in this article

Specialized’s Turbo Creo SL is a marvel of technology, with a price tag to match - CyclingTips

They’re gorgeous. They’re electric. They’re surprisingly light. They handle like a conventional bike. And wow, are they expensive. Say hello to the Turbo Creo SL, Specialized’s new line of high-performance electric bikes, a marvel of technology three years in the making. Riding one might just...

cyclingtips.com

I do like the nature of the Brose motor and Specialized software in my Vado so testing the Creo would be interesting I think.

 

[steve mercier]

that Trek is nice, but $12,500 is too rich for my blood. By the way, that bike is $17,000 in Canada.

No I think you are mistaken and 12k is the CDN price? OMG you are correct! Not that it matters much to me (-:

 

[Johnny]

It’s not a Brose motor in the Creo. Specialized says that they designed it but they also say it’s co-developed with a large German company in the automotive business.
Found that info in this article

Specialized’s Turbo Creo SL is a marvel of technology, with a price tag to match - CyclingTips

They’re gorgeous. They’re electric. They’re surprisingly light. They handle like a conventional bike. And wow, are they expensive. Say hello to the Turbo Creo SL, Specialized’s new line of high-performance electric bikes, a marvel of technology three years in the making. Riding one might just...

cyclingtips.com

I do like the nature of the Brose motor and Specialized software in my Vado so testing the Creo would be interesting I think.

Thank you for the correction, somehow I thought Specialized developed that motor with Brose.

Nonetheless, this is how it should be, if you are a big company and claim that you are designing an ebike from top to bottom you should at least customize the motor/battery to fit your design.

 

[Ebiker01]

Q- any pictures with the other color scheme- blue ?

Ty Court for great review. Is your fault for making us buying a few Creos soon .

I also agree that it has a great price for what it offers. If it had the battery removable , it would have been perfect.

Full carbon frame e bike , 28mph , under 31lb also with rear rack capabilities for 6.5k sounds really good for a 2020start.

That 320wh with 2500ah cells battery can even be upgraded to 3500ah cells. Maybe 400wh ?

 

[FlatSix911]

Just saw the review. Thanks to @Court for this nice review.

This bike seems just perfect. I can't believe what I am saying but $6500 may even be considered cheap and there is nothing like this on the market. Only 31.5 pounds and for that it comes with stem suspension, 330wh battery and a quiet beautiful motor. Its main competitor is selling 250wh 20mph versions for more or a 52+lbs "carbon"(what is the point of carbon when it is this heavy and without a suspension!), flat bar non-suspension bike for a similar price.

If I had the opportunity I would get one for weekend rides.

Here is the quick summary of Court's Creo review... the video is nice for a more in-depth review.

Summary

• A lightweight gravel grinder road ebike with flared handlebars, wide treaded tires, a seat post dropper, and unique Future Shock 2.0 steer tube suspension. Available in six frame sizes, sold through a vast network of dealers with professional fitting systems, solid two-year comprehensive warranty. The frame offers provisions for two bottle cages, fenders, and a rear rack, wide range of color options
• Boost hub spacing with sturdy 12mm thru-axles provide stiffness and control at higher speeds, sturdier spoke bracing angle, wheels won't go out of true as easily and both wheels offer quick release systems. Powerful fast-cooling 160mm hydraulic disc brakes using Shimano ICE-Tech rotors that dissipate heat from stainless steel rotors through aluminum alloy cores and air directing
• One of the lightest yet most satisfying electric road bikes I've tested to date, the motor is surprisingly zippy and actually supports 28mph riding, the internal battery offers modest capacity but weighs under 4lbs. Additional Range Extender bottle-shaped batteries are easy to use and look great on the frame
• Y-splitter cable to charge the main battery and bottle battery simultaneously costs extra, the Range Extender battery cable is not included when you buy the accessory, the bikes are fairly expensive in general and offer lower capacity battery sizes by default... and they're not removable (avoid leaving your bike in extreme heat), dropper post seems less useful than a suspension seat post here, no charging ports for aftermarket lights or the Mission Control smartphone app

 

[OzGreg]

It is only 1.5lbs lighter but it has 250wh battery vs 330wh (80 wh less), no stem suspension, Brose in Specialized is probably a nicer motor with 28mph cutoff instead of 20mph, no dropper seatpost(not necessary but I guess one can remove it to save weight), and almost 2 times the price. Trek has an advantage though, you can remove the battery and the motor and ride it as a nice road bike but then what is the point of an ebike...

I like Trek's offering but Specialized is the better bike even if Trek offered its version for the same price.

The Fazua system has been around several years - it was one of the first road bike compatible systems. It has generally been well received but early versions were heavy (I think the Pinarello Nytro was 14.5 kg). I don't think it has a range extender option either. Its a personal thing, but I think bikes with the eBikemotion and Specialized systems are better looking as the power pack is less obvious.

 

[Solom01]

Fantastic reviews Court! I had stopped even looking at the reviews because they all seemed to be about 50 pound and up bikes with fat tires and loaded to the gills with racks and other accouterments - great for leisurely rides and hauling stuff around but hardly sporty. It was cool to see Court enjoy the heady feeling of a quick and nimble bike. Hopefully the market will divide itself into bikes for people who love cycling and bikes for those looking for transportation/hauling. I definitely have to go try one of these. Not saying I can afford one until the aluminum version comes out but I expect that will be nice too. I wonder what these types of bikes will do to the more traditional expensive euro-bikes like R&M, Bull and so forth. It certainly makes them look out-of-date and clunky. It may not be a big deal in Europe with their 15.5 mph cut off but I would expect that this will draw many of the customers who would have spent 6k and up for some of the other brands.