Specialized Turbo Creo 28mph Electric Road Bike

[Captain Slow]

Looking forward to the aluminum version of this bike later this year. It will be a lot less and something I'll consider. But I expect the competition to launch some competitive bikes and it's possible with the new Bosch motors that other manufacturers make something that weighs about 4-5 lbs. more than the Creo but with double the power and a correspondingly bigger battery. But will have to ride them and see how they feel.

While it might be a tough decision, it's a good problem to have.

 

[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

 

[Captain Slow]

Not speculation, I talked to the owner of a LBS. He ordered his aluminum Creos this week. He said he didn't know when they'd be available, but he said it would be sometime in 2019. Price will be $6k Canadian.

 

[rob_s]

Thanks
Good to know
That effects my interest for sure

 

[Captain Slow]

To clarify $6k Cdn. was for the lowest model. I'm sure there will be more expensive aluminum ones.

 

[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.

 

[Captain Slow]

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.

 

[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.