Tero update to Class 3

[Jimbo08]

Just received confirmation from Specialized rider care - The upgrade is free for all turbo tero owners - original purchasers or not.
And I quote -
"Thanks for reaching out to rider care. I have attached the message that was sent out. You will want to go into your local Specialized retailer to get this update installed. No worries about not being the original owner, this update is available to everyone.
Ride on!"
And the letter that was attached does state that it is supposed to be free - as stated previously.

Steve

Sorry for my mistake.

 

[ReedM]

Jodi... to not to be able to ride in so many national and landscape parks (and many urban jurisdictions) there? To ride with traffic in the lack of proper bike paths? Hahaha!
I thought you had already owned a 45 km/h e-bike in addition to your Creo?

@ Stefan Mikes: It seems to me that making the Class 1 Tero into a Class 3 Tero defeats the purpose of the original Tero. I had been riding a Specialized Crosstrail on local rail trails and MUPs. As I aged and had some medical problems, I began looking for an electric Crosstrail. Last fall, Specialized introduced the Tero series. I looked at them and said the Tero 5 will be my electric Crosstrail. Found one locally, at a shop in Rockland and bought it. Have enjoyed it. Some of the rides I have been on, such as the Lighthouse Ride, sponsored by the Eastern Trail Alliance only permit Class 1 ebikes, do to the nature of the trail. I bought the bike for MUPs, rail trails , and very gentle mountain riding. I am sufficiently old (83) that I have been advised against riding anything too exciting. Don't want to break any bones.
I will not be converting my Class 1 Tero to a Class 3 Tero.

 

[crayfish22]

I have been looking at the Tero in my LBS. They all seem to come with the Class 3 upgrade already installed. It seems to be the default shipment now. Either that or my LBS is just doing it as they assemble it. The salmon did not know squat about it.

 

[Nubnub]

Since the upgrade was only a software change, I believe it would be possible for a knowledgeable and willing Spec dealer to revert the bike to Class 1. And even tho the email I received announcing the availability to change my Class 1 Tero to Class 3 indicted it was permanent, I tend to believe it is not. My Vado SL is Class 3 but there are posts indicating that it can also be software changed to be Class 1 - further reinforcing that the Class designation is just a software setting (and adding the appropiate Class sticker to the frame).

I'd suggest that if you decide you would buy a Tero if it were Class 1 - let your dealer know this and ask them to contact Specialized to learn more how to do this as well as to obtain the Class 1 sticker.

 

[tdeboeser]

I recently had the firmware upgrade done because the command screen shattered ( my fault ), and the firmware came with the new screen ( there was also a battery update - I didn't ask what that meant ). I haven't tested anything other than my Tero functions properly.

I wasn't going to get the upgrade, because my riding style doesn't call for it ( I ride more trails, than road/urban ).

Eventually, you'll likely get the upgrade for a bug fix/problem. You can change the power delivery profiles and possibly make it perform more like a Class 1 bike. Plus, its not like you petal and you're suddenly going 25+mph , you still need to push it to get there.

$0.02

Tom

 

[Rich W.]

I had mine changed to 28mph but with a 36T chainring it wasn’t really useful - I don’t pedal along at over 100rpm. I installed a Praxis 44T chainring and now I can maintain 28 at a cadence of about 80 and can actually pedal into the low 30’s if desired. Much better. Its now very similar to a Vado 5.0 running a 48T chainring with the same 11-42 cassette and 650’s. I need to make an adjustment in chain length, but initial results are good. If I really miss my .86 ratio I can change to an 11-50 cassette (SRAM PG1230) and get it back, but I never used 1st anyway and don’t think I’ll ever need gears that low. Also the new chainrings from Praxis have a plastic guard which is nice. They aren’t listed on their website but they are available as a maintenance item - just have to request it. As noted elsewhere the guide has to be removed (mine was broken anyway) but if a guide was needed a new mount could easily be fabricated.

One thing to note is that the class 3 upgrade and bigger chainring are only marginally related. I don’t really notice the assist at higher speeds and for the most part don’t even try to ride that fast. But I didn’t like running out of pedaling ability so early on downhill runs. With a 36T chainring the bike was often pretty much just a coaster. Similarly you don’t need assist when going down hill - just higher gears (I often turn the assist off). So if you are really hung up on the class1/3 thing, my recommendation would be to leave it at class 1 and go to a bigger chainring to make the bike more useful. Personally I don’t see a problem with the differing classes - if you just ride responsibility it wont be an issue.

Regarding losing the 1st gear ratio, as I said above it was a non-issue for me because I never used it, or second gear for that matter. I get more satisfaction riding in a higher gear with lower assist (eco) and working harder. After just two months I can now stand up pedaling up hills - something I couldn’t do when I first got the bike. If you have any concerns about gear rations and want to plan your mods a little more purposely than trial and error, use this: https://www.bikecalc.com/speed_at_cadence. I find “speed at cadence” and “ratios” to be most useful. This will also quickly show you that a minor change in chainring size (38 or 40) will only have a minor effect on road speed.

I guess if you really want to use your Tero as a mountain bike, and ride steep challenging single tracks, you might miss the .86 ratio of 1st. But I quickly found that this bike isn’t really suited for that kind of thing (nor am I), and while they advertise the bike as having “mountain bike DNA” they really created either an overweight, less than agile, tank of a mountain bike, or a very capable but somewhat under-geared SUV type touring bike. The Tero is listed under “Active” and not “Mountain” on the website for a reason. I like the heavy duty aspects of the bike, but I use it more like a Vado than a Levo, hence some of my mods. I suppose its a little more capable on trails than a Vado but it is nowhere near the Levo/Kenevo level and if thats the kid of riding you’re planning on, the Tero will be a disappointment. As a heavy-duty touring bike, I think its wonderful.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I had mine changed to 28mph but with a 36T chainring it wasn’t really useful - I don’t pedal along at over 100rpm. I installed a Praxis 44T chainring and now I can maintain 28 at a cadence of about 80 and can actually pedal into the low 30’s if desired. Much better. Its now very similar to a Vado 5.0 running a 48T chainring with the same 11-42 cassette and 650’s. I need to make an adjustment in chain length, but initial results are good. If I really miss my .86 ratio I can change to an 11-50 cassette (SRAM PG1230) and get it back, but I never used 1st anyway and don’t think I’ll ever need gears that low. Also the new chainrings from Praxis have a plastic guard which is nice. They aren’t listed on their website but they are available as a maintenance item - just have to request it. As noted elsewhere the guide has to be removed (mine was broken anyway) but if a guide was needed a new mount could easily be fabricated.
View attachment 146619View attachment 146620
One thing to note is that the class 3 upgrade and bigger chainring are only marginally related. I don’t really notice the assist at higher speeds and for the most part don’t even try to ride that fast. But I didn’t like running out of pedaling ability so early on downhill runs. With a 36T chainring the bike was often pretty much just a coaster. Similarly you don’t need assist when going down hill - just higher gears (I often turn the assist off). So if you are really hung up on the class1/3 thing, my recommendation would be to leave it at class 1 and go to a bigger chainring to make the bike more useful. Personally I don’t see a problem with the differing classes - if you just ride responsibility it wont be an issue.

Regarding losing the 1st gear ratio, as I said above it was a non-issue for me because I never used it, or second gear for that matter. I get more satisfaction riding in a higher gear with lower assist (eco) and working harder. After just two months I can now stand up pedaling up hills which - something I couldn’t do when I first got the bike. If you have any concerns about gear rations and want to plan your mods a little more purposely than trial and error, use this: https://www.bikecalc.com/speed_at_cadence. I find “speed at cadence” and “ratios” to be most useful. This will also quickly show you that a minor change in chainring size (38 or 40) will only have a minor effect on road speed.

I guess if you really want to use your Tero as a mountain bike, and ride steep challenging single tracks, you might miss the .86 ratio of 1st. But I quickly found that this bike isn’t really suited for that kind of thing (nor am I), and while they advertise the bike as having “mountain bike DNA” they really created either an overweight, less than agile, tank of a mountain bike, or a very capable but somewhat under-geared SUV type touring bike. The Tero is listed under “Active” and not “Mountain” on the website for a reason. I like the heavy duty aspects of the bike, but I use it more like a Vado than a Levo, hence some of my mods. I suppose its a little more capable on trails than a Vado but it is nowhere near the Levo/Kenevo level and if thats the kid of riding you’re planning on, the Tero will be a disappointment. As a heavy-duty touring bike, I think its wonderful.

A really interesting write-up, thank you! I especially agree with your description of the Tero as a heavy-duty touring bike or SUV e-bike.

I own a Vado 6.0, which is on 29x2" wheels, and of course is not a Tero. The only kind of terrain I avoid riding is the mountain (or technical) singletrack as the e-bike is not capable of that. For mountain road rides I use the 36T steel chainring and a 11-46T cassette, giving me the granny gear ratio of 0.78. Oh, I needed that ratio on several extreme climbs!

My Vado came with a 48T chainring. I actually do not need to ride very fast, so I eventually settled at a 42T Garbaruk chainring for the plains I ride for most of the year. It gives me the sweet point as I can match the speed of a gravel cycling group on asphalt (22 mph) and have enough of gearing to climb a hill on an easy forest singletrack.

 

[tdeboeser]

I had mine changed to 28mph but with a 36T chainring it wasn’t really useful - I don’t pedal along at over 100rpm. I installed a Praxis 44T chainring and now I can maintain 28 at a cadence of about 80 and can actually pedal into the low 30’s if desired. Much better. Its now very similar to a Vado 5.0 running a 48T chainring with the same 11-42 cassette and 650’s. I need to make an adjustment in chain length, but initial results are good. If I really miss my .86 ratio I can change to an 11-50 cassette (SRAM PG1230) and get it back, but I never used 1st anyway and don’t think I’ll ever need gears that low. Also the new chainrings from Praxis have a plastic guard which is nice. They aren’t listed on their website but they are available as a maintenance item - just have to request it. As noted elsewhere the guide has to be removed (mine was broken anyway) but if a guide was needed a new mount could easily be fabricated.
View attachment 146619View attachment 146620
One thing to note is that the class 3 upgrade and bigger chainring are only marginally related. I don’t really notice the assist at higher speeds and for the most part don’t even try to ride that fast. But I didn’t like running out of pedaling ability so early on downhill runs. With a 36T chainring the bike was often pretty much just a coaster. Similarly you don’t need assist when going down hill - just higher gears (I often turn the assist off). So if you are really hung up on the class1/3 thing, my recommendation would be to leave it at class 1 and go to a bigger chainring to make the bike more useful. Personally I don’t see a problem with the differing classes - if you just ride responsibility it wont be an issue.

Regarding losing the 1st gear ratio, as I said above it was a non-issue for me because I never used it, or second gear for that matter. I get more satisfaction riding in a higher gear with lower assist (eco) and working harder. After just two months I can now stand up pedaling up hills which - something I couldn’t do when I first got the bike. If you have any concerns about gear rations and want to plan your mods a little more purposely than trial and error, use this: https://www.bikecalc.com/speed_at_cadence. I find “speed at cadence” and “ratios” to be most useful. This will also quickly show you that a minor change in chainring size (38 or 40) will only have a minor effect on road speed.

I guess if you really want to use your Tero as a mountain bike, and ride steep challenging single tracks, you might miss the .86 ratio of 1st. But I quickly found that this bike isn’t really suited for that kind of thing (nor am I), and while they advertise the bike as having “mountain bike DNA” they really created either an overweight, less than agile, tank of a mountain bike, or a very capable but somewhat under-geared SUV type touring bike. The Tero is listed under “Active” and not “Mountain” on the website for a reason. I like the heavy duty aspects of the bike, but I use it more like a Vado than a Levo, hence some of my mods. I suppose its a little more capable on trails than a Vado but it is nowhere near the Levo/Kenevo level and if thats the kid of riding you’re planning on, the Tero will be a disappointment. As a heavy-duty touring bike, I think its wonderful.

This is great stuff, very thorough and smart.

But I disagree with the Tero not being a capable mountain bike.

Yes the Tero was meant to be a "SUV/do it all" kinda of bike, but it was listed with their mountain bikes at launch (wayback machine - I remember because I was initially looking at e-MTB's):

The owners of my local shop ride Levo's - a dual suspension 47lbs e-MTB. The Tero is 50lbs. I ride primarily trails, mostly blue, but I've been on black trails too - no jumps though . I really don't feel the weight during rides, the geometry, and MTB components are quite capable. The only limitation is me, but I can keep up with my 30-something friends on their DS MTB's.

I do think it sells better as an "Active" bike. And I don't know if there is a place for an SUV, type bike and I can see the Tero being discontinued in the near future. Aside from the battery and motor size I don't think it's a better commuter than a Vado. But for me riding trails and bikepacking the Tero is a great fit.

Thanks again for the thorough and intelligent write-up,
Tom

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I can see the Tero being discontinued in the near future.

How so? Can you elaborate on that?

But I disagree with the Tero not being a capable mountain bike.

For me, the non-EQ Tero is rather a Cross-Country e-bike with all the benefits and limitations of an XC bike. Were my situation different, I would be probably very happy to own an EQ Tero, as I need an adventure e-bike more than a commuter.

 

[tdeboeser]

How so? Can you elaborate on that?

I guess I'm speaking for the US market, most people see biking as a recreational activity ( although, there's a small but growing "bike as a primary vehicle" ). So, most people will buy specifically for what they want to do, touring, road, fitness, MTB. There isn't much room for a bike like a Tero. I really the Tero and its useful to me, my wife enjoys road, trail paths, and light bike touring. And I have MTB friends, the Tero lets me do both. But I don't think its the best for one, or the other.
If I was really into MTB, I would be better off with a purpose-built e-MTB. The same would be true if I was really into touring/commuting.

Hopefully, I'm wrong.

 

[Rich W.]

This is great stuff, very thorough and smart.

But I disagree with the Tero not being a capable mountain bike.

Yes the Tero was meant to be a "SUV/do it all" kinda of bike, but it was listed with their mountain bikes at launch (wayback machine - I remember because I was initially looking at e-MTB's):

View attachment 146631

The owners of my local shop ride Levo's - a dual suspension 47lbs e-MTB. The Tero is 50lbs. I ride primarily trails, mostly blue, but I've been on black trails too - no jumps though . I really don't feel the weight during rides, the geometry, and MTB components are quite capable. The only limitation is me, but I can keep up with my 30-something friends on their DS MTB's.

I do think it sells better as an "Active" bike. And I don't know if there is a place for an SUV, type bike and I can see the Tero being discontinued in the near future. Aside from the battery and motor size I don't think it's a better commuter than a Vado. But for me riding trails and bikepacking the Tero is a great fit.

Thanks again for the thorough and intelligent write-up,
Tom

I would concede that it is capable, but for me unwieldy, ponderous, and cumbersome come to mind after my experience on trails (unrated) that had a lot of tight turns and obstacles. And I certainly wouldn't want to get it airborne. Even the manual advises against that. It reminded me of trying to ride trails on my KLR 650 with better riders on 250’s. Just wasn’t a good match. Also they may publicize 50lbs, but mine tips the scale at 60lbs without a load. It has a rack, fenders, and lights (Spec EQ kit), but not a lot of other optional weight. I’ll have to ride some designated trails to get a better idea, but from my experience this bike is intended for easy single tracks and down. It’s capable of more, and that kind of riding is great for skills development, but not what I would call a good fit, and not really all that much fun.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Hopefully, I'm wrong.

Not sure about the U.S. but XC (or hardtail) traditional bikes are one of the most popular bike type in Europe. Not everybody lives in the mountains. Not everybody is riding technical singletrack (I would say that would be a minority of users). Many, so many people here live in cities but look for a little adventure in forests in their spare time. Now, Specialized is driven by the Euro market very much. Before the Tero, there was the Levo HT. MTBers didn't want the hardtail, and casual cyclists didn't want something that looked too MTBish to them.

A classy full-suspension e-MTB feels at home in rough terrain but it hates the pavement. It is terribly slow, and riding pavement requires quite a pedalling effort. On May 1st 2022, I borrowed a Giant Trance+ (a full suspension e-MTB) from my brother and set off for a "gravel cycling" ride with a group of traditional cyclists.

The only place when that e-bike really shone was a hill with sandy approach. Elsewhere, I was falling behind my mates riding their 9 kg, drop-handlebar, unsuspended gravel bikes. It was especially dramatic on the pavement.

Having said the above, I was doing very well on my 45 km/h Vado 5.0/6.0 on a ride with tough competing gravel cyclists. (We ride gravel, forest, and pavement).

That was about one of the fastest "gravel" rides I could participate in.

As I said: If no Vado, I would be probably riding a Tero EQ or even perhaps a Tero 5.0 non-EQ that I would equip myself.