Today was supposed to be new Creo announcement day!
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mschwett
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pretty disappointing update from my point of view. the new quieter motor is really nice, but the huge tire clearance, somewhat increased weight, slow tires, boring drivetrain options (no t type, no 12 speed di2!), external cable routing etc make this a no for me. it will be interesting to see how well it sells. presumably specialized has done some homework, but around here, the birthplace of the modern mountain bike and a hugely popular hotspot for road and gravel riding, I know MANY people with electric mountain bikes, MANY people with electric road and hybrid/commuter bikes, but I have never met or heard of anyone with an electric gravel bike other than my own creo when it wears 42mm tires. 2.2” on a bike like this is just crazy talk, IMO.
i ride gravel on my creo sometimes, and find it pretty much the worst of all worlds. slow, dusty, rough, steep, but not nearly as unexplored or natural as single track through a forest feels. an electric bike tailored to that seems an odd thing…. but time will tell! people who ride gravel around here do so because they’re scared of cars or trying to get somewhere where there aren‘t direct paved routes, not the e-bike crowd.
i ride gravel on my creo sometimes, and find it pretty much the worst of all worlds. slow, dusty, rough, steep, but not nearly as unexplored or natural as single track through a forest feels. an electric bike tailored to that seems an odd thing…. but time will tell! people who ride gravel around here do so because they’re scared of cars or trying to get somewhere where there aren‘t direct paved routes, not the e-bike crowd.
Stefan Mikes
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- Mazovia, Poland
You are a road cyclist by heart, and your area might not be the gravel cycling domain. "Gravel cycling" or -- as I call it -- "adventure cycling" is a big thing now. Originating from the United States (no other highly civilized country is as rich in gravel roads as the United States is), it caught worldwide, especially in Europe. It is not even about riding gravel but rather exploring rough tracks of any surface (but possibly not rock) interconnected by paved or gravel roads. It is the fact for my country, where gravel cyclists are intentionally avoiding sealed roads for recreation and fun! They are looking for rough trails even if there is a good asphalt road nearby! Or, take the well groomed Denmark: A friend living there has joined the local gravel community in Copenhagen and these people can find anything but asphalt even there! The sport is like a new religion. If you look at the number of drop bar bikes in Warsaw and around, the number of gravel bikes has greatly exceeded the number of race bicycles here! It is because you can only ride a race bike on good asphalt but the gravel bike will ride even on a singletrack.
I am involved in the Mazovian gravel cycling community, and can tell it is the first time Specialized made a true gravel e-bike:
- The geometry has changed to become relaxed and stable in rough terrain
- Wide clearances have been provided for wide tyres without the need to swap the wheels for the 584 mm ones
- The rider can install any width of gravel tyres (most of them would go for 42 mm)
- Multiple bosses have been provided for the rear and front racks, for the fenders, and for more water bottles. It makes the Creo 2 suitable for very long rides, especially on hot days as the thing the gravel cyclist needs the most is a lot of water without stopping the ride.
- The dropper seat-post is badly needed on a high class gravel bike
- The hub spacing is standard now, making it possible to easily swap the wheelsets
- The FutureShock 3.0 is a valuable addition, not needed for road cycling at all
- The gearing has become gravel-cycling capable (think of climbs in the mountains).
This is what we ride in Poland, and it is ridden at high speed!
We ride that, too. There was a steep climb up the embankment with a sharp turn in the mud soon (some people were crashing there). Just after the climb, you needed to descend from the embankment at a crazy angle: the dropper seat post would be of great help there.
Necessary to mention: We ride a lot of sand here, and the 47 mm tyres would be perfect.
If I could ride a drop bar bike, I would certainly start saving for a Creo 2!
The red trail is pavement (suitable for race bikes). The blue one leads through two technical singletracks where a race bike would be damaged. Such a small difference, aye?
The bottom line: The Creo 1 does not sell in Europe. The 25 km/h speed restriction makes the race e-bike an absurd. While a gravel e-bike would be a hot stuff here!
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Dazmanturbo
Well-Known Member
I have ordered a Creo 2, but with the intention of swapping it back to road. I will remove the dropper (in favour of split carbon Ergon for more comfort), swap the wheels and swap drive train to my well loved GRX Di2. I have all these bit already. I will swap the chainring to Garbaruk (yes they make a 107BCD in Narrow Wide). I will also tidy up the front end. The Specialized press shots have edited out the remote wire and with the showing, 5 wires on the front is not a good look. I can hide the di2 and remote cable (i use the Di2 hack) and have just 2 brake hoses. I need and extra button for the confirm button on the Mastermind TCU, but this is easily sorted. I rode the Levo 2 yesterday with the new motor and confirm it is quieter (no more high pitched whine) and has more power. As for range,,,,3 lap of car park didn't tell me much !!
Love to see detailed pictures once you’ve carried out your transformation! And a good report on how it rides, especially the more all-road set up you are trying. Good luck!
Stefan Mikes
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- Mazovia, Poland
Just wondering why you would cripple a 100% gravel e-bike to become an inferior road e-bike? Just to get the new motor?
Which reminds me of a distant friend of mine. He thought he needed a gravel bike. He bought a Merida Silex 600, which is a pure 1x drivetrain machine. Instantly, he started modifying his bike, starting with the replacement of the drivetrain to 2x. He never rides gravel or rough terrain, only pavement. He would be well off with a 2x drivetrain Merida Silex 400 but he "knew better". (As a policeman, he always knows better!)
Dazmanturbo
Well-Known Member
I would have 2 sets of wheels, so could swap back to Gravel when need. Would not use the dropper, so will still be a good gravel bike when neededJust wondering why you would cripple a 100% gravel e-bike to become an inferior road e-bike? Just to get the new motor?
Which reminds me of a distant friend of mine. He thought he needed a gravel bike. He bought a Merida Silex 600, which is a pure 1x drivetrain machine. Instantly, he started modifying his bike, starting with the replacement of the drivetrain to 2x. He never rides gravel or rough terrain, only pavement. He would be well off with a 2x drivetrain Merida Silex 400 but he "knew better". (As a policeman, he always knows better!)
Does the Creo 2 not have the same 25km/h restriction, and were the gravel-oriented Creo EVO models not made available in Europe?
It surely does I assume, however, that restriction is less of an 'issue' for those on gravel or trails when compared to riders who are on asphalt/streets.
Stefan Mikes
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The 25 km/h refers to all e-bikes in Europe except S-Pedelecs.
Creo 1 EVO was a road bike pretending to be a gravel one and was too far from a real gravel bike to be really interesting. Use the 12x148 mm rear hub and you are not treated seriously. I could continue.
Specialized seems to be able to rectify all the flaws of Creo 1 EVO related to gravel cycling.
This is correct. You need to be a "horse" (a pro) to ride faster in rough terrain on a gravel bike.
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Do continue. Which particular "flaws" were fixed in the Creo 2? What specifically about the 12x148 rear hub impacted its performance that the 12x142 ameliorates?
Glancing at the Creo Expert EVO against the Creo 2 Expert, I see:
- flared handlebars on both
- dropper on both, 50mm travel
- 44T chainring and 12 speed 11-50 cassette on both
- Future Shock 2.0 became Future Shock 3.3 - both adjustable on the fly
- Tire clearance increased a bit - though it was already as much or more than many analog gravel bikes
- While easier to obtain alternate wheelsets, it wasn't impossible before, and you don't really need to swap unless you're switching between road & gravel setups.
- both would have same 25kph restriction in europe
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Doubtful.
I noticed when first mentioning the Santa Cruz Skitch earlier this week.....people on the forum had VERY differing reactions as to that model's purpose(s) and best use(s).
We are all differing riders with differing purposes and we live all around the earth in varying climates and terrains. We have differing tastes and financial situations.
Our perceptions vary widely.
Dazmanturbo
Well-Known Member
Anybody noticed that the shots on Specialized website have been altered? Many of the photos show the remote wires missing, as it is a complete birds nest with 5 wire the the bars
Prairie Dog
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- Red Deer
If I was ever going to replace my gen 1 Creo, the Scott Solace eRIDE could be a potential contender. It’s home on both tarmac and trail. Look for the 2024 models to come out next summer in a totally new offering of color palettes.
Dazmanturbo
Well-Known Member
What I like about the Creo is the futureshock to give that extra comfort. No other road ebike has that option, which is why I will stick to Creo. I replaced my seatpost with a Ergon CF3 split carbon and this bike is now really damn comfy....
mschwett
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- USA
trust me stefan, i am well versed in the gravel bike movement! it started in the western united states, after all, and the vast majority of the open land west of the rockies is federal or otherwise protected land crisscrossed with hundreds of thousands of kilometers of fire roads, trails, and the like! most of my long rides are in marin county, and i’m a stones throw santa cruz counties, which may be familiar as the names that inspired their bike makers LOL.
my objection is not that some like gravel - more bikes, more riders, more better! i personally don’t enjoy it much, so it’s disappointing that specialized no longer makes an electric road bike. sure, they can remove the dropper and put on 28 or 30mm tires on the creo 2, but it’s still got the wrong geometry for a road bike.
around here, gravel is HILLY, with frequent long grades exceeding 15% for many kilometers, so the concept of a gravel e-bike is not wrong. it simply should have been called something else to make room for a true creo 2!
another interesting comparison for the creo 2 is the new moots express. a few pounds heavier, but much bigger battery, more power, di2 xtr drivetrains, etc. very similar price point to a creo 2 expert. moots, of course, is a colorado brand known for legendary titanium road and gravel bikes. they are getting a TON of bad press for making a carbon e-bike for gravel, but obviously they and specialized are reading the same marketing reports!
Stefan Mikes
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See the post #63. The geometry has completely changed. It is not "slightly wider clearances"; these are dramatically wider up to 2.2". Multiple bosses (a must!) Proper hubs (I was reading Creo 1 users bitching about the Road Boost); you might want to replace the wheels with even better ones. Or replace them if damaged with any brand or custom wheels.
The new motor is irrelevant. It is the geometry, wide clearances, multiple bosses and proper hub spacing that make the Creo 2 a true gravel e-bike.
Stefan Mikes
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- Mazovia, Poland
I do agree! The time for a new Specialized race e-bike will come! I also agree the name is wrong.
Meanwhile, you could join E-Giro on Creo 1
240 W peak power qualifies the e-bike for the race.
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augie05
New Member
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- USA
Did you buy directly from specialized or from the LBS?
My LBS suggests (and they are confirming) that they can't get the bike right now.
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