Although we do not know what's happening behind the scenes in the corporation, I can only guess road and gravel e-bikes are not really popular in Europe because of the speed restriction of 25 km/h.
I forgot to mention one thing about SRAM -- their hydraulic road/gravel brakes are pretty bad. I think this opinion is fairly widely shared. Their MTB brakes are probably better. It's fine for most situations, but it's terrible for serious hills. I gravel bike in the mountains, and I eventually replaced the calipers with a Hope 4-piston setup because I was losing so much braking power on the descents. They also use DOT hydraulic fluid (which is pretty noxious) instead of mineral oil, like Shimano and Campag. If you're biking on mostly flat terrain, the SRAM is fine.
I’m 6’1” and the large flat bar Skitch was a big bike. Reach was too long for me.
That's what I was afraid of...thanks.
Talk to your local shop about what you want and see what they can do. If the bike comes with mech sram and you want electronic sram it shouldn’t be a ton of labor since the calipers and hose can be reused and srams electronic is wireless so no running wires through the frame to hook everything up. A good shop will try and help you out. But no getting around the fact that a wireless groupset is prolly gonna start at 1k and rapidly move up.
Thanks @jabberwocky. I saw one other bike that is about $800 to upgrade to electronic shifting, so I figured it was about that or more. The reason I ask is because my one friend who has had two bikes with Apex mechanical absolutely hated it, said it was always in the shop being adjusted, brakes were mushy, shifts were inaccurate, etc. She also didn't find the shifting intuitive. It's too bad that on a $4500 bike, Specialized couldn't at least have gone with the next level groupset up. Or offer two models, one with mechanical, one with electronic shifting. Why not the carbon Creo Comp, you're probably asking? It's all about cycling inseam -- there's a standover difference between the two in the smallest size of around an inch. That inch matters when you are a shrimp like me!
For what it's worth, $800 seems over the top for this upgrade. The electronic shifting is great, but you're kinda beholden to a lot of proprietary technologies. My shifter lost battery power during a ride and gave no warning prior. This was 2 weeks after buying the bike. Of course, every bike and battery I bought from Specialized came with almost no charge, but I would have expected some warning via the app, auditory, etc. I kinda wonder if simple is the way to go.
While it may be hard to find, be sure to test the standover height on the alloy Creo. I wouldn't trust Specialized published specs, esp for an unreleased bike. As an example, the Tero 5.0 lists the same standover height for M and L frames. From test riding both, I know this is not the case.
Try shifting with just your little finger(s) for a couple weeks on mechanical shifters and then decide if electronic shifting is worth the upgrade. Your mitts are probably twice the size of hers.
Electronic shifting is very reliable. I've not heard of a component to going out unless damaged. I'm sure one has but it's rare. Electronic shifting is like a downhill or tailwind for your hands. Another advantage since is it's so much easier to shift so you will be more likely to always be in the correct gearing. You do need to remember to check it or charge it periodically. Learn how to check the battery and put a recurring event on the calendar.
