Turbo Creo SL Comp Carbon - Century Riding

[YoGe]

I’m wondering how much battery I'll need to support the long century rides. I’ve been riding a BULLS E-Stream 2 for the past few years. The battery is a beast – 647 wh. The bike is a beast too – 50lb, plus when I do my longer rides I’m packing a spare battery so we’re starting off with 60lb and then throw in kit, snacks, etc. Anyway, two of these batteries get me 100 miles with 6,000 feet of elevation, which is pretty much my ambition for the season. Most weekends I’ll go for around 60 miles, 3,500 feet elevation and then toward the end of the season I work up to the big one.

Now I’m looking (drooling) at the Creo – this is one fine looking ride! But I just don’t know whether it will support the types of rides I like to go on. Not the terrain – that’s no problem, gravel is perfect for my area. But the battery is so much smaller than I have been using. On the other hand, the bike is so much lighter, for starters we’ll be lopping off 20 lb.

If you can provide me with your experiences as far as what you’re getting in terms of distance/elevation along with the battery power you've been packing, that will be very helpful advice. Thanks!

 

[NBS]

I’m wondering how much battery I'll need to support the long century rides. I’ve been riding a BULLS E-Stream 2 for the past few years. The battery is a beast – 647 wh. The bike is a beast too – 50lb, plus when I do my longer rides I’m packing a spare battery so we’re starting off with 60lb and then throw in kit, snacks, etc. Anyway, two of these batteries get me 100 miles with 6,000 feet of elevation, which is pretty much my ambition for the season. Most weekends I’ll go for around 60 miles, 3,500 feet elevation and then toward the end of the season I work up to the big one.

Now I’m looking (drooling) at the Creo – this is one fine looking ride! But I just don’t know whether it will support the types of rides I like to go on. Not the terrain – that’s no problem, gravel is perfect for my area. But the battery is so much smaller than I have been using. On the other hand, the bike is so much lighter, for starters we’ll be lopping off 20 lb.

If you can provide me with your experiences as far as what you’re getting in terms of distance/elevation along with the battery power you've been packing, that will be very helpful advice. Thanks!

 

[NBS]

I recently did a 65 mile ride with 6,400 ft of climbing on my Creo. I was in Eco/35% most of the way, bumping it up to Sport/50% a good bit of the last 15 or so miles on the final climbing sections. I used the range extender battery, and that lasted me a little over 30 miles. I still had 45% charge left in the main battery at the end. The longest ride I have done so far on this bike is 75 miles, 4,500 ft of climbing. I used the range extender battery for that ride as well. I know I had battery left at the end but don’t recall how much. I think you could get a century if you were prudent about your assist level. Hope this helps.

 

[YoGe]

Thanks! How much does the range extender cost and how much does it weigh? It sounds like I'd be comfortable for sure with two extenders. Does the bike have attachment points for a rack over the rear wheel?

 

[NBS]

Thanks! How much does the range extender cost and how much does it weigh? It sounds like I'd be comfortable for sure with two extenders. Does the bike have attachment points for a rack over the rear wheel?

The range extender battery costs $450. Idk how much it weights but it seems a bit heavier than a large water bottle. A downside is that it uses one of the water bottle cages so you need another way to carry a second bottle if you’re doing a long ride (I stick one in a pocket of my jersey). Don’t know about the rack.

 

[YoGe]

It says here that the frame incorporates rack mounts. https://www.bespokecycling.com/blog/new-specialized-turbo-creo-sl-comp-evo

Rack and mudguard mounts are built in, giving another hint as to Comp's "more than road" capabilities, as does the gravel-friendly "Open Road" geometry, similar to that found on the Specialized Diverge.

Thanks for the info!

 

[StmbtDave]

I assume that when you say mudguard you mean fenders. The Creo does have attachment points for front and rear fenders and threaded holes in the rear triangles for mounting a rack. Unfortunately, there are no mounting points up by the seat post for the front of the rack. You have to replace the Creo seat post clamp with the special clamp made for the Diverge. Your dealer won’t find it listed as an option for the Creo but it does fit the Creo and gives you the two threaded mount points you need. My receipt lists it as “STC MY18 Diverge seat clamp with rack mount 30.6”.

 

[StmbtDave]

To give you an idea of range, I did a ride of 50 miles with 4,500’ elevation gain. The first 8 miles were relatively flat with slight hills. At 15% boost, I only used 2% of the battery. The 17 mile climb ate up 74% of the battery. The first 8 miles of the climb were done at 15% boost but the next 9 were a mixture of 35% and 60%. Of course the ride down used nothing with another 2% to get home, leaving me 22% at home. I don’t have a Range Extender battery as the main battery has met all my needs.