Turbo Tero 5.0 first impressions

[Rich W.]

I finally brought my Tero 5.0 home yesterday afternoon after a two week wait, charged the battery, did a little more reading and fiddling around with gadgets, and this afternoon had a chance to go for a quick ride. I rode on pavement, gravel, dirt, up and down hills, across a dozen cattle guards, over some rough roads with rocks, ruts, pot holes, and water bars, and dodged a few obstacles, one cow (turbo was nice here) and one car.

So how did it go? Over all just fine. I got plenty of exercise but didn’t have any problems on any of the hills (I was a little apprehensive about one of them). I quickly learned to blend switching between the three basic power levels with shifting the 11 gears to have more options to maintain the optimum cadence, range, speed and effort for almost the entire ride. Imdidn’t use the 10% increment “infinite tune” capability becasue I was wearing insulated gloves and didnt need it anyway. Its a nice touch but you can anticipate the needs ofmmost rides in advance, do any fine tuning you want to the three modes, and that will give you a good enough power range without messing with 10% here or there.

I used 32% of the battery during that 12 miles so there will be no 90 miles days on this type of ride, but that's not what I bought the bike for. I also spent some time on easy terrain (level to down hill) with the assist turned off which was not bad at all. In that “mode” it’s just a heavy bike and other than amplifying bumps a bit, it has no ill affects. Also the dropper post is a welcome upgrade over the 3.0. I used it more for getting on and off the bike than its intended purpose. I’m 6’5” so the ride height of the seat is up there a bit. Being able to lower it for access both ways is nice. Later this month and next month I’ll have the opportunity to do some longer rides on more gentle terrain so I’ll have a better idea about the bike’s range on that type of riding.

As to my first impressions, it could use some more gearing, either a bigger chain ring, or another gear on the cassett or both - I’ll be looking in to that. I hit a top speed of 33.3 mph (down hill), but there is no pedaling after about 22mph, for me anyway. So even though I have assist up to 28mph, I really can’t seem to use it much except when approaching hills. More gears would make road riding more enjoyable and probably better exercise. I would also appreciate a more comfortable seat. I have one on order with more padding, a wider profile, and springs, and will change it out as soon as I get it. Im 64 and don’t need or want a racy saddle, gel or no gel. Lastly these bikes are not quiet. If you are using the assist, you are making noise. Its not bad, but I really found coasting, easy pedaling, and riding with the assist off more enjoyable from a nature enjoyment aspect. I have to admit though that I also enjoyed hearing it growl as I accelerated through the gears under power. Just different types of riding.

The bottom line for me is that I wouldn't (and haven't) ridden that far on a route like that on my standard mountain bike, and I haven’t ridden like that (powering up hills) since I was a kid, so that was quite pleasing. I also got a decent workout without hurting myself or disliking the experience. I think this will be very good for me and maybe just the thing to rehab my worn out knees. We’ll see but it has me out riding again, and thats what’s important.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Hi Rich,
It is so nice to read about your positive experiences with the Tero! Here are some remarks/questions:

1. The MicroTune. I'm using its equivalent on non-MasterMind Specialized e-bikes. That feature is great if you need to keep a pace with other cycling group members. Not really useful on solo rides, especially as you can tune the motor pre-ride with Mission Control for a specific ride type.
2. The max speed of 20 mph on the flat. Are you sure your Tero is set to the Class 3? (Because it is the 20 mph Class 1 by default).
3. Potentially replacing the chainring for greater speed. Increasing the chainring size would decrease the climbing capabilities of your Tero. Would you be fine with it?
4. Do I understand correctly you change the gears under the load? Not the best idea; it is killing the drivetrain. I'd recommend easing up on pedalling or completely stop pedalling during the shifting.

I'm so glad that the Tero meets your expectations! Safe travels!

 

[Rich W.]

Hi Rich,
It is so nice to read about your positive experiences with the Tero! Here are some remarks/questions:

1. The MicroTune. I'm using its equivalent on non-MasterMind Specialized e-bikes. That feature is great if you need to keep a pace with other cycling group members. Not really useful on solo rides, especially as you can tune the motor pre-ride with Mission Control for a specific ride type.

Agree completely and it will be some time before I get up the nerve to ride in a group. By that time I should be experienced enough to appreciate that nuanced level of adjustment.

1. The max speed of 22 mph on the flat. Are you sure your Tero is set to the Class 3? (Because it is the 20 mph Class 1 by default).

Yes, as per the recent communication posted here and there from Specialized, I instructed my LBS (love having a new acronym..) to perform the upgrade, which they did free of charge. They did warn me that they would have to affix somewhere upon the frame a sticker proclaiming the bike Class 3, to which I agreed, but in practice this sticker is smaller than a postage stamp, lives at the very bottom of the seat tube, and is and hardly obtrusive enoug to keep me from the trails.

1. Potentially replacing the chainring for greater speed. Increasing the chainring size would decrease the climbing capabilities of your Tero. Would you be fine with it?

From what I learned today, between my efforts and the electric motor, we have more than enough climbing ability for my intended purpose, but simply not enough gearing for flat out grinding away on slight declines. I really don’t want to go much over 30mph anyway, but I would like to be able to power along in the mid to high 20’s when, if today is any indicator, presently I am just a passenger coasting along at those speeds. This may just be a matter of improving my technique and increasing my familiarization with the equipment, and I’m certainly not going to make this change without a little more experimentation and experience, but it does seem like something to consider.

1. Do I understand correctly you change the gears under the load? Not the best idea; it is killing the drivetrain. I'd recommend easing up on pedalling or completely stop pedalling during the shifting.

I do ease up between shifts as a rule, but at times today my actions were somewhat analogous to speed shifting a sports car. I can probably stand to ease up a bit more, but when cresting a hill, with more rapid acceleration available to me than ever before, it was hard to resisit.

I'm so glad that the Tero meets your expectations! Safe travels!

Safe travels indeed. Today I really didn’t expect to encounter traffic of any great concern given my route, but of course I was wrong there too (it only takes one…). Tomorrow I’ll go out armed with my Garmin RTL515 in place to give me a little more warning of any potential impending doom. I’ll also take something to drink in proper container. I didn’t take the time to mount my bottle holder before the ride today, but I performed that little task, among others, this evening. Also I fine tuned my seat position a bit, and removed my cell phone mount from the handlebars - it can ride in a pouch somewhere and be just as useful without cluttering up the “ cockpit”. Which brings me to one other realization: since the seat is a saddle, and the controls the cockpit, I’m wondering if I need to rename that collection of control items (bridle, bit, reins, halter, etc) that used to be called tack…probably not.

Attached is a pic of the tiny sticker. I did find the assist somewhat useful at the beginning of a grade when I could still ride above 22mph while beginning the ascent, but I really don’t think I’ll be drawing on the extra 6mph of assist often. I suppose it's nice having the capability, but if they were charging for it I would probably pass. And I imagine it really eats up power. I’m sure it has its usefulness in other applications (city traffic for instance), and as my skills improve I may find it more helpful, but for now the Class 3 “upgrade” is not really part of my riding regimen.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

From what I learned today, between my efforts and the electric motor, we have more than enough climbing ability for my intended purpose, but simply not enough gearing for flat out grinding away on slight declines. I really don’t want to go much over 30mph anyway, but I would like to be able to power along in the mid to high 20’s when, if today is any indicator, presently I am just a passenger coasting along at those speeds. This may just be a matter of improving my technique and increasing my familiarization with the equipment, and I’m certainly not going to make this change without a little more experimentation and experience, but it does seem like something to consider.

Taking into account the frames of Tero and Vado are identical, you could probably fit a bigger chainring such as a 42T there. Not only allowing you to get on a higher speed better but also saving the smallest cogs on your cassette on most of slower rides.

I do ease up between shifts as a rule, but at times today my actions were somewhat analogous to speed shifting a sports car. I can probably stand to ease up a bit more, but when cresting a hill, with more rapid acceleration available to me than ever before, it was hard to resisit.

Ya, I can understand it. As for me, I just stop pedalling for a very short while to downshift (even at pretty dramatic climbs). It is important to just keep the momentum of the bike, and short stopping of pedalling is harmless. Anytime I can hear the derailleur "clunk" I know I did it wrong again!

Regarding the high speed, bear in mind the air drag is taking its toll there, draining the battery very fast. At our age Rich, there is no need to be really in hurry although riding at high speed means a lot of fun! I also must admit that riding a proper e-MTB on roads was never pleasant to me. Noisy tyres, low speed because of the mountain gearing... (It was not possible to install a bigger chainring on the e-MTB I once owned!)

 

[coffmandave]

I can't remember the last time I've ridden my Tero outside of Microtune. I'm hooked on having that level of control, and since the motor is pretty powerful, every 10% increment is significant! I'm with Stefan on that...once you get more comfortable with the bike, give it another shot, especially on longer rides when you want to maximize the bike's range without crippling your own range.

I was surprised to read you hear the engine a lot, but then I remember most of my riding is at 20% - 30% at 15mph on gravel, so...yea...that might explain it. Oh, and also my helmet has built in speakers so I'm listening to music...so...yea...forget I said anything.

I definitely agree it takes some cadence to get up to 28. It's clear the bike was never geared to cruise at that speed, but I do love the class 3 for when you need a little extra boost crossing a narrow bridge in traffic...and yes, I speak from experience. The most important benefit, imo, is that it saves you the jarring "motor shuts off, motor turns on" effect when you're cruising along at 18-19mph.

I'm also 6'5" and I'll say I got a riser on the handlebars that made the riding experience significantly more comfortable. Just something to consider if you find you get a lot of pressure on the hands, like I did. I don't think this is a bike you need to worry THAT much about aero (although it does seem you ride a lot faster than I do, so ymmv).

 

[Rich W.]

I can't remember the last time I've ridden my Tero outside of Microtune. I'm hooked on having that level of control, and since the motor is pretty powerful, every 10% increment is significant! I'm with Stefan on that...once you get more comfortable with the bike, give it another shot, especially on longer rides when you want to maximize the bike's range without crippling your own range.

I was surprised to read you hear the engine a lot, but then I remember most of my riding is at 20% - 30% at 15mph on gravel, so...yea...that might explain it. Oh, and also my helmet has built in speakers so I'm listening to music...so...yea...forget I said anything.

I definitely agree it takes some cadence to get up to 28. It's clear the bike was never geared to cruise at that speed, but I do love the class 3 for when you need a little extra boost crossing a narrow bridge in traffic...and yes, I speak from experience. The most important benefit, imo, is that it saves you the jarring "motor shuts off, motor turns on" effect when you're cruising along at 18-19mph.

I'm also 6'5" and I'll say I got a riser on the handlebars that made the riding experience significantly more comfortable. Just something to consider if you find you get a lot of pressure on the hands, like I did. I don't think this is a bike you need to worry THAT much about aero (although it does seem you ride a lot faster than I do, so ymmv).

Thanks for the insights. This was my first ride and I’m sure as I get to know the bike better I’ll get into fine tuning. I also managed to burn up 38% of the charge in 12 miles! I played with fine tuning a bit on my wife's 3.0 a couple weeks ago, but this time out on the 5.0 and I was wearing somewhat heavy gloves (high 30°s) so I just didn’t bother with it and found that for what I was doing the three primary modes were sufficient. But I do like to tinker, so I’m sure I’ll end up using it, especially as you say to reduce the draw on the battery to increase range on longer rides. And yes the motor noise was really only noticeable when climbing, but that was about half the time on this 12 mile jaunt. Level and down hill was just like the old says - just the sound of the wind rushing by as I rode a bit faster than I used to.

I think I forgot to mention the grips which I found a bit skinny, uncomfortable, and not so ergonomic. I’ve ordered these https://www.specialized.com/us/en/supacaz-egrip/p/216831?color=349265-216831&searchText=25522-0200 (found stock on the 4.0) in hopes of a little more comfort and I’m curious about the riser you chose. Got a link for that? Also I felt the pedals could be a little more grippy, but they are just the OE units that most people probably throw away, and there are lots of choices on those. I don’t want cleats or clips or whatever - just something that my hiking shoes stick to a bit better.

I’m not really concerned with speed (much less aerodynamics) and I’ve learned (that is I’m learning…) to not be in a hurry, but to get anywhere from here I have about four miles of county road with no shoulder other than a 4” white line before I get to what passes for a bike lane, so I want to be able to get that behind me as soon as possible. And I do like to put on a little speed on ocasion, but I realize this is essentially a trail bike doing double duty as an occasional road cruiser.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The lesson I learned hard was whenever anyone tries to raise the bars for more upright riding position the more of the body weight has to rest on the saddle. Then (otherwise excellent) "sporty" saddle becomes even more painful. Now, the search for the "comfort" saddle begins; the wide and plushy saddle does not cure the bum ache but causes abrasions... I could continue. It took me as many as three years to understand what I was doing wrong. Now, the bars are lowered as much as possible on my e-bikes, and I use narrow & firm saddles, the stock Specialized Bridge Sport as found on my Vado SL being the most comfortable of them all... The backside aches are gone.

Regarding the platform pedals I can greatly recommend CrankBrothers Stamp 1 or 3. These are equipped with traction pins that hold the feet as firmly as cleated pedals but with all the benefit of platform pedals. These can be ridden in any footwear. I use Adidas FiveTen Freerider Pro shoes in the warm season, and mountain hiking boots in the winter. My personal choice for the pedals is the size Large not only because my feet are big but also the large pedal size gives me multiple feet position on my long rides (the longest one being 170.65 km or 106 mi).

I absolutely agree with you guys the high speed is vital in many emergency situation (the narrow bridge or no-shoulder road are excellent examples!) Also, the lack of "on/off" motor behaviour mentioned by Dave is golden.

Regarding MicroTune: I again agree that feature is valuable to easily find the sweet spot between the assistance and battery range. Before I got the MicroTune equivalent, it took me a very long ride to determine 40/40% assistance on my big Vado was what I needed for optimal assistance and battery range for my gravel group rides. Typically, the gravel cycling club members ride up to 25 km/h (15.5 mph) in the forest but accelerate to some 22 mph or even more on the pavement. My "MicroTune" solution combined with the three meticulously pre-tuned assist modes always keeps me at the speed of the group!

My "microtuneable" Vado 5.0 in the front of the gravel cycling club members.

That was the fastest group ride I've ever participated in. A mixed terrain ride of 104.5 km under 4 hours. The "microtune" allowed me to be together with the group.

 

[coffmandave]

I got this. It's adjustable, and as always, little adjustments in this kind of thing can often go a long ways. That said, I have mine at full extension and I think it's perfect. I got very similar grips to what you ordered, but another no-name generic. And yea, I had some old mountain bike pedals I swapped in immediately.

To Stefan's point about handlebar risers putting more weight on the seat, it I also got a Brooks B67 to handle that. And if you find you don't put a lot of pressure on your hands, maybe you don't need the riser. For me, though, anything over an hour and the pressure on my hands started really bothering me. I suspect my height has something to do with it...at 6'5" I think we're still at the upper range of who even the XL is meant for. Anyway, as always, YMMV but the riser has made my rides considerably more comfortable and wanted to call it out just because of the height similarity.

 

[Rich W.]

Well a few more miles down the road, a few improvements, and I’m getting to know the bike. And today that motor “noise” I complained about previously was a welcomed sound as I made the turn for the last uphill mile home. My improvements: pedals with enough grip to hold my shoes especially when I start to get tired, a mirror so I can actually see the folks about to run me off the road, a big padded seat for my big padded seat, and the MIK base plate to attach something to. Maybe a bag of some sort but right now Im thinking a plastic tool box or fishing tackle box. Right now the bike weighs 27.45kg and I’m pretty happy with it. I’m also building the worlds ugliest bike rack for my Jeep - ugly, but strong enough to be 100% secure and reliable and it will also shield the bikes from most road grime and debris, and I’ll be able to confidently take the bikes anywhere. More on that later.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Props for the mirror and pedals!

 

[coffmandave]

I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you.

That bike is entirely too clean, and you're going to have to dirty it up some. Now get out there and get to work!

 

[Rich W.]

I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you.

That bike is entirely too clean, and you're going to have to dirty it up some. Now get out there and get to work!

I’ve been riding dirt roads and dodging pot holes and cow poop, and had rocks and sticks stuck in the fenders, but I’m trying to keep it clean while its new. I know it wont last. In three days I’m headed south to the desert for a month of trail riding. I’ve been trying to get out every day even if its just for 4-5 miles but some days it just doesn't work out.

Today’s little mod - the small diameter round grips really start to get uncomfortable after an hour or so:

 

[Rich W.]

I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you.

That bike is entirely too clean, and you're going to have to dirty it up some. Now get out there and get to work!

This better? Today was the first real single track effort (after about 70 miles of dirt/gravel/road) and I am clearly not in that league. This is desert riding with washes and big rocks everywhere and thorn bushes to brush by - fun stuff! So first crash, first flat, first airborne with the trail curving away from my flight path of course…my rookie flag was flying high although there was no one around for miles to witness any of my baffoonery. Anyway alls well that ends well, and tomorrow is another day. Still loving it.

 

[Rich W.]

…and I needed to take off the rear wheel anyway to correct the installation of the fender kit. And of course it’s always good to train in a controlled environment so you know you can do it in the field where it counts. So it was a good exercise. I had tire stuff with me and I made some half-hearted attempts in the field, but ended up walking it about a mile and found that while the 3mph ”walk mode” is a nice feature, I walk at about 3.6 mph so it was fairly useless. I’ll ask my LBS to look in to increasing that, but wont hold my breath - it would start to approach a throttle and we all know we can’t have any of that terrible nonsense! All in all today was a great experience. If I wasn’t so preoccupied with keeping my stuff together, I would have taken some pics.

 

[fooferdoggie]

OK today was the first real single track effort and I am clearly not in that league. This is desert riding with washes and big rocks everywhere and thorn bushes to brush by - fun stuff! So first crash, first flat, first airborne with the trail curving away from my flight path of course…my rookie flag was flying high although there was no one around for miles to witness any of my baffoonery. Anyway alls well that ends well, and tomorrow is another day. Still loving it.

you might want to stay away from the rolling rock not a good name while riding a bike

 

[Rich W.]

you might want to stay away from the rolling rock not a good name while riding a bike

after hours only (I rolled over my share of rocks on the trail today) while repairing the tube….twice! . But it seems to be holding air. I really didnt want to whimp out and use a new tube. .

 

[Rich W.]

Just curious about this little gaurd/guide. I’ll replace it when I get home in a couple weeks, but it doesn't seem to do anything so for now I’m not going to worry about it. I’m not even sure how it got broken. Is it something important enough to be concerned over? Sorry about the bad pic - poor light.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The chain-guide is to prevent chain dropping at the chainring. Unless you are riding in some insanely rough terrain and especially if you do not do jumps - nothing wrong should happen.

 

[Rich W.]

I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you.

That bike is entirely too clean, and you're going to have to dirty it up some. Now get out there and get to work!

How’s this? My natural inclination is to always clean everything, but its a bit like old bike cammo so I’m leaving it dirty.

 

[coffmandave]

It's beautiful!