VERY disappointed with my new 2023 Specialized Turbo Como 3.0

[Rexlion]

Honestly, I don't know how the OP, Inthewind, ever got into her predicament. Going to LBS, test riding, then ordering the Como from (I'd imagine) the LBS without ever asking them whether they could and would modify the handlebar height?? How does one even do that? Makes no sense to me. Before ordering, I'd have said to them, "If I order a Como, I want the handlebar raised, can you do that?" And they would have said, "No, that's not do-able," which would have let me know not to plunk money down for the thing. Looks like she unwisely assumed, came here to gripe out Specialized for her mistake, and never returned (her last post was 9/14/22).

 

[scrambler]

"be curious, not Judgmental"

 

[sc00ter]

When I purchased my first ebike, a Pedego, the shop told me to take it out as long as I wanted. All day if needed. So I took it out for most of the day because the shop gave me a lock to use as well. I went bar hopping on it! I bought another ebike (E-Lux) from the same shop and he said the same thing, take it out for as long as you want. I went on a 30 mile ride with it. I'm still on the hunt for my dream ebike and sure hope I can take the next one out on a long ride if I go with a brick and mortar store. I only do 20" wheels now.

Those Como bars remind me of a local Lyme rental ebike. I'll try to get a good picture of one. The sweep back on those Lyme ebikes hurt my wrist, but then again they were never meant for long rides.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

When I purchased my first ebike, a Pedego, the shop told me to take it out as long as I wanted. All day if needed. So I took it out for most of the day because the shop gave me a lock to use as well. I went bar hopping on it!

It might vary from country to country and from LBS to LBS but at least two large Specialized stores in my province offer demo rides for a day or a weekend or even for a few days for a small fee. The catch there is you need to sign a paper in which you take your full financial responsibility for the rental. You can return the demo e-bike stained but not damaged, and of course you must not let the e-bike be stolen. As each of the two LBS has a fleet of demo e-bikes, these e-bikes might even be returned slightly scratched with no consequence.

The more expensive e-bike (outside the demo fleet) you are almost ready to buy can be tried in the parking lot of the LBS. If someone is unhappy with, say, the handlebars, the person can still resign from the purchase, and such e-bike is made shiny and put on the showroom floor.

It is interesting what the LBS understands as an "inexpensive demo e-bike". For the Specialized Turbo Levo, that would be (an expensive) carbon version as Specialized thinks that model is still cheap compared to higher models of that e-MTB