Turbo Creo SL from Specialized is a marvel of technology, with a price that corresponds to

They are magnificent. They are electric. They are surprisingly light. They behave like a conventional bike. And wow, they are expensive.

Say hello to Turbo Creo SL, Specialized's new line of high-performance electric bikes, a technological marvel for three years. Driving on one of them might well change what you think about electric bikes. Financing would only change your perception of free market capitalism.

Let's just move it forward. The Turbo Creo SL range includes four models: three designed for road riding and one for gravel / adventure racing. These are all high-performance machines powered by the same quiet SL 1.1 engine, designed in-house by Specialized. They all offer pedal badistance up to 45 km / h – it's specific to the region, more on this below. They are all equipped with a variation of 1x Shimano Di2 transmission and Roval carbon wheels. They range from $ 9,000 to $ 17,000. No, it's not a typo.

The Turbo Creo SL Expert comes in road and gravel constructions, the gravel model with the designation Evo. The road model weighs 12.8 kg (28.8 pounds) and the gravel model, with heavier tires and a dropper pole, weighs 13.5 kg (29.8 pounds); both are sold for $ 9,000.

The high-end S-Works Turbo Creo SL weighs 12.2 kg and costs $ 14,000. The limited-edition S-Works Turbo Creo SL founder's edition, which can be reduced to 10.9 kg with an external battery, is priced at $ 17,000.

By comparison, the Pinarello Nytro weighs 13 kg, offers limited pedal badistance in the region up to 15 km / h and costs USD 7,000. The Focus Paralane2 9.9 weighs 12.8 kg, uses the same Fauza engine as the Pinarello badistant riders up to 15.5 mph, and costs 9,849 USD. Trek's Domane + weighs 17.19 kg (37.89 pounds), badists the rider up to 45 km / h and costs $ 7,000.

The Pinarello has a comparable weight and costs less than a Turbo Creo SL, but provides about half the power. The Focus Paralane2 9.9 has a comparable weight, costs more than the Turbo Creo SL Expert and provides about half the power. The Domane + has a power comparable to that of the Turbo Creo SL and costs less, but weighs 5 kg (11 pounds) more.

On the whole line, Turbo Creo SL are very expensive electric bikes. If they are out of your price range, or if you are not interested in a high performance electric bike, why bother? Because these bikes are on the border of science fiction. Because they may be the bikes of the future and they exist now.

Astronomical is actually a suitable adjective for Turbo Creo SL bikes, as they have a futuristic look for spaceships. They are smooth and smooth. They are powerful. They connect to an application on your smartphone, called Mission Control, which can adapt the engine to your driving style, record and download your outputs and monitor battery life. A Mission Control feature, called Smart Control, can automatically manage battery management, ensuring that the battery lasts as long as you want, eliminating the dreaded scourge known as range anxiety.

Beyond all the technology and decisions that underlie its design, in which we will dive, the Creo SL is only a pleasure to ride. The marketing slogans are accurate. It's so light that you'll forget it's electric. Rolling faster is really more fun. The name, Creo, in Latin means "to create" because Specialized believes to have created a new category – a whole new experience. And they can just be right about it.

All this may seem a little exaggerated, but they are really extraordinary machines.

Specialized has definitely increased expectations with the Turbo Creo SL. The question is, who can afford to sit at the table?

The backstory

It's in 2010 that Specialized began its foray into the electric bike. They tested all engine and battery technologies on the market before deciding to develop their own system, which would carry the Turbo label. They chose Cham, Switzerland, as the headquarters for their Turbo development, describing the region as "the epicenter of the electric bike boom."

Specialized launched its first electric bike, the wide-belt, wide-band Turbo S, in 2012. It weighed 21.54 kg (47.5 pounds) and cost $ 6,000. In 2015, they introduced the Turbo Levo, their first electric mountain bike. They launched the mission control application at the same time.

"When we first started in the category, I was the biggest enemy," said founder and CEO Mike Sinyard at the launch of Turn Creo SL last month in Santa Cruz, California. "And then we said, 'Shut up and try that.'"

Over the past four years, Turbo Levo has become one of the most popular and expensive electric mountain bike lines on the market. But until now, Specialized had not released performance-based electric road bike.

Backstage, Morgan Hill, Calif., Set up a formidable e-bike development team at Cham's Turbo Innovation Center, a group of five to 37 employees, ranging from systems engineers to software engineers to mechanical engineers.

Turbo Creo SL has been in development for three years in Switzerland and the United States. While developing Turbo Creo SL – and trying to reconcile power, weight, size, battery life, ride quality and efficiency – Specialized claims that they started from scratch and performed more than 3,000 hours of testing, or about 12 times more field trials usually involved before a new model is put into production.

In the end, the development of Turbo Creo SL was more ambitious than building an in-house wind tunnel or learning how to use carbon fiber 20 years ago, said Sinyard.

"Others have been in the category for longer than us," said Sinyard. "Our goal was not to be the first, but to be the first with the best."

While Turbo is the brand's symbol for all its electric bikes, SL is the name of the new system – the SL 1.1 engine and the SL1-320 battery. Creo is the only existing line that uses the SL system.

ENGINE

At the heart of the Turbo Creo SL is a completely redesigned engine, the SL 1.1, which boosts the driver's power up to 240 watts and 35 Nm maximum power and continues up to 45 km / h. After 28 mph, the engine stops supporting you and disconnects from the system; There is no visible trail, it rolls like a natural bike.

At only 1.95 kg, the SL 1.1 engine weighs about half of other crank motors. Part of this weight was obtained by using magnesium rather than aluminum on the case, a material used by the German manufacturer Brose for its Drive S Mag – the engine that powers the FS-Turbo S-Works Turbo Special. Specialized.

For the newly designed SL 1.1, Specialized does not work with Brose, but rather with an unidentified German car manufacturer, explained Dominik Geyer, commercial manager of Turbo.

"Brose has been the engine hardware maker," said Geyer. "Brose is one of our suppliers, just as we use an executive supplier, a battery supplier. This is a specialized engine. The important thing for us is that it's our system. We are not fans of using the same material as on other e-bikes.

"In the background, of course, we work with suppliers. But we designed it and co-developed it with a German car manufacturer. It's a giant company, it's not Brose. It is a leading German automotive supplier, employs 64,000 people and manufactures pistons, etc. We are very fortunate to work with them and it is an exclusive arrangement because it is a joint development. What I can tell you is that we have invested a lot of time, money and resources in this area. "

The SL 1.1 has three modes of power steering: Eco, Sport and Turbo. Eco corresponds to the rider's effort up to 30% of the engine power, the sport to 60% of the power of the engine and Turbo corresponds to the effort to 100% of the power of the engine, that is to say 240 watts. There are more powerful engines, but they probably weigh a lot more.

The pedal badist has been designed with a power curve in line with the road cyclist's preferred pace, meaning that it is more efficient between 70 and 100 rpm. This is not an engine for the inhabitants of the bike lanes.

DRUMS

The 320Wh internal battery that powers the SL 1.1 engine is housed in the downpipe. It is not easy to remove and requires the engine to be removed at the same time. Do not try this at home. This is not ideal, but it is this integration that allows Specialized Claims to reduce the total weight (as well as the FACT 11r carbon frame and its lightweight components).

The internal battery, called SL1-320, weighs 1.8 kg and offers a range of up to 130 km, which is sufficient for most trips, even if it depends on the mode of badisted driving. It takes two and a half hours to charge a fully discharged battery via a 48V charger that plugs into a port on the bike's seat tube just above the bottom bracket.

A separate external range extender of 160 W, which fits any regular water bottle cage, offers half, up to 65 km. It is included in the S-Works version and available at a price of 399 USD on other models.

The 1 kg Range Extender, which complies with FAA size regulations, can be flown rather than checked, solving the major problem of traveling with an electric bike. Those who wish to fly with a Turbo Creo SL can ask a specialist dealer to remove the internal battery, take one or more range extenders in their carry-on and travel to their new location using only the range extenders.

The Range Extender is charged with the same charger as the internal battery and takes a little over three hours to fully charge. The S-Works and Founder's Edition bikes will come with a "Y" cable that allows you to load both at the same time.

When using a Range Extender, the default setting is that the Range Extender and the internal battery will be flushed simultaneously. Using the Mission Control application, this protocol can be modified to drain the Range Extender first.

With the Creo SL, all the factors that affect the reach are applicable: weight, fitness and aerodynamics of the cyclist, construction of the bike, weight of the bike, choice and pressure of the tires. Environmental influences, such as road conditions, altitude, and weather conditions can also affect reach.

When the battery system drops below 20% of the total charge, Turbo Creo SL automatically enters Eco mode to preserve the remaining battery life.

SOFTWARES

The Mission Control application that manages the battery can be an integral part of the Creo SL experience, but it is not mandatory. It is an improvement, but not a requirement.

The bike turns on and off via the minimalist Turbo Connect unit mounted on the upper tube; there are two buttons and a battery level display. The bottom button turns on the bike, while the top button cycles through the three levels of badistance, or allows you to drive without badistance. The Turbo Connect Unit is all the control you need to control.

The Mission Control application, which runs on iOS and Android, allows infinite motor tuning. each mode can be customized for maximum engine support as well as for driver badistance to maximum engine support.

"Think of the maximum support as an engine that allows you to support up to 100% of the power it has," said Geyer. "If you cap, as we do in Eco mode, at 35%, no matter how hard you push the pedals, you will not get more than 35% of the possible help from this engine.

"The support number tells you how fast you are getting this badistance. So if you make that number 100%, you get 35% faster maximum support than if you did it at 10%. It's like a gas pedal. The driver's help for maximum engine badistance is the way you speed up. The maximum engine support is the ceiling, you can not exceed it, no matter how many watts you push. You can adjust each mode transparently and infinitely. "

Even if it's confusing – and I'll admit it, I'll probably stick to the default settings – the Smart Control feature is the jewel in the Mission Control application. You tell Smart Control the distance traveled, the duration of the race or the battery life when you finish. Thanks to an algorithm recalculating every 10 seconds, the application adjusts the badistance to the pedal. automatically to make sure you do not run out of power. Say goodbye to anxiety.

Do not forget that when Smart Control is started on the application, support modes can not be changed via Turbo Connect Unit. It's a constant support that constantly adjusts as you get closer to your destination or slow down at the end of the journey.

And as the engine continuously detects the power of the driver to provide matching badistance, there is a constant stream of driver input power data that can be logged into the Mission Control application, a main ANT unit. + Garmin or Wahoo or the optional $ 90 Turbo option from Specialized. Connect the display unit. The specialized representatives were a little shy about the accuracy of the power meter, but I think it's fair to say that it's not as accurate as an MRS.

After your ride, Mission Control can download automatically to Strava. the ride will be recorded as an electric bike ride, placing your achievements in a separate category.

And while the Mission Control application allows the pilot to fully customize his Turbo Creo SL engine according to his preferences, the engine and its behavior can only be adjusted within the speed limits given in their respective countries. The application will not allow drivers to adjust the engine beyond the legally permitted speed settings, which are 25 km / h in certain parts of Europe and Australia. . The firmware controls the stopping of the bike badistance. Thus, each Creo SL has the right firmware to align it with the speed limit of its region.

As with removing the internal battery, Turbo Creo SL firmware is better maintained by a local specialist dealer.

LINE

There are four distinct models in the Turbo Creo SL range. They have a lot in common, with some distinct variants.

First, let's clarify what they have in common. They all use the same SL 1.1 engine and the same SL1-320 internal battery. The frames and forks are all built with Specialized Carbon fiber FACT 11r, the Future Shock 2.0 with shock and the same vertical open road geometry used on the Diverge, but with a bottom bracket. In keeping with other recent Specialized Road Lines, there is no bad-specific frame geometry.

They all have the same game, for a maximum of 700x42mm tires. They all use a single-ring configuration because the SL 1.1 engine is only designed for 1x transmission. They are all compatible with 650b wheels and tires up to 47 mm.

Also note: The Turbo Creo SL uses a front hub spacing of 12x110mm and a rear spacing of 12x148mm, also called supercharging spacing. The Focus Paralane2 also uses the same standard axle, commonly used on mountain bikes.

Six sizes are available and, although they carry the XS, SM, MD, LG, XL and XXL labels, they are equivalent to frames of 49, 52, 54, 56, 56, 61 and 61 cm. They are only available as a complete bike, not as a frame.

There are two versions of the $ 9,000 / $ 12,000 Turbo Creo SL Expert: one for the road and one called Evo Expert for gravel or adventure. Both have the same frame, the same fork and the Future Shock 2.0 with damper, as well as Roval C38 disc wheels. Both are equipped with an XT rear derailleur and an 11-42 1x Shimano Ultegra Di2 cbadette. Both models use a Praxis forged hollow pedal.

The road version is equipped with Turbo Pro 28 mm tires; the Evo is dressed with Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss Ready 38mm tires. The Evo also uses Adventure Gear bars at 12 degrees of light and comes with a 50mm Manic Dropper X-Fusion seatpost.

As previously stated, the Expert Road model weighs 12.8 kg (28.8 pounds) and the Expert Evo weighs 13.5 kg (29.8 pounds). For comparison, I drove a Yamaha Wabash Gravel electric bike in March, which weighs 19.5 kg and costs $ 3,500. There is no comparison in terms of weight or ride quality; Nor is there any comparison in terms of cost.

The S-Works Turbo Creo SL uses a Dura-Ace Si2 transmission and uses a high-end XTR rear derailleur. It rolls on Roval CLX 50 Disc carbon wheels and S-Works Turbo 28mm tires. It is equipped with S-Works bars, stem and saddle. The S-Works Turbo Creo SL weighs 12.2 kg and sells for 14,000 USD / 19,000 AU. For the $ 5,000 supplement ($ 7,000 AU) above the Expert model, this one also comes with a Range Extender.

Ok, that's where things get a little crazy. The limited edition S-Works Turbo Creo SL Founder & # 39; s Edition, which could possibly also be called "CEO Edition", starts with the S-Works version and goes up to 11.9 kg with an expensive and lightweight specification including S -Works Short. and shallow bars, Roval CLX 50 Disc carbon wheels, S-Works Turbo Cotton 28mm tires, XTR 11-40t cbadette and CeramicSpeed ​​pulley wheels.

If running on the internal battery, the Founder's edition weighs just under 12 kg (26.5 lbs); on a single Range Extender, it goes to 10.9 kg (24 pounds).

The Founder Edition is available in spectral blue with brushed gold. The gold-colored logos complement the gold anodized bolted through axles, a GPS mount and pulley wheels with a custom-designed Body Geometry S-Works Power saddle, enhanced with gold highlights. Since only 250 of these $ 17,000 Founder Edition Edition Turbo Creo SLs will be manufactured, the S-Works Turbo Creo SL will be the flagship model.

THE PATH

Ok, after all that, how does it roll?

Honestly, it rolls like a rocket. You feel like a superhero. As they say, going faster is really more fun.

When launching the product in Santa Cruz last month, Specialized took us to two rides – one on the road and the other largely off road. Both trips were approximately 75 km (45-50 mi), with an elevation gain of approximately 4,000 to 5,000 feet (approximately 1,500 meters). I drove the S-Works Creo SL on the road and expert Evo off-road.

During the first ride, I played with the three different modes of badistance. On the second ride, I threw it in Turbo mode and I never looked back. During the second trip, my battery is automatically switched to Eco mode for the last 15 minutes of the trip.

The SL 1.1 engine doubles your efforts with a smooth, silky diet. It is a silent whisper, and there is no unnatural power curve or discernible flicker. You feel like a monster on the bike.

I never found that the weight of the bike was a problem. With the exception of trying to get the wheels off the gravel bicycle, you will probably never notice that you are carrying a heavier bicycle.

On the first trip, we tackled Alba Road, a hill outside Santa Cruz, with an average slope of 10% over 6 km, for a total height gain of 622 meters . Some of the first gradients reached 18%.

With the bike in Turbo mode, I climbed the climb as hard as I could. It was not easy. I have suffered a lot. In fact, I recorded my highest horsepower of the year in 20 minutes, mainly because I was riding at sea level. But instead of taking me 35 or 40 minutes, the climb m & # 39; took 20 minutes. And it was strangely nice. I did not stop thinking: "So that's what the pros feel when they climb a mountain."

On the way back to town, a fast-paced line stretches along the coast. I'm pretty sure everyone was in turbo mode. In this sense, the rules of the game were almost equal. As in an ordinary end-of-race pace line, it was all I could do to keep up with the wheels in front of me while pushing 300 watts; the difference is that we traveled more than 48 km / h.

I guess it's worth pointing out that, all things being pretty much the same, not all members of a gas-powered Turbo group can fully equalize the playing field. The SL 1.1 engine boosts the power of the game. driver up to 240 watts. A more powerful rider does not receive the same level of relative amplification of his maximum sustained power as does a less powerful rider. Proportionately, the less powerful cyclist receives more benefits. The cyclist's weight will also have an impact on the actual speed gains provided by the turbo-badisted badistance in the same way as the watts / kg on the climbing speed or the acceleration rate for a given power.

Rust

For the most part, electric bikes and conventional bicycles have largely operated in two different spheres. Although electric bikes are heavier and generally more expensive, conventional bicycles are relatively slender and generally more affordable. The electric bike is an interesting post-modern mode of transport, but the quality of driving has never been comparable to that of its conventional cousin. And that was just the price to pay for the badistance of a battery powered engine.

The specialization Turbo Creo SL aims to change that. It rolls like a performance road bike, but with an engine. There are relatively few sacrifices made in terms of responsiveness, aerodynamics, component specifications or even appearance. However, when you look at a product, you can not get the price of the discussion. And these bikes are expensive – prohibitively expensive for most tax brackets.

Based on my own life experience, I can not even discuss a model other than the Expert version and, even in this case, I have never owned a bike with a MSRP of $ 9,000. I do not judge those who did it, it's just my personal perspective.

Which begs the question – who are these bikes for?

It seems that the target group is the rich cycling enthusiast, who may have lost one or two steps physically over the years, while accumulating considerable personal wealth. The empty negro. Retirement. L & # 39; executive. The doctor. The banker. L & # 39; lawyer.

As for the notion that riding an electric bike is somehow cheating, I would just ask that question: cheating who, exactly? Cheating implies that the rules are broken, but to my knowledge, there are no rules regarding the bike that one must drive to do exercise and enjoy the outdoors.

No, you should not get into a clbadic bike race with an electric bike – it's really cheating. Yes, you could catch dirty looks if you show up on a group ride on an electric bike. Again, depending on your situation and the people you are riding with, you could also be welcomed with open arms. Anyway, if electric bikes get more people out of the couch and out, stay active and fit, drive faster or have more fun than they would otherwise, I'm totally partisan.

Leading the Evo Expert, I kept thinking that I would love to have one for my dad. He is over 70 and his hips have been replaced in recent years, but he still loves riding. He recently moved to Prescott, Arizona, and the gravel bike would be a great way to explore the area. With the engine and the battery, instead of being limited to the same radius of 16 to 24 km, he could venture further and faster, expanding his horizons with a smile on his face. It would be the last bike he'd ever need, and he'd probably have fun as much as he'd have on a bike.

Hell, I would like to own one for myself. But since I'm still a middle-aged competitor – in my head if it's nothing else – it would not be my main race, and it's impossible to rationalize owning a bike at home. $ 9,000 that would not be used very often. Some might think that it is impossible to rationalize the purchase of a $ 9,000 bicycle, which puts the price of $ 14,000 in another category. And then the $ 17,000 version … well, yes.

Il est possible que Specialized introduise une version plus abordable de cette gamme dans les années à venir. Le groupe motopropulseur 1x pourrait être mécanique. Les roues pourraient être en aluminium, tout comme le cadre. Tout ou partie de ceux-ci réduiraient les coûts. Mais pour le moment, la ligne Creo SL semble conçue pour les un pour cent.

Alors, où tout cela nous laisse-t-il? Cela nous laisse là où nous avons commencé. Le Turbo Creo SL spécialisé est une merveille de technologie, avec un prix correspondant. S'il s'agit d'une fenêtre sur l'avenir du cyclisme, l'avenir appartient aux nantis.