Product news: The US manufacturer Specialized has been advertising its Turbo models for some time with the slogan "It's you, only faster!" As you can imagine, these are bikes with e-assistance. With the Specialized Turbo Creo SL, the manufacturer has now presented its latest bike in the Turbo series: the first e-road bike or e-gravel bike from Specialized.
Even before the official launch, we were in Switzerland for you and were able to thoroughly test the new Specialized Turbo Creo SL on the road and gravel.
With e-bikes and especially e-racing bikes, the weight is a critical factor, especially when it comes to sporty handling. The Specialized Turbo Creo SL is one of the lightest e-bikes in its class. The top model S-Works Creo SL weighs only 12,2 kg. When developing the frame made of FACT 11r carbon, the goal was to achieve a playful and agile riding experience, as known from the Tarmac. The FutureShock 2.0 with adjustable damping is used for more control and comfort. This combination ensures a comfortable yet sporty driving experience.
Specialized Turbo Creo SL – The drive
Other manufacturers on the market use systems from other manufacturers for their e-bikes and especially for their e-road bikes. However, Specialized made a conscious decision to develop its own system because there was no suitable motor or e-bike system for a performance-oriented e-road bike on the market. Californian design paired with Swiss engineering is the recipe for success. The result: the new Specialized SL 1.1 motor, which optimally combines performance, weight, size, range and ride quality in a performance-oriented e-road bike. Big advantage of the Specialized motor: It delivers constant power and harmonious support behavior to ensure thoroughbred road performance. The SL 1.1 motor doubles the power with up to 240 watts of support and is perfectly matched to the cadence of sporty riders. However, if the engine is decoupled above 25 km/h, the system offers no resistance and can be driven smoothly.
Specialized Turbo Creo SL – range
You can drive up to 130 kilometers with the internal battery alone. This is where Specialized comes into play with the range extender, which delivers 65 more kilometers. This is simply plugged into the rear bottle holder and connected to the system with a cable. The internal battery delivers 320 watt hours, the range extender 160 watt hours. Charging is extremely fast, as befits a top system. The internal battery is fully charged in 2:35 hours. Because every rider and every ride is different, the Turbo Creo Range Calculator was developed to help determine exactly how far you can go.
The range extender blends inconspicuously into the overall system and provides another 65 kilometers of range.
You can find even more exciting e-gravel bikes in our top 10 for 2021:
[blog specific=“142380″]Specialized Turbo Mission Control App
Another tool for improved use of the Specialized Turbo e-bikes is the Mission Control app, which has already recorded millions of kilometers. It offers an intuitive way to unleash the full potential of your turbo bike: Each of the three speed levels can be tuned to both top performance and support almost without limit. With the "SmartControl" function, you can not only see the charging status of the battery, but also make sure that you don't run out of juice on the go. All you have to do is specify how long or how far you want to drive and the app regulates the energy requirement. In addition, Mission Control can record journeys and upload them to third-party providers. The app has an integrated power meter that can send performance data to an ANT+ main device. Using the Mission Control app is optional, because the Turbo Connect Unit on the top tube offers all the functions you need during a ride.
Specialized Turbo Creo SL - Founders Edition
The Turbo Creo SL marks the beginning of a new era in the performance e-road bike category and the Founder's Edition celebrates this with an incredible specification at just 11,9 kilos! Golden details, a numbered Founder's Edition badge on the chainstay and a matching Founder's Edition SL Kit make this strictly limited edition a classic.
Specialized S-Works Turbo Creo SL
Like all S-Works bikes, the S-Works Turbo Creo SL represents the pinnacle of development. The FACT 11r carbon frame comes with Future Shock2.0 with adjustable damping, Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 single drive, XTR rear derailleur and an 11- 42 cassette for incredible range. The S-Works rolls on CLX 50 Disc wheels and 28 mm S-Works Turbo tires. An S-Works Carbon Hover handlebar, the S-Works Future stem, the Body Geometry S-Works Power saddle and the S-Works Range Extender complete the package.
Specialized Turbo Creo SL Expert
The Turbo Creo SL Expert comes with a Fact11r carbon frame and Future Shock 2.0 with adjustable damping. The Shimano Ultegra Di2 single circuit with XT rear derailleur and 11-42t cassette meet Roval C38 Disc Carbon wheels and Turbo Pro 28 mm tires. In addition, there is the Specialized Future Stem Pro, the Expert Hover handlebar made of aluminum and the Body Geometry Sport saddle.
Specialized Turbo Creo SL EVO
The Turbo Creo SL Expert EVO comes with the same Fact 11r carbon frame and Future Shock 2.0 with damping as our S-Works and Expert model and is ready for any adventure thanks to its components: Shimano Ultegra Di2 single shifter with XT rear derailleur, 11-42t Cassette, 38 mm Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss Ready tires, Roval C 38 Disc wheels, Specialized Adventure Gear handlebars, FutureStem Pro, Body Geometry Sport saddle.
First ride: Specialized Turbo Creo SL
As already mentioned, we were in Switzerland for Specialized for a few days to test the new Creo SL. The presentation and the theory were already promising and the bike is visually convincing, but you can only find out how it really rides when you ride it. On the first day it was a road lap with a good 80 kilometers and almost 2000 meters in altitude, so you could definitely call it a decent lap.
With the Creo we were able to really step on the gas uphill and use the turbo mode, here the altitude meters fly by and you reach your destination faster than ever, but of course you have to pedal properly to make progress . If you want to work even harder, you can of course also use the two weaker modes, which don't provide as much support, but are still a good help. What we actually only became aware of later was that you don't notice the decoupling of the engine. You can often feel a real cut above 25 km/h, but not with the Creo. Here you drive happily and suddenly the speedometer reads 32 km/h. This is certainly also due to the first-class equipment, which can hardly be surpassed. For really fast riders you could consider adding a few more teeth to the chainring, otherwise we are perfectly happy in terms of equipment.
The ride and handling of the Specialized Turbo Creo SL was also really convincing, and we were able to benefit from it on fast descents. Except for the slightly more weight, it actually rides like a classic racing bike, only faster thanks to the support. At the end of our tour we still had 45% battery left from the internal battery and range extender and we were really in turbo mode a lot.
The next day we went into the forest and over gravel. Here we were able to benefit from the equipment of the expert model, which is perfectly tailored to gravel use. Thanks to wider tires with a solid profile and Future Shock, you are still quite relaxed on hard ground and can really accelerate over roots. Thanks to the great handling, even faster sections over gravel are a lot of fun. In our opinion, the motor makes almost more sense here, since you are often driving below 25 km/h and can therefore benefit more from it.
The handling and the reaction over hill and dale is reminiscent of a cross bike, but the SPecialized Turbo Creo SL remains smooth running when it gets faster. If you are thinking about covering both variants, you can easily serve both terrains with a second set of wheels.