SPECIALIZED TURBO CREO SL – PRODUCT FEATURE

The Specialized Turbo Creo SL range of e-road bikes are almost unique in the world of e-bikes with Specialized themselves describing them in their marketing spiel as ‘A Whole New Sport’. It’s a bold claim but it’s one that they can back up with some pretty impressive stats – a unique motor and battery system developed and owned by Specialized which is super-light and compact, a lightweight FACT 11r carbon chassis across the range except for one E5 alloy model and a Future Shock with a hydraulic damper on all models means that the Turbo Creo SL is a really high-performance road bike that just happens to have a motor. These bikes can significantly amplify your power input without some of the usual compromises commonly associated with e-bikes, namely some considerable weight gain and nervous handling. We’ve been lucky enough to test ride some of the Turbo Creo SL models and were really impressed with how they rode; there’s no bigger test than putting a pure roadie on a bike like this and when the feedback is really positive you know that Specialized have hit on something new and exciting…

So what was the design brief for the Turbo Creo SL? Well, Specialized set out to create a superlight E-Road Bike that would give you the pedal assistance required to go further and faster than you would have on an ‘acoustic’ road bike but without some of the extra bulk and subsequent effect on bike handling associated with a conventional E-Bike. To hit that sweet spot between having ride-enhancing pedal-assist power and the feel of a conventional ‘manual road bike’ Specialized have spec’d their very own 240 Watt Specialized SL 1.1 motor (the same motor found on the their popular Turbo Levo SL E-MTB) to give the rider just enough assistance to really excel on the tougher climbs and encourage them to ride further and longer than they would have previously.

With a 240 Watt motor giving out 35Nm of pedal assist Specialized describe this riding solution as 2x You’…

The riding feel of the Specialized Turbo Creo SL is quick and lively with Specialized’s SL 1.1 motor adding just enough power to give a more subtle ‘enhanced you’ feel than some of the other e-road bikes available. The motor’s responsive torque curve delivers power perfectly in-tune with your normal riding cadence and leaves no resistance when you’re riding without power assistance. So if you’re the type of rider who wants to feel like you’ve still had a proper workout only with a faster average speed, perhaps riding a little further than you would have on your conventional road bike, then this system will give you the confidence to push your riding and actually increase your fitness over time.

Road riding can be a very social affair and this is where the Turbo Creo SL really comes into its own; the bike is a real leveller, allowing riders of mixed abilities and fitness levels to ride more comfortably together. Regardless of the reasons behind your mix-match of fitness levels the Turbo Creo SL will allow you to keep pace with faster groups and help you to take on longer social rides without the fear of running out of energy or constantly having to catch up with faster-paced individuals or groups. Depending on your circumstances and the people you ride with the Specialized Turbo Creo SL can really open up your riding experiences and encourage you to ride further, for longer. Taking time to master the motor’s modes and using them accordingly you’ll find that you are still able to make the rides you do challenging and a really good workout; the SL1.1 motor amplifies rider power up to 240 watts and 35Nm of both peak and sustained power with Specialized tuning the motor to deliver constant, strong support across a wide cadence range for a very natural feel while pedalling.

The compact Turbo Creo SL motor casing is made from Magnesium helping to bring the motor weight down to 1.95 Kg…

 

What about motor modes? The SL 1.1 Motor features three assisted riding modes: ECO, SPORT and TURBO, here’s how those modes break down:

ECO mode matches your effort by 30%

Sport mode matches your effort by 60%

Turbo mode matches your effort by 100%

You can also ride in unassisted mode, riding with no power and interestingly Specialized’s motor doesn’t give a significant feeling of drag associated with motors in unassisted mode from other brands. By using Specialized’s own Mission Control App you can even tune the motor to suit your own riding style, adjust the motor’s power delivery, control your range and record your rides.

Custom tune your motor with the Mission Control App…

Specialized have put so much investment into the development of their own motors and batteries for their e-bikes in partnership with specialist developers Mahle. Rather than going with a separate motor and battery supplier, they are able to refine and control the size, power and efficiency of their own unique technology. Part of the reason that many of us have to do a double-take on the Creo SL is due to the super-compact motor and their lithium-ion battery stowed away in the down-tube.

Despite it’s compact appearance the Specialized battery gives a range of 130 kilometres (195 KM with range extender)…

There’s a lot of chat in-store around Wheelbase HQ concerning ‘range-anxiety’. With a lightweight e-road bike such as this you’ll be encouraged to ride further than you may have done on a traditional ‘acoustic’ road bike, spending more hours in the saddle and taking on epic all-day rides. It’s a relatively new consideration for most of us, but as well as ensuring you’ve got enough snacks to keep you fuelled for your ride you’re going to have to think about battery life too. If you’re the type of rider who wants to spend the whole day in the saddle then Specialized have you covered; there’s an option to fit a 160Wh Range Extender battery which fits in your bottle cage taking battery range up to 195 kilometres.

The 160Wh Range Extender is available as an after market product…

The Turbo Creo SL range of e-bikes is pretty broad with some quite significant choices of spec that will suit a number of riding styles from full-on performance road riding to more adventurous gravel riding. All Turbo Creo SL models have tyre clearance for up to 42mm wide tyres on 700c rims; the bikes can be fitted with full mudguards too and still have clearance for 700c tyres up to 38mm wide. With Boost hub spacing of 12x110mm front and 12x148mm rear these e-bikes are compatible with 650b wheels too and will take a whopping 47mm wide tyre. Specialized have split the Turbo Creo SL range between road-focused and gravel-focused models, any of the models with EVO in their title denotes a gravel-specific spec; all models (with the exception of the Alloy E5) feature the same Fact 11R frame the only difference being that the EVO models have a more adventure-ready build. Below is a run down of all of the Specialized Turbo Creo SL models available in 2021…

S-Works Turbo Creo SL 2021 £11,500.00

S-Works Turbo Creo SL EVO 2021 £11,500.00

Specialized Turbo Creo SL Expert 2021 £7,500.00

Specialized Turbo Creo SL Expert EVO 2021 £7,500.00

Specialized Turbo Creo SL Comp Carbon 2021 £5,750.00

Specialized Turbo Creo SL Comp Carbon EVO 2021 £5,750.00

Specialized Turbo Creo SL Comp E5 2021 £4,000.00

Bikes from the popular Specialized Turbo Creo SL range are selling quickly, check in with us in-store or online for more information on stock availability…

 

Written by Johnny Dodgin