15rms

I test rode a Specialized Turbo today. Loved it! It only has PAS not a throttle. It has a 250 watt direct drive hub. 36 volt. I was really surprised at how much boost the little motor provided. It is a hybrid bike so the riding position is not very low. Even so it was not much work to get the bike up to 28 MPH and hold it there. I was really impressed. If it weren’t for the $5,900 price tag I would love to buy one.

pursuance

A lotta to$h! Sure is purdy though.
2012 Stromers are on-line for around $2.6k btw.

Vid of Turbo... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjQXwzAYdKk

Currie is importing Diavelo bikes. The 45 has a triple and Hayes hyd brks. @ $2.6k.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqB82K7g7nA

Much new gear in the pipe over the coming year and I have no regrets with my 2012 IZip Express @ $2.75k.

chas58

Yeah, I built a Specialized Turbo for $500 + bike (Q100 + Langster). Weighs about 1/2 of the official version, but yeah, that extra boost and speed is kinda fun! It sure flies.

Slackerprince

I rode one yesterday.
BIG smile on my face.
One of the coolest things I've done in a while.
Just to feel that smooth power boost when you start pedaling.
Try one, if you can.

S

chas58

But then you might want one and not be able to afford it! ;-)

tgreene

Does anybody have any experiences to share:
- How does it do over ~20 mile suburban commutes?
- Is it possible to ride this like a real road bike when you want some exercise;
is it comfortable to ride it for 1 - 2 hrs at LE (zone 2) aerobic power with minimal
electric assist?
- Has anybody compared it to the somewhat similar but less expensive BH Easy
Motion Neo Race or Neo carbon?

TIA for any info!

Scaliboy62

Theres bigger smiles out there for 1/2 the price better quality too

15rms

Scaliboy62 what bike are you in reference to? I would be interested in test riding it just for fun and comparison. Thanks.

Slackerprince

It was still fun.
Not in the market for that type of bike, so my smile was free of charge.


S

Scaliboy62

https://www.emaxi.com.tw/en/products/A

OK, here's an example- This is my E-Maxi MiPower , Imported by RMartin & Pacific Cycles from Taiwan.
I just passed 6000 miles a bit more then a year of ownership. frame mounted battery, original 14 AH. battery still gives me 30 miles .
Ultra Motor { TDCM ** peaks over 1000 watts, BB7's front & rear, 36 volts Omega RST forks. Battery charges in 2.5 hours great connectors.. Taiwan quality from a company in business since 1978. Cost me $ 2 grand delivered to my door , 17 " frames only though .
There's Stromer, Panasonic & Bosch mid drive bikes much less $ then that one, the list goes on..
That Specialized turbo is an overpriced bike for it's features { range, distance etc ** fringe market but a nice ride for sure..
KTM, Yamaha makes true E-Bikes also 250 watt low AH battery bikes for people into spending $ on quality brands like these, there's better options for the average E-Bike buyer ..

etw

The turbo seems like a great concept and really well designed. I spoke to someone who tested one and said it was a blast to ride.

chas58

Read this: https://www.electricbike.com/specialized_turbo/

tgreene

Thanks for the link. I did read that, but the reviewer seemed pretty biased and not at all interested in how the bike rides as a real bike (with little assist) on nice, rural cycling roads with a good surface, hills, and dicey descents. I was amused that the reviewer dinged the Turbo (gave it a con) for feeling like a road bike - that is a plus for me!

I did ride one a little yesterday. Extremely well integrated, but I agree that the battery life is too poor - too poor to even do my commute one way. I'm looking forward to trying the BH Neo race with one of the new 11.6A-h BH batteries. I only wish that the GB had bosses for a water bottle mount on the battery like the Turbo dies.

Scaliboy62

These well known bicycle & motor bike companies seem to " dabble " into the E-Bike market with well made bikes that don't fit the needs of the average E-Bike consumer. They should make a durable affordable bike suitable for commuting to work, with optional 500 plus watt power & a battery with good range. This Specialized bike seems to be built to show off their engineering prowess more then anything or maybe it's a status symbol.
Imagine what the battery costs to replace, not only poor range but I bet that is 3 times the price of other battery replacements .
This bike fits into a fringe market category like the " Pedego Trail Tracker " does but in a different way. That bike has a 10 AH battery, 48 volts & 15 mile range. It's a huge fat bike, low top speed & unless your into riding the back trails only for an hour a day what use is it ?
Nice fun toy maybe, but cant even ride that bike in the sand & that's what fat bikes are designed for .
Off my soap box

chas58

Yeah, you can buy a decent electric motorcycle for the price of a specialized turbo.

I'm guessing the specialized turbo rides pretty well for a bike that weighs 50lbs. But, it isn't going to compare too well with a bike that weighs half that. I have a 25lb bike that I ride without the motor sometimes. It rides fine, given its weight.

Battery: I'm gonna guess at least $1000 for that battery every two years. That is roughly what you get with the Bosch/Panasonic batteries for bikes in Europe.

tgreene

It could be something else - they may be trying to create a new market for ebikes, people who actually like to ride bikes for sport and advanced recreation. Take me for example - I ride about 10 hours a week and compete in road races. I'd like to be able to use an e-bike in a few ways:

1. Ride in to work with minimal assistance (just enough to compensate for the extra weight) and do my workouts by pedaling it like a normal bike when riding to or from work 3 days a week (25-40 mi 1 way). I will always want to put in 200W into the bike and up to 350 W or more for shorter intervals. I want it to feel like a real road bike (responsive, maneuverable) when putting in power. I also want to be able to ride it with minimal power input (zone 1 - maybe 100W) on the return leg of my trip.

2. Use it to replace a car to commute in and do errands with minimal power input (zone 1, ~100 W). Ride feel is not important here.

3. Ride it with other cyclists on real bikes - take them motorpacing and do other training exercises. It must handle like a real racing bike - be nimble in a pack at 25 mph. It also needs to go downhill fast - 40+ on longer descents, like a road bike.

A lot of commercial bikes can do #2 , but I want more than that. They all pretty much fail at #1 and #3 . There is no way I can do a 2 hour high power workout on a 65 lb tank with poor positioning (i.e., high bars) and front suspension. Perhaps Specialized is going after this market instead?

Scaliboy62

Good points made, but that price !
I understand your points
I've had people giggle when I tell them I've lost a lot of weight & get a great workout on my E-Bike & the best way to explain it to people is like this - Add a 1 HP electric motor to a bicycle & 30 additional pounds then use it as you wish . You can be lazy & pedal a little bit or hardly @ all for 30 miles or you can use the additional weight to build stamina & strength & cruise for hours varying speeds having a lot of fun without " spiking " your energy on day with gusty winds or going up hills.
I often ride a few blocks @ a time pedal power only usually on my way home & get that great burn feeling in my legs & stomach, a good workout. This is after I usually have run 3 errands that I would've taken the old gas guzzler out of the garage to do. I got slightly off topic , I'd like to try one of these " Specialized" for a week, put it through my routine. I bet they figure from research most people use 9 AH's of power on the average ride which is true but not all , commuters need more power as do guys like me who are addicted .

chas58

That is pretty much what I designed my $500 home made Specialized Turbo to do. The differences between either speciallized and what you are after:

Motors have a noload speed and more importantly an inflection point when motor controller hits the current limit (maybe 80-85% of the noload speed). Anything above the motor’s max speed, you are on your own. Yeah, you can do 40mph down hill, but the motor is doing nothing to help you above 27mph. It’s rather like taking a loaded touring bike downhill if you have ever done that.

Yeah, my ride would be good at motorpacing (I’m thinking more on the velodrome, because I am no fan of riding behind a stinky Vespa to motorpace on a track). 30mph for 10 miles is a good benchmark for that.

I understand you wanting nimble, but a 50lb bike is going to handle like a loaded touring bike, not a race bike. My 30lb home made Specialized Turbo is a bit better, but I was able to shave that 20lbs off by giving up hill climbing ability.

tgreene

Scaliboy62 and chas58,

Good points too.

I agree re. the price of the Specialized Turbo - it is too high for the mass market. That said, it is one of the more popular e-bikes I have seen in local shops and it is starting to show up in numbers on local roads (just like the Tesla Model S car here).

The Turbo is not for me - it does not ride enough like a regular road bike. It is too heavy, has poor road feel (tires too fat?), and the battery is too puny (and expensive at $750). The only thing I really like it is that its battery has a mount for a water bottle cage...

I rode a BH Neo race yesterday and was very impressed - felt much more like a road bike than the Specialized Turbo, it weighs less, and goes as fast. It felt a lot like a Trek touring bike I have that I ride in the winter but of course much peppier when power is applied. It was nearly as nimble as that 25 lb Trek in handling - much better than a loaded touring bike because the weight is distributed well and does not shift around at all.

The BH costs half as much as the Trek too! They are also introducing 11.6A-h batteries - I'd like to get one of those.

Scaliboy62

I just checked out that Neo Race 2500 Pounds is not too terribly expensive for it's features, my gripe is no disc brakes but I do understand it's lighter then my MiPower which is 65 lbs. which has more mass to stop. I cant say enough about front disc brakes on an E-Bike, that one is lighter but Ohh man she needs BB7's or equivalent quality disc brakes front wheel minimum.
Ride the Stromer before buying this , same price range maybe heavier but the extra weight is worth it to have disc brakes & Taiwan quality, I might be wrong I think this Neo race is made in mainland China ? there is a difference ..

chas58

Good to know. Thanks for the feedback. Out of a couple of thousand e-bikes on the market, very few are geared to someone who wants to ride a road bike. Given that a good road biker can do 20mph without assistance, an e-bike would have to offer something special to make it work the extra weight and hassle.

powell

scaliboy,
refresh my memory...
your MIPOWER uses same motor /Taiwan Ultramotor/ as Stromer
do I remember right?

Scaliboy62

TDCM of Taiwan makes the UM motor, click this link to companies website, note the UM logo on the hub motors, then click on customers tab. Stromer is listed. I'm over 6k miles now Powell 14 months old no issues since very early controller replacement.https://www.tdcm-motor.com/products/

Kilted

I'll add my recent test ride on the Specialized Turbo and Stromer ST1 Platinum.

At Mikes Bikes in Palo Alto, CA just up from a new Tesla Motors store. They had both models in stock. To me there was a dramatic differences in the bikes. No chance to test range or real power, no hills immediately handy, just a flat bicycle route.

Stromer first.
* heavy bike you feel it in every way.
* eco mode removes the bikes weight OK but cornering, starting, stopping you still feel the weight.
* full power removes all sensation of weight when starting, It was flat straight road so few handling comments.
* I felt every bump up my butt and spine
* Rear brake very noisy rattled around alot.
* motor in freewheeling could be heard half a block away no stealth mode.
* motor turned off to check the gears, with all the gears available it was easy to find one that would pull all the weight.

Next the Turbo;
* it had the balance and road feel, it felt like I was riding a bicycle with a motor.
* going over the same bumpy road I did not have the saddle being jammed up my back side.
* eco mode felt very usable on the bike route boulevard, more than fast enough as with the Stromer.
* turbo mode as with Stromer was to fast for the bike route but both felt great.
* no rattles from the brakes or the motor both were very quiet while riding, coasting etc.
* Brakes squeal was there but not excessive.
* Riding with motor off (emulating dead battery), 10-speeds was OK but really not as easy to find a good gear like the Stromer.
* did I mention the Turbo felt like a bicycle? Not as nice as my road bike but still pretty good.

About me;
* 68 years old, having worn out several bikes in about 30K lifetime miles.
* Now I'm wearing out, sciatica on left side. Road jarring really hurts.
* Early type 2 diabetes.
* Various injuries broken leg etc. my right side is kinda-of messed up.
* All the doctors say I need more exercise. A PAS bike would help me strengthen my right side.

Conclusions;
* Turbo at $5.9K is too expensive
* If the Stromer is worth $4K then the Turbo's price should be $4.9K with the new 504Wh battery pack.
* The Turbo feels and looks like a cleaner tighter package. I would give the Turbo marks above the Stromer just on the overall improvement in quality.
* For me the best fitting and most comfortable bike is the Turbo.
* Turbo price to high battery to small for the price.
* Stromer I'm sure is good as a commuter bike but that is not what I need. Did I mention it jar's the butt & spine going over bumps?

=D~~Brandy

Kilted

Does any one know what country Specialized country dodw ' cl ' is?

The Specialized Turbo S 2014 is listed as $4.499.000
https://www.specialized.com/cl/en/bik.../turbo/turbo-s

Suspect it's a red herring web page in development. I first seen the price figure $4,499.00 not exactly as posted.

=D~~Kilted