Another Specialized Turbo S owner

[apsilon]

Thought it was about time I made it known that I've joined the e-bike crowd. A little late to the party but I've picked up a 2014 Specialized Turbo S. I've known about e-bikes for a long time but they've never been an attraction but that changed when I saw this and found there's e-bikes around now that look like bikes without batteries strapped on to pannier racks or in frame bags. Started doing some research and liked the concept (wasn't so keen on the price but you can't take it with you) so decided to buy one which wasn't as easy as I thought. The 2015 model available in Aust is much lower spec (hence the drop in RRP) so I wanted a 2014 but finding one in the right size took some effort but I got there in the end.

I'm not a new cyclist though I don't do the km a lot here do, this is the 4th bike in my stable but the appeal here is I'm hoping this will allow me to commute a few days a week. My trip is around 21km each way but with no shower facilities at work cycling hasn't really been an option. I'm hoping this will allow me to cruise in to work in the morning without getting sweaty and then ride home with little to no assistance at night for some extra exercise.

Before I go further I want to give a big thanks to Overspeed who has helped answer a lot of questions along the way as he has the same model bike. It's been a big help.

Quick thoughts on the bike - wow. First thing I noticed was how heavy the bike is. Official weight is 22.3kg or about 2.5x my flat bar road bike. once I adjusted everything, changed the saddle to the same one I have on my other bikes and fitted the mudguards and pannier rack I took it out for a spin. Acceleration/assistance off the line is very noticeable and surprising and instantly brings a smile but the whole thing is also beautifully smooth and silent. Turbo mode is aptly named, it's virtually effortless allowing good cruising speed and fantastic climbing ability. Eco mode is useful and feels more like a regular bike by sort of negating the weight and high gearing. The bike is very rideable with assistance turned off though the weight is noticeable and speeds are therefore slower. Regen will give you a real workout if used on the flat but is great for long steep descents where you'd otherwise be feathering the brakes to maintain a legal or sensible speed.

It's certainly not as agile as a road bike and doesn't corner as well but on the other hand it feels very planted and stable at speed, probably due to the extra weight. I've pushed it up to an indicated 53km/h on the flat but that was with me out of the saddle and really pushing so it's not a fast bike and I certainly couldn't maintain that for as long as I could on my road bike. But this is a commuter/city bike not an out right speed machine and I think it'll really excel in that role. I can cruise comfortably at 25km/h up any hill I've tried so far and can sit at 30km/h on the flat. These speeds are easily enough for commuting and by car I only average 32km/h on my drive to work so very comparable IMO.

I'm still not sure it'll be practical to commute so my next step is to do some weekend test runs of the route I've mapped out but even if it's not, it's still going to be a fun bike and will be useful for getting around locally with a load in the panniers.

I'm sure you know what they look like but here's the obligatory quick pic but I'll update it soon to include the changes I've made.

[AUbicycles]

Awesome, I was trying to organise a review of the Turbo since when they were first released. Is the SupNova front light standard (and do you have the matching rear light?)

[apsilon]

Yes the Supernova is standard and isn't a bad commuting light, has more cutoff than I was expecting but notably less light than the Ayups I had been using (the Ayup mount also doesn't fit over the stem, haven't found a solution for that yet). Enough for suburban commuting though I pair it with a helmet mounted Ayup for trips on unlit, tree lined bike paths. I've changed the saddle to the same as all my other bikes so lost the rear light that's fitted standard but I've fitted the fender/rack set which includes a light in the pannier rack that connects up to the wiring of the removed saddle light. It's not super bright and neither front not rear have a flash function but it's certainly better than nothing. I run it in conjunction with a Moon Comet rear which I think is an awesome cheap rechargeable tail light.

One thing I've found is range is hugely dependant on the amount of stop/start you do. The initial acceleration boost it gives I'd say is responsible for that. I've done the same short ride (10.5km) to a mates a couple of times. First time I encountered a heap of traffic due to a game being on at the stadium and couldn't filter as I was with a mate on a recumbent trike and used a huge 65% of battery charge. Did the same trip again, pushed it harder as I was solo and didn't have the traffic to contend with and used 30% battery. Both trips with lights on, turbo mode for the whole trip and approx. 10kg pannier load.

I've noticed the panniers aren't as noticeable as other bikes. The assistance negates the weight for climbing etc but even at low speed where I find panniers most noticeable you don't feel the weight on the Turbo. That might be because the turbo is already very heavy and stable. I think I said it before but the bike is incredibly stable at speed and I believe that's due to the weight. The tradeoff though is agility, it really doesn't corner like a road bike.

Still haven't had a chance to try my actual work commute for various reason but will be doing that soon but I feel this is a great urban commuter. I am reassessing my planned route to ensure start/stop is minimised rather than trying to minimise distance as I was previously. Not cheap by any means but everything is nicely integrated and it looks like a bike so I'm happy with the purchase. I'm sure I'll have more comments as I spend more time with it.

[piston9]

Thanks for the detail - I'm keen to hear more on your commute and battery experience. I have a 35K each way commute (but have showers). once or twice a week I ride home one day (leave car at work), and ride back in the next morning. Not fit enough for both ways too often - but something with assistance might change that, like an S-Turbo or alboin 1000. Anyhow, look forward to hear how you go.

[mikedufty]

Are you sure it was the stop start that reduced the range and not the lower speed. The assistance tapers off at higher speeds, so you may find the battery just lasted longer because you were doing more of the work yourself. On the different electric assist bike I have, I find pedalling harder makes a small difference to the speed but a big difference to how much battery is used.

[apsilon]

Well I can't say with absolutely certainty but I'll say I'm 99% certain.

I've done longer rides of about 25km on uninterrupted shared paths and only used 38% battery so more than double the distance for 8% more battery. From the screen shots of the software used to configure the bike that I've seen, the bike provides 600% assistance when moving off compared to 100% in Turbo mode (and by default 30% in Eco mode). Combined with the rumours that it's actually a 700w motor that's being limited to 250w (the specs actually list it as "Nominal capacity: 250 watt") and it makes sense.

I'll be sure to update the range performance as I do more km though.

[softy]

Very nice bike,

I looked at these very closely, but decided on a Grace easy, which is almost the same setup using the bionx kit.

One thing they do on these electric bikes is put super heavy slow tyres and rims. Those tyres you have on your bike are something like 600grams each. So what I did is change the rims to tubulars 36H(cyclcoross ones) and fitted smooth cyclcross tyres. Now no need to fit tubulars as I did because it is difficult to get the rims and tubulars and they are not everyones cup of tea.

But you could fit cyclocross tyres, the same tyres come in clinchers!

Now why change you say, this is why.
You take a considerable amount of rotating mass out the wheel.
Those ebike tyres are like concrete, the ride improves fantastic.
The bike rolls faster.

Yes you sacrifice some puncture proof, but I just keep a spanner in my saddle bag and cyclocross tyres are pretty tough, they have to be!

Worth a try!

[softy]

Yes you are right about the 700w output. It is up to instantly, when taking off, the grace easy I have is the same. Somehow due to controller magic they limit power as you get faster until it stops asisting. This is why when you go fast and continuous your range is better. Mine has a power indicator and when you take off it goes right up especially if you get off the seat. When crusining it only gives a little asist. It is because it is a pedelec. It only puts a percentage of your power in + plus it takes into account your speed. They are clever controllers. I also like the re-generation, it acts like a brake when decending hills.

[cj7hawk]

Yes you are right about the 700w output. It is up to instantly, when taking off, the grace easy I have is the same. Somehow due to controller magic they limit power as you get faster until it stops asisting. This is why when you go fast and continuous your range is better. Mine has a power indicator and when you take off it goes right up especially if you get off the seat. When crusining it only gives a little asist. It is because it is a pedelec. It only puts a percentage of your power in + plus it takes into account your speed. They are clever controllers. I also like the re-generation, it acts like a brake when decending hills.

700W Pedalec is legal, as long as it claims (rightly or wrongly) 250w and as long as it can't provide any assistance over 25kph, with a linear drop in power from peak power to zero-assist power.

That kind of power would get your up to speed quite quickly, and is pretty safe as it's just an assist at low speed.

Regards
David

[apsilon]

Softy, I agree they aren't great rolling tyres and I likely will change them but not due to rolling resistance, on something like this I much prefer maximum puncture resistance over reducing rolling resistance. Removing the wheels, rear in particular, isn't something I'd like to do on the side of the road. The bike is heavy (even more so given it'll have a ~10kg pannier load most of the time) and the through axle is high torque which is easy to remove with normal tools but not so much with a tiny folding bike tool. A bit of extra rolling resistance is a sacrifice I'm all too happy to make on this bike.

Unfortunately I still haven't tried commuting to work. I won't go into details but I've had a lot of work and private issues over the past few months and I've had no time for working out and trying routes. I have still been using the bike to go places locally and still very much like it and as soon as life settles down again I'll be trying out commuting.

[Mububban]

Life often gets in the way. No need to justify anything to anyone here

When I cycle commute, I drive on a Monday to take in all my work shirts, socks, jocks and frozen lunches for the week ahead. Then I'm all set for the rest of the week.

[softy]

Life often gets in the way. No need to justify anything to anyone here

When I cycle commute, I drive on a Monday to take in all my work shirts, socks, jocks and frozen lunches for the week ahead. Then I'm all set for the rest of the week.

Ditto

[softy]

Softy, I agree they aren't great rolling tyres and I likely will change them but not due to rolling resistance, on something like this I much prefer maximum puncture resistance over reducing rolling resistance. Removing the wheels, rear in particular, isn't something I'd like to do on the side of the road. The bike is heavy (even more so given it'll have a ~10kg pannier load most of the time) and the through axle is high torque which is easy to remove with normal tools but not so much with a tiny folding bike tool. A bit of extra rolling resistance is a sacrifice I'm all too happy to make on this bike.

Unfortunately I still haven't tried commuting to work. I won't go into details but I've had a lot of work and private issues over the past few months and I've had no time for working out and trying routes. I have still been using the bike to go places locally and still very much like it and as soon as life settles down again I'll be trying out commuting.

Can't remember how the specialized rear hub motor was set up , but I do believe it is a through axle?? Anyway what mine has is the bolt and nut, like on cheaper bikes. Mine is pretty easy to remove. I bought a quarter inch socket drive, with the appropriate socket. So just unplug the hub unbolt and it is off. The most difficult part is lining up the derailleur as SRAM are reknown for being a bit more difficult.

I road the bike first time with the standard tyres, it was enough, they were coming off! Rock hard and you could feel the drag! I always run tubulars on my other bikes and those purpose built ebike tyres are horrid. I haven't had to change a tyre on the side of the road after 2000km but my sealant has saved me on a couple of occasions. The ride on tubulars is just outstanding, in fact on any cotton made tyre, even clinchers, with tubulars being a bit better. I prefer them for ride and easy of changing. I suppose I am use to them so prefer them.

You could easily buy a set of clinchers and try. Those Armadillo's fitted as standard fittment on the specialized are known to be rock had in fact any Armadillo tyres are.

Just a suggestion.

[apsilon]

You could easily buy a set of clinchers and try. Those Armadillo's fitted as standard fittment on the specialized are known to be rock had in fact any Armadillo tyres are.

I actually don't find them that hard. I'm running them at 60psi. They definitely don't roll as well as my road bike but they're far better than my MTB.

When I do get around to replacing them I'll use some version of Schwalbe Marathon. Had good experience with them on the beater so no reason not to use them again. Yeah I could get something that would roll better but as I said for this type of bike, my primary concern is puncture resistance.