Just last week we talked about an incredible year for Specialized-sponsored WorldTour team Deceuninck-QuickStep, the guys taking the top spot at races all year long. Since then they’ve added even more victories to their total, with Spaniard Enric Mas winning stage four and taking the overall victory at the season-ending Tour of Guangxi in China. Specialized topped the winner's rostrum three times across the six stages, with Bora-Hansgrohe rider Pascal Ackermann sprinting to two victories. Yeah, Specialized knows what it takes to develop the best performing bikes in the world.
So it should come as no surprise to hear that, when we turned our attention to e-road bikes, we set our engineers a tough challenge. We told them we wanted to develop the best e-road bike in existence. A road bike that was lightweight, smooth, lively and capable, one that brought the freedom of the road to anyone who wanted to ride. A road bike so damned good that you forgot that there was a motor hidden away, but we're happy it was there when faced with strong headwinds and tough miles.
So, how did they get on? With the Turbo Creo SL, we can safely say they’ve knocked it out of the park. A road bike with the power to flatten mountains and allow you to ride further than you ever thought possible.
We’re big fans of e-bikes here at Specialized; anything that allows more people to experience the joy of riding is a good thing in our eyes. An e-bike means riders of all fitness levels, ability and age can ride together. A ride with friends and family is one of the joys of life, and if some of us need a little boost to get to the café then, hey, that’s fine.
Race-winning heritage and the latest tech
The Turbo Creo SL combines the Specialized tradition of race-winning bikes with the latest in e-bike technology. The frame is constructed from our Fact 11r carbon and features the new Future Shock 2.0, the hidden shock absorber found on our Roubaix Expert, Pro and S-Works bikes. That’s the bike that Philippe Gilbert rode to his Paris-Roubaix victory in April. Did we mention we’ve won a few races this year?
At a little over 13kg the Creo SL is a true weight-weenie in the e-bike category, literally kilograms lighter than the rest. That’s partly down to the feather-light carbon frame and fork, but there’s also the SL 1.1 motor which comes in at half the weight of other crank-based motors.
But don’t worry, the superlight motor is not light on power. With up to 240 watts of silent and powerful assistance available, it amplifies your ride in a smooth and responsive way. The motor was developed in-house and provides a silent helping hand when you need it, designed to be perfectly in tune with your normal riding cadence. A Specialized motor designed for Specialized riders.
Just ride
An internal battery with a range of up to 80 miles powers the SL 1.1 motor. If that’s not enough, a range extender is available to give you another 40. The 320Wh lithium-ion battery sits within the downtube and takes just 2½ hours to fully recharge. Really, all you have to do is ride.
The Mission Control app was developed by our engineers to enhance your e-bike experience. It allows you to tune the motor to your riding style, records your rides and monitors the battery use. It’s a clever bit of kit, able to optimise battery management to ensure maximum efficiency. The motor even has a built-in power meter that transmits to any ANT+ head unit.
The SL Expert model comes with Ultegra Di2 and rolls on Roval C 38 Disc carbon wheels with 28mm Turbo Pro tyres. The S-Works Turbo Creo SL is equipped with Shimano’s pro-level Dura Ace Di2 and Roval CLX 50 Disc carbon wheels, again with road-friendly 28mm tyres.
The Creo SL has been designed to allow you to ride anywhere you want to though, with room for up to 42mm tyres on 700c rims. If you want to really go off-grid you can even fit 47mm tyres on a 650b wheel, and with the Future Shock 2.0 at the front end it can handle gravel duties with ease.
The Turbo Creo SL is the bike for your future. Are you ready? Come on down and plugin.
