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2020 Turbo Creo SL Expert EVO

4.8

9 Reviews

What is it about gravel that's so appealing? Is it the break from hectic city streets…

Product Details

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What is it about gravel that's so appealing? Is it the break from hectic city streets and cars? Is it the audible crunch of rocks beneath your tires? Or maybe it's just the feeling of adventure? Whatever it is, the Turbo Creo SL EVO is here to assist you further into the forest, down the gravel road, or on your next adventure. It features the same motor, battery, and frame as its road-oriented cousin, but takes advantage of tire clearance and adds in some adventure-ready components to take you wherever your heart desires. It's you, only faster.

The Turbo Creo SL Expert EVO features out Fact 11r carbon chassis. Yes, that's the same one on the S-Works model, and you'll also get the new Future Shock 2.0. For the spec, we included a 1x Shimano Ultegra Di2 build with an XT rear derailleur and an 11-42t cassette to take on shifting and braking duties, while Roval C 38 Disc carbon wheels get wrapped in 38mm Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss Ready tires to keep you rolling worry-free and super fast, no matter the terrain. And filling out the build are our Adventure Gear bars with 12 degrees of flare, a Future Stem Pro, an X-Fusion 50mm Manic Dropper seatpost, and our fan-favorite Body Geometry Power Expert saddle.

  • The Creo SL is the lightest e-bike in its class—literally kilograms lighter than the competition. Not only does the lightweight and stiff FACT 11r carbon frame inspire dancing on the pedals and diving into corners, but it also reduces overall system weight and increases the range.

  • The lightweight SL 1.1 motor doubles your effort with as much as 240 watts of silent and powerful assistance to amplify your ride. The motor’s responsive torque curve delivers power perfectly in-tune with your normal riding cadence and leaves no resistance when riding unassisted.

  • Battery anxiety? Not on the Creo SL. With up to 80 miles of range from the internal battery, the Creo SL eats up big miles and long days. Our optional range extender provides up to 40 additional miles of mountain-flattening power.

  • By connecting with our Mission Control App, you're able to tune the SL 1.1 motor to your riding style, record rides, and monitor the battery. The app can handle battery management automatically too, ensuring the battery will last as long as you need it to. The motor even has a built-in power meter that transmits to any ANT+ head unit. Don’t want to connect? No worries— the Turbo Connect Unit (TCU) on the top tube gives you all the control you need to ride.

  • With the Future Shock 2.0, you'll feel a reduction in fatigue and an increase in speed, no matter the terrain. The 2.0 iteration gives you more control via a knob atop the stem. This knob adjusts compression from fully-open to stiff, while hydraulically-damped internals control rebound. The new Smooth Boot, top cap, and Future Stem also enhance the aesthetic, so you get a clean transition from head tube to stem.

  • We’ve learned there can be more difference between two male cyclists than between a male and female. Gender alone doesn’t provide enough data to specialize. It means that separating bikes as male or female is arbitrary and outdated. With this in mind, we've developed a geometry that's best-fit for all riders. One that's comfortable and snappy on the road, yet features all of the attributes you'd want from a proper gravel bike—a long wheelbase, raked-out fork, and low bottom bracket that keeps the Turbo Creo SL EVO stable at high speeds and delivers control in corners.

Technical Specifications

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E-BIKE

Motor

Specialized SL 1.1, custom lightweight motor

UI/Remote

Specialized TCU, 10-LED State of charge, 3-LED Ride Mode display, ANT+/Bluetooth®

Battery

Specialized SL1-320, fully integrated, 320Wh

Charger

Custom charger, 48V System w/ SL system charger plug

Wiring Harness

Custom Specialized wiring harness w/ chargeport

ACCESSORIES

SWAT

Fender Clamp Adaptor

FRAMESET

Frame

FACT 11r carbon, Open Road Geometry, front/rear thru-axles, fully integrated down tube battery, internal cable routing, fender/rack mounts, Boost™ 12x148mm

Fork

Future Shock 2.0 w/ Smooth Boot, Boost™ 12x110mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc

Seat Binder

Specialized Alloy, 30.8mm

BRAKES

Front Brake

Shimano Ultegra R8070 hydraulic disc

Rear Brake

Shimano Ultegra R8070 hydraulic disc

WHEELS & TIRES

Front Tire

Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss Ready, Transparent Sidewall, 700x38c

Rear Tire

Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss Ready, Transparent Sidewall, 700x38c

Inner Tubes

Presta valve, 48mm

DRIVETRAIN

Rear Derailleur

Shimano Deore XT Di2, Shadow Plus, 11-speed

Shift Levers

Shimano Ultegra Di2 Disc R8070

Cassette

Shimano XT, 11-speed, 11-42t

Chain

Shimano Ultegra, 11-speed

Crankset

Praxis Forged/M30 Spindle Interface

Chainrings

40T

COCKPIT

Handlebars

Specialized Adventure Gear Hover, 103mm drop x 70mm reach x 12º flare

Saddle

Body Geometry Power Expert

SeatPost

X-Fusion Manic Dropper Seat Post, 50mm of travel

Stem

Future Stem, Pro

Tape

Roubaix S-Wrap

WHEELS

Front Wheel

Roval C 38 Disc, carbon, tubeless-ready, 38mm depth, 24h

Rear Wheel

Roval C 38 Disc, carbon, tubeless-ready, 38mm depth, 24h

* Weights based on production painted frames as pictured. Actual weights will vary based on colorway, frame size, and component variation. Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Geometry

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XSSMLXLXXL
Crank Length165mm170mm172.5mm172.5mm175mm175mm
Handlebar Width380mm400mm420mm420mm440mm440mm
Stem Length70mm80mm90mm100mm110mm110mm
Seatpost Length315mm315mm350mm380mm380mm380mm
Saddle Width155mm155mm143mm143mm143mm143mm
Stack573mm575mm592mm615mm643mm675mm
Reach363mm373mm379mm384mm391mm399mm
Head-Tube Length145.5mm145.5mm163.5mm185.5mm217mm250mm
Head-Tube Angle71.5°72°72.5°73°73°73°
B-B Height264.5mm264.5mm267mm267mm269.5mm269.5mm
B-B Drop80.5mm80.5mm78mm78mm75.5mm75.5mm
Trail68mm60mm56mm53mm53mm52mm
Fork Length (full)390mm390mm390mm390mm390mm390mm
Fork Rake/Offset50mm50mm50mm50mm50mm50mm
Front-Center586mm592mm598mm605mm621mm636mm
Chain-Stay Length426mm426mm426mm427mm427mm428mm
Wheelbase999mm1005mm1012mm1020mm1036mm1052mm
Top-Tube Length (horizontal)527mm539mm548mm566mm581mm605mm
Bike Stand-Over Height728mm731mm759mm782mm810mm840mm
Seat-Tube Length415mm447.5mm477.5mm502.5mm527.5mm557.5mm
Seat-Tube Angle74°74°74°73.5°73.5°73°
Geometry

Rider Reviews

4.8

9 Reviews

 

After three thousand miles......

My comments about The Expert Evo are; Cockpit/ The saddle is very comfortable and durable. Handle bars are fine but road bars would also be. Seat post has enough drop for sketchy downhills and to start on steep hills. The font shock is something that really provides comfort on dirt. It has no unfavorable handling effects on dirt or tarmac. Shifting/ Top notch. Di2 is a luxury (when charged). Brakes/ Ultegra are great, no maintenance except pads. Drivetrain/ Have replaced 2 chains and need a new cassette. The original gearing is fine in combination with the three power levels. OK for steep dirt or tarmac. Wheels. Roll away from my pack on road bikes surprisingly well even with the 38 tires. General/ quality is great, while local shop has been 4+. Downside/ crank strikes are too frequent on single track. Overall// You will want one, someday. I am 83 yo , and this delight has put me back in the pack.


Name:
Ckjo

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Love this bike

What a sweet bike ,rides and shifts gears so smooth ,light weight, perfect Amount of battery/motor for what I was wanting


Name:
Tile M.

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They changed the sizing calculator

Fun to ride but now I think the web site had me buy the wrong size. I used the calculator numberous times and searched for a medium . Settled on a second choice. After fitting and refitting bike went to site to check seat recommended height and boom they changed the algorithm !!! Now it recommends a small frame. I know it changed because initially I was curious and kept lowering my height to see when it would recommend a smaller size.


Name:
Lkmd

Helpful?

This bike has changed my life

I am an avid (albeit never very strong) cyclist. About 7 years ago (at age 53) my left knee began to deteriorate, and riding became difficult. Where I live the roads are either going up or down, not really long climbs, but sawtooth profiled, and as my fitness declined, it became a challenge, and finally I gave up riding. Two years ago (May 2017) I had that knee replaced, hopeful of a return to riding. Call it age, or accumulated lack of fitness, or motivation, but I couldn't ever ride enough to regain my love of riding. It became work and frustration. Earlier this year (right as quarantine began for Covid-19), I bought a Creo SL Expert. I can't even begin to articulate how much I love this bike, and the fact that I have now regained my love of riding. The motor allows me to handle every climb near home, without redlining my HR or causing my knee to swell up. I have been able to ride again with younger, fitter friends I hadn't been able to keep up with for years. I have even done some recent small group rides and was able to both keep up and hold my own, and walk away - literally and figuratively. I simply love this bike, and can't wait to get a MTB version soon, too. Kudos.


Name:
Geoff

Helpful?

Follow up: excellent bike but occasionally clunky drivetrain

I wrote an extensive review of this excellent bicycle and I now have close to 700 miles on the odometer. As I wrote in my initial review, this is an excellent bicycle for the average cyclist. The build quality is extremely good and the assist even in Eco mode is more than enough for me. My only compliant is that the drivetrain is a little clunky. The Ultegra Di2 in this bicycle does not miss any shifts (so far) but the shifts can be clunky with a sound. The motor itself is smooth. The only reason I notice this is because I had the Shimano GRX Di2 drivetrain installed in my 2018 Diverge Expert with the same rear cassette. The GRX Di2 shifts much more smoothly. I had the firmware updated on my Creo but the shifts are still not as smooth. Don't know whether it is because of the rear derailleur. Other than that, an excellent bike.


Name:
Anand

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So far so good but too early to say more

After accumulating some 300,000 leg miles over 50 years of riding and now living where climbs are unavoidable I decided ebikes are the way to go. I've owned 3. The Stroemer was just too heavy to manage once off the thing. Plenty of torque when starting up, something the Trek Domane+ and the Founder's Edition (12/250) lack. 3000 miles on the Trek was not riding a road bike. It flew up hills but was so undergeared (22-11) that it ran out of rpm's before me on even the slightest downgrades. The bike was a slug in anything but turbo and it takes one to know one. The ride that was seriously compromised, despite allegedly state of the art suspension, by its brick like ride over frost heave tarmac. 35 miles was pretty much its range with a fair amount of coasting. For me unrideable in eco, unthinkable without power. t After 600 miles on the Specialized FE it has the perfect balance between power and gearing. It feels like a road bike. It takes the curse out of climbs but it's still work and it responds when getting off the saddle. I need more miles before I can adequately address/acess its overall performance and will return when I've got a 2000 miles or so on it. My bottom line is the mental benefit ebikes offer is priceless.. Every ride I do I've done without assistance and just knowing assistance is underfoot tells takes the trepidation out on days when I (and most riders) have a hard time getting out the door. It's a huge comfort knowing nothing is going to be as hard as I've experienced.


Name:
Dave

Helpful?

Excellent bicycle for the average cyclist

I bought the Creo Expert Evo to complement my 2018 Diverge Expert. Supply seems low (the road version wasn't available) but my local bike shop was able to order one for me in size large. I had them replace the original handlbars and seatpost with carbon versions from Specialized. I have the same set up in my Diverge. Also, I chose road-friendly Roubaix pro tubeless tires, same as what I have in my Diverge. With these modifications, the Creo feels identical to my Diverge in size 56. I primarily ride on roads and where I live, the terrain is hilly and the roads are in poor shape. Future shock 2.0 in the Creo feels much more compliant than the version I have in my Diverge. The bicycle itself appears very well made and I haven't noticed anything untoward except an occasional creak when pedaling hard. The drivetrain otherwise is quiet and the cassette is identical to what I have in my Diverge except for the larger chain ring (46 instead of 40). I have an electronic Di2 Shimano GRX drivetrain in my Diverge whereas the Creo has the Ultegra Di2. Shift action is very similar and very smooth and the brakes are strong. The bike itself is about 10 lbs heavier than my Diverge. So who is the target for this admittedly expensive ebike? It suits me, a 59 year old male cyclist extremely well. I am an average cyclist and ride mostly for exercise and recreation, on average 120-150 miles a week. The Creo even in Eco mode reduces fatigue especially when climbing and I am faster (Specialized's tag line). However, it is easy to spin out on steeper descents because of the limitations of the 1x drivetrain. Doesn't bother me but I think a younger and stronger cyclist would probably prefer a bicycle like the Roubiax Expert with a 2x electronic drivetrain and with a similar frame. Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase and am alternating between riding my Diverge and my new Creo. I also hope to expand my typical range of 30-35 miles with the ebike. Highly recommended.


Name:
Anand

Helpful?

Like driving a Formula 1 car

Living in Ashland Oregon I have access right out my front door to such a wide variety of terrain, trails, roads, and bike paths that's it's the classic ""embarrassment of riches"". The Creo Evo is an amazing bike on all these varied rides! It performs well as a road bike and is nimble and fun on the fire roads of Mt. Ashland. I am looking forward to this summer doing longer rides on Road 20 which is the Valhalla of gravel road riding!


Name:
Fast E.

Helpful?

Game Changer

Exactly as advertised. A true Jack of all trades.


Name:
D A.

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