Is the Specialized Creo 2 the ULTIMATE Adventure Bike?

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I went out to Portugal recently to put the new Sepcialized Creo 2 e-bike through its paces on some cracking trails and roads. Also went deep into the development of the new motor and challenging e-bike preconceptions with the engineers behind the new bike.
Content
00:00 Intro
00:41 Main changes and features
2:22 Who is it aimed at?
2:45 Ride impressions
4:13 Hill challenge!
5:43 More ride impressions
6:55 Developing the new motor
9:10 Challenge e-bike preconceptions
12:23 Summary
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[@deanpurcell7771]

I'm 73 years old and ride 1000 km a month on my road bike but I'm sure that this bike is in my future! Curly bars, mtb tires and a dropper seatpost? Wow!!

[@lyellharrington7260]

The thing about riding a Creo is the fun factor in getting your fitness levels up, you can make it a pain ride or a fun ride depending on you style, then once you're learnt the battery ranges for your ride areas & the improved fitness levels the fun can really begin. Just remember to keep adjusting the bike power levels to suit your fitness levels & ride course. Give me mixed surface riding everytime over big km's road riding, road riding is totally boring when you can get just as good results in less than half of the km's with mixed surface riding and there plenty of range in the battery+ extender battery for that on the Creo. Besides theres definitely nothing quite like blasting away the last 20km's home into a screaming headwind in turbo mode and passing all your riding mates on there non ebikes who have been giving you shite the whole ride about you been on a ebike and actually having a plan to finish the ride in style and your the first one into the cafe without being crippled the next day as well, funny thing about that group that half of them are now riding ebikes. Bring on the next gen Creo!!

[@brentcollins9727]

We love our E bikes so much. I couldn’t even drag my wife out of the house to go ride with me. Now she’s doing 20 miles.

[@johnzee8548]

My days, I got mine on Friday. I haven't stopped riding it. It is beautiful! I usually mountain bike and never thought of an Ebike or gravel bike. I wanted a bike to adventure and to go into town and get shopping. This is so fun. I beeze around town, hoping about and then I've been stomping along some coastal routes, gravel paths/roads. 70% of the time I've got the battery off. It's great to flick the motor on when you've gone a bit too far and need to get home in good time. Wow!

[@johntrussell7228]

Specialized is absolutely killing it these days, releasing the best bikes in the business.

[@arcadialive4265]

Creo is 100% the most versatile fun bike, period. Over 2,500 miles on my first gen. From coffee shop visits, or long touring days, to training, or gravel e-friendly trails. This bike is my favorite.

[@haithamelmaleh1138]

I think a comparison video between this bike and the domane + and bmc road machine amp is highly required now

[@LoboLouie2]

Need to add the Canyon Grail:on and Santa Cruz Stitch

[@KurtMueller]

I'd love to be able to load an interval workout onto the bike and then have the bike try to match the resistance needed for the current interval as I bike along my local trails / roads.

[@zroeder]

Yep, that seems like a great idea. Also, would be great to have the motor automatically help you up steep climbs for zone 2 workouts.

[@maguedmalek6730]

Just got mine yesterday. Cant wait to explore the first KM.

[@howlinhauler]

The perfect 2nd bike. They finally realized what an Ebike should be, a pack mule.

[@blue98jettavr6t]

Yes, I have a 2021 Trek Emonda SL5 and a Creo SL comp carbon. There are days after working 10hr I want to ride but know I don’t have it. Those days I jump on the Creo.

[@schsch2390]

Very limited availability in early 2024. Snagged a 54cm Creo Comp 2 months ago and at 600 miles on the road or mild gravel find the total range to be about 80 mile with intermittent use of the battery, ie going from 90-95% to

[@bd7190]

Great video thank you. Finally you are reviewing high end road e bikes. Perfect. Give us more tests please

[@davidarthur]

Thanks, will do!

[@noze02]

Is surprising all the negativity that there is still around ebikes (probably from people that has never ridden one). All my riding since I relocate to UK is with conventional bikes (Mtb, gravel, road etc) as the terrain is quite flat in general compared to what I was used to. But I still have my emtb in Spain, and is lovely to be able to ride 2000m elevation in 50km without being completely destroyed. I got onto emtb's because of an injury and they did not only help me to recover and get fit again, but I enjoyed so much the process that I think I will always have an e-bike Not to mention that they are also great commuters or cargo bikes. The Creo2 is a great bike, but I will prefer a Rudy instead of the future shock and prices for Specialized are always high.

[@BoomsRiddico4868]

love it! I'm on board with having an e-bike option as well as regular so I can use it to explore further or just as an off training day bike.

[@dcv9460]

Ebike is the future for my kind of riding. 💯All-day explorations of FUN trails! 😎 Definitely buying one 💥

[@adrian.gaviola]

I have the previous generation Creo. Any mention on backwards compatibility with the new motor?

[@user-gt9pl6yx3w]

Thanks for the video!

[@richardmelickjr4377]

Just viewed your ride. I’m looking to purchase a Creo 2 Export. Going to ride an earlier version tomorrow. If you tou are riding a Ceo 2, what tires have you installed? Did you change your chain ring to a larger one. They will except up to a 48. Oh, I am out in Colorado. Little different riding here. Thank you , Rick

[@matthewshaw3747]

I have a dropper on my diverge (probably the same one) that has that amount of drop and I think it’s pointless. Barely gets out of your way at all and as you say is much less compliant. I think either have a carbon post, suspension post or a longer more useful dropper.

[@brizi2003]

Hi @davidarthur, Did Specialized say what they intend to do to fill the electric road bike hole now they have made the Creo only available in gravel form?

[@jennings016]

I have the Creo turbo comp E5 2021 Yes it’s the entry level being aluminium version but for the money it’s an absolute blast. Yes carbon fibre will save more weight but for the money so great. Its a shame they dropped this version. But things have to improve……

[@Jay-xe9kw]

I just test rode the sworks model. Wow just wow! HOWEVER the turbo mode is ridiculous. It doesn't feel natural at all and found myself backing off as I easily got above 29 mph which is overkill in most cities in the USA. I also noticed that it feels like a drive by wire car. Us oldies will understand the feeling of older cars. It might be the combination of the motor's tune and the future shock. Either way , it's an awesome bike and I'm buying one! BTW i'm a 5.3w/kg rider. This will be nice for recovery and commutes.

[@lauratimmins2177]

David thanks for the fabulous video. My Cteo 2 is arriving at the end of July and I know it will be a game changer for my enjoyment of riding. I'm a young 65 gal used to riding thousands of kms on my road, touring and tandem bikes yearly with my partner . Some minor hip issues have slowed me down the last few years but I know the Creo 2 will help me gain my fitness level back for some fun and enjoyable riding into my older years riding solo or with my partner. He's not ready for this type of bike but will he change his mind in the future? 😊

[@danfresca8033]

With a 28mph speed limit this thing would be a blast! I have an ebike but I prefer my cx bike.

[@MrPetervandoorn]

how does the motor compare to the TQ HPR50 ( TREK- BMC- Pinarello-Scott)

[@venom5809]

This is a really nice bike, this is probably the bike I really would actually like that would make me ride more.

[@joechera4419]

Love, love, love my Turbo Creo SL Expert, and would love most of these improvements. It seems as though Specialized has done away with the “Road” version and “EVO” version in favor of one more EVO-like version. Is that right?

[@monguzzle]

Spot on.

[@questionmark6971]

Can an adaptor be added to the bar so the controls cane be run from there instead of the top tube? I believe there was one for the Creo SL.

[@kevinbleakley5069]

Looks like this one already has the control buttons under the flat part of the handlebar? I think he briefly mentioned them in the video.

[@VetforVets]

How. would it handle back to back centuries for a ride like the PMC?

[@electricbikerider]

I didn’t need a E-bike, I just wanted one and I love it. ⚡️🚴🏻‍♂️👍🏼

[@VetforVets]

Would his E-Bike be able to do the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb in NH. 7.6 miles up, average incline 12 to 18% with the last 500 feet 28%.

[@bernardo9202]

I would like to see more bikes on that canyon endurance seat post

[@robd003]

How much does it weigh?

[@davidatkinson-lifematters4826]

The Creo is an amazing bike but, for a road cyclist, range is key. Mine gets me around 60 miles before it runs out of puff, and the range extender doesn't give the rider much unless he/she can ride at an average of 120 watts or more (less, and the weight of the extender means the rider is using more battery power across the whole ride). Looking forward to a more detailed review.

[@neilrobinson7965]

Check out a bike with a Mahle X20 hub drive. My BMC roadmachine AMP with extender battery can do over 200 km and about 4000m of climbing riding here in Switzerland in the hills and mountains. This is the kind of range that a roadie needs.

[@davidatkinson-lifematters4826]

@@neilrobinson7965 Now that's what you call 'range'. 😲

[@cadriver2570]

How is it to ride without motor power?

[@davidatkinson-lifematters4826]

@@cadriver2570 I did a review of the bike after c.400 miles and that's on my channel. But, the specific point about what it's like to ride without assist is that it's no fun. My alternative bike is a Specialized Tarmac SL5 which is very light and so makes the Creo feel heavy. It can be ridden, and has gearing that still allows you to climb without power assist, but you'd be mad to take it out and not switch it on. The only circumstances in which I would deliberately ride without assist is if I was doing a ride that is knowingly out of its range and I just needed to keep going, but even then I'd ride the Tarmac instead.

[@malcolmstitt6281]

What are you doing to only get 60 miles from the battery? I can get 90-100 if I want to. Use eco when it makes sense and go to sport mode if you need it.

[@anthonyward5329]

I bet this is an awesome bike in the US. Sadly in the UK and Europe the 15.5 mph/ 25 kph assistance cut-off will ruin it’s usefulness

[@kevinbleakley5069]

Nah, it's basically for gravel now. How often do you do uphill gravel at over 25 km/h?

[@megane230f1]

Rode a 50nm levo sl model and i thought it had the same resistance as a shimano motor e8000 past the 15mph, it hasnt got that natural feel what i thought it would have, i cant see how this bike could keep up with a non gravel e bike cycling over a longer.distance, yeah great up hill and if i was riding that exact route id rather be on a full sus e bike, and hey.i am someone who rides a gravel bike

[@RealDDDeal]

You can have your local bike shop try to configure a higher top speed in Turbo Studio

[@ditto1958]

Hrmph. We went over there two times to help y’all save France from the Germans, yet you give away all your freedom? 😠😢

[@kapponeification]

I own the first gen and it's such a great riding experience. I ride much more since I purchased this bike. I don't understand why people gets so mad about e-bike, they hurt nobody and keep people out riding. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. It's simply a choice. Price is very steep and the first gen motor is very noisy. This new one looks amazing but for some reason I don't believe it's "the quietest e-bike" out there. If you can afford it, it's worth it every penny in my personal opinion.

[@oliverkloesof]

just wondering what consolidation do I get when I dropped 9k on a bike with an anemic motor? Trade in or eat it? Do you honestly think I'm gonna invest again? buh bye. the ride was fine if nothing else existed but that's not the case is it?

[@vaughanbbrean71]

I have a Creo 1 and I agree its amazing but 3 TCUs in the first 6 months, and I am not 100% sure the latest one is working completely as it should (the little panel on the toptube that bluetooths to your phone and boots the bike up) fortunately all under warranty but any forum will tell you these units fail regularly, outrageous propriatory spare parts costs and everything has to be done at a dealer, its not all good news, sure if you have the money and are prepared for a £1000 bill for a motor when its out of warranty, it is an absoloutely great bike, the range extender is £350, they even charge extra for the connecting cable and dual charging lead, remote buttons extra cost again, nothing from the Creo2 will work on the Creo1 so how long will parts be available ? The App is very clever but the charge limiter feature doesnt work properly, I paid £2200 for my Creo1 which was massively discounted from £4400 when the Creo2 was released, I will keep it while its under warranty and enjoy it, but I have no confidence these bikes have any longevity without huge repair costs. The bike press will obviously encourage people to buy these bikes, it keeps them business and gives them something new to rave about, but buyer beware. I still love the bike, but there is no way I would pay full price for one and I would never buy a used one with no warranty

[@farleyfernandez7165]

Same here am already looking at this bike but I have to start saving 😢

[@balazs_farkas]

Can you replace your SL 1.1 motor with the new 1.2? Would it fit?

[@streddaz]

It should fit, but you would also need the TCU of the 1.2 models.

[@oxharp]

About time.

[@smokest4k]

Actually I’m seriously considering trading in my SL7 and gravel bike for one of these. My main criteria is distance. I’d want 150-250km range for my all dayers. This gets close, maybe a creo 3 will get there. Very impressive nonetheless

[@MD-tr1yv]

Range with extender is 200km, your comment doesn’t make sense

[@smokest4k]

Which bit exactly? @@MD-tr1yv

[@tomaxxxx536]

can you still ride an ebike without power does it revert to regular bike just heavier?

[@streddaz]

I have the Levo SL which is basically the MTB version and I can ride it with the assistance set to zero no problem at all.

[@tomaxxxx536]

@@streddaz thank you

[@tureencahill]

Good bike. But went with cannondale. Cos i liked the weight increase.

[@ditto1958]

This is killing me. The e-bike field is in its infancy, and I’d like to wait until it matures a little, but I’m old now and I don’t know how much longer I will be riding. Soooo… things seem to be moving fast. I suspect another year will bring lower prices, lower weight and better performance. I sure hope I get an e-bike, though.

[@joeymacme]

I would love a high-end multipurpose bike like this, but until the ridicules limits are lifted in the EU, it's very hard to justify the cost. My new bike is likely to be an adventure/gravel bike, but it won't be an ebike for now.

[@andreabincoletto8609]

That's really dumb, the limit should be at least 35 km/h, really. No way I'll spend that kind of money for a bike like this, although I like it so much.

[@LifeCycle1978]

Can’t you chip it and then register it?

[@joeymacme]

​@@LifeCycle1978 I dunno. I'm sure some people would try that. I wouldn't want to void the warranty by doing it though. I reckon a good warranty is important on an expensive bike in case of issues with the battery or other onboard tech, so it's not worth it for me. I could just buy a wonky cheap import bike if I just wanted a derestricted ebike, as there are plenty of those about, but I would much prefer a really good bike, like the Creo that David reviewed.

[@markwebster243]

@@LifeCycle1978Yes it’ll be like the turbo levos look for chipping the new Levo sl

[@davidatkinson-lifematters4826]

I think the point of the Creo is that it rides like a normal bike, and that the power assist is there to provide modest help when you need it. It's not a pure eBike designed to be a different experience altogether.

[@user-ug2py1qn7b]

What is the weight of bike ?

[@MrM1729]

31-32 lbs ; 14.7 - 15 Kg

[@alanfarrance8639]

The Creo 2 is specified as having a 320w motor. Surely that is not road legal in the UK?

[@streddaz]

That’s peak power not nominal power, which is what the requirement is.

[@pe3117]

I have the 1st gen Turbo Creo Comp and the 2nd gen Turbo Creo Expert…totally love them…best gravel e-bike…the new one is on my list too

[@koldwolf]

Is the extra power in the 2nd gen noticeable?

[@aneczka2114]

Specialized best bike right now.

[@orsolyaviragh154]

so if noise is reduced by 40% the new one is simply very noisy, not annoyingly super noisy as the first generation?

[@cadriver2570]

It's very noisy.

[@paulavery8897]

I want this bike. I would go buy one tomorrow except for 1 thing. In 4 to 5 years time the battery will be degraded. There will also be bikes with better battery tech (possibly solid state) Will it be possible to get a new battery? If so, will the battery be the latest tech? I don’t think specialized can answer this. The cost of these bikes is very high and I would be willing to pay it but not if the bike is going to be obsolete in 4 to 5 years time.

[@MD-tr1yv]

Exactly. For the price tag, this issue is the main reason I won’t buy. It won’t last 5+ years and a regular bike can last a lifetime

[@TheVorst]

If you charge the battery to 80% and not leaving battery below 10% when you not riding. Also when you are not riding for a long time and leave the battery around 50%, the battery live time increases with a factor 3 to 5 times. Specialized now allow in the app to limit charging to 80%. It doesn't mean you can't charge it 100% anymore. But only do it for your extended trips. And never leave the battery at 100% for several days/weeks. Just charge it to 100% just before the ride.

[@reidhester]

@@TheVorst Exactly. Which is what EV manufacturers recommend on charging their EVs.

[@salunkeprashant]

better tires than canyon grail on cf 9

[@naromsky]

Subtitles!

[@user-ug2py1qn7b]

Poor cable management

[@59trevski]

You don’t t have to train 10 hours a week to ride it. Just jump on and ride, the future.

[@saiba1887]

14 kg for a 6.000 e bike.. There are options on the market with 11kg bikes that cost 3000..

[@kevinbleakley5069]

They might be options but they're not good options. What is this 11kg ebike that's as good as the Specialized?

[@cadriver2570]

such as?

[@bastogne315]

Speed box it..

[@bennop.2553]

As usual with Specialized, cheap components on a 6k bike. WTF is SRAM X1 Eagle AXS rear derailleur ?? Some old version? 60 euros NX EAGLE Cassette, 200 euros DT Swiss G540 wheelset.......

[@markwebster243]

Typical i e-mailed and tweeted Specialized if they were going to release the creo2 no answer so bought a trek,so spech’s loss coming from a turbo Levo owner.

[@kevinbleakley5069]

Why would they tell you in advance? That's unfortunately not how businesses work.

[@markwebster243]

@@kevinbleakley5069 Fair enough,I’m upset that I’ve had to buy another brand because they took so long to bring out a new range when they took out the Levo sl months ago.

[@theantichrome9842]

"Ultimate Adventure Bike" ? I hope your adventure follows a network of electrical plug ins.

[@_SpaceDad]

😂

[@kevinbleakley5069]

It weighs like 13-14kg. Part of the point of these lightweight ebikes is that you can, and many do, ride them without the battery for long periods.

[@cadriver2570]

@@kevinbleakley5069 Could probably also pack a solar array for bikepacking. The battery is only 360 wh so not a ton of juice to have to recharge.

[@_SpaceDad]

Soon to be in your nearest landfill.

[@kevinbleakley5069]

Probably not very soon unless you're super rich.

[@michaellewis9320]

Why does this bike cost so much? The price of this bike is not worth it IMO. For example You can buy a motorbike with a lot more development tech, materials, safety features and not to mention the regulatory safety compliance costs. Specialized bikes seem to specialize in being greedy for bike lovers. Laters to that.

[@koldwolf]

I don't think people making money smart decisions are their target audience

[@ridefastcoaching]

I can't help thinking this is a 12 grand plastic moped rather than a bicycle. If you took an 50cc petrol assisted moped out on the trails people would, quite rightly, lose their shit. The only significant difference is noise and smell of 2 stroke.

[@davidarthur]

You still have to pedal it so in that way it's very much a bicycle and not a moped

[@davidarthur]

@@scotchgod8478 it's really not, but I know you know that :)

[@ridefastcoaching]

I know this is semantics but the definition of a moped is 'a motorcycle with a small engine and also pedals' so kinda is@@davidarthur

[@davidarthur]

@@ridefastcoaching you can be pedantic if you want but mopeds don't commonly have pedals. Okay I get you hate e-bikes but loads of people, myself included, love them

[@monguzzle]

That depends on why you give a shit what other people think. This is the bike to turn what might have been a 3 hour ride into a 6/7 hour once, or the one that lets you ride out to the limit of your legs on a particular day and then add enough assist to keep building yourself after that point. Leave the assist off and ride it for watts if you like. It'll do that very happily and still talks to Garmins over ANT+.

[@michaeltodd2082]

booooo

[@sylvainbernaers]

fake sport..................

[@davidarthur]

nonsense reply ;)

[@scottthomas6305]

So glad to see David do a Road/Gravel E Bike review. My newest is a Trek Domane plus SLR 7. It is a class 3 E-bike- 28mph here in the states. Fabulous bike with 50nm of torque. Folks who have never ridden a performance E-bike are really missing on a great deal of fun, with personal work very much involved.

[@prasad530]

What's better: getting people outside in the sun, or your silly insecurity and judgement about e-bikes.