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Turbo creo sl comp carbon evo12/31/2022 ![]() ![]() I pointed the Turbo Creo SL at the ridiculous cliff that is Prospect Place and it made it very manageable. I got stopped by other riders pretty frequently, especially for the few hours it was sunny during testing. It's also, in this iridescent finish, a very pretty thing indeed. It's light and stiff, and built specifically for the SL1.1 motor. That motor is built into a FACT 11r carbon frame that's the same level of build as the other S-Works bikes, the ones that win Classics races and Tour de France stages. The other similar motor is Bafang's M800, but we're not really seeing that on bikes coming into the UK yet. The SL 1.1 isn't removable, but it's a similar beast: a lighter-weight mid-motor that's designed for lower-power and more rider input. The comparison to a Fazua-powered bike (the Nytro) is useful because in terms of motor systems the two are probably the closest match. > All about e-bikes: getting into power-assisted cycling? Of that, probably just under half is the motor system and the rest is the lighter kit that the S-Works Turbo Creo SL is wearing. Anyway, compared to something like the £6k Pinarello Nytro it's certainly light – you're saving two kilos. Specialized says the Creo SL is "the lightest e-bike in its class", which is probably true if you define its class as mid-motor e-road bikes, but certainly isn't if you include all e-road bikes: the Ribble Endurance SLe that won the ebiketips e-road bike of the year award is the best part of a kilo lighter, and that wasn't even in the top-dollar build, just Shimano Ultegra Di2 and Mavic Cosmics. I'll start with the frameset and motor, because they're the heart of the bike and have been developed in tandem. (There's also an aluminium Creo SL for £4,249.) Okay, it's still a lot of money, but that bike is still a high quality build – mechanical Shimano GRX and DT Swiss R470 wheels – and all the things I'll go on to say about the frameset and motor are also true of that bike, and all the models in between. ![]() ![]() If you want to get rolling on the carbon Creo SL platform then exactly half the cost of this bike is the entry point, and the £5,499 Turbo Creo SL Comp Carbon is exactly the same frame and fork, Future Shock and motor system. Well, excluding the £13k Founder's Edition with its blingy gold bits and special certificate they're all gone. Let's not lose sight of the fact that this is the very top spec, though. Or a brand new top-spec Dacia Sandero with all the options, and still have change for a bike rack. But you could get a six-year-old Mercedes E-Class for this sort of money. When people say 'you could get a car for that!' when you're talking about your Sunday best bike that's worth a few thousand quid – or less, I find those conversations start even below four figures – your normal response is probably the same as mine: not a very good car. At a penny under 11 grand, the S-Works Turbo Creo SL is the most expensive bike we've ever reviewed here on. let's deal with the elephant in the room first. The other, lower-spec models offer better value for money, though. If you can justify the spend – or, more likely, you don't have to justify it – then you're going to end up with a distinctive and well-rounded e-road bike. The new Future Shock 2.0 damping system is excellent, and the high quality build doesn't disappoint. It's not all show: the new SL 1.1 motor system is very accomplished and a good match for the frame and fork. The S-Works Turbo Creo SL is a headline-grabber and a great-looking e-road bike. ![]()
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