Love at first ride: The Specialized Turbo Creo 2 Comp gravel e-bike

If the question is "what is the ideal number of bikes to own," the answer is usually "n+1." Whether you are into gravel trails, BMX, mountain biking, road biking, or cyclecross, there's a bike for that. But after spending a couple of months riding the Specialized Turbo Creo 2 Comp, the answer could actually be n.

The $6,500 Turbo Creo 2 Comp is a gravel e-bike that Specialized calls "category defying." It looks like the result of an illicit tryst between a gravel bike and a mountain bike. With the motor, it's a double-duty road-plus-gravel machine—at least that's what Specialized claims. And it turns out Specialized is on to something.

The proportions on the Creo are spot-on. You can see the charging port for the integrated battery near the bottom of the seat tube.

Credit: Eric Bangeman

The Turbo Creo 2 Comp is certainly eye-catching. Not only is the "Harvest Gold" colorway easy on the eyes, but the thickness of the downtube and tires also grab the viewer's attention. The massive downtube is necessary because that's where the 320 Wh integrated battery lives. The chunky, mountain-bike-appropriate 700×47 tires, however, are a statement of intent by the Creo 2 Comp, screaming, "Ride me anywhere you want—I'm up for it."

And it is.

A big unit

The Turbo Creo 2 Comp comes with 47 mm tires that would look at home on a mountain bike. There's enough clearance for 29×2.2-inch tires.

Credit: Eric Bangeman

Even with a carbon frame, the Creo 2 Comp is a hefty beast at nearly 32 lb (14.5 kg). A significant chunk of that comes from the battery, which powers the Specialized 1.2 SL Custom motor in the hub, which cranks out 33 percent more power and, at 53 Nm, 43 percent more torque than the previous generation. There's a small display, the “Mastermind TCU,” built into the top tube that shows speed, boost mode, and battery level. The Creo 2 Comp also has a built-in cadence sensor and a left/right power meter. If you have a bike computer, it will pair with the bike’s built-in sensors. Alternatively, you can drop a smartphone mount on the handlebars and use the Specialized app as a bike computer. Once paired with my Garmin Edge 1030+, the Creo's built-in sensors would automatically connect once the bike was powered on.

For the groupset, Specialized has picked and chosen from a couple of wireless SRAM drivetrain options. The rear (and only) derailleur is a SRAM X1 Eagle, which is SRAM's mid-tier mountain bike groupset. The shift levers are from the Apex eTap AXS groupset. Like most gravel bikes with electronic groupsets, there's a single chainring (44T in this case) in front and a SRAM PG1210 11-50T cassette—also from the mountain bike realm—in the back. The Creo 2 Comp also comes replete with a dropper post to adjust saddle height on the fly for climbs and corners.

You've got a 44T chainring in front, an 11-50T cassette in the back, and a groupset that's part gravel, part MTB.

Credit: Eric Bangeman

If you’re wondering about compliance, take a gander at that carbon frame, the 47 mm tires, and Future Shock 3.0. Future Shock is Specialized's front suspension system, housed below the handlebar stem and capable of 20 mm of travel. It’s the real deal on gravel and single-track paths, not to mention rough roads. I'd notice Future Shock absorbing some of the force every time I hit an exposed tree root or pothole. It’s the kind of sensation that makes you go “hell yeah” instead of “oh hell.” If I owned this bike, I’d run it tubeless and drop the tire pressure a few PSI for an even better ride. And who cares if the big tires and lower PSI slow you down—it has a motor.

The handlebar tape is extremely cool, and you can see the dropper post lever at left.

Credit: Eric Bangeman

See that little nub on the handlebar opposite the brake hood? That's one of the controls for the motor, and it's not easy to reach.

Credit: Eric Bangeman

Unleashing electrons

Speaking of the motor, let’s delve into the e-part of this bike. There are two controls for the motor, one inconveniently mounted on each side of the handlebar. If I'm riding more upright with my hands braced against the brake hoods, I can reach the buttons with my outstretched pinkie. The left button reduces assist while the right button increases it. The Creo 2 Comp is a Class 3 e-bike with three assist modes (eco, sport, and turbo), so it will assist up to 28 mph. Tweaking the assist settings was a breeze with the app; I set Turbo mode to engage immediately with the first pedal stroke so I would be faster off the mark at stoplights.

Specialized gives the rider fine-grained control over how the motor responds to the rider.

Eric Bangeman

Specialized gives the rider fine-grained control over how the motor responds to the rider. Eric Bangeman

I did this ride entirely on Turbo. My power output was about the same as on my road bike.

Eric Bangeman

I did this ride entirely on Turbo. My power output was about the same as on my road bike. Eric Bangeman

Specialized gives the rider fine-grained control over how the motor responds to the rider. Eric Bangeman

I did this ride entirely on Turbo. My power output was about the same as on my road bike. Eric Bangeman

The Specialized app offers the same data as a bike computer.

Eric Bangeman

The Specialized app offers the same data as a bike computer. Eric Bangeman

Check on the health of your bike at a glance. The only thing missing is tire pressure, which the Trek Connect app has for some of its e-bikes.

Eric Bangeman

Check on the health of your bike at a glance. The only thing missing is tire pressure, which the Trek Connect app has for some of its e-bikes. Eric Bangeman

The Specialized app offers the same data as a bike computer. Eric Bangeman

Check on the health of your bike at a glance. The only thing missing is tire pressure, which the Trek Connect app has for some of its e-bikes. Eric Bangeman

The electric assist is, without a doubt, the best I've experienced on an e-bike. It's integrated incredibly well into the overall riding experience. I also found I could ride it as hard as my road bike. In Turbo mode, I flew around my 17.3-mile lunchtime circuit with a 20.1 mph average speed, and my power numbers were about the same as I'd see on my road bike. I managed to drain the battery from 100 percent to 26 percent on that ride; Specialized claims up to 120 miles of range on a full charge, presumably with the bike set to Eco mode. For the longest rides, Specialized offers a battery pack with an extra 160 Wh that nestles into one of the bottle cages.

While the Creo 2 Comp is a compliant ride, it's not always comfortable. Perhaps due to the top tube length (572 mm on a 56 cm frame) being longer than my other bikes, my hands would become numb quicker than on my other bikes. The minimalist Body Geometry Power Sport saddle was not a great solution for my more maximalist backside; I swapped it out with a spare Selle saddle and was much happier. But those are my only complaints about the ride. Whether exploring gravel farm roads in central Illinois or riding through a forest preserve in suburban Chicago, the Specialized always handled the terrain with aplomb.

Unless I was using the Creo as a road bike, I wasn't tempted to use the assist very often. My first ride on it was 50 miles of gravel trails, and after 40 miles, I moved in and out of Eco mode. We don't really have hills in Chicago-land, but I did "cheat" on a short, very steep climb in central Illinois. But even on the road with the heavy frame and fat tires, it wasn't often I felt the need for help. My gravel bike is a Trek Checkpoint ALR 5, which weighs about 25 lb, so the extra 7 pounds on the Turbo Creo 2 Comp didn't seem like a big deal. Every time I looked down at the top tube or my bike computer, I'd feel like I was going the "right" speed for the amount of effort I was putting in.