specialized hides turbo creo e-bike motor inside lightweight carbon frame

specialized has unveiled the turbo creo SL founders edition, a sleek e-bike with an internal battery pack hidden inside an ultra-lightweight carbon frame. weighing in at just 11.9 kg (26.2 lb), it boasts 240w of pedal assistance power courtesy of a 380-Wh battery, which the california-based manufacturer has placed inside the down tube.

images courtesy of specialized

the bike is powered by specialized‘s lightweight SL 1.1 motor, which outputs energy in response to the rider’s own torque curve. this is enough to enable 80 miles (128 km) of assisted pedalling but 160-Wh range extenders can be latched onto the bike to stretch that range out by 40 mi (64 km) apiece. specialized is throwing in two as part of the turbo creo SL founders edition package.

the motor has a built in power meter that transmits to any ANT+ head unit and partners with a mission control smartphone app to manage distribution. from there, users can choose from eco, sport and turbo assist modes, record rides and monitor battery life.

other features on the turbo creo SL founders edition include hydraulic disc brakes, an 11-speed shimano dura-ace groupset and a custom roval CLX 50 wheelset dressed in 28-mm tires. it also comes with specialized’s latest bump-absorbing headset, the future shock 2.0, which offers 20 mm of vertical movement to help smooth out trips over uneven terrain.

the turbo creo SL founders edition is the top range model of specialized’s new family of e-bikes, with specialized only producing a limited edition run of 250 models. other models include the turbo creo SL expert that carries a price tag of $9,000 and the S-works turbo creo SL, which is priced at $13,500. then there’s the $16,500 founders edition and the turbo creo SL expert EVO, which comes with 38-mm tires for off-road adventure and is also priced at $9,000.