A Stock S-Works Turbo Creo SL E-Bike Costs More Than a 2022 Chevrolet Spark

The machine before you is the Turbo Creo SL, a bicycle designed and built by the S-Works branch from Specialized. While it may look like most other high-performance road bikes, underneath its skin hides a powerful secret, it's electric.

But be warned, Specialized is a cycling team that's been around since 1974. Since then, this crew has developed podium-placing machines known for peak performance, and the Creo SL is no different.

Just so you have an idea of what this team has done with this bike, I have to tell you a price, an MSRP of a whopping 14,500 USD (12,952 EUR at current exchange rates), near $1K more than the price of a bare 2022 Chevrolet Spark. For this sort of cash, this thing better fly.

Flying might be one of the sensations you get from riding this bike, as it's made to be the perfect road and gravel companion and even includes one of the largest ranges I've seen on an e-bike of this style.

Take a nice long look at the images in the gallery, in specific, the frame. As you would expect from a machine of this price, the Creo SL frame is completed using carbon fiber. Here, S-Works is using Fact 11r carbon with an Open Road Geometry and internal cable routing.

Looking closely at the frame, the seat stays have been dropped, a feature generally found on CX bikes. However, because of its ability to offer a more enjoyable ride, we're seeing this style on more and more bikes. Another hidden feature is this bike's ability to feature a dropper post with 50 mm (1.97 in) of travel. Perfect for moments when you need to handle some rougher roads.

Then there's the Future Shock 2.0 damper feature that the SL has hidden in the head tube. With this feature in place, any rocks, roots, or curbs you happen to navigate over are dampened by a hydraulic compression. It's just enough to reduce vibrations to a minimum while affecting traction as little as possible.

Like any other e-bike, the Creo SL features a battery and motor system. Hidden and integrated into the down tube, S-Works has mounted a battery pack with 320 Wh of juice. It's an in-house SL1-320 pack, part of Specialized's SL electric drivetrain. Sure, it may seem small, but coupled with the motor I'm about to introduce, these 320 watts will be able to carry you as far as 130 km (81 mi). If you feel that's not enough for you, throw on a range extender and access another 65 km (40.1 mi).

As for the motor to this expensive demon, S-Works is completing the setup with an SL1.1 motor that features a max output of 240 watts and produces 35 Nm (25.8 lb-ft) of torque. While it may not seem like much, these 240 watts offer an assist up to 100%.

Now, can you guess what sort of drivetrain you'll find on this bike? For the price of a new car, you'll find nothing more than SRAM making their appearance with an XX1 Eagle AXS rear derailleur, XG-1295 Eagle cassette with 12 speeds and 10-50T, and Red eTap AXS wireless shift levers. With an XX1 Eagle chain and Praxis carbon crank arms, and you may be getting an idea of why this beast costs so much. Brakes are furnished by SRAM too, and again, RED eTap AXS will be controlling your calipers.

Heck, just about anything on the Creo SL that can be completed from carbon fiber is. Everything from the handlebar, seat post, saddle rails, and rims, all carbon fiber. For tires, a set S-Works Turbo Rapid Air 2BR will be maintaining your grip on reality while also helping minimize vibrations and shock, as if the carbon frame isn't enough.

Finally, there's a bit of tech you need to be aware of. With a Smart Control feature, the Creo SL's Mission Control App allows you to establish pre-ride settings and limits, such as how far you want to ride, for how long, or even set how much battery juice you want to have left in the tank at the end of your ride. From there, an algorithm will track the status of your bike every 10 seconds, in the process, controlling battery levels to give you what you asked for.

Altogether, the Creo SL is meant to come in with a weight of 26.8 lbs (12.15 kg). However, this figure may change depending on where you get your bike or if it's the Founder's Edition, in which case, shave off another 0.6 lbs (0.27 kg).

Honestly, if technology keeps moving the way it has been, it won't be long before we start seeing bikes that cost much more than the Turbo Creo SL. I wonder how many people have actually bought one of these bikes.