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Turbo Como 5.0 is a City Slicker with Enough Brass to Go Off-Road if Needed

Sure, winter is coming, so why the hell should you be interested in bicycles? Here’s a shopping tip for your life. Buy stuff out of season, it ends up being cheaper. I’m not saying this is the case here with this e-bike, but you’ll have a head start on knowing what you want when the heat’s back.
Turbo Como 5.0 8 photos
Photo: Specialized Bicycle
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We all know who Specialized Bicycle are, so I'll skip the intro for them. But not everyone knows of the Turbo Como, so it's time has come to be shown off as one of the top electric city cruisers around.

Imagine for a moment that everything you do in your life is amplified four times over. What I mean by this is the following. Jump. That’s right. Just jump. Wherever you are now, jump. Now take the energy you used to get those six inches off the ground and multiply it four times. Your six inches should become 24, mathematically speaking.

This is the case with the Turbo Como. But before we go deeper, know that the Como line is quite vast, so I've chosen to bring the strongest and most expensive of the bunch to your attention., the Como 5.0. But even this 5.0 has a low-entry frame variation, but for the sake of discussion, we’ll be addressing the classic style frame.

Turbo Como 5\.0
Photo: Specialized Bicycle
Speaking of the frame, unlike other bikes over four grand, the Como utilizes an aluminum frame offering both lightweight and rigidity properties. This frame differs from others in that the welding has been smoothed, so we won’t see any fish-scales anywhere. And internal cable routing is standard on this city hog. That fat down tube is also where we find the battery for this e-bike.

Now that we’re on the subject of batteries, the Como includes a 600Wh battery that offers an 84-mile (135km) range. I think now we’re starting to understand why this bike cost $4,350 standard. Sure, that riding distance may vary, but not by much. If you do happen to run out of juice before getting home, highly unlikely, you will need to sit around and wait for four hours and 40 minutes before your batteries are fully recharged. But, to help you make sure that systems are running as you want them, a mission control app allows you to select the levels of support, assistance, and even power that the battery and motor exert.

As far as the motor is concerned, this is what offers that four times magnification I had you imagine at the beginning. This 7.5lbs. (3.4kg) 250W nominal motor known as the Specialized 1.3, is the peak powerhouse for the company and is made to tackle mountains, hills, and trails, let alone cities. This beefy little sucker will push out 90Nm of peak torque assist. More than enough for your flat ground journeys.

Turbo Como 5\.0
Photo: Specialized Bicycle
So, we know the base for this e-bike, but what about the components. Don’t worry, all other components such as the derailleur, shift levers, cassette, crankset, and even chain, are all brought to us by fames Shimano. Even though the setup uses a wide range of Shimano parts, the entire system revolves around an 11-speed system. Braking is also taken care of by Shimano Deore XTs with 180mm disk on the front and 160mm on the back.

But being a city cruiser bike, a few accessories come with the bike. For instance, the fat-boy seat with spring suspension and those handlebars with a 30-degree back-sweep offer the comfort necessary for those long trips. Even a pizza rack carrier with a 33lbs. (15kg) weight limit is available.

It’s not often we find an e-bike made for city riding that could very well get you out of the woods you happened to wander into. But now that we do have one, hell, let’s see how much punishment we can force upon it.
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About the author: Cristian Curmei
Cristian Curmei profile photo

A bit of a nomad at heart (being born in Europe and raised in several places in the USA), Cristian is enamored with travel trailers, campers and bikes. He also tests and writes about urban means of transportation like scooters, mopeds and e-bikes (when he's not busy hosting our video stories and guides).
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