SPECIALIZED TURBO TERO 3.0
£3,100 The cheapest way to buy into Specialized’s e-MTB line-up
While the Turbo Tero looks very much like a mountain bike, it can do everything from commuting to gravel rides, or even carrying cargo and kids. The own-brand motor is controlled from a bar-mounted computer, and you can tweak the three power modes using Specialized’s app, where you can even disable the motor and enable a motion-sensor alarm. The expensive powerpack is locked inside the down tube, too, for extra security.
THE FRAME
It’s clear from the Tero’s huge down tube that it’s packing some extra power. The removable 530Wh battery gives good range combined with Specialized’s 2.0 motor, which has just 50Nm of torque. (Pricier models get the considerably higher-torque 90Nm 2.2 motor). Geometry is at the conservative end of ‘modern’ but, despite the notably long chainstays, it has a very well-balanced ride quality.
THE KIT
The SR Suntour XCM32 fork feels crude compared to the Fox suspension on the Tero’s pricier rivals. It has a coil rather than air spring and, while it deals OK with bigger impacts, is clunky returning to position after taking a hit and isn’t good at ironing out repetitive bumps.Shimano’s cheap brakes are usually a budget favourite, but we got unlucky here. The huge rear lever had a spongy action and started pulling to the bar. Turns out it had leaked fluid – something you’d have to get a dealer to fix, but it may have been a one-off.
A bigger-than-normal 36t chainring is paired with a smaller-than-usual 11-36t, nine-speed cassette. If you ride somewhere with steep hills, having fewer sprockets and a harder easiest gear is noticeable, especially compared to the Canyon and Orbea with their 1x12 drivetrains. It’s harder to find the ‘perfect’ gear and, on steep climbs, the easiest one is too hard to spin easily. The gears aren’t helped by the cheap Shimano shifter feeling a bit basic and requiring a forefinger, rather than a thumb, to shift down the cassette into a harder gear.
One impressive component is the own-brand Fast Track T5 tyres, fitted on XC-style rims, which roll exceptionally quickly and have just enough tread to dig in on gravel and grass.
THE RIDE
From the word go, the Tero’s handling feels stable. It’s an easy and intuitive
ride, and the geometry positions you centrally between the wheels on steep downhills, boosting confidence. Whether dodging traffic or trees on tight singletrack, the steering is neutral, so you never seem to misjudge it.
Another big positive is that the aluminium frame feels really welldamped. Specialized have done an admirable job of designing a chassis that’s solid enough to handle the forces motorised power exerts, but which also smooths out bumps and stones nicely, to avoid you getting jiggled around so much. Even though they roll really fast, the own-brand tyres grip well in the wet or dry, as long as there’s no mud.
The cheaper motor is pretty noisy, though, with a low-level whirring and a clacking that feels like it reverberates around the down tube. This is made worse when the drive unit is overworked – for example, when the gearing range doesn’t extend wide enough to keep your cadence sufficiently high to put the motor in its sweet spot for power delivery. Heavier or less fit riders will struggle to get enough assistance up the steepest inclines (on tarmac and dirt), and you have to stand up and pedal hard to even keep moving on some super-steep sections.
Despite its great handling, this model’s older 2.0 motor hasn’t got anything like the same torque and power as some full-fat e-MTBs, and a novice rider could easily get caught out if they set off in the wrong gear or simply expected to tank along by turning the pedals gently, as you can on other e-bikes.
On the downhills, while there’s room to move from side to side on the frame, there’s no dropper post to get the saddle out of the way, so it’s hard to shift your weight back over the rear tyre to stay safe off small drops.
A sweet-riding machine at its heart, but hampered by a lesser component spec and dull power delivery