As Silicon Valley natives, we're passionate about marrying cutting-edge technology with life-changing experiences. It's in our DNA, and it results in bike technology unlike anything you've ever seen, and more importantly, technology that's unlike anything you've ever ridden. The revolution has started, and its name is Turbo.
MATT HUNTER
At Specialized, our Turbo e-bikes are built around the concept of “It's you, only faster.” So, no matter if you're a seasoned rider or just starting out, we customize our bikes and E-Bike Technology to the rider experience. This way, you get a seamless, authentic experience, just with a little extra oomph. And while there are a host of things that set the technology of our Turbos apart from the crowd, if you want to get up-close and personal with some of its truly differentiating hallmarks, it's time you met our motors.
They're the quietest, smoothest, and most powerful bottom bracket motors in the world. To achieve this, they utilize integrated belt drives that take the edge off the planetary gear, while built-in freewheels ensure an elimination of resistance when you're riding above the legal speed limit. But their compact, lightweight designs also benefit from a healthy dose of intelligence. We like to think of them as one part analog, two parts digital. True, there is a bevy of silent moving parts doing the heavy lifting (amplifying your input by up to 320%), but there's also complicated, custom software that senses the torque you're applying in each pedal stroke. This specially developed algorithm amplifies the power that you're putting in, or more simply: The more power that you apply, the more power our motors put out. It's not a one-trick-pony, though, as the algorithm also senses speed and cadence. And ultimately, this plays a huge part in the greater picture: Customization over the motor characteristics.
Our Turbo bikes are on the precipice of cutting-edge technology, so we understand that you have questions. Luckily, we also have answers. Read below to see some of our more frequently asked questions.
For all of our Specialized Motors, we extended the ideology of our tried-and-true Rx Trail Tune to the possible motor characteristics. This emphasizes customizing the motor tune for the intended ride experience, so you'll always get the most out of your ride. Take our e-mountain bikes for example We knew that traction is paramount to the trail experience, and likewise, essential to the motor's tune. Too powerful, and traction is lost. Too passive, and the performance is degraded. Rx Trail Tune, however, allows you to operate in the sweet spot and have a thoroughly intuitive feel and ride quality. More importantly, it's all up to you.
You'll find that the same ideology was expressed in the development of our Rx Street Tune, only with urban specificity in mind. Regardless of the application, though, both customizations rely on custom software that was developed upon thousands of tracked and analyzed test rides around our engineering office in Switzerland. We also emphasized heat management, which is why our motors included special thermal pads inside the motor and between the motor and frame. This moves heat outside the motor to ensure the best possible performance in any situation.
And then there's the power. We offer different 250-watt nominal power versions. The Specialized 1.2 and the 1.2 S (28mph / 45 km/h version) motors are focused on hitting the perfect balance between power and efficiency to ensure maximum range, while the Specialized 1.3 gives you the absolute maximum power (torque) to get to the top of any mountain, no matter how steep.
All of this customization plays in harmony with the fully integrated, easily removable, and state-of-the-art Specialized batteries at the down tubes of our Turbos. These have something we call the Battery Management System, which ensures the longest possible battery lifetime and health by doing frequent cell balancing. They also possess their own circuitry and software that prevents the common ailments of overcharging and under-voltage. The design, meanwhile, makes charging a breeze, as you can charge the battery from wherever you like—on or off the bike. Depending on the battery series (U or M), our batteries have additional features, like built-in displays and a mode switch/lock mechanism to secure the battery. Our M-series batteries even feature an ANT+/Bluetooth® module that allows for connectivity to our Mission Control App, as well as any ANT+ (handlebar) device. It transmits pertinent ride information, like rider power, battery percentage, and further motor- and battery-specific information.
On select models, you'll also find a cleverly integrated display that's designed to show your charge in 10 increments, so when you're riding, you can change the power of the motor, and thus the usage of the battery, on-the-fly with a gloved hand. Or, if you're so inclined, you can take advantage of the battery's ANT+ and Bluetooth® communication functionality in order to control the tuning from a huge range of devices or our Mission Control smartphone app. This way, you're able to demonstrate total control over the battery's range like nothing else on the market today. For example, if you upload a route, our software can adjust the outputs to ensure that you finish your ride on one charge. Incredible.
Contact the Specialized Santa Monica team based in Los Angeles, California, for more information:
