Specialized Turbo Tero 3.0 Review

With 50 years under their belt, Specialized knows a thing or two about making capable bikes and the Turbo Tero 3.0 is no stranger of capabilities. From commuting to backcountry adventures, the Turbo Tero is a do-it-all or all terrain eMTB ready to tackle whatever comes it’s way.

The Turbo Tero, to us, embodies what it means to ride a bike and to have a bike that can do just about everything. It reminds me a lot of the early days of mountain biking with the perks of front suspension and of course the Specialized 2.0E drive unit.

The Turbo Tero 3.0 is a Class 3 electric bike with the Specialied 2.0E 250w mid-drive with 50Nm of torque. With up to 5 hours of range using the removable 530Wh battery.

Rolling on 29 inch wheels with 2.35″ wide Ground Control tires, the Turbo Tero is ready to tackle rough terrain and offers premium grip on the dirt. The front fork has 110mm of travel with a lockout and preload adjustment.

A Shimano Alivio 9-speed drivetrain is paired with Shimano MT200 2-piston hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors.

Overall weight is around 48lbs and the Turbo Tero comes in either a step-thru or high step frame design in sizes Small, Medium, or Large.

The Specialized 2.0E drive system is Specialized proprietary drive system with their own control and display. These components are similar across the Specialized Electric Bike catalog and have an intuitive familiarity if you’ve ridden other Specialized eBikes.

The Controller has the basic functions of navigating the three PAS modes: Eco, Trail, Turbo and also allow you to switch between different profiles and navigate menu and display options.

The Specialied App pairs quickly to the Display and offers a multitude of personalization and status options. Our favorite use of the App is being able to set custom profiles on the PAS modes to have different profiles for commuting and backcountry riding.

The Status feature of the App is a great way to keep the system up to date and have a record of service intervals for the bike as a whole.

Something we find very neat and hopeful to see more brands do is the System Lock feature. This feature allows you to lock the bike, preventing it from turning on when locked up at home or at a bike rack.

The Specialized 2.0E drive system delivers fantastic power and is extremely quiet. When comparing it to other Specialized eBikes, it acts and delivers power similarly to the Levo, which is one of our favorite full suspension eMTB’s.

With an estimated range of 5 hours, we consistently find ourselves getting at least four hours of ride time. Our typical rides involve jumping through the different PAS modes, but mainly spending time in ECO and Trail.

The Specialized Turbo Tero 3.0 is a great single bike to have in your quiver. Coming at $3250, the Turbo Tero 3.0 leaves little to be desired for a do-it-all bike.

If you’re looking for a more disciplined electric mountain bike we would likely steer you towards a full suspension eMTB like the Levo or perhaps a more disciplined hardtail eMTB like the Trek Marlin+ or Aventon Ramblas. Or if you’re looking for an exclusive commuter we would suggest looking at the Orbea Diem.

But some of us enjoy the concept of one bike that can do it all. In the past we raved about the Orbea Kemen and I can’t help to put the Turbo Tero in the same category.

The Turbo Tero is a fender and rack compatible making it ideal for hauling gear year round and as a class 3 electric bike, it really makes getting around town quick and effortless. All the same, taking it out for long rides in the woods is equally as enjoyable and the Turbo Tero packs plenty of power to get you to the amazing vantage points or lost lakes with ease.

Although we find Hardtail eMTB’s to be a niche category of electric bikes, we enjoy riding them and prefer to use them for backcountry riding over a full suspension eMTB or a Gravel bike. The upright riding posture is more comfortable over longer periods of time and a flat bar setup is more stable for rough terrian.

The Turbo Tero has been on our list of bikes to get time on for quite a while and over the last few months it has delivered exactly what we expected it would. Taking off from the driveway and quickly getting across town to the endless miles of forest roads is our preferred weekend activity and the Turbo Tero is a natural at it.

At $3250 we found only seeking two upgrades to make the Turbo Tero more enjoyable and comfortable. Adding a PNW Components Loam Dropper Post and some racks to haul some gear. Beyond that the Turbo Tero 3.0 is a sure fire way to have one bike that will encourage you to ride more and ride further.  

Price: $3250
Sizes: Small, Medium, Large
Weight: 48lbs
Website: specialized.com