Specialized has released a new all-purpose electric bike for commuting, weekend trail rides, and even personalized workouts based on a target heart rate.
The Specialized Tero is an electric mountain bike with a lightweight aluminum FRAME upright riding position that gives good visibility in traffic, and on trails, placing you right in between the wheels for good control on tricky terrain. You also get 110mm front suspension to smooth the ride, 2.3in Ground Control tires for extra grip on loose surfaces, and SRAM disc brakes for plenty of stopping power.
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The Tero is available in a range of configurations, with prices from £2,900 (about $4,000 / AU$5,500) to £4,500 (about $6,200 / AU$8,500). That's a very reasonable price for any e-bike, let alone a tough E-MTB.
For comparison, our current top-rated electric bike, the Cowboy 4, costs £2,290 (about $3,200 / AU$4,200), and is only built for tackling city streets, not rough trails.
You're in control
We've started seeing real advances in e-bike apps over recent months, with companies like Bosch giving riders fine control over their bike's power assistance settings and performance. The Tero works with the Specialized Mission Control app, which lets you tweak the bike's three modes so you can get the right balance of range and power assistance.
The app also provides over-the-air updates, meaning you don't need to take your bike to a Specialized service center to get the latest software versions (usually an essential part of e-bike maintenance).
We're also seeing increasing recognition for riding an electric bike as a valid form of exercise. The Apple Watch 7 features a new mode for more accurately calculating calories burned while riding an e-bike (presumably by using your heart rate and distance travelled to estimate the amount of effort you're exerting), and the Toro has a Smart Control mode that lets you set a goal distance, duration, or target heart rate for your ride.
Once that's done the bike's on-board MasterMind system will automatically adjust the amount of power assistance in real time.
At the end of your ride, the Turbo System Lock lets you disable the bike's motor through the Mission Control app, and activate a motion sensor alarm in case anyone tries to make off with your ride. You'll still want to invest in one of the best bike locks, and e-bike insurance is a wise investment, but it's another valuable tool to deter thieves and make their lives difficult.
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