We spend a lot of time testing the newest gear every year, but often know very little about the people behind it. So, we sent a handful of our Buyer’s Guide category directors out to talk to them. Bike test director Josh Patterson spoke with John Cordoba, the road product manager at Specialized. The brand’s Turbo Creo SL Expert EVO e-bike was among our testers’ favorite road models of 2020. Here’s what Cordoba had to say about how he approaches design and where he thinks e-bikes are going.
Love the Sport
Before I’m a product manager, I’m a cyclist. Every time I ride, I’m thinking about what I can do to my bike to have it go faster and farther, and how I can have more fun.
Iterate and Innovate
There are two ways we develop bikes: by improving on existing models with feedback, and by creating new categories. Ten years ago, when we got the prototypes of our first Turbo S e-commuter, we started to think: How cool would it be if we had this kind of performance in a road bike?
E-Assist for Everyone
We see performance e-bikes enabling people to explore more, encouraging riders to bike when they weren’t going to, and, most importantly, appealing to those who didn’t think cycling was for them.
Wired for Racing
I think e-biking is going to open the door to new kinds of races. I can see events where riders need to manage battery range while still physically challenging themselves.
Check out Specialized’s Turbo Creo SL Expert EVO.