Month: December 2023

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Benj Edwards)

"Here, There, and Everywhere" isn't just a Beatles song. It's also a phrase that recalls the spread of generative AI into the tech industry during 2023. Whether you think AI is just a fad or the dawn of a new tech revolution, it's been impossible to deny that AI news has dominated the tech space for the past year.

We've seen a large cast of AI-related characters emerge that includes tech CEOs, machine learning researchers, and AI ethicists—as well as charlatans and doomsayers. From public feedback on the subject of AI, we've heard that it's been difficult for non-technical people to know who to believe, what AI products (if any) to use, and whether we should fear for our lives or our jobs.

Meanwhile, in keeping with a much-lamented trend of 2022, machine learning research has not slowed down over the past year. On X, former Biden administration tech advisor Suresh Venkatasubramanian wrote, "How do people manage to keep track of ML papers? This is not a request for support in my current state of bewilderment—I'm genuinely asking what strategies seem to work to read (or "read") what appear to be 100s of papers per day."

Enlarge / The Specialized Turbo Creo 2 Comp taking a break from central Illinois gravel. (credit: Eric Bangeman)

If the question is "what is the ideal number of bikes to own," the answer is usually "n+1." Whether you are into gravel trails, BMX, mountain biking, road biking, or cyclecross, there's a bike for that. But after spending a couple of months riding the Specialized Turbo Creo 2 Comp, the answer could actually be n.

The $6,500 Turbo Creo 2 Comp is a gravel e-bike that Specialized calls "category defying." It looks like the result of an illicit tryst between a gravel bike and a mountain bike. With the motor, it's a double-duty road-plus-gravel machine—at least that's what Specialized claims. And it turns out Specialized is on to something.

The proportions on the Creo are spot-on. You can see the charging port for the integrated battery near the bottom of the seat tube. (credit: Eric Bangeman)

The Turbo Creo 2 Comp is certainly eye-catching. Not only is the "Harvest Gold" colorway easy on the eyes, but the thickness of the downtube and tires also grab the viewer's attention. The massive downtube is necessary because that's where the 320 Wh integrated battery lives. The chunky, mountain-bike-appropriate 700×47 tires, however, are a statement of intent by the Creo 2 Comp, screaming, "Ride me anywhere you want—I'm up for it."

Enlarge / The Specialized Turbo Creo 2 Comp taking a break from central Illinois gravel. (credit: Eric Bangeman)

If the question is "what is the ideal number of bikes to own," the answer is usually "n+1." Whether you are into gravel trails, BMX, mountain biking, road biking, or cyclecross, there's a bike for that. But after spending a couple of months riding the Specialized Turbo Creo 2 Comp, the answer could actually be n.

The $6,500 Turbo Creo 2 Comp is a gravel e-bike that Specialized calls "category defying." It looks like the result of an illicit tryst between a gravel bike and a mountain bike. With the motor, it's a double-duty road-plus-gravel machine—at least that's what Specialized claims. And it turns out Specialized is on to something.

The proportions on the Creo are spot-on. You can see the charging port for the integrated battery near the bottom of the seat tube. (credit: Eric Bangeman)

The Turbo Creo 2 Comp is certainly eye-catching. Not only is the "Harvest Gold" colorway easy on the eyes, but the thickness of the downtube and tires also grab the viewer's attention. The massive downtube is necessary because that's where the 320 Wh integrated battery lives. The chunky, mountain-bike-appropriate 700×47 tires, however, are a statement of intent by the Creo 2 Comp, screaming, "Ride me anywhere you want—I'm up for it."