Brand Comparison: Specialized vs Gazelle

It’s like choosing between chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Actually, we’re talking gelato— we all know that that Italian frozen dessert is the real winner anyway. When comparing Specialized and Gazelle e-Bikes, they are two different flavors but you can’t really go wrong with either. Stracciatella meets pistacchio.

I’ll compare two of the biggest names in e-Bikes to help you decide what is the best electric bike for you. The differences are less obvious than, say Aventon vs Gazelle, so stick with me as I take a closer look at the smaller details. Welcome to Upway’s latest e-Bike brand comparison— class is now in session.

Gazelle e-Bikes are powered by the best drive units on the market: Bosch mid-drive motors. Bosch batteries and motors are renowned for their performance and reliability. Gazelle e-Bike are equipped with a Bosch unit from the brand’s Active Line, Active Line Plus, Performance Line, or top-tier Performance Line Speed range.

In contrast, you’ll never come across a Specialized e-Bike with a Bosch motor. Specialized’s e-Bikes are custom-built and manufactured by the German brand Brose, likely the only real competitor to Bosch’s drive unit dominance. Specialized’s Turbo motors are technically the Brose C, S, and S Mag models. These standard motors have peaks around the 500-600W mark and up to 85 Nm of torque. Specialized models also have an option Range Extender battery which sits in the bottle cage and adds up to 40 more miles of range.

But there’s also the new lightweight Specialized SL 1.2 made by MAHLE (instead of Brose this time around). Originally designed for use on an electric mountain bike, this powerful and compact motor competes with the Bosch Performance Line SX. Compared to the previous SL 1.1 motor, the peak power rises from 240W to 320W and torque increases from 35Nm to 50Nm. Brose and MAHLE motors are also known for being impressively quiet.

You won’t find a throttle on any Specialized or Gazelle e-Bike. Most models are Class 1 with a top speed of 20 mph, but both brands produce some Class 3 e-Bikes that can assist up to 28 mph such as the Gazelle Ultimate C380+.

Both Specialized and Gazelle e-Bikes are top-of-the-line machines, but have slightly different design philosophies. For starters, Specialized has road, mountain, and cargo models that Gazelle doesn’t have, so there’s no need to compare apples to oranges. But to offer a totally subjective generalization, a friend of mine once described Gazelle e-Bikes as having a more premium and solid ride feel while Specialized models are more flashy and fun. Maybe that helps— but I’ll paint a more detailed picture anyway.

Gazelle electric bikes are purpose-built for city riding and commuting. They all come with convenient features like fenders, a rear rack, kickstand, and integrated wheel lock. The geometry is upright and comfortable and there are also many models with a belt drive system— the Specialized 2023 Turbo Vado 5.0 IGH also has a belt drive and internal gearing but isn’t part of the brand’s latest fleet.

Specialized has industry-leading tech like its Body Geometry fit system and its useful e-Bike app, Mission Control. The app and motor data can link to an ANT+ Garmin or Wahoo head unit as well as Specialized’s Turbo Connect display unit. Specialized often does a great job incorporating the motor and battery into a slim profile that’s easy to mistake for a standard bicycle. The lightweight Specialized Turbo Vado SL is super sleek and a favorite with the mechanic team over at the Upway UpCenter.