2017 Turbo Levo Comp FSR for my wife - need advice!

[dygit]

A dealer nearby has a small 2017 Turbo Levo Comp? FSR with 300 miles on it; in excellent shape - was a demo/rental. Battery has only been cycled 1x and is at 100% health (saw info on Mission Control). They are asking $3k including a full 1 year warranty plus lifetime frame. Do you think it makes sense to pay that much for a now 3 year old bike or buy something new for $3500-4500. Don’t want the new 2020 Turbo Levo as it has 29” wheels - too big for her. Any help/thoughts appreciated. BYW, she is not going to be doing highly technical riding. This is a pic of similar bike (is it actually a comp?)

 

[krisrayner]

That’s pretty killer deal. I paid $3200 for my wife’s 2016 Levo Hardtail Comp when it was new. She doesn’t ride anything tech, and it’s been a great all around bike for her. I later got a ‘17 Levo expert and it’s been nice having two chargers and a second battery when I want it for long rides.

 

[James_C]

how much is a 2020 base levo where you are?

I'm in the UK and a 2019 ex demo can be had for about 30% off

Have you looked at hard tails? they are a lot cheaper

 

[Mcharza]

If she is not riding technical trails, why full suspension?
My wife has Levo hardtail 2019 with 29" and doing fine with it. No need to afraid of 29", if she normally rides on paths, bike lanes, outdoor trails etc. Fast rolling and doesn't eat battery so much.

If you still want to buy full suss, look for newer models. New motor and battery

 

[Zimmerframe]

As the others have said ..

And :

Battery has only been cycled 1x and is at 100% health (saw info on Mission Control).

So presumably it's a replacement battery as the original wouldn't have managed 300 miles on one charge cycle. Or is it the original, but they used different ones when it was demo'd.

Unfortunately, Mission control pretty much always says 100% battery health, no matter what it is. You'd need to check it with Blevo or Egenesis to get a more realistic view of battery health. Not that it's an issue, you have a warranty anyway, more for information.

full 1 year warranty

I think if you go for it, you need them to honour the original 2 year warranty - if only for peace of mind. If they're confident in the bike, then it shouldn't be any risk to them. If they won't, then it's only increased risk to you.

 

[dygit]

how much is a 2020 base levo where you are?

I'm in the UK and a 2019 ex demo can be had for about 30% off

Have you looked at hard tails? they are a lot cheaper

2020 Turbo Levo is $4975 here - they get full retail here due to shipping to Hawaii and no competition. I bought a base 2019 for $4500 recently. The mainland fly and ride discounters will only sell Specialized in store.
Wife rode a full suspension and was happy to not have her rear end get jarred every time she went over bumps.

 

[Mikerb]

A 2017 bike could have been in the shop since Sept 2016 and with 300 demo miles on it probably just sitting in the shop most of the time. I think the price is too high because it is essentially a used bike. As others have said better to buy a new hardtail. With 29 wheels and 2.6 tyres there is plenty of ride cushioning for fireroad/smooth trails without paying the extra purchase price, maintenance , set up, pedaling efficiency and weight penalties of a full sus.

 

[Swan]

If homeboy is in Hawaii, we don't have the Levo HT available here in the states to us.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Looks like Hawaii or maybe the US, maintains higher second hand prices than the UK and possibly Europe, so it makes the OP's bike not seem as expensive the tight brits or what would be the "Hedgehog's in the pockets" in France. :

2018 Lg Specialized Turbo LevoFSR

 

[dygit]

Looks like Hawaii or maybe the US, maintains higher second hand prices than the UK and possibly Europe, so it makes the OP's bike not seem as expensive the tight brits or what would be the "Hedgehog's in the pockets" in France. :

2018 Lg Specialized Turbo LevoFSR

Thanks for that link. Wife will use a small but it is a good comparison for pricing here. Only full suss etmb brands sold here on my side of Big Island are Specialized, Giant and Trek.
I ride a BMW GSA and service myself (no dealer here) however I think with the emtb, it helps to have a dealer if bike is new. Just had my 2019 front wheel replaced under warranty - was making a clicking sound....

 

[krisrayner]

If you buy it, have the dealer make sure the motor and battery have the newest software before you take delivery. I had my wife’s HT updated recently and during the update the battery became unresponsive. It was warrantied without issue. The newer software has better battery management and better tuning options in Mission control. (Verify by making sure you can tune support and power separately in each power mode)

 

[dygit]

If you buy it, have the dealer make sure the motor and battery have the newest software before you take delivery. I had my wife’s HT updated recently and during the update the battery became unresponsive. It was warrantied without issue. The newer software has better battery management and better tuning options in Mission control. (Verify by making sure you can tune support and power separately in each power mode)

How do you know what the latest software is?

 

[krisrayner]

There was a post by Specialized Rider Care or something, that had actual firmware version numbers in it. The most obvious thing I noticed is the update enabled Infinitune. Prior to that the max power setting would change simultaneously across all three assist modes. You couldn’t get 30 on eco, 50 on trail, 90 on Turbo. They would all be the same number, only the “support” level could be changed independently on all three modes. Infinitune decoupled the settings so you can change all of them however you want.

Here’s a pic of how you should be able to configure it if the update has been done.
There were bug fixes in the software too. My wife’s bike would cut out at high assist levels when the battery dropped below 30%. Fixed with new software.

 

[Swissrob]

I would buy the base model of what you have so you get a free spare battery.

 

[dygit]

Decided not to buy the 2017 for a few reasons:
Don’t like her having to switch ride modes by reaching down on left. Specialized Care says they do not have a handlebar switch that can be installed on the 2017. (Possibly a 3rd party does?)
460w Battery and tech on bike is nearly 4 years old.
For $3700 ($700 more) can get a new 2020 Giant Stance+2 with 500w battery and components that are more than adequate for wife’s riding.
The base Specialized is $1200 more than the Giant - not worth it under the circumstances.
Thanks guys for all your info and opinions! Safe riding out there...