2019 Specialized Turbo Levo News & Rumours

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RobbieJay

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Jun 21, 2018
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Will it use the new Brose Drive -S (Mag) motor which is:
15% Smaller
500g lighter
30% more powerful
Added features and brose display.

And If it does... A redesign would likely be necessary to account for the new motor... So if a redesign is needed for the new motor anyway, will they just switch fab, and use the new Stumpy 2019 Frame?

I'm looking forward to the announcement! It's great news either way :)
 

ccrdave

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Is it just me but in 2018 you drop 5k plus for an ebike and nine months later it is potentially obsolete cos they just bought out a brand new model with new tech would you be pissed off?
 

R120

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Not if you love the bike you have! Only thing that would "force" me into buying a new bike is a massive increase in battery capacity with no weight penalty.

I would be pissed off if in my case with a shimano motor a new bigger battery came out which wasn't retrofittable though. I think that its still a few years before we see massive improvements over current tech and we see real game changing designs that would tempt me into buying a new bike for those reasons, however i can see myself buying a new bike just because i really like something and have a habit of impulse purchasing.
 

RobbieJay

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Jun 21, 2018
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Is it just me but in 2018 you drop 5k plus for an ebike and nine months later it is potentially obsolete cos they just bought out a brand new model with new tech would you be pissed off?

I bought mine In the last 30 days (it's a Turbo Levo Carbon Expert) and the new ones are being announced now. I don't mind too much as long as they support and advance the battery and motor firmware (and app) in the 2018 model.

It's the same with anything, as soon as you buy it, it's out of date, but most importantly you can use your bike NOW. While we have this awesome weather, those fun weekends with friends are worth more to me now, in riding season than a 15% lighter motor etc.

And after this hot summer, I'm guessing we're in for a cold winter so less riding for those waiting out the season for a 2019 model.

You could always use your bike now, enjoy it, and then trade it in toward a 2019 model in the off season?
 

Dax

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May 25, 2018
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Is it just me but in 2018 you drop 5k plus for an ebike and nine months later it is potentially obsolete cos they just bought out a brand new model with new tech would you be pissed off?

No. A buddy and I started talking about buying ebikes back in April, when we ordered them in late may we figured that 2019 stock would probably arrive in September and we wanted to ride bikes over the summer. The new kenevo has surprised me a bit, but Im happy with mine and think it was worth paying the extra over the budget one for the decent suspension.
 

Tori

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Apr 1, 2018
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Australia
I bought mine In the last 30 days (it's a Turbo Levo Carbon Expert) and the new ones are being announced now. I don't mind too much as long as they support and advance the battery and motor firmware (and app) in the 2018 model.

It's the same with anything, as soon as you buy it, it's out of date, but most importantly you can use your bike NOW. While we have this awesome weather, those fun weekends with friends are worth more to me now, in riding season than a 15% lighter motor etc.

And after this hot summer, I'm guessing we're in for a cold winter so less riding for those waiting out the season for a 2019 model.

You could always use your bike now, enjoy it, and then trade it in toward a 2019 model in the off season?

It's always an interesting conumndrum - whether or not to update, when to update, how long to hold off for the purchase etc etc etc. It's especially fraught with technology purchases, and early adoption of new technologies.

Yes, Brose have just announced a new motor, but I hope people don't get over-awed by marketing spin. If you take a closer look at the article Rob linked : Brose Drive S Mag 2019: Brose bringt kompakten leichten Motor und neuen Modus – eMTB-News.de you can see that the motor is not 30% more powerful than the 1.3 Drive S (Alu), it just offers a total support assist of 410% compared to 380%, which is something like 8% more power.

It's nice to see that Brose is making their motor a bit smaller and lighter, and it'll make integration into frames a bit more subtle, and keep the overall bike weights down a bit.

The question is, what upgrade cycle do you follow? Do you trade in your current model every year, and ride the latest-and-greatest? Do you hold off for a few years, as it's likely there will be rapid advancement in motors and batteries, with new models being released at least every 12-24 months . . . ?

It's best to examine your current needs, and whether or not the bike you have now satisfies those. Keep in mind, the industry will favour the upgrade cycle - it keeps $$$ flowing and people in jobs. You don't have to buy into the whole shebang - but you can if you like - there is no absolute right or wrong.

I'm personally not sure when I will upgrade my Levo, but I think I'd like to get at least a couple of good years out of it before I buy again. Food for thought; I used to be a serial-upgrader of my PC back in the day. A new CPU would be announced and I'd go and buy it, and the latest and greatest mobo to match. I got sick of this, as I felt that I was being manipulated as a consumer by the industry - that really just wants to turn a profit at all costs - and here I am, in 2018 still running the same CPU I purchased in 2011, a grand old 980x and socket 1366 motherboard. Still running sweet and I've saved countless $$$ over many generations of upgrades.
 

Doomanic

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Apart from looking different, what does it add to the weight, ride and handling of the bike?
 

outerlimits

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The way I see it is technology is always advancing. With Spesh bringing in the New 23 battery firmware that has the potential to burn a heap more power when used with infinity tune turned all the way up. One would think
A larger capacity battery would be on the way, like soon. It’s what the punters want; bigger battery without being heavier. I think and I hop Spesh is listening.
The new motor, well with greater assistance, has the potential to draw more power. This kinda adds some weight to the hope of a bigger capacity battery too.
While I’m on the topic of the new Mag motor, some may be pleased to know I have seen quite a few pics of it with the old Alu motor mounts, as well as the other new motor mounts. Spesh would be a large user of the Brose motor and if they were not willing to at this stage change the frames or frames motor mounts then I think this will influence Brose to bring out the Mag with the old mounts. (I did say I’ve seen the pics of this mag motor with old mounts)
I don’t think we will see the new Stumpy geo on the Levo. I think they will let the new stumpy will be used as a pioneer first before they introduce it into the Levo.
As for keeping my soon to be old tech 2018 Levo. Yes I will for 3-5years, as I think then the tech would of made a large enough leap to justify it.
I do believe a new larger capacity battery will be with us soon, and it will fit in place of the old 504wh. I think the cell tech has come along enough to allow this. I believe in the next 2-3 years i’ll Be up for a motor and or battery and this is when I hope I can slot in a higher capacity battery and mag motor to get me through another 2-3 years, before a full bike upgrade.
I see 2020 as being the year for major changes to the Levo and Kenevo. The new Stumpy geo would be accepted by the masses as the ducks guts. We will see the Levo change to this new geo, and the battery and motor, and their respective mounts change too. I think 2020 will also see a carbon Kenevo introduced.
 

PabloNZ

Member
Mar 26, 2018
30
20
Wellington, New Zealand
Popped in to my LBS over the weekend and got a few tidbits of info from them about the '19 bikes. They got told by the Specialized rep to order a 2019 s-works as soon as they can as there won't be many of them available down here (it'll retail for circa NZD$15k). The rep didn't tell them anything other than it'll have a 700Wh battery... Maybe he's dropping red herrings? Misdirection for the sake of secrecy? Who knows.

The 2019 comp and expert Levo FSR bikes have the same code on their system, and they don't know anything about any spec bumps, but won't see stock of any of the range until late December down here in NZ.

All this means I caved in and picked up one of the last two large 2018 fsr comps they will have until the 19 bikes arrive.
 

SteveVentoux

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May 13, 2018
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Ah, sorry just realised, only remember the new Kenevo posts! The wait for a new Levo FSR model announcement continues..!
 

DaiGaled

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Jul 9, 2018
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Went to my LBS today and was told Specialized have been really quiet about the new Levo. The wait is killing me as I’m desperate to pull the trigger on the 2018 fsr comp ( if there’s any left that is).
 

DaiGaled

New Member
Jul 9, 2018
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Pencoed
Congratulations on the new Kenevo. How is it? Man I’m so tempted to just get a 2018 levo or even search for a good deal on a kenevo.
 

R120

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Apr 13, 2018
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I suspect the new Bulls E-Stream Evo Am 4 is the closest indicator yet to the new Levo, its running the Brose S-Drive Mag and a 750WH Battery, and it wouldn't surprise me if this isn't the same motor/battery combo in the Levo:

BULLS E-MTB Neuheiten 2019: 15,9 kg Leichtgewicht, Brose mit 750-Wh-Akku & eSUV-Fully | E-MOUNTAINBIKE Magazine

"The new BULLS E-STREAM EVO AM 4 is supposed to do the splits between Tourer and fun machine with 150 mm travel. For this, BULLS uses the new Brose Drive S Mag engine with 90 NM torque and combines it with the specially developed 750 Wh SuperCore battery.

The 150 mm suspension, consisting of a FOX 36 Float Rhythm fork and a FOX Float DPS damper, should provide the necessary reserves on challenging trails. To make the E-STREAM EVO stand up reliably, BULLS installs the sturdy Magura MT5. Shimano Deore XT 11-speed shifting shifts gears, while Child Shock's drop-down seatpost provides up to 150 mm of lift for flexibility. For massive grip is the Schwalbe Magic Mary at the front and the Nobby Nic at the rear, in each 2.8 "width, in charge."


Bulls-E-Stream-EVO-eMTB-News-Brose-1-von-23-810x540.jpg


Bulls-E-Stream-EVO-eMTB-News-Brose-18-von-23-810x540.jpg


Bulls-E-Stream-EVO-eMTB-News-Brose-14-von-23-810x540.jpg
 

Stumpy

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Picked up my Kenevo today :cool: and talked with the guys, they seemed pretty sure about the 2019 Levo coming with the asymmetric frame design of the Stumpjumper and no changes on the Kenevo beside of the new blue color and the already known Comp version.

Congrats!
 

outerlimits

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Feb 3, 2018
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Just got good word from my lbs that the 2019 Levo does not get a bigger battery nor the new Mag motor. It’s al the same 504wh and 1.3.

I really think the changes will come in 2020 with a new frame based on the new2019 Stumpy.

My lbs are having a demo day of the whole 2019 range in mid August.

45C98DC3-1968-4946-9AEC-7380EB24B4C9.jpeg
 

Tori

Active member
Apr 1, 2018
282
423
Australia
Just got good word from my lbs that the 2019 Levo does not get a bigger battery nor the new Mag motor. It’s al the same 504wh and 1.3.

I really think the changes will come in 2020 with a new frame based on the new2019 Stumpy.

My lbs are having a demo day of the whole 2019 range in mid August.

View attachment 3423
Part of me is relieved, part of me disappointed. I have recently purchased a second 504Wh battery, and I would have had some buyers regret had Specialized released a bigger one . . . but I would have also been excited for the prospect of more storage, especially if a new battery was backwards compatible with the 2018 Levo.

You're probably right on the 2020 speculation. Keep an ear to the ground, hey? Let us know if you find out more. (y)
 
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