Levo Gen 3 Are you gunna go elsewhere?

[z1ppy]

I'm no fanboi of spesch, buying my 1st specialized, a 2019 Levo as it was discounted, had the biggest battery available (500wh batteries suck) and was top of the tree at the time. I've had a quick go on a 2022 Levo and loved it (a lot), but I'm struggling with the cost of even the ali versions.
Are you just going to suck it up, or look closely at the other options available?

I'm not (currently) posting this in the general forum, as I know it would just turn into a pure spesch beat down. Which is not my point, as we all know Spesch charge a premium, but I'm wondering what other current owners or ppl looking at the new range think?
(normal everyday owners please, if you bought one as you don't care about the expense, that's brilliant... but this threads not aimed at you)

 

[Jimbo Vills]

I’m not sure they are so much more expensive now.

the other brands seem to be closing the gap, and there’s some premium brands like Santa Cruz, yeti and top end treks now raising a few eyebrows on prices.

End of the day they are all expensive.

I got a 2020 levo comp as was my first eMTB or proper mountain bike and seemed like a good overall package. And the 700wh appealed although now I realise the Bosch 625 is very comparable in terms of range.

cycle to work scheme meant my then £5.5k bike actually cost me £3.5k which cushioned the blow.

would I go again with spesh? I don’t know. Ideally I’d want a 160/170mm 750wh Bosch bike next time, but none taking my fancy at the moment….

then I keep looking at this, and with the CTW discount isn’t too bad in price

Even showing S4’s in stock

 

[escrs]

Paid 4.5k for my 2017 gen 1 Levo Expert

Paid 5.5k for my 2018 gen 1 Kenevo Expert

Paid 6.5k for my 2020 gen2 Levo Expert

Due the rising prices this will prob be my last Spesh, maybe even my last emtb

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

had a 19 carbon and 20 comp
I am a bit of a spesh fan, all my best bikes have been from them and most of all love the warranty which has always worked for me when I needed it.

list price on a 21 comp was £6300
list on a comp alloy 22 is £6750 and I think the upgrades in there plus difficult times can account for that change.

its a difficult decision when spesh have lost what was a clear lead in the business and competitors are higher specced, cheaper and making great bikes.
so, I dont know.. you can buy a very similar bike to the expert (spec wise) with a bosch motor and similar size battery for quite a bit less and I like the bosch motor.

 

[Mikerb]

Price is a factor for me but also reliability. I bought a Levo Comp in April 2019 for £4500 ( list price was £5000 and I got 10% discount for cash). Tyres, rear shock and forks were rubbish and I changed all of them. My Levo ( recently stolen) was completely reliable but only because I did modifications to all the electrical aspects to protect and waterproof them, and changed all the wheel and freehub bearings each year. The Levo Comp is now £6750. Shock and Fork specs are better but not brilliant and it is now 12 speed, no that 12 speed is any sort of beneficial progress in my book! I already have a Whyte E180 so I am only really interested in a pure trail bike. The adjustable geo on the Levo is a benefit for those wanting it to cover different disciplines but I would guess the low/slack/sled setting would in any case be limited by the fairly basic suspension as the limiting factor. It is of no interest o me personally because I want a pure trail bike!
My experience of the Whyte E180 after a year is very different. I have done no modifications to it other than change the bars, and I have only had to check items like freehub, bearings, hubs etc none of which have needed even servicing let alone changing. Whilst some find the battery removal process tricky I dont ,plus I rarely remove it anyway.
So all in al I feel more inclined to go for a Whyte E150 or possibly a Giant Trance X E.
In terms of my personal choices I should mention I prefer ally to carbon

 

[Grannyjones]

I would actually consider 12 speed to be a bad thing than a good thing. More likely to go wrong and much harder to fix when it does.


I got a Turbo Levo Comp 2020 and the suspension is Worlds better than my analogue trail bikes which cost thousands.

 

[Hob Nob]

Price isn’t really a consideration for me, if it’s something in terms of geometry/travel etc then I’ll make a decision based on that.

That said however, the Gen3 Levo wasn’t really the one for me. I was lumping round a battery which I barely used more than 50% at any one time, a motor turned right down & a rear suspension trait that wasn’t great for faster riders.

I didn’t go far though, went for a Kenevo SL, which suits my needs much more

 

[jeanmarc]

To get the new TCU, you need to go Turbo Levo Comp which is over $10k (in Canada).
Price becomes an issue when comparing specs and you’re just a weekend warrior. I don’t do flips or anything crazy, I just ride the trails for maximum outdoors oxygen & fun.

 

[shacall2]

I have two 2020 Levo Comps, and one 2021 Levo Comp. After 5 motor replacements between the two 2020s, I sold one of them for an Orbea Wild FS. While I still love my other two Levos, I have no regrets moving to another brand. My Levos have been wonderful bikes...I still love them. I'm just not happy with the motor reliability.

The rising prices and the fact that all other brands have "caught up" to Spesh, make it doubtful I'll buy another Levo in the future. Service from Specialized is second to none. Absolutely fantastic for me and is the reason I've stayed with them so long. Great bikes, but just too expensive now. If they could keep the prices down and move to Bosch, I'd still consider them in the future.

 

[Goodmango13]

I'm no fanboi of spesch, buying my 1st specialized, a 2019 Levo as it was discounted, had the biggest battery available (500wh batteries suck) and was top of the tree at the time. I've had a quick go on a 2022 Levo and loved it (a lot), but I'm struggling with the cost of even the ali versions.
Are you just going to suck it up, or look closely at the other options available?

I'm not (currently) posting this in the general forum, as I know it would just turn into a pure spesch beat down. Which is not my point, as we all know Spesch charge a premium, but I'm wondering what other current owners or ppl looking at the new range think?
(normal everyday owners please, if you bought one as you don't care about the expense, that's brilliant... but this threads not aimed at you)

Interesting timing this came up…..I’ve got a 2019 S-Works that I love, has gone through to a new motor flawlessly done through warranty very quickly and I’ve gotta say it is still a thrill to ride as I’m out on the trails in Long Island, NY very frequently….Now my good friend has offered me his lightly ridden /New, Gen 3 S-Works in my frame size for a fair price and I’m wondering if I should go for it…..I have no doubts about quality from Spesch and certain if I decided not to keep my 2019 I could easily sell it….but, but, but…….it is still a hefty price for the bike…and I’ve ridden my other friend’s Bullit and it is an amazingly fast/confidence inspiring set up….yet the battery size limits his range much more than one would think possible with that 625Wh batt…..simply meaning there are trade offs everywhere that we make….no “thing” is going to have it all for us…it becomes such a personal thing to consider….I guess I’m curious where I will go with my decision as well….Love the thought of a new bike though …oh yes…..so…I hear you and say have fun deciding and regardless, you’ll have fun on the rails…..THERE’S ALWAYS MORE….more money/more fun…..etc…

 

[jeanmarc]

Interesting timing this came up…..I’ve got a 2019 S-Works that I love, has gone through to a new motor flawlessly done through warranty very quickly and I’ve gotta say it is still a thrill to ride as I’m out on the trails in Long Island, NY very frequently….Now my good friend has offered me his lightly ridden /New, Gen 3 S-Works in my frame size for a fair price and I’m wondering if I should go for it…..I have no doubts about quality from Spesch and certain if I decided not to keep my 2019 I could easily sell it….but, but, but…….it is still a hefty price for the bike…and I’ve ridden my other friend’s Bullit and it is an amazingly fast/confidence inspiring set up….yet the battery size limits his range much more than one would think possible with that 625Wh batt…..simply meaning there are trade offs everywhere that we make….no “thing” is going to have it all for us…it becomes such a personal thing to consider….I guess I’m curious where I will go with my decision as well….Love the thought of a new bike though …oh yes…..so…I hear you and say have fun deciding and regardless, you’ll have fun on the rails…..THERE’S ALWAYS MORE….more money/more fun…..etc…

Your friend's coordinates in case you don't take the Gen 3 S-Works?

 

[killjoyken]

I own a 2022 Expert and the geometry is what makes this bike my favorite of all time. If I was on a budget I would rather buy a 2022 Levo alloy than anything else on the market.

As for reliability, I've owned a 2018 Levo Expert, 2019 Levo Expert, 2020 Levo SL Expert, 2020 Levo S-works and a 2022 Levo Expert and have had zero failures. I normally ride in eco or trail, I ease up when shifting and I live in a dry climate so to each their own. I was an Ibis and Santa Cruz fanboy for years but these new Specialized bikes are amazing.

 

[118]

A friend of mine has just purchased a 22 Levo carbon expert.
Another has just purchased a s-works Kenevo sl

They both have and still ride their alloy Kenevo's. Price, is just a number..

 

[Topolino]

Are you saying I can turn a profit on selling my 2019 Levo Carbon Expert

 

[Konanige]

Levo SL was my first Spesh, never had one before as didnt like how the few I tried rode. They are dearer but the whole package is better, superb dealer back-up, lack of on bar display (can't abide wacking great screens with heartrate and all that crap) and just how nice it looks an d how natural it feels to ride, made the extra £1000 over other bikes worth it.

 

[Goodmango13]

Your friend's coordinates in case you don't take the Gen 3 S-Works?

Hmmmmmm……

 

[Deleted member 7464]

I have a 19 upgraded levo carbon and due to the huge cost of new ebikes I won't be getting another.i may even go back to enduro motorbikes rather than mountain bikes as it seems they are alot cheaper now.

 

[Stevie H]

I have owned a large number of MTB over the years indeed going back to the first Cannondale Ravens now that was expensive. Had 6 e bikes since 2018 2 Levos 2018 and 2019 models Comp and Carbon Comp a Cube, Trek Rail 5 and 9 and then a 21 Kenevo Comp. I still have the Kenevo and love It, just purchased a Gen 3 Levo expert it rides very close to the Kenevo ride early days but so far never had any real issues with Spesh, few issues with the Treks only small stuff. The Bosch motor was good but not as good as the Brose. It was nice coming back to this motor. Also had a Orbes rise M10 for a week on loan from the shop shimano motor was good.

 

[Repsol]

I can't see me ever buying another specilized, I've not been able to get out on mine since getting it last week, in a way I'm glad as at least I've got proof of the rear buckled wheel I've just seen after giving the bike a good coat of HD wax, so they can't say I've done it.
I was a bit miffed after checking the bike over after unboxing it to discover it hadn't been PDI'd.
There was grease on the rotors, gear's not adjusted correctly, suspension creaking, valve stems loose, battery not charged, no protective film on TCU and this bike was purchased from a specilized concept store.

Needless to say I'll be ringing the manager on Wednesday who'll be getting a right blasting from me.
I think all they've done is pump the suspension and tyres, This is taking the pi$$.

 

[Repsol]

Well credit where credits due the dealership came good after bringing it to their attention.Their delivering me another new bike and have given me a very generous cash refund as compensation, can't wait to get out on it.

 

[cozzy]

I would only buy another brand if I could get local support as good as Berkshire bikes provide.
Even thought I have only needed them once in 2 years, it comforting to have them 30 mins away.
I really couldn't be doing with the faff of boxing up a failed bike to post it back or waiting weeks for repairs in a shop.
Plus I think they still make the best bikes.

 

[Mcharza]

I'm not a fanboy either, Specialized bikes have proven to be good and suitable for me.
Owned several Spesh bike, normal mtb and e-mtb. Now I own one of each.

That, of course, helps when my old race buddy owns an LBS that sells them. 10 min by car and 20 min by bike.
I have always received good service in problems and other help.