Levo Gen 3 How bad are Turbo Levo Comp stock wheels

[torabora851]

How bad are Turbo Levo Comp stock wheels? I can't find any information about them on the internet.

Just wondering if I need to immediately replace the stock wheels on the new bike (and sell the new pair of wheels for a few bucks) or give them a chance( with a risk of getting another pair of unsellable noname wheels with dented rims or broken hubs in my garage )

 

[Privateerjon]

The rims are pretty soft, plenty of dents in mine after 5/600km but still straight and no issues with the hubs

 

[Snrbrtsn]

Front wheel has Shimano mt400-B hubs with open bearings
Rear wheel has Shimano Mt 510- B hubs with open bearings
In my opinion, both are Junk and inadequate

The Bearing cone seals are “ in my opinion“ inadequate & prone to water ingress and pitting
Below picture of rear hub albeit the front has similar bearing design



these bearings don’t take axial or side loading well
Better quality hubs use closed sealed bearing offering better lubrication, easier servicability & longevity

I removed my wheelset after Front hub failure

 

[torabora851]

Front wheel has Shimano mt400-B hubs with open bearings
Rear wheel has Shimano Mt 510- B hubs with open bearings
In my opinion, both are Junk and inadequate

The Bearing cone seals are “ in my opinion“ inadequate & prone to water ingress and pitting
Below picture of rear hub albeit the front has similar bearing design



these bearings don’t take axial or side loading well
Better quality hubs use closed sealed bearing offering better lubrication, easier servicability & longevity


I removed my wheelset after Front hub failure

Hmm, on the specialized website in specs:

Rear Hub
Alloy, sealed cartridge bearings, 148mmx12mm thru-axle, 28h

Front Hub
Alloy, sealed cartridge bearings, 15x110mm thru-axle, 28h

 

[Snrbrtsn]

I thought that!
Until I got clicking in the front wheel - perhaps I had an old wheelset fitted
The rear wheel serves as a good spare after I replaced both.
My front was trashed, did find the rear wheel flexed too much so changed to a stiffer wheel

 

[Polo1602]

I had a broken spoke after 250km at the rear wheel...

 

[maynard]

I trashed my rear hub pretty quickly. Then replaced them . They have been gathering dust ever since . I'd say depends on riding style and luck .

 

[Cdillardktm]

What wheelset are you buying to replace the stock wheels? I was looking at the I9 enduro MX wheel set but the sound of the hub drives me crazy.

 

[Mikerb]

Depends what year Levo Comp you are talking a bout. I had a 2019 Comp and the wheels took everything I threw at them but most of my riding is forest trails so lot of roots but few if any rocks. The hubs even back then were fairly basic but had sealed bearings and an OEM 3 pawl freehub. Sealing was not great so needed regular cleaning...and I changed the bearings in both the hub and freehub after a year of riding. Not sure the rims changed but by 2021/2 Spesh started using DT Swiss hub internals. My son has a 2021 Comp.................never heard of a Levo Comp with Shimano type hubs. The wheels are warrantied anyway so may as well use them.

 

[Sir-Case-A-Lot]

350 miles plus so far and I don't see/feel any issues. I'm about 185 lbs kitted up and average aggression on trails? Our local trails are a combination of flow and tech. But I basically ride with no thought on how the wheels will handle the rocks.

 

[torabora851]

I trashed my rear hub pretty quickly. Then replaced them . They have been gathering dust ever since . I'd say depends on riding style and luck .

Did you try to use the warranty to fix the hub? The one reason I considering not replacing the stock stuff in the first year as Spesh has a good warranty.

 

[torabora851]

What wheelset are you buying to replace the stock wheels? I was looking at the I9 enduro MX wheel set but the sound of the hub drives me crazy.

DtSwiss ex1700, I like the hub sound and the ex511 rims are pretty easy to find to replace if I crack them.

 

[maynard]

Did you try to use the warranty to fix the hub? The one reason I considering not replacing the stock stuff in the first year as Spesh has a good warranty.

No I didn't. I paid for replacement hub . I should of bought new wheels and got wheels fixed under warranty. At the time i was commuting with levo so needed quick fix .

 

[Kent]

How bad are Turbo Levo Comp stock wheels? I can't find any information about them on the internet.

Just wondering if I need to immediately replace the stock wheels on the new bike (and sell the new pair of wheels for a few bucks) or give them a chance( with a risk of getting another pair of unsellable noname wheels with dented rims or broken hubs in my garage )

Original rear hub ratchet & bearings in my Expert 2022 shredded to chips after riding about 7,000 km of moderate xc trails.
I would definitely look into upgrading to a better brand, more durable and long lasting.

 

[dcbullets]

Add cushcore inserts. I’d recommend those for any emtb

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Ive got 2 levos and had to replace wheels on both within 6 months.. depends on what and where you ride but they couldnt cope with bikeparks. put hope on both bikes.

 

[upperoso]

Just past three months on a Gen 3 Comp. Freehub appears to have blown up. Assuming DT Swiss 370 type internals. Assuming three-pawl design. 230/240 lbs kitted up (including Camelbak or similar).
Hoping DT Swiss, via Specialized and the local shop, will warranty the freehub body. Regardless, a Turbo Levo with a heavy rider ought not have pawls (IMHO).
If the hub had ratchets, then it would be a reasonable value (IMHO).
A conversion kit, pawls to ratches, seems over US$100.
This:

SERVICE KIT RATchet LN W. FB MTB Hybrid SRAm XD Steel

HXYXXX00N5971S

 

[Digital]

Just past three months on a Gen 3 Comp. Freehub appears to have blown up. Assuming DT Swiss 370 type internals. Assuming three-pawl design. 230/240 lbs kitted up (including Camelbak or similar).
Hoping DT Swiss, via Specialized and the local shop, will warranty the freehub body. Regardless, a Turbo Levo with a heavy rider ought not have pawls (IMHO).
If the hub had ratchets, then it would be a reasonable value (IMHO).
A conversion kit, pawls to ratches, seems over US$100.
This:

SERVICE KIT RATchet LN W. FB MTB Hybrid SRAm XD Steel

HXYXXX00N5971S

Blew the stock Shimano freehub twice - moved to HOPE freehub and no more issues...
215lbs., aggressive rider.

 

[KennyB]

Still on original wheels on my 3 and 1/2 year old 2020, running tubeless. Rims have numerous dings but no problem with sealing. I had a spoke break once but didn't even notice until I was checking the bike, spoke change etc quick and easy. changed the bearings once and was delighted with the quality of the design of front and rear hubs, on a par with Hope and DT -- there are internal shoulders on the rear and a sleeve on the front so no side loading on the cartridge bearings. In summary:

Time - easy to mantain, truing quick and easy
Cost - they came with the bike
Quality - design and build outstanding

 

[upperoso]

Just past three months on a Gen 3 Comp. Freehub appears to have blown up. Assuming DT Swiss 370 type internals. Assuming three-pawl design. 230/240 lbs kitted up (including Camelbak or similar).
Hoping DT Swiss, via Specialized and the local shop, will warranty the freehub body. Regardless, a Turbo Levo with a heavy rider ought not have pawls (IMHO).
If the hub had ratchets, then it would be a reasonable value (IMHO).
A conversion kit, pawls to ratches, seems over US$100.
This:

SERVICE KIT RATchet LN W. FB MTB Hybrid SRAm XD Steel

HXYXXX00N5971S

Took a look at the rear wheel. The problem turned out to be the ring gear which is a threaded install into the hub. The ring gear is not supposed to spin! Alas, the hub is almost certainly a total loss. The ring gear may be removed using a special tool. For the curious, this video shows the removal of a ring gear for a 3-pawl system and the installation of a ring gear for the more robust ratchet system.

A picture of the part that spins inside my hub making the wheel useless is attached.

Part numbers? I do not wish to ride a rear wheel with pawls. In other words, another wheel like this one will surely fail. This conversion kit is something I am looking into now.

Edit: The ring gear will surely spin whether the freehub engagement is via pawls or ratchets. Prob. best to get a new, different rear wheel.

SERVICE KIT RATchet LN W. FB MTB Hybrid SRAm XD Steel HXYXXX00N5971S

The 3-pawl freehub the Ratchet LN upgrade kit will replace (along with a few other parts) is is p/n HFH-0003 , which, I think is Specialized p/n S202100005. HFH-0003 seems to be one part number for two different designs. Images attached. My TL Comp Gen 3 came with coil springs for the pawls.

How bad are these wheels? Specialized clearly cut corners. Licensed DT Swiss technology but used the low-end, low-cost system associated with less interesting bikes. Makes no sense at all.

 

[Stoneilove]

Only have 150 miles on the stock wheels/hub, for me they are to soft and i don't like the feel of them when belting through berms. Currently waiting for some Sixth Element carbon rims with dt swiss 350 hub (54t upgrade)

 

[maynard]

Still on original wheels on my 3 and 1/2 year old 2020, running tubeless. Rims have numerous dings but no problem with sealing. I had a spoke break once but didn't even notice until I was checking the bike, spoke change etc quick and easy. changed the bearings once and was delighted with the quality of the design of front and rear hubs, on a par with Hope and DT -- there are internal shoulders on the rear and a sleeve on the front so no side loading on the cartridge bearings. In summary:

Time - easy to mantain, truing quick and easy
Cost - they came with the bike
Quality - design and build outstanding

A bit of maintenance goes a long way.

 

[Bndit]

Wheels are fine but those shit Shimano hubs doesn`t belong to an ebike

 

[MiTurboComp]

Depends what year Levo Comp you are talking a bout. I had a 2019 Comp and the wheels took everything I threw at them but most of my riding is forest trails so lot of roots but few if any rocks. The hubs even back then were fairly basic but had sealed bearings and an OEM 3 pawl freehub. Sealing was not great so needed regular cleaning...and I changed the bearings in both the hub and freehub after a year of riding. Not sure the rims changed but by 2021/2 Spesh started using DT Swiss hub internals. My son has a 2021 Comp.................never heard of a Levo Comp with Shimano type hubs. The wheels are warrantied anyway so may as well use them.

Are the rims’ warranty stated in the purchaser’s literature packet including manual etc. ?

 

[Nerds On Dirt MTB]

I had the freehub on my Alloy Comp blow up in the middle of nowhere (yay zip ties through the cassette to get out) a month after I got the bike. Spec replaced the wheel but I don't trust that hub, so I went with e*thirteen e-spec LG1s and so far so good.

 

[upperoso]

Spoke broke at the nipple today. Front wheel. Shame on Specialized and DT Swiss :-(

The rear wheel is great! The replacement for the Specialized / DT Swiss wheel, that is to say.

FWIW, I opted for the DT Swiss hybrid 350 hub for the steel ratchet and otherwise sturdier construction.

 

[Razorx]

My freebody broke but specialized took it on warranty and sent a new rear wheel. Is there any upgrades you think or are they sending a similar wheel you think?

 

[Digital]

How bad are Turbo Levo Comp stock wheels? I can't find any information about them on the internet.

Just wondering if I need to immediately replace the stock wheels on the new bike (and sell the new pair of wheels for a few bucks) or give them a chance( with a risk of getting another pair of unsellable noname wheels with dented rims or broken hubs in my garage )

Can only speak to the 2018 Turbo Levo Comp: I'm 6ft. / 210Lbs; have been riding for more than 30 years, love black diamond and tech' trails. I ride the living shit out of my gear. Lots of rock, roots and "old guy air" (six foot drops max'). Have been beating the living hell out of these rims for going on six years - no warp, running true, with no broken spokes.

Pretty amazing actually.

The rear hub however, is another story. Broke it twice before I had the common sense to move to a HOPE hub; problem solved.

Andrew

 

[DS.]

on a gen2 and gen3 freehub failure