Is a 2022 Levo worth £2.5k more than a 2022 Whyte e160rs??

[Hob Nob]

I came from a Bosch motor’d bike (Trek Rail) which was all round a really good bike. I had a fair few issues with mine surrounding the Bosch bits sadly, which was bloody annoying as it took an age to get dealt with as Bosch seem to import through some tin pot distributor.

Now have a ‘22 Levo which started as an Expert but is a different spec. I’m fortunate to get a deal on stuff so paid a chunk less (considerably less than the Whyte) which I could have got a similar deal on, making it even cheaper, but I didn’t.

Never been a fan of Whytes (pig ugly, ebikes are even worse) and didn’t want another Bosch, and glad I didn’t wait for a new Rail as the new controller is even worse ?‍

I’m fine spinning up hills anyway, not the typical ebiker I see round here (overweight, riding at 45rpm in turbo up steep stuff) so don’t expect any more issues than I experienced before, hoping the Levo is reliable at least.

the one bike I would consider is the new Giant though, which is remarkable, as prior to this one, they have been absolute turd ?

 

[R120]

Yes the new Giant is imo the most exciting bike to hit the market in a while, mainly because A: its not just another ep8/bosch bike built around all the generic kit, and B because its looks like they are one of the few companies who have really looked at feedback in the emts market place and incorporated a lot of it into the new bike, from geometry, to controls, to how the charging port is sealed etc etc.

And as you say its come from the most unexpected source

 

[Mikerb]

There is feedback on the Whyte E180 RS and ( I think) S here on the forum. Do a search.

I have a 2019 Levo Comp which I have upgraded with Lyric Ultimate 160 Fork, Fox DPS shock, and use Michelin Wild 2.4 tyres. I love the bike and have not experienced a single fault with the bike over 2.5 year and 1600 miles.
I also have a 2020 Whyte E180 RS which I have had since September 2020 and again no issues at all albeit I have only put 500 miles on it.
I know the V3 Levo has slightly different geometry but really cannot believe it is that much different to the V2 suitably upgraded.
The 2 bikes are very different. The Levo is an excellent trail bike but has limitations when things get very steep and/or very gnarly. Thats where the Whyte just eats all that stuff for breakfast and asks for more!! In other words it is a full Enduro bike.
For relatively tame forest trails or adventure rides that exclude proper mountains I prefer to use the Levo. If my home territory was like the Brecon Beacons or the Peak District or the Alps or Snowdonia etc I would pick the Whyte.
Despite the upgrades I have done to the Levo it still has some pretty basic components like Roval wheels and Formula hubs/freehub, and the electrical components have needed additional DIY protection measures to prevent faults. I spend a lot of time maintaining the Levo and that includes chaning all the bearings once a year etc. My Whyte has DT Swiss E bike specific wheels hubs and freehub, signiicantly higher grade drive train components and brakes...........and I have had to do nothing to further protect the elecrics other than making a neorprene cover as extra protection for the charge port.
I am not interested in displays etc so the complete absence of one on the Levo and the simple but reliable Purion on the Whyte suit me fine.
Neither am I interested in playing with the software. The Levo has Mission Control which I have used once in 2.5 years to set the 3 modes. All firmware is as it was when I bought the bike. The Whyte has the Bosch closed system motor and all I have had done ( by a LBS ) was a firmware upgrade from 75nm to 85nm. I am happy with how Bosch set the modes so no need to play with them!

If you are thinking of the E160 rather than the E180 I cannot help you other than to say my E180 suggests it is a well made and well designed bike. There are 2 design factors which I believe are common to the E160 and E180 though. Both have the motor mounted in such a way as to allow a lower BB height and for the battery to partially sit in front the motor reducing the amount of battery weight acting as swing weight further up the bike. Secondly, ( I think!) their Geometry philosophy enables no need to specify high factory compression tuning on forks and shocks.

 

[Winger]

With a 2020 Levo still with two and a half years warranty left...famous last words.... running better that ever, my currently front runner would be Whyte 180 RS as a mullet and i’ll What till such surfaces, £8750 for a Levo expert is just too much to swallow, and I say that as someone who could ride the piggy bank for such, but for the life of me see no financial logic with the rapid progress electric mountain bikes are making trying unload such a couple of years down the line.

 

[Velociraptor]

I ride with friends on Gen2 Levos and for a year I rode a Santa Cruz Heckler. We do a lot of challenging rocky/rooty riding. I found the 27 front on the Heckler to be a problem so did a mullet which helped a lot. I would often get stuck due to wheel spin on steep uphills where the Levos would have an easier time. The Shimano E8000 motor was too on/off. I then bought a Gen3 Turbo Levo Pro and it was night and day. The Brose motor is smooth as butter, so steep uphills are way way easier because you can keep traction.Also the longer wheelbase on the Gen3 helps keep the front end down easier on steep uphills. I still have my Heckler and the general handling and suspension is comparable. It is in the extreme situations where the Levo is superior. I am 193lbs and 6'2". I had to carry an extra 500wh battery with my Heckler, but so far I have just the one 700wh battery on the Levo and the Brose motor seems to be more efficient than the Shimano 8000. I seem to get more range from the Levo than would be expected from the additional 200 watt hours. Recently I did a 15.9 mile ride with 4250 feet of climbing and still had 30% battery left. I was impressed. Riding mostly in trail mode. Anyway the pricey Levo was worth it for me and I have zero complaints with my Levo. I love the bike. I can't speak to the Whyte or the Bosch motor. Because of my size, more battery is always better and if Specialized offered an even bigger battery that would fit my Levo I might buy it. I had a deposit down on a SC Bullit but cancelled when I read about issues with battery life on that bike. I was sick of carrying a spare battery around all the time. I really don't think it makes a big difference whether you go with a carbon or aluminum frame. One of my friends has an aluminum Levo and rides great on it. I ended up with a Levo Pro because that is all I could find at the time. Size S5 which is a good fit for me. Good luck with finding your new bike! I agree with previous posts that the ebike design is evolving fast so very likely that my pricey Levo Pro will be an old design sooner than later, but it works for me and I plan to keep it for awhile. I feel the same about electric cars.

 

[ossiehere]

As title really....

Really REALLY like the look of the new 2022 Spesh Levo expert but its £8750 which is a hell of a lot of cash.

Also like the look of the 2022 Whyte E160rs which is £6250.

Is the spesh worth the extra 2500 over the whyte??

The spec isnt too dissimilar on both bikes.

What are your thoughts?

No brainer. Whyte every day of the week

 

[cappuccino34]

Spesh have to charge far more than everyone else for the same spec to pay for all the warranty claims.

Everyone I know with a Brose motor has had trouble, and Levo owners have also had batteries, wiring, controllers etc.

I really, really like some of the ideas on the new Levo, but there's no way I'd cough up THAT much money for something that I would be constantly expecting to break.

 

[HarryJune]

Specialized Turbo Levo SL Expert Carbon 2021, 20% off at Rutland cycles in size medium.

 

[1oldfart]

All Specialized Ebikes are way overprice.