Just about to purchase a Turbo Levo...

escrs

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2019
288
262
UK
Chris@Berkshire Cycles, best dealer in the UK

I got 1k off my 2018 Kenevo when i bought it from him (rrp£ 5500, i paid £4500)

They would rather make a little less profit on bikes but have happy returning customers who value their knowledge and also buy upgrades from them
 

super_claret

Active member
Subscriber
Aug 21, 2019
208
47
North Yorkshire
Just been quoted a £650 discount on a 2020 Carbon Expert model. What are the differences between the 2019 v 2020 models apart from the Fox 36 forks?

I can buy the 2019 Carbon Expert for £5800, that's really tempting me but if there's been some improvements under the hood which affect reliability, it might be worth the extra for the 2020.
 

escrs

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2019
288
262
UK
2020 has fox 36 forks and a fox float dps rear shock and Eliminator black diamond rear tyre

2019 has rockshox pikes, rockshox Deluxe RT3 rear shock and a Butcher, GRID casing rear tyre

Thats pretty much it, all 2020's come with the updated shock linkage and a few other little bits and pieces like the rubber cover on the rear, also the 2020 will have the latest firmware versions,the 2019 may come with them if it was built in the factory after a certain date or the shop you buy from has retro fitted them, if not then you will have to request them to be fitted before you buy or take it back to be retro fitted after you buy, also the firmware could be the older one if they don't update it before despatching,
 
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paquo

Well-known member
Jul 31, 2018
463
283
usa
hopefully they tweaked the 2020 motor to lower the failure rate, you would think they would
 

Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,265
5,054
Scotland
I'm just about to pull the trigger on a Turbo Levo Expert 2019 model and wondered if there was anything I should be aware of? I'd be particularly interested in hearing from owners of the above model and any issues they might have had. If any issues, were they handled well by Specialised?

I guess I'm sh*****g myself at the prospect of spending that chunk of money and trying to justify it!
I got one in June 750 miles and lots of fun later no issues as of yet. New chain and rear pads only cost so far. I couldn't get one up near me flew London hire car Berkshire cycles 10 hour drive home so hopefully no issues that can't be sorted nearer to home. Handles great noise I can't compare as new to ebike, beware it makes you ride harder technical terrain as it is impressive bike
 

TheBikePilot

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Oct 9, 2018
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If it's a motor or battery the warranty is reset on that item.

Hmmm. It's hard to say, you only hear of the problems on here amongst the thousands sold worldwide. You're more likely to dive on the internet and find this site if you have a problem rather than head out and ride hassle free if you dont..

Plennnnty of other brands and motos having issues. I think proportionally the Levo has the same as every other brand. Proportionally more Levo owners on here I’d say..

Sadly though, with these machines, they need to go back to the dealer to be fixed rather than self-maintenance..
 
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goldo

Member
Apr 19, 2019
17
18
atlanta
I would go for the 2020, not that much difference in price after you figure in the discount. My 2019 had the motor crap out on it after about a month. another thought is but the cheaper base model and add factory fox fork and the fox factory dpx2 rear shock, you'll have a better bike IMHO, that's what I did.
 

High Rock Ruti

Active member
May 13, 2019
423
331
Massachusetts
I'm just about to pull the trigger on a Turbo Levo Expert 2019 model and wondered if there was anything I should be aware of? I'd be particularly interested in hearing from owners of the above model and any issues they might have had. If any issues, were they handled well by Specialised?

I guess I'm sh*****g myself at the prospect of spending that chunk of money and trying to justify it!

High Rock Ruti

Please read the Turbo Levo pages about failures, I'm on my third replacement motor in less than 500 miles, the bike has been down over two month for repairs.

My Pivot Shuttle with Shimano is two years old does nothing but run.

Turbo Levo is a great obstacle bike with 29's and the Brose is a noticeably stronger (more torque) motor, but belt failures and now no replacement motors is a real problem.
 

gaba

Active member
Dec 31, 2018
112
129
California
I think you have a selection bias. Everyone that has an issue is posting. I know of at least 8 2019 Levo owners in my local ride group none of which have had any major issues. We own 2 in my house. Zero regrets.


Wow, it's scary reading about all the battery and motor failures which seem to be pretty common. What really does concern me is the 4 week wait for a new motor!!
If these bikes are so popular, why is there no stock available in the UK?

I really want to buy this bike but don't want to shell out nearly £6k for a load of hassle.[/QUOTE
 

paquo

Well-known member
Jul 31, 2018
463
283
usa
I think you have a selection bias. Everyone that has an issue is posting. I know of at least 8 2019 Levo owners in my local ride group none of which have had any major issues. We own 2 in my house. Zero regrets.
while my bike is getting its motor replaced the guy there said they have 3 on the schedule for the same thing
 

Tim Skafidas

New Member
Oct 1, 2019
4
5
Crested Butte Colorado
I'm just about to pull the trigger on a Turbo Levo Expert 2019 model and wondered if there was anything I should be aware of? I'd be particularly interested in hearing from owners of the above model and any issues they might have had. If any issues, were they handled well by Specialised?

I guess I'm sh*****g myself at the prospect of spending that chunk of money and trying to justify it!
I got the 2020 turbo LEVO comp...besides my house it was the most I’ve ever spent. I was nervous...but it was worth every penny. Think of it as a preventative health investment. It gave me new enthusiasm for the sport of riding and I can crank my legs into oblivion and then still do a bike ride. You won’t regret it
 

57 Reaction

Member
May 27, 2019
76
56
United Kingdom
I got the 2020 turbo LEVO comp...besides my house it was the most I’ve ever spent. I was nervous...but it was worth every penny. Think of it as a preventative health investment. It gave me new enthusiasm for the sport of riding and I can crank my legs into oblivion and then still do a bike ride. You won’t regret it
Just back from a 40 miler in the UK Mud on my 2020 Comp, 62% battery remaining.The bike is an absolute blast. Don't wait ......just do it !
 

Parrychops

Member
Sep 24, 2019
26
17
London
I'm just about to pull the trigger on a Turbo Levo Expert 2019 model and wondered if there was anything I should be aware of? I'd be particularly interested in hearing from owners of the above model and any issues they might have had. If any issues, were they handled well by Specialised?

I guess I'm sh*****g myself at the prospect of spending that chunk of money and trying to justify it!
I’m 2 months in and absolutely love it but I have changed the tyres and gone tubeless, the thing was unrideable before and now rolls a lot better. I don’t think there’s anything else I’d change right now but ask me in a couple of months. Do it, you won’t regret ut
 

Parrychops

Member
Sep 24, 2019
26
17
London
Chris@Berkshire Cycles, best dealer in the UK

I got 1k off my 2018 Kenevo when i bought it from him (rrp£ 5500, i paid £4500)

They would rather make a little less profit on bikes but have happy returning customers who value their knowledge and also buy upgrades from them
Is that his email (plus .com??) I’ve been trying to get in touch with them but no luck so far
 

salko

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Aug 29, 2019
1,275
867
SLO
Mate, he just wrote that you should go-to/call Berkshire Cycles and ask for Chris ...
 

YrianX

Member
Patreon
Sep 14, 2019
205
253
Norway
Just to put things into a little bit of perspective for you to calm those pre-purchase nerves ;) @Al Boneta, who's a bike dealer in the us said this in a thread on the YT section a couple weeks ago:

What are you basing this statement on? I’ve sold 50 Shimano bikes and have had issues with more than half of them. I have sold well over 300 bikes with Brose motors and replaced 15 of them. I’ve only replaced one Bosch motor out of 100.

This works out to around 5% of Brose equipped bikes sold (would mostly be specialized I assume) in his sample size having an issue. No too bad really compared to some others...


*Edited for correct percentage.
 
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brizi2003

Active member
Nov 20, 2018
236
147
Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne
I'd be interested to know how Specialised would handle warranty issues which started in the first 2 years of ownership and continue after the bike's warranty has expired.

Anyone with any experience care to comment?
I've a 2019 Kenevo Comp, 11 months old, 1350 miles. I've had a couple of warranty claims, battery at 500 miles, motor at 1000 miles, remote at 1100 miles, that have all been resolved by my local Specialized dealer even though I didn't buy the bike there. As a Specialized dealer they are obliged to do this, so IMO the dealer you buy from is not that important. However, sometimes its taken a couple of weeks and the dealer always blames Specialized Customer Care for the delay. I bought the bike mail order for a cost difference of about £700 from the local shop but the original dealer had difficulty helping with warranty claims by asked for the bike to be returned which was too much hassle. I've heard good things about Bikescene Guisborough but haven't used them myself. I asked Specialized Customer Care what would happen if I continued to have motor/battery issues after warranty and they said they "might" offer discount on new parts depending on how far out of warranty and you can't extend the warranty and when new parts are fitted the warranty period does not restart. Unfortunately, things like batteries and motors are not serviceable items on Specialized bikes, so replacement rather than repair is the only option. Not many other components will cost as much to replace that fail so unpredicatably. I have owned several other Specialized regular bikes without any warranty claims so IMO it's just the ebike parts that are to blame. Also latest model motors & batteries don't fit earlier bikes, unlike wheels, forks, brakes etc. where you can continue to upgrade. Bike is brilliant when it works though!!! Fingers crossed.
 

boneht

Member
Sep 22, 2019
78
49
oxon
Just to put things into a little bit of perspective for you to calm those pre-purchase nerves ;) @Al Boneta, who's a bike dealer in the us said this in a thread on the YT section a couple weeks ago:



This works out to around 15% of Brose equipped bikes sold (would mostly be specialized I assume) in his sample size having an issue. No too bad really compared to some others...

15 out of 300 is 5%
 

Al Boneta

Dark Rider
Patreon
Founding Member
Jan 18, 2018
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California
hopefully they tweaked the 2020 motor to lower the failure rate, you would think they would

1A683A10-5633-45D0-BCDD-8D712332E779.jpeg
 

Jeffw

Member
Mar 2, 2019
114
76
North West
So my broken 2018 Kenevo back to LBS (LL Bury) for 10th time and i've told them i dont want to see the bike again
LBS dealt with Specialized who have now offered a full refund on the bike. So that's great news.

Big thanks to LL Bury!

So defo wont want the Kenevo comp with the same 500w battery and the Expert with triple clamps....more than i will ever need. So either the Levo Comp or Levo Expert.

Quite fancy the 2020 comp in red but upgrade the Guide brakes to Hope. Although the Expert is certainly tempting in gloss black. I'll sleep on it :)

Can't wait :)
 

boneht

Member
Sep 22, 2019
78
49
oxon
I had exactly the same dilemma just a few days ago, in the end I went for the expert, it just looks so cool (and spec wise the comp is lower all round than my friend's whyte e150rs ?).
In hindsight I might have been better with a 2019 comp carbon, the occasions where I will exceed 500wh are likely to be few and far between.
 

TheBikePilot

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Oct 9, 2018
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Clapham, London
I had exactly the same dilemma just a few days ago, in the end I went for the expert, it just looks so cool (and spec wise the comp is lower all round than my friend's whyte e150rs ?).
In hindsight I might have been better with a 2019 comp carbon, the occasions where I will exceed 500wh are likely to be few and far between.

You say that now, but you’ll be glad with the 700wh in about 4 months as you get out more and more often and for longer..!

I think it’s singularly the best upgrade/feature on the bike.
 

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