Levo Gen 3 Levo Expert Gen. 3 quality issues - opinions?

[_Martin_]

So after my plans on downsizing to a S3 Kenevo were foiled by the current availability my LBS made me a nice offer for a new Levo Gen.3. So as it turns out I am now a proud owner of a new Levo Expert. A proud owner but not a happy owner so far.

It all started when I took my Levo apart to apply Ride Wrap frame protection. As I was taking the battery out I had to use an excessive amount of force to do so, which was not normal from what I was used to on my Kenevo. So on closer inspection I noticed that the countersunk screws from the motor cover where sticking out, which in turn were catching on the battery mount. Since I was not able to thread the screws in further, I took the motor out to see what's the deal here. It turns out that the threads in the motor mount were simply not cut in deep enough to fully house the screws. Fun fact: when I was taking the motor out I noticed that the pin to align the chain guide in place was also missing.

So long story short I am now getting a new motor mount and chain guide pin from Specialized. What really bugs me here is that this is not a fault which will just manifest while using the bike, like a motor dying or something creaking. I mean someone in Taiwan must have just crammed the battery in there thinking it's just fine like that? IMO that's just really poor for a "premium" quality brand like Specialized especially on a 9.4k bike. So I'm getting a bike with an obvious fault, new parts to do the fixing myself and not even an apology?

The next thing I noticed is that beneath the clear finish of my frame there is white fingerprints as well as what seems to be air trapped inside as well. So I was just wondering if some carbon Levo owner can tell me if that is normal and the clearcoated carbon Levos just look like that or am I dealing with a bad frame here (for sure never had issues like that on other brands' bikes)?

So anyways, after having issues with an ill fitting rear triangle on my Kenevo last year as well I'd really like to hear what your experiences are with the quality of Specialized bikes? Am I just to picky about my bikes or simply unlucky?

 

[chrismechmaster]

Can’t help you sorry but I feel your pain these bikes cost a small fortune and should be perfect
I spent just short of 9 k on a orbea rise and then had to loctite the crank arms on to stop them falling off !!
Bad really considering the money these top end bikes are

 

[Four Flusher]

My charging door broke immediately, I've got a bad rattle that my dealer is trying to locate and the motor is a bit loud on big climbs, which might be due to a bad motor, we'll see it's at my dealer now. That said this is my third E bike, '20 levo and a '20 Rocky, and honestly after a month an a half and 450 miles, were I be offered a full refund, I love the way my expert rides so much, I'd decline. It's not perfect but for me it's that good.

 

[Pdoz]

It makes you wonder about morale / working conditions at the factories . Imagine being a factory worker post covid - I know how difficult the past 18 months have been for me working masked, and I just sit at a desk. These poor mongrels most likely have travel / lifestyle restrictions - I know our fifo oil workers have faced huge changes to their rosters with pre / post shift quarantine periods.

That bike was probably assembled by an exhausted hypoxic sex starved lonely worker wearing fogged up glasses .....are you sure that's just a fingerprint?

 

[j.e.]

I have the same problem with the battery on my S3 Expert. I can't get it out and have to put the bike in my flat to charge it which is really annoying. I wrote specialized support but didn't get an answer till today. I don't know if its caused by the motorscrews but it propably is.

 

[_Martin_]

My charging door broke immediately, I've got a bad rattle that my dealer is trying to locate and the motor is a bit loud on big climbs, which might be due to a bad motor, we'll see it's at my dealer now. That said this is my third E bike, '20 levo and a '20 Rocky, and honestly after a month an a half and 450 miles, were I be offered a full refund, I love the way my expert rides so much, I'd decline. It's not perfect but for me it's that good.

Yeah that is my dilemma too, currently there are just no bikes comparable to the Levo Gen. 3 but I don't think it's going to stay like that for long. After my personal experiences considering reliability, quality and customer service so far I was not really that eager anymore to buy another Spesh. I often think of Specialized as the Apple of bikes, you're paying more money for something with inferior technical specifications just because the whole concept is well rounded and the user experience is great. The difference is that for an Apple Product I am also getting top notch quality for the upcharge. It is such a shame since I really love their bikes. As for the charging door, this thing is a real joke. Every mechanical engineer with the slightest knowledge of polymers would have known that this is not a good idea.

@j.e.
Does it catch in the last few centimeters of pulling it out? Then yes it's most likely the screws. I've attached a picture below, you can see on the scratched plastic where it catches. Had the same experience with the Specialized support as well, when I had a knocking noise from the upper corners of the battery hitting the inside of the frame on my Kenevo. Both my LBS as well as I myself contacted them and didn't get any answer till today.

After stripping off some of the topcoat covering the label with the serial number while pulling off the original downtube protection (actually went off really easy gently warming it with a hairdryer) I am kinda bothered with the overall reliability on the long run.
I've got a dismantled frame here ready to be covered in Ride Wrap and I really don't know where to go from here. With months of waiting and now the trouble with the new bike I finally want be able to ride my bike, but I also don't want to put more senseless effort in a bike that will cause problems on the long run. So I would really like to hear what @Specialized Rider Care has to say about those things. Are issues and quality like that the new normalcy for Specialized bikes? For now I suspect that those are just cosmetic issues (which also shouldn't be like that), but I at least want to know if this frame is going to be safe on the long run.

 

[j.e.]

@_Martin_ Yes it's exactly as you describe it – the battery stucks in the last mm before pulling it out. i tried it several times in different angles but I gave up because i was concerned about damaging anything. thank you for your efforts to explore it thoroughly and point it out!

 

[j.e.]

I wonder how this can be repaired since i see no way to get the battery out to get access to that screws

 

[_Martin_]

I wonder how this can be repaired since i see no way to get the battery out to get access to that screws

Hmm that is a tough question, generally there is no space in the frame to just take the motor bolts out and pivot the motor out of the way. I think you'll be able to pull it out using enough force, carefully wiggling it out from side to side might help as well. As I stated someone must have managed to put the battery in that way in the first place, so you might as well be able to pull it out. I don't think you'll damage the frame, but you might scratch the upper battery spacer quite a lot. At least this is what happened with mine but as far as I know I am getting a new one from Specialized. Once you got the battery out you can swap the original M4x12 countersunk screws for M4x10 ones, those will be short enough to be fully threaded in while still having plenty of thread to hold a simple plastic cover. Did you contact your LBS about that matter? If you are unsure they might be able to help you.

 

[Tim1023]

Nope, doesn't look like they have any quality issues at all!

My new Levo Expert 2022 has a broken carbon swing after 160km.
The swing is broken on a forst way no Trail or Jumps...............
Thank you Specialized for thix High Quality!

@Specialized Rider Care
Can you Help me?

View attachment 66756

 

[_Martin_]

Nope, doesn't look like they have any quality issues at all!

Yupp, I have read that thread too and now I'm a little worried if my frame is even going to hold up. Would be nice to hear if those marks on my frame could be a sign of a bad frame or if it's just a cosmetic issue.

 

[_Martin_]

@j.e. So did you get to fix the problem? My experience with the Specialized service has been a real joke so far. It's been over a month since I've reported the issue to my lbs and they informed Specialized about it.
So far I have gotten a motor cover (which has nothing to do with the issue) and after I informed them again that it is an issue with the motor mount brackets including the cover mounts, they've sent me the rearward motor mount (which again has nothing to do with the issue as well). The only right part I got so far was a new battery expander, at least thanks for that.

I took a lot of time to accurately describe the issue including screw lengths, pictures etc. and the least they could do is take a little bit of time to read it and send me the right parts. So my experience so far is paying premium for a bike with an issue that could have easily been spotted by quality control and then not even getting the issue fixed in over a month.

So now I fixed the issue using shorter screws than the original ones and it works fine. Still I think it's ridiculous having to fix a premium bike like that...

As for the little hole in the frame next to the chain guide, my lbs/Specialized told me that there wouldn't be any pin to align the chainguide.
Which just makes me wonder why the workbook says this:

 

[ionut.holbia]

I wonder how this can be repaired since i see no way to get the battery out to get access to that screws

How did you manage to fix the issue. Did you take it back to the dealer and they took off the motor?
I just bought a Gen 3 Levo Comp Alloy and I have the same issue.

 

[James_MTB]

I had the same battery issue.

LBS swapped out the top battery harness which fixed the issue.

I've had various Levo's since 2016 the service from Bike Scene\Specilaized has been fantastic.

 

[j.e.]

How did you manage to fix the issue. Did you take it back to the dealer and they took off the motor?
I just bought a Gen 3 Levo Comp Alloy and I have the same issue.

I pulled it with some force and levered the battery slightly up and down (with the bike standing up side down on the floor), it moved a bit with every turn and came out finally. It got better every time i took it out. The frame opening with this little plug on the inner side of the tube was slightly too narrow i think.