Levo Gen 3 Levo Gen 3 - What Size Do You Tall People Ride?

[uamvar]

Hello All

Going back and forth between sizes and need some guidance please if you would be so kind.

I am just over 6ft 2 with 35inch inseam (quite long legs). I have had a test ride on an S5 and an S6 Levo.

The S5 felt OK... ish... but I had a nagging feeling during the test ride that my front wheel was quite close to me and this made me feel a bit conscious of possible over the bar moments. I thought this was a bit odd as the reach on the S5 Levo is 12mm longer than on my current hardtail, and the head angle on my hardtail is also steeper than the Levo, yet I never feel that my weight is pitched forward on my hardtail.

The S6 felt long, like very long, but I never once thought about going over the bars. I was a little bit stretched out when seated but reducing the stock 50mm stem to a shorter one could maybe improve this. The reach on the S6 Levo is 42mm greater than my current hardtail and it feels like a boat.

So, tall people, it would be interesting to know how you got on with sizing? I am hoping I can maybe adjust an S5 setup but not sure if I can!

 

[Ribinrobin]

Hello All

Going back and forth between sizes and need some guidance please if you would be so kind.

I am just over 6ft 2 with 35inch inseam (quite long legs). I have had a test ride on an S5 and an S6 Levo.

The S5 felt OK... ish... but I had a nagging feeling during the test ride that my front wheel was quite close to me and this made me feel a bit conscious of possible over the bar moments. I thought this was a bit odd as the reach on the S5 Levo is 12mm longer than on my current hardtail, and the head angle on my hardtail is also steeper than the Levo, yet I never feel that my weight is pitched forward on my hardtail.

The S6 felt long, like very long, but I never once thought about going over the bars. I was a little bit stretched out when seated but reducing the stock 50mm stem to a shorter one could maybe improve this. The reach on the S6 Levo is 42mm greater than my current hardtail and it feels like a boat.

So, tall people, it would be interesting to know how you got on with sizing? I am hoping I can maybe adjust an S5 setup but not sure if I can!

Hi im 6,2ft 34 inseam
I had the S4 in an expert when it was released. I done about 733 miles then got a S-works frame at end of 22 in S5 which is now on 726 miles. I've sat on/rode a trail on my friends S6 he is also 6,2 though not as experienced in modern bike sizing.

I am happy with my S5 now, after some tinkering to get it where i wanted it. I run mine with a shorter 35stem and 38mm rise bars as i like a shorter bike. I've played with every setting on the cups and chain stay, ended up sticking with the standard and high setting with a 170mm fork.

I find the bike perfect tho feels a bit long/dull round my local trails. The S4 felt good locally but a nightmare at parks far to short.

A friend has a s6 its a boat, handles awful (IMO) and they don't sell well second hand either seen s-works ones going for 5-6k when they're 12k new.
You could try the S5 in the slack setting cup and low on the rear, this might eliminate your over the bars feeling.

Open to any questions you got.

P.S Standard spesh stem is 45mm normally not 50mm.

 

[Mtuhoop24]

I am 6'8" and just got the S6.......my first mountain bike in a long, long time so I didn't really know the difference but at my height I had to go with the S6...........feels good so far.

 

[uamvar]

Robin - that's great info thanks for your reply. It's good to get others' perspectives on these things.

I've never been right in between two bike sizes before - it's tough to choose!

What with fork length/ stem length/ stem rise/ bar rise/ stem spacers/ saddle moved back/ geometry chip adjustments I suppose all of these combined would make a difference to the S5. Actually whilst writing this I just realised I could also try a 51mm offset fork as well - this will help I am sure.

 

[Murch]

I'm 6'2 myself and for my 2019 I rode the XL and with my 2023 I went with the S6. The reach was long comparing the two, I ended up changing the stem to a 35mm from the stock 55mm and that made it very comfortable, and I really love the longer wheelbase of the S6 along with more room to move front to back. I have about 900 miles on it now and I am glad I went with the S6.

 

[uamvar]

I'm 6'2 myself and for my 2019 I rode the XL and with my 2023 I went with the S6. The reach was long comparing the two, I ended up changing the stem to a 35mm from the stock 55mm and that made it very comfortable, and I really love the longer wheelbase of the S6 along with more room to move front to back. I have about 900 miles on it now and I am glad I went with the S6.

Thanks Murch.

Yeah since my previous post I tried an S5 Levo again and it just felt too short to me. At the same time the S6 still felt huge, but I think I would have gone with this one if I had to chose.

In the end I went with an S5 Kenevo I happened to stumble on at a discount in a local shop. It felt perfect right from the off! The reach on this is slightly shorter than an S6 Levo.

 

[iXi]

I'm 6'2 with a 32.5in inseam, long arms and torso.

I went the s5 but I've shortened the stem to 35mm with a 10 degree rise. I think as my last bike was a large and a bit small for me i had come accustomed to it so I made the levo feel the same. I probably should have bought the s4. I'm still not a huge fan of the mullet set up and if I could I'd run 27.5 all round, that big 29in front wheel just feels sluggish for the trails I ride.

 

[Alexbn921]

Bikes only grow in front center. The rear stays the same. This creates an imbalance in weight distribution. You loose front end grip the more this gets out of wack.

The solution is to look for bikes with long rear ends like a Kenevo, reduce fork offset, lower your bars or go to a smaller frame with a longer(55-60mm) stem.

I have done all of these. I'm on a 36mm offset Boxxer on a Kenevo with 55mm stem slammed.

I wish that you could get a 20mm or less offset fork. Then you could get a longer frame and raise up the bars more.

Having experimented with XXL super long frames, I would 100% get the smaller S5 and run a longer stem. I would also run it in the high rear setting to put more weight on the front.

I have also experimented with bars. Wider bars move you more forward, but slow the steering. I find that 780 is my sweet spot and gives the best mix of control and maneuverability. Don't be afraid to go smaller.

Hand position is all that matters when setting up you bar/stem. A riser bar = a longer stem. Running a 30mm rise vs 0 rise = +15mm of stem length with 30mm of spacers under it.

 

[boomy96]

I bought an s6 Levo but I would have preferred a s5 but they were out of stock. I usually ride an XL size frame which is more similar to a s5 geo. I'm 6'4. The s6 is looong. Long wheelbase and top tube. I'm not particularly looking forward to negotiating uphill switchbacks!

 

[Hicksy 92]

I’m 6,1, on a s5 , found the s6 to big, really comfy on the s5 Never had the feeling of going over the bars on it , but for me it did take some time to get use to the bigger front wheel after having a 27.5 on my previous bike ,