Levo or Levo SL - can't decide

[brook__]

Hello,

I'm looking to buy my first emtb but can't decide between the full fat Levo or Levo SL. I'm currently riding a Trek Remedy 8 but borrowed a friends SL recently and loved it.

I don't currently have a car so I'd like to combine a trail bike with something I could also commute on (I was thinking of having a spare cross country wheelset). The commute would be 9 (hilly) miles each way on muddy gravel track, road and some fields I can take shortcuts through. I've done the commute on my Remedy and it was great but the hills were exhausting so I need something to give me a bit of boost.
My local trails are also close to my workplace so I'd love to be able to charge the bike and hit the trails after work in the summer.

I can't decide whether the full fat or SL would be best suited...
I sway towards the SL because of light weight, looks and battery extender that I could easily charge at work but then lean back to towards the full fat because of the sheer power and how easy it would make my commute...

How much easier does the full fat get up hills compared to the SL?
Would I still be fairly exhausted going up hills on an SL?
How much heavier and bulkier does the full fat feel? Is it less fun on the trails?

Any advice would be appreciated. If anyone on here has been in a similar situation then it would be great to hear what you decided.

Cheers

 

[apac]

I'd you are already a frequent mountain biker get the SL. The full fat levo will feel like it's doing the driving and not you. It will also be noticeably heavier and a lot less agile. Trying to bunny hop a ff to get over obstacles is more effort than it's worth. Lifting the front alone take all your effort.
if you want to do 3 hour rides at 50% power you won't need an extender. The SL is really efficient.

 

[brook__]

Could I still breeze up climbs on the SL? My commute was fine until I got to a big hill...

 

[apac]

Could I still breeze up climbs on the SL? My commute was fine until I got to a big hill...

you can easily get up long hills as long as you don't want to do it really quickly. Imagine an SL as a mountain bike but you have a second pair of legs to pedal with. If that doesn't sound exciting enough get ff.

 

[brook__]

you can easily get up long hills as long as you don't want to do it really quickly. Imagine an SL as a mountain bike but you have a second pair of legs to pedal with. If that doesn't sound exciting enough get ff.

Thats a good way of putting it. I feel like an extra bit of juice on the climbs would be ideal. Definitely leaning towards the SL now...
It would be nice to demo both.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

depends where you wanna do your off road riding, I love the idea of the SL but I know for sure I would be walking it up a lot of the stuff around here that I pedal up on the Levo.

 

[rb.]

I would go SL because the motors are reliable and really efficient. Power is plenty in boost mode, you can climb steep stuff without breaking a sweat. And range is way better than I first thought too.
My friend just got the SL and was able to do this ride in a combination of eco, trail, and boost modes with just 1 battery extender.

 

[@ndy]

I may be biased but go for the SL, I had some concerns about range and power but when I went to view both SL and full fat at LBS the weight of the SL sold it for me.

I've now ridden 500 miles on mine and cant fault it, its handled every thing I've thrown at it and the never feels too cumbersome, range and power have never been an issue

 

[brook__]

Getting some great feedback here. Thanks for the replies all.
It seems like the SL is still very capable even with the smaller motor...

 

[brook__]

I would go SL because the motors are reliable and really efficient. Power is plenty in boost mode, you can climb steep stuff without breaking a sweat. And range is way better than I first thought too.
My friend just got the SL and was able to do this ride in a combination of eco, trail, and boost modes with just 1 battery extender.

View attachment 44735

That’s incredible. Massive amount of climbing there! Looks like the SL still has enough power.

 

[55plusmxinsanity]

I have both. If I had to choose one- the SL!

 

[Shinn]

I traded in my full sized Haibike All Mtn (which was an awesome rig) for the Levo SL. The Haibike didn't feel like I was riding a mountain bike, it was heavy and for me at least took the fun out of most every trail I rode. Everyone is different though - and I'm not knocking the full fat bikes at all. Just not for me.

The SL is is a blast, very responsive and turns on a dime but does lack the power of an 85nm motor. I ride mostly rolling, hilly trails not massive climbs. If I were still in Colorado I may feel different.

If I had your commute - I would get the full fat bike, but I'm a 50 year old with both hips replaced and a pacemaker.

 

[Singletrackmind]

Go for the FF model. Purchased 2 emtb's (Spesh Levo S-Works & YT Decoy Elite) in last 4 months and couldn't be happier. Being transparent there are some trade-offs vs. a clockwork mtb, but the pros far outweigh the cons.

I was very surprised how "light" the emtbs felt when riding. My YT Decoy is very agile and love the way in feels in the turns and when things get choppy. The Spesh is an absolute beast and climbs like a billy goat after upgrading tires to Schwalbe Eddy Currents.

Totally understand why one would desire the SL when transitioning to an emtb. My riding style is more grounded and I prefer the benefits of how a heavier emtb performs.

After riding the ff Levo, was addicted to the power and the SL left me wanting more. In the end, there is no right or wrong decision. It all comes down to what you want out of your bike.

 

[JoeBlow]

There was not enough assist in the SL for me but then I am 73 so not really relevant perhaps. It was fantastic on the flat and if I was wanting something for the everyday commute I would have one but on steep, gnarly uphill singletrack it was simply too much like hard work.

Al

 

[brook__]

Go for the FF model. Purchased 2 emtb's (Spesh Levo S-Works & YT Decoy Elite) in last 4 months and couldn't be happier. Being transparent there are some trade-offs vs. a clockwork mtb, but the pros far outweigh the cons.

I was very surprised how "light" the emtbs felt when riding. My YT Decoy is very agile and love the way in feels in the turns and when things get choppy. The Spesh is an absolute beast and climbs like a billy goat after upgrading tires to Schwalbe Eddy Currents.

Totally understand why one would desire the SL when transitioning to an emtb. My riding style is more grounded and I prefer the benefits of how a heavier emtb performs.

After riding the ff Levo, was addicted to the power and the SL left me wanting more. In the end, there is no right or wrong decision. It all comes down to what you want out of your bike.

I did sort of feel that way myself when I had a go on the SL. It was great and I loved it but I still wanted more power and not specifically for climbing or anything but just because more power is fun.
Problem is, I’ve never actually had a go on the ff Levo so don’t really know how bulky it feels compared to the SL.

 

[Jcolborn48]

I started off with the full fat, then went to the SL. Absolutely love the SL's lightweight feel and playfulness, but really miss the power of the FF. The difference for me is that I can still get up hills on the SL that I would not be able to do on an analog bike, but I could get up them way faster on the FF. So if you are just looking for something that will ease the pain of the climbs, get the SL, if you want to make the climbs disappear, get the FF....or wait until next year and get the Orbea Rise.

 

[danf72]

Like many others I started with a FF and now ride the SL. Never looked back and never missed the extra power, in fact I find I'm riding more and more with the motor off these days. I've only ridden my SC hightower once in the last 6 months and put nearly 1000 miles on the SL.

 

[Frank_Denmark]

I have been riding the Levo FF for two years and I really wanted to test the SL.
Did finally get a chance for testing last weekend.
I could really feel the low weight and the nimble handling was absolutely perfect.

The test ride were 2 hours with 9 other eMTBikers on new FF Levos and Treks and I just felt the I had to paddle a whole lot more than the other riders.
At the decents the bike was excellent - but uphill I was lagging behind and the acoustic bike feeling was there - but in a bad way - IMHO
I really missed the fast ascending where You just pedal fast in Turbo and use the brakes as a "clutch" in the tightest uphill turns.


The other day I was riding 3 hours with 8 guys on FF and one on the SL.
This one guy was fit - but at every climb he was struggling and falling behind the FF.
At the top we had to wait a bit.


My point is that if You are riding alone or with riders on acoustic bikes the SL i excellent.
If You are riding with a fast group of FF riders You would have to be working hard most of the time.
And maybe You will a bit tired before the decent...

For me both the SL and FF is proper eMTBs - but with a different purpose.

 

[maynard]

Don't be a baby . Get both. Like some of are lucky members

 

[MLX John]

Great points on both bikes here. Love this site, no trolls.

Had the FF Alloy first. 52# tons of power. Heavy on the descents, but got used to it. Had to manhandle the bike though.

The plan was to split time on the FF and my SC Hightower 2. Problem was, when riding the HT, would miss the assist of the E-bike. When riding the FF, would miss the handling/agility of the HT.

Went with a SL, after the second ride sold the HT. It had become redundant. The SL descends like a trail bike.

The FF is faster on the climbs for sure. If you're a relatively fit rider, the SL has more than enough power.

I ride with strong cyclists on regular XC FS bikes. I'm sure I would struggle if they were on FF bikes.

Here's a ride I did with the range extender, using a mix of dialed down Eco, Trail, and Turbo. I don't remember exactly, but I had about 20-25% battery left. Not Colorado, but we have mountains in New Mexico too.

 

[jbodnar]

Got both a Levo and SL...as others mentioned, the SL is noticeably slower going up.

I definitely get more exercise on the SL (more tired after riding it).

I usually ride alone...but I would prefer riding the Levo over the SL if riding with other ebikes...(I’m also not very fit).

I‘m not sure how long I will keep both...still dialing in the SL.

Mine are about 54 lbs vs 41 lbs (with extender)...I’m less worried about getting a hernia lifting my SL into my truck bed!

 

[Norcalsl]

I think the answer to the OP's question depends on his fitness level. If you are in good shape and can climb hills on an "analog bike" without coughing up a lung, go for the SL. Otherwise FF. I'm loving my SL. I rarely ride above Eco mode and ride unassisted a fair amount. Also easy to lift over gates or carry up stairs.

 

[Andrie]

Just curious, if you rarely ride above eco and ride unassisted a fair amount, why not just ride regular bike? Surely an eco mode on SL is about the same as regular bike? And non assisted is harder than regular bike? Since lighter bike is better, the descend on the SL is worse than regular bike. Sound like you got the worse of both world.

 

[Jilleride45]

Just curious, if you rarely ride above eco and ride unassisted a fair amount, why not just ride regular bike? Surely an eco mode on SL is about the same as regular bike? And non assisted is harder than regular bike? Since lighter bike is better, the descend on the SL is worse than regular bike. Sound like you got the worse of both world.

On the SL you can set Eco to be what ever you want. I often just use 35% assist 100% peak for each setting. The SL has infinite tune and in addition, each level increases the acceleration.

 

[Norcalsl]

Just curious, if you rarely ride above eco and ride unassisted a fair amount, why not just ride regular bike? Surely an eco mode on SL is about the same as regular bike? And non assisted is harder than regular bike? Since lighter bike is better, the descend on the SL is worse than regular bike. Sound like you got the worse of both world.

Riding only 35% assisted up a steep climb on my SL is noticeably easier than on my 26 lbs. Stumpjumpber. For me it's all about taking the suffering out of steep climbs. Also, with some carbon parts, including wheels, my SL is under 36 lbs, so pedaling unassisted is easier than on a stock SL.

 

[Rusty]

All a matter of preference. Me, I am 62 and love my Scott 900 Tuned. Had a Levo Comp and hated it - well, more like disliked it. Really hated the SL when I had one for a day - just found it not enough of everything for me.
If I was younger and lighter perhaps, but the SL just felt wrong. Was offered a ride on an Orbea Rise the other day but was short on time and couldn't even take it for a carpark squirt. Loved the look and feel though.

 

[squeegee]

I recently purchased an SL after 1.5 yrs on YT Decoy. I have about 200 miles on it. For my riding style which is a lot of trail riding with enduro type rides mixed in on weekends, my preference is the SL. Don't get me wrong, the stock Decoy or Levo (with proper shock/fork) will crush big rocky descents but on your average trail ride can be overkill, the beauty of the SL besides the lighter weight is the agility in tight singletrack.

I've set my SL up with a coil and mullet wheels and it feels like a smaller/lighter/more agile Decoy. Not quite the descender as Decoy but pretty close, I'm happy with the tradeoff. SL motor to me is plenty, don't miss the extra power, you just go slower up the climbs but you still get enough assist to keep you from getting too tired to enjoy the downhill which to me is the whole point.

I'm fairly fit coming from years of analog mtb riding

 

[Wiltshire Warrior]

Dont commute on it as thieves will end up following you home and nicking it

 

[Captain45]

If you can hold out a year im sure we'll see a slightly more powerful SL for 2022 (maybe) with the Orbea Rise mixing the lightweight category up recently. Or try to get your hands on a Rise. I have one on order with no concrete projected availability date.

Im looking at this direction cause as my biking has increased, my stamina and training has aswell. With it I find Turbo on the FF to be way too much on the trail. Im usually in trail mode most of the time. Im starting to feel I dont need the FF Levo. However, there is a however. I do love turbo for commuting in town, I usually bike to my trail head which is about 3 miles away and I blast it all the way there with little effort.

 

[Lightme]

I’d go SL. I went to buy a FF, ended up testing the SL, and the decision was clear. Full fat obviously gets you more power, but to me it was just too much. The lightness of the SL, and the power delivery was what I after. Feels more natural, ff gives more power than any person could possibly deliver. If you’re fit, it gets get you up anything, though you have to work for it more, which in my book is a plus. You work, you’re just not toasted on massive climbs. I cruised up a 500m climb on a ff and I didn’t break a sweat... that just felt wrong to me.

I can take it down almost (almost) anything I can on my Enduro. I often commute 40km on my SL without a worry.

Bad points include that the suspension is under-gunned. I upgraded front and rear, incurring the weight penalty.