levo or spectral on ?

[nobbyq]

i tempted with one of these , prefer the geometry of the levo but canyons spec is tempting , anybody tested them or had same dilemma ? thanks

 

[Interpaul]

My mate has the Canyon Spectral:ON 7. Great bike and so well specced for the money.

I don't see any need to spend more on the Levo personally.

 

[Vilt]

Yeah, but i went the #yolo route - got the levo and 700wh battery

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

My first bike a canyon, non-ebike, had a problem, had to go back. I was without it for 9 weeks! I missed a race I'd been training all year for. Then they tried to charge for £400 for servicing it that wasn't requested.

My levo has issues, specialized have got in touch personally, arranged that all new parts are waiting at my local dealer and they'll want it for a day, two tops.

That's where the extra money goes. Worth it in my opinion.

Direct sales looks good on paper, but if something goes wrong you'll either have to pay the lbs to sort or be without your bike a long time.

 

[nobbyq]

i know , I've had 3 canyon mtb 2 had to go back one took 3 months , think i going to go levo

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

I'm not biased, but ebikes are in their infancy and shit goes wrong, usually more than normal bikes. Canyon especially. Ala strive. When I was without my bike that time it ruined my year. That's a lot of miles. Just for better brakes, wheels and gears.

It's a roulette. So there's always happy stories. You pays your money, your takes your chances.

With an ebike and so much more tech and shit to go wrong, I know where I'd edge my bets

 

[R120]

I would say your question is really whether you buy a bike consumer direct or from a shop.

3 of the best EMTB’s out there are the Vitus, Commencals and the Canyons, but they are all consumer direct.

The cost savings with going direct are magnified with EMTBS, with the discrepancy between the pricing even more.

Having said that there are some great deals in stores if you look around, e.g Freeborn bikes tend to sell the Levo at a 15% discount and a couple of other stores will match this.

 

[Fivetones]

Re: Levos, getting 2019 models is a real struggle. Next delivery into country is end of May (I’m looking at carbon models so Alu might be different).

 

[MattyB]

I'm not biased, but ebikes are in their infancy and shit goes wrong, usually more than normal bikes. Canyon especially. Ala strive. When I was without my bike that time it ruined my year. That's a lot of miles. Just for better brakes, wheels and gears.

It's a roulette. So there's always happy stories. You pays your money, your takes your chances.

With an ebike and so much more tech and shit to go wrong, I know where I'd hedge my bets

There is some truth in this, but let's be clear - there are plenty of dealer supported bikes that offer substantially more bang for buck than Specialised (i.e. Giant, Cube etc) with at least equivalent reliability. Because Spec have taken integration on the 2019 Levo to new levels there seem to be problems with the bikes that are causing some major headaches, most notably in the motor casing that collect crud and the electrics which seem to be less reliable than in previous versions. Yes on paper it is probably the best 150mm travel e-trail bike out there, but personally I'd rather have less integration and reduced number of failure points when spending such big money.

My recommendation? Take the price of your direct sales bike, then add £1k to it for additional support/maintenance you may need because you don't want to send bits or a whole bike back to Canyon. Now ask yourself if you still like the deal; if you do go ahead, if not buy a dealer supported Focus, Giant, Cube or (if your budget will cover it) Specialised.

PS - If you do want to go direct sales there are more good stories about the customer service provided by Commencal and Thok, whereas horror stories about Canyon (especially around delivery delays and gaffes) seem rather commonplace. If I was ready to buy at the present time it would be one of those I went for personally, but YMMV.

 

[Fivetones]

I think there’s a strong case however for supporting your local bike shop and the direct sales route part bypasses this. (Servicing might not though...)

Independent LBSs are generally run by enthusiasts who contribute their part to the local cycling community (and local community).

That’s certainly the route I’m sticking to. In fact I’m seriously considering an Orange Alpine 6E as an alternative for similar reasons. Built in the UK for UK terrain and weather.

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

I'm not biased, but ebikes are in their infancy and shit goes wrong, usually more than normal bikes. Canyon especially. Ala strive. When I was without my bike that time it ruined my year. That's a lot of miles. Just for better brakes, wheels and gears.

It's a roulette. So there's always happy stories. You pays your money, your takes your chances.

With an ebike and so much more tech and shit to go wrong, I know where I'd hedge my bets

There is some truth in this, but lets be clear - there are plenty of dealer supported bikes that offer substantially more bang for buck than Specialised (i.e. Giant, Cube etc) with at least equivalent reliability. Because Spec have taken integration on the 2019 Levo to new levels there seem to be problems with the bikes that are causing some major headaches, most notably in the motor casing that collect crud and the electrics which seem to be less reliable than in previous versions. Yes on paper it is probably the best 150mm travel e-trail bike out there, but personally I'd rather have less integration and reduced number of failure points when spending such big money.

My recommendation? Take the price of your direct sales bike, then add £1k to it for additional support/maintenance you may need because you don't want to send bits or a whole bike back to Canyon. Now ask yourself if you still like the deal; if you do go ahead, if not buy a dealer supported Focus, Giant, Cube or (if your budget will cover it) Specialised.

PS - If you do want to go direct sales there are more good stories about the customer service provided by Commencal and Thok, whereas horror stories about Canyon (especially around delivery delays and gaffes) seem rather commonplace. If I was ready to buy at the present time it would be one of those I went for personally, but YMMV.

True, but he didn't mention giant, cube etc. It was canyon Vs spesh.

 

[MattyB]

True, but he didn't mention giant, cube etc. It was canyon Vs spesh.

True, and that's what I answered - add £1k to the Canyon's cost, and if he still likes it at that price he should buy it. If he doesn't he can buy a Levo.

The fact there are cheaper, better specced dealer supported alternatives was a secondary point - obviously they aren't as integrated and don't generally come with the Brose motor, but they also don't catch crud in the motor casing and seem to have a more reliable electrics (as you know to your cost).

 

[Leethal1]

I thought about the Canyon...

I actually own a Canyon road-bike and dig it.

But for an e-bike I wanted dealer support since most of the money is in the battery, motor and integrated electronics things I am not comfortable fussing with myself. I have built enough bikes, trued enough wheels, and sorted out shifting for decades so mail order MTB or Road bike for sure... Ebike no way.

 

[TallPaul]

I just bought a Commencal and am impressed with the service so far, my Meta Power arrived in 4 days from ordering.
They had left the tubeless valves out of the extras box so I emailed customer services and got a same day reply asking me to fill in an online form and take a photo of my box and they'd send out to me.