Levo SL Gen 1 Levo SL 2023 Megathread

[Doomanic]

Looks like the big S are going from being the leader in the ebike market to just another brand ...

What were you hoping for?

 

[Suns_PSD]

Someone posted on another site that he bumped into a Spesh test rider, and they told him that the '23 was significantly delayed until Spring 2023 due to running changes.

 

[oettam20]

Someone posted on another site that he bumped into a Spesh test rider, and they told him that the '23 was significantly delayed until Spring 2023 due to running changes.

I had a similar info...

 

[gabryp]

Someone posted on another site that he bumped into a Spesh test rider, and they told him that the '23 was significantly delayed until Spring 2023 due to running changes.

Which would make sense... initially it was expected by Spring 2022, then delayed September, then end of the year and now they are talking about May 2023
I guess they realised that 45Nm with same battery won't be enough to compete with other manufacturers

 

[p3eps]

Which would make sense... initially it was expected by Spring 2022, then delayed September, then end of the year and now they are talking about May 2023
I guess they realised that 45Nm with same battery won't be enough to compete with other manufacturers

Depends on what they're competing with...
A top spec Orbea Rise is listed as 19kg, and a top spec Trek Fuel EXE is 18.9kg.
An S-works Levo SL is listed as 17.4kg. I had mine under that with more burley components that Specialized put on it - in an XL with pedals on.

The current Levo SL is down on power... but is also down on weight.

To me (and a lot of other SL riders) the SL isn't about how much power it can produce - as we run it on Eco or low settings anyway. It's about a bit of assistance when needed to help with the mundane climbs.

 

[Ou812]

Depends on what they're competing with...
A top spec Orbea Rise is listed as 19kg, and a top spec Trek Fuel EXE is 18.9kg.
An S-works Levo SL is listed as 17.4kg. I had mine under that with more burley components that Specialized put on it - in an XL with pedals on.

The current Levo SL is down on power... but is also down on weight.

To me (and a lot of other SL riders) the SL isn't about how much power it can produce - as we run it on Eco or low settings anyway. It's about a bit of assistance when needed to help with the mundane climbs.

Spesh doesn’t really care about current SL owners, they know that if you already own one then more than likely you’ll upgrade if you can. It’s the new buyers they have to win over and those buyers will be comparing it against its competition, if it doesn’t stack up on paper it will get overlooked.

 

[smc_stefan]

Someone posted on another site that he bumped into a Spesh test rider, and they told him that the '23 was significantly delayed until Spring 2023 due to running changes.

My LBS told me the same, they don't expect it to hit the market before May 2023

 

[JayF]

Just had a phone call with my dealer. The Spesh sales rep was there in the morning, unfortunatelly no news what so ever. The sales rep told them, maybe there will be some news in February, but that´s not for sure. And my dealer added to that, if they could order in February, at the moment you can expect an other 6 month for the first bikes to arrive. So it might be a long time before we see the first of the new SL´s. Not what I was hoping for.

 

[Streddaz]

Spesh doesn’t really care about current SL owners, they know that if you already own one then more than likely you’ll upgrade if you can. It’s the new buyers they have to win over and those buyers will be comparing it against its competition, if it doesn’t stack up on paper it will get overlooked.

I agree, as it's the way the market is driven, is that there has to be a gain in performance over the last model and the opposition, and in this case, that means more power. Unfortunately, there are only very small gains in motor efficiency and limited weigh savings in the frame to be had, so upping the power means reducing the range unless you increase the battery size and that increases the weight.
I'm in the same boat as p3eps that I prefer range over power, and I would expect that the new kids in town like the Trek Fuel EXe and new Fazua Ride 60 powered bikes won't have the range that the SL has. I'm sure the market pressure will win out and they will need to have more power and that will require a bigger battery. I'm interested to see if they have a quieter motor as this would be difficult to achieve with the current 1.1 motor.
I'd be happy with 35Nm and the silence of the TQ motor to be honest.

 

[Suns_PSD]

I don't mind the low power in exchange for a low weight, it's preferable in fact.

However the midpower motors nearly weigh the same, as do the battery's on a per wh basis.

Noise, reliability & seemlessness are other factors but are mostly seperate from the power/ range topic.

So given that the midpower motors all weigh 2kgs, a bit more powerful motor that has no weight penalty and can be turned up seems like common sense for fire road transfers.

The battery is where the weight gain is and this is reflected in the bit heavier 430 wh battery on the F60 motor.

I'm pretty weight weenie but I do think an extra .5 kg to be able to get a 3 hour ride in should be the goal on a low to midrange boost. Based on reviews I've read the current SLs, the Eondrive & the TQ Hp seem to be pretty much dead at about 2 - 2.5 hours.

 

[jose castillo Australia]

I hope they keep the shuttle mode. I purchased a Powerplay two months ago and own a Kenevo since 2020. The powerplay 3.0 is good but I definitely want a shuttle mode on my next bike.

 

[Streddaz]

I hope they keep the shuttle mode. I purchased a Powerplay two months ago and own a Kenevo since 2020. The powerplay 3.0 is good but I definitely want a shuttle mode on my next bike.

The SL models don't have Shuttle mode only the full power Levo and Kenevo models. It may be added but with the smaller batteries of the lightweight bikes, it would chew through the battery.

 

[Suns_PSD]

Still eagerly awaiting this one.

I've been heavily tempted by a frame only Kenevo listed for sale but between the price, the noise, and a pending update I'm going to keep waiting for this one.

 

[paquo]

spec is getting nervous as they realize they can't show up with their usual suboptimal effort--in this case putting lipstick on a pig may not cut it as there is actually now competition in the space. The mahle motor is ridiculously loud and that's probably hard to change given its design. They can't afford another sales disaster that was the SL

 

[head]

spec is getting nervous as they realize they can't show up with their usual suboptimal effort--in this case putting lipstick on a pig may not cut it as there is actually now competition in the space. The mahle motor is ridiculously loud and that's probably hard to change given its design. They can't afford another sales disaster that was the SL

assumptions assumptions assumptions

 

[Loamranger]

spec is getting nervous as they realize they can't show up with their usual suboptimal effort--in this case putting lipstick on a pig may not cut it as there is actually now competition in the space. The mahle motor is ridiculously loud and that's probably hard to change given its design. They can't afford another sales disaster that was the SL

Very harsh. Levo SL has excellent kinematics and integration imo. Motor noise does not bother me personally and it’s still one of the lightest ebikes around. With the range extender, even using turbo, I get all the range I need.

 

[paquo]

Very harsh. Levo SL has excellent kinematics and integration imo. Motor noise does not bother me personally and it’s still one of the lightest ebikes around. With the range extender, even using turbo, I get all the range I need.

don't get me wrong , i like doing tight singletrack on it now and then. but apparently now there are way better options

 

[KnollyBro]

spec is getting nervous as they realize they can't show up with their usual suboptimal effort--in this case putting lipstick on a pig may not cut it as there is actually now competition in the space. The mahle motor is ridiculously loud and that's probably hard to change given its design. They can't afford another sales disaster that was the SL

Ridiculously loud for anyone who is embarrassed to be riding an ebike maybe. Time will always bring improvements in measurable specs like power, range, durability, weight and even noise. Where are your stats for "the sales disaster that was the SL" I am in no way defending the stock Levo SL, but it was a pretty decent bike for what it was designed to do. What bike are you riding these days?

 

[Suns_PSD]

The SL response was a bit harsh, but I agree that the SL's are already a bit outdated.

Count me in the 'embarrassed to ride an e-bike' group. They are mostly illegal here so I'm just trying to be as stealth as possible.

 

[grantini]

S-work owners do get invited on special trips and events I believe.

I’ve never received any special invitations.

 

[Doomanic]

Not even back to the shop for a new motor?

 

[grantini]

Not even back to the shop for a new motor?

Yes, two on Levos and one on my SL

 

[grantini]

So I gave up waiting....

 

[Doomanic]

Nice. Have you got enough spacers under the bars?

 

[grantini]

Nice. Have you got enough spacers under the bars?

That's how it came

 

[chamaruco]

when you say: let's finalize that project mate. Eventually we can use SPACERS

 

[grantini]

when you say: let's finalize that project mate. Eventually we can use SPACERS

and I'm not cutting the stem...

 

[maynard]

So I gave up waiting.... View attachment 102649

Wow . Can't tell it's an eeb . I want one

 

[maynard]

Looking at that bike makes the whole illegal eeb thing a bit ridiculous. I thought America was the land of the free . Ur aloud to shoot people dead . But can't ride an electric bike .

 

[grantini]

Looking at that bike makes the whole illegal eeb thing a bit ridiculous. I thought America was the land of the free . Ur aloud to shoot people dead . But can't ride an electric bike .

I can assure you that we aren't allowed to shoot people, even a little bit, much less dead.... and I live in Pennsylvania and ride here and in Delaware, and in both states we are allowed to ride emtbs anywhere a bicycle can go.