Levo SL Gen 1 Levo SL 2023 Megathread

[p3eps]

80/100 is almost Turbo not Trail

And 60/80 isn't really Eco either!!

I have my 2019 SL set to
10/50 as Eco
30/80 as Trail
100/100 as Turbo

I ride it in Trail 98% of the time... with a little blast of Turbo if I need to get up a tough rock garden or something that I just don't have the legs for.
Eco is when I see my battery at about 20% and still have a long way to go... which won't be an issue with the Mastermind TCU since you can adjust it on the fly.

 

[volts]

2nd ride report:

I did 23 miles and covered 4180 of elevation. I'm 170 lbs with gear. I had 7% battery left when I got back to the truck. 60/80 for ECO and 80/100 Trail.

I was using eco and trail, but mostly on trail. This is the mullet set-up. I am very impressed with how the suspension was designed and on-trail feel. I was hitting and clearing gaps I haven't fully done on my Rise (weird, I know).

I am still playing with the Mastermind app and getting myself familiarize with this as I never owned a Specialized before. I will have a better grasp of the support and power of this bike and would provide more info. That said, it can go quite a distance and I was tired after the ride as I have to *work* a little extra compared to my Rise.

I can probably buy another RE and go trail mode the entire time for a much longer and faster climbs. We shall see...

On a side note, having tried the Fuel ExE, I prefer this new SL and glad I waited as I was getting ready to pull the trigger.

Go get one!

View attachment 114186 View attachment 114187 View attachment 114188

Very nice ride!
I have the fuel exe and was wondering what put you off about it compared to the sl?

 

[p3eps]

Can anyone with the bike tell me if the rear brake is on a post mount adapter?
I currently have 180mm rear on my SL, so am going to get a 203mm Magura rear disk in preparation... and wondered what size of post (if any) to buy.
TIA

 

[RAG]

Can anyone with the bike tell me if the rear brake is on a post mount adapter?
I currently have 180mm rear on my SL, so am going to get a 203mm Magura rear disk in preparation... and wondered what size of post (if any) to buy.
TIA

I don’t have the bike yet but yes, it’s a 180 post mount on the back.

Don’t forget the sensor magnet for the Magura disc if you don’t have one already

 

[Frankyspec]

Very nice ride!
I have the fuel exe and was wondering what put you off about it compared to the sl?

I am tempting towards new rise m team 2023… looks all great bikes , Trek;SL; but what worries me is the range, I always do rides of 60-75km with 500-800hm, so the new rise with the bigger battery and maybe extender, looks better for me , because probably also switching to US settings for more speed and in that way the battery consumption will be higher … also much better components for same money.Only problem there is not yet a delivery indication… great info on this forum, of course more oriented on US brands… but that’s understandable.

 

[volts]

I am tempting towards new rise m team 2023… looks all great bikes , Trek;SL; but what worries me is the range, I always do rides of 60-75km with 500-800hm, so the new rise with the bigger battery and maybe extender, looks better for me , because probably also switching to US settings for more speed and in that way the battery consumption will be higher … also much better components for same money.Only problem there is not yet a delivery indication… great info on this forum, of course more oriented on US brands… but that’s understandable.

I used to have a Rise. Great bike. On the exe I just had a ride of 40km with 1000hm and pulled another guy up the fireroad, so for me the range isn't a problem.
I actually had more issues with the Rise because of the annoying green 100-20%, 20%-0 red indicator leaving much to be desired, but I am glad to see Shimano finally made a slightly better system with 3 or 4 different colours on the new remote although it still seems oddly retro and unneccecarily inaccurate (unless you want a full display on the handlebar).

 

[p3eps]

I don’t have the bike yet but yes, it’s a 180 post mount on the back.

Don’t forget the sensor magnet for the Magura disc if you don’t have one already

Is the sensor magnet not just screwed into 2 of the 6 holes on the rotor? I already have a 180mm Magura rotor at the rear, but I'm at work, so can't picture it. I have a vague memory that 2 of my rotor screws were longer to account for this?

 

[Shjay]

Is the sensor magnet not just screwed into 2 of the 6 holes on the rotor? I already have a 180mm Magura rotor at the rear, but I'm at work, so can't picture it. I have a vague memory that 2 of my rotor screws were longer to account for this?

Magura sell a magnet that fits into the hole on MDR-P & MDR-C rotors

 

[RAG]

Is the sensor magnet not just screwed into 2 of the 6 holes on the rotor? I already have a 180mm Magura rotor at the rear, but I'm at work, so can't picture it. I have a vague memory that 2 of my rotor screws were longer to account for this?

You should be able to do this but as above, Magura have a dedicated magnet that integrates a bit more neatly, especially on the MDR-P as it matches the black ally carrier… it’s only about a tenner.

 

[The_Duke_UK]

2nd ride report:

I did 23 miles and covered 4180 of elevation. I'm 170 lbs with gear. I had 7% battery left when I got back to the truck. 60/80 for ECO and 80/100 Trail.

I was using eco and trail, but mostly on trail. This is the mullet set-up. I am very impressed with how the suspension was designed and on-trail feel. I was hitting and clearing gaps I haven't fully done on my Rise (weird, I know).

I am still playing with the Mastermind app and getting myself familiarize with this as I never owned a Specialized before. I will have a better grasp of the support and power of this bike and would provide more info. That said, it can go quite a distance and I was tired after the ride as I have to *work* a little extra compared to my Rise.

I can probably buy another RE and go trail mode the entire time for a much longer and faster climbs. We shall see...

On a side note, having tried the Fuel ExE, I prefer this new SL and glad I waited as I was getting ready to pull the trigger.

Go get one!

Congrats on the new bike Bluedirtz, it looks great!
Also appreciate the detailed post.

Few questions if you don't mind, as I currently have a 2021 Rise M10:

- From the pictures I assume you had 7% range left with using 1x Range extender battery?
- Which Rise did you have? Glad to hear that the new SL is also very lively, as the Rise can be quite playful for a EMTB
- Which would you say is better at handling the gnarly stuff? The Rise or the 2023 Levo SL?

Enjoy!

 

[Semmelrocc]

Can anyone with the bike tell me if the rear brake is on a post mount adapter?
I currently have 180mm rear on my SL, so am going to get a 203mm Magura rear disk in preparation... and wondered what size of post (if any) to buy.
TIA

This is what I got for my SL 1st gen. to upgrade rear rotor to 203 mm. Galfer PM23-Adapter

 

[p3eps]

You should be able to do this but as above, Magura have a dedicated magnet that integrates a bit more neatly, especially on the MDR-P as it matches the black ally carrier… it’s only about a tenner.

Ah ok... I'm using the Storm HC rotors, which will be why I've never noticed this.

 

[gts66]

Congrats on the new bike Bluedirtz, it looks great!
Also appreciate the detailed post.

Few questions if you don't mind, as I currently have a 2021 Rise M10:

- From the pictures I assume you had 7% range left with using 1x Range extender battery?
- Which Rise did you have? Glad to hear that the new SL is also very lively, as the Rise can be quite playful for a EMTB
- Which would you say is better at handling the gnarly stuff? The Rise or the 2023 Levo SL?

Enjoy!

To your last question on the gnarly stuff I had the chance to try a Rise in the Alps last summer and it was pretty scary, HTA is steep and suspension was to short IMO. To give a full picture on that same trip I rode my gen1 levo sl and it was scary too because HTA was too steep as well but suspension was a bit more plush/forgiving.
So I bet the 2023 SL will bring even more improvement in the gnarly stuff thanks to a lot slacker HTA and bigger suspension.

PS: Rides in the Alps I mention were composed by DH track segments and woody Enduro like trail segments as well.

 

[Dave_B]

Also interested to know if the range achieved was 7% left using just main battery or plus RE.

 

[gts66]

Also interested to know if the range achieved was 7% left using just main battery or plus RE.

Given the motor settings used I would bet with RE ! But maybe I am wrong.

 

[Mcharza]

Haven't seen this here. Just for reference, no mention about rider weight.

 

[singletrackminded]

Some of us Comp owners would like to upgrade the Levo SL gen2 Comp crankset to carbon at some point. I wonder, now w/ the new motor and DUB spline interface if the e-crank has a special offset or if the analog Sram DUB version would work - Sram X1 Carbon DUB).
The Gen 1 Levo SL used a Praxis brand ISIS crank. The current Gen 2 SL carbon crank is by others.

Sram X1 Carbon DUB CRANK ARM LENGTH	170mm
BB SPINDLE INTERFACE	DUB
BB COMPATIBILITY	DUB:BSA73, PF89.5, PF92, PF30 MTB73, BB30 MTB73, BSA MTB68SP

 

[p3eps]

Some of us Comp owners would like to upgrade the Levo SL gen2 Comp crankset to carbon at some point. I wonder, now w/ the new motor and DUB spline interface if the e-crank has a special offset or if the analog Sram DUB version would work - Sram X1 Carbon DUB).
The Gen 1 Levo SL used a Praxis brand ISIS crank. The current Gen 2 SL carbon crank is by others.

Sram X1 Carbon DUB CRANK ARM LENGTH	170mm
BB SPINDLE INTERFACE	DUB
BB COMPATIBILITY	DUB:BSA73, PF89.5, PF92, PF30 MTB73, BB30 MTB73, BSA MTB68SP

Interested in this too. As a Levo SL gen 1 owner, I waited about a year to get my hands on Praxis carbon 165mm cranks rather than the 170mm ones that came as stock. I'd probably be looking to change the stock X1 carbon 170mm on my frame only to 165mm or even 160mm if I knew what I needed!

 

[Cell4soul]

2nd ride report:

I did 23 miles and covered 4180 of elevation. I'm 170 lbs with gear. I had 7% battery left when I got back to the truck. 60/80 for ECO and 80/100 Trail.

I was using eco and trail, but mostly on trail. This is the mullet set-up. I am very impressed with how the suspension was designed and on-trail feel. I was hitting and clearing gaps I haven't fully done on my Rise (weird, I know).

I am still playing with the Mastermind app and getting myself familiarize with this as I never owned a Specialized before. I will have a better grasp of the support and power of this bike and would provide more info. That said, it can go quite a distance and I was tired after the ride as I have to *work* a little extra compared to my Rise.

I can probably buy another RE and go trail mode the entire time for a much longer and faster climbs. We shall see...

On a side note, having tried the Fuel ExE, I prefer this new SL and glad I waited as I was getting ready to pull the trigger.

Go get one!

View attachment 114186 View attachment 114187 View attachment 114188

Are those range numbers with the range extender? Seems really impressive without the range extender.

 

[Rich-H]

Some of us Comp owners would like to upgrade the Levo SL gen2 Comp crankset to carbon at some point. I wonder, now w/ the new motor and DUB spline interface if the e-crank has a special offset or if the analog Sram DUB version would work - Sram X1 Carbon DUB).
The Gen 1 Levo SL used a Praxis brand ISIS crank. The current Gen 2 SL carbon crank is by others.

Sram X1 Carbon DUB CRANK ARM LENGTH	170mm
BB SPINDLE INTERFACE	DUB
BB COMPATIBILITY	DUB:BSA73, PF89.5, PF92, PF30 MTB73, BB30 MTB73, BSA MTB68SP

It's not the same crank as the analog SRAM DUB cranks, the only thing they have in common is the DUB interface. It looks like the SRAM model number is FC-S996 and it will be available in 165/170/175.

 

[Desert_Turtle]

I did a range test this morning and I’m a little surprised. I got 15.5 miles with 1600ft of climbing before the bike went dead. I’m thinking that I weigh at least 215 pounds with my gear & hydration pack. I had the power turned all the way up- 100/100. Im not gonna lie, I milked it a little. I think the reason might be that when the battery gets to 40% or so the bike starts to lose power and that last 40% goes a little further because the battery can’t discharge at a high enough rate anymore to power the bike 100%. It kills me that Specialized built the ultimate SL chassis and fitted it with a shit-burger of a battery.

 

[RAG]

Update on the frameset!

It is indeed the satin black carbon, looks great with the dark silver and carbon linkage details.

I can also confirm it comes with range extender and full headset.

I’ve just had to order a BBT 79 bottom bracket tool though as you need this to mount the chainring!

Just need to free up some time to start building it now!

 

[Mcharza]

Are those range numbers with the range extender? Seems really impressive without the range extender.

There are both, with and without range extender.

 

[gts66]

I did a range test this morning and I’m a little surprised. I got 15.5 miles with 1600ft of climbing before the bike went dead. I’m thinking that I weigh at least 215 pounds with my gear & hydration pack. I had the power turned all the way up- 100/100. Im not gonna lie, I milked it a little. I think the reason might be that when the battery gets to 40% or so the bike starts to lose power and that last 40% goes a little further because the battery can’t discharge at a high enough rate anymore to power the bike 100%. It kills me that Specialized built the ultimate SL chassis and fitted it with a shit-burger of a battery.

Not so good news indeed, did you notice the loss of power during the last half of your battery ? @Desert_Turtle

 

[Suns_PSD]

I did a range test this morning and I’m a little surprised. I got 15.5 miles with 1600ft of climbing before the bike went dead. I’m thinking that I weigh at least 215 pounds with my gear & hydration pack. I had the power turned all the way up- 100/100. Im not gonna lie, I milked it a little. I think the reason might be that when the battery gets to 40% or so the bike starts to lose power and that last 40% goes a little further because the battery can’t discharge at a high enough rate anymore to power the bike 100%. It kills me that Specialized built the ultimate SL chassis and fitted it with a shit-burger of a battery.

I'm not judging, and you're a great contributor, but if you plan is to run is at 100/100, wouldn't you be better off with a FF e-bike? Or even the Relay since it has more 38% more battery capacity?

I have no practical e-bike experience, but I commonly hammer out 14-18 miles on very chunky terrain at around 6.5 mph average on my SJEvo; or 18-28 miles on still chunky but with less elevation at about 10.5 mph on my Spur. Neither are e-bikes.

I just assume that (approximately speaking), if the SL is '2x me' at it's max, well it's more typically 1.5x me since I average mid 100 watts for my pedal rides. As a result, I'd cover approximately 20-30% more miles as 50% more power does not equate to 50% more speed, in the same time period, with a 20-30% higher average speed. In reality the climbing speed is likely 50-80% faster where-as the technical bits are no different than a pedal bike.

For me, that's a real big ride getting in (for example) 22 miles of heavy chunk and steeps. Sound about right to you?

 

[p3eps]

Update on the frameset!

It is indeed the satin black carbon, looks great with the dark silver and carbon linkage details.

I can also confirm it comes with range extender and full headset.

I’ve just had to order a BBT 79 bottom bracket tool though as you need this to mount the chainring!

Just need to free up some time to start building it now!

Awesome - thanks. Does it not come with a chainring? I thought the previous ones did?

 

[singletrackminded]

Wow, fantastic! I would order in 165mm once available. Havn’t found as purchase link as yet.

 

[Cell4soul]

There are both, with and without range extender.

Maybe I am confused and I appreciate any clarification. In your post, you state the following, "I did 23 miles and covered 4180 of elevation". Was this particular ride using the internal battery and range extender, or just the internal battery?

 

[RAG]

Awesome - thanks. Does it not come with a chainring? I thought the previous ones did?

Yeah includes the chainring and carbon cranks

 

[p3eps]

Yeah includes the chainring

But not fitted, and I need to get a special tool to fit it?!