Levo SL Gen 1 Levo SL 2023 Megathread

[Cb750stu]

Fox’s QC is terrible and it’s gotten worse over the last 2-3 years.

Was it inspected in the dark

 

[Doomanic]

 

[gts66]

Got a bit of an issue with mine, in the attached photo the right hand fork stantion is a really light gold colour and the left one a dark gold it looks really bad, much worse than it looks in the photo. I have asked for a replacement bike, as the fix I was given was to remove the forks and send to Fox for assessment..

View attachment 114465

Honestly sad for you, and IMO totally unacceptable from specialized to deliver the bike like that…

 

[Harold]

Nobody got his hands on a Pro model?
I would like to see it in “real picture”. To me clearly the sexiest of the range!

 

[JetSetDemo]

First ride done. Eco and trail are noticeably more powerful and quiet than my KSL, I did 13 miles 600ft and had 67% left just on the bike battery. It’s the most fun I’ve had on a bike down at my Local Hocks Lodge blue trail centre. It’s really poppy and nimble. I have an S4 KSL and it’s shorter than that but for me it felt perfect in the reach, I may need to play around with the bars a bit. Turbo felt a bit meh TBH, I used micro tube but I’ve managed to instal the +\- handl bar control the wrong way around so I was having a brain fart (I shouldn’t really be allowed to work on my bikes alone TBH).

First ride verdict is it’s exactly the bike I was hoping it would be

 

[gts66]

Had my first test ride today with gen2 levo sl, fine tuning the bike setup ! I love it so far ! Tomorrow morning I will go for a longer ride and push it a bit more.

Below are a few datas/feelings :

12.7km / 290m
31% of the battery used
Eco 40/40
Trail 60/60
Turbo 100/100
Eco 60% of the time, trail 22%, turbo 18%

Loved the handling of the bike
suspension is very good
Motor noise is way lower than gen1
Brakes are strong and feel good

Last thing about the rear 27’5 wheel and short CS, I was fearing to have issues with front wheel lift off when climbing steep but not at all, I climbed a 13% Grade single with ease in turbo mode, bike was stable all along.

I will tell you more tomorrow after a harder and longer ride !

 

[Desert_Turtle]

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?

Fair questions. I have several e-bikes. I already have a couple of new Levos and a Kenevo. They are all set up a little different. I also have an acoustic mountain bike and a road bike. I try to ride every day. The SL is for my local trails which are very tame trail type riding. I ride my full fats in trail or eco all the time so my goal with the SL was to have a dedicated trail bike for light local duty. An SL with a range extender is perfect for that. I just didn’t want to pedal too much harder. If I could only have 1 bike it would be a Levo. I’m very fortunate to be able to have bikes for specific types of rides. I trail ride locally, ride the local bike parks, and do destination type rides. A few months ago we did a ride that traversed the San Gabriel mountains [38 miles]. It’s really crazy how varied my riding can be.

 

[RAG]

View attachment 114422
Got the bike today (S5) delivered at my LBS !
I did basic setup, cockpit adjustments, saddle…
But it is annoying that the bike is not yet in the suspension calculator…so here is my suspension setup for now. (I am 6’3, 91kg)
Fork : 92 psi, LSR 4 HSR 3, compression middle setting.
Shock : 222psi LSR 5, compression middle setting

First run in the forest tomorrow ! Can’t wait !

I’m riding an S5, I’m 82kg and I’m up to 250psi in the shock, I was at 220 but it was blowing through the travel. I’m running mine 29/29 so not sure if the longer chain stay has any impact on this. I’ve got my fork set to 92 psi the same as yours

It’s very very quiet, I did a quick shake down ride after I built it and commented that it was like a slightly muted EP8, but having ridden it further today in eco it’s much quieter than that, with a bit of wind and trail noise it’s barely audible in eco and trail.

I managed to easily ride a few flat miles with no assistance, it’s very easy to pedal. It’s also great above the limiter, doesn’t feel like I’m riding through treacle like my EP8 full fat.

Loving this bike!

 

[AdamM]

Nobody got his hands on a Pro model?
I would like to see it in “real picture”. To me clearly the sexiest of the range!

Ordered mine green Pro in Poland, delivery first week of June.

 

[gts66]

I’m riding an S5, I’m 82kg and I’m up to 250psi in the shock, I was at 220 but it was blowing through the travel. I’m running mine 29/29 so not sure if the longer chain stay has any impact on this. I’ve got my fork set to 92 psi the same as yours

It’s very very quiet, I did a quick shake down ride after I built it and commented that it was like a slightly muted EP8, but having ridden it further today in eco it’s much quieter than that, with a bit of wind and trail noise it’s barely audible in eco and trail.

I managed to easily ride a few flat miles with no assistance, it’s very easy to pedal. It’s also great above the limiter, doesn’t feel like I’m riding through treacle like my EP8 full fat.

Loving this bike!

For the shock, I agree with you, mine at 222 psi was on the softer side, for tomorrow’s ride I will try 240 psi as I don’t send big jumps it should be close to the sweet spot for my kind of riding.

 

[thewanted]

Had my first test ride today with gen2 levo sl, fine tuning the bike setup ! I love it so far ! Tomorrow morning I will go for a longer ride and push it a bit more.

Below are a few datas/feelings :

12.7km / 290m
31% of the battery used
Eco 40/40
Trail 60/60
Turbo 100/100
Eco 60% of the time, trail 22%, turbo 18%

Loved the handling of the bike
suspension is very good
Motor noise is way lower than gen1
Brakes are strong and feel good

Last thing about the rear 27’5 wheel and short CS, I was fearing to have issues and front wheel lift off when climbing steep but not at all, I climbed a 13% single with ease in turbo mode, bike was stable all along.

I will tell you more tomorrow after a harder and longer ride !

Which model did you test?

 

[gts66]

Which model did you test?

Sworks Levo SL gen 2 size S5

 

[thewanted]

Sworks Levo SL gen 2

Very nice! That price though

 

[gts66]

Very nice! That price though

I agree, eye watering…

 

[maynard]

Good video , I test rode the comp carbon sl the other day . I can confirm these are the ultimate bike.

 

[Zimmerframe]

 

[ebikerider]

Good video , I test rode the comp carbon sl the other day . I can confirm these are the ultimate bike.

Tongue in cheek?

Nothing can take this title in reality.

 

[Pete N]

Had my first test ride today with gen2 levo sl, fine tuning the bike setup ! I love it so far ! Tomorrow morning I will go for a longer ride and push it a bit more.

Below are a few datas/feelings :

12.7km / 290m
31% of the battery used
Eco 40/40
Trail 60/60
Turbo 100/100
Eco 60% of the time, trail 22%, turbo 18%

Loved the handling of the bike
suspension is very good
Motor noise is way lower than gen1
Brakes are strong and feel good

Last thing about the rear 27’5 wheel and short CS, I was fearing to have issues with front wheel lift off when climbing steep but not at all, I climbed a 13% Grade single with ease in turbo mode, bike was stable all along.

I will tell you more tomorrow after a harder and longer ride !

Good to hear. You’re going to get me spending a lot of money!!
What I’d like is the better handling/capability. Quieter motor although the current one doesn’t overly bother me. A bit more power. Seems like it ticks those boxes. How do you compare to the Gen 1, decent improvement?
The only problem for me now will be getting one. I believe stock levels for the S-Works isn’t going to be too high and availability sporadic. I’d also like the white if possible.
I’m not sure there will be much discount available, especially on an SW.
Bike prices are insane. 10k is more than enough. 13k just crazy.
They sell though!!

 

[gts66]

Good to hear. You’re going to get me spending a lot of money!!
What I’d like is the better handling/capability. Quieter motor although the current one doesn’t overly bother me. A bit more power. Seems like it ticks those boxes. How do you compare to the Gen 1, decent improvement?
The only problem for me now will be getting one. I believe stock levels for the S-Works isn’t going to be too high and availability sporadic. I’d also like the white if possible.
I’m not sure there will be much discount available, especially on an SW.
Bike prices are insane. 10k is more than enough. 13k just crazy.
They sell though!!

Today I had a more serious ride with a friend on analog trail bike so I could not really milk the bike, below the feedback :

31km / 563m in 2h28mn
Used 65% of the battery
80% ECO 17% TRAIL 3% TURBO
ECO :40/40
TRAIL : 60/60
TURBO : 100/100

There was a pretty steep climb (15% Grad), I felt the increase in power in Turbo compared to my gen 1 SL and a lot more than when I climb the same one with my EPIC EVO

The bike is nimble in mullet setup, and the short CS is definitely not a problem for me in size S5 even in the steeper climbs.

Bike is now pretty much dialed, except some fine tuning left to do for the shock (I guess 235psi will be spot on)

I can confirm it is an improved bike over gen 1 in almost all aspects (Geo, Suspension, engine...), sorry @Pete N

The last thing I need to do now is go in the Alps in June and try the slackened HTA setup for Enduro/DH tracks, other than that the bike is exactly what I was looking for, a versatile, performant yet comfy setup !

 

[maynard]

Tongue in cheek?

Nothing can take this title in reality.

No i was serious

 

[Desert_Turtle]

Snap. I currently have a 21 SW Epic Evo(great bike)and the same SL that you had. The black with bronze foil decals is a head turner.
It sounds like you’re the perfect reviewer for me!!! I look forward to your ride report.

 

[singletrackminded]

I assume this is without the range extender?
What were you hoping for? Full power is always going to be a big drain, efficiency will be lower at higher power and those numbers seem pretty reasonable to me. Dial the assist back to 70% (which would be like full power on the old version) and I am guessing you would get about 20miles and 2000feet, which (for your weight) seems about right.
Add the range extender and you would get 23miles and 2400feet (at full assist).

I had similar initial range results. I did short ride today, primary battery only. I weigh about 180# w/kit and pack. I rode in the factory setting /trail mode over a mix of gravel, old tarmac and technical singletrack with several punchy , short switchback climbs. I rode 1 hr. , 10.5 mi. with 788 feet of elevation gain, at 157% average support. Battery was at 53% at the finish.
Extrapolating, it would appear by my fuzzy math that in trail mode only, the battery would be drained to zero after
about 2 hrs, 22 miles and 1675 of elevation gain (assuming no drop off in available support or performance at the end of the battery cycle and that the bike will still actually run down to zero battery percentage). Next, I intend ride the same circuit using the mission control app feature Smart Control.
Has anyone else experimented with Smart Control? Has anyone actually run their battery to zero? I am curious if this is possible of if the bike cuts off with some level of reserve (I seem to remember the Old Levo SL stopping at around 3% remaining?).

 

[singletrackminded]

Congratulations, bike will be amazing I’m sure. I’m sure you could get the Bronze Foil decals made up from the 2021 version. I have that and it’s stunning.
If I ever get the new one in black, I’d do the same.

Do you have a web- source for the Specialized Levo Decals ?

 

[Desert_Turtle]

My bike shut off @ 3%. I’m not sure that you can drain it to 0.

 

[Pete N]

Do you have a web- source for the Specialized Levo Decals ?

Sorry, I don’t. Someone who works at McLaren UK in the body work department made mine for the Epic Evo. He measured them and then bought the colour vinyl that I wanted. He used a special machine to cut them. Did a great job fitting them too.

 

[Pete N]

Today I had a more serious ride with a friend on analog trail bike so I could not really milk the bike, below the feedback :

31km / 563m in 2h28mn
Used 65% of the battery
80% ECO 17% TRAIL 3% TURBO
ECO :40/40
TRAIL : 60/60
TURBO : 100/100

There was a pretty steep climb (15% Grad), I felt the increase in power in Turbo compared to my gen 1 SL and a lot more than when I climb the same one with my EPIC EVO

The bike is nimble in mullet setup, and the short CS is definitely not a problem for me in size S5 even in the steeper climbs.

Bike is now pretty much dialed, except some fine tuning left to do for the shock (I guess 235psi will be spot on)

I can confirm it is an improved bike over gen 1 in almost all aspects (Geo, Suspension, engine...), sorry @Pete N

The last thing I need to do now is go in the Alps in June and try the slackened HTA setup for Enduro/DH tracks, other than that the bike is exactly what I was looking for, a versatile, performant yet comfy setup !

Im pleased that it’s noticeably better/different in a few departments which makes spending the money a bit easier. I always tell my wife that the bikes cost 5k anyway

 

[Suns_PSD]

My bike shut off @ 3%. I’m not sure that you can drain it to 0.

Did the assist reduce significantly before that? I've heard at 20% that power drops.

Also, has anyone yet tested the LSL as both a Mullet & 29er B2B yet?

Suppose it doesn't matter as my Relay is in the mail and already paid in full.

 

[ThierryGTLTS]

My bike shut off @ 3%. I’m not sure that you can drain it to 0.

Draining the battery to 0 will kill the it prematurely.
See other posts relating to the good use of a Li-ion battery.
Do's and Don'ts for e-bike battery care. What do you do to keep your battery performing at its best?

In fact draining the battery below 10% at high current will shorten it's life.
Of course if you do this not too often, it will not be catastrophic

And don't lett the battery uncharged or completely charged too long.

Thierry

 

[G-Sport]

My experience of the Gen 1 is that it stops giving turbo below about 15% and soon after won't give trail either. Wouldn't even give me 30% eco below about 10%

 

[teapeaage]

Weird question - can anyone who already has it measure the *height* of the reservoir decal on the Float X? I want to order decals (I hate this orange FOX logo) ahead of time from slik - is the reservoir decal 28.5mm or 34.5mm? Preferably on the S4 size. Thank youuu