Levo SL Gen 1 Levo SL Expert - First Ride

[Waynetta]

Picked up a demo SL today and just got back from an hour and half ride in the woods. Played with the settings and settled on eco 35/40 trail 70/60 and turbo100/100. Done 14 miles and 1500ft climbing and got back with 54% remaining (no extender) very happy with the power and feel, particularly trail mode on technical climbs felt good. I could have put more effort in but saving my legs for tomorrow as out with some very fit racing snakes and a turbo Levo rider. (Racing snakes are on a variety of full suss trail bikes, they happily do 30 to 40 mile slogs over Dartmoor)
I did try eco on 35/100 as someone recommended on here but felt that was too easy and didn’t feel the benefit when putting on turbo mode.

 

[miPbiP]

cool so you'd get ~1000m altitude out of a battery same as I do on my 500Wh Levo.

what do you think of the ride?

 

[Waynetta]

Really enjoyed it mate. Turbo was plenty on climbs I’d be blowing out m arse on . Not overly keen on SRAM components but again not a deal breaker. Bike hadn’t been ridden before (small frame size) so forks might not be as smooth as they could be but I’m past the stage of flat out knarly down hills. It did everything I would need apart from the saddle which is crap, never have got on with specialized saddles mind.

 

[miPbiP]

Really enjoyed it mate. Turbo was plenty on climbs I’d be blowing out m arse on . Not overly keen on SRAM components but again not a deal breaker. Bike hadn’t been ridden before (small frame size) so forks might not be as smooth as they could be but I’m past the stage of flat out knarly down hills. It did everything I would need apart from the saddle which is crap, never have got on with specialized saddles mind.

cool.

yeah saddle was first thing off my Levo - excruciating.

 

[jemen]

Same here. I never use Spesh saddles, stems ans socks.

 

[Waynetta]

Same here. I never use Spesh saddles, stems ans socks.

Socks??

 

[p3eps]

Away to take my own one out for its first run. It’s actually snowing just now... but hey ho! When you live in Scotland, you’ve got to embrace the weather!!

So far...
Invisiframe kit fitted
Derailleur / shifter swapped to AXS XX1
Rear tyre tubeless
DMR Vault mg pedals
Front Mudhugger
Carbon Garmin mount
Shockwiz fitted to rear shock

Weight: (XL SL Expert)
18.30kg or 40.34lb

Still to swap my bars / stem over, fit new front tyre and make it tubeless. Also swap dropper for AXS Reverb.
Should tip the scale at less than 18kg... which is a little over 4.5kg less than my Rail 9.9 was.
May be other mods along the way, but that’ll be my starting point.

Now... away to get this thing an extra few KG’s in mud ?

 

[Frank_Denmark]

Now... away to get this thing an extra few KG’s in mud ?

Awesome bike
Looking forward to hear Your experience after the ride

 

[miPbiP]

View attachment 26368

Away to take my own one out for its first run. It’s actually snowing just now... but hey ho! When you live in Scotland, you’ve got to embrace the weather!!

So far...
Invisiframe kit fitted
Derailleur / shifter swapped to AXS XX1
Rear tyre tubeless
DMR Vault mg pedals
Front Mudhugger
Carbon Garmin mount
Shockwiz fitted to rear shock

Weight: (XL SL Expert)
18.30kg or 40.34lb

View attachment 26367

Still to swap my bars / stem over, fit new front tyre and make it tubeless. Also swap dropper for AXS Reverb.
Should tip the scale at less than 18kg... which is a little over 4.5kg less than my Rail 9.9 was.
May be other mods along the way, but that’ll be my starting point.

Now... away to get this thing an extra few KG’s in mud ?

sweet. I like how the weave shows through those black Experts.

 

[Waynetta]

Had a brilliant day on the demo bike today. 25miles 2920ft climbing. 2h 47m ride time. 33% battery remaining. Ok I did work hard for that and cream crackerd now although arms and shoulders more than legs. All on trail centre stuff. Usually only manage about 20 miles of these trails and on my limit of endurance at that. 90% sure I’ll be putting a deposit down in the coming weeks. My super fit riding buddies bailed at 18 miles but the pace was tough.

 

[jcmonty]

Had a brilliant day on the demo bike today. 25miles 2920ft climbing. 2h 47m ride time. 33% battery remaining. Ok I did work hard for that and cream crackerd now although arms and shoulders more than legs. All on trail centre stuff. Usually only manage about 20 miles of these trails and on my limit of endurance at that. 90% sure I’ll be putting a deposit down in the coming weeks. My super fit riding buddies bailed at 18 miles but the pace was tough.

Nice report. Was that with the range extender or just the internal

 

[Waynetta]

@jcmonty just internal one. When I buy one I’m in two minds weather to buy an extender or not. 99% of my rides are between 2hrs and 2.5hrs.

 

[p3eps]

So... I mentioned it was snowing!
My first ride of my own bike was difficult to gauge. There’s another storm going on, so the winds were above 50mph. I decided to go somewhere a bit more sheltered - and ended up with a completely white forest.
I spoke to a local half way round, who told me it’d been bucketing rain all night... so what I ended up with was really thick muddy trails... with a few inches of snow on top!

Not exactly ideal riding conditions, but I gave it a shot anyway. The XL frame was much more comfortable for me than the Large I demoed. I was a bit concerned with the size because even with the post slammed into the frame, the 170mm extension meant I could just touch the ground!

Even going down the slidey trails, the XL felt more planted, and the 3cm difference didn’t feel noticeably more clumsy on tight turns.
I had full intention of riding in Eco, but I went with Trail instead because of the extra resistance of the snow! There were a few climbs that were impossible, as my rear wheel just spun due to the snow / mud. I don’t think I’d have had any issues on a dry day.

Forecast for tomorrow is ‘only’ ~20mph winds in the morning and sunny - so I’ve got permission from the wife to try again. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a better idea of how the bike rides then.

Climb to the top - a few spin out moments.

At the top - full wrath of the wind!

Virgin trails through the trees.

Don’t know how this happened?! Was pretty awkward to get out too.

Difficult to see where you’re meant to be going. Some nasty things hidden under the snow!

 

[losgatosgtr]

You guys may want to rethink this. In my experience riding the SL, it is potentially faster than the Levo almost everywhere except steep uphills, due to the very low drag of the drivetrain and low weight. It makes a huge difference.

The SL is faster downhill and faster on the flats in my experience between the two bikes. The SL gets up to top speed, above motor support, on the flats and carries speed easier than the standard Levo anytime there is no motor support. You wouldn't know this unless you ride the SL with other Levos on the flats, downhill or on tight windy singletrack.

Think about it... If heavy downhill bikes were faster than lighter downhill bikes, then all the world cup downhill racers would be riding the heaviest bikes possible....but they aren't and they are faster than ever. This assumes similar geometry like the SL and Levo. Only major difference is the shorter chainstay on the SL.

 

[Surge]

Why is £7.5k silly money for an emtb but fine for a motorbike? Doesn't make any sense to me.

Because a motor bike is way more complex and expensive to produce... although it does sell in larger volumes (but you don’t care about that as a consumer).

 

[Surge]

I've stepped away from Specialized after owning 2 of their ebikes.
Until they sort their motors and electronics out, I'm not giving them any more of my money.

I’ve had Zero issues with my 2018 Turbo Levo. Over 600km of hard riding and it’s been flawless.

 

[Jpzeroday]

You guys may want to rethink this. In my experience riding the SL, it is potentially faster than the Levo almost everywhere except steep uphills, due to the very low drag of the drivetrain and low weight. It makes a huge difference.

The SL is faster downhill and faster on the flats in my experience between the two bikes. The SL gets up to top speed, above motor support, on the flats and carries speed easier than the standard Levo anytime there is no motor support. You wouldn't know this unless you ride the SL with other Levos on the flats, downhill or on tight windy singletrack.

Think about it... If heavy downhill bikes were faster than lighter downhill bikes, then all the world cup downhill racers would be riding the heaviest bikes possible....but they aren't and they are faster than ever. This assumes similar geometry like the SL and Levo. Only major difference is the shorter chainstay on the SL.

The trick is to swap to even faster rolling tires...I have a Kenevo, Levo, and an SL. The SL with Aspens gets upto and carries speed way better!

Pump & pop factor ratings:

0/10 on Kenevo (by design with springs front and rear on mine, duh...but a 10/10 fun on steep and janky both up and down).

3/10 on Levo S-Works

8/10 on Levo SL

And for reference 10/10 on a backcountry geo bike like the Yeti SB100.

I’m setting mine up for pump and pop. Also makes it much faster on climbs with lower rolling resistance tires AND even a fun bike to ride on street finding bits to session...and pump tracks. Build formula: min weight and aspens w Cushcore XC rear only for added survivability in janky desert riding.

If you can afford 2 and you are high intermediate to expert in bike handling and at least moderately fit, the Kenevo and SL are the ultimate quiver IMO.

If I could only afford 1 bike though, Kenevo Comp all the way. Sized in the smaller option for me, it’s my true all round bike. I use it for 40+ mile, 4000’ plus vert mixed mode adventures: trail, trial, technical uphilling, along with double black/red descents all combined into single rides...some times even dual sport it with tarmac self-shuttle segments, too.

(I’ve also owned a Haibike Fat, Scott, Merida 900e & 10k and a Decoy)...the next best bike to the three Spesh I own was the 900e...by a significant margin. The Decoy has promise, but one major flaw...

 

[Blinkie]

So... I mentioned it was snowing!
My first ride of my own bike was difficult to gauge. There’s another storm going on, so the winds were above 50mph. I decided to go somewhere a bit more sheltered - and ended up with a completely white forest.
I spoke to a local half way round, who told me it’d been bucketing rain all night... so what I ended up with was really thick muddy trails... with a few inches of snow on top!

Not exactly ideal riding conditions, but I gave it a shot anyway. The XL frame was much more comfortable for me than the Large I demoed. I was a bit concerned with the size because even with the post slammed into the frame, the 170mm extension meant I could just touch the ground!

Even going down the slidey trails, the XL felt more planted, and the 3cm difference didn’t feel noticeably more clumsy on tight turns.
I had full intention of riding in Eco, but I went with Trail instead because of the extra resistance of the snow! There were a few climbs that were impossible, as my rear wheel just spun due to the snow / mud. I don’t think I’d have had any issues on a dry day.

Forecast for tomorrow is ‘only’ ~20mph winds in the morning and sunny - so I’ve got permission from the wife to try again. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a better idea of how the bike rides then.

View attachment 26408

View attachment 26410
Climb to the top - a few spin out moments.

View attachment 26409
At the top - full wrath of the wind!

View attachment 26411
Virgin trails through the trees.

View attachment 26412
Don’t know how this happened?! Was pretty awkward to get out too.

View attachment 26413
Difficult to see where you’re meant to be going. Some nasty things hidden under the snow!

where?

 

[p3eps]

where?

Corrennie

 

[jemen]

Socks??

Yeah. Socks from Specialized are so unsexy?

 

[p3eps]

So... what’s worse than riding in snow?
Riding in ice!!
Take 2. The sun was out, but the wind was still there - albeit not as bad as yesterday! At about 8.30 this morning, the temperature (according to my Garmin) ranged between -2 and 0degC.
I went to a more open trail and within a few mins out of the car park, I was cycling through frozen crunchy snow on the fire road. The footprints and tyre track were shiney ice!

Further along, the technical climb offered some particularly slippy bits. Sheets of ice across the rocks, and I had to take care not to spin the wheels too fast as traction was limited. At the top, the wind was wild... and the descent was pretty slippy too.

I rode mainly in Trail, with a couple of little boosts of Turbo on a couple of really steep sections that I’d normally never dream of attempting to climb. This time I did all the technical climb that I did in Turbo on my demo in Trail. The slightly bigger bike and decent pedals made the whole thing much easier.

The descents felt much more comfortable too, and the slightly bigger bike offered much more confidence. My only negative at the moment is the brakes felt a bit lacking... and I’d really like HSC / LSC on my fork. Maybe the brakes just need a bit of adjustment, but I felt like I had sore hands by the end of the ride with struggling to pull them hard enough to slow me down!

Today’s ride was just over 2hrs, 16.2 miles with 936m elevation... and I retuned with 10% battery (internal only).

So far, I’m really pleased with the bike... but looking forward to getting it out in slightly better conditions so that I can test the handling with a bit more confidence.

 

[Waynetta]

I’ve had Zero issues with my 2018 Turbo Levo. Over 600km of hard riding and it’s been flawless.

600km or 6000km? I do 600km in a month so I’d be pretty pissed if I did have any problems in such a short time.

 

[Surge]

600km or 6000km? I do 600km in a month so I’d be pretty pissed if I did have any problems in such a short time.

600km. I have 4 bikes that I all ride, so I don’t put a ton of miles on each one. For what it’s worth. There’s a lot more maintained and care required with an e-bike over a non e-bike. For example, who actually remembers to cycle their batteries every 3 months and not leave them fully charged in the off-season? Probably no one.

 

[R120]

600km. I have 4 bikes that I all ride, so I don’t put a ton of miles on each one. For what it’s worth. There’s a lot more maintained and care required with an e-bike over a non e-bike. For example, who actually remembers to cycle their batteries every 3 months and not leave them fully charged in the off-season? Probably no one.

Actually there are a lot of threads and queries on here about long term battery maintenance, and equally as many responses on the best course of action, but there have been enough conversation about it that I would be surprised if most long term forum members where not full aware of the best practice.

 

[Waynetta]

With all due respect though @Surge i wouldn’t be boasting about no issues after a mere 600km.

 

[Paul Mac]

600km. I have 4 bikes that I all ride, so I don’t put a ton of miles on each one. For what it’s worth. There’s a lot more maintained and care required with an e-bike over a non e-bike. For example, who actually remembers to cycle their batteries every 3 months and not leave them fully charged in the off-season? Probably no one.

We are talking from completely different perspectives here.
The Levo was my only bike and I put over 3000 miles on it.
On the battery front my battery was fully charged and depleted twice a week ?

 

[Surge]

Just trying to help guys. Lots of attitude, and ads, on this site!

 

[p3eps]

Incidentally, I had a couple of climbs where I actually needed 1st gear - even in 60% Trail mode. Long and steep... the sort of climbs that I’d have to give up after about 2mins on my regular bike - but the SL made it to the top. Slowly... but it still made it!

Just shows that the Eagle ‘dinner plate’ at the back is much more necessary on this lower powered bike. I probably did the same climb on my Rail in 4th!!

 

[Waynetta]

Just trying to help guys. Lots of attitude, and ads, on this site!

Hi surge. I apologise if that came across as attitude. Reading it back I could have been worded it better. Can’t do owt about the adds though.

 

[Thomas]

View attachment 26368

Away to take my own one out for its first run. It’s actually snowing just now... but hey ho! When you live in Scotland, you’ve got to embrace the weather!!

So far...
Invisiframe kit fitted
Derailleur / shifter swapped to AXS XX1
Rear tyre tubeless
DMR Vault mg pedals
Front Mudhugger
Carbon Garmin mount
Shockwiz fitted to rear shock

Weight: (XL SL Expert)
18.30kg or 40.34lb

View attachment 26367

Still to swap my bars / stem over, fit new front tyre and make it tubeless. Also swap dropper for AXS Reverb.
Should tip the scale at less than 18kg... which is a little over 4.5kg less than my Rail 9.9 was.
May be other mods along the way, but that’ll be my starting point.

Now... away to get this thing an extra few KG’s in mud ?

Only 2kg lighter than my 3x more powerful LEvo Expert....