KeithR
Well-known member
I'm kinda surprised how quickly the Rise fans seem to have forgot about that, TBH.
Levo SL Gen 1 Levo SL killed by Orbea?
- Thread starter hbakken
- Start date
Well with any EMTB you have a noise, in fact on one of the forum group rides I seem to recall us being referred to as a Heard of Dysons but some witty passer buy!
All I care about with a bike is how it rides, dont care if the battery is inside or out, if the paint job looks like something by a 5 year old, or if the motor clunks, clangs, whines or sounds like its about to spit the dummy, if it rides well I am down for it.
The Orbea doesn't change that the SL is a great bike, its just another option, and no doubt Specilized have something or things en route soon to expand the SL line, and equally I would expect to see a lot more other lightweight bikes hitting the market from other brands soon.
Really the ace in the hole so to speak with the SL is its range, which in the real world is genuinely impressive for such a system, and until we get some real world feedback on that front with the Orbea I think its hard to do any sort of comparison between the two.
IIRC Specilized only has a limited period of exclusivity with the Mahle motor anyway?
All I care about with a bike is how it rides, dont care if the battery is inside or out, if the paint job looks like something by a 5 year old, or if the motor clunks, clangs, whines or sounds like its about to spit the dummy, if it rides well I am down for it.
The Orbea doesn't change that the SL is a great bike, its just another option, and no doubt Specilized have something or things en route soon to expand the SL line, and equally I would expect to see a lot more other lightweight bikes hitting the market from other brands soon.
Really the ace in the hole so to speak with the SL is its range, which in the real world is genuinely impressive for such a system, and until we get some real world feedback on that front with the Orbea I think its hard to do any sort of comparison between the two.
IIRC Specilized only has a limited period of exclusivity with the Mahle motor anyway?
steve_sordy
Wedding Crasher
KeithR
Well-known member
True, but the noise of the EP8 has been declared a deal-breaker by quite a few on here.
Yes but who on here has ridden one, two I can think of? Rest is what Forums are best at - conjecture!
No different to the people who said the Mahle being noiseier the Brose was a deal breaker with the SL, when in the real world who gives a toss.
And actually in my mind the biggest reason to go for an SL is the reliability to date - the Mahle motor system is by far and away the system on here that we hear the least problems about - combine that with specilizeds customer service and thats a hard plus to ignore, especially as we have Eno idea if the ep8 is a warranty nightmare in waiting, or a much more bulletproof system that the e8000.
aklemm
New Member
I love my SL. I don't see the need for any additional assistance. I haven't found a section of trail this bike can't climb. I think 150/160mm travel is the sweet spot over the Rise's 140mm frame. Without riding the Rise, I'd argue that the Levo SL is a little more fun and forgiving when pointed downhill. The range is exceptional and the motor's reliability seems to be one of the best. I also have a Specialized dealer 1.5mi from my house and 4mi from my work, both shops are awesome.
MLX John
Active member
Also love my SL. Was a bit unsure of the somewhat conservative geo (coming from a Hightower 2), but works just fine for me. More than enough power, I am a fit rider, so YMMV. The 2020 expert SL is overpriced though for the kit that it comes with. swapped just about everything out (Pike, DPX2. XT 12spd, cascade link). Right at 39#/ 17.7kg with XT trail pedals, tubeless.
Despite what Spez says, 2.6 Purgatory Grid fits with plenty of clearance out back. The range is impressive and the motor has been flawless. The Mission Control app and Blevo are also big plusses.
The RIse looks like a great bike. I'm a big fan of competition driving innovation. Definitely a better bang for the buck; however, due to my slight bike OCD nature (partly from being a professional bike mechanic), a rattling motor would drive me insane.
Despite what Spez says, 2.6 Purgatory Grid fits with plenty of clearance out back. The range is impressive and the motor has been flawless. The Mission Control app and Blevo are also big plusses.
The RIse looks like a great bike. I'm a big fan of competition driving innovation. Definitely a better bang for the buck; however, due to my slight bike OCD nature (partly from being a professional bike mechanic), a rattling motor would drive me insane.
Not sure about bag of bolts
However, I’m not convinced the ep8 (even detuned) fits the analog like light ebike concept. At least not as I see it! Rattle noise, drag (yes still there) and more importantly reliability might become issues, to a greater extend than for sl 1.1!
KeithR
Well-known member
Yep, agreed.
Herd of dysons.. I'm not even mad ???
RickBullotta
E*POWAH Elite World Champion
I'm not trying to troll here (well, maybe a little), but "I don't like the looks of the Rise vs the SL" - here they are side-by-side, and if I took the logos off most people would, at first glance, think they're the same bike!
Yes, they have a front and rear triangle, 2 wheels, a seat and pedals. They look the same for sure.
Rosemount
E*POWAH Elite
The one on the left is bent .
Now , if they were both black you might have fooled me . lol .
Actually, I prefer the look of the Rise. Totally subjectively though. Would need to have my arse on both seats for a bit to see which I prefer.
Gordon
RickBullotta
E*POWAH Elite World Champion
soundwave
Active member
Rise looks more like an analog bike compared like this
If you find pictures of the two in the same size, they would even be more similar. In the the side by side here the Orbea is L or XL and the SL is S or M. The The L/XL SL has a noticeable kink in the top tube...
KeithR
Well-known member
I think the Rise looks great - but then again, I struggle to think of any bike whose looks bother me these days.
Mcharza
E*POWAH BOSS
The engine area looks lighter in Rise
True, on picture at least! And kudos to Orbea for this! Because EP8 is more massive than SL1.1. That’s physics! But it is well hidden behind cranks! Need to see it through different angles though ...
ebikerider
Active member
Sounds the same as every other EP8 motor....a bag of bolts lol
Pretty sure Orbea haven't retrofitted noisy software
My SL has enough power for me, I rarely use Turbo and not for long. Unless Shimano has made some big gains in motor efficiency (highly unlikely) more torque takes more battery power, range will suffer. It is nice to have another choice of bikes, we all gain from that.
Yeah, so you get an hour of riding with the extra power?
Yeah, that's the kenevoOrbea is a bit cross country for my kind of riding, would not buy one, still prefer the SL.
SL needs more power though (more power has never hurt) for those fun steep techy climbs you can do on the big Levo and are impossible on the SL.
I have the full Levo, the SL and the non E Specialized Enduro.
Ride 5 times a week, once the SL, once the big Levo and 3 times the Enduro.
The most fun is the big Levo.... always, then the Enduro, then the SL which still it is a lot of fun and a fantastic bike that in some sections handles better than the other two.
What we need is the Ebike version of the Enduro, that would be an amazing bike
Should have put the alloy SL next to it the motor bulge is smaller!
I think the problem is as @Ameiza said, the sizes of the two bikes are different so you can't really tell what they're like in comparison. In fairness, Orbea do look like they've done a fine job of packaging around the motor though to at least make it appear compact.
KeithR
Well-known member
Is "my engine mount looks smaller than your engine mount" A Thing now??
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