JayMartin
Member
Hi,
Thinking I would enjoy road riding my 2021 Turbo Levo Comp, and after much discussion on the pros and cons, I ordered the parts to assemble a spare set of wheels. This post is to document what I did—old hat to most but perhaps of some help to a few. It takes wheels, gearing, and brake parts.
Wheels
The two main things that determine wheel choice are axle dimensions and what tires you want to run. Both wheels must match the OEM axle specifications which in my case was microspline Centerlock 28h 15x110 Boost on the front and microspline Centerlock 28h 12x148 Boost on the rear. Tire width determines internal rim width. For reasons unknown to me, the folks at Specialized seemed adamant about not going with tires narrower than 2.1” (53mm). Ignoring their advice, I went with 47mm Cannonballs on 25mm (internal) rims. If Specialized turns out to be right, the tire/rim compatibility charts say a 2.1” tire will still fit just fine on these rims.
Gearing
I went with the same cassette that came stock with the bike, a Shimano SLX CS-M7100 12-Speed, 10-51t, microspline. While there is likely no need for those big gears in the back, your alternatives are minimal. Plus, it can also serve as a spare for your MTB wheel.
Supposedly the largest chainring one can squeeze onto this bike is a 36T, nowhere near the size of a typical road bike chainring and likely a tad too big to leave on for trail riding. To go really fast, one probably needs to derestrict the bike.
Brakes
The disk brakes are the same front and rear—SM-RT64. At 2,000 miles of trail riding, my brake disks were worn 65-70% down. So, I put the new disks on the MTB wheels where they will see way more use.
Other
Obviously, one needs the tools to (dis)assemble all of the above. I had some but needed to pick up a few more.
For some reason, it took me the longest time to find the Specialized ring with built in magnet for the speed sensor. It’s part #S226800004.
I didn’t realize tubeless-ready wheels meant they come taped and with stems ready to install. So, I bought those two things unnecessarily.
I hemmed and hawed about whether to put the new cassette on my MTB wheel and put the old, abused one on my road wheel. Then I remembered from my dirt biking days, to replace the chain and gears all at the same time. So after the initial order, I ordered a second cassette and a new chainring to go with a new chain, making the process a little longer.
Jay
Thinking I would enjoy road riding my 2021 Turbo Levo Comp, and after much discussion on the pros and cons, I ordered the parts to assemble a spare set of wheels. This post is to document what I did—old hat to most but perhaps of some help to a few. It takes wheels, gearing, and brake parts.
Wheels
The two main things that determine wheel choice are axle dimensions and what tires you want to run. Both wheels must match the OEM axle specifications which in my case was microspline Centerlock 28h 15x110 Boost on the front and microspline Centerlock 28h 12x148 Boost on the rear. Tire width determines internal rim width. For reasons unknown to me, the folks at Specialized seemed adamant about not going with tires narrower than 2.1” (53mm). Ignoring their advice, I went with 47mm Cannonballs on 25mm (internal) rims. If Specialized turns out to be right, the tire/rim compatibility charts say a 2.1” tire will still fit just fine on these rims.
Gearing
I went with the same cassette that came stock with the bike, a Shimano SLX CS-M7100 12-Speed, 10-51t, microspline. While there is likely no need for those big gears in the back, your alternatives are minimal. Plus, it can also serve as a spare for your MTB wheel.
Supposedly the largest chainring one can squeeze onto this bike is a 36T, nowhere near the size of a typical road bike chainring and likely a tad too big to leave on for trail riding. To go really fast, one probably needs to derestrict the bike.
Brakes
The disk brakes are the same front and rear—SM-RT64. At 2,000 miles of trail riding, my brake disks were worn 65-70% down. So, I put the new disks on the MTB wheels where they will see way more use.
Other
Obviously, one needs the tools to (dis)assemble all of the above. I had some but needed to pick up a few more.
For some reason, it took me the longest time to find the Specialized ring with built in magnet for the speed sensor. It’s part #S226800004.
I didn’t realize tubeless-ready wheels meant they come taped and with stems ready to install. So, I bought those two things unnecessarily.
I hemmed and hawed about whether to put the new cassette on my MTB wheel and put the old, abused one on my road wheel. Then I remembered from my dirt biking days, to replace the chain and gears all at the same time. So after the initial order, I ordered a second cassette and a new chainring to go with a new chain, making the process a little longer.
Jay
