My Specialized Turbo Levo....

[Mambat]

Hi All

I am new to the forum... I thought I would add a couple of pictures of my steed!

It started life as a basic 2018 Levo Comp, this was my blank canvas

Upgrades:
Fox 36 Fork
Cane Creek Dbinline Coil (550lb Spring)
Trp Slate GWin Brakes
XT 1x11 Groupset
Lyne Components 150 Dropper
Easton Havoc 50mm Stem
Fabric Seat
Front Wheel - 29 Easton Arc 30mm Rim - Spez Butcher 2.6 Tyre
Rear Wheel - 27.5 Std Roval 38mm Rim - Spez Butcher 2.8 Tyre
504 WH Battery Upgrade

Great bike............ really enjoying it!!!

 

[Theolegit]

Wow bet it’s like a different bike!

 

[Mambat]

Hi Theolegit

Very much, the suspension has made the biggest difference, it feels bottomless and punches way above its 140mm rear travel!
I cant believe the difference the coil has made to the bike and also the amount of adjust ability the Cane Creek gives one.

Cheers

Mambat

 

[Krisj]

Hi Mambat great looking bike
Did the new cane creek fit on quite easy as I’m thinking off doing similar upgrades to my Levo comp
What front and rear travel have you got with the upgrade
And how does it perform now
Post more pictures if poss

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

@Mambat what a transformation! Agree we need to see more pics!

 

[outerlimits]

What size is the coil shock ?
And the 29er front would of raised it a bit, and slackened it. How does it handle ? Got to load the front a bit more to corner ?

 

[Mambat]

Hi Mambat great looking bike
Did the new cane creek fit on quite easy as I’m thinking off doing similar upgrades to my Levo comp
What front and rear travel have you got with the upgrade
And how does it perform now
Post more pictures if poss

Thanks for the compliments! I will upload some more pics over the weekend.

The Cane Creek is an easy install, you need to order the 190 x 50 with a new yoke from Bike Yoke. In the UK TFTuned is your best option or direct from BikeYoke.de in Germany......... Setup has been interesting, I ordered a 450Lb and 500Lb spring according to their website I should have been good but have found i'm running near max preload to get around 33% sag.... I have ordered a 550Lb spring which I will hopefully get within the next couple of weeks. I have just less than 140mm on the rear and running 160mm on the front.


Running the bike with 160mm and 29 front wheel has made the bike tend to understeer a little but its a worthy sacrifice for the increased roll-over and also the increased BB height which has helped allot with pedalstrikes!
Using my phone.... My HA is bang on 65deg, great sweetspot!
For our local skills/jump parks I put the 27.5+ front back on, it is better balanced in the air with the smaller front wheel.
I also run the bike with a 29 (2.3 Onza Ibex) rear wheel for gentler trail rides, it does carry speed allot better.

I also have to say how chuffed I am with the TRP brakes, I had Saints on back-order and took a flyer on the TRP's.... for the price they cant be beaten!
They have held up to multiple downhill runs with no fade. I can recommend them!

 

[villho]

First message to the forum - greetings from Finland.

Out of curiosity, how much do you @Mambat weigh (with the riding gear)? I also have CCDB coil IL on my Levo with 600 lbs/in spring and I get roughly 28 % sag with no preload (well, a half a turn just to remove any slack). I weigh 87 kg with gear (~191 lbs for any SI-system limited ).

I ordered just today 500 lbs and 550 lbs springs to test them out, as I’d like have 30+ % sag and a tad more plush setup.

On the front I have RS Revelation, but it’s basically a 2019 Pike as I have upgraded it with Charger 2 damper, 2019 model DebonAir spring (160 mm) and SKF seals and I couldn’t ask for more from it.

 

[SteveVentoux]

Wow, that is some serious customisation! I've got a Levo Comp on order, going to go with the stock set up initially, but can see myself being tempted to tweak like yourself over time.

 

[Lukasz_M]

This is weird... I'm 92 kg geard up. 640 lbs Ohlins spring was too soft although I was able to get the right sag. 700 lbs is a sweet spot. 2 preload turns, 25-30% sag and still a little reserve for harsh landings...
And my beauty BTW ?

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Some amazing customised Levo’s popping up on the forum.

Iv made a special section for the special Levos

Post your modded Levo’s!

 

[Tori]

Some very sexy modifications fellas. I'm keen to try out a coil shock on my Levo Expert.

 

[nbaczek]

First message to the forum - greetings from Finland.

Out of curiosity, how much do you @Mambat weigh (with the riding gear)? I also have CCDB coil IL on my Levo with 600 lbs/in spring and I get roughly 28 % sag with no preload (well, a half a turn just to remove any slack). I weigh 87 kg with gear (~191 lbs for any SI-system limited ).

I ordered just today 500 lbs and 550 lbs springs to test them out, as I’d like have 30+ % sag and a tad more plush setup.

On the front I have RS Revelation, but it’s basically a 2019 Pike as I have upgraded it with Charger 2 damper, 2019 model DebonAir spring (160 mm) and SKF seals and I couldn’t ask for more from it.

View attachment 1977

View attachment 1979

Very nice looking bike man. Do I see you have some sort of motor protector/bash guard underneath the downtube? If so what is it as I've already had few rock strikes.

Thanks,
Nate

 

[villho]

^ Well spotted, I do have a bash plate on my bike made by one Italian guy. Not cheap (98 euros incl. shipping to Finland), but I have to have one with my type of riding and the terrain I ride in (lots of rocks and roots etc.). The plate already has lots of hits on it, but it has taken them well. Made out of thick carbon.

Video:
If interested, send me a PM and I’ll share the contact info (it’s not the email address in Youtube).

 

[Crush]

This is weird... I'm 92 kg geard up. 640 lbs Ohlins spring was too soft although I was able to get the right sag. 700 lbs is a sweet spot. 2 preload turns, 25-30% sag and still a little reserve for harsh landings...
And my beauty BTW ? View attachment 2060 View attachment 2061

Hey mate, where did you get the 700 spring and is that the 190(7.5) or 200mm (7.875) cane creek?

 

[Mambat]

Its great to see some other modded Levo's out there!

It looks like the Cane Creek is the go to rear shock...... I have just received my 550Lb spring, I will be fitting this evening to test tomorrow!

 

[Mambat]

This is weird... I'm 92 kg geard up. 640 lbs Ohlins spring was too soft although I was able to get the right sag. 700 lbs is a sweet spot. 2 preload turns, 25-30% sag and still a little reserve for harsh landings...
And my beauty BTW ? View attachment 2060 View attachment 2061

How about some feedback/review on the CC Helm??? Please !

 

[Will]

Cane creek 190/50 customer to Specialized yoke. 650 titanium spring. 90 kg 30% sag
Massive improvement, really supple, it has 2-3 mm sag under its own weight. Improvement in grip is like dropping 5psi in tires. Way more composed when jumping and flat landing.
160 the fork but gone back to 150 as it was too lazy.
29 next as not stoked on fat tyres. Maybe just front.
And 160mm cranks if the 29 doesn’t fix the pedal strikes.

 

[Lazy Biker 84]

Hi Mambat, how are you getting on with the 29" front end? I only just earlier this afternoon posted this up as a question, if anyone had done this...
Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,

Paul.

 

[Mambat]

Hi Mambat, how are you getting on with the 29" front end? I only just earlier this afternoon posted this up as a question, if anyone had done this...
Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,

Paul.

Hi Paul

I prefer the 29 front for all my riding now, I dont like the bouncy floaty feeling from the 27.5 fattie. The 29 wheel tracks better when it get really steep,
read full A-Line downhills and doesn't get caught up in bomb-holes like the 27.5.
I'm running the Spez Butcher 2.6 (Actually a 2.4 tyre) it hooks up nicely and i cannot feel any downsides with cornering.
I have run a 29er on the rear but it doesn't climb as well and I found the rim was taking a beating even with CSixx Fomo fitted.
Try it.... I have run all the permutations and have found for me 29 front/650Fattie rear 160mm front 154mm rear the sweet spot!

Feedback your findings.....

 

[Mambat]

Its great to see some other modded Levo's out there!

It looks like the Cane Creek is the go to rear shock...... I have just received my 550Lb spring, I will be fitting this evening to test tomorrow!

The 550Lb spring is spot on for me.......... 88Kg fully kitted.......... two turns of Preload, the bike feels so balanced now.
One very happy camper!

 

[Lazy Biker 84]

Hi Paul

I prefer the 29 front for all my riding now, I dont like the bouncy floaty feeling from the 27.5 fattie. The 29 wheel tracks better when it get really steep,
read full A-Line downhills and doesn't get caught up in bomb-holes like the 27.5.
I'm running the Spez Butcher 2.6 (Actually a 2.4 tyre) it hooks up nicely and i cannot feel any downsides with cornering.
I have run a 29er on the rear but it doesn't climb as well and I found the rim was taking a beating even with CSixx Fomo fitted.
Try it.... I have run all the permutations and have found for me 29 front/650Fattie rear 160mm front 154mm rear the sweet spot!

Feedback your findings.....

That's really good to know, ill see how I get on with the stock bike for now but will endeavour to play around with wheel sizing later on in the year.

 

[ccrdave]

well you have encouraged me to try some more with a 29er front I agree about the precision steering just not sure about the head angle

 

[bigborett]

First message to the forum - greetings from Finland.

Out of curiosity, how much do you @Mambat weigh (with the riding gear)? I also have CCDB coil IL on my Levo with 600 lbs/in spring and I get roughly 28 % sag with no preload (well, a half a turn just to remove any slack). I weigh 87 kg with gear (~191 lbs for any SI-system limited ).

I ordered just today 500 lbs and 550 lbs springs to test them out, as I’d like have 30+ % sag and a tad more plush setup.

On the front I have RS Revelation, but it’s basically a 2019 Pike as I have upgraded it with Charger 2 damper, 2019 model DebonAir spring (160 mm) and SKF seals and I couldn’t ask for more from it.

View attachment 1977

View attachment 1979

Did the same with my forks. Stayed at 150 though and didn't think of the SKF seals, damn. The seals would have been first on my list if it was a motorbike. A lot less stiction on the motorcycle ones.
They do seem pretty good though, more compliant on the smaller stuff. I think the new 2019 air spring is a noticeable improvement and cheap.

 

[Mambat]

Im keen to try the SKF seals, I have them on order.

I fitted Shimano Saints........... they finally showed up.................now THESE are brakes!!!
The TRP's are great for the price but the Saints are on a whole other level.

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Hi Paul

I prefer the 29 front for all my riding now, I dont like the bouncy floaty feeling from the 27.5 fattie. The 29 wheel tracks better when it get really steep,
read full A-Line downhills and doesn't get caught up in bomb-holes like the 27.5.
I'm running the Spez Butcher 2.6 (Actually a 2.4 tyre) it hooks up nicely and i cannot feel any downsides with cornering.
I have run a 29er on the rear but it doesn't climb as well and I found the rim was taking a beating even with CSixx Fomo fitted.
Try it.... I have run all the permutations and have found for me 29 front/650Fattie rear 160mm front 154mm rear the sweet spot!

Feedback your findings.....

Great feedback Mambat, I am going to try this out in the next few weeks and will feedback how I got on.

 

[Mambat]

Great feedback Mambat, I am going to try this out in the next few weeks and will feedback how I got on.

A tyre update.......... I have replaced the Butcher on the rear (Tired of the constant punctures) with a 2.5 Minion DHF DD casing.
It hooks up beautifully on climbs and is a noticeable improvement through the rough stuff, also far cheaper here in South Africa than the 2.8 Butchers.
I will replace the Butcher 2.6 on the front with a Minion DHF.

 

[ccrdave]

i run minion dhr2 front and back, fantastic setup, for summer at least!

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

I am waiting with great anticipation for the new Schwalbe Eddy Currents to be released.

The Eddy Current REAR tyre is available in a 27.5″ x 2.8″ and 29″ x 2.6″ version.

The Front is available in the same sizes and also in a 29″ x 2.4″ version.

The first ebike designed tyre from Schwalbe. Heavy at 1300 plus grams but the grip should be immense.

 

[Donnie797]

I am waiting with great anticipation for the new Schwalbe Eddy Currents to be released.

The Eddy Current REAR tyre is available in a 27.5″ x 2.8″ and 29″ x 2.6″ version.

The Front is available in the same sizes and also in a 29″ x 2.4″ version.

The first ebike designed tyre from Schwalbe. Heavy at 1300 plus grams but the grip should be immense.

View attachment 3144 View attachment 3145 View attachment 3146

Yes, me too! I'm so gonna go with that, as soon my first set of Butchers is done.
Schwalbe made a specific website for their new ebike-tyres: E-MTB - Schwalbe E-Bike-Tires