New Member looking for guidance on SL bike

[Duracell24]

Hey all, new rider here looking for some advice from those more experienced.

TLDR: Little experience, 90% trail/XC, have Kenevo SL, looking at opinions on Levo SL/Heckler SL and thoughts on Flipbike/Buycycle.

40 years old, 6’1” 185 pounds. New to mountain biking. Only riding background is triathlon biking on the road. Moved to Garmisch, Germany with the USAF a few weeks ago. This place is a mountain biking paradise to decided to go full on while here!

Currently have a 2023 Kenevo SL that I garnered in a dirt bike trade before I left the states. Unfortunately it’s too small (S3) and not really the kind of bike that suits what I want to do while out here.

I love running trail ultras so the fitness aspect of Mtn Bike riding appeals to me the most. I will be doing 90% trails and XC. I like going uphill as much, if not more, than downhill. On my current ride, I keep the motor off or on Eco mode for 90% of my riding.

I almost just went with an analog Stumpjumper, but decided to go light E-Bike as

1. It allows me to reach out to a few more local huts on the mountain I might otherwise not be able to get to on my own and
2. I like turning the motor on during my commute to work (1.5 km) so I don’t arrive all sweaty

Done a ton of online research (not a ton of LBS that allow testing) and am leaning hard towards a Levo SL 1.2 or Heckler SL.

I LOVE the Mastermind TCU on my current Kenevo, which is a big reason why I’m leaning hard to the Levo SL (23+ obviously). I hate the big, burly, heavy feeling of the bike. I really like small, agile platforms.

Any opinions on these two with the above info? Anything else I should seriously consider?

I’m looking 1-3 year old used on Buycycle and Flipbike as they seem to be really discounted from new and I obviously don’t need the absolute latest and greatest given my inexperience. Any recommendations outside of those online marketplaces?

 

[Semmelrocc]

Maybe these test reviews help you find your new bike: Levo SL and Heckler SL. I'd go for the Specialized because the Fazua motor still has some "childhood diseases".

 

[VWsurfbum]

I'd go Hekler as it's not a specialized.

 

[Chrysaor]

If you ride the Kenevo SL with a stiffer suspension setup in low/steep positions and with fastest rolling tires you are not far from a Levo SL2 geometry and handling imho
Edit: I missed the sizing part, S3 must definitely be too small for you

 

[Stihldog]

The Fausa or TQ motor might suit your needs. Those can be found in a number of light weight eMTB’s. A full suspension model can be used as a DH or commuter …with the right tires.

I’ve recently added the Fuel EXE with the TQ motor to my stable. I’m slowly starting to add the upgrades to it now. I guess it really depends on your location and type of ridding you intend?

 

[Marshall Willanholly]

Check out Vital’s SL e-bike roundup. They talk quite a bit about the Heckler and the Levo SL

 

[Duracell24]

Did a pretty big turn on the above 2 bikes for various reasons and am now looking seriously at a 2023 Trek Fuel Exe 9.9 XX1 for €7,290 or a 2024 Pivot Shuttle SL Pro XO for €7,016.

The Trek seems to be the slightly more refined bike and better deal of the two, but the Pivot seems to be more geared towards the type of riding that I will be doing (a lot of cross country and trail, not a ton of downhill and Enduro).

Anyone have any experience riding these bikes to do a side-by-side comparison?

I’ve had a chance to ride the EXE, but not the Shuttle.

 

[Stihldog]

I can’t compare t Fuel to the Pivot, but I can compare the Fuel to the Rail. Both are great bikes but it really depends on my daily rides. I’m using the Fuel much more so I decided to add the ultimate upgrade …new wheels, hubs and tires for the DH trails, and the other set of alloy rims and faster rolling tires for the tame trails and rides as a commuter.

The Rail, which is very capable, is a tank Used for high altitude climbing, packing trail-tools, etc. The Fuel is a faster DH bike …it’s just a different animal for my needs. Either one is a great backup bike.

So I now have 2 sets of wheels for the Fuel EXE. I probably use the commuter wheels less than 20% of the time.

 

[Dax]

Can’t comment on the Trek, but I thought the Pivot was sublime when I demod it. Let down slightly by the motor and spec at the price I tested it at, but the frame, geometry and ride was superb. If uk pricing was more sensible I would be seriously tempted next time

 

[Duracell24]

Can’t comment on the Trek, but I thought the Pivot was sublime when I demod it. Let down slightly by the motor and spec at the price I tested it at, but the frame, geometry and ride was superb. If uk pricing was more sensible I would be seriously tempted next time

Would you be willing to elaborate more on “let down by the motor”? I’ve read great thing and, to be honest, I actually thought that was an advantage it had over the Trek.

 

[Dax]

Would you be willing to elaborate more on “let down by the motor”? I’ve read great thing and, to be honest, I actually thought that was an advantage it had over the Trek.

Not as powerful as the Bosch CX, much more pedalling resistance with the motor off than the Specilized SL. Others here disagree with me, but unclear if they have ridden the three side by side. But I have never owned Fazua, only demoed it for a day.

Edit - FWIW, I loved the bike so much I’d be tempted with one despite the motor, it rode amazingly well. I just felt it was significantly overpriced at £11500(US$15000) given the lack of t-type axs and the lack of Bosch CX.

 

[Stihldog]

Price was definitely a factor when I chose the Fuel EXE 8 (alloy frame, but it had the AXS T-Type derailer and new SRAM cassette. The Carbon frame model was about $3K more but didn’t have the T-Type derailer. If the fuel exe fit my riding style …I would upgrade it. So I upgraded it. .

Weird thing though …I can hear my tires rolling on the trail now.