Levo SL Gen 1 Official Levo SL Thread

crembz

Member
Sep 4, 2021
53
19
Australia
It actually occurred to me why I am not just making a replica tube indeed :- D The baking paper looks like ideal size.

Oh well.. can you at least ride in local trails? Our lock-downs always allowed individual exercise in near vicinity.
Yeah I'm lucky that I live close to a trail center and so am permitted to use it. I feel for those in the inner burbs with no chance of hitting any trails until this all blows over.
 

gbarfoot

Active member
Sep 1, 2020
184
164
Colorado usa
Hey guys, I found few inconclusive posts about shocks that fit with Range Extender, but majority of them not in size I will have, Medium SL.
Does RockShox Super Deluxe fit with RE on Medium ? Does Fox X2?

Also, did any of you buy those super cheap RS Super Deluxe that come as brand new take-offs from other brands? Lot of e-shops sell Deluxes that come from Santa Cruz and they seem to fit and you already have mounting hardware from existing shock. So only thing is the tune, but I can't see this being too different as both SC and Specialized use very similar linear kinematics (the shocks doesn't care what system is used, the compression is compression), at worst, reshimming is matter of 20 minutes.
SDU will not fit, X2 will fit
 

George_KSL

Active member
Sep 11, 2021
256
294
Slovak Republic
SDU will not fit, X2 will fit

Really, X2 fits Carbon Medium? Any X2 or only 2022 version with shorter Piggy? I am willing to use the Wolftooth offset adapter for bottle cage, although I would prefer merely sliding the cage down instead of to the side, not sure how 1KG battery offset to side would act upon landing jumps.
The battery dislodged itself on the Pinkbike's huck to flat test and that was tiny tiny jump :- )

If only X2 wasn't priced so terribly in Europe, not that I lack the funds, but I don't find the value in Fox's products to be worth the Europe's MSRP.
ZEB Ultimate 800 Euro, Fox 38 = 1600 Euro, same with SDU vs X2.
 

George_KSL

Active member
Sep 11, 2021
256
294
Slovak Republic
X2 Might not work on aluminum frame. SLs.
man’s you’ll need to do some small modification of the water bottle holder if you’re gonna run an RE. Simplytake a drill and lengthen the holes so the water bottle holder will sit about 3cm lower and you’ll be solid. - unless you have an aluminum SL.

You're talking about drilling holes into the plastic cage on Carbon frame, right :- ) ?

I've heard the cable has problem being attached with such drastic position modification because it's super stiff and exact length.
 

crembz

Member
Sep 4, 2021
53
19
Australia
Ok I'm confused, I'm just about to order a SDU but now I'm not so sure I should. Does the medium SL with the SDU clear the range extender using the bottle holder hack ... Can anyone confirm?
 

gbarfoot

Active member
Sep 1, 2020
184
164
Colorado usa
I did a visual test fit for one on a medium alum without the cage hack, and the SDU looked like it had a LOT of interference. I returned it without trying to make it work as it looked like it wasn't going to fit even with the hack.
 

crembz

Member
Sep 4, 2021
53
19
Australia
Pretty sure the sdu doesn’t fit. Have you done a thread search?
That's, yes I tried, this thread is enormous. I found one person fitted out successfully on a large frame by tilting the bottle cage. I'm not sure the differences in space between the large and medium
 

Mcharza

E*POWAH BOSS
Aug 10, 2018
2,623
5,424
Helsinki, Finland
I have an XL sized SL with an EXT Storia shock. The RE does not fit on mine so unlikely to fit on yours if you had this setup. But...I simply bought one of those little brackets that moves the water bottle mounting holes off centre to the right, and the RE fits straight in. I think it was this one: B-RAD Bottle Shift

WT_BottleShift_02_b9c7bc7f-0fa2-4daa-a3d0-7cae2253ecf5_590x.jpg
Is this another solution?
 

Dave_B

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Aug 29, 2020
1,473
1,600
Newquay
Has anyone upgraded their shock to the new Fox Float X2? Just been watching the Marshall Mullen videos and he swears by this shock in both Levo SL and Levo. He fits a 210x55 and reports that there are zero fitment or clearance issues.

I can’t quite work out if the RE fits ok with this shock?
 

apac

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Aug 14, 2019
1,326
1,173
S.Wales
Has anyone upgraded their shock to the new Fox Float X2? Just been watching the Marshall Mullen videos and he swears by this shock in both Levo SL and Levo. He fits a 210x55 and reports that there are zero fitment or clearance issues.

I can’t quite work out if the RE fits ok with this shock?
Yes I have.... 210x55. I'm having a really difficult time getting it dialled in. I watched the Marshall Mullen vid too and he talked me into getting the 2021 X2. I've even used his recommended settings. Is it £700 more suspension than the DPS? Hmmm?

btw, I have a size large SL, there is plenty of room for the new X2.

EDITED: I haven’t tried a range extender but I use a bottle
 
Last edited:

squeegee

Well-known member
Aug 19, 2019
373
281
USA
Finally got my SL back after 5 week cluster-fuck from Specialized, new main harness, new main battery and TCU. LBS still not really sure what the problem was specifically. Hate the fact that Specialized Turbo dept will not share details of diagnostics with customer. My guess is was faulty TCU to begin with but was misdiagnosed and why I had to wait, Turbo dept probably doesn't want to admit it. LBS didn't tell me they replaced the TCU but bluetooth code changed and is obviously a new TCU.

RE fits with X2 210x55, size M using wolftooth b-rad to get a little extra clearance. Also 24oz waterbottle fits with about a 1/4" to spare, 8.5" H. I like the X2 a lot, similar feel to coil but better all-arounder for both trail and descending.

20211006_060402.jpg
 

apac

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Aug 14, 2019
1,326
1,173
S.Wales
what's your opinion of the X2 on the SL?

I don't want to give an opinion as yet, as I feel I'm still trying to find the sweet spot for me. Unfortunately I only rode it about 4 times whilst trying to set it up but I then broke my wrist. I've now got the plaster off but I'm suffering with Covid, so I ain't been on my bike for nearly 2 months. I don't think it's worth a £700 upgrade, but then again I don't ride like Marshall Mullen either.
 

George_KSL

Active member
Sep 11, 2021
256
294
Slovak Republic
Went to test ride wife's LevoSL (Kenevo SL's framesets are sold out everywhere, so I wanted to give it another test) on bit more tougher trails.
I have to say the low anti-rise suspension is interesting design decision and double-edged sword. It gives the bikes tremendous trail energy, it's like cross-country bike even without motor engaged.
But it's somewhat disconcerting on both steeper downhills and also jump lips. At same sag as my enduro bike, it keeps pushing you forward, and this is with 170mm ZEB on front, which at least partially counter-acts this.

Ultimately, I don't know what to think of this feature, perhaps it's just amplified by the tiny DPS shock and its strange RX tune.

It can't be solved by higher sag, the suspension is very linear so that will just lead to bottoms out, and I did use a lot of the travel.

I am used to almost excessive progression (70perc. on my 29" YT Capra, compared to 16perc. on Levo SL), but I am thinking Cascade link might be on order (why did they make it so ugly for Levo SL ? All their other links are stunningly detailed).

Perhaps this is another bike where Storia EX with lot of hydraulic bottom out would be the best of both worlds. Wonder if Cascade is worth it with the now adjustable bottom out on new v3 EX (or is it just the E-Version that now has Arma-like HB adjustment?) if you don't care about travel number? It's 300 bucks

Is it right that with Cascade, 55mm stroke shock no longer fits Carbon frame? Or was it Cascade + 55 + offset bushing that didn't ?

I was very much interested in X2, but I am not sure with how linear the suspension is that it would be the right choice. Sticking shit-ton of tokens into air chamber is definitely more of compromise that simply adjusting hydraulic bottom out on Storia EX.

Lot's of random rambling, sorry :- ). Ultimately though, it's very energetic and fun bike ! That's for sure.
 

Madog

Member
May 29, 2020
17
18
Kentucky
Hi does anyone drive the super deluxe in his Levo SL here?
what tune and setup ride you...?

Hve not tried the super deluxe but did try the deluxe select+ with a meg neg. I liked it much better than the DPS (better on small bumps, supportive yet more plush). Currently using a Fox X2 (2022 210x52.5) with a cascade link. Without the link I was having a lot more pedal strikes and had to decrease the sag to 22% from 30 just the get by. Adding the link makes a huge difference allowing the shock to ride higher in the travel. Very happy now with the X2. (Levo SL Comp Carbon, Large).
 

George_KSL

Active member
Sep 11, 2021
256
294
Slovak Republic
I've been running cascade link + 210x55 X2 for months on M comp carbon, there's no frame interference. No offset bushing but running mullet wheels.

Do you have a photo of your setup somewhere here? Would love to see this combination (X2 + Mullet in Medium), we also have Medium Carbon.
 

George_KSL

Active member
Sep 11, 2021
256
294
Slovak Republic
And it's 34.9 or shimmed 31.6? I can't tell, but looks like the former right?

If so, how much can you slam it into the frame? Or is that already a maximum? I would be very grateful for the minimum distance between bottom of collar and top of frame.
 

crembz

Member
Sep 4, 2021
53
19
Australia
Any SL owners compare say the x2 against the ohlins coil shock? The x2 is supposedly coil like, but which gives the better ride? I've never owned a coil shock so tempted to order one.
 

George_KSL

Active member
Sep 11, 2021
256
294
Slovak Republic
Why would you get Ohlins compared to E-Storia? Same price, but E-Storia is both safer choice for Levos due to thicker shaft, much higher tunability (it's both tuned from factory to your style and bike and also keeps bigger range of external adjustments afterwards), better bottom out (best hydraulic bottom out in industry), less weight (sub 100gram compared to air X2), looks absolutely stunning visually, etc.

Unless you got some really good deal :- )
 

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