Levo SL Gen 1 Official Levo SL Thread

[Chicane]

also which size is it?

Yes, Large tubeless, why off course. This was a demo and I was lucky enough to take it out for it’s maiden voyage.

 

[Housenotes]

Anybody live near Logan, UT. ? I have a store there holding a Range Extender for me but can't ship it because of Specialized Policy. I will pay for your time to pick it up and ship it to me. I will of course prepay for the item & it's shipping costs.

Thanks

 

[Ntinos]

New rotors added
18.23 kg so far, not so bad for XL size with coil fork

 

[onkelshort]

New rotors added
18.23 kg so far, not so bad for XL size with coil fork View attachment 46279 View attachment 46280 View attachment 46281

Last thing you need is a neat damper to keep up with that fork

 

[KeithR]

Anybody live near Logan, UT. ? I have a store there holding a Range Extender for me but can't ship it because of Specialized Policy. I will pay for your time to pick it up and ship it to me. I will of course prepay for the item & it's shipping costs.

You might want to clarify whether it's "Specialized policy" or the law.

Most of the world - I can see no reason why the US would be any different - has extremely rigorous laws preventing Li-Ion batteries from being routinely shipped without strict controls and (often show-stopping) additional safety requirements, due to Li-Ion batteries on their own being considered such a fire risk.

 

[Twvandoren]

Hi! Has anyone equipped his Levo SL with the E*THIRTEEN HELIX R? Do you need a bigger chainring or is there enough space for chain/chainstay with the 30T?

It works great. The chain does not rub on the chainstay protector and you won’t need a larger chainring. Shift quality is the same as with the GX cassette I ran previously.

 

[Shinn]

I ran a dvo t3 and now a dvo Jade X coil. I weigh 230. Either one works well.

Are you running a Cascade link with the Jade X coil?

I see quite a few are using the link with coil shocks but I don’t see anyone saying whether it’s required or just a good idea.
thanks.

 

[masterblaster]

It works great. The chain does not rub on the chainstay protector and you won’t need a larger chainring. Shift quality is the same as with the GX cassette I ran previously.

View attachment 46517

Great, thanks a lot for your feedback!

 

[Manitunc]

Are you running a Cascade link with the Jade X coil?

I see quite a few are using the link with coil shocks but I don’t see anyone saying whether it’s required or just a good idea.
thanks.

Yes, cascade link. But you don’t need it.

 

[Shinn]

Yes, cascade link. But you don’t need it.

Thank you very much...

 

[Shinn]

It’s not a need. I have one with an X2. It just gives another 6mm of travel I think, with a x55 shock it’s around 160 rear. I still haven’t measured so I could be wrong. I’ll have to do that one of these days......

TBH with the CC link you have to add more psi and I’m pretty 110% sure I have more pedal bob with it. Bike now bounces more than my 170mm travel bike. Which is bad because the motor provides a more uniform pressure running flats.

as for a coil over you probably would be fine. But there’s a higher failure rate when the suspension used the shock for structural stability as the Levos use.

I do recall reading about a coil failing more often, thought it was a different manufacturer? I'll do more research before buying the coil. I'll go ahead and order the link though, it just sounds like a good idea after doing more reading last night.

thanks a bunch.

 

[Ntinos]

I THINK that cascade link is "need" if you run coil.

Anyway, for the moment I am still with no coil
BTW this lightworks great for me (so far)

 

[Shinn]

I THINK that cascade link is "need" if you run coil.

Anyway, for the moment I am still with no coil
BTW this lightworks great for me (so far)

View attachment 46547

Sounds like a solid product/upgrade either way. I do bottom out a fair amount and will order one soon.
Thanks

 

[Modcitizen]

Apologies if this has already been covered in the previous 104(!) pages of this thread ... but can anyone tell me if they've been particularly happy with a specific brand/model/size of coil shock on their Levo SL? I've been browsing the DVO, Cane Creek and Storia coils but not sure which way to go ... or if it's even worth the swap as I've always ridden air shocks. Thanks in advance!
For reference, I live in the PNW, tend to ride steep, rocky terrain and also love hitting jumps.

 

[Shinn]

Apologies if this has already been covered in the previous 104(!) pages of this thread ... but can anyone tell me if they've been particularly happy with a specific brand/model/size of coil shock on their Levo SL? I've been browsing the DVO, Cane Creek and Storia coils but not sure which way to go ... or if it's even worth the swap as I've always ridden air shocks. Thanks in advance!
For reference, I live in the PNW, tend to ride steep, rocky terrain and also love hitting jumps.

I second this entire post. Leaning toward a DVO fork and coil shock myself.

I too would appreciate to hear others thoughts.
Thanks
Mark

 

[Manitunc]

Apologies if this has already been covered in the previous 104(!) pages of this thread ... but can anyone tell me if they've been particularly happy with a specific brand/model/size of coil shock on their Levo SL? I've been browsing the DVO, Cane Creek and Storia coils but not sure which way to go ... or if it's even worth the swap as I've always ridden air shocks. Thanks in advance!
For reference, I live in the PNW, tend to ride steep, rocky terrain and also love hitting jumps.

Love the dvo JadeX. Lock out for fire road climbs if you prefer

 

[Shinn]

Here is a video from that crazy Remy dude on YT I've watched it a few times. Great comparison between the DVO coil and air shocks.

Remy you tube

 

[Modcitizen]

Here is a video from that crazy Remy dude on YT I've watched it a few times. Great comparison between the DVO coil and air shocks.

Remy you tube

Ha! I actually watched that video just before I posted my question. It's part of what has me thinking more seriously about a coil --- if I get a coil I just KNOW I'll be able to ride anything Remy rides
In that video he's riding a bit more of a park bike that seems to have had the coil shock in mind when it was designed, so I'm curious how the SL in particular reacts going from air to spring. Also wondering if that Cascade Link is an important part of the equation?
Regardless, thanks for your reply and link to that video, Shinn!

 

[Shinn]

Ha! I actually watched that video just before I posted my question. It's part of what has me thinking more seriously about a coil --- if I get a coil I just KNOW I'll be able to ride anything Remy rides
In that video he's riding a bit more of a park bike that seems to have had the coil shock in mind when it was designed, so I'm curious how the SL in particular reacts going from air to spring. Also wondering if that Cascade Link is an important part of the equation?
Regardless, thanks for your reply and link to that video, Shinn!

My concerns were with the frame design as well. Sounds like the CC Link is certainly recommended.

 

[KnollyBro]

Apologies if this has already been covered in the previous 104(!) pages of this thread ... but can anyone tell me if they've been particularly happy with a specific brand/model/size of coil shock on their Levo SL? I've been browsing the DVO, Cane Creek and Storia coils but not sure which way to go ... or if it's even worth the swap as I've always ridden air shocks. Thanks in advance!
For reference, I live in the PNW, tend to ride steep, rocky terrain and also love hitting jumps.

After years of using Cane Creek DBair shocks on my Knolly bikes I was hoping to find a coil solution for my wife's SL as air shocks have been so expensive to keep maintained ($300 per year). I have the RockShox Super Deluxe Coil with Vorsprung damper on my Kenevo and an Avalanche damper in the Boxxer fork which I am very happy with. I contacted Cane Creek and was told that the only coil shock that would stand up the lateral forces generated on the SL would be their Cane Creek DB Kitsuma coil shock which is pretty rare to fine and pretty expensive too. After doing some research and I decided to go with an Ohlins TTX22M coil to match the Ohlins fork that is on the bike. I met another rider who runs the same setup with the Cascade link and he says its a great setup. I have yet to try that setup as I can not figure out what size coil I would need for my weight (190 lbs). It came with a 500 lb Cane Creek Valt coil but that is for my wife who is 160 lbs and she is just happy to ride her bike and gives me no feedback at all . Any suggestions on which coil I would need for the Ohlins TTX22M would be appreciated.

 

[Hopyyz]

Did a bigger ride in Coe this past weekend. 25.5 miles with 5700' of climbing. Used 88% of the batteries with one RE. I'm 220lbs currently (up a tad post covid ;-)) plus probably a 10lb pack so was pretty happy with this range as I did the first 2000 feet of climbing in trail at 50/100 before I turned back down to Eco 35/70 for most of the rest of the ride. Thinking with two REs I can get up over 40 miles and maybe 8000' of climbing.

I haven't figured out how to get my power input over to the garmin's, looks like the power sensor I'm connecting is reporting the battery charge level and just declines from 100w at the start of the ride? Any tricks or something obvious I'm missing?

 

[Hopyyz]

Fixed it by disabling the fake channel in mission control. Get power readings now on both the garmins (810 and 935).

 

[KnollyBro]

Cascade might be able to answer that.

Recommended Spring Rates for the Specialized Stumpjumper LT / Levo SL Link (SJLT-1000-SL)

Rider Weight Spring Rate Preload 120 lbs (54.4 kg) 400 1 turn 140 lbs (63.5 kg) 450 1 turn 160 lbs (72.6 kg) 525 1 turn 180 lbs (81.8 kg) 600 1 turn 200 lbs (90.7 kg) 650 1 turn 220 lbs...

cascadecomponents.zendesk.com

Please excuse my lack of knowledge of shocks and linkages, but does the Cascade link provided above, suggest that any shock will work with their suggested spring rates, given that a coil shock is basically a damper which gives one the ability to adjust how it reacts to big and small bumps/hits with rebound and compression?

 

[Tobers]

It appears that way yes. There are issues with the suspension design using the shock as part of frame stabilization. Which means you can Search the internet and find stump jumpers and the same geo bikes Levo/SL that break the coil shocks shaft. An air shock is better for this situation due to a much larger radius shaft.

by any shock, of course we mean of the correct size. But there are Ohlins owners and push owners on here fox and maybe RS. Not sure they all fit and it could depend on what size frame you have.

I've just put a Cascade link on my SL. I'm running a Fox DHX2 coil, and was a bit concerned about bottoming out due to the linear response of the coil, versus the progressive response of air (basically the compression force for a coil is constant through it's range, but the compression force for an air spring increases as the air is compressed). I'm not a radical rider shredding and doing big jumps or anything, but I do like to look after my stuff. Fitting is pretty simple, though there are a number of washers to get back in the right way around on the right bolts so go carefully, and torque everything up nicely afterwards.

The Cascade link makes the rear travel of the SL more progressive, meaning less force is required at the start of the shock travel and more force is required at the end of the shock travel for a given amount of movement. Essentially this means that you can run a heavier spring (therefore less chance of bottoming out) while retaining the plushness and sensitivity for smaller bumps at the start of the shock travel.

[edit] just to clarify the above, the Cascade link changes the amount of movement at the shock-end of the linkage to provide the effects above i.e. the shock doesn't move as much in the start of its travel, and moves further at the end of its travel, due to the geometry change the linkage delivers. The result is that a 5cm wheel movement at the top of the travel results in less movement at the shock (and therefore less compression of the spring requiring less energy and therefore a plusher ride) than a 5cm wheel movement at the end of the travel.

I could feel the difference immediately when I replaced the 600lb spring in the DHX2 with an 800lb spring I had lying around. Before the Cascade link, the 800lb spring was wayyyy too stiff. With the link, it became much more pliant in the top end of the shock travel. It's still too much for my weight, so I swapped it out for a 700lb spring, which is just super. I've still got more rides to do to get used to it, but initial results are good.

I'd say if you have an air spring, you could do without the Cascade link. If you have a coil spring, it's nice to have if you're not a big-hit rider like me, and probably more necessary if you are doing big drops and don't want to sacrifice small bump sensitivity when fitting a harder spring to prevent bottom outs.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Konanige]

If you have a coil shock you WILL require the Cascade link as the suspension is designed to be linear to work with an air spring.
If you have an air shock and are continuously bottoming out use spacers in the air can to increase ramp up, dont waste your hard earned on a new link that just does the same thing.

 

[Shinn]

If you have a coil shock you WILL require the Cascade link as the suspension is designed to be linear to work with an air spring.
If you have an air shock and are continuously bottoming out use spacers in the air can to increase ramp up, dont waste your hard earned on a new link that just does the same thing.

I pretty much already decided to stick with air after reading and re-reading and re-reading through the forums here. Thanks to all for the information that has been shared.

Now just trying to decide between Fox, RS and DVO, 44mm or 51mm do I need or want more adjustment in a higher end fork, should I paint my rig white or black or leave it. Winters here suck - too much time to sit and think...

 

[Shinn]

You’d be completely happy with the 36 with lowest # offset.
get drunk and paint your bike. It’ll add a ummm unique look.

I sell custom aluminum fire rescue truck bodies, we have an exceptional painter. He's just real sloooow. Personally I do believe I do awesome custom work when drinking.

I had a 36 fit4/DPX2 on my Haibike and liked the setup a lot. The benefits of a coil intrigues me.

 

[Twvandoren]

Full metal SL. No carbon fiber.

17.77 kg w/o pedals. 18.11 kg with Shimano XT CC pedals.

 

[Shinn]

Are those the the 1/1 rims? What do you think of them? I have the same model, just starting upgrades though.

 

[Twvandoren]

Are those the the 1/1 rims? What do you think of them? I have the same model, just starting upgrades though.

Trail S Hydra. The noise from the hub is just as annoying as the noise from the motor. I love them, and no issues.