Rise H15 with no LBS or Levo alloy with LBS

[TKB]

I'm torn between these two and need some help to decide.
1) Rise H15 for 6000$ but the closest LBS is 1000km away
or
2) Levo alloy comp for 8000$ and with a LBS 2km away

If I had an Orbea dealer at home I'd definitely go for the H15. How much of a dealbreaker is it that the closest Orbea LBS is 1000km away?

 

[jka]

It depends on how comfortable you are with working on an e-bike yourself. If you feel comfortable in doing things like dropping the motor and re-routing wires if needed then go with the Orbea. If you're like me and would rather have a shop do major work on the bike, go with the Levo.
Velkommen til forumet. Hvor bor du i Norge?

 

[TKB]

It depends on how comfortable you are with working on an e-bike yourself. If you feel comfortable in doing things like dropping the motor and re-routing wires if needed then go with the Orbea. If you're like me and would rather have a shop do major work on the bike, go with the Levo.
Velkommen til forumet. Hvor bor du i Norge?

How often do one have to drop the motor and re-route wires and why would that be needed? I'd like a bike that's durable and have minimal breakdowns! I'd guess everybody like that but especially when one have no LBS. Isn't the Rise durable?

Takk jka, bor langt opp i nor.

 

[jka]

I've had mine for 18 months and have never had a problem that required anything significant. Others have had problems that required dropping the motor for loose wire connections. I think it's quite unlikely that you would have major problems, but any bike can. I have friends that have had major problems with Levos as well. I think any good bike shop would be able to work on it if there is an issue, maybe just not perform warranty work.
Jeg bodde i Alta en stund for mange år siden.

 

[TKB]

Thanks for the info.
Is there any difference in warranty (and handling of warranty issues) between Specialized and Orbea?

 

[jka]

I think both can have the good and the bad. Specialized being a larger bike company might have a little better ability to take care of things, but that's just my thoughts. I've never had to deal with warranty issues on my Rise and I've never had a specialized bike, so I really have no experience.

 

[Tubby G]

How often do one have to drop the motor and re-route wires and why would that be needed? I'd like a bike that's durable and have minimal breakdowns! I'd guess everybody like that but especially when one have no LBS. Isn't the Rise durable?

Takk jka, bor langt opp i nor.

When I received my Rise after waiting nine months for delivery, the power would turn off as soon as I turned the cranks. Loose wiring connection. My lbs sorted it no problem, by dropping the motor, and it’s been fine since. The process of dropping the motor did look fairly straightforward, but the lbs ordered replacement cables from Orbea and fitted them (and re-routed to a better position) just to make sure everything was in tip top condition. The cables had been squeezed into the down tube in the factory and I guess one of them was rubbing against the inside of the frame which caused the power failure

If I’d ordered the bike online, took delivery, discovered the problem, and had to send it back to be fixed and had to wait weeks again for re-delivery, I would have been devastated. Luckily I have an Orbea dealer (the lbs) only 30km up the road

So, the moral of my story is that I’d buy from a local bike shop just in case there are any issues that need resolving under warranty. Shame you don’t have an Orbea dealer locally but no doubt a Specialised will still put a smile on your face

 

[TKB]

Thanks for all input!

However, something unexpected happened today. Canyon launched the SpectralON CF, and the CF7 seems to be great value at about 5500 Euro. Just ordered it instead with the 900Wh battery! Yes, 3-4kg heavier than the H15 but a beast of a bike!

 

[Silent Drone]

You were worried about LBS support but then you ordered a canyon… What changed your mind about not needing the local lbs support?

 

[Richridesmtb]

Don't canyon do some warranty at any LBS? Unless it requires sending back.

 

[urastus]

Just looking at the canyon on 7: the geo is impressive (for my needs). Nice to see something without a huge wheel base, reasonable stack height, and not on the super slack band wagon. Looks like a nice climber and good in the tight stuff.

I'd be interested in your feedback on this. My only hangup is that I try to avoid cf.

 

[TKB]

You were worried about LBS support but then you ordered a canyon… What changed your mind about not needing the local lbs support?

Good question and I did seriously consider the Orbea without an lbs. However, I have a 2015 Canyon Spectral CF9 and being an pure online company, I find the support good. The rear triangle broke on that in 2018 and I got it replaced, no problem.

Canyon also has way longer warranty (6 years) than Orbea.

 

[TKB]

Don't canyon do some warranty at any LBS? Unless it requires sending back.

Yes, that is also correct.

 

[TKB]

Just looking at the canyon on 7: the geo is impressive (for my needs). Nice to see something without a huge wheel base, reasonable stack height, and not on the super slack band wagon. Looks like a nice climber and good in the tight stuff.

I'd be interested in your feedback on this. My only hangup is that I try to avoid cf.

I'll definitely post my feedback here. Delivery is end of July.

As mentioned, I do have a CF from 2015 that had a breakdown but got easily replaced, so I'm not worried.

 

[benzy]

Should be good, and the price is worth the inconvenience if things go south. Though, I would definitely not feel comfortable buying a $7-10k ebike without local support.

I had a bosch motor on my commuter fail before covid, and the shop I ordered it from had no clue nor the software to read codes and do firmware updates. Took 2 months to find a legit Bosch repair center, and I had to pay $200 for labor. So I am guessing worst case, if Canyon cant sort it out, there may be a Shimano approved shop to work on it.

The rest of the bike is just common parts any shop should be able to help with.

 

[Zimmerframe]

In fairness, he was kind of between a rock and a hard place.

Yes, The specialized warranty can be excellent, but this depends hugely on your LBS. If you have a crap one, you don't have much warranty. If you have access to a good one, you have a fantastic warranty.

Most of the Orbea issues, like frame damage, can be dealt with remotely. Motor issues, which are the most likely should be possible with a shimano dealer - but this seems to get harder as time goes on.

With the Canyon, he's in basically the same situation, but prefer's the specification/price ratio. So why not, it's all personal choice.

 

[urastus]

In fairness, he was kind of between a rock and a hard place.

Yes, The specialized warranty can be excellent, but this depends hugely on your LBS. If you have a crap one, you don't have much warranty. If you have access to a good one, you have a fantastic warranty.

Most of the Orbea issues, like frame damage, can be dealt with remotely. Motor issues, which are the most likely should be possible with a shimano dealer - but this seems to get harder as time goes on.

With the Canyon, he's in basically the same situation, but prefer's the specification/price ratio. So why not, it's all personal choice.

they have some proprietary (non shimano) battery issues too

I've been looking more at the canyon on - the chain runs along the chainstay in the higher gears - it seems to be a poor design fault

 

[TKB]

I've been looking more at the canyon on - the chain runs along the chainstay in the higher gears - it seems to be a poor design fault

Can you explain better and is this from eyeballing or after trying?

 

[urastus]

Can you explain better and is this from eyeballing or after trying?

You can see for yourself in the photos. They did mention it in this review, but the photos are pretty obvious. It's kind of a worry that reviewers don't generally point these things out.

I think I first noticed it in Knut's overview / discussion - the bike picture he is using looks as though it is in 8th gear.

 

[TKB]

You can see for yourself in the photos. They did mention it in this review, but the photos are pretty obvious. It's kind of a worry that reviewers don't generally point these things out.

I think I first noticed it in Knut's overview / discussion - the bike picture he is using looks as though it is in 8th gear.

I see the comment by Ales in the Loam wolf review but the response was that they didn't notice any rubbing.

So you haven't actually ridden the bike yourself?

 

[urastus]

I see the comment by Ales in the Loam wolf review but the response was that they didn't notice any rubbing.

So you haven't actually ridden the bike yourself?

what they said was that you could probably change out the chain ring from a 34 to a 36 tooth to minimise it. No good for me, I'd want a 32 from a 34 to suit my riding. It seems that you want to hear and see something different? I did, but it is what it is.

You could just look at the pictures yourself rather than take things 2nd hand - it's pretty obvious.

 

[TKB]

I only saw this comment under the video.

 

[High Rock Ruti]

I'm torn between these two and need some help to decide.
1) Rise H15 for 6000$ but the closest LBS is 1000km away
or
2) Levo alloy comp for 8000$ and with a LBS 2km away

If I had an Orbea dealer at home I'd definitely go for the H15. How much of a dealbreaker is it that the closest Orbea LBS is 1000km away?

High Rock Ruti

You'll need a LBS with the Levo, on the 4th motor in 1200 miles.

Warm Regards Ruti

 

[Endoguru]

I think both can have the good and the bad. Specialized being a larger bike company might have a little better ability to take care of things, but that's just my thoughts. I've never had to deal with warranty issues on my Rise and I've never had a specialized bike, so I really have no experience.

I’ve had a few Specialized bikes over the years. I’ve had few issues, but when I have, Specialized has been very good at dealing with warranty issues.

 

[Endoguru]

High Rock Ruti

You'll need a LBS with the Levo, on the 4th motor in 1200 miles.

Warm Regards Ruti

What has been the cause of your motor failures? I was very concerned about buying a Specialized ebike after reading about motor failures. After talking with 2 of my LBS who sell a large number of Specialized ebikes, they both informed me they see very few motor problems. As the Kenevo SL was the ebike that most interested me, I decided to take a chance. I have around 1,000 miles, with most of those miles ridden on natural “enduro” and jump lines including the bike park. I’ve had zero issues.

 

[TKB]

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

Conclusion is that with any ebike, a LBS is preferred, since many break down way too often. Another conclusion is that some of these ebikes shouldn't have been released in their current state, the manufacturers should be ashamed!

I'm still taking the chance with Canyon and their new SpectralON CF. They got 6 years frame warranty, use common Shimano parts (CF7) and use local bike workshops for service.

 

[SwissChess]

High Rock Ruti

You'll need a LBS with the Levo, on the 4th motor in 1200 miles.

Warm Regards Ruti

Agree, but you need a gooood LBS and LBS need to rethink there service since more bike company are selling online and the bike company’s will need to setup service lines contracts.
As it is like with the cars it a different wold, as it was whe thy were mechanical parts only.
Fixing ebikes is difficult as you need spezial diagnostic toolls as there is no Standard motor batteries weels parts, at one point you will end up at LBS for guaranty or special work.

And in then you will end up in the second line against the customer witch purchased the bike directly from the LBS.
l think the bike industry is not there for such service model.

 

[High Rock Ruti]

What has been the cause of your motor failures? I was very concerned about buying a Specialized ebike after reading about motor failures. After talking with 2 of my LBS who sell a large number of Specialized ebikes, they both informed me they see very few motor problems. As the Kenevo SL was the ebike that most interested me, I decided to take a chance. I have around 1,000 miles, with most of those miles ridden on natural “enduro” and jump lines including the bike park. I’ve had zero issues.

High Rock Ruti

Two motors had broken Sprague clutches, one was crazy noisy at brand new. Motor number 4 is fine.....with about 75 miles on it? My LBS Butchikas Bike And Ski in New Hampshire USA, is a great shop and Specialized is always fantastic about warranty, always! I wish Specialized would ditch Brose, a Turbo Levo with a Bosch drive would be the "Balls". Do not know about the SL motors haven't read anything about failures, you'd think with only 30 NM, non Brose they'd be reliable.


Warm Regards Ruti

 

[Binhill1]

Agree, but you need a gooood LBS and LBS need to rethink there service since more bike company are selling online and the bike company’s will need to setup service lines contracts.
As it is like with the cars it a different wold, as it was whe thy were mechanical parts only.
Fixing ebikes is difficult as you need spezial diagnostic toolls as there is no Standard motor batteries weels parts, at one point you will end up at LBS for guaranty or special work.

And in then you will end up in the second line against the customer witch purchased the bike directly from the LBS.
l think the bike industry is not there for such service model.

Agreed I went to 2 specalized dealers in Inverness to look at levo . One I would have to wait two months for a slot the other said their workshop was not a big enough set up to allow them to service levos.