Levo SL Gen 1 sl motor noise level does it bother you ?

[chrismechmaster]

Does the SL noise level bother you

Totally love my Sl expert but I seam to be getting very Conscious of the motor noise level even to the point where I am turning the bike off when riding past people

probably doesn’t help that I have a Levo ff aswell which is Whisper quiet but I enjoy riding the Sl just finding the motor noise a bit much

does it bother you ?

 

[MLX John]

Doesn't bother me, kind of like it actually.
I don't really care what people think of me or the bike when I pass them.
Just like I don't care when E-bikers pass me when I'm on my regular bike.

 

[SNEEZE]

The SL has plastic type gears vs the Turbo Levo has belts, one is quieter with a high failure rate the other is loud but has very few failures. At 57 years old I no longer care if someone knows i'm on an E-bike getting in 2000'-3000' of climb with my heart rate up there in the process. I no longer ride for them, I ride for ME!.........Occasionally going up a hill I get passed by my neighbor he is on his Turbo Levo and he just turned 85 years old...........So at 57 I now know who I want to be when I get older.........that dude at 85 that passed me.

 

[siciliano]

I like my expert SL a lot too which I bought 2 weeks ago but am almost having second thoughts of buying it because of the motor noise....Put an order in for a Orbea Rise but they both have positives and negatives...and I need to make a decision quick because I'm still able to return the SL minus 5% fee this week if so.

 

[Citylad77]

Yes just killed the bike for me. Sounds like an hair dryer in the background all the time. The whole point of a E bike for me it’s that it doesn’t sound like one.

 

[Mtbvkk]

Weird but the noise of my levo bothered me more. And the other day I was cycling past a lady with her dog on a very steep section at high cadence in trail mode ( i think the noisiest outside of turbo ) .She said “you can do it“ and i told her ”for sure because I have an e-bike” and she was surprised and said “wow id never have guessed”. There are noisy drive trains out there and im not sure people get its an e-bike from the sound Unless maybe they are super close to the bike. Also tbe noise isnt that bad unless I’m on a steep section and even then i dont find it that bad. My road bikes free hub was a lot noisier.

 

[nicknameless]

I demoed one and it was very noticeable. Bought one and now really don't care about it at all - does sound like a swarm of bees following close by but who cares?

 

[CjP]

I haven’t had to ask anyone to let me pass since getting the SL as they can hear me coming from far away, which is a bonus.
All I hear is a formula 1 car going through the gears.

I love it

 

[Rich the gasman]

I only hear it when im in turbo on a hill, sometimes you look out for it. My hubs make twice as much racket tbh, sound like a swarm of bees. The shimano motor is noisier, my FF was quieter For sure but un reliable.

 

[boBE]

I wish it was quieter but it doesn't bother me, on gravel/dirt it is hardly noticeable.

 

[Shinn]

Its a bit distracting on quieter days for sure but then I figure its not going away so I put it in turbo.

 

[Mtbvkk]

The decibel level is reportedly the same between the SL and its larger brother. However the SL is at a higher pitch and it depends on one’s sensitivity to certain frequencies as to how much it bothers you I guess.

 

[Citylad77]

The decibel level is reportedly the same between the SL and its larger brother. However the SL is at a higher pitch and it depends on one’s sensitivity to certain frequencies as to how much it bothers you I guess.

?
It’s way louder you can hear it in all the videos.

 

[Olof Bike Adventures]

I find it on par with the EP8, but with a higher pitch.

It sounds louder in videos than in real life. Gopros seem to amplify the noise.

 

[Mtbvkk]

?
It’s way louder you can hear it in all the videos.

Specialized S-Works Turbo SL E-MTB | $13,525 | BIKE Magazine

The Specialized Turbo Levo SL is a bike that just might have the potential of changing people’s minds, changing the way they ride, where, and who with.

www.bikemag.com

 

[Citylad77]

Specialized S-Works Turbo SL E-MTB | $13,525 | BIKE Magazine

The Specialized Turbo Levo SL is a bike that just might have the potential of changing people’s minds, changing the way they ride, where, and who with.

www.bikemag.com

To be fair, it wasn’t so much the motor noise that put me off it was more to do with the lack of power. I could ride the same trails Ok with a bit more effort on a normal much cheaper lighter MTB. Is the new one out next week? With the S Works levo.

 

[shakeystart]

Funny finding this thread here. I posted in the FB Creo page and asked if there was anything that I could do to quite the SL sound level. Basically the same responses as here, with the addition of “wear ear buds”!

 

[jungblud]

I've been over conscientious so far. I have a long boring 6% grade ~1500' elevation I ride up to my neighborhood. There are tons of walkers and I'm trying to just be more careful not to piss anyone off.

When climbing, turning things down or off (the new ECO mode!) doesn't bother me and I welcome the additional 'interval' it demands. This is one of the reasons I purchased the SL, to get up this boring ass slog of a climb with sections of gravel (ugh) after riding 20 miles urban, etc. and do it faster than analog me or at least whatever is left.

Thus far, I treat it more like a game and it makes this slog go faster it seems. So yeah it is counter to my normal out of f*cks to give mode but I figure if I can be a little more stealth for a bit longer, it might help in some version of the multiverse. Hows that for overthinking stuff?

 

[paquo]

Funny finding this thread here. I posted in the FB Creo page and asked if there was anything that I could do to quite the SL sound level. Basically the same responses as here, with the addition of “wear ear buds”!

i actually listen to music with noise cancelling buds when not in traffic, nothing to do with the SL i just like the sound quality. So when the bose ear buds were out of battery one day i used regular ear buds and i realized the SL is horribly loud if noise bothers you. I cut the SL some slack though because i have done 3 k miles on it and it's amazing

 

[jimslade]

Same. Annoyingly loud, louder than my old Levo. My typical rides are early morning forest rides. The noise gets in the way of the peaceful forest so I just turn it off as much as possible eg on less steep sections.

Still love my SL though and wouldn’t trade it, except for a quieter SL ?. I’d struggle to make the climb sections and go as far as I go without it, and would miss out on morning views

 

[chrismechmaster]

Wow that looks like a beautiful place wish I rode places like that

 

[KnollyBro]

The noise is a tad annoying but its way less distracting than riding around in the deep woods with a constant bell going "tinkle tinkle tinkle", to keep the bears away.

 

[Mtbvkk]

Again, bears repeating. Actual decibel between SL and regular levo is the same. The SL is at a higher frequency and that bothers some people more - and from the looks of it bothers most people more. For me personally, I found the regular levo to be noisier and don't notice the SL as much. I happen to be a serious amateur musician so maybe the SL sounds like music to me. LOL

And I've passed multiple people by on climbs ( including the earlier anecdote I posted above ) and nobody seems to notice that it's an e-bike. Maybe the sound of my breathing is heavier.

 

[KenGPS]

I find it hard to believe the Db is the same. How were they tested? both at full power? That would not be a fair comparison. I typically ride at 30% boost on the Levo, so thats what I'm used to. So when I had to ride at full boost on the SL to go uphill the rate I am used too, it was annoyingly loud to me. It also has an all together different sound character to it.

 

[shakeystart]

I’m guessing the next iteration of the SL will have maybe some improved battery life, but I bet the motor will be quieter. Not sure why the straight cut gears, but I’m sure there’s a reason, hopefully not just because they are cheaper to manufacture.

 

[boBE]

I find it hard to believe the Db is the same. How were they tested? both at full power? That would not be a fair comparison. I typically ride at 30% boost on the Levo, so thats what I'm used to. So when I had to ride at full boost on the SL to go uphill the rate I am used too, it was annoyingly loud to me. It also has an all together different sound character to it.

Yeah, I'm not buying the "same dB" report either. I ride with Vados and a Como (same Brose as Levo) and they can easily hear my SL (on 35% Eco) while I can't hear a thing from theirs. Maybe the belt drive is a subsonic frequency.

 

[Mtbvkk]

Well if it bothers you it bothers you, nothing any numbers or tests can do about it, or frankly matter. In the end it is subjective, but probably more people are sensitive to a higher frequency noise than than a lower frequency one. The Levo is at a lower end. I actually took my Levo in several times to the dealer since I thought it might be defective and noisy and they told me it's normal. The SL has not bothered me the same way.

 

[KenGPS]

I am actually less sensitive to the higher frequencies. Airplane pilot for 35 years, ex-motorcycle rider/racer, etc. If anything, I am probably hearing less of the SL and more of the Levo.

 

[Mtbvkk]

I am actually less sensitive to the higher frequencies. Airplane pilot for 35 years, ex-motorcycle rider/racer, etc. If anything, I am probably hearing less of the SL and more of the Levo.

I said it wrong - the Levo is more mid. It certainly isn't boomy. Either way, like I said if it bothers you nothing else matters and probably not the bike for you. For me the SL sounds better but I understand why it can bother so many people. I guess the moral of the story is if you are looking for an SL perhaps people better try one first!

Having said all that, the Orbea rise is supposed to be pretty quiet. So that may be an option for people looking for a quieter motor and a lighter bike.

 

[ridesantacruz]

Yes, the noise of the SL motor bothers me but I think it's still the best ebike on the market for me. I have not ridden the Orbea Rise which would be in the same category of ebikes that I am interested in. The great things that will be coming in the future are quieter, lighter, and more powerful ebikes.