Tim1023
Well-known member
A happy 54 year old in Hamburg has finally taken delivery of his new toy!
Reasons for purchase
Fed up with killing myself on the way up so much that I can't fully enjoy the way down. Commuting every day instead of taking the U-Bahn.
Finally got hold of my Turbo Levo Comp in XL, Spruce. I bought it via a leasing contract. Let's see how this works out! I was the first in the company, so had the setup hassle. Also it's not my bike until I buy it at the end, so I'm limited as to what I can do with it, which I'll probably find frustrating. But I do save quite a bit of money.
Selection
The Levo feels a bit like the easy, obvious and boring choice, like supporting Man U in the UK or Bayern München here in Germany. It was, however, an easy decision for me as I have a 2016 Stumpy (the Levo being a Stumpy + motor, kinda). Also I have a Specialized Concept Store just a couple of km from home. So that will be convenient for the servicing etc., especially with the leasing.
Colour
I really like it, but it's horrifically difficult to get decent pictures of it. See the two below under different lighting conditions. I've also dumped some other pics and a rather unprofessional video with close up on Drive here. More professional camera work can be seen on the recent review by Fly Rides.
Extras
Based on this being for riding in the hills south of Hamburg, which gets really muddy and use as a commuting bike, I also got the following
• Swapped the seat for a Specialized Phenom. Just fits my behind well!
• Swapped grips for Specialized Contour XCs. More ergonomic for commuting
• SICOMTB dual guard to protect the bike
• Mudhuggers front and back to protect me. The front one sits closer to the tyre than I would want
• Raveman 1600 front light. Dipped/full beam is great for commuting. Also has USB out for charging my phone. I have a Notstrøm Bike Powerbank, but it just feels silly strapping a 36Wh battery next to a 700Wh one. Why is there no USB out from the Levo??
• HT Components PA03A pedals. Very happy with these. Good grip, but I can still adjust my foot position.
• Knog Oi bell, s. Bells just don't belong on a mountain bike, but this one is kind of stealthy and you hardly notice it's there.
• Lights and a bell are as far as I'm willing to go for the commuting requirements. I simply refuse to put reflectors in my spokes!
• I'll be getting a Bordo alarm for it. The only time I plan to park it outside for more than a few minutes is when I ride into work. I can look down on the bike from my 2nd story office, which is also in a busy area opposite a police station. Should be ok. I think.
• Once I order the muc-off valves, I'll be going tubeless.
• Tyres will stay as they are as they need to support a mixture of on- and off-road and they seem to be a good compromise
• I've just ordered the Buzz Rack e-Scorpion 2 from roofbox as my current rack is too short for the XL Levo. As are all Thule models. I also like the central post for the arms, which means shorter arms on both bikes and hopefully more stability on bumps.
Commuting
The motor support doesn't make quite so much difference here as you rapidly reach 25kmh and just stick around that speed as the bike is heavy and hard work to push much quicker. Having a motor simply takes the pain away from the uphill sections.
Off road
Class A drug!
This thing is fun! By greatly reducing the exhaustion on the way up, I have more energy to concentrate on the way down. I had a fairly major face plant a couple of years back due to continuing after I was too knackered.
One of my small group of riders is somewhat younger and thinner than me, a fitness freak with good sport genes and more time on his hands to ride his many bikes. And he is not always so magnanimous about waiting for me at the top. Naturally he sees ebikes as cheating (not that I ever accused him of having an unfair advantage), but sees the benefit of him not having to wait. It is fun to power past him on the uphill parts.
The bigger front tyre and fork combination runs smoothly over roots. I have the feeling that it washes out a bit in the corners, but that probably has more to do with my technique.
The bike definitely feels different to my Stumpy and the weight is very noticeable, especially at low speed, so I'm feeling a bit clumsy on it at the moment. Just need more practice!
Talking about clumsy, trying to get the battery out when the bike is standing on its wheels was not too successful! Have now learnt that it should be done with the bike on its side or on a stand!
I know I'll never reach the limits of the bike and would probably kill myself if I tried, but I'm definitely looking forward to pushing my limits on it!
p.s. just in case I'm showing my age with the post title, see here
Reasons for purchase
Fed up with killing myself on the way up so much that I can't fully enjoy the way down. Commuting every day instead of taking the U-Bahn.
Finally got hold of my Turbo Levo Comp in XL, Spruce. I bought it via a leasing contract. Let's see how this works out! I was the first in the company, so had the setup hassle. Also it's not my bike until I buy it at the end, so I'm limited as to what I can do with it, which I'll probably find frustrating. But I do save quite a bit of money.
Selection
The Levo feels a bit like the easy, obvious and boring choice, like supporting Man U in the UK or Bayern München here in Germany. It was, however, an easy decision for me as I have a 2016 Stumpy (the Levo being a Stumpy + motor, kinda). Also I have a Specialized Concept Store just a couple of km from home. So that will be convenient for the servicing etc., especially with the leasing.
Colour
I really like it, but it's horrifically difficult to get decent pictures of it. See the two below under different lighting conditions. I've also dumped some other pics and a rather unprofessional video with close up on Drive here. More professional camera work can be seen on the recent review by Fly Rides.
Extras
Based on this being for riding in the hills south of Hamburg, which gets really muddy and use as a commuting bike, I also got the following
• Swapped the seat for a Specialized Phenom. Just fits my behind well!
• Swapped grips for Specialized Contour XCs. More ergonomic for commuting
• SICOMTB dual guard to protect the bike
• Mudhuggers front and back to protect me. The front one sits closer to the tyre than I would want
• Raveman 1600 front light. Dipped/full beam is great for commuting. Also has USB out for charging my phone. I have a Notstrøm Bike Powerbank, but it just feels silly strapping a 36Wh battery next to a 700Wh one. Why is there no USB out from the Levo??
• HT Components PA03A pedals. Very happy with these. Good grip, but I can still adjust my foot position.
• Knog Oi bell, s. Bells just don't belong on a mountain bike, but this one is kind of stealthy and you hardly notice it's there.
• Lights and a bell are as far as I'm willing to go for the commuting requirements. I simply refuse to put reflectors in my spokes!
• I'll be getting a Bordo alarm for it. The only time I plan to park it outside for more than a few minutes is when I ride into work. I can look down on the bike from my 2nd story office, which is also in a busy area opposite a police station. Should be ok. I think.
• Once I order the muc-off valves, I'll be going tubeless.
• Tyres will stay as they are as they need to support a mixture of on- and off-road and they seem to be a good compromise
• I've just ordered the Buzz Rack e-Scorpion 2 from roofbox as my current rack is too short for the XL Levo. As are all Thule models. I also like the central post for the arms, which means shorter arms on both bikes and hopefully more stability on bumps.
Commuting
The motor support doesn't make quite so much difference here as you rapidly reach 25kmh and just stick around that speed as the bike is heavy and hard work to push much quicker. Having a motor simply takes the pain away from the uphill sections.
Off road
Class A drug!
This thing is fun! By greatly reducing the exhaustion on the way up, I have more energy to concentrate on the way down. I had a fairly major face plant a couple of years back due to continuing after I was too knackered.
One of my small group of riders is somewhat younger and thinner than me, a fitness freak with good sport genes and more time on his hands to ride his many bikes. And he is not always so magnanimous about waiting for me at the top. Naturally he sees ebikes as cheating (not that I ever accused him of having an unfair advantage), but sees the benefit of him not having to wait. It is fun to power past him on the uphill parts.
The bigger front tyre and fork combination runs smoothly over roots. I have the feeling that it washes out a bit in the corners, but that probably has more to do with my technique.
The bike definitely feels different to my Stumpy and the weight is very noticeable, especially at low speed, so I'm feeling a bit clumsy on it at the moment. Just need more practice!
Talking about clumsy, trying to get the battery out when the bike is standing on its wheels was not too successful! Have now learnt that it should be done with the bike on its side or on a stand!
I know I'll never reach the limits of the bike and would probably kill myself if I tried, but I'm definitely looking forward to pushing my limits on it!
p.s. just in case I'm showing my age with the post title, see here
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