Levo Gen 2 Specialised Turbo Levo Regular Maintenance

[SimiEMTB]

I am about to change a number of bits on the Levo, brakes, wheels, cassette, chain.
I am not happy with brakes, the Guide R are no where as good as my old Hopes, the XD freehub I am also not happy with, so going with a Hope Shimano setup.
I am going to try the KMC e-bike chain, to he honest the PX01 was ok, just thought I would try something else.
I have taken the motor out once, easy enough job, the upper fixing had not been torqued up properly after warranty work so whilst I was doing that, gave it the once over and a clean.

I went with SRAM’s EX1 cassette, chain, derailleur, and Shimano Saints. No chain Breaks/drops, shifts clean, great breaking power. Thought I would chime in since you are planning to make some changes. Let me know if you have any questions about my setup. Happy to help. PS my top motor mount bolt came completely off, so it’s a good idea to get covers off and check once and a while.

 

[kcarbon]

I'm a bit late here, my riding is more dusty than wet or muddy. As if its raining I don't ride (I have two bionic ear's ) also after each ride I clean chain then lubricate with Rock n Roll Gold. I'm also only 75kg.
still on original chain , replaced one brake pad, I changed front Sproket only for a gearing change ( 32tooth to 36 tooth, very happy ) I have 2,600 km on my bike. have not touched motor as leave that to lbs. ( had three services ). also I'm not into all the products I just ride.

 

[Tori]

I'm a bit late here, my riding is more dusty than wet or muddy. As if its raining I don't ride (I have two bionic ear's ) also after each ride I clean chain then lubricate with Rock n Roll Gold. I'm also only 75kg.
still on original chain , replaced one brake pad, I changed front Sproket only for a gearing change ( 32tooth to 36 tooth, very happy ) I have 2,600 km on my bike. have not touched motor as leave that to lbs. ( had three services ). also I'm not into all the products I just ride.

I hope this thread gets stickied I'm picking up my Levo next week; and am really interested in all things maintenance. Good to hear you haven't had to replace too much . . . it's disheartening to hear that some of these items need replacement so soon . . . I guess in the MTB world, in the race to save weight, longevity is sacrificed. I was incredulous as I watched Rob's recent video stating that his brakes were stuffed after only 60km of riding . . . I'd definitely be hoping to get at least a few thousand kilometres out of a chain and brakes....!

Of course, conditions play a big part in things and from what I've seen, a lot of you guys here are based in the UK and are riding in some very muddy, wet or snowy conditions, which will really challenge drivetrains and brakes. Here in Australia, I'm in really dry and [currently] dusty conditions. We have rains due in April/May, which settle the dust and give trails a nice loamy start to winter riding season.

I'm in a very rural part of Australia and one of my main concerns is that I'm a 3.5 - 4 hour drive from a Specialized dealership. As I have done with my dirt bikes I am going to have to do a lot of servicing myself. I don't want to have to strip the motor or anything like that, I'll leave that to the specialists [heh], but I'm after a technical manual that I can use for reference as I work on my Levo. I've downloaded the PDF owners manual, which is reasonably comprehensive and covers the important torque settings etc. Are there any other documents I can download for reference?

 

[levity]

... I'm picking up my Levo next week...
I'm in a very rural part of Australia and one of my main concerns is that I'm a 3.5 - 4 hour drive from a Specialized dealership

Tori - make sure the dealer uploads the latest firmware patch from Specialized.
Some bikes with older firmware are speed limited to 15-17mph rather than 20mph.
A test ride at the dealer should confirm that everything is in order.
I believe kcarbon (member on this site) is down your way and may be able to offer advice.

 

[Gary]

I was incredulous as I watched Rob's recent video stating that his brakes were stuffed after only 60km of riding . . . I'd definitely be hoping to get at least a few thousand kilometres out of a chain and brakes....!

Yeah. Conditions, what weigh, what you ride and how you ride it all make a massive difference.
eg. on my 170mm Capra I tend to ride a lot of very steep technical trails and DH/Enduro tracks/segments.
I'm heavy (90kg ish) I barely brake at all on flat or flowy trails and brake as little and late as possible descending (I rarely drag my brakes). a set of brake pads (guide RS) front and rear last me around 400 miles. But that's not really an accurate measure of the use. A ten mile loop on that bike generally is a lot of fireroad/non technical singletrack climbing to access very steep/technical descents. The descending height I covered in that 400miles (640km) was over 160000ft (48768m). and most of it was in the wet.
11spd chains and cassettes on that bike last around 12-1500miles (I'd no doubt get more mileage out of the cassette if I swapped the chain out earlier but never bother). I don't foresee the E bike causing massive amounts more wear.

Unfortunately Rob's Code brakes clearly have a fault (sticky pistons, dragging pads). It seems quite a common complaint with Codes for some reason.

 

[kcarbon]

I hope this thread gets stickied I'm picking up my Levo next week; and am really interested in all things maintenance. Good to hear you haven't had to replace too much . . . it's disheartening to hear that some of these items need replacement so soon . . . I guess in the MTB world, in the race to save weight, longevity is sacrificed. I was incredulous as I watched Rob's recent video stating that his brakes were stuffed after only 60km of riding . . . I'd definitely be hoping to get at least a few thousand kilometres out of a chain and brakes....!

Of course, conditions play a big part in things and from what I've seen, a lot of you guys here are based in the UK and are riding in some very muddy, wet or snowy conditions, which will really challenge drivetrains and brakes. Here in Australia, I'm in really dry and [currently] dusty conditions. We have rains due in April/May, which settle the dust and give trails a nice loamy start to winter riding season.

I'm in a very rural part of Australia and one of my main concerns is that I'm a 3.5 - 4 hour drive from a Specialized dealership. As I have done with my dirt bikes I am going to have to do a lot of servicing myself. I don't want to have to strip the motor or anything like that, I'll leave that to the specialists [heh], but I'm after a technical manual that I can use for reference as I work on my Levo. I've downloaded the PDF owners manual, which is reasonably comprehensive and covers the important torque settings etc. Are there any other documents I can download for reference?

Tory , enjoy, my friends I ride with has another Levo & on original chain too 2017 model, he is 90kg & a fast rider. I put bike upside down after rides I use a rag and run chain while holding rag to clean off dirt & dust, then put the Rock n Roll Gold dispenser over Sproket & direct a squirt at the chain while I use peddle to turn. I do this after every ride. I don't wash bike with anything , I use Turtle Wax Rinseless wash and two micro fibre clean cloths. one soaked in 3L water with 4 cap full's of turtle wax rinse less wash. I wring out and wipe the bike over with the damp micro fibre cloth then go over with clean dry micro fibre cloth.

 

[kcarbon]

Tori - make sure the dealer uploads the latest firmware patch from Specialized.
Some bikes with older firmware are speed limited to 15-17mph rather than 20mph.
A test ride at the dealer should confirm that everything is in order.
I believe kcarbon (member on this site) is down your way and may be able to offer advice.

Levity, we have limited to 24 or 25 kph here in Australia dealer said can void warranty if raise speed cut out. I'm not really worried. think mine cuts out about 24 kph, but I peddle well over that under my own power. I still have a hard time staying with non e mountain bikes in group I ride with, down hill & on a flat. one guy has a carbon non e HT mountain Bike that flys down hill leaves the whole group down hill.

 

[Mountie]

I was going to replace my chains at 0.5% wear. But the first one went 0.65%. I replaced it with SRAM pcx1 and it shifts heaps nicer. Will see how it wears.
The motor plug I used to spear the contacts with dielectric grease, but now just put a ring around the outer plug. Either way it stays dry, but gets moisture in if I don’t use it.

What ring do you use?

 

[Mountie]

I wouldn’t think it would, if it was hacked it would though.

 

[Mountie]

Tory , enjoy, my friends I ride with has another Levo & on original chain too 2017 model, he is 90kg & a fast rider. I put bike upside down after rides I use a rag and run chain while holding rag to clean off dirt & dust, then put the Rock n Roll Gold dispenser over Sproket & direct a squirt at the chain while I use peddle to turn. I do this after every ride. I don't wash bike with anything , I use Turtle Wax Rinseless wash and two micro fibre clean cloths. one soaked in 3L water with 4 cap full's of turtle wax rinse less wash. I wring out and wipe the bike over with the damp micro fibre cloth then go over with clean dry micro fibre cloth.

It seems to be the wet, muddy rides that act like a grinding paste on the chains. I had one last 500kms on my first levo wet ride did it in.

 

[outerlimits]

What ring do you use?

Still on the standard 32t

 

[Donnie797]

How To Remove a Specialized Levo Motor / E Bike Maintenance

 

[baxterbradford]

My Turbo Levo has developed a high pitched squeal from the transmission. It's not loud and sometimes goes away after a few miles, but does recur, only get it when pedalling, not freewheeling, it's not linked to gear I'm in. I've cleaned & lubricated chain, jockey wheels and everything looks fine, gears are indexed correctly. Any suggestions please what to check next?

 

[outerlimits]

My Turbo Levo has developed a high pitched squeal from the transmission. It's not loud and sometimes goes away after a few miles, but does recur, only get it when pedalling, not freewheeling, it's not linked to gear I'm in. I've cleaned & lubricated chain, jockey wheels and everything looks fine, gears are indexed correctly. Any suggestions please what to check next?

I heard the 2017 Levo’s developed a dry belt and give the noise you describe.

 

[baxterbradford]

Thanks for this possible cause, mine is 2018, apologies for not mentioning in original post. Is this relatively easy to check for? Presume I'll have to get fairings off near motor to investigate. Recommendations for the best lubricant appreciated.

 

[baxterbradford]

Have been researching the belt drive as possible cause, watched this video about removing motor, to discover that motor is a sealed unit. Presumably if this is the source of the squeal, then this ought to be covered under warranty. Bike was new early Feb 18. Am having firmware updated tomorrow at LBS (not where I bought bike, but my new local dealer following house move), will get them to check it out & give their opinion.

 

[Tori]

I have seen that Brose recommends coating the drive belt heavily with vaseline. I saw this on a post on a German forum, where a member ordered the drive belt and did a belt replacement himself. I will try and dig up the link in case you don't believe me.

 

[baxterbradford]

Thanks Tori. At this stage, I think I want to establish if it really is drive belt causing the squeal, if so, then is this a warranty matter. I think it should be, the bike has far less than 500km and mostly ridden in dry conditions. I don't have the specialist crank puller tool & not sure what type of castellated nut he uses in video & whether it's one of those I already have.
I'd have said the noise appears to originate from further back than the motor, but previous experience has shown that bike noises don't always come from where you think! I also need to see whether Specialized UK can let me change the place where I have my warranty carried out as it's over 100miles to where I bought it.

 

[Stretch]

I have seen that Brose recommends coating the drive belt heavily with vaseline. I saw this on a post on a German forum, where a member ordered the drive belt and did a belt replacement himself. I will try and dig up the link in case you don't believe me.

@Tori Is this what you were referring to?
Facebook Link to DIY belt replacement on Brose Motor

 

[Tori]

@Tori Is this what you were referring to?
Facebook Link to DIY belt replacement on Brose Motor

Yep, that's the one!

 

[kcarbon]

I have not looked at the German Forum, I always thought that belt drives are self lubricating. I would consult the belt manufacturer, before coating it with anything. I would think as Specilized company in USA. but the Brose motor German? ( I read Specilized redesigned the 1.3 & I got the impression, Specilized made them, but I could be wrong ) if the 1.3 motor origin is USA, I would expect Gates to make the drive belt. so I would , find out from belt manufacturer before coating belt with anything.
from experience with toothed drive belts, they are never oiled, but they like to be open to the air to breath.

 

[baxterbradford]

Thanks kcarbon, concur your thoughts about dangers of lubrication without information about what to use, or if anything should be used at all. Had a frustrating 25 mile ride to LBS & back yesterday. Specialized website was down, so they were unable to update the battery firmware.... then due to intermittent nature of this squeal, it wasn't present when they looked for it, despite short test ride. Sadly it was there for well over half of the time I was riding! I'm booked in again next week for firmware update and will see what I can do in meantime to precisely locate source of squeal. LBS were in agreement with me, that if it was drive belt, then this is warranty issue & not something which I should be looking to fix myself at my expense.

 

[Donnie797]

I would think as Specilized company in USA. but the Brose motor German? ( I read Specilized redesigned the 1.3 & I got the impression, Specilized made them, but I could be wrong ) if the 1.3 motor origin is USA, I would expect Gates to make the drive belt. so I would , find out from belt manufacturer before coating belt with anything.
from experience with toothed drive belts, they are never oiled, but they like to be open to the air to breath.

The Specialized Motor 1.3 is the Brose Drive S and yes it’s from germany. But Brose is using Gates belts in their drives. The belts are btw. the reason the motor is limited to 90Nm, the drive itself could generate up to 160Nm but the belt couldn’t cope with that on the long run.

Interesting facts about the internal motor components and specs are here to read, you can switch to english as well: Brose Drive S von innen: EXKLUSIV: Wir haben einen Der Brose Drive S geöffnet – eMTB-News.de

 

[Lazy Biker 84]

Hey Outerlimits, please accept my apology if im stating the obvious here but I thought id check to cover all angles.... When changing gear, do you stop peddling before the change?

 

[outerlimits]

Hey Outerlimits, please accept my apology if im stating the obvious here but I thought id check to cover all angles.... When changing gear, do you stop peddling before the change?

I always shift under power and usually in Turbo 100%
This is however not recommended by most. I have however broken 8 spokes on the rear wheel, but the chain and driveline are fine.

 

[Blackbird]

The Specialized Motor 1.3 is the Brose Drive S and yes it’s from germany. But Brose is using Gates belts in their drives. The belts are btw. the reason the motor is limited to 90Nm, the drive itself could generate up to 160Nm but the belt couldn’t cope with that on the long run.

Interesting facts about the internal motor components and specs are here to read, you can switch to english as well: Brose Drive S von innen: EXKLUSIV: Wir haben einen Der Brose Drive S geöffnet – eMTB-News.de

160nm? Wow, the motor must be running well over a kilowatt at that level.

 

[Lazy Biker 84]

I always shift under power and usually in Turbo 100%
This is however not recommended by most. I have however broken 8 spokes on the rear wheel, but the chain and driveline are fine.

Have a go at changing gear off the power, it'll preserve the life of your chain no end. I know this is totally alien to conventional riding but it does seem to work.

 

[outerlimits]

Have a go at changing gear off the power, it'll preserve the life of your chain no end. I know this is totally alien to conventional riding but it does seem to work.

Yeah narh
When you back off the power takes a second to back off too. So really you’re still shifting under load anyway unless you shift super slow. Slow is boring, fast is fun.

 

[Lazy Biker 84]

Yeah narh
When you back off the power takes a second to back off too. So really you’re still shifting under load anyway unless you shift super slow. Slow is boring, fast is fun.

I don't know about your bike but changing fast is bloody loud and clunky. I change as quietly as possible, which I feel is doing the least damage to my drive chain. But yes, I hear ya, changing fast is fun!

 

[Oggym17]

i have never taken my motor out on my current levo but I do remove the covers to inspect and so far it seems pretty clean I found if I do the cover bots up too tight it makes them creak so now I just nip them up with a spot of threadlock, seems to work for me.
I pay particular attention to the battery plug and socket to make sure they are cleaned and dried. Something to watch out for, when you remove the plug after a ride check to see if there is any water on the face of the plug, if there is the seal is not working properly and Its worth investigating further.
I would check your chain with a gauge on regular intervals and replace as needed, they do take a beating on an ebike
one thing I dont like about my levo is the wheelset its heavy and to my engineering mind they dont have enough spokes for a heavy bike but I guess specialized know what they are doing. Anyway i replaced my wheels for some stronger lighter ones, made loads of difference to the feel of the bike
hope that helps

What wheels did you go for?