Levo Gen 3 Specialized Gen 3 2022 Levo Megathread!

zorro77

Active member
Apr 13, 2021
268
431
Italy
Maybe this helps a bit:
Here you can compare the geometry of the old and new levo and with other bikes too.

Hey j.e. thank you very much for the link, really useful I did not know it !!
Given the result of the comparison between my levo tg.L 2019 and 2022 Tg. S3 so maybe it will be useful to someone else



geometrie.png


... and I also add the comparison with the S4

S4S3.png
 
Last edited:

Velociraptor

Member
Oct 10, 2020
103
80
Pacific Northwest
First ride on my Gen3 Turbo Levo Pro after a year+ on a mullet SC Heckler. Have done zero adjustments to the bike so far. First downside is so far the Mission Control app will not connect to my bike. It gets as far as generating a code and my iPhone asks if I want to pair with that code and I choose yes and it says connecting and gets stuck there. Tried turning the phone on and off, the bike on and off, removing the battery for the bike. No luck. Tried another older iPhone running an old OS and same issue. The bike itself is great. More stable than my Heckler. The biggest difference so far is not motor power but power delivery. Way way smoother on the Levo. Settings are whatever is stock from the dealer. It seems way way more progressive and easier to control when climbing uphill. The E8000 on the Heckler seems primitive in comparison. More to come.
 
Sep 19, 2020
99
94
Squamish, BC, Canada
First ride on my Gen3 Turbo Levo Pro after a year+ on a mullet SC Heckler. Have done zero adjustments to the bike so far. First downside is so far the Mission Control app will not connect to my bike. It gets as far as generating a code and my iPhone asks if I want to pair with that code and I choose yes and it says connecting and gets stuck there. Tried turning the phone on and off, the bike on and off, removing the battery for the bike. No luck. Tried another older iPhone running an old OS and same issue. The bike itself is great. More stable than my Heckler. The biggest difference so far is not motor power but power delivery. Way way smoother on the Levo. Settings are whatever is stock from the dealer. It seems way way more progressive and easier to control when climbing uphill. The E8000 on the Heckler seems primitive in comparison. More to come.
It took a bunch of tries to get mine connected at the LBS. We had to get someone else to connect successfully and then close the app when the register your bike thing popped up, then I tried and it connected right away.
 

sometimesjoe

Member
Mar 17, 2021
35
28
SF Bay Area, Ca
It took me about 3-4 tries. Followed instructions and even looked for the pairing code and only finding out that it wasn’t required. When it found it the first time, it was trying to pair and then stalled. Killed the app and rebooted the bike and finally connected. Might have been the Bluetooth on my iPhone, who knows. Once paired, it connects flawlessly.
 

Rob Rides EMTB

Administrator
Staff member
Subscriber
Jan 14, 2018
6,260
13,700
Surrey, UK
First ride on my Gen3 Turbo Levo Pro after a year+ on a mullet SC Heckler. Have done zero adjustments to the bike so far. First downside is so far the Mission Control app will not connect to my bike. It gets as far as generating a code and my iPhone asks if I want to pair with that code and I choose yes and it says connecting and gets stuck there. Tried turning the phone on and off, the bike on and off, removing the battery for the bike. No luck. Tried another older iPhone running an old OS and same issue. The bike itself is great. More stable than my Heckler. The biggest difference so far is not motor power but power delivery. Way way smoother on the Levo. Settings are whatever is stock from the dealer. It seems way way more progressive and easier to control when climbing uphill. The E8000 on the Heckler seems primitive in comparison. More to come.
I think your bike may need a FW update. I had an early bike that did this before it had the correct software on it.
 

mastakilla

Member
Apr 25, 2020
164
59
usa
I am 183cm, all legs so i need my seatpost up high and usually need some extra stack as a result on size large bikes. Anyone this height go for an S5 or should I still stick with S4. I know, impossible to answer accurately without sitting on the bikes, but an ideas on this?

Also, can these forks be bumped to 170mm and has anybody done this?
 
Last edited:

Velociraptor

Member
Oct 10, 2020
103
80
Pacific Northwest
Mission Control connectivity issue resolved! First took bike to the dealer and they took it in the back to fix but came back and told me the Specialized dealer site was down so they could not fix it. We made a plan for me to bring it back on Tuesday if issue was not resolved. Said they had never seen that problem. Went home and got stuck as usual at the "connecting" step then pushed the F1 button(above the + button) and boom it connected and all is good. Not sure if the F1 button needed to be pushed or it was a coincidence. Anyway all good now! Today I went for a 14 mile ride on paved bike trails with my daughter who was on an analogue mountain bike so did the whole ride with zero assist and it was not bad. Not that much motor related drag. I have a long way to go tuning the setup but base is not bad! BTW I am 6'2" tall and the S5 fits great.
 
Last edited:

jpdbr

Member
Jul 19, 2019
19
44
Chile
I am 183cm, all legs so i need my seatpost up high and usually need some extra stack as a result on size large bikes. Anyone this height go for an S5 or should I still stick with S4. I know, impossible to answer accurately without sitting on the bikes, but an ideas on this?

Also, can these forks be bumped to 170mm and has anybody done this?
I have the Fox 38 with a 170mm shaft, bike feels amazing! My setup is 170mm Fork, -1 Headset cup and high position on chainstays, i have tried all configurations several times and at least for the bike with 170mm shaft this is the best setup.
 

Four Flusher

Active member
Jun 24, 2019
122
86
Reno
I am 183cm, all legs so i need my seatpost up high and usually need some extra stack as a result on size large bikes. Anyone this height go for an S5 or should I still stick with S4. I know, impossible to answer accurately without sitting on the bikes, but an ideas on this?

Also, can these forks be bumped to 170mm and has anybody done this?
I'm 185cm and have a S5 Expert, for my body, it's perfect.
 

Paolone

Member
Jul 20, 2019
53
44
Italia
[QUOTE = "Four Flusher, post: 303743, membro: 4574"]
Nuovo giorno in bici, S5 Expert, venerdì scorso ho inserito il mio nome nell'elenco di interesse del negozio locale, ho ritirato la bici oggi. Fortunato. View attachment 62572
[/CITAZIONE]
posso chiederti quanto pesa?
 

TurboedMarin

Member
Oct 24, 2018
5
15
California
I’m just back from my first ride on a Turbo Levo Expert and thought I’d share
my initial thoughts. For context I’m coming from a Gen 2 Turbo Levo (comp carbon 2019) which I’ll keep as a second bike for friends to ride.

One of the key features that led me to buy the new bike was for the upgraded TCU. I’m one to always be customizing the settings for the three modes (eco, trail, turbo) based upon the ride planned. So the idea of having the ability to customize the three settings plus having the ability to switch to over to the 10% gradient mode was a big selling point. And it hasn’t disappointed. My plan is to leave the three settings at 5%, 10%, and 15%, and if I need more that that I’ll just switch over to 10% gradient mode and just click up from there. No more having to decide what three amounts I want before heading off on a ride. Very nice!

Prior to buying the bike, I was a little concerned that the Gen3 was a more capable bike on the trails at the expense of comfort. I’m not a hardcore technical
rider - some of the trails I ride are steep, rocky, and rooty, but I’m not one to take big risks. So the idea of a more capable bike on the trails wasn’t a big selling point. Well I’ve got to say that after just one ride, I’ve changed my mind. This Gen3 just flat out performs better than the Gen2. Even on just some fire roads with a little single track thrown in, it was clear to me during this afternoon’s ride that the Gen3 is just a more nimble ride while still feeling just as comfortable. Even to a casual rider such as myself, I found the bike to handle noticeably better. I felt more confident riding this bike than I ever did on the Gen2 which was a bike I always thought handled the trails well. So if you’re wondering if there truly is a noticeable difference in handling/performance, the answer to me is quite evident. I attribute this to different geometry.

Getting back to comfort (a key feature for this 54 year old rider with a iffy back), I will say that I did suffer from a little saddle soreness during my ride. Hopefully that will go away with some adjusting.

I’m 6’2” and my Gen2 is an XL. I went with a S5 for my new ride. I find that it’s a tad smaller with less reach, which is fine by me. Being 54 with an iffy back, I don’t mind being a little more upright. I’m happy with my decision to get an S5.

As for aesthetics, I have to say that the carbon smoke is as stealthy of a bike as I’ve seen of late. Everything is black or grey. All of the branding is dark as well, making it very plain looking, which I’m fine with. I don’t need my bike to be a rolling advertisement. I will say that the glossy black portion of the bike seems to have some type of protective covering over it as you can see a seam going down the length of the top tube which I find a bit unsightly. I also don’t like how a lot of the Gen3s have a severe change in color along the seat tube and down tube. I prefer the looks of the frames that are more uniform in color.

Finally, I too had trouble syncing the bike with the Mission Control app. As previous posts have mentioned, pushing the F1 button seemed to resolve things.

I hope that others find this post helpful. I’m psyched that I decided to get the Gen3, despite the bike being nearly twice as expensive as my Gen2 comp carbon. Overall, even after one ride, I can tell that this Gen3 is just a better, more capable bike that will make me a more confident rider. And if anyone is wondering, I ordered my bike on the morning it was announced a few months back. According to Mike’s Bikes in San Rafael, CA mine was the first (or one of the first) Experts they had received.
3CF76D8B-885C-4B02-9215-B8FEE993F51E.jpeg
 

rydeezie

Well-known member
Jul 26, 2020
609
862
san francisco, california
I installed an older rainbow cassette i had so i can preserve the new cassette that came on the levo. I couldn’t help but notice the new chain did not have hollow pins. All the xx1 chains On my bikes have hollow pins.

is this something new or did i get a non-xx1 chain with rainbow coloring? Ebike version? Or Axs version?
F8E88F80-6E02-4022-8A2D-AEE2F0DF6439.jpeg


The other Sworks levo has hollow pins
A9F7CF7F-C357-47F2-804F-4EE81A653950.jpeg
 

sometimesjoe

Member
Mar 17, 2021
35
28
SF Bay Area, Ca
I’m just back from my first ride on a Turbo Levo Expert and thought I’d share
my initial thoughts. For context I’m coming from a Gen 2 Turbo Levo (comp carbon 2019) which I’ll keep as a second bike for friends to ride.

One of the key features that led me to buy the new bike was for the upgraded TCU. I’m one to always be customizing the settings for the three modes (eco, trail, turbo) based upon the ride planned. So the idea of having the ability to customize the three settings plus having the ability to switch to over to the 10% gradient mode was a big selling point. And it hasn’t disappointed. My plan is to leave the three settings at 5%, 10%, and 15%, and if I need more that that I’ll just switch over to 10% gradient mode and just click up from there. No more having to decide what three amounts I want before heading off on a ride. Very nice!

Prior to buying the bike, I was a little concerned that the Gen3 was a more capable bike on the trails at the expense of comfort. I’m not a hardcore technical
rider - some of the trails I ride are steep, rocky, and rooty, but I’m not one to take big risks. So the idea of a more capable bike on the trails wasn’t a big selling point. Well I’ve got to say that after just one ride, I’ve changed my mind. This Gen3 just flat out performs better than the Gen2. Even on just some fire roads with a little single track thrown in, it was clear to me during this afternoon’s ride that the Gen3 is just a more nimble ride while still feeling just as comfortable. Even to a casual rider such as myself, I found the bike to handle noticeably better. I felt more confident riding this bike than I ever did on the Gen2 which was a bike I always thought handled the trails well. So if you’re wondering if there truly is a noticeable difference in handling/performance, the answer to me is quite evident. I attribute this to different geometry.

Getting back to comfort (a key feature for this 54 year old rider with a iffy back), I will say that I did suffer from a little saddle soreness during my ride. Hopefully that will go away with some adjusting.

I’m 6’2” and my Gen2 is an XL. I went with a S5 for my new ride. I find that it’s a tad smaller with less reach, which is fine by me. Being 54 with an iffy back, I don’t mind being a little more upright. I’m happy with my decision to get an S5.

As for aesthetics, I have to say that the carbon smoke is as stealthy of a bike as I’ve seen of late. Everything is black or grey. All of the branding is dark as well, making it very plain looking, which I’m fine with. I don’t need my bike to be a rolling advertisement. I will say that the glossy black portion of the bike seems to have some type of protective covering over it as you can see a seam going down the length of the top tube which I find a bit unsightly. I also don’t like how a lot of the Gen3s have a severe change in color along the seat tube and down tube. I prefer the looks of the frames that are more uniform in color.

Finally, I too had trouble syncing the bike with the Mission Control app. As previous posts have mentioned, pushing the F1 button seemed to resolve things.

I hope that others find this post helpful. I’m psyched that I decided to get the Gen3, despite the bike being nearly twice as expensive as my Gen2 comp carbon. Overall, even after one ride, I can tell that this Gen3 is just a better, more capable bike that will make me a more confident rider. And if anyone is wondering, I ordered my bike on the morning it was announced a few months back. According to Mike’s Bikes in San Rafael, CA mine was the first (or one of the first) Experts they had received. View attachment 63110
Congrats! Ordered mine back in March and picked it up last week at the Pleasanton Mike’s Bike. Seems like they’re rolling in now for them. Wasn’t expecting it until mid to late June.
 

Shrek29

Member
Mar 16, 2021
10
15
Bristol
I’m just back from my first ride on a Turbo Levo Expert and thought I’d share
my initial thoughts. For context I’m coming from a Gen 2 Turbo Levo (comp carbon 2019) which I’ll keep as a second bike for friends to ride.

One of the key features that led me to buy the new bike was for the upgraded TCU. I’m one to always be customizing the settings for the three modes (eco, trail, turbo) based upon the ride planned. So the idea of having the ability to customize the three settings plus having the ability to switch to over to the 10% gradient mode was a big selling point. And it hasn’t disappointed. My plan is to leave the three settings at 5%, 10%, and 15%, and if I need more that that I’ll just switch over to 10% gradient mode and just click up from there. No more having to decide what three amounts I want before heading off on a ride. Very nice!

Prior to buying the bike, I was a little concerned that the Gen3 was a more capable bike on the trails at the expense of comfort. I’m not a hardcore technical
rider - some of the trails I ride are steep, rocky, and rooty, but I’m not one to take big risks. So the idea of a more capable bike on the trails wasn’t a big selling point. Well I’ve got to say that after just one ride, I’ve changed my mind. This Gen3 just flat out performs better than the Gen2. Even on just some fire roads with a little single track thrown in, it was clear to me during this afternoon’s ride that the Gen3 is just a more nimble ride while still feeling just as comfortable. Even to a casual rider such as myself, I found the bike to handle noticeably better. I felt more confident riding this bike than I ever did on the Gen2 which was a bike I always thought handled the trails well. So if you’re wondering if there truly is a noticeable difference in handling/performance, the answer to me is quite evident. I attribute this to different geometry.

Getting back to comfort (a key feature for this 54 year old rider with a iffy back), I will say that I did suffer from a little saddle soreness during my ride. Hopefully that will go away with some adjusting.

I’m 6’2” and my Gen2 is an XL. I went with a S5 for my new ride. I find that it’s a tad smaller with less reach, which is fine by me. Being 54 with an iffy back, I don’t mind being a little more upright. I’m happy with my decision to get an S5.

As for aesthetics, I have to say that the carbon smoke is as stealthy of a bike as I’ve seen of late. Everything is black or grey. All of the branding is dark as well, making it very plain looking, which I’m fine with. I don’t need my bike to be a rolling advertisement. I will say that the glossy black portion of the bike seems to have some type of protective covering over it as you can see a seam going down the length of the top tube which I find a bit unsightly. I also don’t like how a lot of the Gen3s have a severe change in color along the seat tube and down tube. I prefer the looks of the frames that are more uniform in color.

Finally, I too had trouble syncing the bike with the Mission Control app. As previous posts have mentioned, pushing the F1 button seemed to resolve things.

I hope that others find this post helpful. I’m psyched that I decided to get the Gen3, despite the bike being nearly twice as expensive as my Gen2 comp carbon. Overall, even after one ride, I can tell that this Gen3 is just a better, more capable bike that will make me a more confident rider. And if anyone is wondering, I ordered my bike on the morning it was announced a few months back. According to Mike’s Bikes in San Rafael, CA mine was the first (or one of the first) Experts they had received. View attachment 63110
Great review I have the exact same model, colour and size due next week here in the UK fingers crossed as the date has moved four times and my order was the first for an Expert. I'm 50 in a few months and off to Innerleithen in Scotland this coming weekend so it would have been great to have it for this trip but my LBS has sorted me a bike to take, personally think Specialized UK should have sorted one for me as they have enough press bikes sat around with Youtubers who dont need them now unlike paying customers?
 

mastakilla

Member
Apr 25, 2020
164
59
usa
I’m just back from my first ride on a Turbo Levo Expert and thought I’d share
my initial thoughts. For context I’m coming from a Gen 2 Turbo Levo (comp carbon 2019) which I’ll keep as a second bike for friends to ride.

One of the key features that led me to buy the new bike was for the upgraded TCU. I’m one to always be customizing the settings for the three modes (eco, trail, turbo) based upon the ride planned. So the idea of having the ability to customize the three settings plus having the ability to switch to over to the 10% gradient mode was a big selling point. And it hasn’t disappointed. My plan is to leave the three settings at 5%, 10%, and 15%, and if I need more that that I’ll just switch over to 10% gradient mode and just click up from there. No more having to decide what three amounts I want before heading off on a ride. Very nice!

Prior to buying the bike, I was a little concerned that the Gen3 was a more capable bike on the trails at the expense of comfort. I’m not a hardcore technical
rider - some of the trails I ride are steep, rocky, and rooty, but I’m not one to take big risks. So the idea of a more capable bike on the trails wasn’t a big selling point. Well I’ve got to say that after just one ride, I’ve changed my mind. This Gen3 just flat out performs better than the Gen2. Even on just some fire roads with a little single track thrown in, it was clear to me during this afternoon’s ride that the Gen3 is just a more nimble ride while still feeling just as comfortable. Even to a casual rider such as myself, I found the bike to handle noticeably better. I felt more confident riding this bike than I ever did on the Gen2 which was a bike I always thought handled the trails well. So if you’re wondering if there truly is a noticeable difference in handling/performance, the answer to me is quite evident. I attribute this to different geometry.

Getting back to comfort (a key feature for this 54 year old rider with a iffy back), I will say that I did suffer from a little saddle soreness during my ride. Hopefully that will go away with some adjusting.

I’m 6’2” and my Gen2 is an XL. I went with a S5 for my new ride. I find that it’s a tad smaller with less reach, which is fine by me. Being 54 with an iffy back, I don’t mind being a little more upright. I’m happy with my decision to get an S5.

As for aesthetics, I have to say that the carbon smoke is as stealthy of a bike as I’ve seen of late. Everything is black or grey. All of the branding is dark as well, making it very plain looking, which I’m fine with. I don’t need my bike to be a rolling advertisement. I will say that the glossy black portion of the bike seems to have some type of protective covering over it as you can see a seam going down the length of the top tube which I find a bit unsightly. I also don’t like how a lot of the Gen3s have a severe change in color along the seat tube and down tube. I prefer the looks of the frames that are more uniform in color.

Finally, I too had trouble syncing the bike with the Mission Control app. As previous posts have mentioned, pushing the F1 button seemed to resolve things.

I hope that others find this post helpful. I’m psyched that I decided to get the Gen3, despite the bike being nearly twice as expensive as my Gen2 comp carbon. Overall, even after one ride, I can tell that this Gen3 is just a better, more capable bike that will make me a more confident rider. And if anyone is wondering, I ordered my bike on the morning it was announced a few months back. According to Mike’s Bikes in San Rafael, CA mine was the first (or one of the first) Experts they had received. View attachment 63110
You are saying S5 has less reach than old XL? That is not what sizing charts say?
 

rydeezie

Well-known member
Jul 26, 2020
609
862
san francisco, california
Fork angle at middle setting and it turns real good
Rear is set at low and feels good on all sorts of trails, the only issue is I’m getting a lot of pedal strikes even with correct sag. I do have to pay attention to the crank position and timing all the time
3AECE0E3-AC6E-405B-8243-724EA3223DAA.jpeg

01A6957B-E559-4D3D-BD20-BD76AE9C6B1F.jpeg

1A051BD6-D0B7-4C7C-9400-06D08278EDAC.jpeg

Today i installed a 170mm fork and set the angle to slack. I will change the rear to high and see how that goes….
 

zorro77

Active member
Apr 13, 2021
268
431
Italy
I'm really curious to know how it goes with the 170 slack front and high rear or 170 neutral front and low rear ... I'll wait to read your feelings :geek:
 

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