Article Specialized Levo SL is a 16.9KG Super Light emtb

[R120]

As ever its easy to forget reading this thread that brands other than Specilized make EMTB's. Its also quite eye opening that not many people have referenced whether the basic geometry of the bike is right for them either - the motor is irrelevant if the bike dont fit, and all the reviews I have seen have pointed out that for anyone over 6ft the geo is pretty conservative.

If you where looking at a new acoustic/analog whatever people are calling normal bikes theses days then the geometry on it is behind the curve (not necessarily a good or bad thing) but I bet a lot of us wouldn't have it on a short list due to this.

If you dont want to pay silly money for a lightweight emtb, there are plenty of options out there - are that as good as the Levo SL? Well that's subjective, but its not like the SL has just created some new market sector, what its really done is probably bought the biggest soundsystem to the party so to speak

What the bike does is point to a bright future that we haven't got to yet, but are getting close to touching distance of, in terms of your standard EMTB getting to 19ish KG as the norm rather than the exception.

My personal view, is that we were not actually that far away from that anyway, but the move to internal batteries and trying to make EMTB's look like normal bikes has resulted in a lot of the newer bikes actually being heavier than their predecessors. Aesthetics are a key driver in the market, and it certainly seems to me that the latest bikes have been as much driven by that as actually making better bikes.

 

[Dpca10]

Not sure where you're getting your numbers. The allow crank arms do not even weight 1.5 lb total!

Praxis lists the alloy crank arms at 485g (1.07 lb.) and the carbon crank arms at 375g.
Thats a 110g difference (about a Big Mac quarter pounder ).

hmm this is odd. Yeah that didn’t seem to make a bunch of sense to me either. I wonder if 1 was with the spindle and 1 without.

 

[Fx1]

Battery tech has barely moved in decades. Emtb are not going to change that any time soon.

The laws of thermal dynamics are not going anywhere for now. Until batteries can store more energy in a smaller form factor then the only way you get a lighter bike is by having less power or range. The motors are already working at high efficiency.

This same problem has held back electric cars and they dont have the weight issue as bad as bikes.

 

[miPbiP]

As ever its easy to forget reading this thread that brands other than Specilized make EMTB's. Its also quite eye opening that not many people have referenced whether the basic geometry of the bike is right for them either - the motor is irrelevant if the bike dont fit, and all the reviews I have seen have pointed out that for anyone over 6ft the geo is pretty conservative.

172 cm (5-8) my M Levo is the best fitting bike I ever had and the geometry is spot on for the trails I ride. I could only improve it by making it lighter and shortening the chainstays..

Oh.

 

[Blinkie]

As ever its easy to forget reading this thread that brands other than Specilized make EMTB's. Its also quite eye opening that not many people have referenced whether the basic geometry of the bike is right for them either - the motor is irrelevant if the bike dont fit, and all the reviews I have seen have pointed out that for anyone over 6ft the geo is pretty conservative.

had the demo bike out today for a couple of rides today. Comparing it to my current Orbea I'd like the levo to have slightly slacker (than 66) HA for what I ride pointing downwards. I feel the geometry is more suited trail/xc rather than what i prefer to do. I could add 160 forks but, warranty and all that.

And the carbon demo creaked and groaned all day, what all that about My alloy frame is much quieter

 

[ImSundee]

had the demo bike out today for a couple of rides today. Comparing it to my current Orbea I'd like the levo to have slightly slacker (than 66) HA for what I ride pointing downwards. I feel the geometry is more suited trail/xc rather than what i prefer to do. I could add 160 forks but, warranty and all that.

And the carbon demo creaked and groaned all day, what all that about My alloy frame is much quieter

I've heard a few say to put a 2.6 on the front so I guess that the slacker HA is quite common.

 

[R120]

172 cm (5-8) my M Levo is the best fitting bike I ever had and the geometry is spot on for the trails I ride. I could only improve it by making it lighter and shortening the chainstays..

Oh.

Well that's great for you, my point was people shouldn't buy this bike just because its lighter than a regular EMTB if the geometry is not right for them or how they ride.

For my local riding its also spot on, but the non removable battery makes it an unpractical purchase for me, and I really dont need another bike!

 

[etoni]

@Rob Hancill
why the Levo SL is the better low wight emtb?
zasty 63Nm esystem 3kg - Levo Sl only 35Nm esystem 2.9kg ?

i am between the two bikes to buy..

 

[Zimmerframe]

@Rob Hancill
why the Levo SL is the better low wight emtb?
zasty 63Nm esystem 3kg - Levo Sl only 35Nm esystem 2.9kg ?

i am between the two bikes to buy..

If you can test them both that will be your best answer.

The Fazua looks amazing on paper. Specifications wise and concept wise.

I think it doesn't convert as well into real world riding though (only from what I've read/seen).

The SL is rated a lower torque, but much more consistent in power delivery both on paper and from what people have said. The Fazua should be similar in power to an e7000 but anyone who seems to have ridden it finds it disappointing. Maybe that's because they promote it as similar, where as the SL is promoted as half as much so you expect less.

 

[Doomanic]

I’ve got a test ride booked for Saturday...

 

[Zimmerframe]

I’ve got a test ride booked for Saturday...

Excellent .. someone's going to be happy come Monday with a heavily discounted, used once, slightly damaged Levo SL !

 

[Fojsum]

The SL 1.1 motor has been used in the Creo which has been out in the field for several months now. What do we know of it's reliability at this point? Any known issues or users reporting high failure rates?

 

[Doomanic]

Pretty irrelevant I’d say; there are Bosch Perf CX motors out there in commuter bikes that have done well over 10000Km but in an eMTB they don’t last anything like as long. The user and the usage is so different as to make any comparison between a road bike and an eMTB worthless.

 

[Fojsum]

Sure road and mountain are different but at the end of the day the motor is performing the same thing in each application, providing pedal assist. Not looking for a performance comparison between the two applications just asking if there has been any general issues with the SL 1.1 motor in the Creo. Excess noise, complete failure, etc.

 

[StuE]

Sure road and mountain are different but at the end of the day the motor is performing the same thing in each application, providing pedal assist. Not looking for a performance comparison between the two applications just asking if there has been any general issues with the SL 1.1 motor in the Creo. Excess noise, complete failure, etc.

Environment they operate in is very different, and unless you're just riding fireroads the stress on the motor is very different

 

[paquo]

The SL 1.1 motor has been used in the Creo which has been out in the field for several months now. What do we know of it's reliability at this point? Any known issues or users reporting high failure rates?

That's a good question you might have to lurk on creo forums to find out

 

[Bryan Wells]

I hate to be a downer, Especially anything EMTB related. I think we can all agree this bike is a really good step in the right direction. But I strongly believe Specialized shot them selves in the foot with the price of the line up here... the current Price for a US purchases SL goes from $6,525-$13,525 before tax, in my honest opinion coming from a bicycle shop owner that sees the rates on many bikes both at cost and retail, given the spec, all of the parts, and thought to designing the motor and integration the new Levo SL should max out around $7,800USD for a true S-Works model (full carbon, full factory) I know the current Levo expert (non SL) is even more than this but I also know it's the sole reason none of my friends have any specialized Emtb's (I haven't even mentioned the founders because it's outright extortion for a title). It's neat they got a nice torque sensing motor with a really low power requirement to fit inside of a still proprietary frame. however let's be clear here, it's not going to be long before others do the same at half the cost. The idea of the SL isn't like they reinvented the wheel, they just cut everything in half and polished it, followed by an extreme surcharge likely due to it being the only real option in this type of class. I hope those on the fence can hold off until the competition can show it's not rocket science, but instead normal engineering. Again i'm not trying to bag on them. I love my 19 Levo expert, but i'm sure i'll still be the only one around my town with one for quite some time...

 

[Zimmerframe]

I hate to be a downer, Especially anything EMTB related. I think we can all agree this bike is a really good step in the right direction. But I strongly believe Specialized shot them selves in the foot with the price of the line up here... the current Price for a US purchases SL goes from $6,525-$13,525 before tax, in my honest opinion coming from a bicycle shop owner that sees the rates on many bikes both at cost and retail, given the spec, all of the parts, and thought to designing the motor and integration the new Levo SL should max out around $7,800USD for a true S-Works model (full carbon, full factory) I know the current Levo expert (non SL) is even more than this but I also know it's the sole reason none of my friends have any specialized Emtb's (I haven't even mentioned the founders because it's outright extortion for a title). It's neat they got a nice torque sensing motor with a really low power requirement to fit inside of a still proprietary frame. however let's be clear here, it's not going to be long before others do the same at half the cost. The idea of the SL isn't like they reinvented the wheel, they just cut everything in half and polished it, followed by an extreme surcharge likely due to it being the only real option in this type of class. I hope those on the fence can hold off until the competition can show it's not rocket science, but instead normal engineering. Again i'm not trying to bag on them. I love my 19 Levo expert, but i'm sure i'll still be the only one around my town with one for quite some time...

It's a bit like the "emperors new clothes" .. for levo owners ..

I still want one .. I don't know why ... It's like some kind of weird inverse sexual inadequacy syndrome ..

But for now, it's only the Fantasy Bike garage version of the VIP Founders edition (with custom paint for an extra €2k)

 

[Doomanic]

The problem the opposition will face is finding a motor. The Mahle/Spesh motor won't be available to them and the Fazua just doesn't seem to cut the mustard for some reason.

It'll be down to how long Brose/Bosch/Shimano/Yamaha take to develop an equivalent motor. As the Fazua didn't set the world on fire they might not be in too much of a rush in case the SL doesn't pan out either.

 

[Fx1]

The problem the opposition will face is finding a motor. The Mahle/Spesh motor won't be available to them and the Fazua just doesn't seem to cut the mustard for some reason.

It'll be down to how long Brose/Bosch/Shimano/Yamaha take to develop an equivalent motor. As the Fazua didn't set the world on fire they might not be in too much of a rush in case the SL doesn't pan out either.

I bet it's not that hard. The same maker could do a different version of that same motor and then it would be different. You could also just take a normal motor and cut its power in half and you almost have the same thing. Give or take 500 grams

 

[Doomanic]

Have you actually seen the inside of any of these motors? Cutting the power wouldn't save a single gram. You'd have to design a completely new motor which takes time and many hundreds of thousands of Dollars.

 

[Gary]

Woah!!! Design a new motor?

Nah... not when this little 490g beauty is readily available already

 

[Fx1]

Have you actually seen the inside of any of these motors? Cutting the power wouldn't save a single gram. You'd have to design a completely new motor which takes time and many hundreds of thousands of Dollars.

A smaller battery on the normal sized motor with half the power would yield a big weight saving. A smaller motor saves limited weight.

 

[etoni]

hello, is there a manual on how to remove the battery? thanks.

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

hello, is there a manual on how to remove the battery? thanks.

Don’t think so. I will do mine and take some pics.

 

[Doomanic]

How much does the motor weigh?

 

[wepn]

The problem the opposition will face is finding a motor. The Mahle/Spesh motor won't be available to them and the Fazua just doesn't seem to cut the mustard for some reason.

It'll be down to how long Brose/Bosch/Shimano/Yamaha take to develop an equivalent motor. As the Fazua didn't set the world on fire they might not be in too much of a rush in case the SL doesn't pan out either.

Yes that seems logical although there many new drives being developed or in production. Like the Kervelo Quartz 12 (70 Nm & 4.0 kg), the Comp C-18 (80 Nm & 3.0 kg) and the Comp C-19 (60 Nm & 2.6 kg). Many others that may or may not make it to production.

 

[Zimmerframe]

How much does the motor weigh?

Supposedly 1.95 kg's.

 

[etoni]

Don’t think so. I will do mine and take some pics.

okay, how much wight the sl without battery and extender. huw much da battery wight?

 

[Fx1]

The problem the opposition will face is finding a motor. The Mahle/Spesh motor won't be available to them and the Fazua just doesn't seem to cut the mustard for some reason.

It'll be down to how long Brose/Bosch/Shimano/Yamaha take to develop an equivalent motor. As the Fazua didn't set the world on fire they might not be in too much of a rush in case the SL doesn't pan out either.

Yes that seems logical although there many new drives being developed or in production. Like the Kervelo Quartz 12 (70 Nm & 4.0 kg), the Comp C-18 (80 Nm & 3.0 kg) and the Comp C-19 (60 Nm & 2.6 kg). Many others that may or may not make it to production.

That 2.6kg 60nm motor and a hot swap battery could smoke the SL in both power and range. Keep the spares in the car or a backpack and just slide them in when you need to change.