Article Specialized Levo SL is a 16.9KG Super Light emtb

[Gotama]

Hmm, basically the standard Eco mode on the full Levo then.

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

So if we take the Levo power modes, they roughly work out to this, on default settings. Obviously you can tune trail / eco to over up to 560 watts, but this might give a real rough guide:

Turbo Levo
Turbo 560 watts
Trail 340 watts
Eco 170 watts

Levo SL
Turbo 240 watts
Trail 150 watts
Eco 80 watts

Like I mentioned, these are rough guesstimates, but based around mission control 100 / 60 / 30 settings in motor power.

You also gain a bit of extra efficiency of your human power due to lighter bike, so likely you are making small gains on your peddling performance into forward momentum.

 

[Fivetones]

Naturally the SL has been compared to the Levo FSR/Brose in reviews etc. That’s understandable but can anyone who’s ridden plenty of Shimano E8000 bikes (@Rob Hancill ? 24kg like the YT DEcoy maybe) tell me how the SL might compare there?

I spend most time in Trail mode as it adapts to the effort put in. Boost mode really hoists you up a hill (which I expect the SL doesn’t) but is, say, an SL in Turbo mode like Trail mode on the e8000?

I expect there’ll be quite a few thinking this way too.

 

[SquireRides]

I remain a bit skeptical about the claims that a Levo SL can go as far as a Turbo Levo...

But I would totally use the low power Eco and Trail modes. On my existing bike I always feel I need a lower support mode for my day long rides.

I also note the claims that the motor is 80% efficient... that sounds good but how does it compare to the Brose?

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

I remain a bit skeptical about the claims that a Levo SL can go as far as a Turbo Levo...

@TheBikePilot and I used almost exactly the same battery. He was on the Regular Levo with 700Wh battery, I was on the SL with the range extender so 480Wh.

On a 23 mile ride we both returned with about 50%. Approx 3000ft of vertical.

Brose uses 21 amps
SL motor uses 7 amps

I was a bit lighter as he had a backpack with camera gear.

 

[Gotama]

Thanks Rob re support of Levo to the SL.

The problem with all this is that it has started me thinking that an ideal pairing would be a Levo SL and a Kenevo.

 

[ImSundee]

@Rob Hancill So whats the verdict are you replacing your other bikes with an SL?

 

[Fivetones]

Some interesting comments about the intention of the Levo SL with the Specialized folk:

 

[Blinkie]

So went into EBC today to size up the SL bike as geometry against my current bike placed me somewhere in the middle of a M and L. After a sit on both bikes and a wee cycle in shop L is more my size. Demo booked for this weekend

 

[MattyB]

I remain a bit skeptical about the claims that a Levo SL can go as far as a Turbo Levo...

Agreed - the reduction in bike weight is obviously impactful to how it feels for the rider, but in terms of the AUW (bike+rider+kit) is pretty small - I guess around 5% for an average 80kg rider? To me that means it wouldn't go as far on <50% of the battery unless significantly lower support levels are used i.e. you are going to have to be a fair bit fitter. Nothing wrong with that, but it is certainly not going to suit a lot of current riders who enjoy the feel of higher power bikes.

 

[jcmonty]

Hows the fox 34 handle @Rob Hancill ? feel like you need something burlier? Given that 38 lbs is still heavy compared to most enduro bikes where a 34 would be laughed at.. curious that Spesh went this way even though it's obvious to shave as much weight as possible

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Hows the fox 34 handle @Rob Hancill ? feel like you need something burlier? Given that 38 lbs is still heavy compared to most enduro bikes where a 34 would be laughed at.. curious that Spesh went this way even though it's obvious to shave as much weight as possible

The Fox 34 factory seemed fine to me on the trails in South Africa. They were not chunky though. More like long flowy rolling berms with some 6 foot gaps etc. Might not be still enough for some, I couldn't tell you that I found it flex though... But often, its not until you compare forks back to back you notice.

I think Spesh are selling this as a trail ripper... and if an Enduro version comes out no doubt it'll have a 36 on it...

 

[miPbiP]

Agreed - the reduction in bike weight is obviously impactful to how it feels for the rider, but in terms of the AUW (bike+rider+kit) is pretty small - I guess around 5% for an average 80kg rider? To me that means it wouldn't go as far on <50% of the battery unless significantly lower support levels are used i.e. you are going to have to be a fair bit fitter. Nothing wrong with that, but it is certainly not going to suit a lot of current riders who enjoy the feel of higher power bikes.

Lots of emtbs go to people who can't or don't want to (in practice) ride a bio bike.

I think the SL is aimed at those who would and can. It's competing against the Stumpy not the full gas Levo.

It's basically a market segmentation play. Which is smart - establish a niche and dominate it. Plus the more variants of one's product on the dealers' floors the less space there is for competitors. (Same reason there are 50 variations of washing up liquid on the supermarket shelf).

 

[miPbiP]

Does this also tell us Spesh don't see any game-changing tech breakthroughs on the short term horizon?

So advancement for now is repackaging and refinement?

 

[Eddy Current]

Seems many people still don’t understand for who this light ebikes are for. This not truly made for the ebikers, this to catch the normal bike riders! Is a bike that almost handles like a normal bike but still you have a motor ... 250w motor + 250w legs equals 500w ... that’s more than a top pro cyclist with his ass full of epo average to the cranks. That numbers are no joke amigos!

Team Sky data release shows Chris Froome's power for that Giro d'Italia attack and what he ate to lose weight during race - Cycling Weekly

 

[Fivetones]

Naturally the SL has been compared to the Levo FSR/Brose in reviews etc. That’s understandable but can anyone who’s ridden plenty of Shimano E8000 bikes (@Rob Hancill ? 24kg like the YT DEcoy maybe) tell me how the SL might compare there?

I spend most time in Trail mode as it adapts to the effort put in. Boost mode really hoists you up a hill (which I expect the SL doesn’t) but is, say, an SL in Turbo mode like Trail mode on the e8000?

I expect there’ll be quite a few thinking this way too.

Anyone? Or is it only the spesh-heads in this thread ?

 

[Stephen]

nice bike and some very good engineering ideas, IP rated motor, waterproof plugs constant battery connection. All sounds like the problems we have been having have been addressed.
Well it doesn't make me very happy, while the spesh engineers have been beavering away on the sl it looks like all the levo and kenevo owners have been a bit "overlooked" what about fixing our crappy power cables, what about fixing our TCU's that fill up with water if you sneeze on them, what about some quality control on the motors that have to get replaced, some guys have had up to five motor replacements in a bike thats not even a year old WTF!!
between my wife and I we have spent around £30k on spesh ebikes, how about a bit of reengineering to fix our problems!!

I am absolutely stunned that all these resources have been spent to develop a new bike yet no news about permanent fixes regarding motors and electrical parts . When are we going to be informed that Specialized has redesigned these parts and that they will be available for their clients ? Whats the point in changing bad broken pieces for bad new pieces ! Please , give us a permanent fix to the known problems . Thank you .

 

[p3eps]

So went into EBC today to size up the SL bike as geometry against my current bike placed me somewhere in the middle of a M and L.

Do they have all the sizes? I’d love to try and XL to satisfy my curiousity!

 

[Blinkie]

Do they have all the sizes? I’d love to try and XL to satisfy my curiousity!

Just a M and L

 

[Blinkie]

The Fox 34 factory seemed fine to me on the trails in South Africa. They were not chunky though. More like long flowy rolling berms with some 6 foot gaps etc. Might not be still enough for some, I couldn't tell you that I found it flex though... But often, its not until you compare forks back to back you notice.

I think Spesh are selling this as a trail ripper... and if an Enduro version comes out no doubt it'll have a 36 on it...

the 34mm lyrik are more than capable on my "normal" orbea Rallon , if I do take the plunge plan is to stick some lyrik ultimates on front end. I ve had RS for years now without issues. Stick with what I know. Look out for cheap fox forks for sale

 

[gmurad]

On a 23 mile ride we both returned with about 50%. Approx 3000ft of vertical.

In that case would it be fair to say that you added more bio power than he did?

Another way to put this is, anyone can setup their 700 WHr Levo to output a similar assist level/power output as a Levo SL and than if that test is repeated the SL should have less mileage.

 

[Couchy]

So this £11k bike does it ride as good as a £3k normal bike ? I’m a big ebike fan as I have a knackered knee but if I had a choice I’d be on a normal bike any day of the week. I’m struggling with the concept of an £11k bike with lower power and less range. If you add the extender it’s no longer the super light bike.
But they will sell everyone of them so who cares what I think lol

 

[Blinkie]

Can anyone clarify what the angles are on the HT with flip chip?

owners manual say 66 /66.5

Elsewhere say 66/ 65.5

 

[Bike]

Continue reading...

Rob how tall you areand wichsize the sl on test,ty

 

[Jeff McD]

Surprised that no one has commented on the Levo SL tires. There is absolutely no way I will ever go back to 2.3 inch tires ever again with our frequently wet greasy off-camber roots. 2.8 was too cumbersome but 2.5/2.6 is the sweet spot for me with a Hillbilly front and rear presently. Can run lower pressure which softens the trail chatter considerably and the new hillbilly sidewalls are quite stiff with good support.
Problem is they're heavier than 2.3 inch tires, and then you need a 200 mm rotor on that rear brake for our long, high speed downhill runs and most of my rides would need the second battery, all of which is going to push the weight up to where is maybe only 4-5 pounds lighter than my present 2020 Levo Sworks. Yawn. And only time will tell whether our frequent top of the mountain six hr rides would possibly need a second booster battery in a pack as well. Yikes 2-3 lbs lighter.
Our mountains are steep and I repeatedly need every single one of those 90 Newton meters in Turbo to make it up the section even being one of the strongest climbers in our area. In fact we have run out of juice on the early rides with even the 700 Wh hour battery and I have had to boost trail mode up to maxing out at 75% to try to stay out of turbo mode more in order to make the battery last the whole ride. The problem with the smart function is it won't even let you access turbo mode on steep climbs for that length of a ride, and so it's not very useful for us.
No way this bike would work for me, which is really nice because I just bought the sucker this year ha ha. So really nice bike to drool over but it's just not for me and I'll bet that'll turn out to be pretty common actually among aggressive ebike riders. I'll be watching to see how many others say the same. Seen a few comments already.

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

Naturally the SL has been compared to the Levo FSR/Brose in reviews etc. That’s understandable but can anyone who’s ridden plenty of Shimano E8000 bikes (@Rob Hancill ? 24kg like the YT DEcoy maybe) tell me how the SL might compare there?

I spend most time in Trail mode as it adapts to the effort put in. Boost mode really hoists you up a hill (which I expect the SL doesn’t) but is, say, an SL in Turbo mode like Trail mode on the e8000?

I expect there’ll be quite a few thinking this way too.

If you ride in trail. This is not the bike for you

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

All everyone is talking about is power, battery and performance. For me it was the agility. Threw this bike around today, like I normally would a bike and...wow! Compared to my lighter levo (21.5kg), this is a lightweight! And it wasn't even three model I'm getting It was so much easier to manual and hop. Coming from a regular bike, yeah you'll notice it's heavier. From an ebike or even the lighter levo you'll think you're on steroids... Of that's how you roll. If you sit, spin and just roll down your trails, this isn't for you. If you pop, Huck, and play on your bike, then your can with this like no other ebike, yet still get back to for a few extra runs.

This is the bike I wanted two years ago instead of coming home beat up from moving that levo weight around. I felt like a kid again messing around. Order placed!

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

Surprised that no one has commented on the Levo SL tires. There is absolutely no way I will ever go back to 2.3 inch tires ever again with our frequently wet greasy off-camber roots. 2.8 was too cumbersome but 2.5/2.6 is the sweet spot for me with a Hillbilly front and rear presently. Can run lower pressure which softens the trail chatter considerably and the new hillbilly sidewalls are quite stiff with good support.
Problem is they're heavier than 2.3 inch tires, and then you need a 200 mm rotor on that rear brake for our long, high speed downhill runs and most of my rides would need the second battery, all of which is going to push the weight up to where is maybe only 4-5 pounds lighter than my present 2020 Levo Sworks. Yawn. And only time will tell whether our frequent top of the mountain six hr rides would possibly need a second booster battery in a pack as well. Yikes 2-3 lbs lighter.
Our mountains are steep and I repeatedly need every single one of those 90 Newton meters in Turbo to make it up the section even being one of the strongest climbers in our area. In fact we have run out of juice on the early rides with even the 700 Wh hour battery and I have had to boost trail mode up to maxing out at 75% to try to stay out of turbo mode more in order to make the battery last the whole ride. The problem with the smart function is it won't even let you access turbo mode on steep climbs for that length of a ride, and so it's not very useful for us.
No way this bike would work for me, which is really nice because I just bought the sucker this year ha ha. So really nice bike to drool over but it's just not for me and I'll bet that'll turn out to be pretty common actually among aggressive ebike riders. I'll be watching to see how many others say the same. Seen a few comments already.

Two types of rider that need wider tyres.

 

[Santa]

Now that the dust has settled... I think it’s not for me.

Let’s face it, some of the weight savings on the SL comes from:
- 2.3 light casing tyres
- fox 34 fork
- dps shock
- smaller battery

For my weight and riding style, I want a 36 fork, a X2 shock and 2.5-2.6 tyres. Theoretically, if I took the Levo SL base aluminium model (the only one I’m willing to afford) and switched for those heavier components and I add the range extender, I bet I’ll be roughly at the same weight as a Decoy Pro Race (23 kg), which is about the same price but it has a real motor.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[lggc]

Now that the dust has settled... I think it’s not for me.

Let’s face it, some of the weight savings on the SL comes from:
- 2.3 light casing tyres
- fox 34 fork
- dps shock
- smaller battery

For my weight and riding style, I want a 36 fork, a X2 shock and 2.5-2.6 tyres. Theoretically, if I took the Levo SL base aluminium model (the only one I’m willing to afford) and switched for those heavier components and I add the range extender, I bet I’ll be roughly at the same weight as a Decoy Pro Race (23 kg), which is about the same price but it has a real motor.

Different strokes for different folks.

Ñ
36 factory: +100grs
X2: +200grs
2 Eliminator black dmnd: +200g
Extender 160w: 1kg
----> Levo Sl alloy: 20.9, but the extender you can put in the bag for downhill. 19.90... change cassete NX for X01. 350grs. 19.65kg And tubeless off course, another grams..
Your welcome!