Levo Gen 3 Structural weight limit carbon comp

[chrismechmaster]

Hi wondering if anyone can help

So long story I used to weigh around 85 kg and last year suffered a cardiac arrest, so manage to survive that but had to take it easy for a fair few months
My weight increased to 112 kgs I have now been given the all clear to start exercising/ riding again !!!!

However I am worry as i have have a gen 3 carbon comp and in the manual it states

Comp carbon 125kgs
Pro / sworks carbon 109kgs

I was under the impression that all Specialized carbon frames were the SAME

So do I get out and ride it and risk damaging the frame if the 109kgs is correct ?

Or do I loose a bit of weight first ???

Just for info I don’t ride aggressively or do drops etc

Any advice is much appreciated
(apart from the fact I am a fat git as the doctor has already told me )

 

[chrismechmaster]

Just a thought I am pretty sure the all the carbon frames are the same so it’s the difference due to the wheels

Eg the two highest spec models carbon wheels
And the lower spec models aluminium wheel

Is that the reason for the difference in structural weight limits

 

[Mikerb]

16kg difference is not going to be due to carbon wheels! I can only assume the 2 high end Levos have sacrificed durability for light weight in terms of the frame construction/ layup. Whichever you have ( Sworks or Pro) your bike is also one heck of a financial investment to risk. So my advice would be to get a solid second hand bike to get you back on the trails and increase your fitness/lose weight. Since you added a lot of weight in a fairly short amount of time it is likely you are also able to lose a good part of that quite quickly as well. A decent hardtail would do the job for you in the short term.

 

[E-MAD MALC]

I think you'll find that wheel models must play a part because the were two types of dt swiss wheels I was looking at, one rated at 120kg fully kitted against the other that is 130kg
So I would guess it must have something to do with it
Just my thoughts

 

[chrismechmaster]

Thanks guys

mine is the comp carbon so should be rated to the 125 kg but by the time I am kitted up I would be around 120kg so pretty close to the limit (if the limit is correct)

I do have a Santa Cruz chamleon hardtail so I will use that to loose weight and the Levo will be an incentive

 

[Damin]

I rode my Turbo Levo Comp Carbon at 150kg without issue. That was at the beginning of the Summer. I did put CushCore Pro in both tires, and ran 30 PSI. I gradually lost weight and am now 115 kg. The bike has performed flawlessly the entire time. Of course I'm not full sending it off of 6 ft drops and airing it off of 15 ft table tops, but I do ride it in technical terrain with lots of rocks and roots. These bikes are under specced for their maximum weight tolerance in the manuals by somewhere around 20% for liability reasons. As long as you are taking care of the bike, and not riding it at the extreme limits, you should be fine. My recommendation would be to check the spoke tension regularly, keep your cadence high (85-100) and avoid shifting under load to preserve your drivetrain. These bikes are designed to take a lot of abuse, so as long as you keep on top of maintenance and check your torque tension regularly you should be fine.

 

[chrismechmaster]

I rode my Turbo Levo Comp Carbon at 150kg without issue. That was at the beginning of the Summer. I did put CushCore Pro in both tires, and ran 30 PSI. I gradually lost weight and am now 115 kg. The bike has performed flawlessly the entire time. Of course I'm not full sending it off of 6 ft drops and airing it off of 15 ft table tops, but I do ride it in technical terrain with lots of rocks and roots. These bikes are under specced for their maximum weight tolerance in the manuals by somewhere around 20% for liability reasons. As long as you are taking care of the bike, and not riding it at the extreme limits, you should be fine. My recommendation would be to check the spoke tension regularly, keep your cadence high (85-100) and avoid shifting under load to preserve your drivetrain. These bikes are designed to take a lot of abuse, so as long as you keep on top of maintenance and check your torque tension regularly you should be fine.

Do you mind me asking what rear shock did you run at that weight ?

 

[Dmaguirenz]

Howdy,
108-110 kg kitted up on the levo gen 3.
Had the expert S5 and now have the conp S4. 2 years on the expert 6 months on the comp
No frame issues...had some good crashes no issues- 1800km on the expert and 400k on the comp.

Shocks, wheels, motors.....different story :/

 

[chrismechmaster]

Howdy,
108-110 kg kitted up on the levo gen 3.
Had the expert S5 and now have the conp S4. 2 years on the expert 6 months on the comp
No frame issues...had some good crashes no issues- 1800km on the expert and 400k on the comp.

Shocks, wheels, motors.....different story :/

Cheers for the reply what shock do you run and what psi cheers

 

[Type1]

Considering the frame is designed to be ridden by the best Pro’s and fully sent I would not worry about a few kg’s when by your own admission you don’t do big features.

Think of it this way, what will stress the bike more, yourself on your local trail or 85kg Bruni sending it down one of his training routes?

 

[Mikerb]

.....except a lbs/spesh may take a different view in the unfortunate event of a warranty claim.

 

[Type1]

.....except a lbs/spesh may take a different view in the unfortunate event of a warranty claim.

And how will they verify the rider weight?

 

[p3eps]

And how will they verify the rider weight?

Just get your lighter friend to take it to the shop for warranty work

 

[chrismechmaster]

Diet starts in a few hours so I’ll soon be ok lol

 

[Damin]

Do you mind me asking what rear shock did you run at that weight ?

Fox Float X. 280 PSI.

Here are all the details of my suspension tuning session with Aaron Graber from ridedirtcraft.com. I did an in person, 2 hour trailhead tuning session with him and we dialed it in on a few features on the trail. I have lost weight and tweaked settings a tad as I've lost weight but these should get you started.

"Awesome! Thanks again for your part in the process. It was great to meet you and hear about everything you've got going - on and off the bike.

The final settings we ended up with:

Fork:
100 PSI
2 Volume Spacers
Reb - 7 clicks in
Comp: 1:00 on the dial
Resulting Sag: 32%

Shock:
280 PSI
.2 volume spacer
Reb - 7 clicks in (we were at 6 before we hit the trail, then added one more during that process)
Comp - open position
Resulting Sag: 33%

Tire Pressure : 35 rear / 32 front

Recommendations: play around with dropping tire pressure a bit (1-4 psi) to see if it helps add additional grip without introducing any unwanted sidewall squirm. On the rear shock: adding 5-10 psi may help with pedal strikes on very rough trails with lots of high rocks/roots.

As everything progresses and you start riding even harder and losing more weight, if things start to feel different and you need advice on tweaks to make, just email, text or call!

Thanks,
Aaron"

 

[chrismechmaster]

Fox Float X. 280 PSI.

Here are all the details of my suspension tuning session with Aaron Graber from ridedirtcraft.com. I did an in person, 2 hour trailhead tuning session with him and we dialed it in on a few features on the trail. I have lost weight and tweaked settings a tad as I've lost weight but these should get you started.

"Awesome! Thanks again for your part in the process. It was great to meet you and hear about everything you've got going - on and off the bike.

The final settings we ended up with:

Fork:
100 PSI
2 Volume Spacers
Reb - 7 clicks in
Comp: 1:00 on the dial
Resulting Sag: 32%

Shock:
280 PSI
.2 volume spacer
Reb - 7 clicks in (we were at 6 before we hit the trail, then added one more during that process)
Comp - open position
Resulting Sag: 33%

Tire Pressure : 35 rear / 32 front

Recommendations: play around with dropping tire pressure a bit (1-4 psi) to see if it helps add additional grip without introducing any unwanted sidewall squirm. On the rear shock: adding 5-10 psi may help with pedal strikes on very rough trails with lots of high rocks/roots.

As everything progresses and you start riding even harder and losing more weight, if things start to feel different and you need advice on tweaks to make, just email, text or call!

Thanks,
Aaron"

This is really helpful thank you very much appreciated

 

[Dmaguirenz]

Cheers for the reply what shock do you run and what psi cheers

On the S5- seated sag at 30%
Stock float X2 3 spacers 309PSI ( over stock air pressure- was ok but bottomed out all the time)
Float X 0.6 spacer 286PSI ( was ok )
Just trying the vivid levo tune 336PSI
Vivid been quite a surprise on the levo. Feels good and the HBO Def works.

Had the jade X coil - no good
Had the EXT e storia 700lbs spring was probably the best shock for trail riding.

I've got the long shock link atm. With the estoria at 575lbs spring. This with a 170mm smaspot is the most comfortable.

Fek I wasted some money on this shityy levo rear linkage...if they had only made it more progressive or the HBO shocks had come out sooner I would have saved some cash :/

 

[Ondra]

Just a thought I am pretty sure the all the carbon frames are the same so it’s the difference due to the wheels

Eg the two highest spec models carbon wheels
And the lower spec models aluminium wheel

Is that the reason for the difference in structural weight limits

Pro and S-Works are OEM equipped with carbon handlebar rated at 109kg limit and therefore lower the limit for whole bike. Carbon wheels from Roval are rated at 125kg for system weight (rider + bike).
But there has to always be a buffer/margin just to be safe ...