Levo Gen 3 Turbo Levo BB height

[Monty Dog]

Hi all - I'm new here, though an experienced road and analogue hardtail rider. I started on this forum a couple of days ago with a post on the Canyon thread. (Has got quite a bit of traction, and relevant to anyone interested in crank lengths). And I want to pick this up here....

I'm in the market for a new e-mtb, but I'm tall at 6'4". And all e-mtb bike manufacturers seem to take the same one-size-fits-all approach to bottom bracket height and crank arm length. They all go for 160mm cranks. This is the same for Small riders as it is for XL, which to my mind is bonkers. Now, I can obviously switch out the cranks for longer, but that universally low BB height will lead to pedal strikes, I just know it. I feel really bummed that bike manufacturers aren't properly taking into account the needs of different rider heights, but what can you do...

So... now I'm intrigued by the Flip Chip on the Turbo Levo.

Does anyone know if the quoted 350mm BB clearance is with this set to high or low?
And are there any tall riders out there who have gone for 170mm or longer cranks? If so, how are you getting on with these?
I really wanted that 900Wh battery that Canyon offer, but their 344mm BB height and no adjustability probably rules that option out. Are there any 100kg+ riders out there who like long rides? And if so, how does that 720Wh battery cope...?

Cheers

 

[Squamish Sucks]

Why do you need 170 cranks? I’m your height on an S5 in low with the headset cup in slack and have no issues.

IMO, maximizing the efficiency of your pedal stroke isn’t relevant when you have a full fat motor working with you.

 

[Monty Dog]

Why do you need 170 cranks? I’m your height on an S5 in low with the headset cup in slack and have no issues.

IMO, maximizing the efficiency of your pedal stroke isn’t relevant when you have a full fat motor working with you.

Cheers - I bought my analogue hard tail which came with 165mm. I tried to get on with these for 6 months. There were fine for short rides, but anything more than 3 hours in the saddle and I’d start to cramp. Switched to 175mm (same as my road bike), and those longer rides felt much better. Pedal strikes were a bit of a problem but I could sort of live with that.

So for me, longer cranks isn’t about some theory that I’ve read that it gives you more leverage or efficiency or whatever; it’s the real world benefit I get from muscles being used for the full range.

I’ve hired an emtb before now but not yet bought one. Im researching that now. But my thought process is that I don’t intend to slacken off with a emtb. I want the motor to help me increase my speed and endurance, especially now I’m getting older, chubbier, slower. And I still want to come back from a long emtb ride completely exhausted.

But the standard 160mm cranks will get in the way of that; will mean fatigue, cramp, the feeling that my legs aren’t being properly stretched.

I love the Canyon, and that 900wh battery would be perfect for me. But 344mm BB clearance? For my height and weight? There’s no way I’d be able to get the right-sized cranks on that.

That’s my frustration.

 

[Monty Dog]

Spesh quote 350mm clearance. Is that flip chip high or low - anyone know…?

 

[Cb750stu]

I would imagine it's high position I think they come from the factory in the high position

 

[steve_sordy]

I have been looking at BB heights of the last four FS bikes I have been riding, all size large. Based upon these figures, the speccy flip chip seems to be in the high position; would hope so at least.

YT Capra mtb, 160mm travel, 343 BB with 170 cranks.
Whyte T130 mtb, 130 travel, 331 BB with 175 cranks.
Focus Jam2 emtb, 150mm travel, 343 BB with 165 cranks.
Merida eOne-Sixty emtb, 160f/150s travel, 338 BB with 165 cranks.

Note that the YT Capra and the Focus both had the same BB height. The Capra had 10mm more travel and 5mm longer cranks.

 

[MiTurboComp]

At 6’8” (203 cm), and long-legged, finding an S6 Levo Comp was a godsend. Yes, I swapped out the 160s for 175s knowing rock garden ascents werent on my to-do list. Monty Dog said it best “. . . it’s the real world benefit I get from muscles being used for the full range.”

Different cranks for different . . .

 

[rzr]

you can put 29" wheel (And tire up to 2.4-2.5", depends on manufacturer) to rise your BB in new Levo (with long chainstays, which lower bottom bracket, by 7mm ?)

 

[Monty Dog]

At 6’8” (203 cm), and long-legged, finding an S6 Levo Comp was a godsend. Yes, I swapped out the 160s for 175s knowing rock garden ascents werent on my to-do list. Monty Dog said it best “. . . it’s the real world benefit I get from muscles being used for the full range.”

Different cranks for different . . .

You understand my issues!!
One has to ask, what on earth are Specialized thinking in putting the same sized crank and BB clearance on their S6 as they do for their S1. That’s just nuts.
But all the manufacturers do it….

 

[rzr]

higher BB worsen handling,
what longer crankarms give you ? less clearance .... any benefits ?

 

[Monty Dog]

higher BB worsen handling,
what longer crankarms give you ? less clearance .... any benefits ?

An S1 frame is sized for riders of, what, up to 5'4" - something like that. And an S6 is for 6'4" and up or something like that. And all the other S's are for rider sizes in between.

But when Specialized (and every other MTB and EMTB manufacturer) specced out the geometry for these frame sizes they forgot that shorter riders tend to have shorter legs and taller riders longer legs. So they gave every size frame the same crank length and BB clearance.

So the 'benefits' you refer to are simply about getting the proportions right. We lanky gits need longer cranks to match our longer legs.

Really frustrating that all off-road bikes adopt this ridiculous one-size-fits-all approach. (Roadies don't have this problem because most manufacturers take a proportional approach to crank length).

 

[Monty Dog]

you can put 29" wheel (And tire up to 2.4-2.5", depends on manufacturer) to rise your BB in new Levo (with long chainstays, which lower bottom bracket, by 7mm ?)

Plus sized tyres are a good shout. What's the max you can put on a Levo...?

 

[rzr]

29" on the back, no more than 2.4-2.5". I can make pictures of my 27.5" DHR2 2.4" later at home