Why are they so popular?

[poppy]

Curiousity has me asking, why are the specialized Levo so popular? what is it that makes these bikes appear to be the bike of choice over others, it is not like they are at a great price point to have what seems to be the masses buying over other brands. Is it ease of ownership, quality of the bike, more local dealers? They certainly seem to be the most popular bike on this forum which is great in that there is plenty of information and experience. I have a Specialized Camber comp as my only bike at the moment and have been researching and looking and test riding, teasing myself with thought of getting onto an Ebike to make my MTBing as much fun as i have trailbike/adv riding.

Thanks for any input, sorry if it has been covered before, i had a bloke look.

 

[Tori]

Curiousity has me asking, why are the specialized Levo so popular? what is it that makes these bikes appear to be the bike of choice over others, it is not like they are at a great price point to have what seems to be the masses buying over other brands. Is it ease of ownership, quality of the bike, more local dealers? They certainly seem to be the most popular bike on this forum which is great in that there is plenty of information and experience. I have a Specialized Camber comp as my only bike at the moment and have been researching and looking and test riding, teasing myself with thought of getting onto an Ebike to make my MTBing as much fun as i have trailbike/adv riding.

Thanks for any input, sorry if it has been covered before, i had a bloke look.

Good question Poppy. You're absolutely right, they don't represent the best value in an EMTB, that's for sure. I had done fairly exhaustive research into a purchase, and had settled upon the Merida E160-900E as the definite best bang for buck EMTB available in Australia.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be not available. I ordered in January and waited patiently for months, only to be fobbed off by the dealer and importer a number of times. Turns out it was out of their hands, the shipment numbers to Australia were being limited from the manufacturer in Taiwan. In the end, frustration got the better of me and I went for an available model - which was the Turbo Levo. I had ridden one before (rented one in Tasmania in Feb) and felt it was a very sorted bike, even if a bit more expensive.

My dealer sweet-talked me with a fat discount, and the bike was ready for me to pick up. I went for it - I didn't have to wait I could have a bike and ride, and forget my first-world problems.

Given they aren't the best value, they still represent reasonably good value against some of the other brands like Haibike, Focus, etc. And, the motor decoupling is very much worth it. Not having resistance past cutout is wonderful; you don't get this on many of the other motors . . . even the Merida has a bit (with the Shimano Steps).

With the market proliferation of the Levo (and now Kenevo) there is a great knowledgebase to tap into. There are many closed Facebook groups, forums, and other sources of very valuable information on the Levo. There are some great pieces of software from 3rd parties, which make tweaking and de-restricting very easy to do. There are users out there fabbing up some great range-extender options. There are people messing around with geometries, wheel sizes, chains, sprockets, blah blah blah and all the great modifications and farkles that go with bike ownership. It's so easy to tap into this as a Levo owner, just take a look at the thread count in the Specialized sub forum here on EMTB . . . compare it to the Merida subforum. In all consideration, I'm very glad I ended up with the Levo, instead of the Merida. I feel like *gulp* part of a brand community, if there is such a thing. It's good to chat to other Levo owners, shoot the shit via forums, and learn more and customize more.

Consider the resale on a Levo . . . with its proliferation it should hold value a bit better than some other EMTB brands. So while you might take more of a financial hit initially, you might get some $$$ back in the end.

Have you ridden one yet Poppy? Bigborett and I had a good spin out in the Grampians on our Levos just yesterday.

 

[eFat]

Many dealers and availability. When you have to wait 6+ months to get your bike you're a bit hesitant...

And also people are reassured to see many others on the road.

 

[Stumpy]

For me, primarily, it was the best looking e-bike available. I ended up getting the s-works as I wanted the best possible 'out of the box' spec and appreciate I could have got the same spec (or maybe better) with a different make/model but from an appearance point of view, I just thought the competition wasn't as 'pretty'...

Secondly, after lot's of research, as Tori also notes, I wanted a bike that used the Brose as I liked the fact it was the quietest and decoupled completely when you hit the 'speed limiter'

Lastly, I've owned Spesh bikes in the past (from a BMX way back in the 80's) and have always been happy with their build quality.

However, that all said, it's very much down to personal preference and budget...

Good luck with your choice and happy riding!

 

[Japuserid]

I have never understood this phenomena, compared to many other options available today they certainly do not represent excellent value for money. It must have something to do with dealer support perhaps. A lot of owners seem to prefer, paying to have their bikes maintained

 

[Lazy Biker 84]

I started off my e bike journey when I found embn on youtube. They always use the Kevevo or Levo, now being new to the e bike world, I assumed these guys knew their shit, so I started reading up on the Levo and Kenevo. I knew right from the off I didn't want an external battery, sorry, looks means a lot to me. As I already own a full carbon race bike, the expense of the Kenevo wasn't looking to be an option, there leaving the Levo.. Its a stunning bike that ticks all the boxes for me, hence why I own a Focus Jam..... lol sorry, I mean Specialized Levo Comp!

 

[R120]

A lot of the people i bump into out and about have Levo's, and always look at my Vitus not really having a clue what it is - a lot of them are casual bikers and have never seen or heard of any other e-mtbs apart from the Specializeds because its all they have seen in local shops, and most of them are not geeks like us on internet forums!

The simple thing is there are 3 factors.

One that its a specialized and a lot of people will buy them just because of that, due to trust in the brand and Specialised certainly being perceived amongst a lot of causal bikers as being the best. This also means that a lot of shops stock them as their only e-mtbs because they know they will be easy to shift, whereas anything else may be a punt.

Two its the easiest bike to go and see in the flesh and have a test ride - the Merida won lots of awards last year as being the best E-Mtb, but i have never seen one in a shop or in the flesh - most bikes shops i go into have a couple of Levos as the sole e-bikes in the shop, even if they stock other brands who make e-mtbs

Three is that its a good bike, and a good looking bike (personally not a huge fan of the levo but love the Kenevo looks wise as i think it looks better proportioned), and its almost a default safe option to go for if you are nervous about spending a lot of money on something you are only just getting into.

I was pretty set on a Kenevo as i liked the spec and looks, and being a Spesh i had some faith that they would have put a lot of time into making it a good bike, and it was only when i tried a couple of bikes with the Shimano system that i started to look more into the options. I was lucky in that near me there is Cyling Made Easy, which is a specialist e-bike shop with a massive range of bikes to try (except specialized) and i got to try the Haibikes with bosch and yamaha, Scotts with bosch and Shimano, the Focus's, and some Cubes, and it was really eye opening how the different motors works, but also how different they where in different bikes.

 

[Theolegit]

My reason was
A: local too me ( Specialized concept store)
B: availability, was in stock
C: good trade in discount.
D: one German emtb mag gave the levo top bike in test and the Brose motor best ebike motor.

Nough said

 

[Levorunner]

A: Battery in down tube
B: Battery in down tube
C: Battery in down tube
D: Battery in down tube
E: Brose motor
????

 

[Doomanic]

A: Battery in down tube

Not everyone is bothered.

B: Battery in down tube

Not everyone is bothered.

C: Battery in down tube

Not everyone is bothered.

D: Battery in down tube

Not everyone is bothered.

E: Brose motor

Shimano is also good and very tuneable, and available in exceptional bikes for considerably less money.

I think it's primarily down to Specialized's marketing and availability. It also becomes self-fulfilling; the more Levos a new, inexperienced, eBiker sees, the more likely that are to buy one as all those folks can't be wrong, can they?

Don't get me wrong, I think the Kenevo is an exceptional machine (the Levo geo doesn't suit me as it's too "safe" and old skool) and Spesh's tuneability via the available apps is second to none but it would have to be a very special deal to get me on one over a Vitus; the £2k price difference is hard to ignore.

 

[Levorunner]

Not everyone is bothered.

Not everyone is bothered.

Not everyone is bothered.

Not everyone is bothered.
Shimano is also good and very tuneable, and available in exceptional bikes for considerably less money.

I think it's primarily down to Specialized's marketing and availability. It also becomes self-fulfilling; the more Levos a new, inexperienced, eBiker sees, the more likely that are to buy one as all those folks can't be wrong, can they?

Don't get me wrong, I think the Kenevo is an exceptional machine (the Levo geo doesn't suit me as it's too "safe" and old skool) and Spesh's tuneability via the available apps is second to none but it would have to be a very special deal to get me on one over a Vitus; the £2k price difference is hard to ignore.

Well considering all the other manufacturers are going with the battery in the down tube concept,I rest my case! ???

 

[R120]

They weren't the first and wont be the last to integrate the battery, but with the exception of the new La Pierre and to a lesser extent the Focus Jam, its not like the massive down tubes and bottom brackets do a good job of hiding the fact they have a battery and motor in them on most e-bikes.

 

[Japuserid]

Well considering all the other manufacturers are going with the battery in the down tube concept,I rest my case! ???

All looks very pretty until the connections get dirty and stop conducting and you can't get to them to clean them, then it might still look pretty but I'm pretty sure you won't be quite as thrilled with it all as you are now.

 

[Doomanic]

Well considering all the other manufacturers are going with the battery in the down tube concept,I rest my case! ???

All looks very pretty until the connections get dirty and stop conducting and you can't get to them to clean them, then it might still look pretty but I'm pretty sure you won't be quite as thrilled with it all as you are now.

And you can't get the battery out to charge it without removing the motor. Focus. Or without tools when you need to completely power down the system to reset a fault code. Pretty much everyone else.
Form over function?

 

[Levorunner]

All looks very pretty until the connections get dirty and stop conducting and you can't get to them to clean them, then it might still look pretty but I'm pretty sure you won't be quite as thrilled with it all as you are now.

Rome was not built in a day!?

 

[Lazy Biker 84]

And you can't get the battery out to charge it without removing the motor. Focus. Or without tools when you need to completely power down the system to reset a fault code. Pretty much everyone else.
Form over function?

My Levo came with a built in tool kit so my battery is always easy to access and just as easy to remove.

 

[R120]

I don’t think anyone is saying it isn’t easy to remove on the Levo, it is on the Focus.

One thing Specialized is very good at is the bling about ok the little things - e.g all the SWAT stuff.

 

[Sherman]

It's my second emtb (first was KTM Macina Freeze e-fat). I shortlisted three bikes. a) Merida, but availability was none, b) Commencal Meta Power, really liked the specs, but as mail order bike I did not want to take the risk, c) Turbo Levo which I then got because

1) immediately available from LBS with on site guarantee and repairs
2) Brose motor
3) it's actually a great ride, fits like a glove
4) looks

The battery is a bit of a hassle to charge off bike, but I can live with that. The motor covers also creak and break easily. Fixed for now, but for how long? Also 2017 model I have does not have the handlebar remote. And the power settings require a decree in mathematics and physics to figure out how they work. I miss the Bosch settings for dummies :-D

 

[EddieJ]

All looks very pretty until the connections get dirty and stop conducting and you can't get to them to clean them, then it might still look pretty but I'm pretty sure you won't be quite as thrilled with it all as you are now.

I personally hate integrated batteries, and would never through choice own down tube battery mounted bike. Give me a semi integrated rear of downtube mounted battery any day of the week. They are quick to change, smaller and easier to carry, and so much more practical.

 

[Paladin]

I personally hate integrated batteries, and would never through choice own down tube battery mounted bike. Give me a semi integrated rear of downtube mounted battery any day of the week. They are quick to change, smaller and easier to carry, and so much more practical.

I agree 100%. About half my rides, I carry a spare battery with me. Bosch battery fits in my pack easily. 1000 watt hours of Turbo Bliss!

 

[Dax]

For me, looking close to a regular bike was an important factor. At the time the only ebikes I managed to find and ride were the specialized, moustache and trek. A quick test ride showed the bosch power delivery felt pretty antiquated compared to the brose, but no-one would let me demo a levo or kenevo on actual trails, so I called up a mate who tests bikes for Dirt and asked if the kenevo was any good. Another big factor was local dealer support, I really fancy the Devinci AC and the RM Powerplay, but they're a load more expensive and less well supported.

My only regret is that I didn't find the commencal meta power before I bought the kenevo, as that would have been a good option.

I really like the integrated battery on the levo, it's not obviously stuck on like a lot of ebikes, but can be unplugged in a second and removed in a few.

 

[fos'l]

I had an extensive ride on the lowest-priced ($4500 in socal) 2017 Levo and felt it was a good value in a very functional FS eMTB. There were no problems that I could ascertain with the bike. Not exactly my favorite, but I think that anyone who purchases one will be delighted with it.

 

[R120]

For me, looking close to a regular bike was an important factor. At the time the only ebikes I managed to find and ride were the specialized, moustache and trek. A quick test ride showed the bosch power delivery felt pretty antiquated compared to the brose, but no-one would let me demo a levo or kenevo on actual trails, so I called up a mate who tests bikes for Dirt and asked if the kenevo was any good. Another big factor was local dealer support, I really fancy the Devinci AC and the RM Powerplay, but they're a load more expensive and less well supported.

My only regret is that I didn't find the commencal meta power before I bought the kenevo, as that would have been a good option.

I really like the integrated battery on the levo, it's not obviously stuck on like a lot of ebikes, but can be unplugged in a second and removed in a few.

I am really interested to see if Commencal bring out an E Version of their new Clash free ride bike, i hope they do

 

[Kernow]

I am really interested to see if Commencal bring out an E Version of their new Clash free ride bike, i hope they do

View attachment 3178

It would probably sell well , but with a 29er also now available I think thier development will go to other bikes , after the latest World Cup rounds the 29er meta 4.2 is already on pre order status . Plus the suspension linkage and shock position on that clash won’t integrate with easily if at all with a motor .
It’s clearly a reason the 4.2 meta and a few other brands have become so good because the Design allowed easy change into e bike .