Would my Turbo Levo be too slow on the road?

[Hardtail]

You would need to de-restrict, fit road style tires and put a bigger chainring on.
Even then you will get accelerated wear of the chain and cassette. Only using the small cogs on the rear wears them at a high rate.

A road style ebike should have a 50 front chainring.

@Alexbn921 not sound advise. Have you used an emtb as a commuter?

Derestricted a stock emtb will ride faster than a roady.
Changing the tyres to around 2” light xc tires will increase your cruising speed by about 5mph.
I run Schwalbe Thunder Burt 2.1” in the ground casing, speed addix is to light…
I have a 38t chain ring, the 36t was ok but going as fast as I could peddle on the flat i needed a bit more, this is a good compromise for climbing mountains also.
As mention at 20mph cut off in North America you might not even need to derestrict.

 

[Bob Orbea Rise]

They’ll be above the limit on all but the longest climbs.

Depends how well your bike pedals above the limit? If it’s got road tyres pumped up to burst and a big chain wheel….. maybe

 

[Gavalar]

I have been thinking about buying a second set of wheels and a cassette to ride with a roadie friend. But do roadies ride faster than my cutout speed of 15.n mph?
Jay

Just finished a ride with friends my Shimano motor also cuts out at 15mph but on the last 3 miles of the ride we were all happily maintaining 19mph, would I ride with roadies on my e-bike, as an ex roadie, most definitely not.

 

[weihlac]

I have been thinking about buying a second set of wheels and a cassette to ride with a roadie friend. But do roadies ride faster than my cutout speed of 15.n mph?
Jay

Assuming you are in the US with a US model Levo, the motor provides assist to 20 mph. I ride my Levo on the road all the time with my wife who does not ride on the mountain. My typical speed on the road is 16-19 mph.

 

[JayMartin]

To answer a couple of questions from above:
My smallest gear is 10.
I checked yesterday and I am getting assist up to 20mph. For some reason I was thinking it used to cut out at 15.
Also, I have ordered a set of wheels and tires and can report back once I have them assembled and installed.
Again, thanks for all the comments,
Jay

 

[JayMartin]

The final product:

 

[juggernaut]

The final product:
View attachment 126741

How do you find the D1x?

 

[Darren]

make them get mountain bikes - a much better option

 

[JayMartin]

How do you find the D1x?

I like it.
Pros
Reduced/eliminated thumb pain from shifting a couple hundred times on our mountain trail rides.
Well built
Easy to install

Cons
With all the above mentioned shifting, I have to charge the batteries every couple of rides. Roadies should go for weeks.
I had to send mine in under warranty when it started acting up. Their customer service is still maturing and could use some polish.

 

[steve_sordy]

I resemble that remark as I turned 70 this year.

70 is not old.

 

[JayMartin]

I suppose if ever someone comes along with a question similar to the one I posted in starting this thread, that I should summarize my findings at least for them. Is the bike too slow to ride with roadies? That depends upon how fast your roadie friends ride and what updates you are willing to make to your bike. My experience:

With the new wheels and the stock 32T chainring, I could ride for hours at 18-20 mph, limited by my legs inability to spin any faster--adequate for riding with many friends who have road bikes.

Upping the chainring to a 34T I could spin the bike up 2-3 more miles per hour into the 22-23 mph range. While I missed the 32T when mountain biking, it was not that big a problem. However, I don’t think I would want to adjust to a 36T (the max) on our type of mountain trails. As an aside, while a Praxxis chainring will slip right over the spider, a Specialized requires removing the crank and spider, enough of a hassle one probably wouldn’t want to swap chainrings (along with the wheels) just to go for a road ride.

Finally, with a Levociraptor I have e-assist above 20 mph, making it a breeze to sustain the 22-24 mph speeds, plus I can easily sprint above those—I’m good to ride with the strongest of my roadie friends.

One final note, whatever changes you make or don't make, you will be back in the lead after the first couple of hills.

Hope that helps someone,

Jay

 

[Julie_X1]

I suppose if ever someone comes along with a question similar to the one I posted in starting this thread, that I should summarize my findings at least for them. Is the bike too slow to ride with roadies? That depends upon how fast your roadie friends ride and what updates you are willing to make to your bike. My experience:

With the new wheels and the stock 32T chainring, I could ride for hours at 18-20 mph, limited by my legs inability to spin any faster--adequate for riding with many friends who have road bikes.

Upping the chainring to a 34T I could spin the bike up 2-3 more miles per hour into the 22-23 mph range. While I missed the 32T when mountain biking, it was not that big a problem. However, I don’t think I would want to adjust to a 36T (the max) on our type of mountain trails. As an aside, while a Praxxis chainring will slip right over the spider, a Specialized requires removing the crank and spider, enough of a hassle one probably wouldn’t want to swap chainrings (along with the wheels) just to go for a road ride.

Finally, with a Levociraptor I have e-assist above 20 mph, making it a breeze to sustain the 22-24 mph speeds, plus I can easily sprint above those—I’m good to ride with the strongest of my roadie friends.

One final note, whatever changes you make or don't make, you will be back in the lead after the first couple of hills.

Hope that helps someone,

Jay

What type of wheels and tires did you get?

 

[Tubby G]

Now that you’ve ridden your mtb with your road bike mates, time to turn the table and ask your road bike mates to ride the trails with you on their bikes. See how they get on with that Tell them they can change their tyres if they’re concerned about the rough terrain

 

[Zimmerframe]

Now that you’ve ridden your mtb with your road bike mates, time to turn the table and ask your road bike mates to ride the trails with you on their bikes. See how they get on with that Tell them they can change their tyres if they’re concerned about the rough terrain

Is that a good idea - they might do really well and then we'd all feel foolish !

 

[Nomad1]

I suppose if ever someone comes along with a question similar to the one I posted in starting this thread, that I should summarize my findings at least for them. Is the bike too slow to ride with roadies? That depends upon how fast your roadie friends ride and what updates you are willing to make to your bike. My experience:

With the new wheels and the stock 32T chainring, I could ride for hours at 18-20 mph, limited by my legs inability to spin any faster--adequate for riding with many friends who have road bikes.

Upping the chainring to a 34T I could spin the bike up 2-3 more miles per hour into the 22-23 mph range. While I missed the 32T when mountain biking, it was not that big a problem. However, I don’t think I would want to adjust to a 36T (the max) on our type of mountain trails. As an aside, while a Praxxis chainring will slip right over the spider, a Specialized requires removing the crank and spider, enough of a hassle one probably wouldn’t want to swap chainrings (along with the wheels) just to go for a road ride.

Finally, with a Levociraptor I have e-assist above 20 mph, making it a breeze to sustain the 22-24 mph speeds, plus I can easily sprint above those—I’m good to ride with the strongest of my roadie friends.

One final note, whatever changes you make or don't make, you will be back in the lead after the first couple of hills.

Hope that helps someone,

Jay

Why do they run 32T any way that's small for a emtb? I have a bike that runs a 36T stock and you don't feel like the front chain ring is to big even on the steep stuff.

 

[JayMartin]

What type of wheels and tires did you get?

I went with 47mm Cannonballs on DT Swiss XR 1700 25mm (internal) rims.
See also here.
Jay