New Bike - Specialized Turbo Levo

[Decca]

Oh yeah - I forgot about the crummy chain guide! For a start, it rubbed on the chain from the start - another bit of precision manufacturing. But on my first trip through the mud, it all collected on the guide and stripped the chain of lube entirely, making it bone dry. Brilliant!

To be fair, the Levo also has a chain guide which may well perform the same trick....

These are the bearings I bought:

http://www.airevelobearings.com/product-details.php?id=114&p=6805+2rs+hybrid+ceramic

...and I bought a spare set which I still have, if you're interested in a discounted price!

 

[soundwave]

well its off and staying off


just send me a pm what you want for them bearings think ill need a press to fit them tho?

 

[Paulturn]

I've had one of these for a couple of months. Prior to that I had a Haibike Xduro Allmtn Pro for 18 months. Apart from the fact that it's a hardtail, it's better than the Haibike in almost every way. I had a lot of problems with the Haibike - the motor was replaced twice (the first one failed and the second got very noisy), the bearings were very poor quality and corroded easily, cable rub attacked the frame after just a few miles, the rear shock was exposed to stone strikes, the Nyon bezel disappeared without trace, the chain rubbed on the motor cover and the gearing was all wrong.

The 16 tooth chainwheel on Bosch Haibikes is internally geared by a factor of 2.5, making it 40 tooth equivalent. That's far too large. I spent most of my time using just half of the cassette.The gearing on the Levo is so much better. I can climb some slopes that I couldn't manage on the Haibike and am using every cog on the cassette.

Moreover, the build quality and design of the Levo is night and day better, and makes the Haibikes look extremely overpriced.

Unfortunately, I found the ride of a hardtail too harsh for me on technical trails, and the matt black paint finish rather vulnerable, so am trading it in next week for the Levo FSR Expert. I did however get it wrapped by Lee at Invisiframe in Shrewesbury, who did a superb job (highly recommended), so the next owner will have some protection from scraoes and scratches!

Hi curious as to where your trading in old bike as looking for second hand as an option in my purchase.

 

[Decca]

Traded it in at the place of purchase - BikeScene in Guisborough.

 

[mab13]

Maybe I was a little harsh at first with my battery comments.

I road cycled (boooo!) around 15 miles along relatively flat roads on Sunday to meet some friends and when I arrived I had used exactly 10% of the battery. That was using the 15% assist setting (see complex explanation above) which was all I needed given the terrain.

Using very basic maths... I make that around 150miles of assisted riding!

I did use more battery on the way home though as I smashed it back in turbo mode.

 

[mab13]

Had my first chain drop today.

It was on a fast, steep, very rocky descent and hasn't happened before on that stretch with the Levo but then it never happened with my Cube. Unsure whether it's due the the FS Cube soaking up more of the bumps than the HT Levo, the XX1 on the Cube having a more effective clutch than the GX on the Levo, or whether it was pure coincidence and won't happen again.

One thing I did notice is that the chain guide is wider than it should be and allowed the chain to slip down the side. I couldn't push it back through the gap though, so had to remove the guide to re-mount the chain on the chainwheel. Only a 3 minute job end to end, but a little annoying when remounting a chain should take 2 seconds.

Otherwise, however, the bike performed flawlessly and I'm still loving it.

 

[Earthskyouch20]

Ok, so a few more pics and additional information...

The bar is really sparse with no computer screen or bar mounted assist mode selector. I really like the simplicity, the lack of clutter and not constantly looking at ride stats, etc. although I will use my old Garmin on certain rides. However, this does come with the compromise of a more fiddly process to change the assist mode (which we'll come on to shortly).

So this is the downtube mounted user interface. It is super simple with a plus and minus sign to change assist mode and each green light representing 10% battery increments. Again, it's really neat and integrated, but comes with the compromise that having to reach for the downtube when in motion isn't ideal and the buttons can be a tad fiddly when wearing gloves. Specialized do sell (yes, you have to buy it) a bar mounted remote but I'm going to see how I get on without it first given how much I like the uncluttered bar.

Next is the battery. Whilst I never experienced any rattling with my Bosch battery, I seem to recall one or two people complaining of that in the past. I can see little chance of that happening with the Levo as the battery mounts under tension using a thru axle and feels incredibly secure. It is also also IP67 waterproof rated. As a potential compromise, the battery is not locked in place... and unscrewing a thru axle is a bit more of a faff than a simple key turn.

The battery itself is 460Wh on my Levo. The battery is also both Bluetooth and ANT+ enabled so the Mission Control app on my iPhone connects to configure various stuff (e.g. the assist levels) and it connects to my Garmin via ANT+ on a fake channel to show the remaining battery percentage to the nearest 1% (yes, that's 1%).

There are no frame mounted cables whatsoever - everything is run internally within the frame. Sorry for the rubbish photo, but you can make out the cables mounted to the inside of the downtube which are protected by the battery, but easy to get to with the battery removed. I dislike the look of frame mounted cables, so this solution dealt really well with my cable OCD.

I really like the 27.5+ tyres - they're 3" wide and inspire a lot of confidence. Equally, in my quest for a hardtail, I though the extra volume would provide a little more comfort on the more aggressive trails... and they really do. I expect to see quite a few more plus size hardtails on offer in manufacturers' 2017 product lines. The tyre in the photo below makes the massive 200mm rotor look quite small. The photo looking down at the tyre I don't think quite does the size justice.

And finally, as I know a lot of you like downtube mounted bottle holders... here is mine! I don't actually use it though as I always have a hydration pack on my back with my toolkit, etc. This bottle holder is part of Specialized's SWAT offering (Storage, Water, Air, Tools) and has a small tool mounted to the underside. I was hoping the Levo would come with a chain tool integrated into the top cap too, but it didn't. :-(

That's it for now - just need to find the time to get out and ride it properly! That will be this coming weekend at the very latest.

RE: the + size tyres. How did you find the grip on wet roots, mud etc? I haven't tried +tyres but demoed a fat bike and found the grip quite poor, particularly on mud. Seemed to me the spaces between the knobblies on the fat tyre were too big/knobblies too small. I'm guessing they also drag a little more than thinner tyres?

 

[soundwave]

 

[Earthskyouch20]

Cheers!

 

[Colin Williamson]

A few months ago, my hankering after a hardtail began and only grew stronger. So, having recently sold my Bosch powered full suspension Cube (which I've absolutely loved over the last 12 months), I set about my hardtail quest.

Having demo'd the Specialized Turbo Levo HT Comp 6Fattie extensively, this was the benchmark. I really liked the visual integration of the battery and motor, the Brose motor itself (particularly how quiet it is), the plus size wheels / tyres and a few other bits and bobs... particularly how 'natural' it felt in terms of balance, power delivery and the lack of bar mounted controls and displays (also a negative, but what can you do).

The only potential challenger would have been a much lighter bike (say 17kg) but there aren't any plus size bikes at that weight. So, the Levo HT is ordered and I will collect in two weeks' time.

Two weeks will be a difficult wait which I'll try to fill by researching the various items I'll need to purchase before it arrives. The two immediate priorities are pedals (fairly certain I'll go with Shimano Saint MX80 flat pedals which should pair nicely with my Five Tens) and a pair of tubeless valves.

Getting very excited now.

I have the full sus version and can highly recommend using Z Works app - it completely irons out the jerky feel and makes it more natural. Saying that my bike is out of warranty so thats something to consider before.