2019 Turbo Levo potentail buyers Thread

[StevoFFM]

Hey all,

like many others I am thinking about buying the 2019 Turbo Levo bc. of the positive feedback out there on YouTube or this forum itself. For me personally as a regular MTB owner it comes very close to a "normal" bike bc. of the nice battery/motor integration and the motor support seems to feel quite natural and smooth + it is not to noisy at the same time to what I've read.

However after researching a while now there seem to be 2 bigger issues that one should know before buying, which I wanted to collect here as they are quite scattered to get/give a complete picture and confirm assumptions open questions, to help with a buying decision.

1. There seem to be faulty motors out there which are noisier than they should be. As far as I understood the information posted in several threads:
   • Impacted motor will be replaced (for free?!)
   • There is no real way to tell impacted motors appart in advance before buying bc. even if you test drive the bike a few minutes at the LBS noise could kick in later after some more driving. Is there a way (like serial number or so?) to know if its an old genertion motor or new?
   • Newer batches of the Levo should not have this issue anymore (I assume?!)
2. There seems to be the general issue that there is a gap in the motor housing, so that mud and dirt can come in after a few rides potentially damaging the motor
   • I read that Specialized is working on a Fix with some sort of sponge to fill the gap also a new cover with 4 instead of 3 bolts is being worked on. It seems some people have received the fix already (#1,156, or #1,153 )
   • There are unofficial fixes by the community such as #1,118 which also seem to work but require some craftmanship - and "good will" when you think about how much you will be paying for this bike ;-)
   • Not sure if those official fixes will be applied right away before buying the bike or if that has to be done after buying and if they are for free?

Lastly a general question remains for me personally and maybe an owner can answer here: Is it possible to customize the motor support via app in a way it feels like a "normal" bike espacially uphill? That may sound like a silly question but all my friends don't have eBikes and I am wondering if I can go on a tour with them without driving away especially uphill ;-) I once rode an older e-genius with bosh motor and even in low support mode with almost no effort from my end I always drove away in the uphill sections (in this case quite step 10% or so for some kilometers, as it was in the mountains).

Did I miss something? I hope we can collect some feedback here from the community to get a clear picture.

Thanks and cheers

 

[galaga187]

Hey all,

like many others I am thinking about buying the 2019 Turbo Levo bc. of the positive feedback out there on YouTube or this forum itself. For me personally as a regular MTB owner it comes very close to a "normal" bike bc. of the nice battery/motor integration and the motor support seems to feel quite natural and smooth + it is not to noisy at the same time to what I've read.

However after researching a while now there seem to be 2 bigger issues that one should know before buying, which I wanted to collect here as they are quite scattered to get/give a complete picture and confirm assumptions open questions, to help with a buying decision.

1. There seem to be faulty motors out there which are noisier than they should be. As far as I understood the information posted in several threads:
   • Impacted motor will be replaced (for free?!)
   • There is no real way to tell impacted motors appart in advance before buying bc. even if you test drive the bike a few minutes at the LBS noise could kick in later after some more driving. Is there a way (like serial number or so?) to know if its an old genertion motor or new?
   • Newer batches of the Levo should not have this issue anymore (I assume?!)
2. There seems to be the general issue that there is a gap in the motor housing, so that mud and dirt can come in after a few rides potentially damaging the motor
   • I read that Specialized is working on a Fix with some sort of sponge to fill the gap also a new cover with 4 instead of 3 bolts is being worked on. It seems some people have received the fix already (#1,156, or #1,153 )
   • There are unofficial fixes by the community such as #1,118 which also seem to work but require some craftmanship - and "good will" when you think about how much you will be paying for this bike ;-)
   • Not sure if those official fixes will be applied right away before buying the bike or if that has to be done after buying and if they are for free?

Lastly a general question remains for me personally and maybe an owner can answer here: Is it possible to customize the motor support via app in a way it feels like a "normal" bike espacially uphill? That may sound like a silly question but all my friends don't have eBikes and I am wondering if I can go on a tour with them without driving away especially uphill ;-) I once rode an older e-genius with bosh motor and even in low support mode with almost no effort from my end I always drove away in the uphill sections (in this case quite step 10% or so for some kilometers, as it was in the mountains).

Did I miss something? I hope we can collect some feedback here from the community to get a clear picture.

Thanks and cheers

It depends on how fit your friends are and where you are riding. I've found default eco mode similar to riding a normal bike uphill. You can tune the assistance to increase/reduce it further to match your friends if needed. There are other factors to consider e.g. you are likely to be faster than normal on the descents and wheel size may also come into play.

 

[davarello]

Hey all,

like many others I am thinking about buying the 2019 Turbo Levo bc. of the positive feedback out there on YouTube or this forum itself. For me personally as a regular MTB owner it comes very close to a "normal" bike bc. of the nice battery/motor integration and the motor support seems to feel quite natural and smooth + it is not to noisy at the same time to what I've read.

However after researching a while now there seem to be 2 bigger issues that one should know before buying, which I wanted to collect here as they are quite scattered to get/give a complete picture and confirm assumptions open questions, to help with a buying decision.

1. There seem to be faulty motors out there which are noisier than they should be. As far as I understood the information posted in several threads:
   • Impacted motor will be replaced (for free?!)
   • There is no real way to tell impacted motors appart in advance before buying bc. even if you test drive the bike a few minutes at the LBS noise could kick in later after some more driving. Is there a way (like serial number or so?) to know if its an old genertion motor or new?
   • Newer batches of the Levo should not have this issue anymore (I assume?!)
2. There seems to be the general issue that there is a gap in the motor housing, so that mud and dirt can come in after a few rides potentially damaging the motor
   • I read that Specialized is working on a Fix with some sort of sponge to fill the gap also a new cover with 4 instead of 3 bolts is being worked on. It seems some people have received the fix already (#1,156, or #1,153 )
   • There are unofficial fixes by the community such as #1,118 which also seem to work but require some craftmanship - and "good will" when you think about how much you will be paying for this bike ;-)
   • Not sure if those official fixes will be applied right away before buying the bike or if that has to be done after buying and if they are for free?

Lastly a general question remains for me personally and maybe an owner can answer here: Is it possible to customize the motor support via app in a way it feels like a "normal" bike espacially uphill? That may sound like a silly question but all my friends don't have eBikes and I am wondering if I can go on a tour with them without driving away especially uphill ;-) I once rode an older e-genius with bosh motor and even in low support mode with almost no effort from my end I always drove away in the uphill sections (in this case quite step 10% or so for some kilometers, as it was in the mountains).

Did I miss something? I hope we can collect some feedback here from the community to get a clear picture.

Thanks and cheers

You are right about the noise issue in that it will not show up in a carpark test ride, mine is fine on the flat but starts to whine on longer steeper climbs and Turbo is almost embarrassing. Specialized may have been able to work out the batche(s) involved, but regardless of that if you get one that has noise it will be replaced by the shop for free. Only way I could prove mine was noisy was to go riding with the shop staff when they took their demo bikes out on trail.

As for the infamous gap, I've covered mine with a rubber flap, but when the motor is replaced later this week the sponge will be going in as well.

I sometimes have the same issue with climbing away from the group on rides, so for me it's just a matter of setting the assistance level and peak power lower in Eco or Trail modes and only use full bore for Turbo. I'm currently running Eco 20-35, Trail 35-60 and Turbo 60-100.

 

[Scoobaru]

Is it possible to customize the motor support via app in a way it feels like a "normal" bike espacially uphill? That may sound like a silly question but all my friends don't have eBikes and I am wondering if I can go on a tour with them without driving away especially uphill ;-) I once rode an older e-genius with bosh motor and even in low support mode with almost no effort from my end I always drove away in the uphill sections (in this case quite step 10% or so for some kilometers, as it was in the mountains).

The bike power modes are very customisable. I have setup 2 'trail' modes and a turbo mode. Like you I wanted to ride with other people without struggling or running away. I have changed the ECO mode to 25/100%, Trail 40/100% and TURBO 100/100%. I might tune the 2 lower mode base levels up or down 5% to better match other riders if needed. I never do 6 hour long flat tours that would need a true ECO mode. I can just soft pedal the first mode and get 25% assistance if I want to conserve power.

 

[StevoFFM]

Cool thanks for the replies so far.

Regarding driving with non eMTB and the modes - sounds promissing with all the options and like you wrote depends on alot of other factors, too. By the way how about driving with no support? Is that harming the motor or a valid option? Of course assuming one has the fitness to do that especially uphill

@davarello how about the 4 bolt cover? will you get that as well?

And one last question regarding the different models. Does anyone know if there are huge differences between the FSR, the Comp FSR and Comp Carbon FSR? All seem to have the same battery (500Wh) + same motor and weight can not be a mission critical point on an ebike I guess?! So I am wondering besides the different components and matrials used if there is a huge difference in the driving experience? Based on what criteria did you guys decide which model to take?

Cheers

 

[lumpy]

Cool thanks for the replies so far.

Regarding driving with non eMTB and the modes - sounds promissing with all the options and like you wrote depends on alot of other factors, too. By the way how about driving with no support? Is that harming the motor or a valid option? Of course assuming one has the fitness to do that especially uphill

@davarello how about the 4 bolt cover? will you get that as well?

And one last question regarding the different models. Does anyone know if there are huge differences between the FSR, the Comp FSR and Comp Carbon FSR? All seem to have the same battery (500Wh) + same motor and weight can not be a mission critical point on an ebike I guess?! So I am wondering besides the different components and matrials used if there is a huge difference in the driving experience? Based on what criteria did you guys decide which model to take?

Cheers

I like the tune-ability of the Mission Control app. Very easy to fine tune the performance you want for a given day.
I went for the Levo Expert because I wanted to try a carbon bike and I wanted the bigger battery. Also, my wife said I cound go ahead and buy my dream bike!

I think I want to put some 27.5" wheels with 3" wide tires and give them a try.

 

[davarello]

Cool thanks for the replies so far.

Regarding driving with non eMTB and the modes - sounds promissing with all the options and like you wrote depends on alot of other factors, too. By the way how about driving with no support? Is that harming the motor or a valid option? Of course assuming one has the fitness to do that especially uphill

@davarello how about the 4 bolt cover? will you get that as well?

And one last question regarding the different models. Does anyone know if there are huge differences between the FSR, the Comp FSR and Comp Carbon FSR? All seem to have the same battery (500Wh) + same motor and weight can not be a mission critical point on an ebike I guess?! So I am wondering besides the different components and matrials used if there is a huge difference in the driving experience? Based on what criteria did you guys decide which model to take?

Cheers

Don't know about the four bolt cover, will check with the shop when it goes in for the new motor.

 

[Simon_t]

I think I want to put some 27.5" wheels with 3" wide tires and give them a try.

Check before you buy as I don’t think some 3.0” wheels at 27.5+ will fit the 2019 Levo.

Simon

 

[lumpy]

Check before you buy as I don’t think some 3.0” wheels at 27.5+ will fit the 2019 Levo.

Simon

I have another ebike I built with a Bafang mid drive and it has the same boost spacing and 27.5" and 3" tires. I just need to swap the discs and the magnet on the rear wheel to see if it will work. My eyeballs and a ruler say it will

 

[lumpy]

I just finished a trial fit and the 27.5" and 3" tires fit marvelously! I didn't test ride it to see how it felt but there was plenty of room.

Tim

 

[Ross1137]

Hey all,

like many others I am thinking about buying the 2019 Turbo Levo bc. of the positive feedback out there on YouTube or this forum itself. For me personally as a regular MTB owner it comes very close to a "normal" bike bc. of the nice battery/motor integration and the motor support seems to feel quite natural and smooth + it is not to noisy at the same time to what I've read.

However after researching a while now there seem to be 2 bigger issues that one should know before buying, which I wanted to collect here as they are quite scattered to get/give a complete picture and confirm assumptions open questions, to help with a buying decision.

1. There seem to be faulty motors out there which are noisier than they should be. As far as I understood the information posted in several threads:
   • Impacted motor will be replaced (for free?!)
   • There is no real way to tell impacted motors appart in advance before buying bc. even if you test drive the bike a few minutes at the LBS noise could kick in later after some more driving. Is there a way (like serial number or so?) to know if its an old genertion motor or new?
   • Newer batches of the Levo should not have this issue anymore (I assume?!)
2. There seems to be the general issue that there is a gap in the motor housing, so that mud and dirt can come in after a few rides potentially damaging the motor
   • I read that Specialized is working on a Fix with some sort of sponge to fill the gap also a new cover with 4 instead of 3 bolts is being worked on. It seems some people have received the fix already (#1,156, or #1,153 )
   • There are unofficial fixes by the community such as #1,118 which also seem to work but require some craftmanship - and "good will" when you think about how much you will be paying for this bike ;-)
   • Not sure if those official fixes will be applied right away before buying the bike or if that has to be done after buying and if they are for free?

Lastly a general question remains for me personally and maybe an owner can answer here: Is it possible to customize the motor support via app in a way it feels like a "normal" bike espacially uphill? That may sound like a silly question but all my friends don't have eBikes and I am wondering if I can go on a tour with them without driving away especially uphill ;-) I once rode an older e-genius with bosh motor and even in low support mode with almost no effort from my end I always drove away in the uphill sections (in this case quite step 10% or so for some kilometers, as it was in the mountains).

Did I miss something? I hope we can collect some feedback here from the community to get a clear picture.

Thanks and cheers

For gods sake we don't "DRIVE" our mountain bikes we "RIDE" them!!!

 

[Ross1137]

R

Hey all,

like many others I am thinking about buying the 2019 Turbo Levo bc. of the positive feedback out there on YouTube or this forum itself. For me personally as a regular MTB owner it comes very close to a "normal" bike bc. of the nice battery/motor integration and the motor support seems to feel quite natural and smooth + it is not to noisy at the same time to what I've read.

However after researching a while now there seem to be 2 bigger issues that one should know before buying, which I wanted to collect here as they are quite scattered to get/give a complete picture and confirm assumptions open questions, to help with a buying decision.

1. There seem to be faulty motors out there which are noisier than they should be. As far as I understood the information posted in several threads:
   • Impacted motor will be replaced (for free?!)
   • There is no real way to tell impacted motors appart in advance before buying bc. even if you test drive the bike a few minutes at the LBS noise could kick in later after some more driving. Is there a way (like serial number or so?) to know if its an old genertion motor or new?
   • Newer batches of the Levo should not have this issue anymore (I assume?!)
2. There seems to be the general issue that there is a gap in the motor housing, so that mud and dirt can come in after a few rides potentially damaging the motor
   • I read that Specialized is working on a Fix with some sort of sponge to fill the gap also a new cover with 4 instead of 3 bolts is being worked on. It seems some people have received the fix already (#1,156, or #1,153 )
   • There are unofficial fixes by the community such as #1,118 which also seem to work but require some craftmanship - and "good will" when you think about how much you will be paying for this bike ;-)
   • Not sure if those official fixes will be applied right away before buying the bike or if that has to be done after buying and if they are for free?

Lastly a general question remains for me personally and maybe an owner can answer here: Is it possible to customize the motor support via app in a way it feels like a "normal" bike espacially uphill? That may sound like a silly question but all my friends don't have eBikes and I am wondering if I can go on a tour with them without driving away especially uphill ;-) I once rode an older e-genius with bosh motor and even in low support mode with almost no effort from my end I always drove away in the uphill sections (in this case quite step 10% or so for some kilometers, as it was in the mountains).

Did I miss something? I hope we can collect some feedback here from the community to get a clear picture.

Thanks and

 

[Charlie149]

Hey all,

like many others I am thinking about buying the 2019 Turbo Levo bc. of the positive feedback out there on YouTube or this forum itself. For me personally as a regular MTB owner it comes very close to a "normal" bike bc. of the nice battery/motor integration and the motor support seems to feel quite natural and smooth + it is not to noisy at the same time to what I've read.

However after researching a while now there seem to be 2 bigger issues that one should know before buying, which I wanted to collect here as they are quite scattered to get/give a complete picture and confirm assumptions open questions, to help with a buying decision.

1. There seem to be faulty motors out there which are noisier than they should be. As far as I understood the information posted in several threads:
   • Impacted motor will be replaced (for free?!)
   • There is no real way to tell impacted motors appart in advance before buying bc. even if you test drive the bike a few minutes at the LBS noise could kick in later after some more driving. Is there a way (like serial number or so?) to know if its an old genertion motor or new?
   • Newer batches of the Levo should not have this issue anymore (I assume?!)
2. There seems to be the general issue that there is a gap in the motor housing, so that mud and dirt can come in after a few rides potentially damaging the motor
   • I read that Specialized is working on a Fix with some sort of sponge to fill the gap also a new cover with 4 instead of 3 bolts is being worked on. It seems some people have received the fix already (#1,156, or #1,153 )
   • There are unofficial fixes by the community such as #1,118 which also seem to work but require some craftmanship - and "good will" when you think about how much you will be paying for this bike ;-)
   • Not sure if those official fixes will be applied right away before buying the bike or if that has to be done after buying and if they are for free?

Lastly a general question remains for me personally and maybe an owner can answer here: Is it possible to customize the motor support via app in a way it feels like a "normal" bike espacially uphill? That may sound like a silly question but all my friends don't have eBikes and I am wondering if I can go on a tour with them without driving away especially uphill ;-) I once rode an older e-genius with bosh motor and even in low support mode with almost no effort from my end I always drove away in the uphill sections (in this case quite step 10% or so for some kilometers, as it was in the mountains).

Did I miss something? I hope we can collect some feedback here from the community to get a clear picture.

Thanks and cheers

Hi, I bought a turbo Levo FSR last month. I had the same concerns as you so I asked the bike shop (a specialized Store) to apply the foam and new motor casing upfront. There was a bit of a confusion over the motor casing but I now have one, and a promise to cover the costs of fitting. The foam was fitted up front. So I’m guessing that these can all be sorted out upfront with the bike shop - and you could make it a condition of buying. I assume this only really applies to bikes already in stock - I imagine the new releases that are due in May might already have them applied?

Re noise - I was advised that if it’s one of the noisy motors it will be apparent on the first ride. Mine was not, and it continues to be super quiet - I’m amazed.

As to the “how much assistance” question, this is one I’m still working out. However I ride with my husband who is much fitter than me but rides a non-emtb. I find if I set econst 15% then our riding is generally pretty well matched, except on uphills when I still beast him ?.

Hope that helps?