Levo SL Gen 1 Aluminium levo sl lightweight builds

Ribinrobin

Active member
Apr 16, 2021
245
255
Berkshire, UK
Hey guys looking at lighting up my Alu levo sl. The most obvious thing is carbon wheels (any recommendations?) What else can you do to save weight? :)
 

Dave_B

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Aug 29, 2020
1,420
1,536
Newquay
Yeah, I think I read in the Levo SL owners thread that the alloy rims are 555g which I think is pretty good. Carbon rim will be 440g or there about.

I’m changing the rear hub to Hope Pro4 and then using a GX cassette, which will save about 250g.
 

Dave_B

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Aug 29, 2020
1,420
1,536
Newquay
Take the inner tubes out and go tubeless, that’s saves about 500g.
 

boBE

Active member
Apr 12, 2020
415
361
FL
27.5" wheels loses about 1 kg right where it counts at the outer diameter of the wheels.
 

routrax

E*POWAH Master
Jun 15, 2019
382
529
Uxbridge
Yeah, I think I read in the Levo SL owners thread that the alloy rims are 555g which I think is pretty good. Carbon rim will be 440g or there about.

I’m changing the rear hub to Hope Pro4 and then using a GX cassette, which will save about 250g.

Wheels are the best place to save weight if you want your bike to 'feel' lighter when riding it, as @boBE mentioned.
 

McInner1

Well-known member
Subscriber
Jun 8, 2019
227
173
Austria
I have these on my normal Levo:

D82EC758-23FD-4980-810E-50A4D269F5B2.jpeg
 

Norcalsl

Active member
Jul 12, 2020
148
142
Northern California
The wheelset on the alu and comp carbon is very heavy - plus 2,000 grams. You can drop well over a pound with carbon wheels. Also the stock tires/tubes are very heavy. And as someone else mentioned, the NX cassette is a boat anchor.
 

Twvandoren

Member
Dec 5, 2020
26
38
USA
I went through this exercise on my aluminum SL. If you have not switched to tubeless that is the first thing to do and is dirt cheap. As others have mentioned the stock wheels and NX cassette are very heavy. If you don’t ride in sharp rocks or do big jumps you can also save weight with a lighter casing tire. You can get some light aluminum wheels such as the Trail S from Industry Nine for much less than carbon. The table below ranks some options by the cost per weight saved. Note that there are no carbon fiber components on the list.
image001.png
 

Shinn

Well-known member
Nov 8, 2020
375
276
Decorah, IA USA
I went through this exercise on my aluminum SL. If you have not switched to tubeless that is the first thing to do and is dirt cheap. As others have mentioned the stock wheels and NX cassette are very heavy. If you don’t ride in sharp rocks or do big jumps you can also save weight with a lighter casing tire. You can get some light aluminum wheels such as the Trail S from Industry Nine for much less than carbon. The table below ranks some options by the cost per weight saved. Note that there are no carbon fiber components on the list. View attachment 58962
you should expand your spreadsheet to include all of the avail upgrade options as I find it time consuming. :) I've been somehow holding off on the I9 rims.
 

Twvandoren

Member
Dec 5, 2020
26
38
USA
P.S. The i9 wheels may have had the biggest performance impact of all my mods. Right up there with the AXS derailleur I am running now, anyway.
 

Shinn

Well-known member
Nov 8, 2020
375
276
Decorah, IA USA
Hah! I only shared the cut down version. I also have weights and prices of different jockey wheels for derailleurs. I think I may have a problem...
I have a sticker fetish and get upset when I don't get one with something I buy... I'll never make a spreadsheet of parts though, which does sound like a problem. That's what post-its are for since they act kinda like stickers and Siri does the math for me.
 

Shinn

Well-known member
Nov 8, 2020
375
276
Decorah, IA USA
P.S. The i9 wheels may have had the biggest performance impact of all my mods. Right up there with the AXS derailleur I am running now, anyway.
I just happen to have a box from sram here on my shop table. My GX AXS finally arrived. No sticker though,:( just a coaster and yet another tool with allen keys.

Rims are next.
 

Semmelrocc

E*POWAH Master
Dec 28, 2021
219
553
Germany
Besides going tubeless, pedals are also a relatively easy way to loose weight. My SL came with quite heavy flats from Look, which were replaced by Cube flats weighing only 300g. Put my bike just under 20 kg.
For me going tubeless had a noticeable impact. But for my part I won't spend 100's of €$£ to save even a few more grams (unless something needs replacing anyway). My bike feels light enough as it is now.
 

EMTB Forums

Since 2018

The World's largest electric mountain bike community.

518K
Messages
25,448
Members
Join Our Community

Latest articles


Top