Levo SL Gen 1 Levo sl query

towzer

Member
Aug 31, 2018
95
48
Oxfordshire
Hi

currently on 700w levo, really enjoy it, however…..

elderly xc bimble rider, mainly following trails made up from rights of way on map
- don’t use boost that much, mainly pedal with motor off or in eco (15% assist), trail occasionally (hideous mud/headwinds or towards end as I’m getting knackered), try to get up all hills in eco/trail but will use boost if struggling or have blown up /steep hills.
- often use only 2/10 bars of power (on average do around 25-30 miles on 2 bars, but on a bone dry fast rolling day good legs day have made 40), think used a max of 4 bars
- it’s a pig to lift over obstacles (esp tall kissing gate, where there is limited room , bad foot positions etc)
- I prefer to be a long term owner so knowing I have commercially available spares and motor rebuildability is a factor

so levo sl sounds good, however…..
- I’m a slow cadence bimbler and apparently sl makes more power at higher rpm
- sometimes I really, really, really appreciate boost power
- does anybody know where the sl is on commercially available rebuilds.

what do you reckon, would an sl do ?
 
Last edited:

mak

🦷
Dec 27, 2019
445
493
uk
I think only you can answer that but all info is welcome. Honestly i find myself in the same boat albeit with a bosch gen 4 625 battery.

A big ride for me is 35-40 miles, weekend mainly 20-28 and in the evening weekdays a local 12 mile trip round the park although I've been slacking over the last 2 months :confused:

I feel guilty riding anything above eco and slog out some big boring hills at 3mph in that mode . Next mode up tour is a power house and use it for a laugh or when its to boring to bear in eco.

Turbo for the odd ridiculous climb I see that generally ends in wheel spin or flipping out.
I even started doing my local 12 mile park ride door to door with the motor off lol.

All this for guilt and trying to keep my fitness level up :unsure:
I don't have any mountains or spectacular scenery on my doorstep so like most am restricted to mundane rides.
I really am not convinced riding in these low power modes keep you any fitter, I think its just slower. My watch tells me my heart rate is higher on the faster climbs in a higher power mode when I push on.

Honestly your question is something that has crossed my mind more than once and it maybe the best decision I made to get a lightweight ebike but unless someone is willing to lend me one for a week so I can do all my rides and see if it fits its not going to happen, its the full fat slog for me :)
As for lifting the bike over our torture chambers I try to avoid fields full stop.
 
Last edited:

boBE

Active member
Apr 12, 2020
415
361
FL
"I really am not convinced riding in these low power modes keep you any fitter, I think its just slower. "

Agreed! My heart rate is the same as on my analog bike except I am going 14 mph instead of 10.
I have a Levo SL and really like it. The power is enough but the only hill here is the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, steep but not long. If you like having full boost mode you may be disappointed although I have tried slogging up the bridge in Eco at 6 mph and it works ok. The 30T/50T gearing (which I have now changed) seems like it could climb anything.
The SL does work better at higher cadence, I average about 70 rpm.
 

p3eps

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Dec 14, 2019
1,863
2,224
Scotland
Honestly your question is something that has crossed my mind more than once and it maybe the best decision I made to get a lightweight ebike but unless someone is willing to lend me one for a week so I can do all my rides and see if it fits its not going to happen, its the full fat slog for me :)
As for lifting the bike over our torture chambers I try to avoid fields full stop.

I had a Trek Rail 9.9 for about 2 weeks when the Levo SL was announced. I had a 30 day money back guarantee with the Rail… and thought that it offered too much power.
I managed to hire / demo a Levo SL for the day from my LBS for £50 (which was refunded as a gift voucher)… and rode a few of the trails I would normally ride on my Stumpjumper and more recently the Rail.

I found I could easily ride the trails in Trail mode on the SL, and my time around these was somewhere in the middle of the Rail and the Stumpy. For me the SL fitted the middle ground I wanted - a bit of assistance when required, but not too much.

I had the shop swap the Rail for an SL, and never looked back. I’ve now had the SL 19 months and still love it. Most of the time I ride in 30% Eco… which gives me a little boost, but means I can go further and quicker… but still getting a good workout.

Lots of people on here wouldn’t dream of riding a 35Nm motor at 30%… so I guess it’s totally down to your individual requirements / goals.
That’s my 2p worth!
 

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