Just about to purchase a Turbo Levo...

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super_claret

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I'm just about to pull the trigger on a Turbo Levo Expert 2019 model and wondered if there was anything I should be aware of? I'd be particularly interested in hearing from owners of the above model and any issues they might have had. If any issues, were they handled well by Specialised?

I guess I'm sh*****g myself at the prospect of spending that chunk of money and trying to justify it!
 
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Make sure the dealer will fix all opened recalls before giving you the bike, AFAIK there were 3 or 4 recalls on 2019 models ... Keep an eye, or better said Ear on motor noise, some had problems with very high noise and Specialized changed those motors under warranty ...
 
The biggest issue I've had with my 2019 Expert is my inability to stay off of it.
The second biggest issue is I've found myself going beyond my skills and crashing more.

As far as any mechanical problems, my dealer was a little slow in getting some upgraded parts for sealing the motor housing a little better.

My dealer is outstanding and I have no doubts I bought a superb bike
 
Later models had Invisiframe on the downtube and Seatpost tube.

Upgraded items include the motor housing rear (water ingress), the rear linkage next to the seat tube (it was trapping stones and scratching the frame)

Had mine 8 months now. Had a new battery, motor and a new power lead. All, all of course, happened right when I needed the bike :)

Battery I think was partially my fault I plugged it straight in after a monster climb and the battery was still probably too hot (leave it for an hour)..

Power lead, well it's a weak point on the bike IMHO.

Motor, I think I suffered a little from confirmation bias from the various posts and videos online. I came off a 2017 motor which was near on silent. Chris @ Berkshire Cycles changed it under warranty for peace of mind whilst I waited (45mins). Hearing many others now, I think it was absolutely fine..

Other two changed same day no quibbles. It's not a perfect bike, none are. You may experience an issue, but you may not at all. Don't forget you only here about the calamities on here not the thousands of others who have happy trouble-free eebing from this wonderful bike..

Specialized to their credit deal with all warranty issues through their dealer network very effectively and stand by the problems that have arisen. Your dealer experience may vary a little but the Gold Standard, certainly in the UK, here is Berkshire Cycles.

I would ask if they have spare power leads to hand and what the current lead time is on new motors as Chris has them in stock and many other dealers do not. I wouldn't let that put you off the purchase just what their access to spares is like in the event you do have a problem as a small Spesh dealer shifting a few bikes a month wont have 'donor' bikes nor hold expensive spares they dont have to fit regularly if that makes sense which will affect your customer experience if you do have a problem.

That said, it's certainly worth the cash drop. It's the best money I have ever spent on a single luxury item or 'toy' and I've owned a 911 Turbo...Don't get into that going wrong ;)
 
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TheBikePilot said:
Later models had Invisiframe on the downtube and Seatpost tube.

Upgraded items include the motor housing rear (water ingress), the rear linkage next to the seat tube (it was trapping stones and scratching the frame)

Had mine 8 months now. Had a new battery, motor and a new power lead. A, of course,se happened right when I needed the bike :)

Battery I think was partially my fault I plugged it straight in after a monster climb and the battery was still probably too hot (leave it for an hour)..

Power lead, well it's a weak point on the bike IMHO

Motor, I think I suffered a little from confirmation bias from the various posts and videos online. I came off a 2017 motor which was near on silent. Chris @ Berkshire Cycles changed it under warranty for peace of mind whilst I waited (45mins). Hearing many others now, I think it was absolutely fine..

Other two changed same day no quibbles. It's not a perfect bike, none are. You may experience an issue, but you may not at all. Don't forget you only here about the calamities on here not the thousands of others who have happy trouble-free eebing from this wonderfull bike..

Specialized to their credit deal with all warranty issues through their dealer network very effectively and stand by the problems that have arisen. Your dealer experience may vary a little but the Gold Standard, certainly in the UK, here is Berkshire Cycles.

I would ask if they have spare power leads to hand and what the current lead time is on new motors as Chris has them in stock and many other dealers do not. I wouldn't let that put you off the purchase just what their access to spares is like in the event you do have a problem as a small Spesh dealer shifting a few bikes a month wont have 'donor' bikes nor hold expensive spares they dont have to fit regularly if that makes sense which will affect your customer experience if you do have a problem.

That said, it's certainly worth the cash drop. It's the best money I have ever spent on a single luxury item or 'toy' and I've owned a 911 Turbo...Don't get into that going wrong ;)
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I would be buying this from my nearest Specialised Concept Store, so I would hope they would have access to spares etc.

Anyone buy theirs from a Concept Store?
 
Good luck with concept stores!

From what Ive read over the last few years Specialized concept stores either have no clue or no interest in the e-bikes and don't do same day repairs/motor swaps etc...

Cant recommend Chris@Berkshire Cycles enough, prices are cheaper than a Concept store and all other UK dealers, he carries spare motors, power leads, batteries, seatpost and other various spares, he will also fix or replace the same day whilst you wait, this includes motor swaps , even if he hasn't got the part in stock he has been known to take the part off a display bike or jump in the car and go to Specialized UK's distro to collect the part

His knowledge is 2nd to none, bribe him with Jaffa cakes and you wont go wrong

He recently had a guy travel down from Scotland to buy a 2020 Kenevo from him!
He also had 38 people pre ordering the 2020 Kenevo even before Specialized released pics and specs of the bike, people trust him and his judgement/knowledge, you wont go wrong buying from him
 
I know a lot of people on here use Berkshire cycles but I live in the Yorkshire Dales so it’s a long way to travel. Also, 2019 bikes are thin on the ground now and the price is tempting me.
 
super_claret said:
I'm just about to pull the trigger on a Turbo Levo Expert 2019 model and wondered if there was anything I should be aware of? I'd be particularly interested in hearing from owners of the above model and any issues they might have had. If any issues, were they handled well by Specialised?

I guess I'm sh*****g myself at the prospect of spending that chunk of money and trying to justify it!
Click to expand...

Buy it you won't regret it, well only that you didn't buy it sooner ?. Mines just great no issues yet!
 
I was in a similar position during the summer, although I was buying the base model I too was shitting myself as 4K was a LOT of money for me....No need to shit yourself?
Great bike absolutely love it. Brought from the Harrogate concept store and I’m pleased to say they have a few guys in there who know their shit? Mark and Rob are sound lads who are always willing to help you....ask them anything?
Great service from Specialized too, can’t fault them.....yet ??
 
We have two 2019 Levo's, both had the mods when we bought them (4 bolts on the motor housing and the seal etc). They go out in the rain, get washed with a hose (gently, sprinkle setting around the motor area). So far zero problems. The only thing I would have done differently was to buy them from Berkshire cycles, although we are in North Shropshire I would have made the journey just for the peace of mind of dealing with a company with their reputation. I understand your reticence but for us, these bikes have given us a new lease of life.
 
I don't know about concept stores. Specialized are heavily invested now in eBikes. I would be very surprised if the focus hasn't shifted very rapidly to that area of the Customer experience in their flagship stores. I haven't heard anything negative about Concept Stores at all.

For sure you can drop it off for a repair and it will be done, but for most people, they only find out their bike is busted on a day they want to go riding or midway around a trail 4 hours from home. That's usually a precious weekend day...:rolleyes:

That's of course not a Specialized eBike problem, that's just an MTB problem..

The main fear for you I guess is will it be fixed if something goes wrong and how quickly. The answer is if it's a warranty item yes for sure. I've not heard a case where they haven't fixed something that was a known issue. I've also heard of them being very human with other things where let's say the owner has been a 'bit silly'..!!

The timeframe for that is dealer dependent, but Specialized to their credit does seem to deal with all warranty stuff very very well.

If you bought a dirt bike your lucky if you get a months warranty on anything..!! As others have said, and I can say this hand on heart, it will change your life..
 
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Unless you are getting a big discount (more than 20%) better to buy 2020, better components and resale, you could also drop back to comp with 700wh battery, minor internal fork upgrade and you would have an equivalent or better bike. My LBS in Switzerland will give me 15% off 2020 models.
 
Swissrob said:
Unless you are getting a big discount (more than 20%) better to buy 2020, better components and resale, you could also drop back to comp with 700wh battery, minor internal fork upgrade and you would have an equivalent or better bike. My LBS in Switzerland will give me 15% off 2020 models.
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Theres 20% off the 2019 Carbon Expert model, so that makes it £1500 cheaper than the 2020 model...like I said, it’s very tempting!
 
Well....
My Kenevo (purchased 13 months ago) now back in my LBS for 9th time
First the remote seatpost cabling completely fell to bits while on the trails
Then constant lack of power
No power at all (5 times)
Cant change through Eco-Boost modes
Complete motor failure
And yesterday, no power to the battery. Another days riding lost. In the LBS, they've tested the charger (fine), tried a new charger - still no battery lights. Tested in the workshop - battery totally dead. The battery and the motor are on 2 year warranties so not a total loss.
Hats off to my local bike shop (LL in Bury) and the Specialized rep on here also helpful

But...i've sort of lost the will to travel anywhere with the bike in the half expectancy that the electrics will fail again.

Wanted to take it up to Glentress/Innerleithen this weekend but it's a long way to go for a bike that is brilliant when it's working, but overall i have no confidence that it will fulfil it's promise

When dropping it off yesterday, noted a 2019 Levo Comp - discounted and a free second battery. Now that looked tempting - but why a second battery? Don't trust that the battery is reliable

So got me thinking about the 2020 Levo and they also have the new Kenevo in.

But i left thinking "should i just stick with what i've got?"

Even the 2020 Levo's appear to be having reliability issues. Trying to convince myself here.. :)
 
my 2019 with 2k miles had motor failure , it has been in the shop 2 weeks. These things are definitely not like regular bikes. I still have my 2010 sworks stumpy that seems unbreakable, the ebike i don't get the feeling will be like that long term. Still,i don't regret purchase i just hope it doesn't break again too soon, it is a ton of fun
 
I have mine turbo levo 2019 for a year ( used it only four months due to job ), for what is worth to you I've done 1200 km without a problem, gave it to my son a month ago and apart from flat tires no trouble at all.
Now I've ordered turbo levo comp 2020 and I hope to have same experience.
 
I've had a 19 Comp for almost a year and so far have had a noisy motor, a faulty charger and a stuck dropper (all replaced) and worn out drive belt (after 2500kms). Everything has been replaced quickly under warranty, and it would still be far and away the best fun I've ever had in thirty years of riding.
 
Swissrob said:
Unless you are getting a big discount (more than 20%) better to buy 2020, better components and resale, you could also drop back to comp with 700wh battery, minor internal fork upgrade and you would have an equivalent or better bike. My LBS in Switzerland will give me 15% off 2020 models.
Click to expand...


Asked a few dealers in the UK if there would be any discounts on 2020 models and all have said no!
 
super_claret said:
I know a lot of people on here use Berkshire cycles but I live in the Yorkshire Dales so it’s a long way to travel. Also, 2019 bikes are thin on the ground now and the price is tempting me.
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Then try BikeScene in guisboro
They had some in yesterday and are great at after sales.
They'll build the bike up to your spec.
 
Wow, it's scary reading about all the battery and motor failures which seem to be pretty common. What really does concern me is the 4 week wait for a new motor!!
If these bikes are so popular, why is there no stock available in the UK?

I really want to buy this bike but don't want to shell out nearly £6k for a load of hassle.
 
And the irony is that when it's up and running, it's a great ride. I guess it's been a case of justifying why i needed one. Having done the black climbs at Glentress last August on my Bronson, and at the ripe old age of 62, i thought "i'm knackered - yeah, let's go e-bike".

Don't regret getting one, just wary about getting a replacement for my Kenevo

The other problem i have with it is the boost power continuously cuts out, effectively slowing the bike down - similar effect to dabbing on the rear brake. But seems ok on climbs? My LBS reckon if the battery has been faulty from day one, that may be the reason it keeps doing that

Yet a guy i know has the exact same bike and has had zero issues at all with it

frustrated.com
 
I'd be interested to know how Specialised would handle warranty issues which started in the first 2 years of ownership and continue after the bike's warranty has expired.

Anyone with any experience care to comment?
 
Asked a few dealers in the UK if there would be any discounts on 2020 models and all have said no!
Click to expand...

Your asking the wrong dealers then, i got £1150 off the RRP of my 2020 Levo Expert
 
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