Specialized Levo SL Surrey Hills Demo Ride Today

[Levo Laland]

This pretty much sums up my feelings after the afternoon demo. The SL is a lot of fun and feels very natural to ride, in fact just like a 150mm enduro bike on the descents. As Rob stated in his review out in South Africa, it feels more like a MTB with a small motor boost than an E-MTB.

Spec was near identical between the SL Expert demo bike and my own 2019 Levo Carbon Comp so I was able to set up the suspension as I like from the off. This made for a really good comparison as I also ride the Surrey trails regularly.

I came away thinking that had the SL been available when I bought my Levo last year then it would have been a difficult decision between the two, and I expect I would probably have gone for the Levo SL as it's more like the analogue bike I had before and it would have been my first e-bike. It has a pretty natural feel and the transition between assist and non-assist as you reach the speed limit is very smooth. I rode the SL mainly in Trail mode as Eco felt quite underpowered, and if time was short and I wanted a quick blast I would no-doubt need to use 100% Turbo.

However, part way through the afternoon someone commented that they'd rather be on their current bike and this made me think... the conclusion I came to, given the chance, is that I would have swapped the SL for my full-fat Levo. I like the extra power it allows me to call on if needed and prefer the longer wheelbase; and strangely I also missed the extra weight of the Levo and the way it tracks the ground. I'll be sticking with my Levo for another year or two at least, partly due to the cost if I was to swap for a Levo SL, but also due to the fact that if I only have a two-hour riding window (often the case in my busy life right now) I can have an absolute blast on my Levo and come back grinning ear-to-ear.

Thanks to Adam for leading the ride and the all the other Spesh guys who were there to tweak our bikes and offer advice etc. You've got a great bike on your hands there, and the demo experience you provided was brilliant - friendly, informative, and non-pushy. I've no doubt you'll convert a lot of riders to the SL as you run more demo days around the country.

When do you ride SurrEy? We’re out most Sunday mornings start from CP9 Holmbury.

 

[Paceman]

When do you ride SurrEy? We’re out most Sunday mornings start from CP9 Holmbury.

Every couple of weeks, usually Sunday mornings from Walking Bottom.

 

[R120]

If you ride Surrey Hills you are bound to bump into a member or two on any given day

 

[ImSundee]

Interesting hearing what people that rude full fat ebikes think, be interested to hear it from the analogue riders perspective as thats where I came from and love it.

 

[Paceman]

Interesting hearing what people that rude full fat ebikes think, be interested to hear it from the analogue riders perspective as thats where I came from and love it.

I would have been the same I think if coming straight from a normal MTB, but i've got used to the Levo now and prefer it overall.

 

[Goderrs]

Which bike shop ran the Demo day? Or where was it advertised?
would be interested if they holding another one later in the year

 

[Levo Laland]

Which bike shop ran the Demo day? Or where was it advertised?
would be interested if they holding another one later in the year

It was a Specialized SL ride experience event.
if you google that they should come up, but I think they might all be booked up.

 

[jimmyjam]

Lol@the food comments, i must admit i had around 5 slices and some chips but i didn't have any of the croissants which were supplied before the ride

Only 1 slice for anyone planning on getting an SL! Haha ?

 

[jmulvaney]

so what you're really saying is, we need an SL and a full fat Levo.

And an accoustic..

 

[ImSundee]

Which bike shop ran the Demo day? Or where was it advertised?
would be interested if they holding another one later in the year

If you cant find a demo day, quite a few shops around have them for demo/rent