The three modes can be set to any level of assist/max power but the aggressiveness of how the assist comes in is different in each mode and is not adjustable. Turbo comes on with a bang! The SL can reach 15 mph on flat easily in Eco mode depending on how much assist/max power we specify in Mission Control.
Levo SL Gen 1 Official Levo SL Thread
- Thread starter Rob Rides EMTB
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The three modes can be set to any level of assist/max power but the aggressiveness of how the assist comes in is different in each mode and is not adjustable. Turbo comes on with a bang! The SL can reach 15 mph on flat easily in Eco mode depending on how much assist/max power we specify in Mission Control.
celbii
Member
Thanks everyone for the info. Guess the next thing to do is see if my LBS *actually* has them in stock like Spesh website says, and ask for a test ride 
It looks like there are some promising new bikes in the light weight category coming up(with more power around the same weight), but honestly I have been internally debating against an e-bike for a long time because I don't want to completely give up my fitness(and I feel like at 120lbs/54kg a FF would basically feel like a motorcycle with all that power at my weight, which don't get me wrong is probably incredibly fun) as thats not my goal, but I would like some back up assist(and confidence) while I work on my recovery which seems like it may take a year or two. I feel like the SL is the bike for me in that regards.
It looks like there are some promising new bikes in the light weight category coming up(with more power around the same weight), but honestly I have been internally debating against an e-bike for a long time because I don't want to completely give up my fitness(and I feel like at 120lbs/54kg a FF would basically feel like a motorcycle with all that power at my weight, which don't get me wrong is probably incredibly fun) as thats not my goal, but I would like some back up assist(and confidence) while I work on my recovery which seems like it may take a year or two. I feel like the SL is the bike for me in that regards.
celbii
Member
Well I went to my LBS store today and they were...... closed. So I went and checked specialized website and there was another LBS I haven't been to about 10 minutes away that had a Medium SL carbon comp in stock and I went to go check it out. Very awesome people there, offered to let me test ride it right there on the spot no questions asked soon as I told them I was looking at it and all I can say is....Holy Sh*t! This bike is awesome! I only rode it around the store parking lot about 10 times testing out the different modes but I was instantly in love.
I understand a bit more about the modes, but I haven't had time to mess with the bike and play with it, but I can see that it doesn't really need a delimiter. The cut off after hitting the assist speed (20mph I believe?) Isn't terrible because it gives me the chance to get some cardio in after it helps me get up there, I love how each mode felt different and the turbo mode is crazy. I can't imagine going on a FF, that would really feel like a motorcycle if thats 4x what the SL is. Not that that is a bad thing, I'm guessing it would be pretty fun But I'm only 120lbs and I live in Oklahoma where we don't have any "real" climbs here, so this SL and my light weight is more than enough to get moving.
So I told them I would take it after a short test ride and being at the store for 10 minutes which surprised them a bit, haha. I don't think they were expecting a random walking to come and buy that bike today, to say the least. Unfortunately they wouldn't give me a discount being the year older model(Not that there is much difference I can tell on the website than the newer model having different brakes and 160mm vs 150mm) as they are having enough trouble keeping stock as it is. Don't know if I could have pushed harder or not, but I am happy either way having paid full price because I love the color. Reminds me of a purple Nissan GTR.
Cheers and thanks for answering my questions. I love the geometry of the bike and I can't wait to put some miles on it exploring around with some new found confidence!
I understand a bit more about the modes, but I haven't had time to mess with the bike and play with it, but I can see that it doesn't really need a delimiter. The cut off after hitting the assist speed (20mph I believe?) Isn't terrible because it gives me the chance to get some cardio in after it helps me get up there, I love how each mode felt different and the turbo mode is crazy. I can't imagine going on a FF, that would really feel like a motorcycle if thats 4x what the SL is. Not that that is a bad thing, I'm guessing it would be pretty fun
But I'm only 120lbs and I live in Oklahoma where we don't have any "real" climbs here, so this SL and my light weight is more than enough to get moving.So I told them I would take it after a short test ride and being at the store for 10 minutes which surprised them a bit, haha. I don't think they were expecting a random walking to come and buy that bike today, to say the least. Unfortunately they wouldn't give me a discount being the year older model(Not that there is much difference I can tell on the website than the newer model having different brakes and 160mm vs 150mm) as they are having enough trouble keeping stock as it is. Don't know if I could have pushed harder or not, but I am happy either way having paid full price because I love the color. Reminds me of a purple Nissan GTR.
Cheers and thanks for answering my questions. I love the geometry of the bike and I can't wait to put some miles on it exploring around with some new found confidence!
celbii
Member
Well just took her on a short first voyage on a small 4 mile loop around my house. Nothing too exciting on the short ride as usual, but there were super strong winds today and the SL really shined going against headwinds. Beat a couple of my hybrid roadpike PR's and tied/topped 3 the other ones. Not bad for a full sus bike that weighs almost double my fx4 carbon, with the stock full knobby tires. I also got a pretty decent work out and I had the luxury of getting off the pavement at times and utilizing the full sus(did not lock it out, only stiffened the front about half way) which was much much easier on my crappy body, and that was the real beauty of the ride. I did exceed my roadbikes top speed I usually ride (20mph vs 17mph) on this loop thanks to the assist, and i played with it in trail and turbo mode, but 80% of the time I was in trail mode, the other 20% I was riding in turbo in the strong headwind, something that would have been extremely unpleasant on my roadbike and would take me to a snails crawl at the same effort.
So all in all I am very happy having a bike that can beat my roadbike while at the same time being fun to play around with and take it off the path when I want to. I also saw the beauty in the SL for a bike that assists you vs a FF doing all the work for you because I was pushing it the whole ride and throwing that weight around and the sus and knobby tires on pavement showed. It was very comforting having that bit of boost there going into the headwind or taking on the small climb on the ride and at the same time knowing I still was putting in some good effort to defeat them, with the bike saying its got my back.
Cheers!
So all in all I am very happy having a bike that can beat my roadbike while at the same time being fun to play around with and take it off the path when I want to. I also saw the beauty in the SL for a bike that assists you vs a FF doing all the work for you because I was pushing it the whole ride and throwing that weight around and the sus and knobby tires on pavement showed. It was very comforting having that bit of boost there going into the headwind or taking on the small climb on the ride and at the same time knowing I still was putting in some good effort to defeat them, with the bike saying its got my back.
Cheers!
I am thinking about trying out the mullet configuration to see if the benefits of a larger front wheel is really all a 29er has to offer for my style of riding (techy, steeps, rooty, rock chutes and slabs - North Shore/Squamish area). I seem to be enjoying the Levo SL's lighter responsiveness right now but feel the point shoot safety of the Kenevo reminds me of the confidence I get when riding my DH bike. Riding up FSRs is not a issue with either bike as they are not that steep and rarely ever longer than 45 minutes. After 2 or 3 laps, I am tired and sore enough to call it a day. Does anyone have an opinion on whether a Kenevo or a Levo SL would be a better mullet test platform?
Quite therapeutic to watch, but I’m not sure how it’s a ‘dream build’ other than the custom frame? The rest is made up of the below average stock parts!
True... but even Specialized realised the parts on the 2020 S-Works were below par, as they upgraded most of them. The G2 brakes are awful (later swapped for MT7’s), and the fork / shock were both upgraded too.
I expected a ‘dream build’ to be with better parts, that’s all! I doubt many people on here would put a Fox 34 on their bike if you asked their ‘dream’ spec!
Not sure I would say sub par, you dont get much more blingy than XX1 drivetrain, unless you're concerned about cables, and the AXS seatpost certainly ain't cheap( wouldn't bother myself as its still just a crappy reverb). Fox 34 factory is more than up to the job unless you're a Biffer too. And lastly brakes are a personal choice I'm getting on fine with my Guides, they are properly bled, bedded in, and set up and they have no trouble hauling my Lardass to a halt. Don't need fancy adjustments on them like bitepoint. I think its a real nice effort for HER dream bike.
doesn't the kenevo and dh bike have nice long chainstays? just sayin
All subjective and a personal choice, I agree.
I just thought a ‘dream bike’ would be something other than factory spec with a fancy paint job.
I’ve changed everything apart from the wheels on my 2020 SL Expert to make it how ”I” want it.
Well she's a Specilized rider, using her sponsors components, and she cant weigh in at much more than 60kg! If you look at Gee Miners vids there are some which are factory riders bikes and specced accordingly, and others that are clearly a personal dream spec to the owner.
Fro me a dream spec SL would be based off an Alloy frame anyway, so it really is all about personal preference.
Fro me a dream spec SL would be based off an Alloy frame anyway, so it really is all about personal preference.
It was therapeutic to watch. How to build a bike, how you use a torque wrench and where you put the grease. Very educational for someone.
I watched one of the Dream Bike videos before, where I noticed the tech didn’t know how to use a torque wrench properly!
When it clicked, he’d keep pushing past it... and then go back and have a second shot at it.
Well... I guess if you are only planning on riding XC single track on a $20,000 ebike, then a Fox 34 is more than up to the job. For those who ride on more burly trails, that fork flexes way too much under load. I would also agree with all the Specialized World Cup sponsored riders who think that Specialized tires are junk. It all depends on where you ride.
The trail she's riding in Scotland would hardly be classed as XC I can assure you.
Do you know where it is?
I weigh 105kgs kitted out and I can't see any flex backwards and forwards on my forks, I can however see the axle migrating fore and aft as the fork compresses, but then I'm usually more concerned with where I'm going than looking at my front wheel. Maybe your fork was faulty?
Olof Bike Adventures
Active member
I don't weigh that much and I think the fork was ok, but I had problems with high speed chatter. That's where the flex bothered me.
KeithR
Well-known member
I am not exactly sure what you are saying?
Kenevo chain stay length: 454mm with 27.5" wheels
Levo SL chain stay length: 437mm with 29" wheels
Knolly Podium chain stay length: 439mm with 26" wheels
Honestly, this color should've been the sworks. It's awesome!Well I went to my LBS store today and they were...... closed. So I went and checked specialized website and there was another LBS I haven't been to about 10 minutes away that had a Medium SL carbon comp in stock and I went to go check it out. Very awesome people there, offered to let me test ride it right there on the spot no questions asked soon as I told them I was looking at it and all I can say is....Holy Sh*t! This bike is awesome! I only rode it around the store parking lot about 10 times testing out the different modes but I was instantly in love.
I understand a bit more about the modes, but I haven't had time to mess with the bike and play with it, but I can see that it doesn't really need a delimiter. The cut off after hitting the assist speed (20mph I believe?) Isn't terrible because it gives me the chance to get some cardio in after it helps me get up there, I love how each mode felt different and the turbo mode is crazy. I can't imagine going on a FF, that would really feel like a motorcycle if thats 4x what the SL is. Not that that is a bad thing, I'm guessing it would be pretty fun
So I told them I would take it after a short test ride and being at the store for 10 minutes which surprised them a bit, haha. I don't think they were expecting a random walking to come and buy that bike today, to say the least. Unfortunately they wouldn't give me a discount being the year older model(Not that there is much difference I can tell on the website than the newer model having different brakes and 160mm vs 150mm) as they are having enough trouble keeping stock as it is. Don't know if I could have pushed harder or not, but I am happy either way having paid full price because I love the color. Reminds me of a purple Nissan GTR.
Cheers and thanks for answering my questions. I love the geometry of the bike and I can't wait to put some miles on it exploring around with some new found confidence!
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View attachment 47863
It is always difficult to understand what riders classify as XC, All Mountain or DH as it really depends on where you live and where you ride. The only part in the video that showed the lady riding her dream bike looks like our single track or maybe XC here in BC. No offence intended. I was commenting what Komige said "Fox 34 Factory is more than up to the job unless you're a Biffer too" . In the end, if you are happy with what you are running on your bike, then all the power to you. No one likes to spend money unnecessarily. No one likes a Poser either.
I put an Ohlins 170 fork on my wife's SL. The next upgrade is an Ohlins coil shock and Cascade link as the stock shock is a POS. She also likes her Saint 200mm brakes. These upgrades may be overkill for some riders or need refinements depending on your goals (30k XC rides vs FSR access to trails). We use are Ebikes to GET to the trails where a Fox 34 would be insufficient unless your are more proficient on your bike than say, Remy (runs a DVO 170mm fork), as shown below. I am sure Scotland is nice.
Olof Bike Adventures
Active member
I doubt that I ride as hard as any women's enduro rider.
I don't think the bike is made for enduro either. I have tested it on an enduro trail used for the Swedish Cup, but the bike does not belong there.With that said, I like the Fox 36 better that tested on another bike. It seems more suitable for the SL. The Butcher Grip tyres were not really performing very well either (mud and wet rocks/roots), changing those would probably make a bigger difference than changing fork.
I doubt that I ride as hard as any women's enduro rider.
With that said, I like the Fox 36 better that tested on another bike. It seems more suitable for the SL. The Butcher Grip tyres were not really performing very well either (mud and wet rocks/roots), changing those would probably make a bigger difference than changing fork.
As I get older and hopefully wiser, I was looking for a good all round bike that would allow me to ride ALL the trails I enjoy. I was hoping that the Levo SL could be that bike, with a few modifications. I have ridden an acoustic bike with similar geometry all over BC including the most of the trails at the Whistler Bike Park ( I am not able to do the 40-50 foot gap jumps nor the 15-20 foot drops due to a lack of skill and a will to live) so I was wondering where you felt the SL came up short on the Swedish Cup enduro trail?
Olof Bike Adventures
Active member
Maybe it's my skill level where I prefer a bike with longer travel and slacker geo when it comes to enduro trails. I strongly doubt Swedish enduro trails are as "big" as Whistler, it's more about wet tree roots where you slide around in the wet and have more of a teeth shattering experience in rock gardens than enjoying big jumps. If you can already ride all trails in Whistler with a 150 mm acoustic bike it shouldn't be any problem with the Levo SL for you, but the Fox 34 has got to go!
The Levo SL is in my mind more of a trail bike, albeit a very capable trail bike. But if I was mostly riding proper enduro trails, I think I would go for the Kenevo or similar. You know, the right tool for the right job?
PS. I just posted a review (here in the review section) of the eONE-SIXTY and that bike is a bit more capable even if it's not a full-on enduro bike either. But when I come to think of it, Merida is not sold in Canada, right?
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jcmonty
E*POWAH Master
I am hoping to do a Whistler trip this year. I would totally ride my SL there. It’s going to be a bit rougher than a full DH bike, but 150mm was a full-on enduro as recent as a few years ago. That being said, I haven’t read anywhere if Whistler Bike park allows ebikes (a bit off topic. Sorry). I know that the valley allows them on the trails.
Olof Bike Adventures
Active member
Have visited Whistler years ago, but not for mountain biking so that's still on my bucket list. But if I was to travel half way across the world I would probably rent a freeride or DH bike to have good margin for error. I don't know what the trails are like in Whistler, hard to tell from videos. Maybe most lines are smooth as butter?
One thing I would be concerned about would be how a lightweight build would hold up for big hits. I went to a bike park in Spain once (profile picture) and I don't think the SL would have survived 10 minutes there (or me if I would go over the bars). Maybe enduro is defined differently in different parts of the world. I still don't think the SL should be taken for an enduro bike. Just my opinion. Or my riding skills. ?
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