Levo SL Gen 1 Levo SL 2023 Megathread

boBE

Active member
Apr 12, 2020
415
361
FL
I would argue the SL’s are the bike you describe being as close to a regular bike as possible. The Rise is a full fat that’s tried to shave a few pounds.

Like as in: I got a new lightweight Corvette for you. We reduced the fuel capacity by 50% to save weight and then dropped the power from 490 hp to 350 hp (but same engine weight) to get back the range. What a deal! ;)
 

Mcharza

E*POWAH BOSS
Aug 10, 2018
2,498
4,722
Helsinki, Finland
Like as in: I got a new lightweight Corvette for you. We reduced the fuel capacity by 50% to save weight and then dropped the power from 490 hp to 350 hp (but same engine weight) to get back the range. What a deal! ;)
Haha, interesting perspective to compare bikes and cars. No offense.
But does it still ride like a real sports car?
 

jeffintheusa

Member
Dec 12, 2018
28
26
MA - North Shore
From my LBS...

Levo SL Closeout.jpg
 

boBE

Active member
Apr 12, 2020
415
361
FL
Part of the SL problem is poor marketing. Advertising just the N*m rating is a mistake, it doesn't provide a good means of comparison. A casual look at the ratings would imply Rise is almost twice as powerful and almost twice as fast, yet it is nowhere near that. Levo has almost three times the N*m of SL, again this does not tell the whole story.
Manufacturers should give us meaningful data we can actually use to compare and select our rides. In the meantime I am going to (happily) ride my SL. :)
 

SteveRS

Member
Jun 9, 2022
107
75
British Columbia Canada
Everyone is always so concerned when it comes to the weight of our bikes, which I suppose is subjective. Here’s my take on it. I’ve been riding for over thirty years and have seen some incredible advancements in mtb’s. I live in B.C Canada and have pretty much always rode what was called free riding back then. I watched the bikes evolve from “relatively” light to out right heavy sleds with over 8 inches of travel. I loved my 2004 Norco A-Line with its Marzocchi Bomber 40mm dual crown forks. The bike had 8 inches of coil suspension and weighed in at over 53lbs. I loved it! Then of course technology started to improve performance and shave of weight as the years rolled on. Now of course bikes are super light and performance has never been so good. My last bike was a Trek Remedy 8. Bought it in mid 2020 as a 2021 model. That was the best bike I’ve owned up to that point, as the previous bike I was still riding was a 2007 Rocky Mountain Switch with 7 inches of coil suspension 26 inch wheels and weighed about 45 lbs. The Remedy was 35ish lbs with roughly 6 inches of air suspension on 27.5 wheels, I was blown away. This bike felt almost too light compared to what I had been riding. The bikes now are incredible, from new geometry to hi tech suspension. In January of this year I purchased a 2022 levo expert. I can’t believe how good this bike is. It’s lighter than my 04 Norco and somehow doesn’t feel any heavier, to me, than my remedy when pointed downhill. I suppose everyone will perceive an experience differently, but when we can have a bike that’s roughly 50 pounds with a motor and battery that handles the way this bike does, we are very fortunate. I thought about purchasing a levo SL because I was worried about weight, i’m glad I didn’t buy that bike. I’m now in my mid 50s and can ride twice as much as I could when I was younger thanks to the motor and battery. I’ve never had this much fun on a mountain bike. Cheers.
 

Killswitch73

Well-known member
Sep 15, 2018
371
230
West Midlands
And so rumour has it …… 50NM and not backwards compatible with previous Mahle 1.1 motor housing .. all new motor.

glad I got a rise Now and didn’t wait , and I run the main SL page on Facebook .
 

Geniusbiker

Member
Jan 13, 2021
59
37
Germany
A few months ago I switched from a Specialized Stumpjumper EVO to a Transition Sentinel in loam gold (because I wanted a little bit more color).
And I recognized: this bike (the Sentinel) doesn´t need all these geometry adjustment options! It rides so well even with a head tube angle less than 64 degrees! And I´m so glad that Transition already presented their new Relay even when it will be available not before Spring 2023. I really like this brand and their marketing way and that it´s so completely opposite to the way Specialized goes. No more rumors, no more secrets. You know nearly exactly what you will get if you´re thinking about ordering a Relay. From the day Transition released this video of the new Relay my interest in a new Levo SL was shrinking significantly...
 

boBE

Active member
Apr 12, 2020
415
361
FL
And so rumour has it …… 50NM and not backwards compatible with previous Mahle 1.1 motor housing .. all new motor.

glad I got a rise Now and didn’t wait , and I run the main SL page on Facebook .

50 N*M is a nice boost *but* more torque requires bigger gears and clutches along with more surface area to dissipate the increased heat, = weight.
 

Zimmerframe

MUPPET
Subscriber
Jun 12, 2019
13,770
20,452
Brittany, France
and not backwards compatible with previous Mahle 1.1 motor housing
In one of the Spesh interviews when they released the SL, didn't they make a big thing about future motors would use the same mounting so people could upgrade their bikes in the future ...

Sadly, that's one thing where Spesh seem to have gone completely the other way.
 

JSQ

Member
Jan 28, 2020
28
40
Finland
its A bit light in travel for me 140mm. If they can produce something that competes with the kenevo SL for sure they have a market topper with their suspension and cleaner look. For my riding style there’s nothing that beats a Horst Link suspension system And I’ve had most suspension types. I prefer a poppy bike
I wouldn't describe a Horst-link bike as poppy - mushy is more like it ;)
Let's hope the new Levo SL will still be a light trail bike. If you want something burly, just go with the Kenevo SL or rather Full Fat.
 

Zimmerframe

MUPPET
Subscriber
Jun 12, 2019
13,770
20,452
Brittany, France
Nice. That looks FF but if it’s super light I’ll buy one.
Like the Transition mentioned above. Another bike with the New Fazua Ride 60. 430wh battery (2kg's). Looks like a nice setup. The Transition doesn't ship until Spring, but the first Ride 60 bikes should ship in August (no idea what though). Perfect for you, it has a Knightrider turbo boost button - gives you full power for 12 seconds and there's a usb outlet on the top tube display so you can keep your phone topped up for watching your chick flicks.
 

Ribinrobin

Active member
Apr 16, 2021
245
255
Berkshire, UK
I've heard september 50nm motor, slightly larger battery, slightly larger range extender, Stumpy evo geo but with no side arm more like the specialized epic evo shock mount. All rumours but as many have stated i feel trek have raised the bar with the TQ motor being small and quiet. I think these new bikes motors (TQ/FAUZA?) are the right direction for SL fans. It will be interesing to hear what they're going to do with the kenevo SL being only a year old, with the old motor/battery system.
 

squeegee

Well-known member
Aug 19, 2019
360
267
USA
I saw a the next gen Levo SL about 2 weeks ago in NC, Specialized rep riding one. Had new frame design with lower standover and adjustable geo at headset and chainstay + mastermind. I asked if the motor would be different and he said same motor as current SL + "some firmware updates", I couldn't get a good look at his motor to verify if was still Mahle. Was a sick bright turquoise color. They will keep a mystery until it is released.
 

Ribinrobin

Active member
Apr 16, 2021
245
255
Berkshire, UK
I saw a the next gen Levo SL about 2 weeks ago in NC, Specialized rep riding one. Had new frame design with lower standover and adjustable geo at headset and chainstay + mastermind. I asked if the motor would be different and he said same motor as current SL + "some firmware updates", I couldn't get a good look at his motor to verify if was still Mahle. Was a sick bright turquoise color. They will keep a mystery until it is released.

Interesting! I wonder if it’s a firmware upgrade they will roll it out for all the older models, and if so will this effect battery life
 

squeegee

Well-known member
Aug 19, 2019
360
267
USA
Interesting! I wonder if it’s a firmware upgrade they will roll it out for all the older models, and if so will this effect battery life
If what he said is even true you can bet it would affect battery life, if firmware is real, would it be applicable to older models? If I had to guess, anything new will be incompatible with old, why give an upgrade to old bikes when they can sell you a new one?

These guys are trained to not give away secrets...and the company name is $pecialized
 

boBE

Active member
Apr 12, 2020
415
361
FL
Interesting! I wonder if it’s a firmware upgrade they will roll it out for all the older models, and if so will this effect battery life

It depends. N*M is not power, N*M times rpm is power (watts)
35 n*m x 65 rpm = 240 w
50 n*m x 45 rpm is also 240 w. 50 n*m at any speed faster than 45 rpm is more watts = faster battery drain (and more motor heat).
 

grantini

E*POWAH Master
May 7, 2019
610
539
Delaware
My favorite bike dealer became an Orbea dealer last year. I was anxious to try the Rise to compare to my SL.... Turns out they never shipped them any bikes (he is the top dealer in our region, not a tiny shop) and he finally gave up. Doesn't matter how good a bike is if you can't get it. I still love my SL.
 

EMTB Forums

Since 2018

The World's largest electric mountain bike community.

518K
Messages
25,440
Members
Join Our Community

Latest articles


Top