That was a straight up marketing piece with no real "tough" questions.
The one thing I would say about it is that it appears very late to the party.
A few questions I would love to hear them answer :
1.Why do they have the heaviest motor in the category ?
It weighs what it weighs ultimately, but metal gears and a substantial case mean physics apply.
2.Why the heaviest battery ?
Probably to try and avoid a Canyon type situation? It’s not like they’d have chosen especially heavy cells, they don’t make their own at the end of the day, and I expect they’ve also thought about thermal management.
3.Why no wireless remote in 2025 ??
There are pros to a wired remote, no tiny battery to monitor and replace for one. If you’re at the point where a wired remote is a ‘deal breaker’ then maybe it wasn’t a serious option in the first place.
4.Why the same high leverage suspension when a 100kg rider needs 300psi in the shock ?
It’s a Specialized, it rides like a Specialized, the suspension characteristics are what they are. If the shock is designed for it, why does it matter if you’re running 200psi or 300psi?
5.Why rely on Cacade to offer better suspension and more travel,where is an LT version ?
Cascade and other linkage upgrades are just that, if people want more they can have more?
The Levo gen4 is a bike that went backwards in evolution unfortuantly .
Other than a more powerfull and possibly relaible motor all other aspects of the bike did not improve and even turned worse.
I’ve said in a thread before, when you look at the Levo Gen 4 alongside the other e-bikes in the Specialized line up, the design of it makes more sense. I saw them all lined up, including some non e-bikes, at a Specialized store display at a local country show of all places and it looked ok.
It’s the current Specialized design, some people like it, some will hate it, but it will be very well manufactured (no Amflow style horror shows once you take the headset out I’m sure) and backed up. That’s worth something to some people.
I predict this bike will sell well in it's first year but it will have a really hard time with sales in year 2 and 3 as alot of impressive bikes are coming
Competition is good, Specialized have been scrapping in the e-bike space for years and will be for some more. Whilst there are always lots of impressive bikes coming down the track (and these days for a lot of people that means
anything with a DJI Avinox fitted) they’re either just as expensive, unobtainable, no test rides available or with questionable support.
Specialized aren’t perfect, what bike company is, but they do some things very well. How a bike looks and rides is subjective ultimately, there are few bikes on sale these days that just don’t work in the riding department.
On average I seem to end up buying a new bike about every 18 months, sometimes an older bike will get sold as a result, I’m brand agnostic but buy what I believe will be supported the best as unfortunately all e-bikes have the potential to develop issues that require dealer support.
Would I buy one? No, but then power levels for me plateaued some time ago, 100Nm+ would see me seriously ‘over motored’ for my trails and riding, but I’m seeing Gen 4s out on the local trails, maybe because there’s a big Specialized dealer serving the area. No idea if sales are good or bad, but there appears to be good turnover of models on display there. You notice when bikes get ‘stuck’, they had a couple of Whytes for ages, they were like old friends when I dropped in for some bits and pieces and a coffee!
I’m sure it’ll get a mid-life refresh the Gen 4, as is the way with Specialized, and outside the bubble/echo chamber of EMTB forums I’m sure there are plenty of people enjoying their bike without feeling the need to say how it’s the best thing ever all the time…
this bike is so wrong it’s on the same level as a cube now looks and weight the cube probably has a better motor
?
