19 levo 27.5 or 29?

Phantomtracer

New Member
Sep 24, 2018
25
15
Pennsylvania
Thinking of getting a 19 levo comp. I ride mostly tight singletrack. Do you think swapping the 29 wheels for a 27.5 Tire would be a good change?
It would be great to hear from anyone that has had experience doing this. I currently ride a mojo3 with 27.5 by 2.6 tires and love them. Also had 17.5 by 2.8 and really liked them except for the extra drag.
 

R120

Moderator
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Apr 13, 2018
7,819
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Surrey
I don't think anyone has had the bike for more than a few days as only came out last week, so i doubt it - however there are a fair few people with 2018 Levos who changed them to 29 from 27.5
 

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
Author
Subscriber
Mar 29, 2018
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the internet
it'll drop the BB and alter the steering (Rake) slightly.
I have a 27.5 Enduro bike I run 26" wheels in for these very reasons.
If you don't like low BBs you'll hate it.
If you love railing turns with a low BB you'll love it.

I can't stand riding 29ers but they're not actually bad in tight singletrack
 

Paul Mac

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Patreon
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Jul 9, 2018
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Uk
This is a question I want to answer as well.
I'm test riding a 2019 Levo tomorrow back to back with my current 2018 levo, to see which i prefer
 

knut7

Administrator
Author
Subscriber
Apr 10, 2018
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Norway
If I'm not mistaken, the BB drop of the Levo is 27mm. That should be okay with 27.5+ on a 150mm travel bike.
 

Sherman

Active member
May 9, 2018
243
457
3rd Rock
If you're not going wider than 2.6, then stick with the 29er. 29x2.6 are stock tires on 2019 Levo anyway.

27x2.8 can be quite a bit smaller than 29er tires so it will drop the BB. 27x3 is way bigger and almost the size of 29er.

I still use 27x3 on my old Levo, I really like them for trail riding. Big tires eat trail chatter way better than any suspension. On my 'acoustic' enduro bike I have 29x2.5. Sharp handling and tires give good support but they are a alot harder on my hands than plus tires. Maybe I should try moto style on my Levo, 27x3 rear and 29x2.5 front, hmm.. :cool:
 

All Mountain Coaching

E*POWAH Elite
Oct 3, 2018
1,332
980
GB
We recently hired a '18 levo on plus and '19 levo on 29. Her on 29, me on 27.5. Now i don't know if it was the weight/size difference being an XL and S or the motor or both, it certainly wasn't fitness/technique. We were both in Turbo on a flat blue trail. She continuously left me for dead and had not been biking for 2 years. It was embarrassing! I couldn't keep up. I've been riding 29 for years now: Enduro/SB5.5/Primer and would not consider a plus. They were too vague and I think the difference.

I'll have my '19 levo tomorrow, so will be able to compare even better.

So to answer your question...i would definitely consider 29. If the geom changes do not bother you.
 

R120

Moderator
Subscriber
Apr 13, 2018
7,819
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Surrey
29 will be faster on what I would term casual terrain - it’s when the going gets proper tough that you learn if you prefer one or the other, and I think that’s as much to do with personal riding style and preference over any particular size being better than the other.
 

galaga187

E*POWAH Master
Apr 15, 2018
794
594
Wroughton
We recently hired a '18 levo on plus and '19 levo on 29. Her on 29, me on 27.5. Now i don't know if it was the weight/size difference being an XL and S or the motor or both, it certainly wasn't fitness/technique. We were both in Turbo on a flat blue trail. She continuously left me for dead and had not been biking for 2 years. It was embarrassing! I couldn't keep up. I've been riding 29 for years now: Enduro/SB5.5/Primer and would not consider a plus. They were too vague and I think the difference.

I'll have my '19 levo tomorrow, so will be able to compare even better.

So to answer your question...i would definitely consider 29. If the geom changes do not bother you.
I
Can you tell us where you hired them from please?
 

All Mountain Coaching

E*POWAH Elite
Oct 3, 2018
1,332
980
GB
I
Can you tell us where you hired them from please?

Sure. It was the Spesh Store in Stafford. £40 for 4 days which i thought was brilliant. (collect friday PM, return monday AM). Dunno if they did me a deal on that or that was standard price. Made for a brilliant weekend. :cool:

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galaga187

E*POWAH Master
Apr 15, 2018
794
594
Wroughton
Sure. It was the Spesh Store in Stafford. £40 for 4 days which i thought was brilliant. (collect friday PM, return monday AM). Dunno if they did me a deal on that or that was standard price. Made for a brilliant weekend. :cool:

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Sure. It was the Spesh Store in Stafford. £40 for 4 days which i thought was brilliant. (collect friday PM, return monday AM). Dunno if they did me a deal on that or that was standard price. Made for a brilliant weekend. :cool:

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Thanks - I spoke to them last year and they seemed good blokes.
 

Topham

New Member
Nov 2, 2018
29
21
North Wales
I’m a rather big unit. 6ft and 120kg. I found out the other day in degla I was running of the bends, and the switchbacks I was struggling to get the front wheel around.
 

Indigo

Active member
Oct 6, 2018
214
178
Brisbane, Australia
Trouble with front end grip is usually caused by not enough weight over front wheel. You may be able to solve by adjusting position of saddle forward and/or fitting a longer stem. But if reach is already a little long the later is not an option.

At 6'0", the recommended size for you is L.
Bike Sizing Guide 2018.png
 

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