Alternatives for Specialized Turbo Levo Comp 2021

ScratG

Member
May 16, 2020
10
7
Rothrist
I actually wanted to buy 2 Turbo Levo Comp 2021 for my wife and me and ordered them from my dealer.
Should arrive in 2 weeks.
Specialized has now spread positive news a few days ago, which should improve the mood and give confidence to existing customers and new customers.
Nevertheless, there are many customers who are annoyed with the announcement. Paying for the FW Update, after FW Upate useless walk assist, ...
Furthermore, it does not seem to be clear whether the improvements have now been installed into all 21 models, as certain engine production dates still have December 19

That is why my thoughts are circling more and more whether buying a Turbo Levo will turn me into a satisfied customer.
Basically, I am convinced of the bike and have a dealer in my city who can provide great service.
Nevertheless, you want years of fun on your bike and the feeling that you have chosen the right brand.

If I still decide to withdraw my Levos order, the question arises, what are the alternatives?

Brose motor would be out. That the main problem is not the Specialized components, but the engine.
For me the only alternative would be the Bosch CX Gen4 motor.

What kind of bikes in the price range of EUR 6000-6300 would you buy?

Here are a few of my alternatives I'm thinking of:

CUBE Stereo Hybrid 140/160
FOCUS JAM2 6.9
Flyer Uproc6
Trek Rail 7
Radon render
 

matej787

New Member
Jul 29, 2020
10
5
Slovenia
New 2021 Cube Stereo Hybrids looks nice, wold be my first choice.

And if you can wait, new Shimano EP8 motor is just around corner.
 

nasamorpheus

Member
Jul 17, 2020
185
95
Ljubljana
I actually wanted to buy 2 Turbo Levo Comp 2021 for my wife and me and ordered them from my dealer.
Should arrive in 2 weeks.
Specialized has now spread positive news a few days ago, which should improve the mood and give confidence to existing customers and new customers.
Nevertheless, there are many customers who are annoyed with the announcement. Paying for the FW Update, after FW Upate useless walk assist, ...
Furthermore, it does not seem to be clear whether the improvements have now been installed into all 21 models, as certain engine production dates still have December 19

That is why my thoughts are circling more and more whether buying a Turbo Levo will turn me into a satisfied customer.
Basically, I am convinced of the bike and have a dealer in my city who can provide great service.
Nevertheless, you want years of fun on your bike and the feeling that you have chosen the right brand.

If I still decide to withdraw my Levos order, the question arises, what are the alternatives?

Brose motor would be out. That the main problem is not the Specialized components, but the engine.
For me the only alternative would be the Bosch CX Gen4 motor.

What kind of bikes in the price range of EUR 6000-6300 would you buy?

Here are a few of my alternatives I'm thinking of:

CUBE Stereo Hybrid 140/160
FOCUS JAM2 6.9
Flyer Uproc6
Trek Rail 7
Radon render

I know that Trek Rail 7 is very capable bike, Its better downhill then Cube I think ( I own Cube). Here is a test The best E-Mountain Bike under € 5,500 – 8 eMTBs in review | E-MOUNTAINBIKE Magazine I vote for Trek, if I would be buying bike right now I would take trek 7 red color .
 
Last edited:

CBSTD

E*POWAH Master
Jun 15, 2020
289
871
thoK0north
There not really any bad bikes out there, it largely depends on you and the type of riding you do, loads of good info in the link below
Orbea Wild FS
Mondraker
Commencal
Or you could go boutique brand, Thok, Grype, Nicolas
 

nasamorpheus

Member
Jul 17, 2020
185
95
Ljubljana
There not really any bad bikes out there, it largely depends on you and the type of riding you do, loads of good info in the link below
Orbea Wild FS
Mondraker
Commencal
Or you could go boutique brand, Thok, Grype, Nicolas
In that article is only one statement which I dont agree with and that is that they just wouldn’t advise buying a full suspension eMTB under €4,000 eur for trail riding. That is simple a statement which is completly wrong. My 3600 eur carbon framed 2020 CUBE STEREO HYBRID 140 hpc 625 RACE doesnt agree with that at all nor Stilus do.. Both are very capable trail bikes 95 % of the time spent on trail. And there are others. But I agree that you cant buy Specialized EMTB for that money.
 

Strive77

Member
Aug 5, 2020
57
67
Lancashire. England
I actually wanted to buy 2 Turbo Levo Comp 2021 for my wife and me and ordered them from my dealer.
Should arrive in 2 weeks.
Specialized has now spread positive news a few days ago, which should improve the mood and give confidence to existing customers and new customers.
Nevertheless, there are many customers who are annoyed with the announcement. Paying for the FW Update, after FW Upate useless walk assist, ...
Furthermore, it does not seem to be clear whether the improvements have now been installed into all 21 models, as certain engine production dates still have December 19

That is why my thoughts are circling more and more whether buying a Turbo Levo will turn me into a satisfied customer.
Basically, I am convinced of the bike and have a dealer in my city who can provide great service.
Nevertheless, you want years of fun on your bike and the feeling that you have chosen the right brand.

If I still decide to withdraw my Levos order, the question arises, what are the alternatives?

Brose motor would be out. That the main problem is not the Specialized components, but the engine.
For me the only alternative would be the Bosch CX Gen4 motor.

What kind of bikes in the price range of EUR 6000-6300 would you buy?

Here are a few of my alternatives I'm thinking of:

CUBE Stereo Hybrid 140/160
FOCUS JAM2 6.9
Flyer Uproc6
Trek Rail 7
Radon render

im in exactly the same boat. I’ve got a levo on order but think I’m going to cancel as I’m not convinced the motor is 100% sorted and don’t want to end up with a 2019 motor in a 6k 2021 bike. It’s all a bit of a mess tbh.
Think I’d go Merida e160 if I cancel the Spesh. That’s the bike I was originally looking at. It has brilliant reviews but i’d hang on until they release the 2021 as rumours it’ll have the new Shimano motor.
 

N9VNS

Active member
Jun 26, 2020
101
143
South Wales
I was in the same boat and I have bought this instead. Its a whyte E160 RS.
29944F06-428F-4C58-8B90-2475CB8EE306.jpeg
 

TheBikePilot

🎥SHOOTER🎥
Patreon
Author
Oct 9, 2018
928
905
Clapham, London
YT is an awesome bike, not sure where in the world you are but there is now a Service Centre/Showroom in Guildford. If your thinking of getting the current models I would hold on a bit as many have said as I am guessing that EP8 cant be far away which will probably mean new bikes soon..The E8000 is kind of an old system now, but still perfectly good.

Trek Rail, again a lovely poppy fun trail bike. Does everything really well.

New FOCUS Jam2 2021 model is a great choice also. Rob's got a review of that coming out next few days. He was super impressed with it. I loved the 'older' model which you may soon be able to get a deal on that but the new one is simply excellent visually and to ride.

Bear in mind all bikes may develop problems. The ratio of Spesh bikes worldwide to other eBikes is far higher meaning there is a higher proportionally reported failure rate. You may have little to no issues. It's all about dealer support. The only thing with Spesh is you'll get the best warranty support in the business. I would try some other bikes if you can get your hands on them..However, you won't be disappointed with your Levo choice...Bosch and Shimano motors have to go back to the manafactuere prior to replacement. Spesh trust their dealers sotime off the trail will be less. But your other options are also excellent IMHO..
 
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Rosemount

E*POWAH Elite
May 23, 2020
818
1,721
Qld Australia
I have bought a YT Decoy Pro Race as I was not willing to pay the premium price for the Specialized.
I have it now for 3 weeks and could not be happier about this choice.

View attachment 37562

View attachment 37563


View attachment 37564

Specialized are over priced in my opinion .
When you compare specs with the competition they value their frames very highly . 3 -4 thousand dollars more than other brands with the same spec components .
Nice bikes but there is much better value for money out there .
 

Al Boneta

Dark Rider
Patreon
Founding Member
Jan 18, 2018
1,351
2,602
California
I actually wanted to buy 2 Turbo Levo Comp 2021 for my wife and me and ordered them from my dealer.
Should arrive in 2 weeks.
Specialized has now spread positive news a few days ago, which should improve the mood and give confidence to existing customers and new customers.
Nevertheless, there are many customers who are annoyed with the announcement. Paying for the FW Update, after FW Upate useless walk assist, ...
Furthermore, it does not seem to be clear whether the improvements have now been installed into all 21 models, as certain engine production dates still have December 19

That is why my thoughts are circling more and more whether buying a Turbo Levo will turn me into a satisfied customer.
Basically, I am convinced of the bike and have a dealer in my city who can provide great service.
Nevertheless, you want years of fun on your bike and the feeling that you have chosen the right brand.

If I still decide to withdraw my Levos order, the question arises, what are the alternatives?

Brose motor would be out. That the main problem is not the Specialized components, but the engine.
For me the only alternative would be the Bosch CX Gen4 motor.

What kind of bikes in the price range of EUR 6000-6300 would you buy?

Here are a few of my alternatives I'm thinking of:

CUBE Stereo Hybrid 140/160
FOCUS JAM2 6.9
Flyer Uproc6
Trek Rail 7
Radon render
All 21 models have the motor updates, I even opened the motor on my new S-Works frameset to make sure.
We have sold over twenty five 2021 comps in the last couple of weeks and the response has been overwhelming positive.
 

Mikerb

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 16, 2019
6,208
4,713
Weymouth
I wondered about getting another bike besides my Levo Comp and YT, Whyte and Cube were on my radar. Once I have calmed down from reading the reviews and realized of course you virtually never see one that says...this bike is rubbish!...I come back to the basics.
1. No way would I buy an emtb without there being local support, a decent warranty, and a good cusyomer service reputation
2. Every bike has the potential to go wrong and the forum demonstrates that. Indeed some bikes have known issues.
3. Bike fit is really important and not being able to actually try a bike for sizing and fit is high risk.
4. Emtb design is still in its early stages. Frame geometry is pretty established but both components and electronics are still poorly developed in most brands. There is something to be said for "better the devil you know" in that respect.

Conclusion.....Im sticking with the Levo!!
 

geehaw

Active member
Nov 17, 2019
107
86
Melbourne Australia
im in exactly the same boat. I’ve got a levo on order but think I’m going to cancel as I’m not convinced the motor is 100% sorted and don’t want to end up with a 2019 motor in a 6k 2021 bike. It’s all a bit of a mess tbh.
Think I’d go Merida e160 if I cancel the Spesh. That’s the bike I was originally looking at. It has brilliant reviews but i’d hang on until they release the 2021 as rumours it’ll have the new Shimano motor.
I've got the Merida e160 9000. The specialized was on the short list but when you look at bang for buck, you get a lot more with the Merida. 1000km in six months and no issues. Rides great and would buy another one in an instant.
 

emtbBob

New Member
Jan 28, 2020
1
1
Takeley
I had a 2019 Levo which in so many ways was disappointing but I absolutely love my Whyte e180rs. My mate has the e150rs which is also brilliant. The 2021 models look even better although a little more expensive.
 

mtbbiker

Active member
Sep 15, 2018
111
114
Murrieta
I bought a 2021 Specialized comp Turbo Levo knowing that the motor belts in the past have had some issues. I’ve seen posts claiming Specialized has updated their software and increased the actual belt durability! And now offer a 4yr warranty. Its really tough to beat the 700wh battery and this bike has killer range because of it. The Specialized dealer is about 10 miles from my home and just about everyone that has had issues, did get their problems resolved.

My last ebike was an Intense Tazer and I loved everything about that bike except the 504wh battery. I had to ride in ECO for most of my rides while climbing. Now with this Specialized, I generally stay in Trail mode all the time and get easily 4,300ft of climbing. My best climb on the Tazer in Eco was about 3,500ft. On the Tazer, I went through one motor and one battery under warranty.
 

Roger20

Active member
Mar 6, 2020
142
101
West Yorkshire UK
I bought a 2021 Specialized comp Turbo Levo knowing that the motor belts in the past have had some issues. I’ve seen posts claiming Specialized has updated their software and increased the actual belt durability! And now offer a 4yr warranty.
I thought only 2 years on the 2021 - 4 years only on 2019/20?
 

Matt_Rider

Member
Jul 13, 2020
124
65
Melbourne Australia
I bought a 2021 Specialized comp Turbo Levo knowing that the motor belts in the past have had some issues. I’ve seen posts claiming Specialized has updated their software and increased the actual belt durability! And now offer a 4yr warranty. Its really tough to beat the 700wh battery and this bike has killer range because of it. The Specialized dealer is about 10 miles from my home and just about everyone that has had issues, did get their problems resolved.

My last ebike was an Intense Tazer and I loved everything about that bike except the 504wh battery. I had to ride in ECO for most of my rides while climbing. Now with this Specialized, I generally stay in Trail mode all the time and get easily 4,300ft of climbing. My best climb on the Tazer in Eco was about 3,500ft. On the Tazer, I went through one motor and one battery under warranty.


FYI, you don't have 4 years warranty. 2019/2020 do but not yours.
 

nasamorpheus

Member
Jul 17, 2020
185
95
Ljubljana
Dealer close to my home...yes
Carbon frame....yes
Brose motor ... Eee no thx, wanna ride home also.
Bosch gen 4 updated.... Yes
Good price to performance ratio... Yes

That narrows it down a bit for me :)
 

brizi2003

Active member
Nov 20, 2018
235
144
Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne
Specialized are over priced in my opinion .
When you compare specs with the competition they value their frames very highly . 3 -4 thousand dollars more than other brands with the same spec components .
Nice bikes but there is much better value for money out there .
I paid £3500 for my 2019 Kenevo in Nov 2018. Like to see you get another e-bike with similar components for 3-4 thousand dollars less!!
 

Rosemount

E*POWAH Elite
May 23, 2020
818
1,721
Qld Australia
I paid £3500 for my 2019 Kenevo in Nov 2018. Like to see you get another e-bike with similar components for 3-4 thousand dollars less!!

3500 squid !
Well count yourself lucky . Most paid a lot more than that . And how much would a brand new Kenevo cost you ? Bit more than 3500 pounds I bet .
I bought a 2020 Cube stereo Hyb 160 for less than you paid for your 2019 Kenevo
 

brizi2003

Active member
Nov 20, 2018
235
144
Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne
3500 squid !
Well count yourself lucky . Most paid a lot more than that . And how much would a brand new Kenevo cost you ? Bit more than 3500 pounds I bet .
I bought a 2020 Cube stereo Hyb 160 for less than you paid for your 2019 Kenevo
I have to admit though the Cube Stereo is about 2K less for the equivalent. Levo Carbon = £7.5K and Cube Stereo 160 = £5.5K:oops:
 

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