An interesting occurrence....

[Gethy]

Hi All,

So I am totally new to E-biking and having taken ownership of my 2020 Jam2 6.7 Nine and I can safely say.... This is mountain biking, like I've never experienced...

I digress...

So something I wanted to ask....

My friend owns a 2018 Turbo Levo Comp Carbon, we were out the other night and did just under 20 miles, one thing that struck us both was the difference between the two bikes when climbing, we both found the Jam2 significantly faster on the climbs; flats and descents were quite similar.

I just wanted to ask you guys for your thoughts as to why this could be?

I know it could be a piece of string and it's not a bike bashing fest or bragging rights it was genuinely baffling; he is thinking about buying a Jam2... And his Levo is detuned....

Cheers

 

[iXi]

I'm running a shimano and I've had plenty of turbo levo's blast by me like I'm standing still on climbs. Maybe it's because I'm a fat c... Or the 90nm is superior. So many variables to take into consideration. On paper the levo should be superior

 

[Gethy]

Maybe his motor wasn't working?

No commonality, different motors, with different sectectable power levels, your mate might be heavier etc etc.

Good points Kilham,

In the most simplistic sense, or maybe I'm a bit simple , I just had it in my head that the bikes would be more or less equal due to them both being "good EMTB's".

 

[Gethy]

I'm running a shimano and I've had plenty of turbo levo's blast by me like I'm standing still on climbs. Maybe it's because I'm a fat c... Or the 90nm is superior. So many variables to take into consideration. On paper the levo should be superior

I totally agree on paper..... and I think subconsciously we both had his bike being superior, not just because his is detuned, but it's carbon frame, better forks etc...

I am thinking about offering him a swap ha ha.....

 

[Jackware]

Detuning infers a reduction in power
When you say 'detuned' I'm guessing you mean unrestricted, but this only means the assisted top speed limiter is unlocked. Has he been messing about with the outputs in one of the apps available for the Levo?

 

[Zimmerframe]

If it's a 2018 it's probably a brose 1.3 - so the same as in my Kenevo.

On some none technical climbs I found my e8000 was faster than the Kenevo. Only now am I finally clearing up and getting faster on the Kenevo on those - not sure why.

Power wise, I found they were quite similar when it came to times. I think I adapted to finding the sweet spot power wise on the E8000 faster than on the Brose.

Saying that, the Kenevo is a much heavier bike. I'd guess your comparison is two similar weighted bikes.

Rider weights will make a huge difference. Also technique, cadence.

What mode were you in. If you were both in trail, the shimano is dynamic, so it would bump upto max power automatically. The Brose would stop at it's defined trail limit.

He might also have his settings set low. So he could be in Turbo, but his turbo might not be set as 100%

Another option is his firmware. I can't remember the version off hand, it is in the forum, but there was an update last year for the 1.3 which bumped the power up about 20% - so if he's not got that ... it will be a good bit slower !

 

[steve_sordy]

Now you know the answer, don't tell him!
You could tell him that he just needs to get fitter!

 

[Gethy]

Detuning infers a reduction in power
When you say 'detuned' I'm guessing you mean unrestricted, but this only means the assisted top speed limiter is unlocked. Has he been messing about with the outputs in one of the apps available for the Levo?

Hi Jack,

Yeah it's unrestricted.

He's had it from new and riding over these last 18 months from time to time helped me decide to get an Ebike.

He does tinker with mission Control but he was in full boost mode and we both rode it; the Jam2 was just easier on the ups... As I said we were both baffled.

 

[Gethy]

If it's a 2018 it's probably a brose 1.3 - so the same as in my Kenevo.

On some none technical climbs I found my e8000 was faster than the Kenevo. Only now am I finally clearing up and getting faster on the Kenevo on those - not sure why.

Power wise, I found they were quite similar when it came to times. I think I adapted to finding the sweet spot power wise on the E8000 faster than on the Brose.

Saying that, the Kenevo is a much heavier bike. I'd guess your comparison is two similar weighted bikes.

Rider weights will make a huge difference. Also technique, cadence.

What mode were you in. If you were both in trail, the shimano is dynamic, so it would bump upto max power automatically. The Brose would stop at it's defined trail limit.

He might also have his settings set low. So he could be in Turbo, but his turbo might not be set as 100%

Another option is his firmware. I can't remember the version off hand, it is in the forum, but there was an update last year for the 1.3 which bumped the power up about 20% - so if he's not got that ... it will be a good bit slower !

Hi Zimmer,

Mine is actually the new Bosch CX motor; it comes with the 625 battery.

He has the 1.3Rx motor and we were both in turbo all night.....

We are out this evening, so I will mention that about his turbo level being set to 100%, thanks for the thought.

Like I said it was just really strange, his bike is awesome and just flies but at least I can own the hills... for now ha ha

 

[BJep]

2 years ago when deciding what e-bike to get I tried out the Jam2 and the Levo 2018 back to back, and the Focus was way nimbler on the climbs no question. It was hard to pin down why- a mix of geometry, bike weight, and, I guess, set up. I loved it (although the battery depletion was way too quick and I went for a Pivot Shuttle in the end- I got an amazing deal though). I dont think the motor is the reason- unless you are charging up a fire road, more power isnt that helpful. More torque gets out of control v easy, and keeping the front end down is trickier.
Also I imagine that the 2020 Jam2 has refined further in last 2 years, so comparing it a 2018 Levo - wouldn't surprise me if the Focus shines- especially on the climbs.