Levo Gen 3 Anyone try a 180mm fork on the Gen 3 Levo?

Twindaddy

Twindaddy

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Current set up is a fox 36 factory with cane creek kitsuma coil in the rear along with a Cascade link. Love how the rear feels for the trails I ride. Want to up the front a bit to balance out the rear and reduce the bottom outs. Have a 170mm air shaft but thinking a bit more may be good for the big hits. I know 180 is not recommended but havent read any experiences out there. Anyone try it and loved it or hated it?
 
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Doing some research the past 30 days, I've come across several folks (posts on various forums) moving from 160 to 170 on the Levo and comparable bikes. In that search I might have come across one person who tried a 180, and yet I'm just hoping my jump to 170 will be not too drastic to upset handling. My only reason is my 218lb rider weight fully kitted up, and thinking the extra 10mm might allow me to not have to "air up" as much trying to keep it plush at the top of the stroke for regular trail riding. The only complaints I saw going too long on front is "upsetting balance front to rear" and "having the front end feeling like it will lift when climbing uphills", if you do a lot of uphill stuff. Lastly, my local tech indicating if I don't like the 170, simply switching the air shaft size back to 160 within minimal effort. Not sure it helps, but will be watching to see who chimes in with a 180 setup on a Levo. Best of luck.
 
Looks like another one should have gotten a Kenevo. A 180mm fork will void your warranty and possibly destroy your frame. Adding 20mm to the stock forks length can overload the headset bearing cups and head tube . I am sure many have put 180mm forks on the Levo but maybe you should think about the fork you are using. Go with a 170mm fox 38 e tuned or a DVO 38. They are the plushest forks I have been on.
 
decooney said:
Doing some research the past 30 days, I've come across several folks (posts on various forums) moving from 160 to 170 on the Levo and comparable bikes. In that search I might have come across one person who tried a 180, and yet I'm just hoping my jump to 170 will be not too drastic to upset handling. My only reason is my 218lb rider weight fully kitted up, and thinking the extra 10mm might allow me to not have to "air up" as much trying to keep it plush at the top of the stroke for regular trail riding. The only complaints I saw going too long on front is "upsetting balance front to rear" and "having the front end feeling like it will lift when climbing uphills", if you do a lot of uphill stuff. Lastly, my local tech indicating if I don't like the 170, simply switching the air shaft size back to 160 within minimal effort. Not sure it helps, but will be watching to see who chimes in with a 180 setup on a Levo. Best of luck.
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Yes this is helpful, did not consider the front lifting on climbs. I dont enjoy climbing but it is necessary so definitely something to consider.
 
mustclime said:
Looks like another one should have gotten a Kenevo. A 180mm fork will void your warranty and possibly destroy your frame. Adding 20mm to the stock forks length can overload the headset bearing cups and head tube . I am sure many have put 180mm forks on the Levo but maybe you should think about the fork you are using. Go with a 170mm fox 38 e tuned or a DVO 38. They are the plushest forks I have been on.
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Im aware of the negatives, i.e., warranty, potential frame damage, headset overload, etc. Just wanted to hear someone’s actual experience, good or bad.

When I bought the levo about 2 years ago it was all the bike I needed at the time. Im riding completely different trails now. Still love the bike and not ready to swap it for another.
 
rod9301 said:
No problem going to 180
The front will not lift 20 because you will also put lower pressure, so maybe 10mm higher.

No big deal on the up, you can also lean a bit more Forward
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Are you at 180 now?
 
total fork travel does not determine where the fork sits in its travel in any specific scenario.......damper tune does! I would suggest 170mm is a maximum on a Levo and yes, a 38 ( at 170) would be more stable ( steering) at speed over rough terrain but no reason for it to be any different to a 36 in terms of damper tune. As mentioned a bove the E Bike tuned 38 is particularly plush whilst providing good support and that is because of the way the damper is tuned in that version of the fork. No reason why a suspension specialist could not set a damper tune specific to your weight and riding type.
 
Mikerb said:
total fork travel does not determine where the fork sits in its travel in any specific scenario.......damper tune does! I would suggest 170mm is a maximum on a Levo and yes, a 38 ( at 170) would be more stable ( steering) at speed over rough terrain but no reason for it to be any different to a 36 in terms of damper tune. As mentioned a bove the E Bike tuned 38 is particularly plush whilst providing good support and that is because of the way the damper is tuned in that version of the fork. No reason why a suspension specialist could not set a damper tune specific to your weight and riding type.
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Makes sense. Its tempting to go with the 38 180 since they have been on sale, but probably not a good idea. I have yet to read about anyones experience running it on a levo so still curious to hear some feedback. There must be someone out there that has tried it and either hated it or loved it.
 
rod9301 said:
No problem going to 180
The front will not lift 20 because you will also put lower pressure, so maybe 10mm higher.

No big deal on the up, you can also lean a bit more Forward
Click to expand...
Another rider that didn’t pay attention in mathematics class. Adding 20mm to a fork doesn’t raise your bike’s front end by 20mm. The fork is at around 64 degrees from vertical….. it’s more like 11 mm, as for sag, at 30% sag, the difference between a 160mm and 180mm is less than 10 mm.
 
If you're doing this to save money (because the 180's are on sale), do yourself a favor and just get a 160 or 170mm air shaft and swap it out. Less than an hour DIY job, or any shop familiar with Fox fork service can do it.
 
RickBullotta said:
If you're doing this to save money (because the 180's are on sale), do yourself a favor and just get a 160 or 170mm air shaft and swap it out. Less than an hour DIY job, or any shop familiar with Fox fork service can do it.
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Or stick a smashpot in it you'll never go back to air 🤘🤘
 
mustclime said:
Another rider that didn’t pay attention in mathematics class. Adding 20mm to a fork doesn’t raise your bike’s front end by 20mm. The fork is at around 64 degrees from vertical….. it’s more like 11 mm, as for sag, at 30% sag, the difference between a 160mm and 180mm is less than 10 mm.
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Absolutely right, i wanted to simplify it
 
Zeb 180 mm with a cascade link. Best thing I’ve done to the bike. Can run lower fork pressure and have great hold up and small bump absorption.

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Twindaddy said:
Yes! An actual user experience!! Any negatives at all??
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I would say it has to have lower air pressure if you’re doing XC style trails to make it have front end turn In feel like it did with a stock 160mm. I raced this bike at a XC and had too much air and it pushed slightly but then lowered the pressure to 60 psi from 80 psi and it corners awesome. Otherwise nothing but advantages over stock. It will suck up the big and rough stuff like you can’t believe.
 
rod9301 said:
Yes, coil
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What do you notice transitioning from air design to full coil design on an eMTB that stands out to you - i.e. Is it more linear or more compliant, better control, or anything like this that you can describe that might help others understand more.? Thx
 
Trust Shout. - 180mm of near zero dive - 180 you’ll notice on the really steep climbs
 
Twindaddy said:
Current set up is a fox 36 factory with cane creek kitsuma coil in the rear along with a Cascade link. Love how the rear feels for the trails I ride. Want to up the front a bit to balance out the rear and reduce the bottom outs. Have a 170mm air shaft but thinking a bit more may be good for the big hits. I know 180 is not recommended but havent read any experiences out there. Anyone try it and loved it or hated it?
Click to expand...
mustclime is correct. Changing the front fork will void the warranty. I went from a 150 to a 160 on my Levo SL. Keep the same Rake and don't go above 10mm is the rule of thumb.
 
I’m currently riding a 180mm zeb on a gen 3 Levo it’s feels so good but I was just looking at it yesterday and it looks very slack I have the standard headset cup in but wondering would putting the -1 degree be any benefit..
 
I run all my Levo’s at -1. And it helps the one with a 180mm fork the most. Turns much better and is still stable at speed.
 
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