Been offered a bullit at a good price so do I sell the Levo for a bullit

[chrismechmaster]

Hi guys

wondered your opinion on this anyone here had a Levo and sold it for a bullit ??
Regretted if it was it better

many thanks.
Chris

 

[chrismechmaster]

Sorry should of added Levo is a full fat gen 2 alu model

 

[Doomanic]

@JetSetDemo has a G2 Levo and a Bullitt.

 

[JetSetDemo]

I’m back from work later and I will write a proper detailed good and bad when I get in, watch this space.

 

[chrismechmaster]

That would help massively I would really appreciate that

 

[JetSetDemo]

Ok so I still have my Gen2 carbon expert Levo 700w 2019 and I also have a 2021 XT air build Bullet.

the bullet is a better bike but the Levo is a better ebike. I know that sounds odd but this is how Icome to the conclusion.

I have hada Levo gen 1 and gen 2 for 4 and a half years.My gen1 had a motor and battery after it got super wet but other than that it was an excellent bike. I have had 3 motors anew wiring harness and the TCU replaced on my Gen2 Levo. Specialized warranty is second to none and Birkshire cycles always got me up and running whilst I waited. The 700w battery and the Brose motor when it works is significantly better than the shimano EP8 and 630w battery. It’s no contest really the powers and the way it delivers it is much better on the Levo.

Range is a big issue on the bullet. I dropped from 92kg to 80kg this year just to try and improve the range on the EP8 and apart from being in the best shape of my life for 20 years the range gain was negligible, I genuinely get 30% less range from the bullet. I have fixed that now by picking up a second 630w battery but that took me 5 months to track one down, they are not in stock anywhere.

This is my experience and people will claim they get more and it’s about the tune but I have both bikes with over 2500 miles on the Levo and 600 on the bullet so I think I have a good benchmark.

as for the ride, it’s difficult to compare, my times and ridding came on leaps and bounds on the bullet it’s a lot more capable than the Levo. However I should have got a Gen3 Levo, I think that would have suited me more.

Now I have the extra battery I’m sorted to keep the bullet for the 2022 season I am sure in the next 12 months Specialized will bring out a 800w plus drive train and revise the Levo for 2023 to get back ahead of the market, I will put a deposit down as soon as that drops.

I paid £8200 for my bullet and it was the only bike in the country I could find, I could not even find a Gen3 Levo at the time, expert was not released so the S works would have been too expensive for me to be honest. You won’t be disappointed with the way the bullet rides but you will notice the power and the range for sure. Santa Cruz are amazing bikes and the brand is super cool, however Specialized are nothing to sniff at having had many of them over the years. I had always wanted a SC and it’s scratched that itch.

I seldom ride in Turbo, mostly eco when I am solo and trail with Dom and co.

Hope this helps

 

[chrismechmaster]

Ok so I still have my Gen2 carbon expert Levo 700w 2019 and I also have a 2021 XT air build Bullet.

the bullet is a better bike but the Levo is a better ebike. I know that sounds odd but this is how Icome to the conclusion.

I have hada Levo gen 1 and gen 2 for 4 and a half years.My gen1 had a motor and battery after it got super wet but other than that it was an excellent bike. I have had 3 motors anew wiring harness and the TCU replaced on my Gen2 Levo. Specialized warranty is second to none and Birkshire cycles always got me up and running whilst I waited. The 700w battery and the Brose motor when it works is significantly better than the shimano EP8 and 630w battery. It’s no contest really the powers and the way it delivers it is much better on the Levo.

Range is a big issue on the bullet. I dropped from 92kg to 80kg this year just to try and improve the range on the EP8 and apart from being in the best shape of my life for 20 years the range gain was negligible, I genuinely get 30% less range from the bullet. I have fixed that now by picking up a second 630w battery but that took me 5 months to track one down, they are not in stock anywhere.

This is my experience and people will claim they get more and it’s about the tune but I have both bikes with over 2500 miles on the Levo and 600 on the bullet so I think I have a good benchmark.

as for the ride, it’s difficult to compare, my times and ridding came on leaps and bounds on the bullet it’s a lot more capable than the Levo. However I should have got a Gen3 Levo, I think that would have suited me more.

Now I have the extra battery I’m sorted to keep the bullet for the 2022 season I am sure in the next 12 months Specialized will bring out a 800w plus drive train and revise the Levo for 2023 to get back ahead of the market, I will put a deposit down as soon as that drops.

I paid £8200 for my bullet and it was the only bike in the country I could find, I could not even find a Gen3 Levo at the time, expert was not released so the S works would have been too expensive for me to be honest. You won’t be disappointed with the way the bullet rides but you will notice the power and the range for sure. Santa Cruz are amazing bikes and the brand is super cool, however Specialized are nothing to sniff at having had many of them over the years. I had always wanted a SC and it’s scratched that itch.

I seldom ride in Turbo, mostly eco when I am solo and trail with Dom and co.

Hope this helps

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this that has helped me massively very much appreciated cheers

 

[Doomanic]

I've done a few hundred miles on various Levos over the years, from the OG six Fattie to the Gen2 and about 100 on @JetSetDemo's Bullitt after he was careless enough to leave it lying around. The Bullitt is the better bike to ride by far, just not too far. Riding solo at a steady pace the Bullitt gets decent range but add another rider into the mix on a Bosch or a Brose and the range suffers massively as the pace increases.

 

[Doomanic]

Solo, 2 bars used;

With a two battery turbo twat, mandraulic back to the car;

Both rides were done in Trail.

 

[Ripping g]

Stick with the levo for now I have a levo a cube and a mega watt with ep8 range and motor on the mega are piss poor compared to the other 2 but the mega is so agile and eats up anything thing in its way down hill but it’s just sole destroying on the ups
I’ve got the levo and the mega up for sale
Hoping to try the new mondraker with the 750w so will see

 

[Dave_B]

For me, the main thing here is support and range.

I had the Heckler, great bike. Was nervous of motor replacement (I did have a motor replaced) and range (always had to use eco a lot to get reasonable range)

I now have the gen3 levo and know that I can get a motor replaced the same day, while I wait at Berkshire Turbo and the range I am getting is almost double the heckler, so not only is the battery bigger (77 vs 504) the Brose also seems to be more efficient.

I don't really care about the power of the motor, I'm more interested in the range and the levo wins hands down.

I also think the gen3 levo is next level on suspension feel compared to the heckler (both air shocks). Levo is more plush, better over square edge hits and generally just feels better.

Appreciate you are looking at the Bullit and not a Heckler.

 

[Rich-EMTB-UK]

Interesting comments regarding the EP8 and range. I have a TL Expert at the moment and Yeti 160E on order so will keep both initially while I get used to the range on the Yeti as used to biggish days out on the TL without any range anxiety. Might end up with a spare battery for the Yeti if needed although a real PITA to have to carry it with you on anything over 30 miles.

 

[Velociraptor]

For me, the main thing here is support and range.

I had the Heckler, great bike. Was nervous of motor replacement (I did have a motor replaced) and range (always had to use eco a lot to get reasonable range)

I now have the gen3 levo and know that I can get a motor replaced the same day, while I wait at Berkshire Turbo and the range I am getting is almost double the heckler, so not only is the battery bigger (77 vs 504) the Brose also seems to be more efficient.

I don't really care about the power of the motor, I'm more interested in the range and the levo wins hands down.

I also think the gen3 levo is next level on suspension feel compared to the heckler (both air shocks). Levo is more plush, better over square edge hits and generally just feels better.

Appreciate you are looking at the Bullit and not a Heckler.

Your experience is exactly mine. I got a Gen3 Turbo Levo Pro and did a ride with over 4,000 feet of climbing and still had 30% battery left even riding mostly in trail mode. I am 86 kilos. I still have my old Heckler and the battery was almost zero with 1951 feet of climbing. Originally I was planning to get a Bullit, but after reading about range issues with the EP8 I switched to the Levo. Very glad I did because I just love the Levo. I have ridden it all summer and it ticks all the boxes for me. Great climber and descender and great range. For me it is better than my Heckler in every way hands down.

 

[mehukatti]

I would definitely sell the old Levo and get a Bullit if you don't have to invest a lot of money in the swap. The previous Levo is more or less outdated geo wise compared to the latest ebikes, even if the motor system is good. But if you like Specialized, maybe the question should be if you would upgrade to the latest Levo?

 

[Phatboi]

Ive Just sold my Gen 2 Ali Levo and bought a Bullit.

The advice so far is pretty accurate, however it does depend on what riding you like to do. Im more into Enduro so steep tech trails rather than XC long distance. The Bullit is a fantastic handling bike that is way nicer to ride than my Gen 2 Levo was.

HOWEVER... The Levo's Brose Motor is Head & Shoulders better than the EP8 Motor. I think my Bullit with a brose motor would be perfection. I was waiting to get a Gen 3 Levo but £13.5k for an S works made the Bullit look good value and as I have the Nomad V5 which I love I got the Bullit. Do I regret it? only when I notice the motor not putting out the power like my Levo used to.

I also wonder how the Gen 3 Levo with its newer geometry & Mullet set up would handle compared to the Bullit? Im sure it would be much closer than the Gen 2 Levo.

So simple answer; Gen 2 or Bullit = Bullit for much better handling
Gen 3 or Bullit = Unsure / doubtful if handling benefits would outweigh the superior Brose motor & range.

 

[Eddy-E]

Hi mate,

I live in Australia.

The Bad

I have had two Trek rail 9.8s and am now on a Bullit with a coil and Zeb ultimates and Axs xx1. I have to say the range and power on the Bullit is not as good as the Bosch powered bikes. My solution to this was to buy another battery. I can now ride 80km and climb over 2500 meters if I want. I don't notice the weight of the battery in my pack really.

Here's the Good!!!

Back in my younger years I raced a season on the NORBA and World cup DH circuit so I think I can comment on how a bike should handle.

Put simply the Bullit is a weapon of a bike. It actually took me a while to really push its limits. It is probably the most capable bike I have ridden. Period. I have ridden a lot of ebikes and nothing comes close to it. Last month in Tasmania I rode at Maydena bike park (850m vertical drop) with some mates on normal DH bikes and it kept up even on the steepest double blacks!!!! It rides like like a top end big travel enduro bike (maybe better).

I have ridden this bike 3700km and my mate got a new one yesterday and they feel identical. This is the best made bike I have ever ridden. Period.

I cannot recommend this bike highly enough. It's a game changer and I believe a wake up call to the other top end ebike brands. Santa Cruz have set the bench very high.

 

[Velociraptor]

I almost got a Bullit but was put off by the less than stellar battery range that was reported. At the time I was riding a Heckler and hauling an extra battery around. I ended up getting a Gen3 Levo and that bike is a beast. I slacked out the front end max and kept the back in the high setting. I am 100% happy with the bike. You can actually get the Gen3 as slack as the Bullit in the front, but the Bullit has more suspension travel. As other have said, if the most important thing is a big hitting beast of a bike then the Bullit is the way to go. If you worry about range then keep your Levo. I also love the Brose motor. So smooth it makes climbing so much easier. I am guessing that the Bullit will get the new 720wh battery pretty soon since that new Heckler just came out. I can see the Heckler stealing sales from the old 630wh Bullit. I have an extra 700wh battery for the Levo but that is only for crazy big climbs and a long day in the mountains. So far I have not needed it.

**Just notice I already responded to this thread. Duh! Oh well I still am loving my Gen3 Levo. As others have said, a Bullit with the Brose motor would be perfect. I bet the Gen3 Levo is a lot closer to the Bullit though. Have not ridden the Bullit but the Gen3 is really confidence inspiring.

 

[mehukatti]

I am guessing that the Bullit will get the new 720wh battery pretty soon since that new Heckler just came out.

Nope, they are physically different size and Darfon uses different battery mounts. Bullit (nor any other EP8 bike with Shimano battery) won't get a bigger capacity battery unless Shimano itself releases a 700Wh battery in the same form factor as BT-E8035-L and BT-E8036.

 

[Phatboi]

Just an update on Levo v Bullit

I had a Levo Gen 3 on demo over Christmas to compare to my Bullit. The Gen 3 out of the box rides really really well, far better than the gen 2 Levo. I did 4 rides and on 2 of those i had motor problems with the Gen 3 !!! As it was a Demo Bike my LBS said it may not have had the very latest Brose Motor.

Conclusion: All E bikes have electrical problems! The Gen 3 Levo is a brilliant E Bike and no one will be dissapointed or feel they are missing out if they get one. My Bullit has had a new EP8 Motor under watrranty which took 1 week, So ive had my share of problems with the EP8. However on balance for me and how I like to ride I'd choose the Bullit despite the EP8 motor every time. The Bullit is such an amazing handling Bike when you are heading down steep rough Enduro trails. It jumps really well too.

 

[Velociraptor]

Nope, they are physically different size and Darfon uses different battery mounts. Bullit (nor any other EP8 bike with Shimano battery) won't get a bigger capacity battery unless Shimano itself releases a 700Wh battery in the same form factor as BT-E8035-L and BT-E8036.

I meant I expect a redesign of the Bullit for the new battery just like they redesigned the Heckler.

 

[psst!!!...]

Hi guys

wondered your opinion on this anyone here had a Levo and sold it for a bullit ??
Regretted if it was it better

many thanks.
Chris

Can you try the Bullit before hitting the red button? And a levo gen3?
I didnt try before buying but i reckon to be the wiser decision.