Levo Gen 3 Gen3 Levo Frame Clicking

[mike172]

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Had it in a LBS and Specialized wouldnt warranty this because there's no visible crack, LBS blamed the CSU and left me with a washer jammed between the bearing cup and steerer (irrelevant but funny, courtesy of the goons at Balfes Bikes in Reigate). Its driving me mad when I ride uphill on a fireroad, can anyone suggest what it might be, or how I can get this warrantied please?

Troubleshooting:

CSU/Steerer - Tried Fox 38, Zebb, RXF38, none of which make a sound on my other bikes and the clicking persists.

New headset assembly (hope items, cleaned and greased).

All bolts in the linkage and suspension, motor mounts etc have been cleaned and torqued and greased as well as the shock mounting hardware and metal or carbon contact points.

Im confident it's not a cable.

Battery re-seated.

Ridden on a fireroad with the headset slightly loose, and the shock eyelet loose, no improvement or worsening of clicking.

I can only assume it's the carbon frame, sounds to be coming from the headset area but difficult to pinpoint, could well be elsewhere.

Bearings are fine, replaced about 2 years ago but struggling to imagine how a clicking headset would be related.

Was going to try pry at the headset with a lever to look for visible cracks. The carbon around the headset cups looks well worn, I had assumed Spesh would warranty it based on that alone but apparently not.

Can try another LBS, since Balfes have been terrible. I had no problems warranting a chainstay through Specialized Concept.

To try:

Drop motor and clean frame and motor housing.
Clean dropper and frame.
New Pedals
Ride without battery.
Try a different shock
Different headset cup

Thanks

 

[Mikerb]

First off your motor is very noisy..... I have a Gen3, motor is near silent even in turbo. This may sound far fetched but the noise on the video does not sound like a rattle from a loose headset, it actually sounds more like an electrical short.
Does the noise continue if you stop pedalling? You say the noise is there pedalling uphill ...does that also mean it is always in turbo mode?
I would try riding with no battery to eliminate any sort of electrical fault.

That sort of noise can also be caused where 2 surfaces are pressed together. Obviously for that sort of joint there is no grease etc so any slight movement will cause a click rather than a rattle. That type of joint could be the steerer into the crown for example. Are you saying you have removed the fork on that bike and tried in another bike and there is no clicking? If so that may not discount the steerer/crown joint as the source of the clicking if the Levo head angle is different to the other bike. Another "dry" joint is the stem onto the steerer, and another is the bar fixed to the stem.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Does it only happen when seated?
Does it only happen when pedaling?
Does it change if you lock out the shock?
Rear derailleur and thru-axle tight?
Loose chainring bolts?

Your motor is F'd too, but that's probably not the clicking.

 

[mike172]

Mikerb - re electrics I'd not considered that, the noise only happens when going uphill like this and it does it in any power mode. Ill look into that further.

I did clean up the stem and handlebars and dont think that's the problem.

For the forks I tried the fox ohlins and zebb forks on another two bikes and they are all silent, they all have very similar head angles. Specialized Enduro, Patrol, Slash Plus. The Levo makes this noise with all of them.

Jersey Skier -

Don't know actually
Yes
No change locked out, although it's an X2 so doesnt lock

Derailleur fine, but haven't checked the chainring etc. Ill dismantle it all at some point and check.


Motor has always sounded like that, it's my 2nd in 5 years and the first was the same. I dont know any better.

 

[mike172]

Levo Gen 3 - Component swap. Check app. Please update before riding.

2022 gen 3 Levo Expert. Any experience with this TCU message? Nothing was swapped. No errors in the Specialized app either. Everything was normal. It even showed system healthy. A few days ago while riding I felt the power cutting out sporadically and it got worse over the next few miles, than...

www.emtbforums.com

Ive also got this error since receiving the bike back from the LBS, so now wondering if it is electrical. Although it won't make this noise unless it's going uphill, on a trail or fireroad. Won't make a sound on steep tarmac for example, it's a nuisance to replicate the noise.

 

[linkqwd]

I had similar cricking sound but it was constant not only uphills and then I found out motor mount was broken, rebuild and cleaning did help. Im not sure if it was because of mount or dirt in mounts.

Occasionally I also experience similar noise when seat tube gets dirty

 

[mike172]

I had similar cricking sound but it was constant not only uphills and then I found out motor mount was broken, rebuild and cleaning did help. Im not sure if it was because of mount or dirt in mounts.
View attachment 168419

Occasionally I also experience similar noise when seat tube gets dirty

Thanks, ill be dropping the motor at some point and giving it a good clean so ill look out for that.

 

[James_C]

that sounds like dirt in either seat rails or seat tube

 

[Greeno]

Try listening for the sound standing up and not sitting on the seat, that would eliminate the dropper or seat making noise.
listen again while holding the stem only and not the bars to eliminate and rocking back and foth using the bars.
Swap out a different front wheel to eliminate that as well.
Turn bike off and ride that would eliminate anything electrical active, remove battery etc.
You’ll get it figured out.

 

[PDXRooster]

What seat do you have? Just had this issue and my seat was the problem, new seat no noise. I also went ahead and serviced the dropper post at the same time. Give a different saddle a try...

 

[cream]

To me it doesn't seem the motor has a problem (unless a mount is broken). He's using a low gear, the bike has just a couple of km/h speed, it's normal s-mag sound. Also, if the sound was electrical in nature, I think he would have other symptoms too

Damn, that crackling noise is driving me crazy just hearing it in a video. If it only happens on uphill (then you'll be on the saddle), maybe check your post, saddle/seatpost interface. Also check frame bearing bolts and motor bolts for correct torque. Basically check everything that joints with bolts/collars/etc.

 

[mike172]

Right... dropped the motor, disassembled the cranks and spider etc, cleaned thoroughly especially around the chainstay bearings, put the anti sieze, re torqued and it's now gone thank goodness. I did clean out the electrical connectors too for what it's worth. I also noticed one of the motor bolts, the longer one that goes straight through, was not oriented in the same way the schematics show not sure if that matters, so it's been that way since the chainstay was warrantied back in Jan 2024. Not noticed this clicking until recently this year.


Thanks all for the suggestions, genuinely appreciate it as it was driving me nuts.

 

[16Rally]

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Had it in a LBS and Specialized wouldnt warranty this because there's no visible crack, LBS blamed the CSU and left me with a washer jammed between the bearing cup and steerer (irrelevant but funny, courtesy of the goons at Balfes Bikes in Reigate). Its driving me mad when I ride uphill on a fireroad, can anyone suggest what it might be, or how I can get this warrantied please?

Troubleshooting:

CSU/Steerer - Tried Fox 38, Zebb, RXF38, none of which make a sound on my other bikes and the clicking persists.

New headset assembly (hope items, cleaned and greased).

All bolts in the linkage and suspension, motor mounts etc have been cleaned and torqued and greased as well as the shock mounting hardware and metal or carbon contact points.

Im confident it's not a cable.

Battery re-seated.

Ridden on a fireroad with the headset slightly loose, and the shock eyelet loose, no improvement or worsening of clicking.

I can only assume it's the carbon frame, sounds to be coming from the headset area but difficult to pinpoint, could well be elsewhere.

Bearings are fine, replaced about 2 years ago but struggling to imagine how a clicking headset would be related.

Was going to try pry at the headset with a lever to look for visible cracks. The carbon around the headset cups looks well worn, I had assumed Spesh would warranty it based on that alone but apparently not.

Can try another LBS, since Balfes have been terrible. I had no problems warranting a chainstay through Specialized Concept.

To try:

Drop motor and clean frame and motor housing.
Clean dropper and frame.
New Pedals
Ride without battery.
Try a different shock
Different headset cup

Thanks

View attachment 168400 View attachment 168401 View attachment 168402

That could very well be your drivetrain! For example a cracked outer plate on your chain that causes the link to go out of alignment when under climbing tension.

 

[Turbo Mike]

I had a similar clicking when I first owned mine. I pulled the battery out and attached the fuzzy/soft side of appx 2"x2" near the top of the battery where it is pinched/seated in the upper tube (near the head set!). Seemed to solve the problem.