Levo Gen 2 Is there anything that will make my Levo not ride like a hard tail?

[Mtbvkk]

Did you do the damper upgrade? I no longer have my levo but I remember hating the fork until I had my LBS do the damper upgrade.

 

[GWeb]

Push Industries ElevenSix

 

[WatermanJim]

Sounds like too much dampening especially rebound. Here's what i would do. first -open all dials. Set sag just between 25- 30% not over 30.
Setup rebound by using the bounce test. Lower seat , press hard and fast on the seat with both hands to compress the rear and then release quickly. Make the rear spring up and down like a pogo stick. Do this many times and add rebound clicks until the rear wheel barely hops off the ground when you press down as hard as you can. go for a ride with compression dials open and it should feel super soft. add compression to taste. For more info watch the fox video series Dialed with top fox mechanic Jordie.
Use the bounce test to quickly test suspension setup front and rear on any FS bike, dirt bikes too. Oh, also just to make sure, remove the shock and cycle the rear up and down to make sure all the pivots points are tight and turning smoothly. Good luck.

 

[Rhino]

I have a large 2021 turbo levo comp. Mine came with the low end fox 36 rhythm and low end air shock that while decent enough for an entry level rider they just weren’t enough for this bike. I went ahead and bought a factory 38 fork from fox and a DVO jade X shock and it has changed my bike into an absolute beast! I used to race motocross and pretty much every motocross bike requires you to get the suspension worked on after you buy the bike new, so you shouldn’t be surprised if you have to upgrade the suspension on any kind of off-road vehicle. Just my experience so far. Yeah it is a bummer to go pay seven grand for a bike and then have to drop another $2000-$2500 to get the suspension to work the way it should. That being said this thing rips and can ride anything my other bike rips down without any problem. I routinely ride sweetness and magic carpet out at UCSC and Mile and Boy Scout at Pacifica a lot in this thing just eats up the rough terrain and big jumps without any problem. Go ahead and drop a little cash. I think you’ll be really happy with the results. Good luck man. That’s a bummer when your rides not working with you

 

[WatermanJim]

I did the same on my 2018 comp. Worth the cash if your a racer who is used to top quality suspension.

 

[1rider]

Thanks to everyone who offered helpful suggestions and shared what’s worked for them. I am going to buy a replacement shock, likely a DPS that was originally on a Levo.

 

[Mcharza]

Thanks to everyone who offered helpful suggestions and shared what’s worked for them. I am going to buy a replacement shock, likely a DPS that was originally on a Levo.

If you can get new Fox Float X, buy that one

 

[Grannyjones]

I'm not sure if I'd say the Levo rides like a Hard Tail. On the Downhill's it's way better than my Stumpjumper 2017 FSR Carbon Comp!

 

[Grannyjones]

I think I will wait until the standard Rochshox Deluxe wears out, then look at upgrading it

 

[Limy78]

I didn't like the stock suspension, front or rear on my 2020 Levo Comp. I have since changed the rear shock to Ohlins TTX Coil with Cane creek progressive spring. The front Lyrik Select I've keep but have changed the damper to an Avalanche hybrid coil. This works great although I didn't feel the bottom out worked as well as I would like. Found this on the Avy / Boxxer i had years ago as well. Have added the MRP Ramp control.

 

[1rider]

To close out this thread and add information for anyone who searches similar issues…

I replaced the Rockshox with a new Fox DPS for a Levo and voila! My suspension works fantastic now, I am still not happy that I had to spend more money to make the bike work properly though.
The Rockshox was inspected and serviced and found to be in good working order, just not a good mate on this bike as I suspected all along.

 

[Jersey Skier]

To close out this thread and add information for anyone who searches similar issues…

I replaced the Rockshox with a new Fox DPS for a Levo and voila! My suspension works fantastic now, I am still not happy that I had to spend more money to make the bike work properly though.
The Rockshox was inspected and serviced and found to be in good working order, just not a good mate on this bike as I suspected all along.

Funny. I pulled off the Fox and replaced it with a Cane Creek Coil to get mine to perform. Fox felt like a rock compared to a coil.

 

[Mikerb]

Clearly a range of solutions work for different people. My set up on my Levo comp ( now stolen) which I considered absolutely brilliant was a Fox DPS ( new off a Levo SL) with medium tune and a RS Lyric Ultimate 160mm ..again standard factory tune which is medium. If the Levo in standard trim is a trail bike I considered my changes pushed its ability certainly to all mountain and somewhat into enduro territory whereas before I made the changes anything steep and techy brought my eyes out on stalks with a definite feeling of an imminent crash! Such a shame that Specialized seem always to skimp on decent suspension until you get to the stupid money parts of the range.

 

[1rider]

Clearly a range of solutions work for different people. My set up on my Levo comp ( now stolen) which I considered absolutely brilliant was a Fox DPS ( new off a Levo SL) with medium tune and a RS Lyric Ultimate 160mm ..again standard factory tune which is medium. If the Levo in standard trim is a trail bike I considered my changes pushed its ability certainly to all mountain and somewhat into enduro territory whereas before I made the changes anything steep and techy brought my eyes out on stalks with a definite feeling of an imminent crash! Such a shame that Specialized seem always to skimp on decent suspension until you get to the stupid money parts of the range.

I wound up with the fix, a DPS of a new SL and am running the same fork. Before reluctantly spending more money to replace a new shock that should work I was ready to just move on and buy another bike/brand in part out of spite. I love the bike as it sits now and hope it keeps going for a long time.
Two points on the bit I underlined, first is to the average person we have already spent “stupid” money on these bikes. Second is that Specialized needs to cut the crap, in the bike industry more money means less weight or user adjustability. Not less money your suspension won’t perform, it’s BS.
They have been known for this with there $5-6K entry level non-Ebike models as well like the Stumpjumper.

Sorry your ride got lifted. I like to think it is always a non-cyclist that steals bikes because a cyclist knows how much a bike means to a person.