Levo SL Gen 1 Levo SL 2023 Megathread

p3eps

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Dec 14, 2019
1,856
2,217
Scotland
XO mech and cassette are identical to XX apart from the colour, available as a kit at slight discount here:

EDIT- Bosch version. Sell them crank arms and chainring? use existing. Or buy Mahle when they’re available.

I thought there was about 200g between them, and the X0 doesn’t have the cool jockey wheels that spin with sticks in them?!
 

Rob Rides EMTB

Administrator
Staff member
Subscriber
Jan 14, 2018
6,146
13,219
Surrey, UK
I thought there was about 200g between them, and the X0 doesn’t have the cool jockey wheels that spin with sticks in them?!
Weights are almost identical when I weighed them. X0 doesn’t do that magic wheel thingy tho!

Derailleurs are basically the same otherwise. And the cassette is identical.
 

p3eps

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Dec 14, 2019
1,856
2,217
Scotland
I fear you’re probably right about the discounts… wishful thinking!

It just irks me that they are selling a derailleur for £695 that doesn’t even include a battery… the price of early adoption I guess!
Cheaper to buy a kit. I sat and calculated all the bits individually on Thursday. A productive 30 mins at work 😂
 
  • Haha
Reactions: RAG

p3eps

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Dec 14, 2019
1,856
2,217
Scotland
Weights are almost identical when I weighed them. X0 doesn’t do that magic wheel thingy tho!

Derailleurs are basically the same otherwise. And the cassette is identical.

Looks like most of the 200g is in the cranks - which don’t apply here!

Actually - the 200g is between XX and previous XX1 AXS. My bad!
Must be more like 22g between the XX and X0 for the bits we need.
 

Rob Rides EMTB

Administrator
Staff member
Subscriber
Jan 14, 2018
6,146
13,219
Surrey, UK
X0 mech is actually lighter

FE93F5F4-2383-4ABF-84C3-B9A41A8E1749.jpeg 86C78A9A-8B99-471A-9410-2ED4853ADB57.jpeg
 

Pete N

Active member
May 10, 2020
188
125
Surrey
I’m usually Trail at 30/80… so I wonder if I should be riding the new one at 25/80 or even 20/80 to make it the same.
Just go a bit faster with the same effort.
The SL really is a bike that will let you use the same effort as an analogue and it feel natural, which is the big plus for me. I achieve the same average heartrate when riding either it, or my Epic Evo.
As long as you weren’t emptying the battery on the Gen1
 

Rob Rides EMTB

Administrator
Staff member
Subscriber
Jan 14, 2018
6,146
13,219
Surrey, UK
I put them side by side and there’s zero difference between them. All the parts are identical apart from the colours of both mech and cassette.

The only mechanical difference is X0 doesn’t have that magic wheel. But the X0 is 40g lighter as a result.

Even the X0 kit - mine actually came with the XX chainring, but in the photos they hide it with that horrible plastic cover. Not sure if they all come with the XX chainring but the Bosch one had XX chainring in the kit.

71CECF30-6B92-4271-83E9-9C2046310E3F.jpeg



Pods are the same, chain is black and a different coating.

X0 is the sensible choice IMO.
 
Last edited:

RAG

Member
Mar 16, 2021
68
77
UK
I put them side by side and there’s zero difference between them. All the parts are identical apart from the colours of both mech and cassette.

The only mechanical difference is X0 doesn’t have that magic wheel. But the X0 is 40g lighter as a result.

Even the X0 kit - mine actually came with the XX chainring, but in the photos they hide it with that horrible plastic cover. Not sure if they all come with the XX chainring but the Bosch one had XX chainring in the kit.

View attachment 115172


Pods are the same, chain is black and a different coating.

X0 is the sensible choice IMO.
Since when do any of us make sensible choices buying this stuff 🤣
 

gts66

New Member
Apr 5, 2023
65
58
France
I’ve now decided to go ahead and pre order the S-Works version, in the White Mountains/Silver colour.
The online reviews have been really positive, as have the rider reviews on here.
Delivery dates are unclear so I’m not sure when I’ll manage to get one!!
Exciting times though!!
Sorry @Pete N 😂
 

p3eps

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Dec 14, 2019
1,856
2,217
Scotland
I put them side by side and there’s zero difference between them. All the parts are identical apart from the colours of both mech and cassette.

The only mechanical difference is X0 doesn’t have that magic wheel. But the X0 is 40g lighter as a result.


X0 is the sensible choice IMO.

But I really want that magic wheel 😂😂🤷🏼‍♂️
 
  • Haha
Reactions: RAG

nicknameless

Member
Aug 14, 2020
52
40
Birmingham
Power settings question: is the new trail like the old turbo and the new eco like the old trail in terms of power?
Yes to the former, no to the latter. Eco weaker than standard trail on old motor from my test ride.

Motor is quieter definitely but torque / power difference is not night and day by any means. I doubt specialized headline figures tbh. It's incremental and when I first got on the bike I have to say I thought "is that it?". However, motor is very natural and is better set up than old version after riding it for a while. Does it sell the bike - no - just closes a gap to the competition.
 

Pete N

Active member
May 10, 2020
188
125
Surrey
I guess 15nm increase won’t be massively noticeable.
Maybe Trek’s figures are out too if so. Francois(MTBR)did his tests and found the Levo SL more powerful than the Trek.
I like this lightweight market and there isn’t much to choose between 2 or 3 of the bikes.
I find the Gen 1 plenty powerful enough. Never use Turbo.
 

David86

Member
Sep 14, 2021
3
11
USA
I noticed the power didn’t seem great when I first jumped on it. I went into the app and the punch on turbo mode was dialed down to 80%. Changing that helped a lot.

I’m happy with the power vs the original 35nm bikes. I bought this bike for the more natural feel anyways. You can get out of the saddle and the motor won’t out peddle your legs.

Coming off an Orbea Rise I’m happy with the power of this updated SL.
 

Frankyspec

Member
Dec 3, 2022
59
19
Belgium
I noticed the power didn’t seem great when I first jumped on it. I went into the app and the punch on turbo mode was dialed down to 80%. Changing that helped a lot.

I’m happy with the power vs the original 35nm bikes. I bought this bike for the more natural feel anyways. You can get out of the saddle and the motor won’t out peddle your legs.

Coming off an Orbea Rise I’m happy with the power of this updated SL.
Did you also tried the new rise 2023 before going for the new sl? I did I test for the last 3 days on the old rise and I am really surprised about the range this has. Every day around 70km and 1200hm with only 50% of the battery used, 95% on eco with extender and in good shape, always ride non e Mtb. But I like the looks of the new sl too, so it’s difficult to decide 🤔
 

p3eps

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Dec 14, 2019
1,856
2,217
Scotland
My progress has been slow… but I’m getting there!

By the time I get the kids to bed during the week, it’s probably after 8pm… so I have limited time to put this bike together!

Sunday / Monday / Tuesday evenings were spent putting the Invisiframe on.
On Wednesday evening I dropped the frame off at my LBS to have the cranks fitted and the firmware updated.
Thursday evening I collected it, and started assembling.
On Friday evening my wife continued her 40th celebrations with her and 6 mates heading to Edinburgh for the weekend… so my progress pretty much halted!
Tonight, I’ve been back at it, and I now have what looks like a complete bike!

2 things… I still need to adjust the gears as they’re skipping a bit. Having come from an XL to an S4 (with a short chain stay) I guess I should be removing some links from the chain? How do I know how many?!

I went to put my Rockshox Super Deluxe in place of the Fox Float X… but the hole in the top of the Rockshox is too small for the bolt that came out.
Is there an easy way to fix this?

IMG_4094.jpeg
 

nicknameless

Member
Aug 14, 2020
52
40
Birmingham
Ok so had a weekend with the new SL.



Me – Mr average enthusiast but not very good rider!

Have Gen 1 SL with upgrades to suspension and also ride analogue YT.



Tbh it is good and bad.

Motor – for me it would not be enough to buy the bike. Quieter, plenty powerful enough in trail, but not a whole lot different other than that (controversial?!).

New geo – good to a point. Love the shorter seatpost. Nice to be slightly slacker, although my Gen 1 is on a 160mm fork and so this is not massively different. Slightly steeper seat angle nice. Seated pedalling position perfect for me (just over 6 ft on S5). Suspension a little plusher.

Shorter stays – mmm. Mullet – mmm. Agility and cornering – the bike is a step up. Mr average actually felt like he could corner for a change. Easier to find a line and change direction. But – geo is very, very forward on the larger size and just didn’t feel like I was comfortably balanced at all times, especially in chunkier stuff. Could well be my lack of talent, or familiarity. On flowy stuff it felt phenomenal, at other times much less so. Can’t quite put my finger on it.

Haven’t tried it in 29er rear – not had opportunity and tbh that’s not how it comes so ……..

Pedal strikes galore. I know the bike is adjustable but out of the box with 170mm cranks it is a PITA. And not just whilst climbing – hit a pedal 2 to 3 times whilst descending out of nowhere seemingly.

At times I was having an absolute blast thinking this is a massive upgrade, and then I just didn’t feel as assured on it as I expected.

New, unfamiliar bike? Awful rider? Not quite the bike for me? Confused.com.

A bit annoyed at the specialized hype around balanced frame to give the same ride regardless of sizing, to then stick the same length stays on every size.

Not sure if this will help anyone but thought I’d post it, partly to help me summarise feelings to myself.

At this point in time I just don’t think I can justify the outlay based on this weekend. May well get back on the Gen 1 and decide otherwise however lol.
 

Pete N

Active member
May 10, 2020
188
125
Surrey
Ok so had a weekend with the new SL.



Me – Mr average enthusiast but not very good rider!

Have Gen 1 SL with upgrades to suspension and also ride analogue YT.



Tbh it is good and bad.

Motor – for me it would not be enough to buy the bike. Quieter, plenty powerful enough in trail, but not a whole lot different other than that (controversial?!).

New geo – good to a point. Love the shorter seatpost. Nice to be slightly slacker, although my Gen 1 is on a 160mm fork and so this is not massively different. Slightly steeper seat angle nice. Seated pedalling position perfect for me (just over 6 ft on S5). Suspension a little plusher.

Shorter stays – mmm. Mullet – mmm. Agility and cornering – the bike is a step up. Mr average actually felt like he could corner for a change. Easier to find a line and change direction. But – geo is very, very forward on the larger size and just didn’t feel like I was comfortably balanced at all times, especially in chunkier stuff. Could well be my lack of talent, or familiarity. On flowy stuff it felt phenomenal, at other times much less so. Can’t quite put my finger on it.

Haven’t tried it in 29er rear – not had opportunity and tbh that’s not how it comes so ……..

Pedal strikes galore. I know the bike is adjustable but out of the box with 170mm cranks it is a PITA. And not just whilst climbing – hit a pedal 2 to 3 times whilst descending out of nowhere seemingly.

At times I was having an absolute blast thinking this is a massive upgrade, and then I just didn’t feel as assured on it as I expected.

New, unfamiliar bike? Awful rider? Not quite the bike for me? Confused.com.

A bit annoyed at the specialized hype around balanced frame to give the same ride regardless of sizing, to then stick the same length stays on every size.

Not sure if this will help anyone but thought I’d post it, partly to help me summarise feelings to myself.

At this point in time I just don’t think I can justify the outlay based on this weekend. May well get back on the Gen 1 and decide otherwise however lol.
Sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself to save some money😂. Don’t blame you as I’m doing the same.
 

43ride

New Member
May 6, 2023
18
24
Wales
My progress has been slow… but I’m getting there!

By the time I get the kids to bed during the week, it’s probably after 8pm… so I have limited time to put this bike together!

Sunday / Monday / Tuesday evenings were spent putting the Invisiframe on.
On Wednesday evening I dropped the frame off at my LBS to have the cranks fitted and the firmware updated.
Thursday evening I collected it, and started assembling.
On Friday evening my wife continued her 40th celebrations with her and 6 mates heading to Edinburgh for the weekend… so my progress pretty much halted!
Tonight, I’ve been back at it, and I now have what looks like a complete bike!

2 things… I still need to adjust the gears as they’re skipping a bit. Having come from an XL to an S4 (with a short chain stay) I guess I should be removing some links from the chain? How do I know how many?!

I went to put my Rockshox Super Deluxe in place of the Fox Float X… but the hole in the top of the Rockshox is too small for the bolt that came out.
Is there an easy way to fix this?

View attachment 115376
It seems like you need a new bushes with 8mm hole.

About the chain now
Shift to the smallest cog in your cassette and then when your chain is hanging you have to remove enough links to keep it slightly tensioned
Hope it helps

16847355318384619172307969839362.jpg 16847356107226576164135067298727.jpg
 

p3eps

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Dec 14, 2019
1,856
2,217
Scotland
It seems like you need a new bushes with 8mm hole.
Thanks...

Do I just buy something like this and knock the existing one out? I wasn't sure if it'd have to go back somewhere to be modified?


I'll have a look at the chain length tonight. I'll need to take a heap of air out of the shock to get the sag for adjusting the B-gap!
 

RAG

Member
Mar 16, 2021
68
77
UK
My progress has been slow… but I’m getting there!

By the time I get the kids to bed during the week, it’s probably after 8pm… so I have limited time to put this bike together!

Sunday / Monday / Tuesday evenings were spent putting the Invisiframe on.
On Wednesday evening I dropped the frame off at my LBS to have the cranks fitted and the firmware updated.
Thursday evening I collected it, and started assembling.
On Friday evening my wife continued her 40th celebrations with her and 6 mates heading to Edinburgh for the weekend… so my progress pretty much halted!
Tonight, I’ve been back at it, and I now have what looks like a complete bike!

2 things… I still need to adjust the gears as they’re skipping a bit. Having come from an XL to an S4 (with a short chain stay) I guess I should be removing some links from the chain? How do I know how many?!

I went to put my Rockshox Super Deluxe in place of the Fox Float X… but the hole in the top of the Rockshox is too small for the bolt that came out.
Is there an easy way to fix this?

View attachment 115376
Here’s the official SRAM guidance re chain sizing:

 

nicknameless

Member
Aug 14, 2020
52
40
Birmingham
Sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself to save some money😂. Don’t blame you as I’m doing the same.
Possibly. I was judging it on descending capability (in my hands) and I just don't think it is that massive a step up. Perhaps I need a Kenevo :) but that would seem silly as I'm not riding super gnarr by any stretch of the imagination.
 

Pete N

Active member
May 10, 2020
188
125
Surrey
Possibly. I was judging it on descending capability (in my hands) and I just don't think it is that massive a step up. Perhaps I need a Kenevo :) but that would seem silly as I'm not riding super gnarr by any stretch of the imagination.
It’s strange. Most people say the descending/geo is the biggest step up. The motor is obviously a decent improvement but not ground breaking. I also don’t really need more power.
I also think a mullet is different and one of my reservations to be honest.
I’ve ridden only 29ers for 12 years so I think that would feel weird for my initially too.
I honestly think I’ll prefer the bike as a 29er but will give it a bit of time when I get it.
Need to see if Specialized can get the correct colour rim decals for a Traverse SL wheel if I buy one.
Most bikes are now very good so any new models won’t be a massive jump in my opinion.
 

EMTB Forums

Since 2018

The World's largest electric mountain bike community.

518K
Messages
25,448
Members
Join Our Community

Latest articles


Top