Levo SL Gen 1 Levo to levo sl

fodmtb

Well-known member
Sep 4, 2018
101
212
Forest of Dean
Gone from a full fat Kenevo to Kenevo SL. Love it.. Love the feel again close to a normal bike without the weight penalty . Especially when it gets steep and tech , feels great. Yes you will get fitter . Plus the SL ride fine when 'off' on flat singletrack so range is great. Prepare to work harder if your riding group are all on full fats though , but so worth it on the descents. Oh and when others say 35nm is not enough power then ignore it, more than enough to get you to the top.
 

Dax

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 25, 2018
1,480
1,849
FoD
Gone from a full fat Kenevo to Kenevo SL. Love it.. Love the feel again close to a normal bike without the weight penalty . Especially when it gets steep and tech , feels great. Yes you will get fitter . Plus the SL ride fine when 'off' on flat singletrack so range is great. Prepare to work harder if your riding group are all on full fats though , but so worth it on the descents. Oh and when others say 35nm is not enough power then ignore it, more than enough to get you to the top.

100% agree with this.

The Full Fat is excellent and I still love it, but the SL is more bike. I was sold within about 20s of riding one that was the wrong size and set up for a rider 50% heavier.
 

Interpaul

Active member
Jun 18, 2018
124
116
Edinburgh
I have been riding my son's Levo SL for a while (he got injured so can't ride atm). I went from a 'full fat' bike to the SL and much prefer the ride experience and lack of weight of the SL- I can lift the bike over fences etc.

35nm is enough, and I have ridden with riders on full power bikes - they either have to ride slower or wait but you get there.

I preferred the light ebike experience so much I sold my Devinci ACXT full fat last week, and now own an Orbea Rise H15 which sits somewhere in-between the two bikes. Light enough to notice a big difference but a bit more power.

If you want a lighter bike, the SL is great. They are quite small though so size up.
 

rod9301

Member
Oct 10, 2020
147
79
US
Gone from a full fat Kenevo to Kenevo SL. Love it.. Love the feel again close to a normal bike without the weight penalty . Especially when it gets steep and tech , feels great. Yes you will get fitter . Plus the SL ride fine when 'off' on flat singletrack so range is great. Prepare to work harder if your riding group are all on full fats though , but so worth it on the descents. Oh and when others say 35nm is not enough power then ignore it, more than enough to get you to the top.
Does it have the same components as the regular kenevo?

Suspension in particular?
 

Doomanic

🛠️Wrecker🛠️
Patreon
Founding Member
Jan 21, 2018
8,490
9,970
UK
Gone from a full fat Kenevo to Kenevo SL. Love it.. Love the feel again close to a normal bike without the weight penalty . Especially when it gets steep and tech , feels great. Yes you will get fitter . Plus the SL ride fine when 'off' on flat singletrack so range is great. Prepare to work harder if your riding group are all on full fats though , but so worth it on the descents. Oh and when others say 35nm is not enough power then ignore it, more than enough to get you to the top.
+1
 

Jamsxr

E*POWAH Master
Mar 30, 2019
518
632
Surrey
Ride a normal MTB if you’re worried about fitness. For me the SL is a great do it all bike, but why have one when you could have more 🤣.

I love switching between my MTB and eMTB. Spend too much time on my eMTB and the first 20 min are always a bit of a challenge on my MTB 😅
 

jwrx

Well-known member
Jul 22, 2018
206
243
Malaysia
my entire group went from FF Levo to SL and none will ever go back to FF. Handles better, better workout and best of all, you can ride comfortably with normal bikes on a SL.

With a FF...its a pain in the ass trying to keep cadence with manual riders.

My first levo was a 2018 sworks , then a 2019 comp...but i never liked the fact that they were over 20kg each and riding them was basicly just pointing the bike straight down and hanging on.

When the SL launched, knew it was the bike for me, and my group sold our FF for the 2020 Sl. Been 2 years of bliss..my only complaint is that the current SL geo is abit dated and abit XC. Am looking at the SL 2.0 (if it ever launches), KSL or the new Trek Fuel EXE as a replacement
 

jwrx

Well-known member
Jul 22, 2018
206
243
Malaysia
Ride a normal MTB if you’re worried about fitness. For me the SL is a great do it all bike, but why have one when you could have more 🤣.

I love switching between my MTB and eMTB. Spend too much time on my eMTB and the first 20 min are always a bit of a challenge on my MTB 😅

when i first take the SL out of my car, i leave it off..and i climb up to the first trailhead without assist. cos after you turn it on...you really feel the lack of assist if you turn off. 😅
 

Jamsxr

E*POWAH Master
Mar 30, 2019
518
632
Surrey
With a FF...its a pain in the ass trying to keep cadence with manual riders.

That’s why I love FF. It’s a totally different experience, ploughing up and down hills. I don’t want to hang with MTBs (I’ve got my MTB for that), I want to get 3x the riding in.
 

jimslade

Member
Jun 14, 2019
78
56
south lake tahoe, ca
Use search, a bunch of us have posted on the switch from FF to SL.
If you find yourself mostly riding on ‘Eco’, you’ll be happier on an SL. The FF feels like a super bike; the SL is a super you.
 

Decolocsta

Active member
Aug 10, 2022
70
215
Germany
I have both.
Never feel underpowered, Never feel the Need to avoid a climb. Love the SL. Feels so Natural.
Yes, im slower But it feels so much like a normal bike.
Range is also no issue.

BE5DF0C7-A3BF-4517-A800-95DF228C04E4.jpeg
A38EA43C-D59A-4E4B-8292-E50C132F818F.jpeg
 
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Donga

Member
Feb 8, 2020
13
48
Hartbeespoort, South Africa
Anyone gone from levo to levo sl ?? Any regrets ? Positives?? Contemplating it to improve fitness but unsu
Made the switch last year @ 72 years old- was riding the Levo using dumbed-down power settings (0, 11, 20) and still outclimbing my super-fit, way younger analogue riding group - also the weight made for cumbersome handling on technical stuff.
Rode a demo SL and was hooked!! Technical handling brilliant - can ride with power off - no problem!! Use range extender - have raced up to 120 kms no problem!!
 

Pauliemon

Active member
Sep 14, 2020
211
310
Northern California, USA
I started out on a SL. Then all my analog riding pals went out and got full fats. I got tired of being toilet paper and wiping up the rear. Sooo a full fat was in my future. I rode a couple of full fats briefly. I rode a Scott and a older Levo. There were definitely differences between those and the SL. But nothing I couldn't deal with. I ended up getting Levo Gen 3. I'm amazed at the difference between the older Levo and the Gen 3. I notice the weight a little in the tighter turns. I notice the power on all the tech climbs😁. I really notice the weight when loading it on my rack. Will I get rid of my SL? Hell no! I love that bike.

I've heard you don't get a workout on the more powerful sleds. That's news to me. When we ride it's usually full tilt boogie on turbo. It sure feels like I've been rode hard and put away wet. Is it me or does that after ride beer taste better after a ff ride? Probably me.
 

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