Levo Gen 2 Levo vs Levo sl dilemma please help

Shinn

Well-known member
Nov 8, 2020
375
276
Decorah, IA USA
I had a FF Haibike for a while and traded it for an SL. I think it comes down to where you ride, here in the upper midwest of the US our trails are up and down, with short punchy climbs and short down hills. The long grinding climbs don't exist here and if I were still in Colorado I would certainly lean towards the FF Levo or more likely the Kenevo over the SL.
 

Norcalsl

Active member
Jul 12, 2020
148
142
Northern California
I ride a mountain bike to stay fit, have fun, and be in Nature. 98% of the time I ride alone. I am in good shape, 64 years old, and weight 155 lbs. I test rode a FF Levo. Not for me. Coming from a 25 lbs S-Works Stumpjumper the weight was a non-starter. Plus the power was WAY more than I wanted/needed. So I went with the SL as soon as it came out. With various part changes my Comp Carbon now weighs 35.5 lbs. with pedals. I ride it mostly unassisted, using the motor only on steep climbs that I previously suffered on riding my Stumpjumper. Because of this, I ride more. To me the SL is the perfect combination of an "acoustic" mtb and ebike.
 
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apac

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Aug 14, 2019
1,326
1,172
S.Wales
I have a 2021 Turbo expert How would adding carbon wheels feel to my bike Is it worth it? I'm intermediate rider

I have found them to make a big difference to ground feel and they roll for longer on flat ground when not pedalling which I find really helpful at slow speed. Depending on what you buy they can be significantly lighter. As they are a much stiffer material than aluminium they Keep their circular shape when rolling So are less prone to deforming under load. They are much much better over rough ground and run straighter. I love them. However... some people don't like the feel of them and others say they make no difference at all..?
 

Don_Singer

Member
Jun 15, 2020
31
16
Peoria, AZ USA
That’s very true possibly the orbea rise is the bike to bridge the gap between the two Levos
I don't understand the Orbea Rise, it's just a FF eMTB with a little battery. Who wants the fun to stop at 15 miles or poke around with a big motor? I don't see that as a good option, if you want a lighter bike I think the Levo SL is the way to go.
 

Don_Singer

Member
Jun 15, 2020
31
16
Peoria, AZ USA
The "right" amount of power from an ebike is an arbitrary, subjective, personal matter: for those of us who ride SLs, that's the "right" amount of power.

It's really that simple.

Is it a compromise? Yes. But everything - FF, acoustic, in-between - is.

Put it this way: I also own a FF Cube and a fast, nimble, flickable acoustic bike. And I've not ridden either - not once - since I got my SL in August.

The SL allows me to do things I can't really do on my acoustic; and it does so in a way which is far more "acoustic-like" than my FF could ever hope to be. The extra effort involved cf. a FF bike is part of the experience, incidentally.

As compromises go then, it's a pretty good one.

Now, I'm more of a trail/singletrack rider than an enduro-type rider: the SL gets me out further, and lets me have far more fun, than either of my other bikes can get close to doing - each can do part of the equation, but only the SL does both.

I think Keith and others made the point, it depends on where you normally ride. I live in Arizona and want the power for climbing and chunky, rocky trails but there are trails where my FF eMTB is too much bike, it's heavy, I don't need to power and an analog or Levo SL would be right.

If the trails you ride most often are mostly flat, technical single track maybe the lighter bike is right. And you'll just have to suffer more on long hills. It's a trade off....
 

chrismechmaster

Well-known member
Subscriber
Dec 7, 2020
808
414
Newbury
Yes picked it up this morning super happy with it invisframe kit should be here tomorrow hopefully fit that Saturday and out riding Sunday
D4D282B3-B020-4042-ADA1-82CB989D4B45.jpeg
 

chrismechmaster

Well-known member
Subscriber
Dec 7, 2020
808
414
Newbury
Defo want to upgrade the rear disk to a 200

I have a spare 200mm disc just need to find the correct mount adapter and order one up
 

apac

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Aug 14, 2019
1,326
1,172
S.Wales
Cheers thank you
Have you got much ridding in over Christmas ?

went out for the first time today in well over a week to Cwmcarn forestry drive here in S.Wales. Did 14k technical trail Called Twrch. The hardest part of the trail, single track, up the mountain, rocks n root galore was all frozen over with mountain water! was quite treacherous.
 

Vin829

Member
Feb 18, 2020
105
39
California, USA
I started on a SL and loved it until I started riding in a group of Full Levos. So I sold it and picked up a Full Levo. Now I miss it. Best senecio would be to have both. Full Levo to blast and just have funand group rides. SL is for those longer solo rides 40 miles 8k feet where you don’t care how long it takes and you can carry extra extenders. The SL just seems to take the edge off the climbs and is more fun downhill. I will get another SL in a year or two. I still have a regular enduro bike and a lightweight short travel 29er. Nothing beats riding a regular bike.
 

Ridill66

New Member
Apr 22, 2021
4
1
Swiss
Going to get the SL, i can handle 20% Gradient, just will get as many extenders as I need :) 40 Years old now fit thanks to e bike. The feeling on the light Levo was so cool, different than my heavy Scott e Genius. And the bike looks so good imho. But I also was jumping from Levo Expert to SL and vice versa daily. Now it is the SL with Xt breaks Range extender and 52 instead of 50T cassette.

I hope I make the right decision. My heavy e-bike was no fun anymore.
 

Mtbvkk

Member
Feb 21, 2020
120
79
Seattle, wa
I posted this in another thread. Im actually recovering from some physical and health issues and the FF just didnt work for me And I traded it in for an SL. The SL is just great and has more than enough power. I love the nimble feeling and it’s also very stable and planted like an FF but more maneuverable. I rarely use turbo so it has plenty of power for even a middle aged out of shape unhealthy rider like me that’s recovering from injury. Perfect bike and a keeper for sure. i still habe my 2017 stumpjumper for trails where they confiscate e-bikes ( yes we have those around here! ) and I still love that bike.
 

CjP

PRIME TIME
Subscriber
Jan 1, 2019
1,671
2,393
Everywhere
Going to get the SL, i can handle 20% Gradient, just will get as many extenders as I need :) 40 Years old now fit thanks to e bike. The feeling on the light Levo was so cool, different than my heavy Scott e Genius. And the bike looks so good imho. But I also was jumping from Levo Expert to SL and vice versa daily. Now it is the SL with Xt breaks Range extender and 52 instead of 50T cassette.

I hope I make the right decision. My heavy e-bike was no fun anymore.
Save your money and buy just the one extender. My second one is still in the box after one year. On flat out turbo I get 50+km/1800m elevation with one extender
Bike weight 20.5kg
Rider weight 80kg

Great bike and I won’t be going back to FF
 

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