Yep on a 2020. New motor after about three weeks. Torque sensor went out. Walk mode still worked but no power otherwise. Took about a month to get a new motor, been solid since.
Levo SL Gen 1 Official Levo SL Thread
- Thread starter Rob Rides EMTB
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Modcitizen
Member
I hope you'll report back how it rides with the Fox 38 vs your normal 36. I'm trying to decide between the 160mm Fox 36 and the 160mm Zeb ... but perhaps I should consider the Fox 38. And if anyone else has any thoughts on the matter, please let me know. For reference, I like to ride to ride the steep/rooty trails here in the PNW, so definitely want to upgrade from the Fox 34 I currently have. Thx!
Opinions are subjective, but here's mine!
The Levo SL is a well rounded lightweight eMTB Trail Bike. It's not a heavy brute downhill charger - although is very capable.
Part of the appeal of the SL is the weight, and how it handles like a regular MTB, despite having a motor / battery.
I thought the Fox34 was poor, so swapped it for a Lyric Ultimate. I didn't like the DPS either, so swapped it for the RS SuperDeluxe Ultimate - both adding weight on. I'm no weight weenie, and my goal was to have a bike capable of all I want to do with it, whilst keeping the weight low.
Fair play to those who have made <16kg bikes, however the wheels / tyres and some components are things that would never handle my regular trails. I ride lots of steep rocky trails, and some downhill routes, and find the Lyric more than able for that. My previous bike was more DH orientated and 22kg, and had a Lyric ultimate on it.
Yes, a Zeb or 38 are only adding about 200g ontop of a 36 / Lyric, but 200g is expensive to shed! My Lyric Ultimate added about 70g ontop of the Fox34.
In summary - to me, the Zeb or 38 are overkill for this bike, and add unnecessary weight. Specialized have almost acknowledged that the Fox34 isn't good enough by upgrading it to a 36 on the 2021 bikes.
On another note - I wonder what the weight of a 2021 Expert is... since they've upgraded the shock and forks to something it should have been in the first place, and removed the carbon rims? It must've gone up +750g?!
Normal Stumpy is made for trail riding, not 10 foot drops. You rather buy then Enduro, if you are a hard ripper. 
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rydeezie
Well-known member
Normal Stumpy is made for trail riding, not 10 foot drops. You rather buy then Enduro, if you are a hard ripper.
that’s where i took the fork from. Retired my enduro for 2020 since park season is over. I would like to see specialized build one of these with an SL motor so I’ll ride it all year
Haha, you can call it what ever you want. But still Stumpy is not made for that
jcmonty
E*POWAH Master
I mean .. 10 ft drops with a run out are fine on a hardtail. 10 ft drops to flat.. sure.
for me - this is by far the fastest, most aggressive bike I have owned (previously on a 180mm kenevo, older version; and a Evil Insurgent) once I put a beefier fork at 170mm that slackened the bike out (Mezzer - definitely look into this if you are considering the zeb or 38. It's internally adjustable too - so 140-180mm travel is all possible). Adding the Cascade link helped from a progressively standpoint - pretty much on par with the new SJ Evo that just launched.
Of course - the rumors of an EVO SL or Enduro SL make me think Specialized is thinking in line with that thought as well. I could see a lot of enduro racers/ aggressive MTBers moving over to a more aggressive SL given it's similarity in handling to a standard mtb
Hi can you share the link i cant find it
Hoppy
Member
So at 160mm forks what is the head angle?
Also if you put 27.5 at rear what does that do?
Also if you put 27.5 at rear what does that do?
Hugh-Jazz
Member
You can enter your frame geometry into a calculator like this and find out geometryCalc Also, depending on the sag you set on the fork it could be exactly the same geometery. Depends on the feel you are after. A 160mm fork is a small change, but putting 27.5 rear wheel would be a more significant change.
Etacata
Active member
U just might get your wish!
rydeezie
Well-known member
I asked specialized on IG when the stumpjumper evo with motor will be released and they answered “good question” lol ?U just might get your wish!
Etacata
Active member
year away 2022. gonna be sweet!
Just my thoughts.
Have the FOX Factory 36 (2018) on my SC HT-LT. damping can be a bit harsh but still a great fork. Took about a month to really dial them in if I remember rightly. Had the Lyrick charger with charger damper on my Evil 2019 Following. Very good small bump but always felt it could be a bit more beefy. . Quite often would blow through the travel with 3 tokens 90-100 PSI and 20% SAG. Im only 190lbs with kit so not the heaviest. Could have been the older damper at fault. Easy to setup by feel and got it to 90% on the shockwiz tuning score.
Levo carbon comp SL 2020, stock FOX34 . Hate is a strong word but yes hated them from the moment I took it down anything other than a fire road. Like a tuning fork on the rough stuff! ... makes me wonder what the stock bike was design to ride... You can actually see them flexing which is scary. It must be down to cost cutting as the 2021 expert now comes with 36s as stock. Does shows the frames is up for burlier stuff. For me the SL wasn't about XC riding and weight weening, if that's what you call it, rather more about still getting the cardio exercise while having a bit more support on the steeper stuff. The FF Levo just didn't do anything more me which is why I sold mine after 5 weeks.
Having lusted after the FOX38s since they came out , and having a great excuse to buy them I went and bought the ZEBs? Well I couldn't get hold of the FOX38s and managed to source a 160 ZEB ultimate in black which was my perfect spec. They are also cheaper and lighter than the FOX38s which is a bonus. I can't comment on the ride of the FOX38s but the ZEBS are dreamy. Best fork I have ever owned by some margin. They just do everything amazingly. I really can't fault them. I will be interested to see what Rob thinks of them. He's been reviewing quite a lot of burlier bikes with 38s recently and is loving the extra stiffness.
What I can say is the new FOX36 factor 2021 model is by far the best 36s I've ridden. Spent 20 minutes last night riding a friends 2021 Yeti SB130 (1 week old) just to see what they were like. Seemed very stiff and very compliant over small bump. He's pretty much set them to the recommended defaults and just left them at that. Also loving the integrated mudguard. FOX seemed to be able to fulfill the demand for these where as I'm still waiting for my ZEB mudguard and looks like it may be another month.
Really boils down to what you are looking to get out of the bike and what you are riding. For me I didn't care about the weight as long as I kept the bike under 20Kg. As is is, it's a monster truck and also poppy when needed which is perfect......and still way under 19Kg for a size Large.
Sorry got carried away and probably missing the point........ Just the Bike is so good now and every ride it just keeps getting better. Personally I'm not going to go any slacker as the front already wants to come up in the steeper climbs. 160mm seems to be the sweet spot.
Modcitizen
Member
Thank you for this (and to the others who responded)! This is just the sort of feedback/info I was hoping to get.
I weigh about 205 before I put on my gear/pads, so a burlier fork is in order, especially given the rough and steep trails I like to ride. A few hundred extra grams don't matter too much --- I mean, that's what the l'il motor is for, right? For whatever shallow reason, I prefer the subtle golden glimmer of the Fox 38 --- I mean, even with the ordinary Fox 34 I often go out to the garage and just lovingly gaze upon my bike. Not sure the bike likes it ... but what can I do? Anyway, I'm not sure that the extra money is worth the aesthetic upgrade if the performance is roughly the same as the Zeb. From what I've read here, everyone seems happy that they've upgraded to at least a 36 and that you can't really go wrong with Rockshox or Fox. The thing that might tip me over the edge is that I already have a fender that fits the Fox fork. See how shallow I am?
Thanks again! FWIW, I'll report back here my findings when I have a few rides under my belt with a new fork.
EVILTaylor
New Member
I too am curious on this...
First ride on the new Fox 38, 160mm / 51mm offset. I ride in AZ, CO and UT. Kitted up I weigh 205 pounds and ride an XL Levo sl.
The 34 for me wasn’t even in the picture as I had ridden a demo with the 34 and I actually thought that it was scary having such a flimsy fork on a bike that weighs as much as this. I put on my old Rockshox Yari(burlier fork) the minute I got the new sl and it handled much better but it still didn’t inspire confidence going down mtns or on technical rocky terrain.
Fast forward a couple of months. The new 38 came in a couple of days ago. After the first ride all i can say is.... OMG !!! ?
For me the 38 literally transformed the ride and handling of the bike and I don’t even have the fork dialed in yet. The cornering, braking and handling are all better and I haven’t even mentioned how well the fork just soaks up big rock hits. If there is anything I worry about down the road is if the stock rear shock can keep up with this new 38. I guess only time will tell.
For bigger guys on the fence about purchasing a 38 don’t wait. It wasn’t easy finding a 160mm 51mm 38 in stock. I wanted the 51mm offset to keep the handling like stock and I wanted good handling in slow technical situations.
I apologize if I sound like a shill for Fox but this fork is that good...
The 34 for me wasn’t even in the picture as I had ridden a demo with the 34 and I actually thought that it was scary having such a flimsy fork on a bike that weighs as much as this. I put on my old Rockshox Yari(burlier fork) the minute I got the new sl and it handled much better but it still didn’t inspire confidence going down mtns or on technical rocky terrain.
Fast forward a couple of months. The new 38 came in a couple of days ago. After the first ride all i can say is.... OMG !!! ?
For me the 38 literally transformed the ride and handling of the bike and I don’t even have the fork dialed in yet. The cornering, braking and handling are all better and I haven’t even mentioned how well the fork just soaks up big rock hits. If there is anything I worry about down the road is if the stock rear shock can keep up with this new 38. I guess only time will tell.
For bigger guys on the fence about purchasing a 38 don’t wait. It wasn’t easy finding a 160mm 51mm 38 in stock. I wanted the 51mm offset to keep the handling like stock and I wanted good handling in slow technical situations.
I apologize if I sound like a shill for Fox but this fork is that good...
rydeezie
Well-known member
Lostco has fox 38 fenders back in stock. Just an fyi
Hoppy
Member
I think i have asked this before. But is there any more torque in the SL motor? Ridercare? Like Fazua and Bosch were able to do. An SL with 55nm would be awesome. There are only a few types of hills i have to walk or get stuck stop mainly because of loose rock and gradient. If i could pull a taller gear like a levo i could make them every time
Sorry I'm a bit late answering this one. The squeak is usually caused by the right hand crank bearing seal as in the pictures. If anyone has had the belt cover off, you will normally find this seal trapped underneath, but if this is not the case, get a little pick or the like, gently lift the seal and add a little waterproof grease if you have some. Then re-fit and enjoy the quiet.
Hugh-Jazz
Member
“Belt cover”? On a SL? I have no problem gently working off the seal on the drive side and lubing it as long as I can get it off without doing damage. I’d like to see an exploded view of the motor first or other’s first hand experience, on the SL motor, before I begin.
Yeah, forget everything I just said. I should learn to read better 
Hugh-Jazz
Member
I got the squeak to stop by spraying silicon spray in at the point of the seal shown in the pic. This is drive side with the spider removed. I had to put the frame on it’s side and squirt a lot in there to clean out some dust and get the lube to wick under the seal a bit.
Hugh-Jazz
Member
Nice review of the Levo SL suspension design.
CA_Surveyor
Member
Any idea if it would fit a Large?
There are a few guys running them on a large. The range extender still fits, but I think you have to slide the bottle cage down to the bottom of the bolts.
Hoppy
Member
Anybody had any luck with o_synce bike computer on an levo sl
CA_Surveyor
Member
Thanks for the info!
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