On the Fence - decoy or turbo levo

[Grizzy]

Ive got some q’s I havent been able to answer on the Decoy and having ridden both the levo and decoy neither is perfect for what im looking for.

Main use is for training and working skills on days were my legs are blown out. I live in the flats, so theres no gravity assist. Want to hold 20mph on the enduro bike in the trails you need to sustain 500-600watts...

The levo was OK in handling. Its a boat, no doubt. Alloy comp costs 900 more than decoy comp and decoy wins parts, fit, ride.

The levo motor was phenomenal. The Decoy I rode tapped out at about 15mph. Can the decoy be fixed to hit 20mph? How is this done? Can it still with a normal 2.5 rear tire?

Have many people had issues with creaky decoys? I’d heard that from a friend, but hes a big dude that rides hard (240lbs).

 

[Pabs]

There are ways to get to 20mph, although Shimano seem to think this is 18.6mph. I've had a 2.5 on the rear (of some description) since the second ride, albeit with super slim pedals and I'm happy enough for now. Do want to fit some burlier pedals at some point and think I'll go back to a 2.6 just to be safe at the same time.

Good luck with your choice

 

[Kvasi]

My Decoy pulls up to 50 km/t thanks to a Speedbox2. The bike now has a little over 1000km on it without any faults or annoying noises from it.

 

[Andy A]

I would get the Levo that Brose motor is far superior to the Shimano, I had a Focus with the Shimano and it was a great bike but the Shimano motor is noisy and whiny and when I rode the Levo the Brose motor was far superior

 

[squeegee]

Ive got some q’s I havent been able to answer on the Decoy and having ridden both the levo and decoy neither is perfect for what im looking for.

Main use is for training and working skills on days were my legs are blown out. I live in the flats, so theres no gravity assist. Want to hold 20mph on the enduro bike in the trails you need to sustain 500-600watts...

The levo was OK in handling. Its a boat, no doubt. Alloy comp costs 900 more than decoy comp and decoy wins parts, fit, ride.

The levo motor was phenomenal. The Decoy I rode tapped out at about 15mph. Can the decoy be fixed to hit 20mph? How is this done? Can it still with a normal 2.5 rear tire?

Have many people had issues with creaky decoys? I’d heard that from a friend, but hes a big dude that rides hard (240lbs).

Decoy can be modified to hit 20mph yes, STunlocker, tire size not relevant to achieve speed. My Decoy creaked but known fix is greasing main pivot axles (they ship without enough grease). Levo motors known to blow up a lot. My motor over 2K miles and is fine.

 

[Fx1]

I would get the Levo that Brose motor is far superior to the Shimano, I had a Focus with the Shimano and it was a great bike but the Shimano motor is noisy and whiny and when I rode the Levo the Brose motor was far superior

Far superior how exactly? Different sound ?

Less reliability... definitely.

The 15.6mph limit is hit with a few turns of the pedal. You dont need more than 70nm torque and boost will get you up anything.

Forget the motor and get the bike that will do what you want it to do in the way you want it.

 

[Andy A]

Far superior how exactly? Different sound ?

Less reliability... definitely.

The 15.6mph limit is hit with a few turns of the pedal. You dont need more than 70nm torque and boost will get you up anything.

Forget the motor and get the bike that will do what you want it to do in the way you want it.

Well after having both motors the Shimano is very noisy and it kept getting an error code if you so much as bumped into the cranks before you set off which bugged the life out of me, the Brose has more power and delivers it really smoothly, but the Decoy is a fab bike and no doubt you will love it but for me I wouldn't buy a bike with the Shimano motor again.

 

[Fx1]

Far superior how exactly? Different sound ?

Less reliability... definitely.

The 15.6mph limit is hit with a few turns of the pedal. You dont need more than 70nm torque and boost will get you up anything.

Forget the motor and get the bike that will do what you want it to do in the way you want it.

Well after having both motors the Shimano is very noisy and it kept getting an error code if you so much as bumped into the cranks before you set off which bugged the life out of me, the Brose has more power and delivers it really smoothly, but the Decoy is a fab bike and no doubt you will love it but for me I wouldn't buy a bike with the Shimano motor again.

It really isnt hard to turn it on and not put feet on the pedals.

Before getting an ebike i was obsessing over motors but to be honest they are all good enough and none of them offers significant benefits and some reliability issues on brose means they are just not worth the hassle or consideration. The brose will be abandoned by specialized I'm betting due to reliability.

That and the fact specialized bikes come with crap spec.

 

[squeegee]

Well after having both motors the Shimano is very noisy and it kept getting an error code if you so much as bumped into the cranks before you set off which bugged the life out of me, the Brose has more power and delivers it really smoothly, but the Decoy is a fab bike and no doubt you will love it but for me I wouldn't buy a bike with the Shimano motor again.

Everyone tells you brose has more power, especially Specialized...I've ridden my Decoy and a Levo back to back on hard climbs at my local favorite trail and could not discern a difference in power, both in trail setting.

Shimano motor will always error out if you have your feet touching the pedals (during power up only), no touch no error, simple.

Levo not as confidence inspiring as Decoy for downhills IMO. Levo to me is an XC ebike.

 

[Stewface]

Only drawback to buying a YT is its only direct sale from Germany, however there is strong rumours that YT are opening a UK HQ near Guildford Surrey, so if that occurs, YT will win hands down.
I’ve got a YT with Shimano motor and it was super easy to de restrict using the STunlocker app.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

I assume you've watched Rob's vid? might not need to if you've ridden them both though

 

[Fx1]

The levo might climb a bit faster below the speed limiter. Which can be easily removed in the YT.

The decoy will shred the levo downhill. More stable and more plush with better geo for shredding rougher and steeper lines. It's also better looking and higher spec even than the 8k version of levo.

 

[Grizzy]

Everyone tells you brose has more power, especially Specialized...I've ridden my Decoy and a Levo back to back on hard climbs at my local favorite trail and could not discern a difference in power, both in trail setting.

Shimano motor will always error out if you have your feet touching the pedals (during power up only), no touch no error, simple.

Levo not as confidence inspiring as Decoy for downhills IMO. Levo to me is an XC ebike.

Have you got a good back to back comparison of power in boost mode?

 

[squeegee]

Have you got a good back to back comparison of power in boost mode?

No I didn't try both in boost and that's because I never use boost on my Decoy. Don't find it useful really, is overkill for my riding style but everyone is different in terms of leg strength and fitness. I did some steeps yesterday on very rock terrain in trail mode and it did fine.

I do agree with last post about descending capability of Decoy, that the Levo can't hold a candle to the Decoy and the motor is a non-factor here.

So I rode a Levo expert about 6 months ago and felt it lacking suspension, shop test ride only urban stuff, but then a few weeks back I got the opportunity to ride real trails back to back and now I know with total certainty that I would have been disappointed long term if I got the Levo, purely from the bike's geo and suspension perspective, nothing to due with motors.

That said, no matter how much the Brose is claimed to better, I was not able to say, "wow" what a huge difference (really couldn't feel any difference) so consider that when you're making a decision.

Not saying the Levo isn't a good bike, if you're willing to upgrade suspension and some of the crappy parts they spec with some healthy budget, go for it.

 

[Fx1]

Everyone tells you brose has more power, especially Specialized...I've ridden my Decoy and a Levo back to back on hard climbs at my local favorite trail and could not discern a difference in power, both in trail setting.

Shimano motor will always error out if you have your feet touching the pedals (during power up only), no touch no error, simple.

Levo not as confidence inspiring as Decoy for downhills IMO. Levo to me is an XC ebike.

Have you got a good back to back comparison of power in boost mode?

The 15mph limits any extra power in a motor. You can hit it with 3 or 4 hard pedals in any boost mode.

Emtb just rode up a dam with a shimano motor. A 12 speed with 340nm will be overkill for any slope.

 

[MarkH]

I've got both - a 2018 Levo Comp Carbon and a 2019 Decoy Pro. Main comparisons:
1. Done similar miles on both (approx 1000 miles) - the Decoy has thrown up the odd error message ( merely needing a power cycle to resolve) but apart from that has been fault free - the Levo is on its second engine.
2. The motors are very similar in delivery, the Levo slightly smoother, the Decoy way noiser. This may be a problem for some but doesn't bother me.
3. The Decoy is just a more capable bike downhill - it you have any interest in riding rough stuff fast, hucking, hooligansim - the Decoy is a million miles better and feels much longer legged.
4. Climbing - nothin in it between the two.
5. Agility - not much in it. In similar sizes the Decoy is just about the more agile of the two, despite it being a much burlier design. Tip = size down if your close to being between sizes.
6. The Decoy just feels more 'fun' on the same trails.

The Decoy is in some respect the 'safer' bet as it can handle everything wheras the Levo can reach its limits on rough downhills.

I would choose the bike you want on its suitability for the style of riding and type of trails you most ride, and not get caught up between brands. If you want the most versatile, and tend towards a downhill bias then the Decoy every time. If xc is your thing the Levo might suit better.

 

[jo3cart3r]

Does anyone have experience on the new Decoy 29 vs the Levo? I'm leaning towards the Decoy 29 but everyone around my area rides Levo's and loves them. Any thoughts would greatly be appreciated!

 

[Calbiker]

I have 5 rides in on my Decoy 29 Pro and love it. I test rode the Levo 3 times on city blocks when shopping for an EMTB. The Decoy is my first ebike(own a Giant NRS 3 as my previous bike. My impressions of both were:
1. The Decoy fit me better. I am 6’3” and the XL Levo just seemed too small while the XXL Decoy is perfect.
2. The Brose motor was definitely more quiet than the Shimano. However, I had read so many points about motor failure on the Brose that I was very reluctant to buy a Specialized.
3. The components on the YT are vastly superior to a comparably priced Levo. I am not a skilled bike mechanic so I wanted something that had good, reliable compenents(Pro has a lot of Shimano parts which I have always liked).
4. YT is consumer direct and I had some misgivings about purchasing a mail order bike. All my dealing with YT USA have been awesome(see post).
5. Not impressed with the Shimano software(E-tube). Specialized much better.
6. I really like the DT Swiss wheels on the YT. Just seem like quality thru and thru.
Most importantly, both are bikes which I have just loved going out on. My past 4 rides on the Decoy have been some of my best in my 20 years of mountain biking.
Realize all of the above comments are from a newbie to the ebike field. Hope that helps.

 

[jhits]

Newb here, looking at Turbo Levo Comp, Rail 7, and YT Decoy 29 so loving this thread. Decoy much better price or spec depending on version... but the others win on battery capacity. Any thoughts from current Decoy 540Wh owners about range or lack of it? First ebike purchase... so not sure how much of an issue this is. Thanks.

 

[Zero]

Newb here, looking at Turbo Levo Comp, Rail 7, and YT Decoy 29 so loving this thread. Decoy much better price or spec depending on version... but the others win on battery capacity. Any thoughts from current Decoy 540Wh owners about range or lack of it? First ebike purchase... so not sure how much of an issue this is. Thanks.

The battery is easily enough for me to get bored before it runs out. 700wh would just add more weight and these bikes do not need more weight. I use boost a lot and i could just use trail if i wanted more range.

 

[Fatbap]

I have a decoy pro race an My mate has a decoy pro both 2019 bikes he is about 15st/95kg an I’m 20st/127kg
Fitness wise I’m a car mechanic an a active person but by no means fit
He is a engineer an trains constantly does Iron man triathlon etc very fit
With full battery we done a 15mile ride mixed trails
I use all power modes
He uses eco mostly an trail for steep stuff
I like to play about more than him an use boost for play time
We both had 65mi range leavin my home when we got back I had 3bars with 27mi range in eco
He had 5bars with 63mi range in eco
So range depends on ur fitness ur weight etc etc
An tbh the battery size is fine for me I could get more miles out of it if I use it sensibly an that ain’t gonna happen
I only seen the bike at yts demo day at Forest of Dean an knew It for what I wanted I had not even sat on it. I love it I have had my issues with it but I’d never change it

 

[R120]

As an fyi Shimano new motor, along with 630wh battery, will be launching in autumn of this year. I wonder if YT will swap over to using a Shimano battery for next year, rather than the current bespoke one, as their mythical 700WH battery doesn't seem any closer to launching despite being announced over a year ago.

 

[Jedipip]

Newb here, looking at Turbo Levo Comp, Rail 7, and YT Decoy 29 so loving this thread. Decoy much better price or spec depending on version... but the others win on battery capacity. Any thoughts from current Decoy 540Wh owners about range or lack of it? First ebike purchase... so not sure how much of an issue this is. Thanks.

I’ve ridden over 1000 miles with the Decoy, the battery is really not that big a concern, you just need to have some idea about how far you want to ride, then you can decide how carefree you want to be with Boost.

I can typically do 2-3 rides a week on a single charge, 15-20 miles average/ride and 1-2 hours riding time. It can easily cope with an all day ride if you are fit, toggle between Eco and Trail (or OFF! it’s fine to ride with the motor off). I’m certain it’ll do a 50-60 mile monster ride out, but you have to learn the bike, your style of riding and factor in your weight, terrain, fitness and whether you are out and have any idea when the ride will end.

But you can ride it back without any charge, you’ll struggle up steep hills because you become very accustomed to the ease and speed it can assist you with, but it’s also part of the fun.

It’s worth running it down purposefully so you know what it behaves like, how fast it occurs and what the e7000 is displaying, toggle between range and the amount you assist the bike by actually putting some effort in and you’ll be surprised how the average range can vary massively.

 

[jhits]

Thanks, very helpful. I am definitely not looking for the bike to supply all the power. It is going to be fun figuring it all out.