Levo SL Gen 1 Raw Obsession

73Steff

E*POWAH Master
Sep 11, 2018
98
421
Haslemere Surrey
Been asked to put up a start to finish build thread on my Raw finished Levo SL.

For those that don’t know/follow I’ve already built up an alloy Levo (three actually for MB Cyclery in Haslemere) all custom built in a Raw brushed alloy finish, so when the SL was released I knew A. I’d have one and B. It would be an alloy one and finished to match the full fat Levo.

Apart from the ‘shiny’ factor and that personally I think alloy when done like this looks better than carbon, I also believe (other than the weight factor) on the trail and from a ‘seat of your pants’ point of view the ride on an alloy frame is in some respect better than carbon.

I’ll freely admit, this is not the cheapest or most cost effective way to build a bike, but without a frame only option it was the only way to get the Levo SL I wanted. It will also be different and unique and more importantly, I enjoy the process.

Lets start with 2020 Levo SL alloy comp. Take a perfectly good bike and strip it to bare frame??‍♂️


8F5AC60B-3B97-4534-A75A-9A30929F7440.jpeg

Once the frame was fully stripped it was then time to send it out for chemical stripping. I’m fortunate to have some local wheel refurb guys (ACC wheels in Liphook Hampshire - top guys if you need alloy wheel refurb ?) who, for a few beers, will stick it in their dip tank over night to remove the paint. You can try other methods ie: paint stripper but this is a much quicker way to get it stripped.

Some have asked about sand/media blasting but that is mainly used for harder materials such as steel. When used on aluminium it will leave a much rougher surface than dipping, great as a key for paint but not for the smoother finish I was planning.

6A97F728-86DE-4CA7-8CE7-9BB9B5D24BA6.jpeg


Once back from stripping the real work begins! The finish of this frame was identical my Levo with a fine pitted finish, I believe they must use some form of etch primer prior to factory painting so this needs sanding back before you can start to get an even finish.
I was also planning to finish the SL to a higher level than my other Levo which inevitably would take longer but hopefully the extra time would give a much higher sheen to the frame.

B88F3481-240C-4E76-A093-DD0363929742.jpeg

867E6C50-DB86-49CD-A284-1AB84B1B4CD8.jpeg


Whilst stripping the frame down it was good opportunity to get familiar with the new Battery/Motor/Wiring set ip on the Levo SL.
A great little package. Motor is straight forward to remove or just hinge out of the way if you want to remove the battery. The new wiring and connectors look good quality and I particularly like the main battery terminal with its twist lock set up.

3B9C2804-04B4-4C12-AA1F-8B19DD585194.jpeg

278DA780-14E9-404F-893F-0CBFD2DBF329.jpeg

C00710A9-D269-4804-8090-7D0D3A8850E8.jpeg


So onto the sanding process.

I start with sanding all over with higher grade wet and dry to knock back the etch primer marks and get a level surface, this does take a good bit of time but like everything it’s the preparation that usually takes the longest time. Next was another full hit with finer grade and repeat this process through progressively finer grades until I was happy with an even, smooth finish.

This did take almost 12 hours on the Levo so I was hoping that the SL being a little smaller wouldn’t take as long. In reality it took about the same but as the finish was going to be to a higher level it did end up adding another 3-4 hours. Final stage on the SL was using a fine (red), then ultra fine (grey) 3M scotch pads and water, brushing in single direction across the entire frame and then polished with a fine polish before degreasing and fitting decals and invisiframe kit to protect.

Very happy with the results.

5DBD788D-E644-4E93-8F9F-9DF7ABB7EB5C.jpeg
9F30C3DF-6430-47C4-BEFD-D2486E34EEFF.jpeg

A14C69EA-D105-4B30-8FD2-CC947D0F0212.jpeg

3228F9FF-AA45-493F-BEFF-500C66803704.jpeg

C323D7F7-1323-47BD-B93A-A8A3C5022B08.jpeg


Now onto the build spec and master plan of making an alloy SL compete weight wise with a carbon framed version. Obviously a carbon frame is always going to be lighter with the same components, but I wasn’t aiming for ultimate light weight, I wanted the ride quality of alloy and to save weight where possible with high end build kit.

Full spec is below but AXS shift kit is on the cards along with some Chris King hubs, in silver?

E828351E-440C-4D98-ACF2-0592E3C944F7.jpeg


Now time to refit the motor/battery etc. Pretty straight forward process as such a nice compact package.

23167BCD-6A64-4907-8DDE-173081F80E33.jpeg


2BC71973-747C-4C23-8321-13D5E05E0818.jpeg


Build wise, some of the kit I already had such as Roval wheels and Sram XX1. Other parts were a no brainer such as Rockshox Pike and Guide Ultimate brakes as they’re available in silver of course. Bars & stem kindly provided by Deity components, they do these with awesome polished silver decals and their new lockjaw grips in grey?

BUILD SPEC:
  • 2020 Levo SL Alloy Raw frame
  • Rockshox Pike Ultimate 150 travel
  • Rockshox Air shock
  • Roval SL carbon wheelset w/ Maxxis Ardent exo tyres - tubeless
  • Sram Guide Ultimate brakes & Disc w/ Ti bolts throughout
  • Sram XX1 Eagle drive train - AXS soon
  • Rockshox AXS dropper & ti railed carbon saddle
  • Deity Carbon bars
  • Deity stem
  • Deity grips
  • Crankbrothers Mallet E pedals

4B51600A-DACE-42F5-AF0E-AAB3ACF1B3D4.jpeg


859C91C7-D759-4BEE-A1DE-FAAABBD9962C.jpeg

73766CF1-C31A-41E9-91E9-40E7C4F376AF.jpeg


All in the weight was bang on what I was aiming for and more than happy at 17.66kg.

2DC914D5-3848-49E0-A228-429FDF35F9F2.jpeg


Decal wise, I toyed with all sorts of ideas but in the end decided the original location and Specialized font in fine line but in chrome silver finished off with an invisiframe kit to protect the decals and also frame from handling marks. This works really well and use these kits on all my bikes, cannot recommend them enough?

2997F0CF-AB29-44FF-82A3-CFC94F028809.jpeg


Big thanks to MB Cyclery for their ongoing help, the boys are huge ebike fans so get yourself down there. Also, Deity components for their continuing supply of kit for my builds and Ben Briffett for taking time on the final build shots?

0A319F48-1DE9-40E9-A999-6C343F796C54.jpeg

0F2F215C-C595-4549-A211-F0F977844BAE.jpeg
92DE99CE-F8A6-4F6F-9190-FECABEE5EAD9.jpeg
22352BD6-8C50-42EA-9BA4-00D9D9B7FA01.jpeg
 

Rob Rides EMTB

Administrator
Staff member
Subscriber
Jan 14, 2018
6,146
13,219
Surrey, UK
Totally a one off !

Beautiful bike !

Enjoy riding, great read and a load of work clearly gone into this. Well done!
 

R120

Moderator
Subscriber
Apr 13, 2018
7,819
9,185
Surrey
Thanks for taking the time to do the write up, I too love the aesthetic of a raw frame, great to see the time and effort that has gone into this
 

onabike

Member
Aug 21, 2019
29
16
San Diego, CA
opted not to use the handlbar remote eh? Sure makes it look cleaner, and makes me really wish there could be an update from S or aftermarket to make that bit bluetooth.
 

galaga187

E*POWAH Master
Apr 15, 2018
794
594
Wroughton
Looks amazing I think someone at Specialized has been looking at it. New 2021 rockhopper expert looks similar https://www.bikeradar.com/news/2021-specialized-rockhopper/
 

ebikeZA

Active member
Apr 2, 2018
273
138
Cape Town
Been asked to put up a start to finish build thread on my Raw finished Levo SL.

For those that don’t know/follow I’ve already built up an alloy Levo (three actually for MB Cyclery in Haslemere) all custom built in a Raw brushed alloy finish so when the SL was released I knew A. I’d have one and B. It would be an alloy one and finished to match the full fat Levo.
Apart from the ‘shiny’ factor and that personally I think alloy when done like this looks better than carbon. I also believe (other than the weight factor) on the trail and from a ‘seat of your pants’ point of view the ride on an alloy frame is in some respect better than carbon.

I’ll freely admit, this is not the cheapest or most cost effective way to build a bike, but without a frame only option it was the only way to get the Levo SL I wanted. It will also be different and unique and more importantly I enjoy the process.

Lets start with 2020 Levo SL alloy comp. Take a perfectly good bike and strip it to bear frame??‍♂️


View attachment 30899
Once the frame was fully stripped it was then time to send it out for chemical stripping, I’m fortunate to have some local wheel refurb guys (ACC wheels in Liphook Hampshire - top guys if you need alloy wheel refurb ?) who for a few beers will stick it in their dip tank over night to remove the paint. You can try other methods ie: paint stripper but this is a much quicker way to get it stripped. Some have asked about sand/media blasting but that is mainly used for harder materials such as steel. When used on aluminium it will leave a much rougher surface than dipping, great as a key for paint but not for the smoother finish I was planning.

View attachment 30900

Once back from stripping the real work begins! The finish of this frame was identical my Levo with a fine pitted finish, I believe they must use some form of etch primer prior to factory painting so this needs sanding back before you can start to get an even finish.
I was also planning to finish the SL to a higher level than my other Levo which inevitably would take longer but hopefully the extra time would give a much higher sheen to the frame.

View attachment 30904
View attachment 30905

Whilst stripping the frame down it was good opportunity to get familiar with the new Battery/Motor/Wiring set ip on the Levo SL.
A great little package. Motor is straight forward to remove or just hinge out of the way if you want to remove the battery. New wiring and connectors look good quality and I particularly like the main battery terminal with its twist lock set up.

View attachment 30906
View attachment 30908
View attachment 30907

So onto the sanding process.
I start with sanding all over with higher grade wet and dry to knock back the etch primer marks and get a level surface, this does take a good bit of time but like everything it’s the preparation that usually takes the longest time. Next was another full hit with finer grade and repeat this process through progressively finer grades until I was happy with an even, smooth finish. This did take almost 12 hours on the Levo so I was hoping that the SL being a little smaller wouldn’t take as long. In reality it took about the same but as the finish was going to be to a higher level it did end up adding another 3-4 hours. Final stage on the SL was using a fine (red), then ultra fine (grey) 3M scotch pads and water, brushing in single direction across the entire frame and then polished with a fine polish before degreasing and fitting decals and invisiframe kit to protect. Very happy with the results.

View attachment 30911 View attachment 30910
View attachment 30912
View attachment 30914
View attachment 30913

Now onto the build spec and master plan of making an alloy SL compete weight wise with a carbon framed version. Obviously a carbon frame is always going to be lighter with the same components but I wasn’t aiming for ultimate light weight, I wanted the ride quality of alloy and to save weight where possible with high end build kit.
Full spec is below but AXS shift kit is on the cards along with some Chris King hubs, in silver?
View attachment 30919

For now time to refit the motor/battery etc. Pretty straight forward process as such a nice compact package.

View attachment 30920

View attachment 30921

Build wise, some of the kit I already had such as Roval wheels and Sram XX1, other parts were a no brainer such as Rockshox Pike and Guide Ultimate brakes as they’re available in silver of course. Bars & stem kindly provided by Deity components, they do these with awesome polished silver decals and their new lockjaw grips in grey?

BUILD SPEC:
2020 Levo SL Alloy Raw frame
Rockshox Pike Ultimate 150 travel
Rockshox Air shock
Roval SL carbon wheelset w/ Maxxis Ardent exo tyres - tubeless
Sram Guide Ultimate brakes & Disc w/ Ti bolts throughout
Sram XX1 Eagle drive train - AXS soon
Rockshox AXS dropper & ti railed carbon saddle
Deity Carbon bars
Deity stem
Deity grips
Crankbrothers Mallet E pedals

View attachment 30922

View attachment 30924
View attachment 30925

All in the weight was bang on what I was aiming for and more than happy at 17.66kg.

View attachment 30918

Decal wise I toyed with all sorts of ideas but in the end decided the original location and Specialized font in fine line but in chrome silver finished off with an invisiframe kit to protect the decals and also frame from handling marks. Works really well and use these kits on all my bikes, cannot recommend them enough?

View attachment 30931

Big thanks to MB Cyclery for their ongoing help, the boys are huge ebike fans so get yourself down there. Also Deity components for their continuing supply of kit for my builds and Ben Briffett for taking time on the final build shots?

View attachment 30929
View attachment 30928 View attachment 30939 View attachment 30930
there is a guy here who did this with his Stumpy , but had the logo and branding laser etched onto the frame..looks fantastic
 

daju

Active member
Apr 21, 2019
131
86
manchester by the sea, ma
Been asked to put up a start to finish build thread on my Raw finished Levo SL.

For those that don’t know/follow I’ve already built up an alloy Levo (three actually for MB Cyclery in Haslemere) all custom built in a Raw brushed alloy finish so when the SL was released I knew A. I’d have one and B. It would be an alloy one and finished to match the full fat Levo.
Apart from the ‘shiny’ factor and that personally I think alloy when done like this looks better than carbon. I also believe (other than the weight factor) on the trail and from a ‘seat of your pants’ point of view the ride on an alloy frame is in some respect better than carbon.

I’ll freely admit, this is not the cheapest or most cost effective way to build a bike, but without a frame only option it was the only way to get the Levo SL I wanted. It will also be different and unique and more importantly I enjoy the process.

Lets start with 2020 Levo SL alloy comp. Take a perfectly good bike and strip it to bear frame??‍♂️


View attachment 30899
Once the frame was fully stripped it was then time to send it out for chemical stripping, I’m fortunate to have some local wheel refurb guys (ACC wheels in Liphook Hampshire - top guys if you need alloy wheel refurb ?) who for a few beers will stick it in their dip tank over night to remove the paint. You can try other methods ie: paint stripper but this is a much quicker way to get it stripped. Some have asked about sand/media blasting but that is mainly used for harder materials such as steel. When used on aluminium it will leave a much rougher surface than dipping, great as a key for paint but not for the smoother finish I was planning.

View attachment 30900

Once back from stripping the real work begins! The finish of this frame was identical my Levo with a fine pitted finish, I believe they must use some form of etch primer prior to factory painting so this needs sanding back before you can start to get an even finish.
I was also planning to finish the SL to a higher level than my other Levo which inevitably would take longer but hopefully the extra time would give a much higher sheen to the frame.

View attachment 30904
View attachment 30905

Whilst stripping the frame down it was good opportunity to get familiar with the new Battery/Motor/Wiring set ip on the Levo SL.
A great little package. Motor is straight forward to remove or just hinge out of the way if you want to remove the battery. New wiring and connectors look good quality and I particularly like the main battery terminal with its twist lock set up.

View attachment 30906
View attachment 30908
View attachment 30907

So onto the sanding process.
I start with sanding all over with higher grade wet and dry to knock back the etch primer marks and get a level surface, this does take a good bit of time but like everything it’s the preparation that usually takes the longest time. Next was another full hit with finer grade and repeat this process through progressively finer grades until I was happy with an even, smooth finish. This did take almost 12 hours on the Levo so I was hoping that the SL being a little smaller wouldn’t take as long. In reality it took about the same but as the finish was going to be to a higher level it did end up adding another 3-4 hours. Final stage on the SL was using a fine (red), then ultra fine (grey) 3M scotch pads and water, brushing in single direction across the entire frame and then polished with a fine polish before degreasing and fitting decals and invisiframe kit to protect. Very happy with the results.

View attachment 30911 View attachment 30910
View attachment 30912
View attachment 30914
View attachment 30913

Now onto the build spec and master plan of making an alloy SL compete weight wise with a carbon framed version. Obviously a carbon frame is always going to be lighter with the same components but I wasn’t aiming for ultimate light weight, I wanted the ride quality of alloy and to save weight where possible with high end build kit.
Full spec is below but AXS shift kit is on the cards along with some Chris King hubs, in silver?
View attachment 30919

For now time to refit the motor/battery etc. Pretty straight forward process as such a nice compact package.

View attachment 30920

View attachment 30921

Build wise, some of the kit I already had such as Roval wheels and Sram XX1, other parts were a no brainer such as Rockshox Pike and Guide Ultimate brakes as they’re available in silver of course. Bars & stem kindly provided by Deity components, they do these with awesome polished silver decals and their new lockjaw grips in grey?

BUILD SPEC:
2020 Levo SL Alloy Raw frame
Rockshox Pike Ultimate 150 travel
Rockshox Air shock
Roval SL carbon wheelset w/ Maxxis Ardent exo tyres - tubeless
Sram Guide Ultimate brakes & Disc w/ Ti bolts throughout
Sram XX1 Eagle drive train - AXS soon
Rockshox AXS dropper & ti railed carbon saddle
Deity Carbon bars
Deity stem
Deity grips
Crankbrothers Mallet E pedals

View attachment 30922

View attachment 30924
View attachment 30925

All in the weight was bang on what I was aiming for and more than happy at 17.66kg.

View attachment 30918

Decal wise I toyed with all sorts of ideas but in the end decided the original location and Specialized font in fine line but in chrome silver finished off with an invisiframe kit to protect the decals and also frame from handling marks. Works really well and use these kits on all my bikes, cannot recommend them enough?

View attachment 30931

Big thanks to MB Cyclery for their ongoing help, the boys are huge ebike fans so get yourself down there. Also Deity components for their continuing supply of kit for my builds and Ben Briffett for taking time on the final build shots?

View attachment 30929
View attachment 30928 View attachment 30939 View attachment 30930
thanks for all that
 

Tobers

Well-known member
Jun 20, 2020
140
309
England
I have a raw ally Yeti 575 and am waiting on an ally SL from Ace Bicycles. I think I’ve read this post 10 times already. The bike looks amazing and it LOOKS light and gorgeous. I cant stretch to your budget but the elbow grease is cheap.
 

sleevedone

Member
Jun 25, 2020
5
5
Red Deer, Alberta
Maybe I missed it, but what was the starting weight of original build?
More of a silly question, how much weight from just by stripping the paint off. Guessing not much, but more out of pure interest to know.
Amazing job, the pics in the field are amazing. Cheers
 

thewrx

Member
Sep 4, 2019
187
71
US
Any reason you didn't powdercoat the frame once you had it stripped and polished? I know you have the insvisframe, but wont the aluminum oxidize in the areas that don't have the invisiframe, maybe even eventually under the invisiframe?

I do like the build nicely done, and the matching components too!
 

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