Hi. I am new to this forum. Live in Norway and have miles of trails just outside my door. Mostly technical stuff with challenging rocks and roots. And at times very wet.
I used to own a Specialized StumpJumper 2018 but recently invested in a Turbo Levo Comp 2020. Loved my old bike, but the Turbo Levo has made me capable of going places I never could before. Also get the bonus of longer and more technical downhills. Its so much fun! You can hear me laughing through the forest now.
Wanted to share my experience and upgrades. Hoping others with similiar bike and experience would share their thoughts.
UPGRADE 1: LIGHT
Not so much upgrade but add on. The Lupine SL SF Brose head light. Easy to install and works great! Hardwired to the Brose motor. Easy access to unused plugs when you remove the motor cover. Colored plug on cable end included with the light. You just have to remove the cankarm. Can be tricky as it is very hard to unscrew. But just keep on going and it loosens after a while. Now I have a remote on the right handle bar and automatic light that is adjustable powered from bike battery. The Lupine is not super bright at 1300 lumen, but it does the job. A bit expensive but quality.
UPGRADE 2: TIRES
I used to love butcher and purgatory on my StumpJumper. Really good grip. I tried many different tires last 4-5 years, but returned to Butcher/Purgatory combo on my stumpy. Now it seemed like the butcher/eliminator combo was not enough on the heavy Turbo Levo. Lost some grip in hard turns. Not so good in wet conditions etc. Not bad , but over all a bit under par. So I invested in the expensive and heavy, but well reviewed, Maxxis Minion DHF EXO+ 3C MaxxTerra 29 x 2,60" up front and Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO+ 3C MaxxTerra 29 x 2,60" in the rear. And this was a good upgrade. Not life changing but better. Super easy tubeless setup and I ride with a lot more confidence and grip now. And so little air thats its almost incredible. 18 psi rear and 15 psi front. And I am 95kg in gear on a 25kg bike! No burping. Guess the rims and wheels on the turbo Levo comp 2020 are very good at holding these tires at 30mm wide. Maybe I will go up to 20 psi rear and 18 psi front because sometimes they can loose a bit of grip through thight corners and feel a bit squashy. If thats a word.
UPGRADE 3: BATTERY FRAME MOTOR PROTECTOR
Also not upgrade but add on. I invested in two different frame protectors; the RockGuardz carbon fibre frame protector and Amygos plastic frame protector. They are molded to fit specific bikes. They both protect the bottom area right behind the front wheel and under battery and motor. The Turbo Levo has some protection but its not enough when you hit those sharp rocks going downhill. Both fits real well. The RockGuardz one I have already dented and its more or less destroyed. So I will say the Amygos is more rigid. But its bigger and heavier than the RockGuardz. The RockGuardz looks better, carbon and less material. Amygos is like having bulky kneepads on your bike. But sooo much protection. I recommend ordering both so you can try. Then sell the one you dont use. Or keep for spare.
UPGRADE 4: SUSPENSION
My first impression with the bike – me weighing in at 95kg with gear – was that the rear shock needed a lot of PSI to get correct sag and it was not plush. Couldnt tune it to my liking. Was a bit harsh mid stroke and not good small bumps. Like a pogo stick! Also the Lyrik fork was a bit harsh and not working through its travel. (yes I know its no goal to bottom out a fork – but if you have 150mm travel you want to use most of it, not only 40-50%). So I did some research and decided to upgrade rear shock and remove tokens front. With my weight and the fact that the Turbo Levo is a heavy bike with a progressive curve, I decided to go for the Cane Creek DBcoil IL with a 650lbs spring (don't go progressive - go regular spring). It got some excellent reviews. I contacted Tftuned in the UK because they were a recommended dealer and tuner of shocks/forks. Also my LBS in Norway did not have in stock and it was sold out everywhere in Norway. TFtuned confirmed that I could fit a 210x55mm. The stock shock is 210x52,5. The increase in size gives the bike about 7-8mm of more rear travel. So now its closer to 160mm rear travel. I also ordered the new Rockshox C1 Air Spring upgrade 160mm for my fork. Very easy install. Like a lower leg service. So now I have 160 travel front/rear. Also removed the two default tokens and added 5 psi more air than before. So no tokens now. And wow – I have a new bike! First of all the DBcoil IL was super easy to fit. Took me 5 min and i reused all the hardware. It was perfect out of the box. So plush. Eats small roots and rocks at high speed and low speed. And very good down hill! And also, to my surprise, it was much better up hill. Much better than the stock Rockshox! Can not belive it – almost feels like I am not on trail but on a gravel like track with bumps! It just eats everything. And the fork is also much better. With the very affordable debonair upgrade (important that you order the new 2020 C1 upgrade) and removing two tokens made the fork plush and works more through its travel without bottoming out. It also rides higher in its travel which is nice. I still get a bit tired in my arms after long downhills, but I guess this is due to the nature of air forks...?
UPGRADE 5: BLEED BRAKES AND BETTER PADS
Not upgraded brakes - just tuned them and new pads. I read that a lot of people are not happy with the guide RE brakes on the Turbo Levo. But I think its a lot about tuning them and bleeding. I bled mine the other day and I upgraded to Trickstuff Power 850PO pads front and rear. Also made sure to clean and lubricate the pistons and made sure they work properly. Takes some time on the bike stand - but well worth it. Now they are much better. But when I go on longer down hills they seem to make a lot of noise and they loose some grip and the modulation goes away. But we are talking about 15-20 min of steep downhill. I think all brakes will suffer then...
UPGRADE 6: SEAT
I found the stock seat no so good on longer rides. Felt numb and bit of lower back pain. After some research I invested in the Sqlab 611 active. You have to measure you seat bones. Mine was about 12cm and added 2cm for trail riding. Their webpage have all the info on how to measure seat bones. The seat is a bit hard at first, some people are surprised by this, but its correct. A seat shouldn't be like a pillow. It must be hard but support the right points. So you have to ride it in to get used to it. But now my seat bones are the first contact point on the broad seat and it has this fantastic side to side movement that also works well. Also it has a raised back, meaning the profile is raised and bowl-shaped towards the back, sorry poorly explained. But this results in good support when climbing. Well designed seat. Much better and no more back pain for me
Thats what I have done so far.
So this brings me to my next upgrade: The Lyrik fork, that is now upgraded to C1 160mm, is it worth turning into a coil? I am aware that I can invest in the RockShox Damper Upgrade Kit charger 2.1 which will give the fork better tuning and better performance. But its a bit expensive. So thinking Smashpot coil upgrade instead... Its on my list but not sure how much better my fork will be. Now that I am quite happy, I am not sure if its worth it. But I keep reading that if you go coil rear, you will want coil front...
Anyone with charger and/or coil upgrade up front that could share some thoughts and recommendations?
Boy, this is an expensive time consuming hobby – but so much fun
I used to own a Specialized StumpJumper 2018 but recently invested in a Turbo Levo Comp 2020. Loved my old bike, but the Turbo Levo has made me capable of going places I never could before. Also get the bonus of longer and more technical downhills. Its so much fun! You can hear me laughing through the forest now.
Wanted to share my experience and upgrades. Hoping others with similiar bike and experience would share their thoughts.
UPGRADE 1: LIGHT
Not so much upgrade but add on. The Lupine SL SF Brose head light. Easy to install and works great! Hardwired to the Brose motor. Easy access to unused plugs when you remove the motor cover. Colored plug on cable end included with the light. You just have to remove the cankarm. Can be tricky as it is very hard to unscrew. But just keep on going and it loosens after a while. Now I have a remote on the right handle bar and automatic light that is adjustable powered from bike battery. The Lupine is not super bright at 1300 lumen, but it does the job. A bit expensive but quality.
UPGRADE 2: TIRES
I used to love butcher and purgatory on my StumpJumper. Really good grip. I tried many different tires last 4-5 years, but returned to Butcher/Purgatory combo on my stumpy. Now it seemed like the butcher/eliminator combo was not enough on the heavy Turbo Levo. Lost some grip in hard turns. Not so good in wet conditions etc. Not bad , but over all a bit under par. So I invested in the expensive and heavy, but well reviewed, Maxxis Minion DHF EXO+ 3C MaxxTerra 29 x 2,60" up front and Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO+ 3C MaxxTerra 29 x 2,60" in the rear. And this was a good upgrade. Not life changing but better. Super easy tubeless setup and I ride with a lot more confidence and grip now. And so little air thats its almost incredible. 18 psi rear and 15 psi front. And I am 95kg in gear on a 25kg bike! No burping. Guess the rims and wheels on the turbo Levo comp 2020 are very good at holding these tires at 30mm wide. Maybe I will go up to 20 psi rear and 18 psi front because sometimes they can loose a bit of grip through thight corners and feel a bit squashy. If thats a word.
UPGRADE 3: BATTERY FRAME MOTOR PROTECTOR
Also not upgrade but add on. I invested in two different frame protectors; the RockGuardz carbon fibre frame protector and Amygos plastic frame protector. They are molded to fit specific bikes. They both protect the bottom area right behind the front wheel and under battery and motor. The Turbo Levo has some protection but its not enough when you hit those sharp rocks going downhill. Both fits real well. The RockGuardz one I have already dented and its more or less destroyed. So I will say the Amygos is more rigid. But its bigger and heavier than the RockGuardz. The RockGuardz looks better, carbon and less material. Amygos is like having bulky kneepads on your bike. But sooo much protection. I recommend ordering both so you can try. Then sell the one you dont use. Or keep for spare.
UPGRADE 4: SUSPENSION
My first impression with the bike – me weighing in at 95kg with gear – was that the rear shock needed a lot of PSI to get correct sag and it was not plush. Couldnt tune it to my liking. Was a bit harsh mid stroke and not good small bumps. Like a pogo stick! Also the Lyrik fork was a bit harsh and not working through its travel. (yes I know its no goal to bottom out a fork – but if you have 150mm travel you want to use most of it, not only 40-50%). So I did some research and decided to upgrade rear shock and remove tokens front. With my weight and the fact that the Turbo Levo is a heavy bike with a progressive curve, I decided to go for the Cane Creek DBcoil IL with a 650lbs spring (don't go progressive - go regular spring). It got some excellent reviews. I contacted Tftuned in the UK because they were a recommended dealer and tuner of shocks/forks. Also my LBS in Norway did not have in stock and it was sold out everywhere in Norway. TFtuned confirmed that I could fit a 210x55mm. The stock shock is 210x52,5. The increase in size gives the bike about 7-8mm of more rear travel. So now its closer to 160mm rear travel. I also ordered the new Rockshox C1 Air Spring upgrade 160mm for my fork. Very easy install. Like a lower leg service. So now I have 160 travel front/rear. Also removed the two default tokens and added 5 psi more air than before. So no tokens now. And wow – I have a new bike! First of all the DBcoil IL was super easy to fit. Took me 5 min and i reused all the hardware. It was perfect out of the box. So plush. Eats small roots and rocks at high speed and low speed. And very good down hill! And also, to my surprise, it was much better up hill. Much better than the stock Rockshox! Can not belive it – almost feels like I am not on trail but on a gravel like track with bumps! It just eats everything. And the fork is also much better. With the very affordable debonair upgrade (important that you order the new 2020 C1 upgrade) and removing two tokens made the fork plush and works more through its travel without bottoming out. It also rides higher in its travel which is nice. I still get a bit tired in my arms after long downhills, but I guess this is due to the nature of air forks...?
UPGRADE 5: BLEED BRAKES AND BETTER PADS
Not upgraded brakes - just tuned them and new pads. I read that a lot of people are not happy with the guide RE brakes on the Turbo Levo. But I think its a lot about tuning them and bleeding. I bled mine the other day and I upgraded to Trickstuff Power 850PO pads front and rear. Also made sure to clean and lubricate the pistons and made sure they work properly. Takes some time on the bike stand - but well worth it. Now they are much better. But when I go on longer down hills they seem to make a lot of noise and they loose some grip and the modulation goes away. But we are talking about 15-20 min of steep downhill. I think all brakes will suffer then...
UPGRADE 6: SEAT
I found the stock seat no so good on longer rides. Felt numb and bit of lower back pain. After some research I invested in the Sqlab 611 active. You have to measure you seat bones. Mine was about 12cm and added 2cm for trail riding. Their webpage have all the info on how to measure seat bones. The seat is a bit hard at first, some people are surprised by this, but its correct. A seat shouldn't be like a pillow. It must be hard but support the right points. So you have to ride it in to get used to it. But now my seat bones are the first contact point on the broad seat and it has this fantastic side to side movement that also works well. Also it has a raised back, meaning the profile is raised and bowl-shaped towards the back, sorry poorly explained. But this results in good support when climbing. Well designed seat. Much better and no more back pain for me
Thats what I have done so far.
So this brings me to my next upgrade: The Lyrik fork, that is now upgraded to C1 160mm, is it worth turning into a coil? I am aware that I can invest in the RockShox Damper Upgrade Kit charger 2.1 which will give the fork better tuning and better performance. But its a bit expensive. So thinking Smashpot coil upgrade instead... Its on my list but not sure how much better my fork will be. Now that I am quite happy, I am not sure if its worth it. But I keep reading that if you go coil rear, you will want coil front...
Anyone with charger and/or coil upgrade up front that could share some thoughts and recommendations?
Boy, this is an expensive time consuming hobby – but so much fun
