Levo Gen 2 Why is my Levo so slow?

[Mar]

Coming off a regular bike, I can't help but feel like my Levo is really slow and draggy past speed limit.
Not only that, but going downhill it takes a lot to gain momentum and pick up speed.

Speed limit is set at 29km/h currently but trying to go past it is really difficult. On my regular bike I was be able to hit 35km/h with relative ease but now it's extremely difficult to go over 30.

Going downhill on road for example it feels like it's dragging because while I'd be able to hit 45-50km/h on my old bike, on Levo I'm barely getting to 40.

I know motor has some drag and the bike is somewhat heavier but it's not just that. I think the bike is a lot more composed and less nervous so at same speeds it feels slower and less engaging.

What can be done except obviously removing the speed limit? Tires are relatively fast rolling with Hans Dampf Addix speed in the rear and Magic Mary in the front and the whole bike is custom weighing at just 20kg, so it's not that heavy.

 

[Sherman]

Different bike, different setup. That's about it. And it's an ebike. Hitting the the assist cut off willl feel hard, after all you just lost 100-500W of power from your legs and you're probably couple of gears too high for non assisted pedaling.

 

[Kingerz]

Yep, they are all slow and super-draggy past the speed limit. Usually I find that isn't a problem mountain biking, but it certainly is on flat surfaces and roads if you ride those. Just think though, you'd probably not be going that fast on a dually.

 

[Alexbn921]

All ebikes are like this. Speed cutoff sucks and is a big reason that people disable them.

 

[Konanige]

Thats one of the reasons I went with an SL , pretty much the same as my acoustic bike to pedal when off the motor!

 

[Supratad]

I've not found my Levo to be draggy when descending on road at all. Except one time when the axle had come loose in the rear wheel and then tightened itself compressing the bearings. I'd check the wheels first to make sure they sin freely.
Is OP running very soft tyre pressures, as that will have an effect?

 

[fali]

Coming off a regular bike, I can't help but feel like my Levo is really slow and draggy past speed limit.
Not only that, but going downhill it takes a lot to gain momentum and pick up speed.

Speed limit is set at 29km/h currently but trying to go past it is really difficult. On my regular bike I was be able to hit 35km/h with relative ease but now it's extremely difficult to go over 30.

Going downhill on road for example it feels like it's dragging because while I'd be able to hit 45-50km/h on my old bike, on Levo I'm barely getting to 40.

I know motor has some drag and the bike is somewhat heavier but it's not just that. I think the bike is a lot more composed and less nervous so at same speeds it feels slower and less engaging.

What can be done except obviously removing the speed limit? Tires are relatively fast rolling with Hans Dampf Addix speed in the rear and Magic Mary in the front and the whole bike is custom weighing at just 20kg, so it's not that heavy.

Pues yo he bajado a 70 sin problemas

 

[2WheelsNot4]

EMTB's are about the ease of getting up the hill. Far as I can see thats it.
To get to the fun down bit, we unfortunately must do the energy sapping uphill slog(GOD HOW I HATE THE UPHILL SLOG BIT ) Not everywhere has a gondola with tea and coffee making facilities, so days out become limited because no matter how many energy drinks, snack bars and hearty breakfasts you have, you have a finite amount of energy.
Ebikes increase those energy reserves by the fact you aren't cutting into them at the start of your rides.
Sure there's a trade off, but its about having fun and enjoying yourself for as long as possible.

Not sure ive ever met anyone capable of doing 20mph going up an offroad hill. You must have some legs/lungs on you.

 

[Grannyjones]

Just think though, you'd probably not be going that fast on a dually.

What is a dually ?

 

[RebornRider]

EMTB's are about the ease of getting up the hill. Far as I can see thats it.
To get to the fund down bit, we unfortunately must do the energy sapping uphill slog(GOD HOW I HATE THE UPHILL SLOG BIT ) Not everywhere has a gondola with tea and coffee making facilities, so days out become limited because no matter how many energy drinks, snack bars and hearty breakfasts you have, you have a finite amount of energy.
Ebikes increase those energy reserves by the fact you aren't cutting into them at the start of your rides.
Sure there's a trade off, but its about having fun and enjoying yourself for as long as possible.

Not sure ive ever met anyone capable of doing 20mph going up an offroad hill. You must have some legs/lungs on you.

Exactly! I do not share Steve Jones' enthusiasm for techie climbs. My ebike enables me to ride to the trails rather than drive, and then get to the top without using up all my energy.

 

[Grannyjones]

I don't share Steve Jones' skill on the techy climbs.
While I prefer climbs that fill the barrier between being too hard on an analogue bike but not too difficult for an EMTB to clear, I find that it is difficult to find too many of these.
EMTB's can ride up stuff that normal bikes can't, but they can't get up absolutely anything.
Some of such climbs also require "special skills", such as log/rock hopping and ability to spin the bike 180 degrees on the spot

 

[RustyIron]

My Amish bikes are all super-draggy past 20 mph.
I never thought it was the bike, and just assumed that's the way wind resistance worked.

Here's a little graph I just bagged off Sheldon Brown's site. You can see that wind resistance really picks up after about 15 km/h. Your bike's curve is going to be close to the Dutch Style. In other words, your bike is like a giant pig with a sail on its back.

 

[ebikerider]

When I had a Levo this was my biggest annoyance, it was so draggy when the assistance dropped off. It was a bit of an issue when you needed to put a few pedal strokes in coming up to a jump around the assistance limit and it felt like pedaling thru treacle. The only solution that I found was to increase the assistance limit to about 30kmh, that way it usually wasn't an issue on the trails.

Then I found the real solution which was to buy a Kenevo SL.

 

[1oldfart]

I am pretty sure most manufacturers use a lower BB to avoid the heavy bike feeling so i agree 35 is likely to feel slower on an Ebike than the same 35 on a non assisted bike.

 

[Tim1023]

Never been an issue on the trails.
On the road, it's definitely a pain. Two options:
- Pump your MTB tyres up to a higher pressure
- Put on some commuting tyres. Much to my chagrin, I mostly use the bike for commuting. After putting on commuting tyres, the drop-off in support feels more like a ramp than a wall. There's a couple threads re options for commuting tyres.