2020 Specialized Turbo Levo Expert Review

[@MTBChris]

i felt the same way, never thought i'd ride an ebike. picked up my comp in december, best decision ever. i pretty much swapped out all the things you ping'd on as well. awesome vid, thanks for sharing!

[@alexthemtbr]

MTB Chris dude it just amplifies the fun!! And honestly, I ride so often now because of it, I’ve notice fitness gains on the normal bike too

[@mnbdysl]

Awesome review Alex. And a lot of misconceptions about them are starting to dissipate. For the lazy? Ha, I ride harder and longer than ever. I agree on the downhill performance. That extra, low center weight gives me a nice planted feel when bombing descents. So fun broh. Cheers.

[@m1chaelsc]

Glad to see another video!

[@dodgechristopher]

Similar experience here...>20 years of 'hardcore' MTB but now I almost ride the E exclusively. 2x the downs in the same amount of limited time. Hate to say it but the Specialized/Brose motor is notorious for those belt issues. I know guys that have warranted them 5x before giving up and buying a Shimano motor bike. My Commencal Meta Power now has over 4200 miles, 1,100,000 ft of mostly single black and double black trail miles on it. The Shimano isn't as powerful or quiet or as sophisticated but it's dead reliable. Bonus is I can carry an extra battery and get some epic 40 mile/9,000 days.

[@megane230f1]

Chris Dodge you should de restrict your shimano motor, done mine on my focus with stunlocker, turns the bike into a different beast

[@wookiebmx]

Been on a 2018 kenevo not without its fair share of warranties (motor, linkage bolts etc) but its so much fun to ride around solo or in a group of ebikes. Doesn't replace a normal bike but makes the entire ride enjoyable apart from the decent which is what we all care about right. We had a local event few days ago and i was pinned at 180bpm on the ebike up and down for 30mins. Who says ebikes are cheating. Best N+1 bike anyone can buy IMO. Just need to get the price and reliability sorted out.

[@alexthemtbr]

MTB Wookie I’ve only gotten faster after riding the e bike! Regularly have a higher heart rate on the e bike than the normal bike. Just climbed 12,800 ft in one ride on my megatower the other day, and most the training up to that point was on the levo hahaha strava.app.link/IE4Wm8WYj3

[@DroppingIn]

Glad your posting mtb content again! Welcome back.

[@paddydavison6969]

Sick seeing some acceptance of eBikes! I have worked at an electric bike shop for two years now (i am 19) and i think they are wicked! With my experience, the Bosch generation 4 is my favourite motor by some stretch. It is so reliable! It is has 75nm of torque (specialized brose has 90nm) but they designed it around 110nm. So it is super overbuilt and everything is under less stress. It easily has the most advanced emtb mode, although it has less power it delivers it much better. Oh and one thing you might like Alex, it has a dt swiss star ratchet freehub in it to help with zero drag disengagement!!

[@alexthemtbr]

Paddy Davison I’ll have to try it out, looks like the Orbea is one of the better bikes with that motor??

[@paddydavison6969]

@@alexthemtbr yeah it does look spot on!

[@thefontzchannel]

I totally agree! I replaced everything. I have the comp with a dpx2 and fox float grip2, wheels are dt hx531 with chris king hubs oneup edc in the headtube. Co-worker bought one after seeing it out on the trail. I see 3 or 4 ebikes every time I ride in Northern California Bay Area. I still love my sb150 more!

[@alexthemtbr]

James Fontes sounds like you have that thing dialed!! That’s the way to go. Comp and upgrade components 🤘🏽

[@tylerwinans4360]

So stoked to see another video from you!

[@TrailFeatures]

Won’t lie, I’ve been wanting to try an ebike for the past year. Hoping to demo one in 2020!

[@alexthemtbr]

Trail Features you will fall in love man!

[@adamdavis354]

Trail Features come rip mine in LA!

[@JosephCarter_mle]

Can you compare the Levo to the Decoy 29? I’m in the market and I’m trying to decide.

[@shayne131]

Mate i had a trail bike with the same shock just in the factory version. It did the same thing with the lever switching over. My shock was mounted vertically and off drops and jumps the lever would go from open to closed. It was a full warranty replacement apparently they have internal issues.

[@Extremegaz25]

The levo is fantastic but the fact that the motor wears belts that fast is a concern but that will be th 90nm and I heard the crunching noise from the cassette every time I changed when pushing.

[@lastlaf9306]

I have a 2019. My motor crapped out after 4 months too. Luckily they replaced it with a 2020 motor. No issues since. Sure is a lot of fun to ride. No regrets. Nice review.

[@BurnsRubber]

Brave to post an E-bike review. Never ridden one. Too afraid that I’ll like it.

[@alexthemtbr]

KnowMtB only people who hate haven’t ridden one, it’s kind of like people talking about gun rights who have never shot a gun. Just a bunch of ignorance

[@cdabcdefg12345]

@@alexthemtbr I've ridden one multiple times and I definitely dont like it. Sucks ass on the dh

[@luiguee]

I made the mistake of trying one today, i had a blast!! Super fun!! Loved it!!

[@BlazinBlades]

Great review!!! 3 engines after 4 months says it all... Here in Israel customer service is really sub par so engine replacement would probably be out of pocket as it’s usually the rider’s fault if a catastrophic failure occurs. I was about to get one but now I understand why I should wait till all the kinks are fixed, Thanks again 🙏 BB

[@taron.y]

You will

[@moandhannahtravel]

Alex Shreds Bikes Period! Nice review!

[@alexthemtbr]

nah man, I've sold out, definitely not a core mountain biker! Also, totally hate climbing my normal bike now hahahaha. One e bike video, now im blacklisted

[@MoisheLettvin]

This is an incredibly informative review, thanks so much. About to get one of these (same color and everything) and this info is incredibly helpful.

[@pcmuscle1]

So I replaced the tires, brakes, dropper post is next, cassette blown out probably chain too, bar and stem replaced, rear shock blown out, grips gone, wheels are wonky already. Fuck it let’s just buy another !😂. On a serious note good review, great bike, thank you!

[@EnergyNewsToday]

So I just finally switched over my SRAM Code brakes and drivetrain to Shimano XTR on a 2019 Turbo Levo. This is an absolutely huge difference in braking ability compared to SRAM Code and now you can shed speed faster and later into corners and with 1 finger with zero arm and hand fatigue. I am a big guy that goes fast on a heavy bike and after having both I can tell you for sure that all that modulation that people talk about is absolute rubbish. The Shimano difference is so wide and confidence inspiring I cannot believe people even compare the two in the same sentence. I also think that they have enough modulation for anyone. On SRAM I was looking to upgrade the discs from 200 to 220 but then just decided to switch Shimano XTR 9120 with 203 Ice tech and the power difference is significantly better. Then switched the shifter, derailleur and rear cassette to twelve speed, everything but the crank, to Shimano and I can tell you that Shimano blows away SRAM in all ways. Want to save a few bucks get XT. The bike is a whole new bike and way better IMO in all ways. After this back to back test of components on the same bike Shimano wins by a huge margin! No, I don’t work for Shimano.

[@tyrelthibault5264]

Is the bike 46 pounds with the -tubeless setup? -pedals on the bike? -Maxxis tires?

[@tyrelthibault5264]

What’s the weight as shown?

[@darrenr18]

I got a fezzari wire peak couple months back. Agree with a lot of what you are saying. I also can’t for the life of me keep the rear wheel true. I’m thinking I’m gonna have to upgrade to something a bit beefier.

[@alexthemtbr]

Bootleg Crew yeah dt is the way to go! How is the fezzari??

[@bigb7157]

Review of the Fezzari? It’s on my list with the Levo. Concerned about motor and battery service on a direct order bike.

[@darrenr18]

So far so good. I’ve changed the bike around a bit. Put a 170 fork upfront MRP coil outback. Running it as a mullet bike currently. I haven’t needed anything more than 140mm outback so far. I’m a bigger rider 205 lbs bike feels heavy but not too much that you can’t throw it around. I have the E 7000 motor with 10 speed 11 to 42 and I haven’t needed anything more than that. I can get about 4200 feet of climbing on boost in an hour. Or around 6K and 20 miles on eco-

[@bigb7157]

Bootleg Crew 27.5plus or 29er? Thanks.

[@darrenr18]

I got the 27.5 version and put a 29er wheels upfront

[@TyBrenninger]

Did you get a discount from being an employee?

[@alexthemtbr]

It was a bonus, so free

[@mtbmike9866]

I own and ride BOTH. But more like 70% regular mtb and 30% Emtb since most of my friends don’t own an ebike YET but they all want one. Regarding your Levo, The suspension and intent of this bike wasn’t really meant for the type of riding I see you doing on your channel. It’s more of a trail bike. I think the Kenevo with a Dual crown fork might be the way to go for you!!! Or even the Norco Range VLT that’s a lot cheaper than Spesh and it has top notch suspension and you can throw on a 360wh battery extender on top of the 625wh for a total of 985wh

[@alexthemtbr]

Ive seen the norco and it looks sweet!! I have been thinking about the Orbea as well. I really like the idea of adding on battery

[@phantomrider86]

Alex, have you tried the Levo in a mullet set up? I see some other companies are doing this and wondered if the Levo's geometry would still feel OK.

[@ukevz]

How many miles have you done in 4 months to get that kind of wearing

[@alexthemtbr]

4th motor now, 446 miles

[@ukevz]

Thanks for the reply I was looking at getting one and watching and reading a lot of reviews until I can afford it iv just never heard of anyone having that many problems

[@alexthemtbr]

ukevz my dads motor went out after 3 months, and I have buddies who are going through them every 2. It seems to be extremely common :/

[@ukevz]

@@alexthemtbr wow really are they all the same as yours and same year

[@alexthemtbr]

ukevz 2019 and 2020

[@taron.y]

Can parts be swapped to make it lighter?

[@thim8009]

That is a beautiful bike. I was going to get the aluminum comp, but l.b.s. is going to sell me a 2019 expert levo for 5900.00. I couldn't pass up that deal, then for an extra 350 going to swap forks for a 36 grip 2 160mm performance. Dont know if I will like r.s. rear shock or not but can deal with that later.

[@alexthemtbr]

thats a steal!

[@porroco]

Which shock size is your bike 210x52.5mm? What tire are those minions?

[@alexthemtbr]

assegai

[@ChupacabraOffroad]

Nice review, just bought the same exact one...

[@mova_2020]

Congrats man. I am about to buy the exact same because I don’t have the money for the S-Works. Have you had ANY kinds of issues with it so far? I hope not. Just please let me know if anything bothers you about the bike? Thanks

[@ChupacabraOffroad]

@@mova_2020 Loving it so far. Dropper post is notchy but works, and I'm swapping the tires. I will do a 160mm cartridge kit in the fork and probably upgrade the rear shock to a Float X2. Rode 30 miles and still had half a battery, love the bike!

[@eckythump6429]

E’s are good! Welcome to the fold🤙🏼

[@youling1997]

Wow almost 3 motors in? It’s gonna get pricey when you get out of warranty. Do you know what’s the warranty on the motor?

[@alexthemtbr]

Zhiwei Yang 2 year warranty, I won’t have it for longer than that. Also, the 2nd owner is eligible for the warranty within 2 years as well

[@donjon1733]

Motor failures?

[@miguelnavarro2571]

Another great video Alex....I too have the Expert Levo model and wanted to ask you what tire you were running and what was your experience with the Assegai in the rear. I understand you're running Assegai's both F/R, but there are two types of Maxx Grip on the website. There's the 3CG/TR 60TPI that weighs 1300+grams or the 3CG/TR/DD 120TPI that weighs slightly less. Surprised to see you're not rocking the Aggressor in the rear from your previous bikes and videos on it so would like to know why you decided not to run it and how the Assegai is on the rear? Cheers to this and more budget, but high quality content videos!

[@theshindogg]

What do you weigh and how tall are you?

[@carlbous]

Maybe your not as tired when you get to the top so you feel better on the decent??

[@alexthemtbr]

You know... some days I pedal my normal Enduro bike 6-10k of elevation. So I’m gonna assume it’s not the uphill fatigue...

[@bbarker5766]

I was considering a Specialized EMTB but you are one of several that had motor issues relating to the belts and honestly that bothers me. You pay that much for a bike and have to get it fixed after a few month's.... ehhh not something that should happen honestly!

[@alexthemtbr]

StrikeForce MTB I 100% agree

[@soular420]

Big oof.

[@BlazinBlades]

Absolutely! And grinding cassette teeth left and right... after all it is producing 4 times human power on those teeth designed for HUMANS 🤪🤪

[@bbarker5766]

@@BlazinBlades actually it would vary but there are emtb specific components that should reduce wear n tear and improve durability.

[@BlazinBlades]

StrikeForce MTB checked with my local Specialized dealer; it is the identical 12 cog cassette used on the Stumpjumper making it beefier would simply reduce the number of geers you could fit... “and no one wants that” He says 🤪🤪

[@ziobersan]

I got the same shock in my analog bike, I blow the lever in the crash. Replece little part inside and cut the lever almost all the way. No problem right now, no switching while riding. The shock got that poppy feeling with bigger spacer. Love it. You was riding couple of top of the line shocks, whats your thoughts? Compare to x2 or coil? I have to try e-bike. Interesting opinion. I hear Specialized got problems with rear wheels on that models and cocpit despite being ugly was too flexible for that heavy bike. For gearing and drivetrian I hear people are lubricating chain every 2 hours even on the quick stop, probably with wet lube to minimize friction. How about e-bike with zerode (pinion) gearing? You are riding motocross, you think e-bike should go all the way to being as light as possible or more power or just increase reliability? Cuz my concerne is if you add different gearing, more power you basically got e-moto. They are already in market , home made or brand new. Whats your opinion about e-bikes in competition? Hearing your enthusiasm makes me try that e-bike even more.

[@alexthemtbr]

Maciej Ziobro that is a lot of questions! But the shock totally depends on the suspension design. 25% progressivity and up, the coil is probably the best choice. Most bikes are between 10-20% progressive when it comes to the leverage ratio, so most likely better off with air. My favorite shock right now is the RS super deluxe air believe it or not haha. And gearbox is needed on ebikes for sure, it’s just juggling limited space, more power is definitely not needed though

[@mova_2020]

Hey man, great video. Is it hard to carry an extra battery and replace in the trail? I really want to buy this bike and it is expensive so I wanna make sure it is worth it? Thanks

[@alexthemtbr]

Mo Vahedi very hard

[@mova_2020]

Thanks man. I may end up just getting the S-Works version Turbo Levo 2020 in black but the price... :(

[@miguelnavarro2571]

Hey Alex, another great review! I too have had the expert model, but with Rockshox suspension. I weigh approx. 215lbs and are too running 115psi up front and 240 out rear. Curious to know if the Fox has less mid stroke support because I'm running the fork without volume spacers and the shock in stock form. What psi are you running in the rear? LSC is at 3 clicks from open in the front ..... Regarding the tires, what size Assegai you running F/R and what casing? Have you thought about cushcore on them? I have yet to be able to dial in the psi in the tires, how about you? Anywho, great to see you making videos again and cheers to another!

[@alexthemtbr]

26F/29R psi DH casings No Cush core Fox has much more mid stroke support

[@mikekirby5162]

When is the SB140 review coming? And 150?

[@scottwhyte2772]

Great review mate. Thanks for sharing.

[@seankennedy8635]

I had the same disc problem with in the first day.

[@seattlevkk]

Damn that's the color I want in the expert. Great to see a review on it. How do you like that color? And which mudguards are those? Also wrt motor issue did you see the maintenance tip on the "Rob rides e-mtb" channel? He visits a bike shop and the owner explains how to periodically clean the motor chassis. I wonder if it's a dirt issue since you seem to ride hard and often.

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

I love ebikes, I rode one for a few days at post canyon Oregon. Sadly they are not allowed on my local trails....

[@lastlaf9306]

One of my daughters lives in Hillsboro Oregon. Her husband, his brother and I went there twice now. Great variety of trails to enjoy.

[@dfathatgmx]

Alex whats your weight ?

[@alexthemtbr]

200lbs 6'1" I'm very dense haha

[@merlinfenet9348]

Daniel F similar problème..i'm 1,93 cm and 100kg.i love the Levo but to just for me in xl. my choice been à mondraker Crafty....scuse me for my langage i'm french. good ride

[@HeretiCflow]

So yeah: The brakes aren't that good, the fork dives, the shock adjuster flaps around, the rear wheel is constantly out of true and the motor failed on me within 4 months... GREAT BIKE! 10/10, would recommend! xD

[@alexthemtbr]

FlowPublican I didn’t recommend or not recommend. Just gave my experience. I did however recommend people try an e bike out

[@HeretiCflow]

@@alexthemtbr I'm just messing with you. ;)

[@DeBasler]

You just talked me into a Santacruz Heckler.

[@APOCLAG]

This bike has been through HELL! Destroyed Cassete, almost 2 engines, When I played the video, looked like a 3-5 years old bike. This guy is the guy to lend your bike to!! hahahahahah All bikes would be broken if ridden like you do! uahuhauhauhauhauhahua Congratulations!!

[@Yhigma]

I'm sure that it's pretty fun, but I'd rather keep my hightower and buy a used dirt bike. Combined cost is about the same price

[@alexthemtbr]

not a bad move!

[@mathias5171]

Those teeth bro! Close to 8k mi on my giant quick e and don’t have teeth like that. And two motors?! You must be beating the crap out of that 😂😂

[@michaelsuede]

Jesus dude, you must beat the ever living shit out of that thing.

[@perryl5150]

Great review from a guy that uses a bike hard..... Not a Sunday bike path rider!

[@14TacomaDR]

WTF your on your third motor. I have been trying to convince myself to get a ebike. But I think they need more improvement . Water and dirt getting into the motor and electronic parts too. Here in Canada the base Levo Truro starts around. $ 7000.00. Guess i will wait to see what changes they make for 2021.

[@mova_2020]

Seems like he beats the bikes so bad. I have the same bike and after 500 miles, not a single issue at all. I climb brutally but I am so careful on how and when to shift gears. I never shift when on pressure. Motor? No issue no noise no halt or weirdness at all. Rims are also solid. The only real issue which is related to ALL of these Expert Carbon models is the lever on the rear shock it is indeed loose but for me it never changed the mode by itself because of jumping. I recommend you to try one and see how good they are. Good luck

[@handoromper7987]

Thanks for the post was just about to lay out $12500 AU but thanks to your video NO WAY with 4 motors after less than 8000km your kidding. Either your riding or beyond belief or the bike has problems. In 12 months you won’t have warranty or a bike.

[@klasrood9186]

Youre missing 6 teeth of a cassette? I do not call that a minor error. You must have felt that when it happened. Do not be casual about that. Big mistake on your part.

[@alexthemtbr]

Klas Rood I feel like my review was pretty truthful and honest. But since the review shit hit the fan. 13 separate failures on this bike. From the motor, handlebar, connecting wire from motor to battery, cassette, chain, rear hub, spokes. Biggest lemon of a bike I ever had

[@denniswhitford7502]

Change your suspension to DVO

[@daveh9817]

Going through 1 motor and you can feel the 2nd motor going out too, and you say you have nothing to complain about? LOL! What if you bought a brand new car and you were looking to replace two motors?? Ehh......nothing to complain about. It happens.... Oh WAIT!! After reading your comment below, I see your on your 4th Motor with ONLY 446 miles??? You do know they didn't fix these design flaws until later in 2020. But nothing to complain about.....lol

[@michaelcannon9516]

Nice motorcycle! I don't have a problem with motorcycles (they are lots of fun) but they don't belong on mtb trails.

[@alexthemtbr]

mike cannon someone hasn’t ridden one yet 🤭 I ride dirt bikes fairly often, my e bike resembles zero qualities of my KTM 250XC

[@michaelcannon9516]

@@alexthemtbr Hey Alex, I have ridden an E(motor)-bike once. I understand that they are fun but they should not be ridden on mtb trails. We have worked too hard to gain access to trails that could be taken away from us. I tend to ride in the National Forest (Jefferson & George Washington) and there is absolutely NO motorized vehicles allowed. E-bikes are NOT mountain bikes! Peace

[@bbarker5766]

cannon you are another closed minded person.... they do not have a "throttle", they do no more damage to trails than regular mtn bikes and they are allowed in a lot of parks! By your thinking people in electric wheel chairs or electric mobility scooters shouldn't be allowed in national parks either!

[@bbarker5766]

Oh and btw here is something straight from the NPS National Park Service... they do allow emtb's... www.nps.gov/subjects/biking/e-bikes.htm

[@michaelcannon9516]

@@bbarker5766 E-bikes have a motor. If not wanting motorized bikes on my trails makes me closed minded then so be it. I don't care if it is gas powered, battery powered, or has a throttle.....it still has a motor!

[@Jeff-b9x]

ACISGAY

[@pbls43]

Sorry mate ,unsubscribed,I don’t hate ebikes I just don’t have interest

[@alexthemtbr]

So you unsubscribe over 1 e bike video? interesting

[@pbls43]

Alex Chamberlin usually when they go E they never come back ,but I’ll be waiting to see the “evolution”😉

[@alexthemtbr]

@@pbls43 i just did 12,800ft of climbing in one ride on my SC megatower with dh casings... so I definitely still enjoy my normal bike! Seek to Understand is a great principal to live by!

[@bbarker5766]

@@pbls43 closed minds live limited lives... riding is all about having fun so why care if it's an e-bike or not?? Just because it's available doesn't mean you have to get one!!

[@pbls43]

I’ve already tried,can I just don’t care about Ebikes? That’s why the world is how it is,people don’t go along with someone that have a different vision of things,I don’t hate (tomorrow’s I’m going to ride a Kona Ebike) but I simply don’t care