PNWmtb: Specialized Turbo Levo Pro Reviewed by Someone Who Actually Paid for One

Is the Turbo Levo Pro the best e-bike made? We look at 5 things we like about the bike, and 41/2 rooms for improvement-after three months of pounding Pacific Northwest gnar aboard our Mission Control and Mastermind driven bike we've affectionately named Orange Crush.

[@leroywilliams7210]

Trail Mode is my Favorite and 90% of my riding. Set at 35/100 it acts like Eco if you’re just cruising, but if you mash the pedals and put it work it will too and give you 100%. Very Natural

[@TannerOfTheCounty]

Bro like it or not...youre the Bob Ross of MTBs...very relatable and down to earth...id almost think you're a blue collar guy like myself. Great video man keep it up

[@faceinthecrowd5810]

One of my bikes is a 2021 turbo Levo comp. Mine is the “cheap” model , aluminum frame, one upgrade above the base model turbo Levo, $7500 of my money. I have put nearly 2000 miles on this bike over the last 14 months and have had minimal issues, I am an intermediate trail rider weighing in around 160, and 64. I have bought a few specialized MTB’s , not totally because I think Specialized is the best, but more because we have an amazing local dealership with a super responsible staff……worth more than I can say. Would I buy another levo……yes.

[@antoniomagtotojr.1581]

Thank you for your review, it’s helping me decide on which levo to purchase. And I appreciate the review coming from someone who purchased for own use. 👊🏽🤙🏽

[@vellotrol]

The most honest review I watched between many and helped me making my mind, Im ordering one today. Thanks bud.

[@tomcagle5324]

Thoughtful, unsponsored review...keep'em coming!👍

[@rc51bigdaddy]

I bought a Gen3 Turbo Levo Pro this summer and just love it. A big improvement over my SC Heckler. I have the left side controls rotated a bit more forward than you so the walk mode button is above the dropper lever. Works great that way. My dropper post works great. I saw yours was warrantied so must have been defective. I personally love trail mode and so far I have never used the 10% incremental mode. I typically use eco except for climbs where I usually use trail, with rare turbo mode for really steep stuff. I prefer having the three modes. Just simpler for me, but it's a totally personal preference. Nice to have the choices though. I really like the smooth nature of the Brose motor. Vast improvement over the E8000 in my Heckler and makes challenging climbs much easier. Battery life is amazing too. I think the efficiency is better with the Brose system. I am still testing the geometry and suspension setup. I run the flip chip high all the time and am still going back and forth between neutral and slack front settings. My fox 38 came with three tokens. I took two out but that was a little too mushy so I added one back for a total of two. The shock had no tokens. Overall I am very happy with this bike.

[@BikeIntelligencer]

David you should do a KZbin review! Nice rundown, great perspectives…

[@JamesTenn]

My second generation Levo is easily the best mountain I've ever ridden. The only real downside is that it's difficult to lift and move around. I'm in my 60s and not as strong as I once was. There are trail restrictions for e-bikes around here but they are becoming irrelevant because of: a) More and more people are riding them, including the so-called purists who once opposed them, and: b) It's just a bicycle. Early fear mongering turned out to be false. The main thing is for all riders to be respectful and ride appropriately. That's what keeps trails open.

[@craigmckinnon242]

A smile and or a hand wave goes a long way!

[@billclark8241]

It reminds me of when the stand-up paddle boarders would stay out 50 ft further than us and catch every wave and we wouldn't get any. I say we as in those of us who use our own arms to paddle the board into the wave. Eventually many of those surfers just got stand up paddle boards and accepted that they were going nowhere

[@wsl5585]

Good to share much battery you had left on a 4 1/2 hour ride. I ride in similar terrain so this gives me some insight if I transition from my non emtb.

[@novakovich5]

Great review. I love mine!!!

[@drewdown382]

Thank you for your honest opinion.

[@davidwayne6318]

I think it is a fantastic bike, great job with the review 👍

[@kevinmanzo862]

Wow great video. Good job 👏

[@feelingmoodie576]

Great review and appreciate the honesty as people on the fence looking to buy the Levo want to know what the real deal is.

[@425flex]

I agree the walk mode button needs some refinement

[@LMRomao]

It’s a Bike dream and the color i love it. Nice and interesting video. Subscrebed to your channel.

[@jmo2752]

Interesting you say you don't get on with Trail mode - what I've done is adjusted the Trail percentage to 60%, and tend to use that as my 'boost' for the steeper climbs, which means I very rarely use Turbo [100%] at all - ie. it's either Eco (35%) or Trail (60%) - helping to preserve battery life.

[@JelmervanderMeer7]

On number three, you can adjust the controller and turn it a little and then the walk button is easily accessible

[@jimyarnold]

A 2mm Allen will easily allow rotating the walk mode switch to where you want it

[@The.JZA.]

But then the + & - buttons would be on the top of the bar instead of where your thumb rests when you’re riding. I agree with him that the walk mode button is in a silly spot. Could’ve just been, hold the - button for 3 seconds to activate walk mode and then hold - during walk. That’s how it works on the Shimano EP8 and it works great.

[@roddas26]

@@The.JZA. why are you walking? It's called mountain biking.

[@geovannypacheco9770]

Best service great bike

[@Combat556]

I own a 2019 Turbo Levo Carbon and I love it. I’m on my second motor as the original died at 800 miles. Spez warranty is great, and I’m very happy with the quick service. Enjoy your Levo and thank you for the “fair and balanced “ review. Happy Trails in 2023!

[@SB-uu3uq]

Looking at one of these bikes, but it might be cheaper to get it online from a shop that isn't local. Keen to know your experience of if you bought local or not and if you went direct to specialized or via place you for it from?

[@Combat556]

@@SB-uu3uq I bought it new from a Spez dealer for $5500 in 2019.

[@duncandoughnuts_za]

You can adjust trail mode and where you want it with the Mission Control app. Great video.

[@BikeIntelligencer]

Thanks Duncan good point, I tried that and have actually started using trail mode more…

[@paolorecusani6557]

Sorry, I would be interested in buying I'm 1.78 meter tall, what size do you recommend. Thank you

[@polla2256]

Good review, but I really can't recommend those tyres for sloppy DH in the UK. For me, a magic mary up front is the only way to go. As for the TCU, make sure you take it out and tape up the USB port, I even used self amalgamation tape around the terminal leads.

[@jimji2774]

Nice review are you an actor ? I would like to try these Levo's in the mountains where they were intended as you can't do that before you buy usually. I have a Trek Rail with the Bosch system that everyone raves about but find the highest mode unusable in anything technical. Would like to compare it to the Brose on these guys and love the idea at least of being able to tune those levels - brilliant. One "ugly" for me though I know this is personal but as a 5 figure bike those colors are hideous to the point of possibly being a deal breaker. I have seen this color as well as the orange and they are not really better in person. I would have to get the grey/black and right now you just need to shutup and grab whatever they might have in stock. Lastly it would have been nice to hear a comparison to last years model that as I understand it had different geometry. Thanks.

[@86309]

Both T9 compound front and rear?

[@msawyer110]

I paid for mine and love it. 2021 Turbo Levo Comp

[@yetti423]

Bought an 12 speed e-bike shop never mentioned it killing chains in 350 miles in fairish weather on eco and pedalling above support.

[@BikeIntelligencer]

With ebikes bikes you have to be extra careful to lube generously and keep that drive train clean. The extra torque put stresses on it chain, any chain. I’ve gotten 1000 miles on a single chain with very little stretch by being careful with maintenance…

[@yetti423]

@@BikeIntelligencer Been running mtb for over 30,000 miles. Always been careful, and tried many lubing/cleaning/maintenance techniques. Where we live it does not matter if ceramic, cheap, expensive or dog poo. whatever is added to the chain cannot slow the wear when the grit gets in. I recently split and measured 10,11,and 12 speed chains. The manufacturers have been thinning the inner bushings which accelerates wear. What boils my piss is they never mention this when you part with 6k. They wait until you're unhappy knowing your stuck with the bike. Assuming we all lube the bike the same there are also other variations it depends on length of ride, weather, terrain, weight of rider and how often between lubes. my riding style is country side hills and distance. in a week 100 to 150 is often covered in 3 rides. my 10 speed used to see over 1000 miles. 11speed 900 summer 700 -750winter(nasty grit) So to buy an e-bike and see 300 for a £60 chain, which after injury was along mainly paved canal paths with a 300 ft road climb either pedalling above assistance and remaining in echo for the climb, to have the chain race past .75 so quickly in good weather is crap, and after enquiring with several shops who none besides leisure lakes in bury would be honest (post purchase) show a rather shitty side of the mountain bike industry- they are more than wiling to deceive customers to sell these units. My background is motorbikes, and if a machine is made more powerful the drive system is adapted to suit, and a mountain bike cost are on par with motorbikes now. chain manufacturers are no different than printer manufacturers, they have a trapped audience. Also they can prey on the unwillingness of customers to change and accept something like a gearbox. I tried a pinion for a weekend, had read that they were more draggy ect. That was not the case, and the grip shift not an issue surprisingly, though can see it making the hand sore if a large distance or lots of down hill. A this moment the e bike industry is booming, they have new niaeve client coming in for the milking. I do not like to see people being taken advantage of, or myself, so this shop who i purchase the bike of should be receiving solicitors document this afternoon, after all they did misled, lie about replacement parts, reject a warranty sending a paragraph from the manufacturers page which showed they were lying. (bike was 300 miles old) so rathe than wait for Shimano to or sram to make a gearbox or enclose the drive chain, i've started to tool up to manufacture my own and video it to raise money for charity who without the hospital i would not be here.

[@stewartjackson1821]

Kenevo comp 2021 for me ✌️

[@jmo2752]

Probably the best value model of them all (well, the 2022 spec certainly) - it's what I bought recently too!

[@davidrivera1727]

Hello 2 question.Thinking about the levo comp alloy $7500. Good enough? I’m 5 10 do you recommend the s3 or s4 ? Thank you

[@supreetsingh7797]

Not the OP, but I’m 5’11 and liked the s4. Fwiw

[@christopherlarue3132]

Did you get the s3 or s4? I’m in the same boat. The 3rd generation has much longer reach.

[@c-claudel]

Motor still alive?

[@8664antonio]

💯🧨🥰

[@Evo836]

The Transfer Fox have increased Nitrogen pressure and a new bush has been installed to hold more slick honey etc grease. Walk button is crap and in the winter is hit and miss with gloves.

[@leandroiw2942]

really enjoy the review specially since I am also in the PNW. Just out of curiosity, how many laps would you be able to do at Ranging River from popping tops to the bottom? Would you be able to do 3 or 4 laps and still have battery left? Thank you so much!

[@CecileAndrewsVideos]

Hey Leandro, on this bike you could do at least a dozen Poppins laps if you were in eco mode, maybe even with turbo too. The battery is impressive and of course descending you use nothing. I've done the Infinity loop and still had more than half the battery left...

[@leandroiw2942]

Thank you for getting back. I got a Turbo Levo and super happy with it :)

[@86309]

Great call on the transfer and shims…should go with a real 34 made for it.

[@Bikeaddict4235]

Speaking to a guy locally just last week who has set up his own shop, he worked for a shop previously who were spesh dealers, he told me they had to swap out the motors on every single levo they ever sold during the warranty period.

[@happydaysoutdoors4450]

I tested every one at our shop and non had issues, I bought the full carbon levo few days ago 💯 Idk it is a rare issue for them to be loud but on gen3 it's super rare, I don't believe your buddy. I also know the owner of my shop, shop is called red shreds in world MTB destination Williams Lake BC

[@sworks7124]

Your seat post clamp might be to tight and causing the seatpost to bind.

[@BikeIntelligencer]

Fox warrantied the post after we tried everything…

[@msawyer110]

Lube the seat post

[@evo5349]

The Fox transfer I bought as a upgrade and it was never right so sent it back for a warranty work after 3 months of pain, and it's been great since. Fox X2 2021/2 latest sent for a service and fault internal so had too wait 8 weeks for parts and £ 214 bill but back working. Walk mode button is too small for a gloved hand needs changed really and had too swap it round so walk button faced me and it's better but still a pain when wet or cold. I think 11 speed should be kept as 12 speed cassettes are hard and expensive too get, as the torque destroys them. The tyres are quit good and the Sram brakes once changed too Magura floating 220mm disc might fine. don't use organic pads as there shit.

[@msawyer110]

Your using walk mode wrong. Your switch is to high. Needs to be brought down a tad and you reach over the front of the grip with your left index finger.

[@mathewmccabe7175]

What?!! I’ve always used thumb

[@ivanbayarri2807]

Great review. I have a Trek rail and the engine ratel when going dh over rough terrain is killing me. This is an option i am looking in case the warrenty does not solve my problem.

[@SB-uu3uq]

Did you get this sorted? Was it an issue with the bike or down to the general design/battery?

[@joelrunyan1608]

..... ur dropper lever is way too close

[@roadwarrior1459]

The best way to improve a Levo is to buy a Kenevo

[@acree89]

Sticking to ebike legal trails I hope?

[@Loosebirnieee]

All trails are e bike trails where I'm from! And rightly so.

[@michaelroff9950]

ditto

[@mtnmnkymilitia]

EAMFD

[@MrGogogordo]

Easy Karen….

[@motooilermotooiler9597]

Someone fell back onto a broom stick? 😂