Get 20% More Range From Your Specialized Levo Using Micro Tune

Steve Jones is out in the Surrey hills to run you through the Specialized MicroTune system and how it might help you gain those precious extra miles! From on-the-fly adjustment of assistance levels in 10% increments, real-time support tuning and data summaries about your bike, riding and more, this innovative tech from Specialized might have changed the Battery management game for good! Watch now to find out how it can help you out on the trails!
Useful Links:
Join us at the Global Bike Festival! 👉 embn.me/GlobalBikeFestival2022
Submit your Photo and Video to us 👉 upload.embn.com/
Check out the EMBN Shop 👉 embn.me/Jerseys
Have you tried the Micro Tune system yet? Let us know down below! 👇
Watch more on EMBN...
📹 EMTB Support 👉 embn.me/EMTBsupport
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 embn.me/EditorsChoice
📹 Watch our Features Playlist 👉 embn.me/Features
🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Waiting for Closure - ELFL.
KOLOSS - ELFL.
Spore Titan - ELFL.
Sweeping Grounds - Major Tweaks.
#embn #ebikes #emtb #ebiking #Microtune #SpecializedMicroTune #MissionControl #BatteryManagement
The Electric Mountain Bike Network (EMBN) is the world’s leading electric mountain bike (eMTB) channel and community.
Dedicated to igniting your passion for eMTBs, EMBN delivers weekly original content to inspire you to take your riding further, faster - and with more fun.
Whether you live to conquer the techiest terrain - both up and down; to access and explore the beautiful backcountry; or simply to pack as much fun as you can into the precious riding time you have, EMBN is dedicated to covering eMTB from every angle.
From inspiring you to go electric - helping you understand what you need, where and how to ride to get the best from your eMTB experience, and more - through showcasing and exploring the latest, most innovative tech, empowering and entertaining features, to skills videos that help you progress and can tackle ever-more adventurous terrain, and much, much more.
Every week we bring you informative and entertaining videos on…
- The know-how…
- The skills…
- The tech…
- The inspiration…
...to go faster and explore more!
EMBN is mountain biking… fully charged: helping you go faster, further, and with more adventures than ever before.
Join the EMBN community:
Facebook:
Instagram: embn.me/instagram
Twitter: embn.me/embntwitter
Thanks to our sponsors:
Specialized: embn.me/specialized
Canyon: embn.me/canyon
Husqvarna: embn.me/Husqvarna
Ergon: embn.me/ergon
Garmin: embn.me/garmin
Muc-Off - embn.me/MucOff
Bell Helmets: embn.me/Bell
Nukeproof Pedals: embn.me/NukeproofPedals
Watch our sister channels:
Global Mountain Bike Network - / gmbn
GMBN Tech - / gmbntech
Global Cycling Network - / gcn
GCN Tech - / gcntech
GCN Racing - / gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network - / gtn
GCN Italia - / gcnitalia
GCN en Espanol - / gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch - / gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Francais - / gcnenfrancais
GCN Japan - / gcnjapan
GCN Training - / gcntraining

[@JubeProductions]

I'm a turbo lover. I want all the power, all the time. I do like the idea of more range, but I don't want to dial it back at all. I just got my Turbo Levo 2 weeks ago so I'm just learning how to use it. I have been riding for over 30 years on regular bikes so I have a lot of experience. For me, pedaling is the thing I like the least about riding. I don't care about fitness benefits, I ride for fun. It's more fun with more power. Even if riding was bad for my health, I would still do it. When I want to increase fitness I go to the gym, or I'll ride road. It's not that fitness isn't important but it's not primarily why I ride. But I do want to get more range out of my Levo, and I know I can't just blast it in Turbo all ride, so these types of videos help me better understand how the bike works. It's a technological masterpiece with a lot to learn. So far, this bike has changed my life. I've been riding regular bikes my entire life, and this completely changes how, where, when and how long I can ride.

[@theoldgoat4525]

Wait, are you saying that if you use less of something that it will last longer? No way!

[@paulmerc3960]

Why do i see so many riders riding without gloves? I always ride with gloves. Idk. I feel its good protection. If you fall, the gloves will help for sure.

[@patrickkocha2680]

Love specialized bikes they look like a peace of art can sit back a look at all day or ride it lol

[@SWFlowseeker]

I think micro tune is the best feature of the new Levo. Love the vid

[@Jean-jk4zv]

next step is a learning e-bike. it learns how you microtune and proposes a curve of assistance. and It adjusts the curve as time passes and you still need to do some live tuning. after some time it knows your needs and live adjustments are less and less common. some smartphones do this already for screen brightness so...

[@westfaliajournal7519]

On my 2019 Levo Comp Carbon I (90kgs) have used the bike power levels set for 10/25/100%, 10% kind of makes up for the weight of the bike, 25% gives that assist up most hills... and 100% essentially powers me up those knee-breakers (or that damn hill close to home). I feel I get a great 'longer' workout without the big hills prematurely ending the day.

[@lozetchells9164]

Great video! I do something similar with my 2022 Comp Carbon. The way I do it is by adjusting eco mode to 20% instead of the default of 30%. I spend nearly all my time in eco but use trail on the techy uphill stuff, and very rarely use turbo. I'm a 75Kg rider. Might sound masochistic but you really do get used to it and it's good both for your range and general fitness!

[@rolux4853]

I own the same bike and maybe the SL would be a better bike for you? It’s lighter and faster like this and if you compare power output, you’re style of riding perfectly suits the SL. I ride my Levo as fast as possible and give as much as I can, often in trail and turbo, to get as much fun and trail kilometers as possible in a ride! I ride daily and I love that I can ride 30km of medium gnarly trails in under two hours. With some very steep uphills where I occasionally loop out backwards. That’s why I choose the Levo and not the SL. For you’re kind of riding I’d take the SL (but I personally would choose the Enduro..excuse me, Kenevo SL then).

[@lozetchells9164]

@@rolux4853 good points Ro, and yes I did seriously consider the SL. But I tend to do long old treks in the Highlands so need the range of the bigger battery. If a SL-weight bike with the range of the full fat bike was possible, I'd be on it like a car bonnet

[@bikingvikingrcm6668]

Loz I managed 30 miles on a full battery on my Levo sl last weekend had the range extender just incase can quite easily get another 10/15 miles out of it. I weigh about 82kg and ride mostly in trail 30/100 self adjust mode. Use eco on DHs and turbo 100/100 on tetchy climbs or when I'm knackered.

[@alfredobasilioseijas23]

Works great, I love it

[@raphaellima9539]

EMTB Trek mode !!! 😉

[@8664antonio]

looks like the BLeVO smart system always can do this“ one my 2021 levo.

[@VTECH650]

if you dont mind me asking how old are you guys .im56 and hope to enjoy both e mountain and regular mountain bikes for years to come

[@thelocalangler]

for my self i have the 2021 turbo levo and what i did is i would turn on the power but i would not engage any of the power modes. i would ride like a normal bike till i hit a hill climb that i would need the power assist so i would hit the eco mode, and when i am at the top of the hill i would take it off eco and back to regular biking. i did a 4.5 hour ride and about 65km loop and only used 18% battery on my 500 battery. most of that was used on the way back because of a sudden change in the wind where we were now riding against a head wind. for most of the ride i would try to rely mostly on myself and only rely on the power assist as a secondary option when i needed it. i also have the power assist setting on the app set on 30% power.

[@frankwittwer3141]

Give me your batterie please, you do nit need any :-)

[@ERone43]

So you pedal around a 60lb bike? Why not just buy a regular MTB? Jw

[@pattersonstark70]

What I did not hear you talk about was the cadence and power curves. When I use micro-tune, I have a sweet range that is generally 10 -15 RPMs higher in the overall ride. If you spin faster, it feels easier but you use more energy to spin. The motor on the Levo increases in efficiency all the way to 90 RPMs in my experience. Moving from an average of 59 RPM to 70 made all the difference. And totally agree micro tune should be 2-speed, 5%, and/or 10% range options per where you are riding.

[@gambiting]

There's an interview with an engineer from Specialized, saying that the motor on the turbo levo is most efficient at 75 rpm. It's good to have a cadence display up(either through ANT+ on an external computer or if you have the Mastermind TCU then you can have it right there on the main display - super useful).

[@CaviDS]

what is the Garmin mount I see on your handlebars?

[@StuartPlumbley]

Isn't this what Bosch's EMTB or Tour+ modes do, but automatically.

[@ernestrodrigues8030]

Great video for me, given I’m new to e bikes and I was trying to figure out what that 10%-20% meant on my bike. Had no clue what micro tune was. Just got the 2023 Levo comp.

[@utube091116]

on Bosch cx perf. i allways use eco mode, only for a really steep part i use 'tour' or 'emtb' ; so isuppose it won't help me a lot... XLnt test btw!

[@Roaming50]

I found that. Eco for normal riding and punch it into tour for the hills.

[@philboynz]

Wonder if an auto mode would work better as in on the trek and reign for instance🤔 and I wonder if spesh will bring out an equivalent one day 🤔

[@acelectricalsecurity]

I don't know how much those bikes cost, but they won't be cheap, yet the latest feature on them is micro tune, a feature a lot of bolt on kits have had for years, and at a fraction of the cost.

[@Rideoak]

10000 Euro

[@quitemountainous2528]

Steve, you said there is about 20kg difference between you (it would help to know your weights, to give us an idea/comparison to ourselves, as weight is such an important factor), would the saving be similar with someone lighter or heavier or would it be still about 20%? Would you save more using same microtune settings if you weigh, say 95kg or 55kg? That would give us all a fuller picture, shame you did not use microtune in same time, a missed opportunity there or maybe an idea for another video....

[@robbief1]

Surely the future is that you just dial in the effort / assistance you want on average, and the bike would figure out what mode you should be in. Essentially keeping your effort fairly constant...... It would be far more accurate, and quicker for a microcontroller to figure that all out than our measly brains and muscles.

[@ericdunthorne1981]

I've been reading my E-bike a lot in the last few weeks. I'm often making adjustments preemptively for the obstacle I'm about to tackle. So I can have confidence in the assistance through the climb. I'd think having the assistance adjut without you expecting it would be a bit jarring. Also the human brain is still. The most complex thing we know of in the universe so far. It's capable of subconsciously taking account of many variables in a fraction of a second. Having some sort of Neuralink interface with any technology is probably the future.

[@Coolcmsc]

This is interesting and certainly appears to work. But how much of the 20% is due to being fit and skilled enough to achieve maximum benefit from micro tune? 655 KWhr for 60km (or was it 55km?) and 1300m (almost 4300ft) is very impressive without microtune… 500 is exceptional with or without any tuning on that ride. I think it would provide an important benefit for ‘normal’ people (me! 🤣), but I suspect shear MTB inteligence, capability and track interpretation may also be at work in today’s vid to get the ‘whole’ 20%. It would have been nice to know what Steve had left in the tank each time round (I couldn’t decide if you went round twice Steve) and we already know Steve, being a very experienced pro and pro eeb rider too despite the 20Kg (😳) can eek out a lot from a battery (compared to Doddy!). My point is, would it still be 20% improvement for ‘ordinary’ eeb riders? If not, how much: another vid?

[@TakeAHikeToday]

Excellent Video….Is is possible to upgrade to the Mastermind? I have a 2022 Levo Comp without it.

[@bikingvikingrcm6668]

Specialized need to release a software patch. At the moment you can't do this at £400rrp who would want to tho

[@steelgtr]

Why not just tune in mission control? I don't get it?

[@rafaroennau]

Greetings from Brazil. Can you put here the configuration of micro tune?

[@andyperrott2915]

I can see that new controller is a great improvement but I am now on my third original controller under warranty on my 2020 levo Sl .I suspect due to moisture Ingress even though I take great care to reduce this It would seem that the controllers are not IP rated or very poorly sealed (My mates bike has also failed on the second day of our trip to Scotland) Does the new controller have better sealing suitable for UK riding Cheers Andy

[@blacktiger955i]

It's been recommended to wrap tape around the seam that runs around the controller .

[@Bearded_Mountain_Biker]

Thanks for sharing the video. I’ve got a ‘21 Levo SL with the old CPU/minimalist display. I’m a bit confused if the micro-tuning is an on the fly thing you adjust as you spin? Or, is it a saved mode with slightly less assistance per mode? Something you only get on the newest CPU?

[@lozetchells9164]

It's an on the fly thing. You press the +/- buttons on the remote simultaneously (iirc) and that puts you in microtune mode and the display shows assistance level. From there you use + or - to increase or decrease the assistance.

[@rolux4853]

I have the new TCU and I can adjust it on the fly when holding the plus button for a few seconds. Unfortunately I can’t tell you if it works like this on the „old“ TCU and how you are able to see how much % without a display.

[@bikingvikingrcm6668]

Won't work on the old tcu unfortunately. Also specalized haven't released a software update to you could upgrade to the new tcu not that you would want to at £400 rrp 🤣😂

[@Matt-ns2ei]

Can Chris do some of these vids?

[@chargedmtb7440]

Blevo is the best app controller. Too bad that it can not be used on the new gen.

[@richardclarke6037]

Richard out of Barbados. Question about when do I need to recharge my battery. After a ride no matter how much I use, at a percentage down , eg 50 20 % or after 2 3 days even if you are not riding every day and there is still power in the battery. Hope you can . help thanks

[@Paulmac2011]

Can't help thinking other manufacturers have addressed this with auto modes. Think Spesh are now lagging in this technology, and are trying to address the inherent problem with a non automatic system?

[@ERone43]

I never take my Levo out of Eco mode. I wish you would have adressed people tuning with their phone instead of the mastermind.

[@johnoakleymusic]

Well you do have instant full power if you want it by using the max power mode button on the top of the switch unit so what he said about it being a downside if you suddenly need max power is rubbish. It is available instantly on tap with one button push. What Specialized needs to do now is bring out a new switch unit. Same plus and minus buttons for micro tune and a parallel plus and minus for mode selection. So coarse tune and fine tune button layout

[@lozetchells9164]

My 2022 turbo levo doesn't have that button. The only button on the top is for switching the display mode on the TCU

[@MiroPhotography]

Stay over 25k and you will never need MicroTune :-) The assistance is needed for climbs over 15% ...

[@daveapter]

That word 'default'...😅😂😅

[@user-to2se7hs3r]

Handyman

[@eugenux]

instead of trying to convince us that Spez battery is enough, better to convince Spez to put a bigger and more efficient battery in the bike..., what do think about that?

[@Bikeaddict4235]

Get 50% more range , go to the alps in season when the lifts are running 👍

[@elbacalao1059]

Yes Microtune is better and bikes that don't have it are "outdated". That begs the question, why has Specialized not provided an upgrade path for their older e-bikes that don't have the Mastermind controller? Oh yeah, MONEY!!

[@eph8334]

If he lost that 2kilo gut he would save even more battery 😊

[@malanalan1]

maybe you could explain what Micro Tune is and how it works. Jeez!

[@lyellclare9365]

Getting 20% more range from an EVO just gets the rider 20% further away from the EVO motor repair shop.

[@robhaskins3068]

Eat more salad, Why didn't you just link your heart rate monitor to smart control with 20% support until your heart got over 120 bpm.🤔🤔 even 2018 levos have this feature .E=Mtb²

[@mamadjun]

Wrong. Micro-tune test should have been done first.

[@Mcfc2Rich]

Micro toon is a great opportoonity for toonability, watch on youtoob. When British people say tune like that it fucks me off lol