Levo Up Your Game! - Final Thoughts on The Specialized Turbo Levo Pro and the e-MTB Experience

[@splooshmtb]

SAGE! Watching you jump these big booters like I've never seen before gets me so stoked dude! Great insights, I've never truly ridden one on trail but I can see how it could be weird trying to control the speed on tech. Let's get Skyline laps in soon! Also we both dropped Specialized bike impressions videos on the same day 😂

[@TrailSage]

Yo, doing a jump session with you would be awesome! And yeah, I totally saw that. I think Specialized needs to sponsor both our channels ;) Thanks for the kind words and support Zane. You know how long I have been struggling to get in the air so this was such a huge win for me.

[@jeffgolden1894]

I couldn’t agree more with your points. I love my Levo Turbo. more people should demo these e-bikes and they would see how much fun they are and that is the name of the game. I still ride my analog bike and there is definitely a place for it.

[@TrailSage]

Nailed it Jeff. Mountain biking should always be fun. The eMTB can be used in so many ways for different purposes, and at the end of the day, if you are getting outside and smiling then that's a win! Thank you for the comment. Sage

[@mark1john]

Great video Sage ... always love your perspective on thing ! :) and you knw i LOVE MY EBIKE HAHA

[@TrailSage]

Right on Mark! Thank you for the kind words. Which e-bike did you get? Sage

[@mark1john]

@@TrailSage I got the Propain Ekano 2AL

[@TrailSage]

@@mark1john Oh sweet!!! I've heard a lot of good things about the Propain!

[@ckMTB]

Great video Sage, that was a great review of your experience with the Levo Turbo. As always, I appreciate your honest video and your enumeration of the pros and cons. Thanks for sharing and your work. Have a great Thursday and ride on mate🤙

[@TrailSage]

Thank you so much Christoph. I wish I had more time on the bike to give a more complete review but I think the video does my experience justice.

[@TheRideAbides]

You nailed it with so many great points here! Bottom line... there's def a place for e-bikes for all! Jumping and sessioning Skyline was SO much fun!! And seeing you unlock jumping was pure joy!! Guess who IS good at jumping on their MTB?! TrailSage!!

[@TrailSage]

Yes!!! You've been there from the beginning and I was happy you were with me when I finally overcame that fear!

[@TheRideAbides]

@@TrailSage A memory to file away and pull out anytime you need a mood booster!

[@MihaiGoRunning]

It’s awesome to hear how the Specialized Turbo Levo Pro made such a big impact on your rides. Going from struggling with jumps to nailing them in just a couple of sessions sounds like a game-changer, Sage! All the best wishes buddy!

[@TrailSage]

Thank you Mihai!!! It's good to hear from you. Hope you and your family are doing well. I'm sorry I have been so quiet in the running community, my life has gotten a little crazy lately. Sage

[@MihaiGoRunning]

@@TrailSage hehe, no problem, Sage, I'm also struggling between work, family and running. So little KZbin time... But doesn't matter, from time to time, love to visit old friends channels! Best wishes, dear friend!

[@johnnywallace8123]

Great video, your analysis is spot on. I am 60 years old and I ride MTB and EMTB. I prefer the MTB when the weather is nice, but when it is above 90 degrees you cannot beat the EMTB .I have learned to use the power levels the same as the derailleur, when going into switchbacks and techy situations sometimes I will turn the power off. It becomes very intuitive. Once you and your buddy Sploosh buy one, you will be addicted. It definitely does not stop me from riding my MTB and road bike as I ride to stay in shape also. Not trying to stay you, but you are going to love it when you finally pull the trigger.

[@TrailSage]

Thanks Johnny. I'm counting down the days, lol. I appreciate the feedback and comment. Thanks for watching. Sage

[@johnnywallace8123]

I meant sway not stay, sorry.

[@randydolata]

Bought a levo alloy couple days ago. Also had trouble pairing but after several tries I was able to pair. Haven't rode too much - the snow moved in - so now I'm a sidewalk cruiser!

[@TrailSage]

Glad to know I was not the only one with pairing issues, lol. Thanks for the comment Randy. Hope the snow melts soon and you get some good rides on the eMTB. Sage

[@coffeepoweredcyclist]

Leah getting an e-bike totally changed the game for us riding together as a couple! Not that it was bad beforehand, but, having her be able to do longer rides and stay with me, without red lining herself, made rides and ride planning more enjoyable for both of us. Great video and great points!

[@TrailSage]

Yes!!! E-bikes bringing couples closer together! Love that Gary. Now I might have to invest in some e-running shoes to keep up with you on our trail run ;)

[@coffeepoweredcyclist]

@TrailSage hahaha, e-running shoes, we're onto something! Copyright that now! Haha, I think I'm the one that will need them though!

[@jat9554]

Great video again bro!

[@TrailSage]

Thanks Jo!

[@GoProGoalieUzi]

Great video of the e-bike! Now it’s time for a tutorial on steep faced jumps!!

[@TrailSage]

I'm def not qualified to be doing that, lol. Thanks for watchin Uzi!

[@GoProGoalieUzi]

@@TrailSage look good to me Sage!! I have been practicing for a month now..but the steep faced ones..not there yet

[@TrailSage]

@@GoProGoalieUzi I struggled with those for years too Uzi. We got this!

[@JohnnyDeep76.]

Kudos

[@TrailSage]

Thx Johnny

[@UltraTrailSteven]

Looks like a ton of fun! Especially for folks that don’t want to put in the work on fitness.

[@TrailSage]

For sure! I would love to use this to work on my downhill game and for recovery rides. Thanks for watching and commenting Steven!

[@grahamsmith9788]

there's a Mission Control setting called Acceleration, which allows you to control how quickly the motor reacts to the pedals, I have mine backed off to zero so it feels more natural but the factory setting is probably 50% or so, which may account for the unexpected lurching that you experienced. Glad to hear you enjoyed the Levo!

[@TrailSage]

Ah! That would have helped a lot. I was unable to connect the bike to the app so I was not able to play around with any settings. Thank you for the advice and feedback Graham. Sage

[@brianthompson1045]

Love my levo! I have road for 30 years and the last couple years on my ebike I have improved more than the previous combined. I’m a bigger guy, 240ish and sometimes fitness (from working long hours) can be a problem. Now I can have fun every ride and I want to ride all the time. I definitely explore more now and that is another aspect of mountain biking all together. I bought my wife an ebike, who would consider herself a non-athlete and we have a blast together. She still can’t ride the heavy tech but blue trails are in her comfort zone now. She is uncatchable on the climbs because she is so much lighter. It’s great we can ride at the same pace now. She stays on high and I started with her on eco but by year two had to switch to trail to keep up haha. As you said the weight makes you a better jumper but the bike doesn’t stop as fast going down hill. I found out the hard way and broke my collarbone. Ebikes are not really meant to go faster on the trail necessarily because pa trails are tight enough to modulate speed but they definitely make uphills more doable. That’s where you can make speed. I ride for fun and ebiking is simply fun. Lastly, ebiking keeps your heart rate in a great fat burning zone and doesn’t totally blow up your heart rate. An average 50 year old guy can’t just safely jump on a mountain bike and ride in Appalachia without blowing up his heart. You would have to work up to it fitness wise. My wind/cardio is excellent from ebiking even though I’m not super consistent with when I ride even with my work and family schedule. Not everyone is a trail sage, lol.

[@TrailSage]

I love it! And kudos to the Mrs for getting after it too. I'm hearing more and more stories like this about couples riding together and I'm 100% on board. Thank you for sharing your experience with us Brian! Sage

[@gobikeyourself]

Great video Sage, I am way behind in watching, but I'll try to catch up over the next couple of days. I totally share your thoughts on the e-bike. I would never fully trade it in for my analogue bike, but having the option to go out on a ride even when my legs are not ready for long hard uphills on the Enduro bike surely makes it worth considering. And I have to be honest with myself. I turned 50 this year and getting into shape takes longer than 10 years ago. And not being in good enough shape oftentimes keeps me from riding my enduro. I have to use my precious riding time for getting in the base level miles on my roadbike just to be able to power up my enduro on long climbs. Riding the Enduro on a rest day? No bleeding way ... at least without a motor. So as soon as my budget allows for it I will pull the trigger for sure!

[@TrailSage]

Right on Christian. Now that we are both getting older I feel your sentiments, and totally agree with your assessment. I'm looking forward to the day when I can also purchase an e-bike for recovery, sessioning and extended miles. Anything that increases my time and fun on two wheels right?!?! Thanks for watching brotha! Sage

[@LoganCarbaugh]

Great job! Emtb Sage hahah

[@TrailSage]

Thanks Logan. I now know what you feel like when you are flying through the air ;)

[@pepesolari5575]

great video Sage, agreed in everything you said, now would be great having your opinion about the Levos SL or any lightweight ebikes... maybe more playful, nimble, also you can use eco mode therefore work more in your fitness and most importantly have more control of the bike with the slow tech (because of the less weight and less power) thanks again and happy trails man!

[@TrailSage]

Oh heck ya Pepe! Getting my hands on the SL would be a awesome opportunity. A lightweight e-bike would probably suit my needs and style of riding perfectly. Thank you so much for your support on the Pod and this channel. Sage

[@pepesolari5575]

@@TrailSage yeah if you have the opportunity to try a lightweight midpower emtb would be an excellent topic for the podcast/youtube platforms and of course for having your valuable feedback. You are a great rider, have an nice content for riders here in the northeastern US so my pleasure to support your work! happy trails, thanks again and cheers!

[@CleanAll-Paul]

I turn the power down and ride through the brakes for tech trails . Different skill set you get used to over time. Down side is analog bikes fell slow.

[@TrailSage]

Fantastic advice Paul. If I get my hands on another e-bike I will try that out for sure. Thanks, Sage

[@LevoLiam]

Wow havent been to mt penn in a while. those jumps look great! Think you nailed the e-bike take here. Don't know if you've tried it but think you might like the SL version a little more as it still requires a decent amount of fitness but you can get that repeatability and its much lower in weight

[@TrailSage]

That's the one I have my eye on Liam. Now I just need to get the funds, lol. Thanks for watching and commenting brotha. Sage

[@kentao4]

That’s my local shop. The e-bikes are def out of range for now but I’m curious to experience them.

[@TrailSage]

Right on Kenny. The folks at Keswick are so great. See if they still have a demo for you to try. Sage

[@MountaineerFPV]

Is the Ibis mad at you for cheating on her? 🤣👍👍

[@TrailSage]

Lol!!! The Ibis was happy I was torturing a different bike for a change ;)

[@FWCaptain-kv6sm]

Good luck when you pop a motor. You’ll be on back order all summer.

[@TrailSage]

OMG is that a real thing, that sucks! Sage

[@FWCaptain-kv6sm]

mine is in the shop for a new motor

[@TrailSage]

Ugh that sucks, is it under warranty?

[@FWCaptain-kv6sm]

@@TrailSageI’ve been waiting 4 weeks. No motor. Specialized is garbage now. I suggest getting a bike that can be repaired.

[@TrailSage]

@@FWCaptain-kv6sm Dang man, that is terrible. Thank you for letting me know. This was just a demo bike I was able to ride for a few days so I could only comment on what I thought. Longevity and durability issues are something that I could not foresee. Thank you again for the insight. Sage

[@thim8009]

There is a way to program out the lunge feeling. Watch Sam's bike on levo settings.

[@TrailSage]

Thanks for the advice Thim. If I get another demo with the Levo I will keep that in mind. Sage

[@twotrailsmtb]

I'm not ready to give up my Ripmo, but health wise there are definitely times where an e-mtb would be great. You still looking for a new bike right? Have you seen the new Ripmo V3s? Gorgeous. www.ibiscycles.com/bikes/ripmo

[@TrailSage]

Oh man, I would kill for an updated bike Will. Unfortunately I don't have any budget. In fact, Dan paid for my Ibis to be repaired, lol. But I'm loving what I do and I'm grateful what I have. Hope you are well brotha! Sage

[@twotrailsmtb]

@@TrailSage Oh nice! I am glad you were able to get it fixed. Sugar Daddy Dan! Hold on to that one. 🤣 Biking is definitely a privileged sport, sadly. I'm thankful that I was able to get my Ripmo, but it came at the expense of losing a job, selling a house I loved, and having to move. I think my wife saw it as a consolation purchase. 😆

[@TrailSage]

@@twotrailsmtb I'm sorry you going through so much Will. You will/are gonna come out stronger because of all of it. You got this!!!

[@twotrailsmtb]

@@TrailSage Ha, thanks, but that was a few years ago. And as much as I love the look of the new Ripmo, I ain't gonna sell my house to get it. 🤔