Specialized Levo SL - Is the motor tough enough?

I chat to the Specialized designers about the new electronics behind the Specialized Levo SL. Can it without the brutal UK mud, water and winter?
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[@RobRidesEMTB]

I asked the Specialized team about how tough this new motor is. Knowing quite a few people (myself included) who have had motors replaced I know this is a big concern for a lot of riders. Specialized have got IP 67 / IP 68 rating for this motor which from what I can see is a higher rating than many other motors. Will let you know how I get on with my demo bike in the UK wet muddy weather!

[@siriosstar4789]

Rob , have you done a review of NOX e bikes ? They are using the Brose motor and a squarish down tube . kind of a cool look . There doesn’t seem to be any independent reviews done in English .

[@schloOnzo]

KZbin really flooded me with SL videos and yours are the only ones i'll watch on this topic outta sheer interest and 'cause you're nice 😁

[@RobRidesEMTB]

Haha. Thanks. I think!!

[@drewgilker417]

nice and loaded

[@biketothetop]

Rob, awesome informational video! Thanks so much for this. It really helps understand what's going on with this bike design, immediately out of the chute. You were spot-on when you used the word, waste. The interviewee came back with the specifics of what makes less waste or more efficiency. Essentially the more efficient the engineering can be around all the components and structure, then there is the least amount of waste there is and the most performance can be had. It's very promising to see this bike come out and have specialized own the design compared to the other motor they use in the std Levo. I thoroughly enjoy having more torque on the standard levo and having big tires. A sub-50lbs bike is very manageable for me in what I ride. I ride the full spectrum from conventional mountain bike, eMTB, eMoto, to gas motorcycle (dirt bike) and I can attest to the fact that the less weight the better a bike is for many reasons. It boils down to the power to weight ratio. Although you can have a great power to weight ratio, but at the end of the day, you still want to have less weight for Single track and handling and lifting. The bike's weight as a percentage of my body weight is very critical to how much effort I must extend to muscling a bike through Technical features that are not regular trails, hike-a-bike, or when adventuring and exploring in places, I'm not supposed to go or others do not explore.

[@mikeh5034]

Great video. The bike is awesome . Price wise it will be out of reach for some people, and that is true with any bike, not E specific. WOW, they have been working on this since 2011. I hope people recognize this when looking at the price. Great work Rob, oh and next time can I go with you ...ya know I'm part of your camera crew ..LOL

[@nickbartlett2588]

Hi Rob, don't normally overdo it with praise but I thought I would just complement you on the way your channel is shaping up. The production values are getting v good now....the SA trip was highly professional and created a wallet emptying feeling. It's no secret that there are a lot of people out there prepared to drop some serious wedge for these bikes....your channel would do well to inspire longer adventure trips ( in the UK) ......2 day trips with a B&B halfway !!!!

[@RobRidesEMTB]

Thanks Nick. We've definitely got some of that stuff planned too! Looking forward to some epic UK riding!

[@shaynewilliams727]

Really do prefer your videos over any! I just bought the S-Works Levo SL yesterday on it's release. Love it so far and you're very correct in the fact that the noise is very low... Nothing like I was expecting as the mic will certainly sound much louder in the videos rather than real life. Keep up the great videos!

[@RobRidesEMTB]

Cheers, Shayne - Ahh man such a great bike! Enjoy it!

[@ericm8811]

Hey Rob Rides Emtb! Seems like a great bike for the rider who uses turbo so little he won't miss it. Most riders would have to sell their shoes like the specialized designer did to afford one! Ride ride ride!

[@RobRidesEMTB]

heheheheaha! Hope you're well Eric and you are getting out on the eeb?

[@ericm8811]

Hey Rob Rides Emtb! I'm doing well these days because I'm riding my ebike about 5 times more than my electron deficient bike! I'm definitely getting stronger so I can ride and do other things more! Epowah! Ride ride ride!

[@maxflight777]

😂

[@borjastick]

Well my Levo SL Comp arrives Monday (thanks to DHL mucking up a 3-5 day delivery into a ten day delivery) and I can't wait. A few months ago this corner of rural France had never seen an emtb now I know of four.

[@alex1231235]

Just got the new Levo SL and believe the hype. It's brilliant!

[@RobRidesEMTB]

Nice - which one? Come over to www.emtbforums.com and share a pic!

[@alex1231235]

@@RobRidesEMTB Thx! The S-WORKS :)

[@2wheelsonline]

@@alex1231235 You have/had too much money ;-)

[@alex1231235]

@@2wheelsonline Just lots of hard work over many years! :)

[@2wheelsonline]

@@alex1231235 😎👍

[@barbamatteo]

Great tech informations! As a SL creo owner i can confirm the great efficency of the engine (i've made 2300dsl on the road.. alps pass... without extender). And the batteries recharge really fast! You can recharge the main battery and the extender and this is great during a big tour. In northern Italy.. alps.. many charge points are installed on high mountains tour. In eco mode SL engine is really great and the app gives you the power to manage all parameters.

[@madogblue]

Now that's an informative video. test riding one next week back to back with a Levo

[@speedykillz2801]

Please repost your findings.. curious minds want to know.

[@shaynewilliams727]

I love mine... The power will not compare... The noise is similar, The power is half, The bike is extremely playful and poppy. It will feel like half the weight riding it!

[@madogblue]

williams How long of a ride do you get on one charge?

[@shaynewilliams727]

Did 13.2 miles, 982 feet of climbing and stayed in Eco mode for 95% of the ride and used 3 bars of ten on the battery indicator.. So 30-35% is all I used yesterday. Surprised me in a very positive way!

[@madogblue]

@@shaynewilliams727 I guess I would be interested to see how it would do on the higher modes. It must have felt like almost no assist at all on ECO?

[@michaelsangster5673]

Great video. I demoed a Turbo Levo comp last week and love it, stayed in eco most of the time, trail for a little bit on steeper sections. Rode 60km with 2000 vertical metres. Thinking the SL would be a serious option, excited to see your range video.

[@albertfranqui3598]

Thanks to Marco and Rob for SBCU lesson :)

[@chrisbrand1568]

Would be such a nice addition if Specialised would make a 160 w/hr battery for in the frame available as well? I never ride much over 2 hrs when jumping especially and always come back with at least 50%. One could save a kg and also then fly with this and then the range extender as well. Rob you know Marco why not suggest it to them as it would be fantastic to 1 save the ride weight and then fly with the 2x 160 W/hr batteries, one for the frame and one range extender, surely very easy for them to do and make available?

[@incarwitness]

Very informative and great to see they shared a lot of info

[@RobRidesEMTB]

Thanks. Can tell the team are super proud of what they've created and were passionate to show it off and talk about it.

[@2wheelsonline]

I had a Vitus E-Sommett (derestricted) for 18 months and sold it because I was sick of the weight and forever watching the battery % remaining. I'm back on my analogue 2016 Stumpjumper but still considering a new slacker/longer 29er mtb after riding Morzine on a Nukeproof Mega 290. But this new Levo SL could get me back into emtb. There's still one big problem... the prices! :-(

[@MrBrumbrum73]

The standard battery is only 6.6 amp hours,, that is small. The standard 500wh Levo pack is 14ah and the 700wh pack is 20ah. The SL has 13 cells in series and 2 in parallel. Each cell is 3.3ah. They must be using standard 18650 cells I guess and not 21700 The efficiency of the motor plus the (lack of)weight of the bike plus the limited amount amps pulled from the battery is key to this bike. 48v and 7amp limit is what most granny Ebikes are limited to, but Specialized once again show they are ahead of the pack in design.

[@MrBrumbrum73]

For sure, watts is watts, but more amps usually make more torque and volts make more speed. But I suppose at this power level it makes no difference. And any more amps being pulled by this little motor would surely turn it to peanut butter inside.

[@MrBrumbrum73]

I will try and get a test ride soon at my Lbs to see if specialized have found a sweet spot with this motor and power delivery. A 240w peak power ability over a wide cadence range will be interesting to feel.

[@TAZMON20]

I really applaud the innovation, time and financial commitment to this new lightweight E-mtb concept, personally I think this is aimed at a new generation of adopters, my reasoning, how can a Turbo Levo adopter reverse his / her enjoyment by going backwards, if you're used to the previous watt hour and battery range then why would you go, "back to the future", Specialized really have put the cat amongst their own pigeons here, time will inevitably tell.

[@RobRidesEMTB]

Hi Gavin, I think that they see this as another market segment, for those who have not yet moved over as they like a 'playful, nimble, agile' bike. I am one who likes that big power too! For many trails a big motor to me makes sense. But I also liked the feel of this super light weigh bike on the downs...

[@carlconium5459]

Loving the videos Rob. I think by the improvements to the weather proofing specialized are showing they realised the current Levo / Kenevo bikes are not good enough in that department. Although I admit they are awesome in virtually every other way. Four out of five of my riding friends have all had water ingress issues ( none caused by pressure washing ) and all quickly addressed by specialized but I hope they can retro fit some improvements now to the Brose motors. I wonder who they contracted to make the Creo motors?

[@macmondo74]

Great video Rob, lots of information to digest there, if only I could afford one ?? however my Canyon Spectral:ON will have to do me for now.

[@odd_job_007]

I have a Spectral ON 6 and I cannot fault it for the price I paid.

[@NBMBC40]

Turns out your mate Jon is friends with my riding buddy Jon Cox down here in Bristol, another good vid Rob

[@TheBikePilot]

Nathan Clements Ahhh J-Dog..what a legend!!

[@kurastyles]

Hey Rob awesome video thank you. I have the 2020 SWorks and have now just had my 4th motor in 3 months (1300kms). Any idea if Brose are going to make a 2.2 motor with improvements, please? FYI, Motors were replaced for the following issues. Software problem, 2 x clutch issues (sticking) and noisy bearings. Cheers and keep up the great hard work. 👍

[@RobRidesEMTB]

Hiya. Ahh no, that is not cool! No idea what we will see from Brose. Just hope they've put a lot of work into making it better...

[@RodQTNZ]

Same. Keep blowing motors on the Levo but Specialized are really good at replacing them. Service tech said there are some replacement parts coming to fix the issue, which appears widespread. New SL just being built up and looking forward to comparing over the next few days. Whoop!

[@Bumfluff-k2d]

Love the vids mate

[@RobRidesEMTB]

Cheers dude!

[@iamgeneric1888]

So if I am understanding this correctly, the motor is 1kg lighter and I assume the battery is probably the same. So the rest of the weight savings are from lighter components? I guess it's good if you are after an XC ebike.

[@mattdedasc]

Good video as always. Personal opinion, I am not into this bike at all. The base spec isn't all that light and the top spec costs Harley Davidson money. It will sell well so that's what matters.

[@georgebestintown7218]

I love My turbo Levo SL

[@Rockerrobin]

Hopefully it doesn't take to long for ebike prices to drop to the point you dont have to take 3 years just to pay it off.

[@emtbwulf9215]

Hi Rob, some questions. Can you power this bike with just the range extender only, with the main pack out? Also How much does the main pack weigh? Because it seems like you could ride without batteries at all. Not that I would, but does seem like a possibility.

[@TheBikePilot]

Emtb Wulf Yes you can power it with the extender only.

[@JCBsite]

Waiting for the range test video. Hope you don't do it with the S-Works model, that dentist bike. I'm thinking to replace my 2018 Turbo Levo and leave 5kg of bike at home

[@kldstl]

Rob showing off those acting chops in that Levo SL commercial. That was you right? Anyway, this bike is game changing. If any bike is going to change the minds of e bike haters it's this. Btw, is there any reason he was barefoot?

[@RobRidesEMTB]

I made a tiny cameo appearance!

[@1spiders1]

So basically it’s what the Ezesty has already done a year ago , but is the levo SL better than the EZESTY ? The Ezesty has a better fork, it has twice the torque 60nm, better rear floating suspension design, a German built removable motor. The Zesty is a much better looking bike and only 500g heavier

[@trailsfromthedarkside6460]

Its a sweet bike that l would defo like to try, but l just can’t see it replacing my levo.

[@dimitrivforvictory271]

What’s the difference between this and the expert turbo Levo?

[@golddiggerdave]

Is weight really an issue with a motor? I've looked on line and the S works is 11k, I love ebikes but it's insane price that will depreciate more than the price of a decent ebike within a year the VAT alone is £1833.34.

[@Ruffest]

Vat is 20%in the uk

[@Chuckolicious]

Wait, is he saying that since you can't fly with the main battery at all, you can remove it and just ride with the range extenders? Basically if I want to lighten the bike up even more, ditch the main and just ride with the bottle? Doesn't compromise frame rigidity or anything? If so, this would be amazing for sessioning downhill centric runs like Armstrong/Corral in Tahoe.

[@RobRidesEMTB]

Correct

[@Chuckolicious]

@@RobRidesEMTB Any idea what the bike weighs without the main? Basically if you used extenders to climb, stashed them at the top, then descended with no battery at all.

[@Chuckolicious]

Sorry to bug you again. Watched and skimmed the live stream but didn't find anyone asking. Would love to know how much the bike weighs with no batteries at all, and how it might likely handle. For my weird use case scenario. :-)

[@RobRidesEMTB]

Chase Emmons head over to EMTB Forums and ask in the Spesh section 👍

[@Chuckolicious]

@@RobRidesEMTB Got to ride it in LA area last week, did a monster ride with three huge descents. Bike is exactly as advertised. Just enough assist for the long climbs, and punchy ups that happen on a down you're unfamiliar with and in the wrong gear for. Otherwise, totally felt like my regular rig, no runaway school bus. Might have a meeting with Sinyard in a few weeks on something totally unrelated, but when I'm there I'm demanding we yank the main and do some testing!

[@Ash522MX]

You're next video on range test will be my deal breaker, make it a good one please.

[@xjusterx]

That sounf of the motor and price overall is :( Levo is so much better in everything ....

[@HarryKuloh]

Well not everything. My Levo is fat as fck.

[@TheBikePilot]

Motor noise is accentuated by the mic. It’s not loud at all..

[@tedwensing1842]

Top of the range one is 27k in New Zealand, that’s crazy,

[@Mgtowfreedom]

Never mind the motor When’s the price coming down ffs I can buy a good 2nd hand v8 for the same money

[@Fluterra]

Very true, the price is ~30% more than the 2018 Levo, which is crazy.

[@jerryx2000]

after covid when the sales go down

[@questionmark6971]

I'm trying the aluminum Creo model. What do you think about the motor noise that I notice?

[@RobRidesEMTB]

Not too bad unless in Turbo up hill then you’ll hear it. Not a deal breaker.

[@questionmark6971]

@@RobRidesEMTB Thanks. Love the work you do.

[@John-boy22]

Just buy a la Pierre ezesty - full carbon. Just as light, same level of power but only £6500

[@speedykillz2801]

That's what I wanna see.. another full review of the ezesty with the Fazua Motor vs the Levo SL.

[@rrggray]

I notice Specialized don‘t publish the weight for the cheaper versions. 17kg for the S works, I suspect the entry level is 19+

[@marcjohnson6806]

Your right on the money, I heard 19kg for the Comp!

[@tamasvarga67]

The motor is ~800g lighter than the E800/Bosch Gen4 and the smaller capacity battery is another ~1000g lighter than a 504Wh battery so basically it's ~1800g lighter and half the power of the rest...

[@vicentvanmole]

what happens to the noise..no discussion about?

[@Quattro5081]

This emb with the twice of the power!, would bee almast the perfect bike!, as you long your are fit and not heavy, and not unfitt!

[@TheBarnylondon]

Hay mate , ive been thinking since i bought my 1st gen levo . Spesh should offer some kind of battery holiday thing ......... i have ridden in every continent on my enduro bike but only in the uk on my levo . I was riding g spot ,,,, the same day you were there i reckon . Its my mates local ride , well he dug it ... gggg . All the time im thinking , how mnay laps could i do on my levo . C.mon spesh this is a great loyalty idea ..... ?

[@frederickv.9300]

240 watts, 35 NM and drop motor to take battery out.

[@jerryx2000]

Hi Rob have you ever tested this bike. How is it build & ride wise compared to the Levo/Kenevo. rockmachine.us/au/2020/e-mountain/blizzard-int2-e90-29-rz/gloss-silver-dvo-green-black

[@jonathancamplin5703]

nice Rob

[@davidmstephenson69]

Sort of wondering where this is all going, I got a turbo Levo HT early last year, not suss but love it no motor or battery issues yet, but I live in hope regarding battery because I would like a bigger one. Its got me back on my bike and I am now getting a Stumpjumper 2020 which i am going to have to peddle no motor, reason weight so i can carry it on my MX5 an get to Surrey Hills. Heres the rub, how much longer will specialised support the old Brose motor? Because we have all brought a bike with one up until now, are we going to be left to hang out to dry?

[@marcjohnson6806]

Im going to start using "Chrysler Cheap" hahaha

[@shaynewilliams727]

Think he said Chrysler/Jeep? Not sure tho...

[@timmay556]

such terrible value for money, the margin on this must be huge

[@bigflote5256]

timmay556 its the Engineering Thats so expensive

[@jerryx2000]

@@bigflote5256 yes they employed the Swiss

[@j.mck.1988]

I think your Videos are awesome and i love watching them. But i cant understand the hype for this bike. I'm sure it is a cool bike. Dont get me wrong. But first thing its nothing that new, and the price for that spec?

[@TheBikePilot]

J. McK. Sorry Mate, what bike out there is lighter? It’s a bit more than a standard Levo at each Comparable model bits a brand new bike. Prices will come down in a year for sure, and I doubt many people will be paying full sticker price..

[@j.mck.1988]

@@TheBikePilot Didnt say there is a lighter bike out, but the Lapierre eZesty for example is a similar bike. Sure People buy it, because it is a very good bike.

[@TheBikePilot]

J. McK. Well it is new as it’s the lightest EMTB on the market. It’s similar in so much as a Ferrari and Jeep are cars..! Yes it’s expensive. But hey, people will vote with their wallets..🤘

[@j.mck.1988]

@@TheBikePilot Sorry but that example with the cars is lame....from the basic principle they are very similar. Levo SL Expert Carbon ways about 17,7 kg, the eZesty 18,2kg. The specs that you get for money is better by the eZesty. You cant deny that. Everybody should ride what they want but the levo sl is not "that" new ebike on the market.

[@freeridetony]

Go to see my Haibike , I love it .. :)

[@boringfrog]

Do you need the big/heavy tires if it's that light, how much more weight could you save with smaller tyres? 🤔

[@HarryKuloh]

One problem is they ALREADY downsized the tires compared to the Levo. No need to go smaller tires, given this bike's intended use.

[@TheBikePilot]

Yeh you could but you would risk puncture big style. Depends what your doing rowdy trails leave those tyres on. Fireroads you could swap out the brakes and tyres cheap and get it to 15kg. The trails there were fast running and not much risk of puncture but they held up well for everyone. Not one puncture amongst 20 over 3 days..

[@donjon1733]

The issue is reliability. The "traditional" turbo levo has had such a pathetic reliability record, that its difficult to justify investing again in the Specialized brand.

[@doposud]

Biking is really nice sport: but i do not see eBikes as tools for athletes in sports but for regular person recreation ride or bit adrenaline ride and i do not see regular person with 7k for a bike , lot of times not even for a car. so when the price goes under 2k let me know

[@solocc1160]

Specialized lie again about their power, The SL is not 240w, this guy literally told u it’s 7a amps, 7 x 48 = 336, so the levo sl max is 336w

[@RobRidesEMTB]

240 watts is the mechanical power 👍

[@solocc1160]

Rob Rides EMTB ah ok

[@jakewomacksunday]

Yeah....not perfected yet not enough power and the price ill go buy a 2020 KTM 350 and still have money to buy a enduro.

[@zacharychapman3459]

E bikes are too much hassle to deal with.

[@dguy-xk4fc]

It is kind of crazy that they build the motor from scratch and end up with a super whiney sound while their other bought engines are supersilent since the first turbo S which is like 6+ yrs old or so... astounding they have been developing this bike for 9 years then settle for this noisy motor. All marketing aside i think that is a flop.

[@Kulric]

I thought the same thing until I rode one. The motor is not loud enough to even hear most of the time. Turned out to be a non-issue for me.

[@Benjamin_Jehne]

They try to tell the people, that they invented the motor totally new. :D Sometimes they should talk less. And now get out people and buy a 160Wh battery for just Chrysler cheap 500 bucks.

[@rrggray]

If I was going for a bike like this I would choose one using the Fazua motor.

[@tamasvarga67]

Lapierre eZesty perhaps? Everybody is talking about this 'revolutionary' bike but Lapierre did the same almost two years ago...

[@nickbartlett2588]

@@tamasvarga67 what is the noise like on the fazua!!???

[@TheBikePilot]

Go ride the Fazua motor and then the Levo SL. I’ve ridden both and it’s chalk and cheese. Lapierre were there first but the motor isn’t up to eMTB sadly..

[@tamasvarga67]

The Bike Pilot Not sure how a 35Nm is up to emtb if 60Nm is not... I guess it’s not as it’s compared to regular Stumpjumper while the eZesty was compared to other ebikes and was dismissed because of the limited power... but Specialized spends more on marketing that’s clearly visible from the number of reviews and the repeated marketing talking points.

[@wackawacka12345]

@@TheBikePilot there are rumors Fazua is having something in their bag for their Evation System which might change a lot regarding behaviour and performance of the motor.

[@pe3117]

Man goes to the moon but cant develop a reliable water/dust mtb electric engine

[@shaynewilliams727]

Until now

[@helenHTID]

My suduro with yam pwse has been put through all sorts of storms rivers mud snow heavy washing from myself over the last 8 months and not a single issue... Is that not resistant enough? Or is it a case of more expensive ebikes tend to be more fragile lol

[@musicwiz40]

plastic gear. aluminium gears, you can already see the wear, gear is shot, terrible design

[@Ash522MX]

You must be the greatest engineer, im sure they done there R&D haha

[@musicwiz40]

@@Ash522MX probably more knowledgeable then most yes. I have built transmissions,gear reducers and differentials and I can tell you those are horrible materials to use. Look at the motor pictured. You can see damage on it?

[@TheBikePilot]

Techknowledgy That’s a cutaway model..I guess the proof will be in the pudding..Looks like it’s a winner to me..

[@Ash522MX]

The Bike Pilot was going to say the same but couldn’t be bothered to say as this guy knows more than specialized an probably has been testing it for last couple Of years

[@musicwiz40]

@@Ash522MX for your information I do have an electric mountain bike in which I have designed different billet gears for. Thank you :) carry on.

[@lazyboy9016]

Stupidly over priced especially with it being specialized with all the problems that occurs and it’s not a ground breaking bike is it wow 😮 it’s light weight I thought ebikes was supposed to be heavy the way we like them anyway looks like that bike would snap like a twig 😂😂

[@yj8471]

Super light but super heavyweight stupidly over priced only people with more money than sense need apply 😂

[@rainerschulke]

The motor sucks

[@joanetmontserrat702]

The motor might be powerful enough but most ebikers legs are not.

[@robmullins1427]

Joanet Montserrat I suspect that’s not really the case. It’s more like ebikers have more money than you and I.

[@joanetmontserrat702]

Rob Mullins My racing bike is as expensive as an ebike, its only that I am not lazy.

[@TheBikePilot]

I think this is pitched at existing MTB riders with a half decent level of fitness who want a light ebike and prepared to pedal it..

[@shaynewilliams727]

Bingo! I don't understand why it's so hard for others to see it's not a competing bike to 70-90 NM power bikes rather a bridge gapper offering a more playful and nimble high end spec'd bike with mild assist... One of the only bikes thus far to be in this category is a Ezesty...But the setup is crap on that Ezesty