2024 Specialized Gen3 Turbo Levo ebike long-term review - still the best emtb?
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
- 2023-2024 Specialized Turbo Levo Gen3 pros and cons and bottom line review of this full powered electric mountain bike with power and noise level test
Specialized Levo Carbon - bit.ly/3OvFYvE
Specialized Levo SL $7000 now $4500 - bit.ly/3QSt1ir
Specialized Kenevo $9k now $6k- bit.ly/3QzdyTYBuy Specialized Tero X 5.0 - click.linksynergy.com/link?id...
Specialized Globe Haul ST - bit.ly/440wxKk - Sport
Can always count on Francis for the full and truthful breakdown!!!! Nailed it! It's still an amazing bike, and with that recent big sale, I own 3 of them, LOL. Rides amazing, dialed geo, big battery, natural feeling motor, thoughtful TCU on high end models. Bad motor belt, charge door, and X2 shock reliability, but all these things are negated by great warranty support and extensive dealer network. It used to be the clear leader on performance and technology. 3 years later, I'd say it's now the value leader of the industry! Relevant for sure!
Thank you my good man. I remember the day when you borrowed my Levo. You instantly understood it and bought two. One for you and your son. And we've done 1500 miles of some of the best riding in my life. And I've seen your very young son develop into a great rider and surpass us both.
And something unsaid about this bike and other emtbs is it allows riders to do and share many experiences and progress well, safely
@@EMTBReview Hear, hear! These bikes do allow such great progression. We often forget how long it takes to get enough laps (experience) to really up your skills. EMTB was a key and huge part of my son's progression. Adding the e-bike to the mix with analog meant he actually rode more often! And then he was able to ride with all of us and we have these amazing memories: priceless!
@@EMTBReview Hey! Great review! How tall are you and what size are you riding?
Best review for the Levo on CZcams, thank you
best review i have seen....have 2022 Pro orange ....love it....just went up in size to 220 mm Magura rotors, and maxxis tires 2100Miles thus far
Thanks for the honest breakdown, FC! Glad to hear that my still-to-arrive Levo is still relevant!
You bet! It's still relevant, revenant and dominant.
Loving my Gen 3 Levo Expert. The only upgrades are longer One Up dropper post and Hayes Dominion brakes with 220 rotor in front. These brakes are amazing. I also just bought the base model carbon on sale with the extra battery for my wife. Such a great deal on that bike.
Nice review Francis! You remain my hero for doing honest bike reviews.
I appreciate that! Had to finally do a review on da Levo!
Bike totally shreds. I love it.
only few CONS:
1. filmsy charge doors (easy to lose, after rock hit etc.)
2. motor is great, but still lasts only like 3000km (belt, on gen3)
3. suspension tuning (it's not progressive enough, cascade (long) link needed)
Great review, after 2k kilometers i had the two issue You mentioned i broke the belt in engine, and had problem with leaking air in fox... This review is pro. Best regards
Great honest review and wouldn't disagree with anything.
I got my motor replaced after about 3000 miles. It hadn't got significantly more noisy to be honest, the replacement was a bit quieter but not much. Even when it's older, it's still WAY quieter than my Bosch CX bike, uphill and down.
Totally agree with your point about replacement process. My Bosch CX Cube took over a month to get a motor swap (at 2000 miles). That was the month I got fed up and bought the Levo in fact. Specialized, on the other hand, replaced my Levo motor in 3 days at the same bike shop!
For the SRAM brakes, I'd urge everyone to bleed their own, which is super-easy with the "bleeding edge" port at the caliper. Do the trick to "boil" the DOT5 fluid with syringe vacuum trick to remove any dissolved air (remember it's DOT fluid, not the same as mineral fluid). Do that and the brakes are night and day better. The S4 and bigger also get 220mm rotors up-front too.
Absolutely LOVE my Levo, keep looking for something else and deciding that there's nothing else I fancy more, and I'd just end up going back to the Levo.
Great review, I agree... Love my Levo Gen 3 Comp and the tires too!!
Right on! The Levo comp is such a great value or the amount of smiles
I love my Levo. It’s a gen 2 and really has no issues. Upgraded my forks and shock. I got 1500miles on it. I’m a maintenance freak, maybe that helps. Great episode!!
If you show this bike, love, maintain it, lube the chain, and upgrade the parts holding you back, it really delivers.
Love my Gen3, the only thing I've had problems with is broken spokes on the rear wheel (with and without cushcore) so upgraded the wheels to DT Swiss FR 541's with higher spoke count and hand built, also with I9 hydra hub's because why not. So far all good.
Good review, I love my Levo expert, pulled the trigger when they were reduced to bring the new stock in. I have added one up longer dropper, gives a bit more clearance than standard. Bit of a Hope fan and have the pro5 e hubs on Stans flow rims and the V4 brakes with heavy duty discs. Coming up to 1400 miles and I am noticing that the motor is getting noisier. I had a Kenevo SL that had the 1.1 motor go at 1700 miles and Specialized swapped out no issues with prompt warranty fix. A good LBS and the warranty is what sealed it for me. Climbing on this on mountain rocky single track is a game changer for me on this.
Heck yeah... you mirror the experience of myself and many others with this bike. Such a great bike and a great deal these days!!!!
Great vid Francis!
Thank you. Even I learned something as I summarized my thoughts about this bike.
Great Review. I have a Comp Carbon. Upgraded forks to Lyrik Ultimate and put on new Sram T Type Transmission. Made a great bike FANTASTIC.
Very nice! You did it right with T-type
Frances another great review, I love my Gen II Levo and feel its still a great bike. However it seems like the rest of the industry is starting to pull ahead. I rode a friends Husky the other day and that may be my next bike.
I have a gen 3 ‘22 Turbo Alloy Comp that I’ve upgraded some. 38 factory, Code RSC brakes, DT Swiss 511 wheels with 1/1 hubs, Cascade Link and a few touch point bits. This bike has been pretty solid and hassle free since purchase. I am getting close to the two year mark, so plan on dropping off to have motor checked.
Sooooo good to hear. Many of us share the same experiences and upgrades. Best case scenario is to get a fresh motor before the 2-year mark.
Love my gen 2 levo. Specialized Rocks all the time
So happy to hear about your levo experience. You are not alone.
These are the most scientific tests. I am waiting for Shimano EP801 ;-)
Thank you for your great work!
/Great Review! Just bought the Carbon special deal. On third ride (in Mission Control Smart Control setting) on streets ,set for 1 hour duration, went for 1:40, got "Motor not found" error code 1/4 mile from home after some hills, made it home manually, turned off and turned on, code went away. A short ride after had no problems. Should I worry?
Please tell me which years are which generations. Thank you. I am juuuust about to pull the trigger on my first Levo
Do you know of any good deals on the Levo at shops in the Bay Area? It is out of stock on the Specialized website now. Thanks for the great reviews.
Great review Francis. Much needed refresh to remind people it’s still one of the best e-bikes on the market. Just an FYI, I’m approaching 2k miles and my motor is still super quiet. No change from the first day I bought it. I really, really love my Levo Expert. Coming from a Santa Cruz Bullit which I put 1700 miles on, the Levo is leaps and bounds better.
Thanks for the info! You sound like one of my key riding buds
Ah, you know it, brotha Grasshopper! 😉
Francis mentioned his got noisy because of using turbo a lot. How was your usage, were you conservative on the power? Thx.
Yes. More conservative. 1st year, mostly used Eco with a bit of trail and turbo. 2nd year, I figured out the range limit of the kind of rides I do, so mostly on trail 80% and turbo 20%. Over 2200 miles now.
I love my Expert and Comp Carbon. They get a lot of love AKA upgrades (like my kids LOL).Well worth the investment in my health.
Gotta show the Levo lots of love and it will love you back. :)
Love mine. I have the alloy comp. Even older design is my yt decoy mx. Love that bike too.
You got two of the best.
Nice! I just bought one on that crazy sale. And ordered cascade link to make it 160 in the rear
Oh man, oh man. You lucky man!
It’s a great bike. I bought the Pro
Super fun machine
Hi Francis, great review! - Where was the footage taken? Im in your neck of the woods and would like to check those trails out!
Where do you live? Email me at fcebedo@gmail.com
will email you!@@EMTBReview
One of the pros not mentioned is the beauty and obvious build quality of this machine.
It is built very well for sure. The manufacturer and the shops have so much experience with it.
Have a gen 1 Levo turbo comp (202O). I love it.
That bike was ahead of its time!
Love my gen 3, slapped a Cascade Comp. long travel link on it and have been racing e-enduro, and riding the heck out of it with no complaints!
I have an Carbon Expert and love it.
That is pretty dialed!!!! Congrats
@Francis, I am just in the midst of upgrading the rotors to HS2 (220mm). Is that worth it or should I just upgrade the entire system?
It is worth the upgrade! Change your pads to Galfer as well
Hey Brother, Love your channel and your style. Since you know a lot about the Levo, Do you know if the SL custom tune shock is compatible with the regular Levo?
Thank you! That tune is not compatible unfortunately. It will work, especially the Gen 2 SL and the Gen 3 Levo, but not identical.
Thanks Francis! Your opinion is super valuable to many of us.
I like you Francis own a Turbo Levo and I admit I thought for sure it would win some of the categories it lost in. However, what I really wanted was an unbiased opinion and I think you delivered Thanks!
You talking about the video shootout against the Pivot Shuttle AM? Yeah, it was a very hard fought battle.
Hey... yea somehow I posted on the wrong vid thread but I recommend all who read this to watch that shoot-out vid. Good stuff
Great review 🤙🏻 I’ve just ordered my 2023 Levo comp alloy in satin black after owning a 2018 kenevo. Cost me £5175 which wasn’t the cheapest but it’s got the new mastermind TCU so I’m happy , I’ve never run the sram code r brakes before but all my riding mates said they’re Naff when pushed hard so I might try the hope v4 or magura MT7s
This is the first time I’ve heard of the T-type gears! What’s with the prices! I’d want a gearbox system for that sort of money . Just ridiculous! they must be far superior for that price
Sooo good to hear.
The big S my first stumpjumper, 1988. I don’t know for the cost it better be good. my stumpy was $800 and it was good.😇 my super cool Ebike cost $4700. Fast handling and super fast on the DH. Happy trails, and good reviews from you.
Very nice! Thank you my good man. You've experienced Specialized stoke then and now.
Yes sir. Old motohead that started mixing moto and mtb at 28. Emtb has opened up my world to new experiences and at 63 it’s a beautiful blessing due in part to old injuries that make mtb a bit of a struggle. Still ride my mtb with my trail dogs 🐶🐶🐶🥃🥃 and race DH,but when it’s time to boogie smash that power button and Hammer 🔨. Happy Trails ✌️
Levo rules 🤘🏾
My Gen 3 just ate its first belt today. 1943 miles
That's not too bad. Will get replaced for free I hope.
You should try micro tune it's a game changer 👍
another question - on these mullet ebike frames with 27.5 rear wheel - would it be ok to run a 27.5 wheel in the front as well, with a 150mm fork fork example. Would it throw the geo off?
It throws it off quite a bit. On a bike with adjustable geo, it is a possibility. But the bike gets very low to the ground. A longer fork can address that.
I have a 2019 Alloy Comp, and love it. But I went through 5 motors, and it seems the newer ones still have problems as well. I really want to get the upgrade, but I'm a bit cautious. Maybe I'll wait for the next gen...
I have a GEN two Levo and I rode it hard. 4400 miles on the motor and it was flawless without a hiccup. I sent it in for a top-notch rebuild before I had any problems but again, there was nothing wrong with it. Now I have a fresh rebuilt motor with a 3000 mile warranty.
Your Transmission is working? Which micro adjust position do you have? I have issues with that Modell and the transmission. And still today SRAM and Specialized are not willing to fix it.
Working perfectly. But this was set up for me by Specialized so I don't know much about it. I have Transmission on three other bikes and they are working very well.
Really great and honest review. If the motor gets louder in time can I service it, give it new bearings, belt and do the cleaning and will it be as quiet as out of the box?
We don’t know anyone who’s done this and succeeded
In Europe they are a few service centers which do exactly this job, with fabulous results!
Nothing Ive ever owned has brought me more WOOOOO!!!!!! than my Levo
That is the highest compliment I have heard. Totally relate because it delivers so much joy.
21:20 It's currently Apr 2024, do the Levos (incl comp alloy) stocked in stores have the "new motor/trans" mentioned in video?
Is that referred to as Gen4 then or how is it named?
Thanks.
I would say 99% of them are the good, fixed and latest motors. The only possibility is if a store has some old/unsold inventory that is a couple years old. They're still all called Gen3. Gen4 has not come out yet.
even better with the 170/160 conversion!
Oh man, agreed. That’s definitely missing from the Specialized lineup.
What brakes would you upgrade to?
I have a whole video outlining the six best part is the brakes. On a tight budget, Shimano SLX is good. On a higher budget TRP dhr evo is good in the Magura mt7
... So what are your favourite "top 3" emtb's if Levo is #2 or 3 ?
Pivot Shuttle AM and Orbea Wild. The Bosch SC Gen4 motor is pretty incredible.
Thinking about swapping my air shock for a coil. Can you recommend a few?
The Marzochi Coil is actually good for the money. DVO, EXT Storia and Push Elevensix are good too if you want a lot adjustability.
Thanks for the recommendations!
I just ordered the Marzocchi Bomber CR Coil Shock and z1 coil fork for my gen3 levo. Lost Co warned the shock is not "approved" for use on certain bikes like the Specialized Levo and Stumpjumper EVO due to their shock layout. The forces that the frame puts on the shock are quite high, and you will risk snapping off one of the eyelets. It does seem like many riders do get away with this if they aren't riding very hard. I weigh 140lb and not aggressive so I went ahead with it.
Push 11 six and cascade link was a huge upgrade for me!
What geo setting you running?
Stock settings at 64.5 head and low bb.
I tried the slack head angle but our trails don’t need it
any idea whats up with the kenevo? they have been out of stock forever...
still, ill never get rid of my gen 1 kenevo rollin' the fatties!
50/50 levo/kenevo trail time
They’re probably clearing inventory for a new incoming model. It usually follows the levo SL.
Can u provide us with a link for that bike stand? 🤔
Plz..
Great machine but I prefer the SL. It's a little closer to the stumpy and less weight. Not sure why people need so much power but that's up to the buyer. My only complaint is the motor noise because I LOVE the sound of tires crunching on the ground and the motor noise can overtake that some times.
Good point. The SL version 2 motor is finally a good one.
Some folks need the extra power because they are heavier riders or they have very big mountains. Or they have limited time and want to climb 2-3x faster.
But the main advantage of this full-powered Levo is the range. I can do 6500 foot climb rides with it. On the SL, 3000 feet only.
Why did say choose the aluminum version over composite?
Because it is about $2k cheaper. And usually, they tack on $3-5k more of expensive/lightweight components on the carbon model.
What you get for the money is just not worth it for an emtb.
it amazing how this bike can stay so popular even with a motor (Brose ) that has the worst reliability record in the industry .
Wonder why the Levo was 5:08 min 2 months ago and now it climbs at 4:48 min what is 20 sec faster 😅😂? Look at the elapsed times taken when testing the Bosch cx racing on the Pivot Shuttle. Totally different times that the Levo achieved. Why it varies that much?
Great question!! That bike was my personal Levo that was old and modded. Two factors were:
- 2200 miles on the odometer
- had a Specialized Cannibal front tire which is 1500 grams
So this new test on this bike with 120 miles box stock on it is more valid
@@EMTBReview Fair enough. Thx for pointing that out and make that clarification. Would you mind to shed me a light what tires were used on the Pivot Shuttle for comparison’s sake?
It think 630 wh battery is great but 700 is closer to perfect in my opinion!
Today and 2-3 years from now, 700wh is best
I can't imagine paying this premium over a Canyon or YT. Specialized really needs to come down on the price.
So they're $11k bike is now $6500. Good time to buy one.
Love my S-works levo! Only other bike that interests me is the Pivot shuttle AM
But the Bosch integration and geo is no where near as good as the levo.
Also wish it was designed around the mullet setup so for me levo takes the win for now.
I really like the micro tune feature. Use it all the time when riding with my kids on reg mtn bikes
Right on! My thoughts exactly. Bosch Gen 4 is a superior motor and the wires are cleaned up now.
The head to head between the two will be published soon on this channel
Wait, so is this a 23 or 24my bike? I just got off a chat and rep said all Levo’s on the website were 23’s? Do you know the correct answer??
It is a 23.5. Companies usually name mid-year releases with the next calendar year designation but not on this one.
@@EMTBReview Thanks for taking the time to get that answered. Do you know when they will start dropping ‘24 Levo’s?
I find that I am constantly pedal striking on mine and its annoying, I have almost fell off the side of a mountain twice due to striking.
To be honest I don't know if the rear shock can accompany my weight, I am running a Rockshox deluxe select r 150mm in the rear and its
at full air capacity and have had the sag set up the best I could get it, I weigh almost 20 stone, is that the issue, do I need to upgrade to something
that can handle my massive ass?
I switched to 155 mm cranks. Made by Hope. That made all the difference for me.
I didn't feel like I was satisfied with your explanation of the range, not everyone is going to be climbing. Hows that thing going to be to ride when the battery dies, that's another thing that would've liked to hear about.
Buy experience and range is this bike can go about 70 miles on flat ground. When the motor is off or when the battery is dead, this bike can be peddled like a normal bike at about an 80% efficiency. The weight of the bike, and the slight drag of the motor slow it down a little bit. But it can be peddled strictly human powered for many miles.
i can tell u in europe the Motors have not so much Problems. Cause its locked at 24.9Kph
True that. Yes, the motor problems are load related since they're affected by the prolonged high torque load on the belt.
Francis, is this still your ATF full power eBike? I had a Decoy for a year and sold it because I never used it. Just got back from Bentonville where we used eBikes the whole trip and I want another one now. I know so many people who have these and say they are the best, but I struggle because I deeply dislike Specialized as a company for many reasons. Want to be sure before I become a huge hypocrite. Swore to everyone I know that I would never buy another Specy and I might have to eat those words.
Yes, it is still a favorite. The pivot shuttle a.m. is great, but it is so expensive. The new orbea rise version two looks great as well, but I haven’t seen one in the wild
I have always disliked specialized but this is a great bike. I agree.
That's very high praise right there. I do feel that the Levo has brought so many folks into the brand, even the deserters.
You have 20 bikes?
Not all mine. Since many of them are loaner Bikes from manufactures.
That motor bulge clump…..it bugs me too
Not the end of the world but such a nice bike deserves better. Hopefully gone on the next version
My gen 1 just got stolen. 7 motors
anybody still looking for this levo pro 23 model Gen 3 with X0-t type hit me up i have a bigsale on going. (Socal only) sale on S3 and S5
good luck
WAAYY too much $. Nice add though
The high priced carbon models are definitely for the affluent. The $5k models are sweeeet though. And now that they're on super-sale, such a find!
"Still the best" - says who?
It’s definitely still one of the best.
The Users of that fine mountaintool😏
@@EMTBReview Yes, maybe one of the best; not the best.
@@virkelie2 What do you think is the best.?
HAS NEVER EVER BEEN THE BEST E MTB
12,000 USD$ no thank you. I can get a full carbon fiber Spectral:ON CF 8 with 900wh for 5000 USD$
I got my 2023 carbon turbo levo with 2 batteries for $3500 brand new when they were running the killer deals. They were asking $5k but I got it for 3500 since they were doing it in California.