Tested: Specialized Turbo Levo FSR Expert 6Fattie
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- čas přidán 18. 01. 2017
- Yes, it's an e-bike! Or pedal assist bike, or whatever term you'd like to use. The Levo is the first bike of its kind that we've had an opportunity to really put to the test, and we've clocked up a couple of solid months of use on it so far. Here are our thoughts on how this bike, and others like it, will fit in the mountain bike landscape, plus our thoughts on a few of the more common mis/conceptions about the Levo. Love it? Hate it? Tell us below.
- Sport
60yr old man, 30+ yr Mountain bike rider... lost a lung to cancer... still want to ride my favorite trails in Big Bear, Park City, Sedona ... jus sayin ... for people like me... keeps me on the trails I love deep into life. My opinion.
Steve Chaszar
You know how you still hear people saying to each other "You da man!"?
Well da man their talking about is Steve Chaszar.
So Steve:
YOU DA MAN!!!
👍🏽
Yep, real game changer for a lot of people. So many on my local trails now
to me, e-bikes get to the core reason for mountain biking, just getting out in the outdoors, and having fun on a bicycle, the strava crowd in my opinion are not riding to have fun, I dont see that as mountain biking. Did Gary Fisher, or Joe Breeze care about that, nope not in the least. Just ride and have fun on the trails
bikerdhill I like Strava it helps me find trails and get familiar with them. Then it helps me see how far I have ridden. I don't care to compare myself to others or how fast I am at all. I think it's just another fun motivating tool.
Perhaps I'm a bit biased having one in my stable, but the bike has a knack for being so much fun, ALWAYS! The effect of the assist it has on the rider is that of dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit, always pedaling hard to continuously go faster and harder thus keeping your heart rate elevated more frequently for longer periods of time and this has been proven. That said, the bike will put out what you put into it so not for the weak minded or lazy folk at all. Tires offer incredible amount of grip and control that I too turn the assist off on the descent. Also in accordance with the video, the levo isn't the only bike in my garage and I only pull it out when the conditions are best suited for a fat tire and or want to cram as much as I can in a fraction of the time. The turbo levo is outstanding at everything it does and highly recommend anybody go out and demo one, I dare you not to smile when all is said and done!
Totally agree, I purchased one to get me back out on the trails after my knee surgery. I was having a lot harder time on climbs after that and pretty much took all the fun out of MTB. I have been out on it 4 times now and doing twice the trail in the same amount of time with an average pace around 13 mph, which is a lot slower than I thought. One of the funnest cardio workouts out there as my average HR was 150ish and my max HR was 180 for 1 1/2 hours. The best thing is, I am having fun again.
Miguel Navarro I have one on loan from my amazing lbs. my rear shock is blown on my trek slash 8 27.5. That is my comparison or every day use bike. I noticed these bikes run a bit small as I am 5'5" and ride small bikes. The loaner levo is a medium and fits almost just right. I noticed after a technical 7 mile trail ride that I was not tired at all or sweaty and ready for round 2 or a connecter trail to make for a longer ride. I may be in better shape this year but that motor made short work of the climb. I will have to say my short but technical ride seemed too easy as compared to my non e bike
It’s been 3 years since you left your comment, do you still have the bike? If so, is it still performing well? Have you had to spend much money maintaining it?
I’m asking because I’m curious about whether the financial outlay is really worth it. Thanks
keep your reviews like this format guys, much more entertaining
Thanks for the feedback, Matt. We agree.
do u guys ever ride in melbourne?
Agreed!
I am totally looking forward to purchasing one of these. I have always loved bikes, and especially mountain bikes, though my injuries over decades, time constraints and a love for seeing the world from the seat of my bike pedaling around is one of the greatest joys...keep up the great ingenuity and design as I pray many, many more people get into riding, regular and e-bikes! Good for our health, and infinitely better for cities and the world!!!
Having just come back from an open test day where we tried an e-bike for the first time your review has totally summed up how we felt about it . Spot on guys ! We love them now and if finances permit we see them being a really important addition to our bike vault . These will give so many more hours of bike time , we still feel a regular bike should always be the main bit of kit as fitness is still paramount but these should open up multiple more hours of enjoyment .
Great Review ! Cleared up plenty of questions, and I completely agree, riding 100kms of trail instead of a ratty 40 or 50kms is an awesome reward ! Not everyone rides to get veins popping out :) Thanks
Haha, "veins popping out" - we agree.
This is the best video I have ever watched about electric bikes. It covers so many things that have crossed my mind while riding and I sincerely appreciate your effort and the quality level of the video. GREAT job guys :)
Brilliant. Noone else gave such a comprehensive explanation. Thank you
Probably the best review of the Levo FSR out there, nice work. I watch for the commentary, not the on bike view and listening to some dude breathing hard.
I agree, these guys did an amazing job! Awesome camera work and ride shots too... but the dialog was perfect
Really good balanced review, keep it up. Nice to see one being ridden in a more flamboyant manner than the usual eMTB videos too!!
Very thoughtful overview on pedal assist! Looks awesome!
great review! exactly my feelings after 2 months of riding same!
Assisted or not just being out in nature is a major benefit for all.
This guy does brilliant reviews so interesting and exactly what I wanted to know
Nice writeup folks - appreciate the even handed pros/cons and really enjoyed seeing you experience the #joyofup on one.
You channel should have way more subscribers because your awesome keep making the videos
I own one of these, and it is incredibly fun. I am recovering from chronic patellar tendinosis. Its been 3 years since I've ridden any sort of cross country trail, without developing severe knee pain in both tendons. I feel like life has been given back to me to get on the trail, legal trails of course. I do own an enduro bike and a downhill bike, and I'm patiently waiting to get better so i can buy a normal trail bike. I think this review is perfect, and well said. This bike is very fun, but most likely won't be the only bike you buy. I don't think its for beginners, you have to know how to handle a bike. To anyone out there that is hating on this bike, just think if you were injured and couldn't ride. If you are healthy, you'll have a blast, and just like any other biker, the more skill you have the better and faster you'll ride. It's like a completely different sport, but still mountain biking at the same time. You just have to change your perspective. I do have mixed feelings on whether they should allow access on more trails. It would be great to ride more trails, but if the trails became over run with pedal assist bikes I think it would take something away from the pure sport that mountain biking is.
Great balanced review!
Great review guys!
66 years old and don't have the stamina I used to have. I have the carbon comp and absolutely love it. You still get a workout but can go a lot further and go places you would normally get off and walk.
I rode a demo for an hour and it was so great ! Riding down and I know what you mean about wondering if it's helping going down as I was speedy , did a lot of Pedaling ,got out of breath and had fun, Up & Down . Yes to having two Bikes, take one out for your Fitness and skills and come back and swap and ride all the Tracks on the same day.
Rides nicely and strong!!
Great video 👍🏻👍🏻 I’ve tried the Levo a little, and it was a wonderful ride. It’s expensive compared to other e-bikes, but you get what you pay for. As it’s getting increasingly expensive driving a car where I live, I’m considering getting a bike like this for all my riding (to and from work, fun riding and just getting around).
I tried one and was hooked. So hooked I have 4 now 2 Levos. Fattie 6 summer Fat HT for winter riding 1 Cube Stereo 140 Bosch for friends to ride and a Kranked XX Santa Cruz for messing around.
i'll wait till they feature energy recuperation, then i'm definitely in (and hopefully my purse, as well)
Just picked up the2019 Expert it’s amazing
Great vid. I ordered one, gets here tomorrow. I fall into the recovering from an injury and being severely out of shape. I still have my Reign. Hoping the Levo catapults me back into shape. It will be interesting to see which bike a jump on once my fitness is recovered.
My favourite e-bike vid yet fellers! Great job. I think the feeling of that would be wild with the 6fattie setup. Others may feel cheated if see that think take their Strava times but hey, that’s not your problem right? Personally e-bikes wouldn’t be my first choice where I like to “finesse” a light bike, but there’s no doubt that it would be fun to fly effortlessly for a longer period of time. May I live to see the day that you can recharge one by plugging it into a tree? I won’t hold my breath.
I think you guys nailed it when you talked about carrying heaps of heavy equipment on rides. I can see photographers and cinematographers enjoying the benefits of these bikes on climbs with a backpack full of gear.
Yes. It's also great for hauling tools for trail repair and builds.
Jon White That’s the ticket right there. I tend to build my trails from each end, cause I need to know my start (obviously) and I need to know where I end up. Creating the in between is where I have fun. But as I get closer to finishing a trail, it gets to be a nasty hike or ride either there or getting out. Having an e-bike would make this a non issue.
Great review guys... subscribed :)
Love it. Ganna get one soon I hope
Great video, the future of mtb!!!
0:15 Absolutely.... look how good they are now and it will only get better with time. Peddle assist is a new generation of bikes that don't fall apart on the downhills and aren't too heavy to be ridden back up thanks to technology. On Maui people can now peddle to the top of of Haleakala instead of vans taking everyone up to the top for the ride back down and this will play out in many areas as people drive less and bike more. Specialized did a really nice job on the Levo.... good review thanks.
Very nice review.
On the subject of messing up the trail. It takes a VERY powerful ebike to mess the trail up more then a regular bike. The federal limit on ebike's as a true legal ebike on roads is 750 watts in the US, some states 500 watts, and in the UK 250 watts. My ebike is 2500 watts/mid drive, and I feel like it does not tear up the trail anymore then my old manual carbon fiber e-bike. Of course once you go beyond the 2500 watts range into 5,000 watts, the motors and the batteries get so big that the bike starts LOOKING more like a light duty motorcycle rather then a bike.
LOVE IT, I think ebikes will only get better and more and more people will love em
Jonah DeMille If they can do something about the weight. It will help technical riding a bit more. Other than that I had so much fun on it and laughed like a child riding it.
Jay Chapman the technology will come to that point
Love you guys
What a lovely bike
I love the frame the geometry ❤are cool💪
Great review 🚵♀️👍👍
Great review! Just Ordered the Expert!
Me too! How are you finding it?
Great! I can fine tune all the way to the most eco and get a great ride/workout in and when I ride with guys faster then me a just bump it up a bit. I never really get outside 10-35% power 35 Is almost too much power. Plus a quick glance you can hardly tell it's an Ebike. On 10% or most eco I can ride about 55miles and 5000ft elevation change. Ride it in Arkansas Back40 trail oztrailsnwa.com
Good review.
good review nice job.
Good review!
Thank you!
Had this bike moved on to the 2019 expert. Huge upgrade
Would be awesome for big mountain camp out rides.
Pedal assist E-MTB = Game CHANGER!
Great review...I have witnessed first hand the benefits of a E-bike, as a friend of mine was told by a doctor to either consider an E-bike or stop riding altogether.....after buying one (scott geneis) he says it was the best decision ever...totally changed he's riding for the better...
E-bikes are Great and needed in our sport to give ...everyone... a chance of enjoying the trails....Try Before You Bag it !
Why did your friend's doctor tell them to stop riding? Knee injury or heart condition?
Heart was over working and Lung condition...
Very good review. I took a parking lot test ride and liked it but was left wondering how it translated to dirt. This reviewing makes me more interested for a dirt test. Thanks Flow.
hi guys could you make a follow up video with regards to motor maintenance and such please
I have one on loan from my lbs. They are working on my bike with a blown rear shock. We made a few jokes and later they said take the levo have fun till we call you because we can not leave you without a bike over the weekend. First thing about these bikes they run small. I am 5'5 and could barely tell that a medium is too big, a small may actually be too small. another thing is the weight. it's heavy and does not pop off stuff like you would want and not playful. The bike felt heavy and bulky and it made me not feel comfortable on tough technical descend sections of trails. this maybe due to things not adjusted quite right like the seat position. Then maybe just being the wrong size or just uncomfortable on the bike since I am new to it. Being bulky and big I felt like I could not do technical manoeuvers like I do on my bike. This bike climbs fast helps make short time of your climbs. One thing to note is in the climbs it can make you sloppy and create bad habits. I found myself not changing gears that often to climbing gears. I noticed that I would not hit the power strokes or pedal stroke to get over features. and found out that the bike did it for me. This is an amazing fun bike don't discredit it without riding it. In my opinion I would not want to give up my bike for one of these. I would want both a regular bike and the e bike if I were to own one. I currently ride a trek slash 8 27.5 it's an Enduro bike that can climb slower than some bikes but descends faster than some bikes as well. I am glad I had the opportunity to test this bike out.
You nailed it Jay, ebikes are fun for going far and exploring but the weight is a killer when it comes to playfulness. I love to hop over bumps and toss the bike around on trails and simply cannot do that with the Levo. I have an FSR Expert and kept my Stumpjumper Comp... which I tend to ride more just for fun. The Levo is great when my knee starts to hurt or I'm mixing in errands around town but it's not a perfect product... yet ;)
good work great review
Cheers!
That’s the bike for me,nice.
4:43 “Outside of the climbs the Levo is a bit like riding a bike from ten years ago...”. Lol.
good honest feedback. minimal geek. cheerz
I think i'm going to purchase it
Hey where was this ride? - Great informative video - Thanks!
I've ridden an e-bike and they really are a lot of fun. I think this reviewer nailed it with his final thoughts of the bike.
What helmet is the reviewer wearing? I like it.
It's a Scott Stego. Cheers!
Fantastic review I own a Levo Aluminum and hated the Forks straight up (Rockshox Reba) so I sprung for a set of 160 Cane Creek Helms which have the dampning and built in volume spacers absolutely mint cheers boys great production thanks for sharing. Tony
Flow - I want one, actually have most of this bike already. I have a brand new stump jumper which looks exactly like the Levo. I wonder if there is a company that will modify my stump jumper and build the 'e' part ??
So, sounds like the motor engagement is pretty on/off, and Specialized (or Bosch, and/or anybody else looking at making better ones) needs to get that sorted out to make it more than just a self-shutting retro-DH bike on fragile 3" tires.
I think eBikes will be their own awesome thing (with good power density, the same rig can handle EWS courses and long days of XC riding - so no massive segmentation), and as a bigger rider I'm incredibly glad that some of the component development they'll drive is compatible with normal mountain bikes (Guide RE brakes, Magura eM fork, specific shock tunes on Fox/SRAM stuff), and the shared platforms will mean us big guys can find high end parts which don't break the bank.
Good point there about bigger riders - interesting, but beneficial flow on effect.
humming on the trails....i am superman.
Looks like it might make commuting by bike more obtainable for a bunch of folks.
It seems that the E-MTB actually delivers on the promises made by all the "gram-saving" & "pivot-point- location" marketing during the past few decades.
What is the longest amount of time you had the bike out before running out of juice in the battery?
but you can very easily mod these Spaz Levo's software to allow you to ride 45-70km/h ... actually know of a guy who has set his up to run at max 45km/h
Don't get me wrong i think e-bikes ate a great, but this whole new pedal assist world has me wondering about strava KOM's.
In Strava you set the activity type to "E-Bike Ride" and it won't be counted in the segments. If someone wants to cheat a Strava KOM no need for an ebike - just hack the file before uploading - but in those cases people just cheat themselves...
People like to hate on e-bikes, but I think people who downhill bike at ski hills and take the chairlift up should really be the focus of 'shame' rather than pedal assist e-bikes. Using a diesel generator to get you to the top of the mountain is really taking the easy way out.
its a brilliant idea. however... this will make Strava KOM very interesting
Why is that? You can easily cheat Strava KOM without an ebike and Strava has "E-Bike Ride" as activity type.
The electronic Stump Jumper folk... That's all this bike is...
I can rear wheel drift round corners, uphill.
where are you supposed to ride these things?
Okay i can see where e-bikes can come from they are are fun for going fast and all BUT they are so heavy from jumps and bunny hops and i come from a BMX back round so i like myself a playful bike that it light but very strong
you're only divided till you try it!!! it's like the bikes now have a magic gear thats all.
think i just need a light analog downhill/enduro
Just needs a more powerful titanium brakes from Sicrotors
Haha...Lance Armstrong’s favorite doctor
benefits for cost? this aint cheap.
Now.....unlock the limiter, up the voltage & amps then do another video! :-)
Cooked in the oven or cooked in a microwave meal is a meal
That cost $10 000 my Suzuki dr 650 cost $8 500 it goes 170km/h it ways 160kg. On fire roads it's fun scares me it's fun, I ride mtb, dualy, singlespeed it's a good balance I like :) mtb is a yong sport I can see it trying and get easier for more people to hit the trails good bad I don't no
what helmet is that?
A Scott Stego. Cheers!
Thnaks!!! That was a good review. Cheers Guys!
I meant thanks!! TROLL!!
I’m only concerned of its ability to wheelie.
not much ability there. the assist isn't smooth enough for balancing
...another target demographic I believe is guys like me, who want to bring the wives along, but unfortunately, not as into the sport as I am. Am seriously considering getting one for the misses, just hope she'll loan it to me on days off!!!!
My wife definitely prefers riding my Turbo Levo when we hit the trails.
John LeGresley O.
It's easy to add a throttle and disable the speed limiter. Not a motobike? Depends on how you define motobike. But if it looks like a moto bike, acts like a moto bike... It's probably a moto bike.
use my ebike for work
Think of the strava times! Gonna be pissed when Steve the 58 year old thats over weight is beating people on hill climbs! hahahaha
but they are so dam expensive
A
StravaTragedy
Its for 60 and up.lol
I wont be buying this bike as I had the Specialized fused expert fattie n the rear wheel broke 6 times. This bike still has 28h rear n 24f spokes n I jump so it wouldnt last that long! Not a good idea Specialized they need to make the wheels stronger
e-bikes are the devils work 😈😈😈
bwaaaahaaa there is always one
I have an s works Levo and really love it as a "rest day" bike that allows me to have a fun ride and still be able to ride my trail bike with the guys the next day. Great review.
This is a bike is for the rich and or people that sleep in a tent ,eat once a day, work until they get enough money to buy such an unnecessary machine or have a sponsor.
You can get a very decent bike with a bosch cx motor and 500 w battery for a third of this and be very pleased about it.
Did specialized sponsor this video in any way? I'm pretty sure you have to disclose that nowadays if they did. But, I'm also pretty sure that they DID sponsor this. Regardless of how cautious the reviewer was of sounding too optimistic about the bike, they actually sounded even more cautious about offending Specialized. Perhaps I'm wrong, but that's my honest take and my intuition has rarely let me down on matters of this nature.
What a terrible fucking name for a bike.
Initial response: Got this bike for my friend. czcams.com/users/postUgkxUiL0GnyDjP32RJdd660sP8mZk4CRLTCJ Delivery was fast. And the friend was surprised I would order it when she had never suggested she wanted anything but the pedal bike she had. She has now ridden the bike two times and gives it a 10 and says it is very fun. We have some hills in our town that are very challenging to climb on a typical bike. But tonight she went up with the pedal assist and loved it. I was way behind on my standard bike, huffing and puffing. Now she is no longer lagging behind me. This thing is powerful enough that a person could go around town without any pedaling. She likes to get some exercise so on flat ground she hits the red button to turn off pedal assist and only uses the twist throttle when she's in a tough spot. The bike looks good. It is really a very nice bike for the friend. Now for me, when I get an electric bike, I'm twice her size and will be looking for a bigger watt motor and battery. But this one is just wonderful for my friend. I am happy with this purchase.