Aluminum Specialized Levo Upgrades Part 2 - Best Upgrades for Levo?
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- čas přidán 3. 11. 2023
- #emtb #turbolevo
In this video series we go from unboxing to upgrading our Specialized Turbo Levo Alloy. Our quest has been to see if we can get the most affordable Levo to ride better, feel lighter and be more capable for aggressive riders looking to save money, customize their eMTB and own a unique bike that's all their own.
Thanks to @oneupcomponents_official @CascadeComponents , @srsuntour_inc SpokeX for the upgrades found in this video.
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For the brakes you guys have to go for the hope tech 4 v4 in silver to match the wheels and the link 🔥
Upgrading bike is like a drug addiction. You start with changing 1-2 parts, then sudenly you see next thing you MUST to change and upgrade.
I changed on my bike, fork, rear shock, pedals, sadle, brakes, handlebar, tires 😁
Do a brake pad comparison, to see if you can improve the Codes.
Whoa! Bling over substance! My approach was #1 new brakes. Of course! But sweet Purple Hayes. So now rocking some bling. Next, SRAM GX AXS with new wheels and 10-52 cassette. Next, rebuild shocks. Next 12 degree sweep SQlab handlebar, SQLab Activ seat. And wider pedals as my knees are a mess. And while I am at it got 155 Hope purple alloy cranks. As well as purple front 34 tooth chainring. This bike rocks! Someday wireless dropper, but that is hardly necessary. Very happy with the upgrades, knees and wrists very happy, as is my bum.
Deathgrips, V11 pedals, Dropper, tubeless, Hello Kitty decals, custom painted Zeb Ultimates, XT 4 pots, 200mm RT86 rotors, new motor, XT Linkglide 11‐51 with a steel 34t chainring, Maxxis Aggressor DD out back... That's how the Mrs' 2019 Levo mods went down. It came with no dropper and Sektor forks... lol. Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil next and then some wheels if she breaks them.
I wrote these upgrades down for future reference. Look forward to finding out what you do with the brakes. Also, after the drivetrain wears out I'd definitely replace with the beefier ones from Sram or Shimano.
As long as you’re happy with the bike and it works for you and your budget it’s all good I think the bike looks really good and customization is unique
Well that went out of control faster than I imagined. Love the approach. Definitely relatable but not rigorous at all, as we all are whenever it comes to our passions aren't we?
I have been riding my Levo Alloy for close to 2 years and have done a lot of upgrades:
Fox 38 Grip 2
Fox X2 with Regular Cascade Link
GX AXS shifter/derailleur
X01 cassestte-had to change hub driver
PNW cockpit and Dropper
Hope 155mm cranks
Maxxis Assegai/Dissector with Cushcore
Oneup Pump with tools
HS2 220mm Rotors with MTX Pads
I am honestly pretty happy with the brakes at this point. The larger and thicker HS2 rotors with good pads made a night and day difference. I would definitley suggest that before spending on all new brakes.
I had a crash and bent the Praxis crank so got the shorter hope cranks for added clearance.
For drivetrain I should have just done Shimano SLX cassete and chainring with the GX AXS shifter/derailleur. I have that on another bike and it shifts great. It seems pretty comparable to Transmission in terms of shift quality under load for a lot less money. I have ridden back to back with Sramano setup and GX Transmission to compare.
You should of just bought a new ebike top end bikes have been selling for £4000 in uk with huge spec on them😮
Not 2 + years ago
Is the cascade link specifically for the 29“ wheels?
how is the ride feel of the full29“ compared to the mullet?
Video starts at 1min30sec.
My Levo setup :
180mm Fox 38 up front
Cascade Long shock linkage
165mm rear Rockshock deluxe coil shock with 520lb springdex
TRP DHR evo brakes front and rear
203 mm TRP e-bike rotors
Deity 80mm rise handlebars
40 mm stem
Maxis DHF 2.6 front
Maxxis DHR 2.4 rear
Sram Gx drivetrain
Roval alloy MX wheelset
Turned this trail bike into a DH monster lol
I just ordered a cascade longshock link and just pondering what shock to buy. I think I'll go deluxe coil rc2t. Love my levo. Intrigued by the 29er rear wheel.
Cool build and rad vid! I’ve been looking forward to this one coming out for a while.
My build is sorta similar but comp carbon. Cascade LT link but Ohlins coil and 170 fork. Personally I found the one up bars to be one of the biggest ride quality upgrades. TRP brakes were game changers as well.
I’m curious though, what geo position settings are you riding with the 29’r rear wheel?!? Atm for riding Squamish and the shore I’ve got my s4 set to slack headset and high position rear triangle for clearance. Low position on the rear triangle had me bashing the shit out of the plastic motor guard constantly
I’m assuming you’ve got both the headset and rear set at slack? How much of a height difference did this make on the bottom bracket and how did this affect cornering?
I’ve been looking very hard at doing the same because I prefer the way 29’rs carry speed and allow you to monster truck jank better but I’ve been worried how it would affect cornering.
Funny brakes were number one on my list and so far I've done cascade linkage, ohlins coil, ohlins, fork, oneup everything, GXS shifter & dropped and still rocking the same brakes. Interested to see what you go with for brakes!
Do you notice the much better engagement on these wheels? Also going to 29er do you know what that did to your Geo?
I dream of having a set of 29s and air shock for my trial ride and keep my 27.5 and coil for my park days.
Awesome epik
Any updates to share with us about how you fit the 29” on the rear?
I just rode my base model levo alloy yesterday. I immediately put mtx gold pads with the new hs2 rotors and it makes sram codes a lot more tolerable. Still dislike codes though. Also I would do hope cranks as an upgrade. Broke the fragile praxis cranks twice now. Yesterday on the levo then a couple rides into my old Kenevo expert a 2 years ago.
do you have any initial thoughts and feedback on the cascade link? this is something I'm really considering for our levo!
Wheels aren't just cosmetic, especially if you picked up a major engagement gain over a sloppy stock hub. Would've definitely went with Marzocchi over Suntour, even if it was new take off suspension.
What length stem did u fit? As for brakes, Hayes dominion a4 would be 👌
It’s kind of hard not to want to upgrade the wheels on any bike. I did the same with my levo, but i got the comp version. As far as brakes go, since the comp comes with code R’s. I only did a lever upgrade to the code RSC’s and kept the same calipers. Now Looking at the amazing raw finish linkage system. I think that will be my next upgrade. Dropper and linkage are still stock on my levo. Thanks for this video and keep up the good content.
I just got a comp alloy. Considering getting trp or Hayes brakes. Did the rsc lever make a big difference to you? I hadn’t considered going that route until I your comment.
Without giving you my biased opinion because i’m a diehard Sram fan. Since i do all the work on my bike myself. I have installed TRP DHR Evos on friends levos. They love them and never think about going back to Codes. From the code R’s to the TRP’s. Night and day difference. I would choose TRP over the R’s hands down. RSC only gives the extra adjustability and plus an extra step in the bleed process on my end. My codes felt great all the time with no issue. Since i last posted my comment. I am currently running the Sram Mavens. Those brakes are amazing. I went that route because I’m a Sram fan. TRP’s are easy to install and if done correctly. You won’t have to bleed them upon install. They have great stopping power like Shimano with the modulation of Sram. Best of both worlds. My buddy after running the TRP DHR evos for about 2 years. I recently just flushed and bled his brakes, which is pretty impressive, of course he was swapping pads out only and he never felt any difference in performance loss till recently. I flushed the whole system out and added new fluid and not he is good to go another 2 yrs.
@@josiahmedina4972 Appreciate the in depth reply. Ive only had sram g2’s that I thought were just okay. But I have dominions on my current bike and blow away the g2’s. I don’t have enough any experience with codes but I had a feeling I’d be wanting to swap them. Sounds like my gut feeling of trp’s was correct.
Salut, j adore vos vidéo , très ludique et m'aide beaucoup pour mon choix de emtb , me conseil tu plutôt un aluminium ou carbone pour Levo ? Et pour une pratique sur terrain accidenté et rocailleux plutôt le Levo ou le Bullit , merci 👍🤝
How did you stuff a 29” wheel in out back?
How do you like running the Levo full 29er vs the mullet set up?
EBC HH (Gold) pads make a HUGE difference for just a few bucks.
I have a turbo levo sl 29er and so far upgraded with the cascade components link and swapped out the fox 34 fork for 160mm lyric ultimate with the charger 3 and diety grips and it made a huge difference. Want to upgrade more as budget allows
Nice!! Thanks for sharing your build. Definitely a more capable machine now!
1. GET RID OF SRAM BRAKES !! I changed mine to Saints, but 4-pots XT would be fine as well.
2. cascade link (possibly long :) )
Are you going to post part 3 anytime soon?
Did not know that the Levo Gen3 could take a 29 wheel on the back, what's the clearance at the back and what size tire you on?
Can you just up grade the brake levers to code RSC? Then new pads and rotors?
don't want to say we told you so, but we told you so, brakes suck!
cranks, and not because you want to, the praxis will bend or fall off
wheels are always a good investment, its just hard, especially for newer riders on a budget, to buy a decent set of wheels. Good thing with wheels is that they can easily be transferred from one bike to the next.
@Drew, does the 29" rear wheel increase max assisted speed to 23ish mph? I love the build so far. Too bad didn't upgrade to 11spd Shimano XT Linkglide when you did the wheels... I thought for sure you would go Linkglide and SLX 4 pots and be pretty much done. Assume prev gen GX AXS now? I wouldn't have guessed SR Suntour tho, so I am prob way off. Thanks for the content. Dan
Thanks Daniel. We'll have to hit some flat ground to see what change it made, probably not huge, but we didn't feel to much change with power or max speed without directly looking/comparing. LinkGlide will be a great option for sure, as well as the SLX 4-pots.
SR stuff rides really well, although it's a bit heavy, we like the plush feel.
I thought the turbo Levo was not 29” compatible in the rear?
Levo comps are not bad out of the box but harder riders need to change the wheels tyres and brakes, fit some shock tokens and thats it. The stock fox suspension is better than these upgrades and is highly tuneable and easily upgradeable to coil or grip2 or both.
Nothing wrong with some bling but the shock link is just throwing good money after bad, by the time its finished you’d save time and money buying a better spec 170 travel bike that hasnt had its geometry messed with by fitting a 29 rear
Je pense que la première amélioration sera des freins trp DH Evo et ensuite les roues
Try the formula Cura ...
I kinda didn't see how did you upgrade to 29' on the back :)))
When I upgraded my wheels I felt an improvement on side to side handling, but then again that could be my mind justifying The carbon wheels haha 😂The LT link and kitsuma coil rear shock is next on my list. Maybe the trp dhr Evo brakes in gold just because I want the gold 🪙
Haha nice! The wheels definitely make a difference and the ride quality/ stiffness will be most noticeable. Sounds like you got a good list of upgrades coming up!
Throw some 220mm rotors on for now and see how you like it. Makes a world of difference for not that much money.
Good suggestion.
SRAM brakes are designed to make you go faster. If you intend to slow down quick at any point use Shimano, TRP, Hayes, Hope etc.
I just ordered a vivid ultimate, and traverse alloy wheels. All my bikes get koda saddle, diety high bars, and one up composite pedals. I installed the normal or short travel cascade link. Upgraded to Fox 38, I wish I would have gotten the zeb ultimate. I'm happy with code r brakes. The question is, are you ever done?
Haha. Nice build list and…. No, I don’t think we are ever done. 😆
Would have been nice to show clearance for the 29er in the rear.......I have worked on some st forks, don't know if you could pay me enough to mount one on my bike. Are you going to get some kind of bash guard for the battery cover? its a real issue with the levo.
We'll work on that for the next one. Thanks for suggestion.
I second this, more info - deep dive into the 29” rear wheel and clearance would be great. A lot of us levo riders have thought about it but it’s always been a no go. Very interesting
I'd also appreciate a 29 rear wheel video.
I don"t find part 1?
Excellent suggestions! Thanks!! Just to add to what others have said I would highly recommend the 2024 SRAM GX wireless trans. ! Buttery smooth gear changes and super long-lasting chain and cassette! (Only got a few hundred miles on it but everyone tells me the life span is almost double compared to stock) . But the game changer for me was being able to change gear under load which is saying A LOT when talking tubo levo torque! I also recommend not wasting the quan $$ on the XX or X0! The new GX is virtually the same thing!
Except that most levos do not have UDH, and therefore cannot use sram transmission.
Good point.. However, I think all models of Generation 3 Levos have UDH
I’ve been watching a few bike reviews lately and every single one said the sram brakes aren’t good enough,why do we have to spend a fortune on a bike and then have to upgrade brakes,it’s not right
We agree! And it's something we point out in almost every review, we sometimes feel like a broken record or maybe we're too critical, so thanks for reminding us we're not! We need safer brakes on these things.
My 2017 Levo got stolen Monday. Super bummed. I replaced the motor 6 times. 3 batteries. Only thing original was the frame. I put about $6k into it. Everything was replaced except the frame. So bummed
Dang that's a bummer! Hope you find it or have decent insurance as a consolation...
I went fox x2, grip damper and TRP brakes...which I don't recommend, they won't sell rebuild parts for the calipers. Pads ware too quickly and performance isn't all that good anyways.
Go with hope or saints.
TRP DHR Evo’s you don’t recommend?
Are you guys testing this bike in Santa Cruz?
No we're testing in Oregon.
I don’t really get the lift in suspension, if you wanted more travel you should have just got the Kenevo and put 29” wheels on.
I wonder the same thing. I would love the latest Kenevo SL if it was available for purchase. I don’t want the motor in the current one.
I plan to upgrade my travel on my Levo 2023 because I’m heavier and blowing through it.
Thanks! More detail on the cascade link would be appreciated. I.e. with the lt link, is the levo now more comparable to the timp peak?
We will be working on a long term review of the link and bike! But, initially, we still prefer the Timp Peak as it’s more poppy and playful with longer travel and pounds lighter
I have the turbo levo alloy. I like the bike, but too expensive for the components you pay. I knew that, so I already replace the components with a bike that I had. First thing to replace are the brakes, SRAM guide g2, terrible brakes, no I have Shimano zee and Shimano saint with desire caliper. Second, replace the fork, very basic. I use RockShox zeb,. I replace the rear shock with a coil RockShox super deluxe with sprindex. I replace the stem and with a carbon handlebar. The good thing is that the bike came with the battery 700. That was because I already had the components to replace. But, you are more paying for the brand. Now if you want an ebike with good components or not too basic; you can go for Marín e2 at the same price cost the turbo levo alloy
Thanks for sharing and we agree. from a value perspective, there are now way more options that are better spec'd, we really like the Fezzari Timp Peak which is currently on sale for around same price and has way better components. Marin is also a great option but also needs some upgrades for hard chargers.
I think the levo prices become somewhat decent after recent discounts. In the UK we were getting comp alloys for £3800 in December. They didn't require much of an upgrade initially. Personally I bought a Base level carbon for £3600 and spent a chunk on a fox 38, magura brakes and some other odd bits.
Love mine but the motor is sooo noisey !!!
Pedals
Dang, base spec sounds pretty undesirable! Hard pass.