# Specialized Levo SL vs. Levo - Which one is for you?



## jbsocal (Feb 12, 2011)

Francis,

What a great comparison!

I got my 2020 Levo Comp in November...

I already built it up with a Cane Creek IL Coil (210 mm x 55 mm for extra 6 mm rear travel), upgraded the Lyrik to Ultimate 160 mm, running 27.5 x3.0 plus rear and 29 x3.0 plus front.

It was the better choice for me....but I'm still drooling over the Levo SL Comp.


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## Browneye (Feb 20, 2020)

I test rode both, and while the SL is very smooth, the extra punch of the Levo Comp is way mo betta. JMHO
I bought a Trance E+2 instead, saved a couple of grand.


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## Roy_P (Feb 25, 2020)

The weights above are wrong for the Levo. My S-Works Levo is 20.45 kg with XT pedals, which weigh .41 kg.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

They publish weights for size Large, with inner tubes and SWAT tools, for what it's worth.


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## Lubor_Pac (Apr 1, 2020)

Hi, also upgraded my Levo to Lyric Ultimate 160mm!

And also wanna upgrade to 210/55mm coil shock - how big upgrade is it?

thxx Lubor


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## Duffman1976 (Aug 27, 2015)

What always is missing from every e-bike review is mentioning where they are actually legal to ride. At the very least this would seem to be the responsible thing to do for bike companies and shops that sell them as well as the people reviewing them. Until then I guess e-bike riders can keep "being discreet" about riding them where they aren't supposed to be which I take to mean poaching.


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## Sy_Borg (Jul 21, 2020)

What always is missing from every e-bike review is mentioning why I need one? As a physically fit rider why would I want an e-bike? Aside from being able to poach trails that I could otherwise ride legitimately, why do I want one? I get it for older folks who are lacking strength or someone with some other physical handicap.


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## MrDirtHerder (Nov 1, 2017)

Ride a Levo SL sometime and you'll see. Also, a lot of racers are using ebikes to train on these days....both XC and enduro pros even. Why? It allows you to ride more aerobic than anaerobic. And in the case of the Levo line, you can sync a HRM to it and set the motor to kick in before you blow past your limit for a give HR zone.

Talking to some industry pals and experts in training I was surprised to learn how popular this is.


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## myke2241 (Aug 11, 2009)

I feel like the industry is one lawsuit away from reform on the matter! In OC CA parks are not marked for trail usages, although policies are clearly stated on the OC Parks website. Liability is high!


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## myke2241 (Aug 11, 2009)

Most racers are looking at power not HR when training. LI rides can be done on the road or gravel without a problem or even a trainer with targeted power and HR zones. Also with the endless gear range available these days I highly doubt there is that many enduro or XC guys riding e-bikes for training with all the other available options.


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## Josh_Patterson (Sep 9, 2019)

Myke,

I can't speak to cross-country racers using e-bikes for training, but they have become a training tool for some EWS racers working on skill drills. Imagine being able to session a segment of trail 4-5 times in the same about of time you would normally only be able to do 2-3 laps while allowing you to remain fresher and more focused for the descent.


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## Jon_Severson (Sep 1, 2020)

Myke,

I couldn't either until an ex pro buddy who's all I'm on ebikes now gave me the low down. I then talked with a friend who is an ex European domestique and pro mountain biker. He expanded upon that. I also then reached out to the owner of CTS here in town and sure enough...they are training people with such and he knows of pros who he doesn't train who use ebikes.

Btw-last I heard there aren't any Powermeters that interface with the Levo/Levo SL though bringing that up to the owner of SRM next time we chat. Because CTS hinted to such as well.


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## warrent (Mar 1, 2015)

After buying a 2021 Specialized Turbo Levo I'm not sure where all the angst is coming from about class 1 ebikes on the trail. They don't pollute, they don't have anywhere close to enough power to damage trails and mine is about as quiet as a cat. I'd say a class 1 bike has no more of a footprint than a regular mountain bike of which I have two modern ones I still ride.


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## joey_g (Dec 18, 2019)

Where can we legally ride these bikes for handicap people?


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## HT-XC (Apr 20, 2020)

Usually it's the people who ride those bikes rather than the bikes themselves who damage trails. I don't want to generalize but in my parts, it's mostly older guys 60+ with too much time and money on their hand who now gain access to downhill segments due to the motor pushing them uphills. Sure, there are proficient riders on e-mtb but where I'm from, those are in the minority.


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## Philip2 (Nov 9, 2020)

I had the pleasure of riding the Levo SL Expert at Mount St.-Anne back in 2019 at the MTB World Championships. I am a 60 year old experienced rider / racer from the Midwest who is not in my former shape due to a lingering injury. I can ride moderate terrain , but hills just aggravate the injury. This bike not only got me up the biggest hills , but let me enjoy riding single track and going down long rocky descents at speed. With out the e-Bike assist I would not have been able to do these trails at all. The bike brought out the kid in me again. That makes it worth the @ $9000 price in my book. There are plenty of other MT Bikes in that price range that are not an e-Bike. As for where to ride this ? I can't ride this on most of the trails in my area , so I will most likely just get a Specialized Creo SL EVO and use multiple wheels sets ( 700 c Gravel / 650 b / 700c road wheels ) and use them as needed. The smoothness of the power application was seamless . Specialized has it dialed with the Brose motor. I rode up and down the trails for an hour an a half and only used 2-3 bars of the 10 available since I was giving plenty of input even though i was getting just the right amount of assist even in the lowest mode. I can't say enough good things about how well this bike rode and how much fun I had .


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## Gavin_Atkins (Jun 2, 2020)

Levo will self report poweroutput to Garmin, no powermeter required.


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## Joker22 (May 11, 2021)

HT-XC said:


> Usually it's the people who ride those bikes rather than the bikes themselves who damage trails. I don't want to generalize but in my parts, it's mostly older guys 60+ with too much time and money on their hand who now gain access to downhill segments due to the motor pushing them uphills. Sure, there are proficient riders on e-mtb but where I'm from, those are in the minority.


Well I'm 50 and helped pioneer this sport. I also had the misfortune of being diagnosed with something while trying to keep the world a safer place that most people will never get. It's easy to say it's old people with too much money, but it's also easy to say the youth is turning it's back on those who helped grow this sport. I love MTB'ing, but the only way I can do it comfortably is with a little help from the SL. I don't rely on it to totally take me up the hill, but a boost here and there sure helps the discomfort. Some people bring up the rich person factor. This is not the case, but I can say when I hear comments like this that there is a certain level of elitism from them.


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## HT-XC (Apr 20, 2020)

Joker22 said:


> Well I'm 50 and helped pioneer this sport. I also had the misfortune of being diagnosed with something while trying to keep the world a safer place that most people will never get. It's easy to say it's old people with too much money, but it's also easy to say the youth is turning it's back on those who helped grow this sport. I love MTB'ing, but the only way I can do it comfortably is with a little help from the SL. I don't rely on it to totally take me up the hill, but a boost here and there sure helps the discomfort. Some people bring up the rich person factor. This is not the case, but I can say when I hear comments like this that there is a certain level of elitism from them.


Sorry, if I could not get the message across as I intended to. English is not my first language. What I wanted to say is that where I live we have many old rich farts who can't bike for **** and would never be able to do the uphill on a MTB to gain access to the downhills which they then can't ride properly without damaging them. In my opinion this is elitism from those guys and not from people who make such comments. I don't care for the reason why people ride an e-bike. I get it. I just care for the trails around here, which get destroyed by people who can't bike - e-bike or MTB. And it's mostly by those aforementioned. So sorry, if my comment seems 'elite' to you. I'm speaking out of my bubble and didn't intend to generalize globally ;-)


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## natrat (Mar 20, 2008)

Well htxc i am oldish, physically not what i once was and not the best rider so you would hate me. I ride the ff levo, SL and a pivot 429 in a cycle. When fresh it's the pivot followed by the half cheater SL and then FF for that express elevator effect. Each is amazing in it's own way.


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## RZRCrawlin (7 mo ago)

Late to the party on this one. I'm 52 and in decent physical shape. I was riding a 2016 Specialized Stumpy 6 Fattie until 2021,when I picked up a Levo SL Expert. I've found the lighter weight and nimbleness to be a perfect fit for my fitness.

There are a couple of things I've needed to work with. 1) I am not fond of the 2021 Fox 36 Grip2 fork. 2) I'm not fond of the 35mm handlebars. 3) I think I like the 27.5 for their nimbleness a little more than I like how the 29s roll over things. But, I'm still learning how to maneuver the bike.

Other than that, I'm a real fan. But, I do see the day when I'm going to want more power from a Levo.


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## mtbbiker (Apr 8, 2004)

RZRCrawlin said:


> Late to the party on this one. I'm 52 and in decent physical shape. I was riding a 2016 Specialized Stumpy 6 Fattie until 2021,when I picked up a Levo SL Expert. I've found the lighter weight and nimbleness to be a perfect fit for my fitness.
> 
> There are a couple of things I've needed to work with. 1) I am not fond of the 2021 Fox 36 Grip2 fork. 2) I'm not fond of the 35mm handlebars. 3) I think I like the 27.5 for their nimbleness a little more than I like how the 29s roll over things. But, I'm still learning how to maneuver the bike.
> 
> Other than that, I'm a real fan. But, I do see the day when I'm going to want more power from a Levo.


The oneup 35mm bars are really nice, with built in up/down flex. I hear others say the same about that fork. Maybe try a spring kit for the fork like; Smashpot or Push springs. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## RZRCrawlin (7 mo ago)

mtbbiker said:


> The oneup 35mm bars are really nice, with built in up/down flex. I hear others say the same about that fork. Maybe try a spring kit for the fork like; Smashpot or Push springs.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The OneUp bars are nice. I bought them to help with the extra stiffness the 35mm handlebars bring. They're not earth-shattering. But, they do take the edge off.

I have a Vorsprung Secus I just put on there that is helping a lot. It's supposed to be the best of both worlds (air and coil). And, Fox says I can send in just my Grip2 damper to get a custom tune (they don't call it that) and a full service for $80 (I do the rest of the servicing myself). So, it looks like I'm going to be spending $80 soon.


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