Specialized have amplified the ride quality on the Levo SL which first launched back in 2020. The new bike features Stumpjumper EVO Geometry, adjustable geometry, a mixed wheel platform, and Specialized Ride Dynamics tuned suspension. Turbo SL 1.2 system offers increased torque and power, and a whisper quiet, natural ride feel.
Check out the press release here:
When You Know, You Know — It’s All About The Ride
Since you’re reading this we’re betting that you either grew up around bikes, or you grew up ON bikes. If you’re the second kind (like us) you know what we mean when we say it’s all about the ride. That’s why goal number one for the Levo SL was ride quality on the trail.
Once we set the bar of ride quality with handling, capability, and personalisation unmatched by any trail bike (with or without a motor), we boosted the experience with the unbelievably natural ride feel of our unique, advanced, fully integrated, and whisper-quite Turbo SL 1.2 system, which we hopped-up with 43% more torque and 33% more power than its predecessor. The Ultimate Trail Bike now comes equipped with the Power to Ride More Trails.
Peerless Trail Bike Handling
The highest praise a bike can receive is that it disappears when you ride it. So the Levo SL was engineered to disappear, delivering the pure experience of flying over the trail on a bike that translates your inputs so faithfully that you drop into a flow state.
When it comes to next-level trail performance, less is always more. Strip away the mass and keep it lean, taut, and responsive, so the bike becomes an extension of you. Build it tough enough to withstand heavy abuse, but so light and nimble that you can floss through technical sections without thinking; maybe most of all, the collaboration between our highly experienced engineering team in Germany working with the Ride Dynamics team in California defined the ride envelope of the chassis and kinematics, while creating the perfect shock tune all balanced with the center of gravity of the SL 1.2 system, resulting in a ride plush enough that you remain cool, calm, and collected while sending the chunkiest lines. Basically, we thought of everything, so you don’t need to think about anything.
Trail Optimised Chassis
Everything starts here, with a frame that delivers a lively, precise ride feel. Our FACT 11M composite technology employs advanced FEA and Machine Learning to guide the shape, material usage, and layup schedule to realize class-leading chassis stiffness in all handling-related metrics (lateral, torsional, and bottom bracket.) We tuned the entire chassis—front end, rear end, and the link that unifies them—as a single unit to minimize lateral deflection under pedaling to harness every bit of pedal force. Our Rider-First Engineered™ process delivers the optimal balance of tuned stiffness, weight, and ride quality from all six sizes, ensuring every rider experiences the same ultimate trail ride characteristics.
Trail Bike of the Year Winning Geometry
Supremely confident trail manners are derived from progressive geometry honed over four decades of making trail bikes. You need to be able to snake effortlessly through the switchbacks and at the same time confidently send it skyward with ease and precision. That is exactly what we designed the Levo SL to do; by blueprinting the adaptable, super-adjustable geometry from the Stumpjumper EVO, winner of multiple Trail Bike of the Year awards. The generous cockpit centers you on the bike, optimizing traction and corner control. The low bottom bracket, slack headtube angle, and reduced fork offset keep things stable in the rough while giving you the freedom to destroy the turns, float through them, or nail the inside lines.
Mass is the Enemy of Performance
By now hopefully it’s clear that our primary goal with the Levo SL was to build the ultimate trail bike. Component selection was focussed on this goal, with trail-reliability and performance primary, light-weight secondary. The optimized chassis design, svelte motor and battery enabled trail tough spec while remaining nimble and light. The end result? An incredible riding, light-weight trail bike that feels like its acoustic counterpart—just amplified – replete with reservoir shocks, Fox 36 forks, wheels and tires that are up to the full-bore trail riding task.
Sized to Your Personalised Style: S-Sizing
Unleash your ride style with S-Sizing. Every rider is different, and every region of the planet has own trail characteristics, so why should your inseam dictate your bike size? Enter S-Sizing. It’s sizing based on what matters, the kind of trails you ride and your personal riding style. Six sizes, all with similar standover but differing in reach and front-center measurement, allow riders to choose the bike that best suits their individual style. Smaller numbers are more playful and flickable; bigger numbers mean more stability and more room.
Unmatched Capability
Trail riding can be so many things. Long days threading the needle in the high country. Hot laps after work at the local singletrack stash. Finding your edge on technical terrain. Party trains on the neighborhood jump line. In order to shine in every dimension of this diverse habitat, we’ve built a ton of adjustability, personalisation, and trail-toughness into the Levo SL.
Adjustability
Whatever the terrain, whatever your riding style, Levo SL’s handling can be dialed to perfection. The head angle can be personalized in three setting, 63 degrees, 64.25 degrees, and 65.5 degrees to fine-tune the handling to your preferred level of Zen Oneness. Pluck the tight and skinny technical string, shred the rock gardens with battleship stability, rule switchbacks, and hucks to flat with equal authority.
Party Up Front
A 29” front wheel ensures stability and surefooted performance in the most hectic terrain, while a 27.5” rear wheel allows for a compact chainstay and super responsive behavior. A 27.5” rear hoop leaves more room to get down over the back wheel on steep drops or when maneuvering in the air, and the short chainstay combined with the smaller wheel makes for snappy acceleration and responsiveness. Meanwhile, for riders who want the unflappable stability of 29” wheels at both ends, there’s a flip-chip at the rear pivot that accommodates their desires as well.
Capability of Kinematics
Playfulness optimized, efficiency emphasized—the suspension on the Levo SL has been redesigned to deliver peak trail radness. A flatted leverage curve along with a more rearward defined axle path ensure peppy pedaling and climbing behavior, and a lower overall leverage ratio equates to improved small-bump and mid-stroke sensitivity while still providing plenty of progression to smash big hits with intent. This carefully tuned leverage rate optimizes the “2x You” characteristics of rider and motor combined to deliver an active yet plush suspension that lets the bike disappear beneath you.
Tuned to be Capable: RxTune
Taut where it counts, plush where you need it, efficiency, and superb control throughout. The role of RxTune is to make sure Levo SL’s 160mm front and 150mm rear travel is supple on small bumps, devours square-edged hits, feels bottomless and plush on big drops, yet still pedals responsively and climbs like a lightweight. The Specialized Ride Dynamics team burns endless hours on the dyno and in real-world testing, developing shock valving that is perfectly matched to the leverage curve and rate of our suspension design. They obsess over ride performance so that you don’t have to. Nobody else sweats the details this much. This is custom suspension valving and tuning straight out of the box, letting you rip from day one.
Advanced and Integrated Amplification
Welcome to the Turbo Operating System, our class-leading premium e-bike operating system. Its seamlessly integrated system of software and hardware delivers previously impossible riding experiences. We have the best team developing the software, and we spared no expense on the hardware like most advanced torque sensors in the industry. The result is that you get the power you need so naturally, seamlessly, and silently you’ll feel superhuman, forgetting your ride is amplified.
The old adage, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” is especially true when it comes to bolstering your own efforts with a telepathic, unobtrusive motor assist and crafting a superb handling trail bike that operates as an extension of your own body. The key to this fusion is the exceptional quality of our Turbo Operating System. This melding of advanced technology with human effort delivers an enriched experience that goes way beyond simple battery/motor thinking. It’s the invisible hand that makes you able to do more, know more, ride harder, go farther, and feel stronger.
The Turbo Operating System is also a coach, enabling you to monitor and compare your power output and heart rate. And a training partner, recommending optimal pedaling cadence. And, with Jump Stats, it can tell you all about the “air time” you got on a ride or cumulatively. It’s also a data analyst. And a security system. And a diagnostic centre. And it’s the heart of a more awesome ride experience. Plus, with over-the-air updates, your ride gets better over time. This is the most intuitive and natural combination of human input and electric-assist you will find anywhere, and it is the key to taking your trail riding to the next level.
43% More Torque, 33% More Power to Ride More Trails
Once we set the bar of capability and handling, we boosted the experience with unbelievably natural power of the advanced, integrated, and whisper-quite Turbo SL 1.2 system, which we hopped-up with 43% more torque and 33% more power than its predecessor. The Ultimate Trail Bike now comes equipped with the Power to Ride More Trails.
Leading Motor Efficiency and System Integration for Up To 7.5 Hour Range
The SL 1.2 motor delivers industry leading efficiency results, which gives you more range for the needed watt hours. This class-leading efficiency, together with unique energy conserving features like MicroTune, mean that the 320 Wh integrated battery delivers maximum range of up to 5 hours (in Eco Mode). If you want to go even bigger, just slide our 160 Wh Range Extender Battery (included on S-Works bike and Frameset, sold separately for other models) into your water bottle cage and add 50% more range.
MasterMind TCU
The fusion of human muscle and reflex with progressive modern mountain bike geometry and the enhancement of electric assist is complex. The MasterMind Turbo Control Unit (TCU) is the class-leading elegant solution that allows you to control how you, your bike, motor, and battery all interact. It connects system hardware, the Mission Control App, and the rider, all in a protected and easily visible display. MasterMind TCU enables over-the-air updates so that as new features and functionality come online, your bike will get even better over time. Lastly, the bar-mounted MicroTune feature puts fine-tuning of support at your fingertips for real-time power personalization in 10% increments.
There’s and App for That: Mission Control
The Levo SL integrates fully with our Mission Control App for advanced personalization, tuning, on-trail diagnostics, and more so you can get the most out of your ride. Customize your motor characteristics with Support, Peak Power, and more tunable features, even unlocking the extra power of the Specialized 1.2 Motor. Using Smart Control, adjust the motor and battery output based on how far or how long you want to ride. Disable the entire system, rendering the Turbo Levo SL useless for any would-be thieves with Turbo System Lock. And get instant feedback on system health, getting an overview of motor, system, and battery health trailside.
Local Pricing and Availability
At this stage the Turbo Levo SL Comp is available in South Africa at an MSRP of R149000
In COVID year I was probably the fittest I've ever been since I was averaging about 150km per week, but the last two years I've been riding mostly trail only on weekends and no more midweek riding due to a mad work schedule that doesn't really allow morning rides. (At least that's what I'm telling myself and I'm sticking with that).
I know I need to increase my riding frequency but shees tyres are expensive these days so just going for a tar dash is not something I'm super keen on.