Tech

Specialized level-up the Levo with new geometry, firmware and a haircut

Supplied by Specialized South Africa.

By Press Office · 76 comments

Specialized have released the latest iteration of their do-it-all electric mountain bike, the Levo. The new Levo brings updated (and adjustable) frame geometry along with a new wheel size configuration of 29″ up front and 27.5″ in the rear – generally known as a “mullet bike”. A new control unit to improve the ride experience with a raft software improvements, a new digital display, over-the-air updates and more. These, along with all-round improvements are said to make for a more natural ride feel, better range and control, and improved reliability in any conditions.

More details in the press release from Specialized below.

Press Release

A forty-year obsession with creating the best riding mountain bikes possible takes a bionic leap forward with the new Levo. It sets the standard for full power ride quality with stable, natural trail manners born from an integrated full carbon chassis development approach; fusing together 150mm of rear suspension, progressive geometry, sophisticated motor assist and the advanced MasterMind Turbo Control Unit to bring you a ride like no other.

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Harness this technology and amplify your experience. More speed. More distance. More freedom. More trails ridden, more pure stoke generated, more unforgettable experiences… experienced. This is where the impossible becomes possible and you are riding better, stronger, farther, and faster than ever before. The new Levo; merging unprecedented power and range with natural, confident handling for an unbelievable ride. At the end of the day, that’s what matters most. The ride. Your ride. Believe it.

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Ride Quality: Stable & Natural Ride

A Ride Beyond Belief

The new Levo is the distillation, application and amplification of everything we know about mountain biking; a potent blend of chassis, suspension, geometry and motor assist that adds up to an incredible trail riding experience. It is the liveliest, most nimble, full-power eMTB ever.

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Mixed Wheels, Nimble Ride

We opted for a dedicated “Mullet” design with 27.5” wheel in the back and 29” up front. It’s a challenge to design a full-power electric assist mountain bike with lively handling because the motor takes valuable real estate that usually necessitates longer chainstays. The Levo’s smaller rear wheel allows for short chainstays; delivering a much more playful and nimble ride that carves circles around other full-power eMTBs.

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The Geometry Of Control

Levo’s geometry is totally revamped, with an emphasis on control and capability. The seat tube got steeper, which is great for climbing. The front end got longer, which centers you on the bike, optimizing traction and corner control. The headtube angle is more relaxed, and the fork offset is reduced to keep things stable in the rough and at speed. Additionally, the geometry is adjustable, so it can be tuned to match your style and the terrain you’re riding.

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Personalized Handling

Levo has six geometry settings allowing easy adjustment to match your style and hone performance in any terrain, from mellow fire roads to technical single-track. Choose between three headtube angles from 63 to 65.5-degrees. Bottom bracket height can fine tuned up or down by 7mm, thanks to the flip-chip located on the Horst pivot. Check out the geo finder tool for more details.

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ccs-62657-0-09544500-1616498426.jpgBottom bracket height adjustment
ccs-62657-0-17309000-1616498431.jpgHead angle adjustment

Suspension

Levo’s 150mm rear travel/160mm (150 on S1 Size) front travel is dialed for anything; it’s supple on small bumps and devours square- edged hits without a twitch. It eats massive G-outs for breakfast, yet still offers amazing pedal response and delivers your power to the ground with total efficiency.

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RxTune

Our trail obsessed team of engineers stay awake at night thinking of how to make suspension work better. For the Levo they developed specific suspension valving in consideration of the added power and speed that can be generated. They tailored every aspect of the suspension – kinematics, leverage curves, damping and spring rates – to work together in harmony, delivering a highly controlled, responsive and precise ride that handles bump forces like a bike with much more travel.

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Leverage Rate

Levo’s full-analog sibling, the Stumpjumper EVO, won multiple Trail Bike Of The Year awards. We borrowed the Stumpy EVO’s progressive leverage rate, but tailored it to 2.9 Levo travel, torque and power. The result is a suspension package that delivers small bump sensitivity, mid-stroke support and compliant but controlled full travel when stomping the big hits. The tuned leverage rate is matched by our proprietary Rx Tune shock valving, allowing the suspension to do what it needs to do so you can do what you want to do: shred.

ccs-62657-0-20064900-1616499149.pngLeverage rate.
ccs-62657-0-02852500-1616499156.pngAxle path.

Axle Path

Levo’s axle path moves rearward in the first third of travel, and then vertically in the mid-travel before arcing to a forward trajectory toward bottom out. To break this down, the rearward path in the first portion of travel allows the 110 wheel to “swing” back with the bump force, decreasing hangup and thereby helping to carry speed. As the bike moves deeper into its travel, where pedaling isn’t typical, the forward axle path disconnects chain forces from pedaling forces, yielding stellar big hit performance.

Power: 4X You Power

The Power To Bend Space And Time

Levo empowers you to choose where to ride, and when you want to do it. Only got an hour? No problem, you can still bust out your favourite long loop and get back with time to spare. Want to find out what’s beyond that ridge on the horizon of your biggest ride? Go for it. Levo fuels your newfound superpower. The integrated controller responds to your pedal inputs resulting in intuitive amplification of your efforts – as much as quadrupling the power you put into the pedals – with an incredibly natural feel. It’s our most powerful system, capable of supplying up to 565 Watts power and 90Nm torque. You control the power, feeding in as much or as little as you need to flatten the steepest climbs and cover previously inconceivable distances.

ccs-2-0-03207600-1616507005.jpgSpecialized Turbo Levo SWORKS Carbon
ccs-2-0-65292800-1616507010.jpgSpecialized Turbo Levo Pro Carbon

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The Power Of Trust

Levo’s Turbo Full Power motor delivers extremely quiet and reliable power. This is Full Power that can be trusted to take you deep into the wild and back, ride after ride.

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  1. Custom tuned motor for optimal power and torque
  2. Updated belt ensures long-term reliable power delivery
  3. MasterMind firmware smoothly delivers power and reduces drivetrain wear
  4. Triple seals at the plug and new hatch boosts weather resistance

Range: Go Big 5-Hour Range

Ride Anywhere Range

Levo shatters limitations when it comes to range, supporting you for up to five hours of trail time. Now you can ride farther and explore more than ever before. Smart Control ensures that you won’t run out of juice; it enables you to input the duration or distance of your ride and then manages support level to complete it with available battery charge.

Range like this is only possible by fully integrating our highest capacity Turbo Technology battery (700 Wh) with our Mastermind Turbo Control Unit to ensure maximum efficiency.

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MasterMind TCU

MasterMind Turbo Control Unit (TCU) is essentially Levo’s “brain”. It is the hardware and software that controls how the motor, battery, bike and you interact. It allows real-time support tuning while riding and displays all relevant data about your bike and ride. MasterMind TCU also enables over-the-air updates so that your bike gets better over time. Finally, MasterMind seamlessly integrates with the Mission Control app for advanced tuning, on-trail diagnostics and more.

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The following is a rundown of the out-of- the-box functionality:

  • Over-the-air updates ensure Levo gets better over time
  • MasterMind TCU displays remaining charge as an easy to read percentage
  • MicroTune feature allows on-the-fly adjustment of peak power and support levels in 10% increments, enabling easy equalization of effort to riding partners, increasing range by using only the power needed, conserving battery life and stretching out available ride time
  • Personalization of display arrangement (4 choices) and 30 possible data values
  • Clock
  • “Live Consumption” teaches you how to pedal efficiently by displaying real time miles (or kilometers) per watt-hour
  • Rider Power Value display allows you to see the power you’re putting into the bike
  • Heart rate pairing capability to take your training to the next level
  • Precision elevation tracking

The Dynamic Of Fit: S-Sizing

S-Sizing is based on what matters; rider size and style, not inseam. Six sizes, all with similar headtube lengths and standover, allow you to choose the size that best suits your individual style. Smaller S-Size numbers are going to be nimble, thanks to their shorter reach and front-centre measurement, while bigger S-Sizes deliver more stability and a roomier ride.

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Find Your S-Size

Determining your S-Size is easy. If you rode a Medium before, then S-3 will be your equivalent size. But… if you want a more flickable ride, you’d drop down to an S2. Want a bike that’s more stable at speed? Bump up to an S4. Following are examples of three riders, all 5’8” (1.73m), who chose three different sizes.

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Questions and Answers

CAN YOU CHANGE THE REAR WHEEL TO 29”?
No, the Levo is designed around the 27.5” rear wheel. That’s a good thing, because the smaller wheel is key in shortening Levo’s chainstays, which in turn delivers a much more nimble ride.

HOW MUCH SUSPENSION TRAVEL DOES LEVO HAVE?
Levo has 150mm of rear suspension travel and 160mm of front travel (150mm up front on the smallest, S1 size); just right for a wide range of off road conditions.

HOW MUCH POWER DOES LEVO HAVE?
Levo’s new Turbo Full Power motor delivers up to 565 watts of power and 90 Nm of peak torque. These are impressive power and torque values, but what’s really important is the way that all this power and torque is delivered. The integrated functionality of Levo’s Turbo Full Power Motor and the software that controls it results in an extremely smooth and natural quadrupling of your power. The ride experience feels like a natural extension of your own power, only that you are much, much stronger, and fully in control.

WHAT ARE THE UPDATES TO THE MOTOR USED IN THE NEW LEVO?
The Levo Turbo Full Power System 2.2 motor has a more robust belt for long-term reliable power delivery, revised firmware that eliminates power “spikes” to decrease drivetrain wear. This 2.2 motor is being used on all new Levos.

WHAT MAKES THE ELECTRONICS OF THE MOTOR WATER RESISTANT?
A new door or “hatch” hatch boosts weather resistance. In addition, the plug on the Range Extender batter has double seals at the to keep moisture out for added reliability in wet conditions.

WHAT IS THE WATT HOUR (WH) CAPACITY OF LEVO’S BATTERY?
All carbon Levo models have the category leading Turbo 700 Wh capacity battery for all day riding.

HOW DOES MASTERMIND MEASURE ELEVATION?
Altitude and elevation gain is measured through a built-in pressure sensor; air pressure changes require calibration before riding via remote/display for accurate data.

DO YOU HAVE AN APP I CAN USE TO GET MORE OUT OF THE LEVO?
Yes, all Specialized Turbo e-bikes connect to your phone via our Mission Control App. Using Mission Control empowers you to get the most out of your bike. Mission Control gives you the ability to customize motor characteristics, control range, tune modes, monitor your heart rate, run system diagnosis, assist with on-trail rider care support, record rides and see real-time ride data, and more. Pretty mind blowing right?

WHAT IS THE RANGE OF LEVO?
There are many factors that affect how far, how long, and how much climbing a full charge will take you: terrain, rider weight, power assist level, even pedaling cadence all impact range. The following table states the most common range spectrums for elevation gain (M), distance (KM) and ride time (H) for each default mode.

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MY BATTERY IS DEAD! HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO CHARGE?
You can fully charge the 700Wh battery in 5 hours and 15 minutes, and the 500Wh battery in 3 hours and 50 minutes.

WHAT IS THE WARRANTY AND LIFE EXPECTANCY OF A TURBO E-BIKE?
If looked after correctly and regularly serviced, you and your bike will enjoy a very long and happy relationship, and will no doubt be the talk of the town. Specialized frames come with a lifetime warranty. All MY22 Levo Turbo e-Bike batteries and motors come with a 2yr/15,000km warranty, and an assisted purchasing program post-warranty period. Faults due to manufacture and material defects are covered during this period and handled by your local Specialized Retailer.

HOW MANY TIMES CAN I CHARGE MY LEVO’S BATTERY?
The lithium ion batteries used on the Levo can be charged more than 1,000 times with little to no degradation.

CAN YOU GIVE ME AN OVERVIEW OF COMPONENT COMPATIBILITY AND STANDARD DIMENSIONS FOR MY LEVO?

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Comments

New world disorder

Mar 25, 2021, 4:17 PM

The people complaining about how expensive specialized bikes prices ,are the people who cant afford them .

New world disorder

Mar 25, 2021, 5:41 PM

Well i suppose the prices will keep going up and it still wont stop the rich from purchasing them ,so complaining wont stop the price increases.

ChrisF

Mar 25, 2021, 5:45 PM

Correct. Could you please elaborate more to what your point is.

 

My brits issie so goed nie .... dalk sê hy ons arm-gatte moet ophou moan, en ons Makro fietsies gaan ry ....

 

But maybe I just mis-understood him.

WrightJnr

Mar 25, 2021, 7:49 PM

Lol I was thinking the same :D

Yip, forgot to mention from the 100k he saved he’s got to drop 80k of that on cone valves....

Danger Dassie

Mar 25, 2021, 8:08 PM

hahahaha I wasn't at all.

 

I was replying to Grease when he said 'It would be concerning if we started dropping this sort of money without questioning it'....

 

I'm saying we/people/they have been dropping way more money on 'toys' for years and years 

 

I'd love a Brabus G-wagon with my new Levo mounted to the roof racks!

I'd rather see someone blowing 240 clips on a mountain bike than 50k on golf clubs. Speaking of F U money and cars, checkout Supercar Blondie on FB.

 

Mad, mad, mad, mad!

Danger Dassie

Mar 25, 2021, 8:18 PM

Agreed, the upward trend in pricing across all brands and types is pretty scary. I guess where the outrage comes in is people feel brands are taking the mickey in charging what people are willing to pay. I'm sure there is some degree of that built in, in the same way you'll pay a big premium for an Apple device. But, doing the maths is quite interesting.

 

In 2016 the Sworks Levo was going for R155k.

Apply inflation at 5% per annum and in 2021 you'd be paying R198k for the same bike. 

That still leaves a ~R40k "gap" but keep in mind the 2016 Sworks had an alloy frame, no AXS. Are those worth an extra R40k? Perhaps so if you consider how we'd view it in the context of analogue bikes.

 

It's a scary amount of money however you try to justify it. But the very rough maths above leads me to feel that it's not totally inconceivable to get there given inflation and tech improvements. i.e. not a brand simply loading the price because "hey, people will pay".

 

I get your point on the drag effect on the entry pricing, whether we're talking ebikes or others. It starts to make the sport feel more and more inaccessible. But the capitalist in me believes that if there is opportunity to deliver value at a much lower price point, other brands or new brands will capitalise on that part of the market.

Already happening for a while now, although recently some players have really ramped up their offerings.

Of course there's also the second hand market which has some really good buys.

SwissVan

Mar 25, 2021, 8:35 PM

What’s a G-Wagon?

Me rida my bicycle

Mar 25, 2021, 9:01 PM

My brits issie so goed nie .... dalk sê hy ons arm-gatte moet ophou moan, en ons Makro fietsies gaan ry ....

 

But maybe I just mis-understood him.

Daar is baie mense met meer geld as verstand.

Ek weet van 'n R80k blou klip in iemand se fontein.

Die fietse sal die trails vol wees. Op jou gat op pad op en voor jou besig om af te loop ????

ChrisF

Mar 26, 2021, 3:45 AM

What’s a G-Wagon?

The Spez of the 4x4 world ...

Thermophage

Mar 26, 2021, 12:02 PM

but can you schralp the berms at Tokai on the KTM 450 SX

Wahahahaha best! Schralp away. Part of the sport. I gotta learn to schralp, but ride berms too seldom to practice.

Jewbacca

Mar 26, 2021, 1:32 PM

Wahahahaha best! Schralp away. Part of the sport. I gotta learn to schralp, but ride berms too seldom to practice.

If you rode Tygerberg more often you would get plenty of Practice........  :ph34r:

Thermophage

Mar 26, 2021, 2:04 PM

If you rode Tygerberg more often you would get plenty of Practice........  :ph34r:

Tygerberm  :w00t:

Hairy

Mar 26, 2021, 2:09 PM

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hahahahaha

 

Every time Spez release a new bike the price gets thrashed to death.

 

Cannondale release a normal pedal bike at 200k plus and it doesn't gain nearly as much traction as the Spaz.

 

It's a weird environment.

 

This thing looks a hoot to ride. I would love to own one. Hating on it because I can't afford it is far from my thoughts though.

 

Go back to the Epic Evo and Epic Pro thread as well as the last E-bike press release and see who made what comments re price and it's the same protagonists over and over.

 

I get that it's a lot of money, but aren't you expecting these sorts of prices by now? 

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Hairy

Mar 26, 2021, 2:30 PM

The people complaining about how expensive specialized bikes prices ,are the people who cant afford them .

mind-blown.jpg

Beer4Recovery

Mar 28, 2021, 6:29 PM

Great bike. Pity the select few who can probably afford this ridiculous price wouldn’t be able to shred it like it’s supposed to.

Jewbacca

Mar 29, 2021, 7:51 AM

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Whether I agree with the pricing is irrelevant. 

 

They exist because of a false economy. Like paying a guy who kicks a ball really well 300 000 pounds a week.

 

Complaining that the economy exists while actively partaking in said economy is fruitless.

 

I ride/buy bikes and I watch football. It pains me that things are as they are, but it is the reality.

 

Bleating about it continually doesn't change the fact that it is 'the norm' these days and if you aren't expecting the prices, you are living in lala land.

dave303e

Mar 29, 2021, 9:37 AM

Wow. Only 100k more expensive than a KTM 450 SX.

 

Which produces, you know. 60+ BHP

Has a hydraulic clutch

electric start

WP suspension

Brembo brakes etc.

 

More direct comparison is the KTM electric Freeride.

 

Not 700wh, but 2,6kwh battery, better frame, tyres, suspension, just a more capable machine.

 

Direct pricing conversion at R108k...

 

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/bikes/ktm-electric-mxer-high-voltage-high-tech-high-price-10523942

Hairy

Mar 29, 2021, 12:50 PM

Whether I agree with the pricing is irrelevant. 

 

They exist because of a false economy. Like paying a guy who kicks a ball really well 300 000 pounds a week.

 

Complaining that the economy exists while actively partaking in said economy is fruitless.

 

I ride/buy bikes and I watch football. It pains me that things are as they are, but it is the reality.

 

Bleating about it continually doesn't change the fact that it is 'the norm' these days and if you aren't expecting the prices, you are living in lala land.

Guy who kicks a ball ... no pun intended ... he earns that amount of cash, but then also earns more than that for his employers/sponsors.

 

Actively partaking. I have actively been in this game since 1996. I am deep into it, but have also had to take more and more steps back as I can not justify the way pricing is going (It all started for me with well run community hosted events being taken over by people turning it into a business with not much of a improvement in offering), even though / if I could afford it. There is just about zero chance growing MTB on a large scale at grass roots level unless the kids have parents with a good bit of disposable income.

 

You watch football .... we all have to live with ourselves and the life decisions we make :P

 

The norm now is not the norm from a couple of years ago. I do expect increases, but for a good few years now things have been getting more and more chaotic. 

 

Edit: But we are getting a little off topic now

rorydewet

Apr 1, 2021, 11:48 AM

Great bike. Pity the select few who can probably afford this ridiculous price wouldn’t be able to shred it like it’s supposed to.

 

wow what a statement without any actual basis in proof

 

are you saying rich folk who can afford expensive bikes cant ride them properly?

 

your statement isn't an if and maybe

 

very direct and definitive

 

but not necessarily true

Shebeen

Apr 1, 2021, 12:46 PM

Also here to document the mad crazy pricing that doesn't seem to stop sales so is for some weird reason justified (current check on my family bike fleet - 2 x spaz, with a combined wheelsize of 46").

 

 

What’s a G-Wagon?

it's a venture bus who went to private school

 

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Jewbacca

Apr 1, 2021, 12:58 PM

wow what a statement without any actual basis in proof

 

are you saying rich folk who can afford expensive bikes cant ride them properly?

 

you statement isn't an if and maybe

 

very direct and definitive

 

but not necessarily true

I don't actually think it's far fetched.

 

99% of people run out of skill long before their bike runs out of capability. I know the initial jibe was, well, a jibe, but a heap of a lot of 'hardcore' endurobros in SA would be really short on being able to shred this bike like it was intended. Myself included

 

So I don't think they are wrong. Their post panged of sarcasm, but at the same time I would suggest that unless beer4recovery is Matt Beers, Kiera Duncan, Matt Lombardi or one of those, he/she would also be hard pressed to shred the bike like it was intended!

rorydewet

Apr 7, 2021, 2:41 PM

I don't actually think it's far fetched.

 

99% of people run out of skill long before their bike runs out of capability. I know the initial jibe was, well, a jibe, but a heap of a lot of 'hardcore' endurobros in SA would be really short on being able to shred this bike like it was intended. Myself included

 

So I don't think they are wrong. Their post panged of sarcasm, but at the same time I would suggest that unless beer4recovery is Matt Beers, Kiera Duncan, Matt Lombardi or one of those, he/she would also be hard pressed to shred the bike like it was intended!

so by extension guys who buy lambos or ferraris waste money because they cant drive like Lewis Hamilton

 

if that held true these companies would not exist

 

some how that thinking seems flawed

 

not going to debate hard just seems weird thinking

jackievs

May 4, 2021, 12:20 AM

 

Specialized have released the latest iteration of their do-it-all electric mountain bike, the Levo. The new Levo brings updated (and adjustable) frame geometry along with a new wheel size configuration of 29" up front and 27.5" in the rear - generally known as a "mullet bike". A new control unit to improve the ride experience with a raft software improvements, a new digital display, over-the-air updates and more. These, along with all-round improvements are said to make for a more natural ride feel, better range and control, and improved reliability in any conditions.

 

More details in the press release from Specialized below.

Click here to view the article

 

Get a motorcycle!!!

Chris NewbyFraser

May 5, 2021, 10:33 AM

Do the lesser models offer less travel? Methinks 150mm is more than the majority will use and has the negative of extra weight and cost

Rigardt@Scott

May 5, 2021, 10:43 AM

Do the lesser models offer less travel? Methinks 150mm is more than the majority will use and has the negative of extra weight and cost

 

More travel does not equal more weight (not always).

 

If we take a 140mm RS Pike fork vs a 150mm RS Pike fork they will weigh exactly the same. The 150mm version just has a longer air spring in it. 

 

In fact the cheaper bikes probably use cheaper forks, which are heavier. So a mid level model with a 150mm fork will weigh less than a cheap model with a 140mm fork. 

 

But, I don't think they offer different travel options, and if they do it will be 10mm difference. Remember, the platform (frame) is built around a certain geometry. Changing the travel changes the geo (unless there are changes to linkages, etc), so generally speaking a model bike (eg: Stumpjumper) will have +/- the same suspension travel across the spec range. 

 

And, 150mm on an ebike is down the middle. The only reason you won't use all of it is if it is set up wrong for you (ie: too much air pressure, or too many volume spacers). If I ride a 100mm travel bike and then a 150mm travel bike down a red route (for argument's sake), I am going to use all the travel on both of those bikes on the same trail. How I ride will just be slightly different. 

 

And cost wise, more travel also does not equal more cost. A top of the line 100mm XC fork will cost the same as a top of the line 150mm trail fork. 

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