![\"ccs-62657-0-21505000-1580753651.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-21505000-1580753651-1.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo credit: Etienne Schoeman<\/span><\/p>\nThe Turbo Levo Family<\/h2>\n
Before we dive into the Turbo Levo SL, it is worth pointing that the new Levo SL is not a replacement for the more powerful Turbo Levo<\/a> and Kenevo<\/a> e-bikes. The slimmer Turbo SL is positioned as another offering in the Turbo range, giving riders a broader choice to suit their riding style. There is no doubt that the powerful Levo and Kenevo models will continue to appeal to many e-bike riders. Check out the cheatsheet below for a quick comparison of the three Turbo Levo ranges.<\/p>\n As you can see, the Turbo Levo SL will not suit every e-biker. It lacks the power to fully support the rider the way the Levo and Kenevo can. The Levo SL will likely appeal to a fitter, more active rider that is looking for an experience closer to a conventional bike. Smaller riders that are intimidated by the weight of the Levo will also find the Levo SL much friendlier to handle on and off the bike.<\/p>\n Specialized\u2019s aim with the Levo SL is an electric-assisted bike that rides more like a regular bike than any other electric mountain bike they (and anyone else) have built before. This is largely achieved through a smaller, lighter motor and internal battery system. While the Specialized 2.1 motor found in the Levo and Kenevo was built to deliver maximum power, the SL 1.1 motor was designed to be light and efficient. To achieve their goals and desired performance, Specialized developed the SL 1.1 from scratch in-house.<\/p>\n The SL 1.1 motor weighs 1.95 kilograms making it 1.1 kilograms lighter than the Levo and Kenevo motor. The lighter motor is housed in a new magnesium motor casing along with a new internal design of the motor and gears. The SL motor also uses a 48-volt system which allows it to use smaller plugs and hardware compared to the 36-volt system used for the Levo and Kenevo. The result is a motor that produces up to 240 watts and with 35 Nm maximum torque. As a comparison, the Levo motor can output 565 watts and 90 Nm torque. The motor in the Levo SL is the same motor used in the Turbo Creo SL road and gravel bike<\/a> launched last year. The Levo SL includes some mountain bike specific tuning and the walk assist function.<\/p>\n The power outputs of a motor are easily comparable but it’s in the delivery of that power where the best e-bike motors stand out. Specialized put a lot of effort into the riding experience to develop the most natural and smooth e-bike motors. On-bike testing of Levo SL covered over 100 000 kilometres, this excludes the test rig testing time. A big win for the SL motor is that it can completely disengage using a decoupling mechanism when not active. This allows a seamless transition between pedalling and freewheeling. Also when approaching the speed limit (which is 32 km\/h in South Africa) the bike does not require the rider to power through any drag. The Specialized engineers say that when disengaged, the SL motor creates drag similar to a conventional bottom bracket.<\/p>\n Specialized also looked at how mountain bikers pedal their bikes and have tuned the motor to provide stable support through a broad cadence range (namely 60 to 120). While most riders can\u2019t sustain a 120 cadence for too long, Specialized measured burst quarter and half strokes out on the trails that match (and exceed) these pedal speeds and made sure that the SL motor could react to them naturally. Speed sensors are also used to match the motor support to the rider’s needs.<\/p>\n Specialized collected data from existing Levo riders in creating the Levo SL. They found that there were riders who never used the full power, or rarely reached the maximum range. Some riders also mentioned that the Levo can be heavy to load or move around off the bike. The main aim of the Levo SL is to create a lighter handling trail bike but in the process of losing weight, they were able to address several other consumer needs.<\/p>\n Maintaining an acceptable range was always at the forefront of the Specialized engineers’ minds when developing the Levo SL with a smaller battery. While a reduction in weight and maximum power outputs would help conserve battery, there was also a focus on making the SL motor as efficient as possible.<\/p>\n All Levo SL models feature a 320Wh internal lithium-ion battery. Of course, there are many factors that determine your range such as how much support the motor provides, rider weight, fitness, tyre choice and pressures, elevation, trail conditions, and even the weather. Taking this into account, Specialized claims that you should manage 3 hours of riding in ECO mode from a single charge of the internal battery.<\/p>\n Specialized stressed that an important part of the range equation is the efficiency of the motor. You can not simply look at an e-bikes battery capacity as an indication of its range. Let\u2019s use a car comparison. A modern efficient hatchback can get a similar range as a heavier, more powerful bakkie but with a smaller petrol tank. It is the same with e-bikes. The Levo SL is a much more efficient e-bike than the Levo or Kenevo.<\/p>\n If you want to go further than the internal battery allows, the Levo SL is designed to fit an external range extender battery. The range extender supplies a further 2 hours of riding and boosts the overall range to five hours (matching the Levo and Kenevo). It packs 160Wh, an additional 50% to the internal battery, and weighs one kilogram. The range extender is stowed in the bottle cage with a cable connecting it to the electrical system. The unit should fit into a normal water bottle cage but Specialized do recommend their Zee Cage<\/a> as it has undergone thorough testing for this purpose.<\/p>\n The range extender can be plugged in at any time and a number of range extenders can be used in a single ride. By default, the bike will drain the most charged battery until they are matched for capacity and then continue using them equally until empty. You can also set the bike to use up the range extender first, which is useful should you have a stash of extenders in your backpack or hidden in the mountains.<\/p>\n The Levo SL includes a charger cable that will charge the internal battery and range extender. The Levo SL\u2019s internal battery charges to full in approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes while a range extender will do the same in 3 hours and 20 minutes. The Founder\u2019s Edition and S-Works models ship with a split cable that can charge both the internal battery and a range extender at the same time in around 3 hours and 20 minutes.<\/p>\n The internal battery is removable which means that you can take the Levo SL on an aeroplane. You can pack a range extender in your carry-on luggage which will allow you to ride the bike but you\u2019ll have to find an internal battery at your destination for the full range. The motor does not need to be completely removed to access the battery as it can swing out of the way after releasing a few bolts.<\/p>\n The Levo SL in its lightest form (the S-Works models) weighs around 17.3 kilograms. I weighed a large S-Works bike (with tyre sealant) at 17.28 kilograms so Specialized are not fibbing these numbers. In comparison, the bigger S-Works Levo weighs around 21.3 kilograms. Four kilograms heavier than the Levo SL. I also weighed an Expert Carbon model with a medium frame and it tipped the scales at 17.8 kg while a large frame was 18 kg.<\/p>\n For riders looking to customise the Levo SL experience, the Mission Control phone app opens up endless tuning possibilities.<\/p>\n Of course, if this sounds like too much hassle, the preset ECO, TRAIL, and TURBO modes are ideally set so you can simply go out and ride without any devices. A rider can switch between the modes by either using the Turbo Control Unit (TCU) button on the top tube or via the remote. The TCU also reports battery capacity with a simple LED scale.<\/p>\n Out of the box, ECO mode matches your effort up to 30% of the motor\u2019s power, TRAIL mode matches your effort up to 60% of the motor\u2019s power, and TURBO mode matches your effort to 100% of the motor\u2019s power (240 watts).<\/p>\n If you want to jump into the custom tuning, there are two settings that you can adjust:<\/p>\n Peak power.<\/strong> This is the maximum support that the motor will output. For example, in TRAIL mode no matter how hard you pedal you will not get more than 60% of the possible support from the motor. Reducing peak power is an effective way of saving battery power.<\/p>\n Assistance.<\/strong> This is a measure of how much power the rider must input to get the maximum power out of the motor. Think of it as how quickly you can gain assistance. Setting the assistance to 100 will give the rider the quickest access the motor’s maximum support. Reducing the assistance will require the rider to work harder to reach peak power.<\/p>\n The Mission Control app offers more than just tuning. You can record your ride with data from the bike and your phone and have it uploaded directly to Strava (as an e-bike activity). Riders can also set the time or distance of a ride so that the bike limits the motor output and battery usage to see them through the entire journey without the worry that the battery might run dry. This feature has been updated to also consider elevation.<\/p>\n You can also ask the bike to help you maintain a set heart rate. Handy should you wish to train at a specific intensity for a ride. Obviously, the ability of the bike to assist you is limited to the maximum power of the motor. As a result, the Levo and Kenevo will provide you with more support should you push through your desired heart rate limit than the Levo SL can. The App can also be used for diagnostics such as error messages should something go awry with the Levo.<\/p>\n The Turbo Levo SL frame is similar to the Turbo Levo and Stumpjumper frames. The geometry matches the Turbo Levo but with the placement of the smaller motor, Specialized can shorten the chainstay length more in line with the Stumpjumper. Further improving the Levo SL\u2019s agility on the trail. There are some minor adjustments to the suspension kinematics but it largely mimics the Turbo Levo.<\/p>\n Photo credit: Etienne Schoeman<\/span><\/p>\n The chassis is based on the Stumpjumper but without the SWAT box storage. The Levo SL downtube is a single piece with the battery stored on the inside. Like the Stumpjumper, the frame side arm improves stiffness to control the compression of the frame into the suspension system. There are some minor adjustments to the suspension kinematics but it largely mimics the Turbo Levo. The Turbo SL also has a flip-chip to allow for two geometry settings.<\/p>\n There are five models in the Turbo Levo SL range. The Founder\u2019s Edition S-Works Levo SL, S-Works Levo SL, Levo SL Expert Carbon, Levo SL Comp Carbon, and Levo SL Comp. The bikes are available in sizes small, medium, large, and extra-large. The aluminium Levo SL Comp has an additional size, an extra small frame for small adults and even children.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nThe SL Motor<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Photo credit: Etienne Schoeman<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>The Levo SL motor.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/a>The Specialized 2.1 motor.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nBattery and Range<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Photo credit: Etienne Schoeman<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>A Range Extender placed in the bottle cage. Photo credit: Etienne Schoeman<\/span><\/p>\nBike Weights<\/h2>\n
Mission Control App<\/h2>\n
<\/a>The TCU is the on\/off button, displays battery life for the internal and range extender batteries, and switches between the three tune modes. It can be used to control the bike without pairing a device or remote. Photo credit: Etienne Schoeman<\/span><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe Frame<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nTurbo Levo SL Geometry<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nAvailable Models<\/h2>\n
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