The talk about vague big tire feedback was right on. I ride a 2018 Turbo Levo FSR Comp 6Fattie and switched the original Butcher tires for Slaughter 27.5 x 2.8 rubber this summer. I notice a huge difference in precision feedback with the Slaughter tires. Not only that, but the Slaughter treads have amazing traction in sand. They are not quite as grippy on loose gravel climbs as the more knobby Butchers of course, but on dry hard rock they are just as good, if not better. They are way quieter and faster on pavement as well. I'll go back to the Butchers for the winter wet and mud. About the price of this bike - I think it needs to considered in context. There are plenty of unpowered bikes which cost the same or much more. A pair of tiny hearing aids cost just as much, and the R&D technology in them is probably no greater than in the Levo. I'm 69, and consider the cost as part of my health insurance - it's good value since the fun of riding my Levo makes me ride more and stay in better shape/healthier than riding my unpowered Epic.
I payed £2250 for the levo hardtail 2019, and I must say it's a dream to ride. I would highly recommend this bike to anybody who is looking for entry level, to have a good look at the hardtail model. 👌🏼
I've been a fan of Specialized for years. EBikes have come a long way since the first ones were introduces. Despite all the performance enhancements and such unfortunately ebikes are still way out of the price range of someone like myself. I've been riding for 25+ years on Specialized bikes and currently ride a 2011 Camber Elite. That bike cost me $2000 when it was new. With my years of riding and age taking a toll on my body I would love to be able to get into an Ebike to continue riding many more years. I think Specialized (and other manufactures) need to now focus on the overall cost of a new bike because quickly good bikes that will last and perform are getting out of reach for many who have loved the sport for years.
That's exactly my point. There aren't any real options these days for non-pro riders with the $$$ to burn, However the pros aren't the ones riding these as most of the pro events ban ebikes anyway. (for now at least). The cost of bikes has gone up and up and up. The bike I'm riding now goes for almost double today for basically the same bike +29" wheels vs 26". I would love to have an ebike that would perform the same as my current 2011 to extent the number of years I can ride but it's way way out of reach at bike prices these days. You show me a ebike that matches my Specialized Camber Elite under 5k and you might change my mind.
How many EMBN viewers can actually afford this bike? Kids used to grow up dreaming about porsches and ferraris. Now they're going to dream about ebikes only a select few can afford.
Steve! Great reviews. I’m about to pull the trigger on a ‘19 Kenevo. But haven’t yet ruled out the new Levo. I live and ride in the northeastern USA. Most of my trails are steep and technical. Actually, lots of our local trails are Moto trails and they get pretty blown out and full of chunder. Curious to hear your overall opinions regarding the Levo vs Kenevo. Climbing, descending, handling, battery range, motor output, noise levels, etc. Thanks!
I have this bike. And personally I think that the bike doesn't have much pop to it from the forks but its still very fun when going around the trails. If you are planing on buying this bike make sure to keep it in echo mode otherwise it is doing all the work for you.
What they said about climb? On my mtb I make ~70km, 2000m uphills. On the ebike I'd like to double that numbers....the problem is they couldn't deliver such bike/battery.
I demo'd this 2019 bike in Fruita and the 2018 bike in Boulder. Most of what you say in the review is accurate, however, the new motor is MUCH LOUDER than the old motor.
Whats with the wand Steve, is it because you are on the dark side with he who cant be named lol. Nice looking bike and glad Specialised keep pushing the boundaries. I think I would still go kenevo though with a larger battery. The small screen is a nice option, and I think should be included.
Great showing the top of the range model however how much trickles through to the poor version where the masses will go? I've read that the entry alloy doesn't get the 700 watt hour battery to start with.
Nice bike but after Goggling other E bikes there is some badass E bikes out there. Very exciting to watch these advance along with the world E mtb race series. Thanks EMBN
Great video Steve. Any info on weights of the new bikes or if they have a new faster charger to go with the new bike? Would love a faster charger for a lunch time top up.
A top of the line racing motocross bike 250/450cc is between 7k and 9k dollars. I know, I have one. I wanted an ebike to ride trails and single track 2 years ago. I bought a $1500 motobecane Evil Brut sprung fat bike, Bluto forks, RDM8000 11 speed derailleur, 11-50 cassette, guide RS brakes, BBSHD 750watt motor, 52v 1.1 kilowatt battery. About $2800. Not as nice, light, fast, comfortable or capable as the Levo, but I have just as much fun as anyone at EMBN and I can go much further distances and it still running and very reliable 2 years later.. I will leave these expensive bikes to you guys. Hopefully the prices come down to a reasonable level before I die. I don't care much about how heavy, but a full suspension aluminum bike with titanium springs on both ends would be nice.
Just bought the 19 expert. Already hearing crunching and grinding noises from the motor. Specialized told me to ride it till it fails because they have no replacement motors. Wow! Do I ever have buyers remorse. Nightmare 10g’s like a bad poker hand
Led on the top of the frame, a great idea. disposable display another good idea. pity they have still not addressed the water and dust ingress problems though. i believe the motors are still rated ip56, same as the old motors. i would consider buying one of these, if it wasnt for that.
Great review- pity you can't do reviews of other brands because of your sponsorship deal with Specialized. Specialized must be offering you a deal you can't refuse in order to compromise your whole otherwise excellent channel. Can you imagine if Top Gear was sponsored by BMW and only reviewed their products people would switch off due to boredom.
@@mydriaze9951 yes it is a great channel and for a while there all they would talk about was specialized or haibike and when pressed they would admit they we're sponsored be these companies. Subsiquently there was a lot of negative backlash against this and EMBN has slowly started reviewing other brands. It seems like feedback about this may have had some positive effect on the channel which is good to see.
@@nicktaylor7680 Thanks for your reply. Now I understand why I was always seeing Haibikes or Specialized in their riding contest. What a pity they didn't say it clearly at the beginning of their channel. By the way, I appreciate the fact you answer to me. Have a nice day my friend :)
Great video and great update to the bike. As a 2018 Levo owner (which I love, I also have the new 2019 Stumpjumper as well) I am a little bit disappointed they changed the battery mounting design, but that is progress and obviously this looks like an improvement. I notice you have to flip the bike upside down to do it but I do like the fact the LED indicators are on the top, so the bike is indeed a lot more "stealth". I'll probably pass on this model as my 2018 Levo still has plenty of life left in it ....but really looking forward to what develops for 2020 when I might consider upgrading again. I figure top speed is still being mandated by the government(s) so updates will be evolutionary refinements to ride quality and range as opposed to a whole new sector/speed range. The 700w battery is impressive and super disappointed that it is not backward compatible with the 2018 models. Ouch!
What’s the point reviewing an e-bike on an e-bike specific channel and talking about weight savings without mentioning what the weight of the bike actually is
The entire video is for marketing purposes only. There is also no word about the two battery options you have. So I bet it's all based on the far more expensive one. Oh, did I mention that there was not a single negative point about this bike in the entire video? It must be pretty perfect I guess...
Nice to see some innovation, to many big brands just buying stock Shimano or Bosch set-ups and building there bikes around it. This here is why Specialized are selling a lot of eBikes and rightly so.
That was a very well-done review of the best eBike built today. Looking forward to seeing how they get even better over the years until it's my time to get one. Biggest problem will continue to be trail access as the younger, fitter voices will have more influence over mountain biking regulations compared to the seniors and disabled who would like to continue to participate.
I had the luck to ride one in New Zealand back country single tracks and being a rider of a stump jumper this bicycle is blurring the line between ebike and non.
Excellent video!! When will you get to do a review of this bike? I'm interested in the Comp Carbon with Fox suspension. I wonder why they and others don't spec them with 36 mil forks or the equivalent instead of the 34's too. I'm not big on Specialized bikes what so ever but this has gotten me to take a serious look at them!!
Great video as always! Can you please make a comparison between the range on the 500Wh vs 700Wh batteries? And also is there something to be won or lost between the 800 grams of weight difference between the two in terms of handling and so on?
I love bikes and I think that spending $3,000 on a great bike can be worth it. but the best specialized Levo is more than $12,000 isn’t that a bit much?
J.P. Sawyer that’s great and all but the majority of people will not spend 12k on a pedal bike electric or not, and even spending 4K on a mtb is quite a bit of money even for the average rider. I will stick to my analog Santa Cruz thanks
J.P. Sawyer mountain biking can be a really expensive sport and u can have just as much fun on 4K bike than on a 12k bike, like that shit is a much as a car or someone rent for the year
Tyrone Raquisha i read a bike mag where an aluminium bike that cost 1k calibre bossnut was just as quick as a 6k santa cruz 5010 cc, infact if you search i think theres a vid on it
We find it pretty simple once you get used to it! Granted there are easier batteries to install/remove on the market but few with a frame that's this sleek!
What the real weight of these new levos? Why manufacturers (of ebikes or normal bikes) are always hidding this information from everyone? We always need to wait for independent reviews to tell us the weight! Keep up the good job, guys!
well,from the video you can guess that they probabely saved about 2 to 4 pounds. which is impressive but doesnt make that much difference on a 48 pound bike i would say..
I am probably going to buy this bike however I do have some concerns I'm not a fan of horizontal suspension they just don't handle as well as vertical suspension bikes and I have tried a few including the king of them all the process to many flexible points and that odd mid bar can only add to of set stress however with a big battery the brose motor and 29r wheels and a good size tyres I think I will give it a go.
Nice, but still pretty heavy. How about a modular battery, a 250 watt/hour base unit with the ability to add two 250 watt/hour segments. So you can have a 250/500/750 watt/hour bike and be able to knock off about 2 Kilos if you want to run a short day or run a bike park where you can swap out the 250 watt/hour segments.
For me as a e-bikepacker, this is just mindblowing. Now my ride stops because the battery runs out. With a 700Wh battery, my ride stops as the daylight runs out. You can now really do a whole day ride, and recharge at the overnight stops, rather than needing to find a pub for a mid-day boost.
Love the new bike especially the software that runs and adds to it. Only thing, seems backwards to save weight on the drive train by using 11 speed so you use more battery on steep climes because you haven't got that big cog. Be better to go 12 speed sacrifice the weight but use less battery so it lasts longer.
Ian Nick Tarry the 11 speeds in my opinion are to weak for the job 12 even smaller gauge chain? I would of preferred 8 speed with wider ratios for sure. I always have to shift two gears at a time in my carbon expert ratios are to close together for an ebike.
Hi I have looked at the Levo however I don’t believe a full suspension is what I will need . I am looking at the hard tail version which is more affordable and is likely to be more suited to the type of riding I will be doing. I live in the Rhondda so mountain rides and forestry roads/tracks will primarily be the rides I will be undertaking. Not sure at present whether to go for the Levo hardtail or the cube relation eagle 500. Are you able to do a comparison between these two bikes?
Agree... for what they are and what they cost just doesn’t add up... even none ebikes are simply way overpriced. A frame a 2 wheels basically. Great but too expensive
Specialized don't allow their bikes to be sold online, so sadly I'll never own one. It's tempting but the suspension linkage is suspect (probably patented, ugh), plus I'd expect a bike at this price (and even less) to have Gates and Rohloff as standard. Also, they use Brose but don't bother to pack a lot of Lithium into the frame... I'll just stick to my DualBattery setup.
sadly this is for a very few people, if it does cost over seven thousand good on you if you have that sort of money , but its just so costly for the vast majority... ill stick to me rad rhino !!! cheers
Steve you have the same 2018 Levo expert as me. Yes or no answer, is the 2019 expert a worthy upgrade? Do the skinnier tyres feel as good as the plus tyres?
I didn't quite get the choice of rims/tyres here, the Levo's 17/18 have been 29 or 650B+ (6Fattie). Is this specialized only going to sell Levo 2019 with 29" wheels, can the frame/forks still take 650B+ 3 inch tyres?
Great review:) anything about the size of the bikes, I am 177 cm high, hard to find any size chart on webpage to spezialiced, I tried 2018 alu comp in large, felt ok, but now the have changed alot on geometry, what size you ride in video ? how high you are?
