Review: Specialized S-Works Turbo Levo FSR 6Fattie

[NicoBoshoff]

You can become a wine farmer with all those sour grapes of yours.

 

If this bike gives someone the opportunity to get out there and enjoy the trails, so be it.

Not even denying the fact that my reaction is entirely irrational and driven by emotion.  So what.  We're allowed to be irrational about some things in life.  At least I'm honest about that.  Which is more than can be said for many on here.  Opportunity to ride and enjoy the trails?  Why, was he incapable before?  That whole argument is stillborn and frankly disengenuous.

Edited June 9, 2016 by NicoBoshoff

[Joeboy69]

For the wife and I the attraction is the increased range. We are dirt riders and enjoy the farm roads in Pretoria east, centurion towards Kempton etc.

 

We do about 60 or so in a loop on a good day but eventually start to repeat many routes. Having the ebike will allow for more exploring and therefore more enjoyment.

 

Further than that we take the motorbikes.

 

So for us the attraction is in the distance increase it offers as well as being able to get home quicker depending on light or other commitments.

 

 

Edit for bloody autocomplete mistake

Edited June 12, 2016 by Joeboy69

[Rocket-Boy]

For the wife and I the attraction is the increased range. We are dirt riders and enjoy the farm roads in Pretoria east, centurion towards Kempton etc.

 

We do about 60 or so in a loop on a good day but eventually start to repeat many routes. Having the ebike will allow for more exploring and therefore more enjoyment.

 

Further than that we take the motorbikes.

 

So for us the attraction is in the distance increase it offers as well as being able to get home quicker depending on light or other commitments.

 

 

Edit for bloody autocomplete mistake

I saw Martin Ashton did the Fort William DH on his ebike, that is a win for them in my opinion.

[Duane_Bosch]

My weekend with the Levo

 

Sunday after a 50km Roadie Ride.

 

Me. Babe. I just want to shoot to Tokai for a quick ride ok?

Wifey. Yes. But we’re going to my parents for a braai at 4. It’s 12 now. How much riding are you going to do?

Me. Uum. I’m going to go to my place now, pick up the bike. Shoot over the mountain. I think I’ll do Boulders, up to the mast, take a few pics, do few runs of the snake trails and end it off with a run down Vasbyt. Just a quick 2 hour ride. Then I’ll wash the bike and have a quick shower at my place. I’ll buy some beers and be back here by 4.

Wifey. Ok. See you at 4.

 

This weekend I was afforded the rare opportunity of riding a loaner E-bike from Complete Cyclist in Hout Bay. The bike given to me for the weekend was the Spez Levo Comp in a gorgeous Candy Apple red color. The build of the bike looked great. Stunning paint job. Great brakes. Great SRAM drivetrain and good functional finishing kit by Spez. The bike looks like a really neat piece of kit and the motor/battery integration looks well thought out and well executed. Unlike some of the competition. The SRAM brakes did everything without fuss and had great feel at the lever. And the Spez dropper was great. The lever is just perfect. Why anyone does anything different is beyond me. Even the water bottle and multi tool mount is top drawer. The bike is heavy tho. VERY HEAVY. MUCH heavier than my old school Morewood Izimu and Marzo fork ever was. The quoted weight is around 23kg but it felt much heavier.

 

Saturday morning I met my mate Nic at Eden in Stellies to see what’s what. Nic is fit. Really fit. Me. Erm. Not so much. Off we went into Eden. Riding up the hill was a breeze. As expected. Maybe it’s just me but the bike seemed to be giving more than the 100% I was putting in. It honestly felt like I just needed to make sure the pedals were spinning and the bike was doing all the work.

 

Tipping into the first trail it became apparent that Nic was much faster through the corners than me. I think being unfamiliar with the bike and a little unsure of the available grip in the fattie tires made me a little tentative through the corners at first. The great thing was 2 pedal strokes and I’d be right back on him.

 

On the second lap I wasn’t losing Nic in the corners anymore and I was starting to have fun. Jumping the bike is very different to a normal pedal bike. It might be the weight or the tires or both but jumping it is quite fun. You just go with the natural arc of the bike. You can’t yank it around like a normal bike and if you want to get it a bit sideways you’ll need to plan a bit.

 

Then we went off to Mont Marie. WOW! Just WOW! The trails there are so much fun. There’s a little loop with jumps and berms that we did 3 times. Super flowy and fun. By now jumping the bike felt natural and it was starting to get a little arrogant about the whole thing. I threw a sneaky little one footer on one of the jumps for Nic but he was so far behind he didn't see. The fun was cut short with a rear wheel cut for Nic. He pumped it up and he hung on my shoulder as I helped tow him back to the cars.

 

2 bars of battery left. What to do. Back up eden for 2 more laps and halfway up the hill on the third lap…….. No more gas. The battery was out but the fun wasn’t. I pedaled the big girl back up the hill for one last burn. Rolling down the hill for the last time I was still able to jump and corner the bike. The extra heft wasn’t much of an issue. The Stellies trail builders have been busy in Eden. The trails are in great nic and it’s one of the few places we can still ride in the pines. FOR FREEEE!

 

Sunday Afternoon

 

I’d been looking forward to riding Tokai on this thing. These are trails I’m familiar with and are a good test of any bike in my opinion.

 

I'd done a 50+km road ride in the morning so my legs were far from fresh. Cruising up from the carpark was just a joke. Riding up the first steep climb at Tokai was a breeze. I’m certain that the bike gives you more than you put in. As I’ve said before. It felt like all I had to do was keep the pedals spinning and it was doing 80% of the work. I haven’t been to the mast in a while and riding up there was just so easy. On the flat jeeptrack going around the corners I’d grab a gear so I could stay on the gas coming out the other end. I’m pretty sure there was a bit of roost at one point.

 

Riding up Boulders was. Um. Challenging. While the pedal assist was awesome on the smoother trails at Mont Marie and Eden. At Tokai’s rocky terrain it was disconcerting and at times quite scary. Even in Eco mode sometimes there was too much power and to compensate I found myself trail braking to keep things in check.

 

Tipping in to the snake trails. The snakeys are a great test of a trail bike in my opinion. Fast without being scary. Enough tech to keep you awake and a good test of suspension. And this is where the Levo was a disappointment. I just couldn’t get a good feeling from the front end of the bike. That made it feel unwieldly and heavy. I’m not sure what to think about this but I’m going to point my finger at the + tires. I’ve ridden a plus bike before and the unwanted (double bounce) suspension movement in the tire was something I found to be a distraction. If I had to buy a Levo I’d want a 29er. The bike was still fun to ride and the trail was a joy as always.

 

1 battery light left….. By now the bike and I were both running out of gas. I pedaled as hard as I could to get to the top of Vasbyt. Tipping in the bike suddenly came alive again. I think the relatively smooth trail and the new berms made for a fun experience.

 

And as I came out the bottom of Vasbyt. Yes, the very bottom the battery died. Pedaling the Levo sans electricity was difficult. And that is the nicest thing I can say about it. The fat tires and extra weight make for a sweaty ride.

 

So, who’s it for? The unfit guy getting into riding? The wife who want’s to hang with her husband on his road rides? The guy who can ride but is pressed for time and is looking for max value? N+1?

 

For me this bike is a cocaine bike. Lots of fun for 2 hours but when the juice runs out it’s a TOTAL FKIN MISSERY. As a trail bike it’s adequate. It’s fast and lots of fun on smooth trails but when the going gets rocky and techy the weight and stupid tires become a problem. As a means of exercise please don’t fool yourself. If you want one coz you’re lazy it’s just going to make you more lazy. But DAMN it was fun!

Edited September 11, 2017 by Duane_Bosch

[stefmeister]

My weekend with the Levo

...

 

So what you're saying - 2 hrs on one charge? Seems woefully short, but then again a 3-4h ride will probably only take you 2.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Duane_Bosch]

So what you're saying - 2 hrs on one charge? Seems woefully short, but then again a 3-4h ride will probably only take you 2.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There's an app to help make better use of the battery. But I basically used Max power everywhere. If you're doing that it's good for about 2 hours. Or 1km in Vert which isn't too shabby in my book.

[stringbean]

Sorry but i still believe they are for people that are lazy or handicapped and because of the nature of those riders they will be ridden a few times ,then get sold or parked in the garage.

[(Deon)]

My weekend with the Levo

 

.. snip

Shuttles? When can you get the bike again?

[Iwan Kemp]

So what you're saying - 2 hrs on one charge? Seems woefully short, but then again a 3-4h ride will probably only take you 2.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The APP lets you set either

- km's you're planning to ride

- hours you're planning to ride

- import a ride's coordinates 

and will then throttle the available power from there to ensure you have juice until the very last km. 

 

APP also allows you to

- set what percentage battery life you would like to have left at the end in case you get lost or decided to stay out longer or whatever.

- set the initial kick-in power to overcome the initial surge when the motor kicks in

- set how much assistance each power level gives

 

Quite nifty.

[CAAD4]

Interesting arrangement. I wish I could convince my wifey to let me still have my own place. Lekker...

[Duane_Bosch]

Interesting arrangement. I wish I could convince my wifey to let me still have my own place. Lekker...

Ha. Well spotted. Were engaged. We airbnb my place out so it's kind of my mancave/hangout spot. My bike gear lives in my storeroom at my place. Hope that makes sense. Edited September 11, 2017 by Duane_Bosch

[marko35s]

For a while on Sunday, as I watched Duane fly up the mast road, he was my new hero. I drove past him on the way up there and a km or two later I pulled over for coffee. By the time I had poured the coffee and packed away the flask Duane was passing me. 

I was awestruck by what I thought was his new roadie inspired levels of fitness and stamina.

And then he blew it by stopping to let me try out the bike...

Seriously though I can see why it would be disconcerting riding up Boulders as when the power kicks in things get a little strange.

[CAAD4]

Ha. Well spotted. Were engaged. We airbnb my place out so it's kind of my mancave/hangout spot. My bike gear lives in my storeroom at my place. Hope that makes sense.

Awesome. Is there a full time Puerto Rican cleaning lady at your Air BnB place?

[Duane_Bosch]

Awesome. Is there a full time Puerto Rican cleaning lady at your Air BnB place?

No. The lady that looks after it looks like a middle aged alcoholic. I can introduce you if you want.