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

[Hairy]

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? 

[Hairy]

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

[Beer4Recovery]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

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

Edited March 29, 2021 by Hairy

[rorydewet]

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

Edited April 7, 2021 by rorydewet

[Shebeen]

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

 

[Jewbacca]

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!

Edited April 1, 2021 by Jewbacca

[rorydewet]

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]

 

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]

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

[Grease_Monkey]

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. 

[Headshot]

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

Rich guy triggered? :-) 

[Mike Mac]

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

You must see what the guys in the US and UK are doing with these bikes. So many are fitted with a 170/180 travel fork.

 

One would think that it is overkill and that it would mess with the designed geometry quite significantly, but it seems to be the path many follow.