Photo: Specialized
As you may have heard in a previous two-wheeled story, bicycling is so popular these days that demand outstrips supply. Even more curiously, high-end bikes that cost well over $10,000 are sold out in the U.S. at the time of writing.
The same stands true for the S-Works Turbo Levo SL from Californian brand Specialized, a $13,525 electric mountain bike that weighs merely 36.5 pounds (16.5 kilograms). Based on the Stumpjumper, the 29er trail warrior with 150 millimeters of travel has a similar e-motor and lithium-ion pack to the Creo SL.
The Fox Factory 34 fork and dual-piston shock are what makes the Levo SL such a good bike in off-road situations. The refined powertrain and simple controls for the electrical assistance allow the rider to choose how to conquer the trail. Using your muscles is certainly pleasing, but the e-motor with up to 240 watts (0.3 horsepower) of silent assistance is dearly needed when fatigue kicks in.
An optional range extender boosts range by 50 percent, and the internal battery can run for three hours in Low Assist mode. Adding the range extender translates to 700 Wh in total or as many as five hours of operation as per Specialized.
FACT11m carbon is used for the frame, but aluminum is also available for the Levo SL Comp that starts at $6,525 in the United States. Regardless of spec, these e-bikes come standard with a water bottle cage where the range extender slots right in, a SWAT tool, as well as Gripton Enduro Grid Trail tubeless rubber.
As you’d expect from an e-MTB at this price point, the Levo’s electrical assistance can be controlled through a smartphone app as well. Mission Control is how Specialized calls it, and the rider can track everything in it – including the GPS route, distance, how much e-assistance was used, and so forth.
If anything, the S-Works Turbo Levo SL isn’t as powerful as other e-bikes. The 1.1 motor puts down 35 Nm (26 pound-feet) while the 2.1 offers 90 Nm (66 pound-feet) of torque.
The Fox Factory 34 fork and dual-piston shock are what makes the Levo SL such a good bike in off-road situations. The refined powertrain and simple controls for the electrical assistance allow the rider to choose how to conquer the trail. Using your muscles is certainly pleasing, but the e-motor with up to 240 watts (0.3 horsepower) of silent assistance is dearly needed when fatigue kicks in.
An optional range extender boosts range by 50 percent, and the internal battery can run for three hours in Low Assist mode. Adding the range extender translates to 700 Wh in total or as many as five hours of operation as per Specialized.
FACT11m carbon is used for the frame, but aluminum is also available for the Levo SL Comp that starts at $6,525 in the United States. Regardless of spec, these e-bikes come standard with a water bottle cage where the range extender slots right in, a SWAT tool, as well as Gripton Enduro Grid Trail tubeless rubber.
As you’d expect from an e-MTB at this price point, the Levo’s electrical assistance can be controlled through a smartphone app as well. Mission Control is how Specialized calls it, and the rider can track everything in it – including the GPS route, distance, how much e-assistance was used, and so forth.
If anything, the S-Works Turbo Levo SL isn’t as powerful as other e-bikes. The 1.1 motor puts down 35 Nm (26 pound-feet) while the 2.1 offers 90 Nm (66 pound-feet) of torque.
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