Test: Weighing less than 21,5 kg, the Specialized Turbo Levo Expert is one of the lightest E-MTBs in this suspension travel class. It is all the more astonishing that the down tube of the carbon frame houses a large 700Wh battery, which gives the bike a lot of staying power. The rest of the equipment is solid, but not necessarily noble: The Fox Performance chassis with 150mm spring travel and the in-house Roval wheels showed impeccable performance in practice.
Specialized Turbo Levo Expert: The Facts
Suspension travel: 150 / 150mm
wheel size: 29 inch
Drive: Specialized 2.1
Display / control unit: Specialized TCU
Battery capacity (test bike): 700Wh
Frame material: Carbon
Weight complete bike (size L without pedals): 21,4kg
Maximum payload: 109kg
Price: € 8.299
A separate test video is currently being produced for each E-MTB test 2020 and will be added here in the coming days and weeks
Okay, to be honest: before we rode the new Levo Expert for the first time, we were skeptical as to whether the bike justified its high price. More than 8.000 euros for a rather pragmatic equipment with Fox Performance chassis, 11-speed gears and more solid than noble add-on parts? Spoiler alert: The price is justified and rarely has a bike made it clearer to us how little the components on paper have in common with performance on the trail.
Thanks to the minimalist operating concept, the cockpit can be adjusted to your own needs in a flash. Then set the saddle height, basic setup for the chassis and off you go. That sounds trite, but that's all you need with the Levo Expert, its handling is so intuitive: The sporty but not too extreme geometry places the rider in the middle of the bike and you can find a comfortable position straight away.
Geometry Specialized Turbo Levo Expert
| S | M | L | XL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| seat tube (in mm) | 380 | 410 | 455 | 505 | |
| Top tube horizontal (in mm) | 577 | 600 | 631 | 664 | |
| head tube (in mm) | 95 | 95 | 125 | 140 | |
| chainstay (in mm) | 455 | 455 | 455 | 455 | |
| Wheelbase (in mm) | 1182 | 1202 | 1235 | 1266 | |
| Steering angle (in °) | 66 | 66 | 66 | 66 | |
| Seat angle (in °) | 75,04 | 74,79 | 74,48 | 74,14 | |
| Reach (mm) | 415 | 435 | 455 | 480 | |
| Stacks (in mm) | 606 | 606 | 634 | 647 |
Harmonious drive with lots of power
Especially in the lowest support level, the motor shows an extremely natural, almost gentle characteristic, which is further emphasized by the low volume. The Levo was one of the few bikes on test that made us forget we were on an eMTB time and time again, and that's all meant in a positive way. The low weight of just 21,4kg also undoubtedly has a part in this - this is not only remarkable in view of the long-range 700Wh battery. Back to the motor: If you need more support on steep and technical climbs, you can get it. Without completely losing its naturalness, it pulls in strongly and doesn't have to hide from Bosch or Shimano - on the contrary.
| frame | Specialized Levo Carbon |
| suspension fork | Fox 36 performance |
| Drive | Specialized 2.1, custom Rx Trail-tuned motor |
| Rechargeable battery | Specialized M2 700Wh |
| Suspension shocks | Fox Float DPS Performance |
| Wheels | Roval traverse 29 |
| Tire VR | Specialized Butcher GRID 2,6" |
| Tire HR | Specialized Eliminator BLCK DMND 2.3" |
| derailleur | Sram X1 11-speed |
| Gear levers | Ram S700 |
| Crank | Practice Works M30 |
| Front derailleur | Without |
| Brake | SRAM code R |
| Brake discs | Ram Guide 200mm |
| Seat post | Command Post IRcc |
| Saddle | Specialized Bridge |
| Stem | Specialized Trail |
| Links | Specialized Trail |
In any case, the Levo Expert is a real climbing goat: The sensitive rear end, in combination with the well-balanced geometry and the powerful motor, ensure that most climbs, no matter how steep, can be climbed without unpleasant contortions or weight shifts. Oh yes: The fact that we only have 11 gears in the rear and a much smaller range than most other bikes in this price range was not noticed negatively at any point in the test - also thanks to the successful overall concept.
Similar e-mountain bikes on test
Simplon Rapcon Pmax E-MTB in test: Perfectly balanced bike with a high fun factor
Test: With the Rapcon Pmax, the Austrian luxury manufacturer Simplon also has an extremely interesting E-Fully in its range this year. The bike, which can be configured as desired using a modular system, is based on a carbon frame with a new Bosch CX motor and 625Wh battery. If the capacity is not enough, you can mount another additional battery with 500Wh on the down tube. [...]
Norco Range VLT C2 E-MTB on test: Potent shooting machine for adrenaline junkies
Test: Norco itself describes the VLT C2 as an "e-bike monster" and a look at the equipment explains why: A chassis with 170mm or 180mm and steel spring dampers meets real downhill tires, very robust wheels and a very slim carbon frame. The latter even houses a 630Wh battery for the Shimano motor - unfortunately the energy storage cannot be [...]
Haibike XDURO Nduro10.0 E-MTB on test: High-tech E-MTB with a powerful motor
Test: Anything but ordinary: The Xduro Nduro from Haibike breaks new ground with its 120Nm strong TQ mid-motor and consistent system integration. Despite the carbon frame, the relatively high weight of almost 28kg is unusual. In addition to the rather heavy drive, the selected components are also responsible for this. In keeping with the 180mm suspension travel, Haibike has chosen stable parts […]
Great downhill performance even without precious parts
There are several reasons why the Levo doesn't show any weaknesses on the way down to the valley, even in really rough terrain. On the one hand, the selected components harmonize very well with each other and show that the area of application was considered in advance. Example tyres: The 2,6″ wide Butcher at the front provides a lot of grip, while the narrower Eliminator at the rear offers pleasant self-damping thanks to its thick BLCK DMND carcass and can also withstand a puncture without damage. It's also amazing what the rear end of the Levo teases out of the rather flimsy DPS Performance damper. This only gets a little sweaty at high speeds, on unclean lines or on very long descents - the same applies to the Fox 36 Performance in the front. If you don't constantly shoot down several hundred meters of altitude with a knife between your teeth, you will hardly notice the difference to a Factory suspension.
The big Velomotion E-MTB test 2020: test fields, individual tests and background information
We set ourselves the daunting task of conscientiously and objectively testing 57 eMTBs. With our two large test fields "Highend" and "Bestseller" we had a huge range of different bikes.
Our test conclusion
E-MTB test 2020: The best e-mountain bikes for every application
E-MTB test 2020: We have examined almost 60 current e-mountain bikes over the past few weeks and months. Depending on the area of application, many of the bikes were convincing. We have summarized our editorial favorites for you depending on the target group or area of application. E-MTB Test 2020: Our test winners In both of our test fields we had a very narrow lead […]
Our test candidates in the High-End category: BH AtomX Carbon Lynx 6 Pro-S | Bull's Sonic EVO EN 2 | Cannondale Moterra Neo 1 | Focus Jam² 9.9 Drifter | Giant Reign E+ 0 Pro | Greyp G6.2 | Haibike XDURO Nduro 10.0 | Husqvarna Mountain Cross 8 | KTM Macina Prowler Prestige | M1 Spitzing Evo Bobby Root | Norco Range VLT C2 | Nox Hybrid Enduro 7.1 | Orange Surge RS | Orbea Wild FS M10 | Santa Cruz Heckler CC X01 RSV | Scott Genius eRide 700 Tuned | Simplon Rapcon Pmax | Specialized Turbo Levo Expert Carbon | Storck e:drenalin GTS 500 | TrekRail 9.9 | YT Decoy Pro Race | YT Decoy Pro 29
You can also find this at the kiosk Velomotion E-MTB test yearbook 2020. There you will find all 57 individual tests of the bikes, exciting stories and advice on everything to do with e-mountain bikes on over 160 pages.
Here you can also order the E-MTB yearbook 2020 directly from us.
