Specialized Turbo Levo SL Review

There are two frame options available. The Turbo Levo SL Comp has an aluminium alloy frame while the rest of the bikes in the range have full carbon frames. The geometry of the two frames are almost identical. The M5 alloy bikes do have a slightly lower standover height and are available in an extra small size.

The carbon frames are made from the highest quality FACT 11m carbon fibre which is the same quality that you’ll find on an S-Works bike. Cable routing is internal, and the battery is fully enclosed in the downtube. You can remove the battery if you need to but it’s not as quick and easy as it is on a regular Levo.

The geometry of the Turbo Levo SL is closer to the Stumpjumper than it is to the regular Turbo Levo. In fact, the geometry of the carbon-framed bikes is identical to the Stumpy in every way except for the chainstays that are just 5mm longer. This is what gives the Levo SL its pure trail bike ride feel. Of course, there is no getting away from the fact that having a motor and battery in the frame will make a bike heavier. With the Levo SL this weight penalty is small and the low-slung nature of the extra mass means that it doesn’t compromise handling.

The Turbo Levo SLs all offer 150mm of suspension travel front and rear. This is the same as the regular turbo Levo’s. As with all Specialized MTBs the FSR rear suspension system gives you confident and efficient performance. This system keeps on working even while you are pedalling and braking.

All the electric bikes in the range get a Fox Float DPS shock to control the rear. Most models have the Performance version. Its 3-position compression damping, for efficient trail riding. As you’d expect the S-Works bike gets the full Fox Factory treatment.

A Fox 34 Float fork takes care of suspension duties up front. This is a great performing fork that balances stiffness and lightweight perfectly for trail riding. The Levo SL is so lightweight it doesn’t need the extra stiffness of the Fox 36 fork that’s found on the regular Levo’s. The quality of the forks improve as you move up though the range. The Comp has a 34 Rhythm, the Expert a Performance Elite and the S-Works has a top-of-the-range Factory version.

The compact Turbo SL 1.1 motor seems much more powerful than its diminutive size suggests, even though it puts out less than half of the maximum power of the regular Turbo Levo electric bike. This is because you don’t need so much power to move a lighter weight bike. The 240 Watts of power at a maximum 35Nm of torque effectively doubles your natural pedalling power. This is enough of a boost to get you up steep climbs while still holding a conversation. Do you need more power than this on an eMTB?

All the bikes in the range have the same 320Wh battery fitted. As the motor is less powerful and the bike lighter this gives you a much longer range than the same size battery would give you on most other ebikes. The range will depend on things like terrain, power mode and rider weight but you can expect an average of about 3.5-hours riding time. If you want to increase your range, you can use the bottle cage mounted range extender. This is included with the S-Works bike and is available as an accessory for all other models. Offering 160Wh of extra power this will extend your ride for another 2 hours or so.

As with Specialized’s other eMTBs the Turbo Connect unit is mounted on the top tube. This displays the remaining battery charge as well as the current power mode. The three different power modes: Eco, Trail and Turbo can be controlled through the TCU or the handlebar-mounted remote.

Using the Mission Control smartphone app, you can custom tune the Turbo Levo SLs power delivery in each mode. Another nice feature is that you can also control your range. Using the time or distance that you specify, the bike will control the power output to make sure that you’ll have enough battery capacity left to complete your ride.

As the Turbo SL 1.1 motor delivers about half the power of the Turbo 2.1 motor there is no need for ebike-specific drivetrains. Most eMTBs use single-click shifters which protect the drivetrain from damage while shifting under full power. The Levo SL doesn’t put undue stress through the drivetrain, so you can use normal multi-click shifters.

All models in the Turbo Levo SL range use SRAM Eagle 12 speed drivetrains that offer reliable shifting with a wide range of gears. Both the comp models have NX Eagle moving up to GX Eagle on the Expert and slick-shifting XX1 Eagle on the S-Works bike.

Four-piston SRAM brakes take care of stopping duties. The Comp bikes have Guides while the Expert and S-Works have the new G2 brakes. A reliable X-fusion dropper post is fitted to most bikes with a size-specific drop. The XS bike has just 100mm drop which then moves up to 125mm on the Small, 150mm on the Medium & Large then 170mm on the XL bike. The S-Works bikes offer the same drop through a RockShox Reverb AXS wireless post.

All the Turbo Levo SL electric bikes roll on 29” Roval Traverse wheels with 30mm rims. These wheels are fast-rolling over all types of terrain and offer more grip than smaller wheels. The Comp bikes both have alloy rims with Specialized Hubs. The Expert and S-Works bikes have carbon rims with a DT Swiss rear hub.

The wheels are shod with fast-rolling 2.3” tyres. The Specialized Butcher on the front is combined with an Eliminator on the rear. This combination offers plenty of grip on hardpack trails also they also work alright on loose and even muddy tracks. While it is possible to fit a wider front tyre there is limited clearance on the rear for anything much wider than a 2.3”. The tyres feature GRID TRAIL casing which offers good sidewall protection. The wheels come with airtight rim tape ready fitted, so you just need a little sealant to set them up for tubeless running.