The speed at which the bike industry fires off its innovations and trends is short. Two years ago, Specialized grossly miscalculated and let the 27.5-inch train pass by without taking any notice - they hastily followed suit later.
When there was still no Specialized e-MTB in sight last year, sceptics already sensed another misjudgement of the European market on the part of the Californians. The launch of the new Turbo Levo should abruptly silence these voices and leave many a mouth open in amazement. Jan Talavasek and his development team have not simply followed the market trend, but have drilled thicker planks.
Specialised Turbo Levo: only Brose motor not from our own company
One aspect was at the top of the list of requirements for the drive components: Practicality. "We wanted to build a bike that we would enjoy riding on the trail ourselves," explains Talavasek. The practicality of the system goes so far that the electronics are not damaged when cleaned with a steam jet. We have never heard such a statement from any other E-MTB manufacturer. The battery, electronics, control unit and software have been developed in-house, only the Brose motor unit is a purchased part - albeit with customised tuning. You won't find a handlebar display on the Turbo Levo - because you don't need it. And if you want one, Specialized offers a range of options. More on this later ...
First ride impression: the Specialized Turbo Levo on test
To start the Turbo Levo, all you need to do is press the power button and off you go. The control panel on the battery offers a choice of three support levels. Ten LEDs also indicate the charge level of the 504 watt-hour battery.
From the very first press on the pedal, the motor provides effective but moderate support until it gently fades out somewhere above 25 km/h. Overall, the control feels very balanced. In terms of maximum power, however, there are more powerful systems. Interesting realisation: Maximum power is not the decisive factor on the trail. On steep sections, the rear wheel occasionally slipped on wet roots or loose ground at the highest speed setting - the middle speed setting made climbing easier. Incidentally, a steep section in this case means a passage where very few bikers would even think that something like this could be ridden uphill on a mountain bike.
E-MTB with B Plus tyres and 140 mm suspension
Fat three-inch tyres spin on 27.5-inch rims and generate traction and lateral support to such an extent that the limits of physics seem to have been pushed back. Such tyres are an excellent choice for electrically assisted mountain bikes. They are forgiving and comfortable to ride and the rider does not feel the increased rolling resistance. The combination with a 140cc chassis creates a riding sensation that is somewhere in the enduro range, but it is impossible to say for sure. It remains unclear what part of the suspension is provided by the tyres and what the suspension fork does. The only thing that is clear is that the Turbo Levo's downhill reserves are enormous. On the trail, the handling remains agile despite the weight of around 21 kilos. After a short familiarisation phase, the brain activates e-bike mode and reacts to the slightly altered parameters. Due to the low centre of gravity, the bike rolls over obstacles in a more relaxed manner than a motorless mountain bike. Only manoeuvres such as bunny hops or turning the rear wheel require a lot of pressure.
The sporty touring geometry of the bike is based on the non-motorised Specialized bikes. The top tube is relatively long, the chainstays quite short and the bottom bracket sits low.
Control via smartphone: the Mission Control app
Jan Talavasek describes the in-house Mission Control app with shining eyes. It will be available to download free of charge for iOS and Android devices in a few days. And this is probably the biggest unique selling point of Specialized's e-mountainbikes at the moment: All communication with the smartphone is wireless via Bluetooth. The E-MTB can be paired with numerous speedometers, GPS devices or fitness watches via a so-called fake agent using the ANT standard. The battery charge status is then shown on the display instead of the heart rate. Specialized works closely with Garmin to ensure the best possible integration into navigation devices.
The app can manage several bikes. All riding data can be recorded and analysed, including the power supplied by the rider. A power measurement crank is therefore integrated. In addition, numerous settings can be made to the motor setup and functions.
The navigation of the Mission Control app is currently based on freely available map material from Open Street Maps. This makes navigation on roads and forest tracks uncomplicated and even free of charge. Offline maps cost 0.99 euros per country. A trail version is being worked on intensively. The Smart Control feature should be particularly interesting for bikers: Use the slider to enter the desired riding time or route length and specify the percentage of battery capacity that should still be stored in the down tube at the end of the tour. The motor now supports the rider in automatic mode exactly to the extent that the rider reaches their destination with the selected settings.
In collaboration with the online competition platform Strava, the new e-bike category has been introduced so that participants do not dethrone any record holders of muscle-powered bikes. Anyone who wants to can evaluate and analyse everything in detail after the ride.
Conclusion on the Specialized Turbo Levo
The overall concept of the new generation of e-MTBs is impressive. Specialized has succeeded in integrating the motor into the bike in such a way that the discussion about performance data and technical figures is pushed into the background by the riding fun. The ease of use via app is impressive and the choice of thick 27.5 Plus tyres is a perfect match for the Specialized Turbo Levo.
Interview with Jan Talavasek, Head of E-Bike Development at Specialized
BIKE: You presented the 45 km/h Turbo S pedelec in 2011. Why did it take four years to develop the Turbo Levo?
Jan Talavasek: Firstly, we first had to define what an e-mountainbike actually is for us. We then quickly realised that the existing drives did not meet our requirements. And then we had to find the right partners with whom we could develop the components that would fit. That took a lot of time.
What can the Turbo Levo do better than other bikes?
It has a pronounced trail geometry and rides the way a mountain bike should ride. We wanted short chainstays, a low centre of gravity and clever details, such as an absolutely wobble-free battery that leaves room for a water bottle. And of course the design was very important to us. We have realised all of this. The Levo makes the rider forget that they are riding an e-MTB.
Why the thick 3.0-inch tyres? Aren't they a deterrent?
Traction is even more important on an e-bike than on other bikes when riding uphill. Simply because you can tackle much steeper ramps. But basically, the 6Fattie tyres extend the limit range so that every type of rider feels comfortable on them - whether beginner or old hand. Soon they will be completely normal.
If you want to use all the functions of your bike, you need to have a deep understanding of how to use electronic devices.
It's true, there are so many ways to call up information about the drive or make settings. You can also use our free Mission Control app to navigate or call up the wattage being pedalled, additional features like this would otherwise cost a lot of money. But more importantly, if you don't want that, you don't have to. The bike works perfectly even without a smartphone.
Turbo Levo: Product range and prices
