First Ride: The 2020 Specialized Turbo Levo SL Weighs Only 38 Pounds

Feb 4, 2020
by Mike Kazimer  


Specialized have added a new eMTB to their lineup – the Turbo Levo SL. As the name implies, it's a slimmed down version of the Turbo Levo. By going with a lighter, less powerful motor, Specialized were able to bring the weight down to an impressively low 38.25 pounds (17.3 kg). It's aimed at riders who would rather have a more nimble, easier to maneuver bike instead of a big, powerful, gravity-oriented beast like the Kenevo.

Like the Turbo Levo, the SL has 150mm of front and rear travel and rolls on 29” wheels. The geometry is nearly identical between the two bikes, except for the chainstay length. The use of a smaller motor allowed Specialized to trim the chainstays to 437mm, versus the 455mm length found on the Turbo Levo.
Specialized Levo SL Details

• Wheel size: 29"
• Travel: 150mm
• 240 watt Specialized SL 1.1 motor
• 350 Wh internal battery, Range Extender available
• Aluminum and carbon frame options
• 66° - 65.5° head angle
• Chainstays: 437mm
• Weight: 38.25 lb (17.3 kg) - S-Works, size Large
• Price: $6,535 - to $16,525 USD.
www.specialized.com

In total, there are 5 models in the Tubo Levo SL lineup. Prices start at $6,535 for the aluminum framed SL Comp model, and go all the way up to a bank-account emptying $16,525 USD for the Founder's Edition, which has a carbon frame, carbon wheels, and SRAM AXS wireless drivetrain and dropper.

2020 Specialized Turbo SL
The Founder's Edition has gold foil graphics laid over a Specialized's Spectraflair paint, SRAM AXS wireless components, and two Range Extenders. All that for a cool $16,525 USD.

Motor

The Levo SL is propelled by Specialized's 240 watt SL 1.1 motor, the same one that's found in the Turbo Creo e-road bike. A magnesium motor casing is one of the features that helps keep the weight down, along with the fact that it's gear- rather than belt-driven.

The SL1.1 motor weighs 4.3 pounds, half the weight of the motor used on the Turbo Levo and Kenevo. Of course, it also has half the power. With the SL 1.1 motor a rider's pedaling input is doubled, while on the Turbo Levo and Kenevo that input is multiplied by four.

2020 Specialized Turbo SL

Battery

All Levo SL models are equipped with a 350Wh battery, which is located in the down tube. The battery isn't removable without also taking out the motor, a concession that Specialized chose to make in order to keep the bike's weight as low as possible.

Charging is accomplished via a port on the non-drive side of the frame, the same port that a Range Extender can be plugged into. A Range Extender is just that – an additional 160Wh battery that sits in the bottle cage and provides some extra juice for longer rides. It's a standard feature on the S-Works and Founder's Edition models, or it can be purchased separately for $450.

2020 Specialized Turbo SL
The Range Extender plugs into the charging port - a Y-adaptor is available to allow the internal and external batteries to be charged simultaneously.

Battery life depends on a number of factors, including rider weight, terrain, and how often that Turbo mode gets used, but Specialized say that the Levo SL can go for approximately 3 hours in Eco mode using just the internal battery, a number that can be increased by 2 hours if the Range Extender is used.

Charging time for the internal battery (from 3% to 100%) is said to take 2 hours and 35 minutes, and the internal battery and a Range Extender can be charged simultaneously in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Specialized Turbo Levo SL geometry

Geometry

As I mentioned, the geometry of the Levo SL is nearly identical to the non-SL version, other than those shorter chainstays. A flip chip at the rear shock mount allows the head angle to be set at either 66- or 65.5-degrees, while also altering the bottom bracket height slightly. Overall, the Levo SL's numbers are on the more conservative side of the spectrum – the reach sits at 455mm for a size large, and the seat tube angle measures 74.5-degrees. I'm sure some riders will be tempted to install a 160mm fork, but Specialized's official line is that, “We do not recommend running 160mm travel (or greater) forks."


Specialized Turbo.


Ride Impressions

I was able to get in two solid days of riding on the Levo SL. The first ride ended up being a big loop with around 40 miles and 8,000 ft of vertical, and the second day of riding was in an area where it was easy to use the same climbing trail to access a variety of options for the descent.

I've spent a bunch of time on the Stumpjumper, so the overall feel of the bike was familiar, other than the fact that there was a motor hidden inside. The power that the motor puts out makes it feel like someone's running next to you and pushing you with one hand. The assistance is very noticeable, but it's not as drastic as the more powerful Levo or Kenevo. On those bikes it feels like someone's pushing you along with two hands, and it'd be hard to forget you were on an eMTB.

With the Turbo SL, the high-pitched whine of the motor serves as the biggest reminder that you're on a motorized mountain bike – otherwise, the power delivery is very smooth and the handling isn't awkward or cumbersome; it's quite close to the feeling of a 'regular' mountain bike. The shock tune was specifically designed for e-bike usage, with a more digressive curve that makes the shock firmer off the top for better support while climbing. That worked well, and I was able to leave it alone for the entirety of both rides. On really steep climbs, ones that you probably wouldn't even consider on a non-motorized bike, the front end did get pretty light, and I had to lean as far forward as possible to keep it on the ground. I couldn't help but wonder if a slacker head angle and longer chainstays would have helped with this, despite the fact that one of the selling points of the Levo SL is the shorter chainstay length.

On the descents, the Levo SL feels like an extra-solid Stumpjumper. There's an additional level of stability to it compared to the non-motorized version, which helps keep it stuck to the trail during hard cornering or at higher speeds. Getting airborne does take a little extra work on flatter sections of trail, but it's not a chore, and with a little practice the motor can be used to provide some extra boost to propel the bike up and over stacks of logs or other trail obstacles.

Personally, if I was in the market for an e-bike I'd be looking for something with as much power and battery life as possible, but I also don't think I'm exactly the target audience for the Levo SL. I can see the Levo SL being an appealing option for riders who want some extra assistance for knocking off longer trail rides without needing to deal with a heavy, harder to handle bike. Even getting the bike onto a rack or into the bed of a truck is much easier due to that lighter weight.

More than anything, the Levo SL could be a glimpse at the future of e-bikes. As batteries shrink and motors become more powerful it's not hard to envision a time when e-bikes don't look all that different from regular mountain bikes, and the bulky monstrosities that look like they came out of a Mad Max movie will be things of the past.





Photos courtesy of Specialized

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eMTB Reviews and Tech Videos First Rides Specialized Specialized Turbo Levo


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455 Comments
  • 272 105
 Weight: Almost a normal bike.
Power: The human's contribution actually matters.

This is, finally, an e-BIKE, not a pedals-as-throttle motorcycle. I respect it for that alone.
  • 138 137
 Depends on what you class as a normal bike. My emtb is only 2lbs heavier than my mates 07 demo 8. And human contribution does matter, its a power amplifier, if you put zero in you get zero out, and pedalling up otherwise unrideable sections definitely gets you working, even in max power modes.
  • 120 43
 @inked-up-metalhead: Let's not kid ourselves: pedaling up hills in max boost mode is not as hard as unassisted riding. Not even close. And your mate isn't riding his '07 Demo 8 up big hills. Hardly a relevant comparison.

The experience of riding e-bikes like this Levo SL will be a lot closer to riding the same trails on a normal bike would be the case if it had twice the boost and nearly 50% more weight.
  • 86 104
flag inked-up-metalhead (Feb 4, 2020 at 1:21) (Below Threshold)
 @R-M-R: I never said it was. But you were implying you don't have to put effort in, whereas yes you do, and I was saying it's a hell of a workout to ride stuff that no one on a normal bike can ride, even if you use turbo. Reading comprehension my friend.

And you never said what kind of normal bike, just normal, and I think you'll find although old, it's a normal bike.
  • 62 42
 @R-M-R: I don't ride an e-bike but there have been studies done now and there is evidence that a ride on an e-bike, on average, you might expend more energy/power/calories than on a standard bike.
Makes some sense as you go further, do more laps, often ride longer and don't cruise in that 32/50 up climbs you used to grind up in a 34/36.

26 aint dead though for me Smile
  • 27 16
 @inked-up-metalhead: It's true, I never specified what kind of bike. But why would you presume we were suddenly talking comparing a bike that's meant to go up and down hills to one that only goes down? Might as well throw in tandem road bikes, cargo bikes, and a Harley, while we're at it.
  • 43 11
 @betsie: I've seen those studies and I have concerns about the methodology. In unrestricted riding scenarios - at least the ones I've been witness to - most riders of normal bikes are pretty exhausted at the end of their rides and most e-bikers are less so. I'm obviously not saying the e-bikers put in zero effort, just that they never seem quite as tired. Many of them have also have regular bikes and they usually mention rides are harder on the regular bikes, even factoring in the greater distance covered on the assisted days.

When people are using their 32/50 - or whatever their lowest ratio may be - it's generally not a "cruise". My current lowest ratio is not as low as my lowest was when I rode small wheels with a 22/34. Are you really suggesting an e-bike with 4× boost is harder work up a climb than a "cruise" on an unassisted bike?
  • 32 2
 @betsie: could you link those studies? There was an article about one of them here on Pinkbike but the boundary conditions for that study weren’t clearly defined and the results were basically „if e-bikers ride the same time as normal bikers they can burn the same amount of calories because they ride longer distances but we‘re not actually sure“, so it can’t really be taken that serious.

And if we’re being honest, the vast majority of e-bikers isn’t riding a motorbike to be able to ride all day epics. At least here in the alps e-bikers are usually people who don’t have the fitness to ride the same routes that normal bikers do, so they rely on the motor to get the same achievement, in which case the normal rider expends more calories.
  • 56 20
 @Upduro: it's surely a shit study but it's pretty likely to be true. If a person can't do a single pull up they are way better off doing pull ups with stretch bands and they are more likely to keep on training with them rather than not at all. If a person can barely ride up a mountain and it takes them 1h, then on ebike it takes them 20 minutes and they are more likely to ride more than just one climb. They are also more likely to ride to the trail. If you have an expert rider they will ride just as much or more. Who wouldn't use opportunity to bunnyhop on climbs?
  • 42 22
 @R-M-R: there is a big element of the 15/20mph that you can do uphill needs quite a bit of muscling about to actually climb at that speed, and keeping the bike at that even in boost isn't nothing. If you've not ridden one on a properly steep climb you won't know, but it really isn't easy if you go faster than normal, going slow then yes, it's way easier, I do concede that, but the ability to do twice as many laps than ever before means I've lost nearly 3 stone in weight since I got my emtb in November. Yes I needed to loose that (and another 3 really) so you could say I'm in the category of fat lazy rider, but the ebike has been the cure, not the cause, lack of pushing myself to climb after years on a dh bike meant I was pushing nearly every climb, now I'm happily doing them and actually going out on longer rides. It's all a matter of what you do with it, I've seen kids on them which, while they do do more riding than their mates, I think it's a bit silly because they've got chance to be good climbers naturally, Ive been riding 15 years now, I'm closing in on 30 with various joint issues from riding and sciatica from working/trail building in the cold, I think id have just given up riding in the next year or so if I hadn't got the ebike, my motivation was almost non existent because of how long it took to push back up (about 15 minutes by the time had a breather at the top) to get one 3 minute descent. Now it's a 5 minute pedal up, a similar breather because the push up track is steep and slippy, and straight back down, no rest at the bottom, straight back to the trail head. This is why I won't hear anything bad about them, because for me it's been a literal game changer.
  • 19 22
 @R-M-R: and tbf I did say 'depends what you class as normal'. It was more to make a point than anything, I fully get the weight issue every time I lift mine over a gate, as it is I prefer the weight when riding it, far more stable, but yes, they are a bit awkward to lift over a gate, Im a builder who's used to carrying 14kg concrete blocks one in each hand, yet the 22.5kg bike is harder to lift because of its overall size.
  • 27 9
 @inked-up-metalhead: You're a great candidate for e-bikes and I'm happy for you. Glad you're back to enjoying the sport we both love.

You're riding again because it's easier on an e-bike. That's exactly what I said. Then you deliberately misquoted me, claiming I implied e-bikes require zero effort, followed by, ironically, "reading comprehension my friend".

I get that you like e-bikes, as well you should. But don't let that prevent you from being sensible or polite, especially when someone was neither attacking you nor all e-bikes.
  • 20 36
flag inked-up-metalhead (Feb 4, 2020 at 2:35) (Below Threshold)
 @R-M-R: saying pedals as throttle is implying zero effort. As is saying 'human contribution actually matters' in reference to one with half the power. I'm just sick of people claiming they're almost motorbikes, saying they might as well have a throttle and stuff like that. And the reading comprehension comment was because you deliberately ignored the 'stuff you can't ride on a normal bike' bit.

And it still goes back to yes its easier, but not at the same time, it's easier to do the same thing, but going further and faster and more often I'm still more knackered than ever getting home. A lot of people don't seem to get it, that by making it more doable, it means it'll be done more, so the net gain is overall greater. I'm not saying that people who can climb as quick as they want and do 3000ft of climbing in an average day should get one, but most of them wouldn't, but for a lot of average riders it'll go a long way to improving their fitness and skills.
  • 17 9
 @inked-up-metalhead: I agree with your second paragraph.

But really, there's no need to be so defensive. When the human's contribution is only 20% (1× human + 4× boost), the motive force is a lot more machine than human and the role of the pedals is 4× more about modulating the machine's power than powering the machine. I did not say zero effort, just that the human's role in other, heavier e-bikes is the minor role in the system, whereas it's an equal role in this bike.

I'm talking about the physics of the situation and you're assigning value judgement to my words, which is your own fabrication. No wonder this conversation is a mess. Please stop. I'm happy for you. Continue to enjoy your e-bike.
  • 21 38
flag WAKIdesigns (Feb 4, 2020 at 2:51) (Below Threshold)
 @R-M-R yoi can give me Nino Schurter here, I will still do more descending time having an e-bike and thus have more DH practice time than him.

I’d roll around on DJ site on my DJ, got to the gym after dark, and when in the woods make most of my time rather than crank out junk miles and verts to get 10-20% faster and get one more descend per day instead of 3-5 more descends. Be my guest, go ahead, Buy a sperm suit and keep cranking those gains till your ass falls off. Meanwhile we’ll shred the downs.
  • 12 2
 @WAKIdesigns: Totally agree. If I could get a little boost from a bike that felt exactly like a regular bike, I'd just add distance to my rides and have more of the same experience. But that's the key: the *same* experience. I'm not ready to give up the agility of a regular bike by adding 10+ kg of hardware, so the high-output, maximum range variants aren't appealing.

Maybe I would still enjoy some unassisted riding for the sense of accomplishment, but I'm sure I would get over that anachronistic hang-up soon enough!
  • 5 4
 @betsie: oh yes, the studies again.
  • 11 16
flag WAKIdesigns (Feb 4, 2020 at 4:29) (Below Threshold)
 @R-M-R: I'll put it like this, if Haibike or regular Levos can have X power and X battery life, I am fine with 1/3rd of it all, and I will gladly take it if that drops the weight by at least a half. That is because whenever I ride an E-bike the 30% support is enough and everything above is quickly diminishing returns as I consider myself relatively fit. So I am with you on weight issue. I just want a bike where I can remove the battery and have as little weight penalty as possible for riding in the bike park. Fazua let's you decouple both motor and the battery. I hope Spec will do the same in the future with those SL models.
  • 12 3
 Genuine question: Which ebikes don't rely on human contribution?
  • 7 8
 @cky78: In a completely literal sense, anything with a throttle, so motorcycles.

To be less literal, it's a matter of proportion. In some cases, the human contributes 20%. In other cases, the human contributes 50%.
  • 25 16
 @R-M-R: honestly please go to Jalopnik or Vital MX and present them the idea of E-bikes being motorcycles. Come back to us afterwards, paste some responses
  • 28 5
 @WAKIdesigns: Nah, I'll leave the trolling to the master.
  • 5 2
 @R-M-R: Yes, it can be. You push the eMtb... it doesn’t push you. How hard can you ride? Up to you.
  • 3 1
 @WAKIdesigns: actually not bunny hop but half a pedal kickback to get over some obstacles. A trial move that I would not be able to do on a regular bike going uphill
  • 8 3
 @R-M-R: If WAKI is the master you must be the grasshopper and soon you will be able to snatch the pebble from his hand.
  • 6 12
flag WAKIdesigns (Feb 4, 2020 at 7:09) (Below Threshold)
 @jerome: if only Danny McAskill knew...
  • 17 1
 To me this bike makes a lot of sense. Not now, not for where I live. But for someone living in big steep mountain areas then yeah I absolutely get it. If the climbs are just a means to an end to you and you just ride the fireroads up then you'd be better off with a powerful high capacity bike (motor resp. battery) but if you actually enjoy to challenge yourself up technical climbs but going unassisted is just a bit too much then bikes like these may be a better choice. Fazua equipped bikes like the Nox Helium and the Lapierre e-Zesty and now this Specialized bike. Surprised actually that Pinkbike chose to compare it to the regular Levo instead of to these Nox and Lapierre bikes mentioned.

Good to see this branch of e-bikes develop. Initially there seemed to be some fear among PB visitors that we'd only be seeing more and more powerful e-bikes whereas I think the middle ground will eventually serve most people best. Just like we've seen with bike geometries and suspension over the years. Twenty years ago you kind of had the XC side of the sport and the full on DH/FR end with suspension travel growing to 300mm, occasionally 400mm front and rear. What we've seen since is that the gap in between is completely stuffed and most people are best served on a bike somewhere between the "trail" and the "enduro" spectrum. It is a minority that really is best served on a (uncomfortable and expensive but very very fast) full on XC race bike. And similarly few really need a full on DH bike. I expect something similar will happen with e-bikes both in terms of power output as well as battery capacity.

Luckily I don't see myself get any of these bikes anytime soon so I'll just see how this evolves.

As for this bike against it's competitors, it is kind of interesting to see how removing the battery from the Nox and Lapierre bikes gives you the kind of frame storage space that Specialized is known for, but Specialized themselves haven't included a SWAT storage for those who remove the motor. Big plus for Lapierre and Nox as they actually get you a more versatile bike you can easily ride without battery.
  • 9 2
 @R-M-R: but you can climb ridiculous shit in boost. Have a blast in technical moto terrain if you're a good rider. I have never understood this. It's just like a moto - sure, some people (maybe even most) will use their KTM 300 to putt around, but for the rider who maximizes it's potential, it's super awesome and there is no alternative, and it sure as hell ain't easy
  • 5 22
flag duzzi (Feb 4, 2020 at 8:00) (Below Threshold)
 Look mom! Another commercial for Specialized! I wonder how much money Pinkbike gets from Specialized advertisement?
  • 13 5
 @R-M-R: I ride my ebike all the time, and yes, its work, more so than people think, but certainly not as much as a reg trail bike. My HR can sit in the optimal zone for much longer and I can modulate the power accordingly. That being said, I'm never going back. It's just a better product.
  • 9 0
 It would be great to have a frame only option. A lot of e-bikes are going the direction of delivering a sub-40 pounds bike, and it would be great to have the option of only purchasing the frame/motor/battery system.
  • 6 3
 Do ya? For $16’000 US? Eff that.
  • 9 7
 @R-M-R: tbh you sound like the defensive one in this whole exchange. if you don't like them - why waste your morning commenting on an article about one?
  • 6 2
 @Upduro: I can clearly say that my fitness level went down after starting ebiking some of my regular routes, even though the time on saddle was the same. and I almost only use eco mode. I ve started now turning off the motor when it's flat (which works perfectly on the Levo)
  • 4 0
 @Upduro: here is a link to a crappy study:

news.byu.edu/intellect/e-bikes-provide-intense-exercise-but-it-doesnt-feel-like-a-workout

it says similar workout, but heart rates are actually 10 bpm lower.

In my experience it is a crazy fun workout but less so than a traditional MTB.
  • 9 0
 @CircusMaximus: I second that. To put it in perspective (and I know this won't go over well - Apples to Oranges and such..., Blah, Blah, Blah), but on my local Craigslist one can find numerous Ducati Panigale 1299S bikes at this price or less. The cost is just insane for a mountain bike.
  • 2 0
 @Nagrom77: haha we share multiple 2 wheeled interests, I see.
  • 2 0
 @CircusMaximus: Indeed!
  • 2 0
 But it has a big trolling button here!
  • 6 0
 If 38lbs doesn't disable you like E-bikes were marketed for, $16K will!
  • 3 0
 @R-M-R Same here.

This is more like what I could envision buying: an E-bike that turns me on a bad day into me on a very good day! I've ridden a full-fat E-bike round a car park and it felt completely alien in terms of the power/pedal relationship but I've also ridden a commuter style E-bike which had a cheap battery and motor (think it only gave out 100W) and it felt just like a normal bike but with a bit of a tailwind. It should be electric assist not electric but only because you're sort of making an effort turning the pedals.

I'm not a fan of Specialized (for various reasons including a bad experience with them a few years ago) but with this they're definitely going the right route for bridging the gap between normal bikes and the big E-bikes. Hopefully more companies offer similar options in their lineup.
  • 1 1
 @arandomJohn: ll
  • 1 0
 Finally one that I might actually buy... if you could get one for under £3000.
  • 4 3
 @betsie: If you are cruising up climbs on a 32/50 gear then your climbs aren't very steep...
  • 4 3
 only lapierre did it 18 months ago, they just didnt pay the media to say how game changing it was, weird how the fazua system weighs less but the magical specialED scales claim its much lighter.
  • 3 0
 @b45her: Yeah I mentioned their E-Zesty above, just like the Nox Helium with that same Fazua motor. Eighteen months ago PB was still kind of on the fence how much to report about bikes with pedal assist as every under each article people started moshing (in a bad way).
  • 5 1
 @b45her, I don't have the two motors on hand to verify, but the Fazua Evation motor weighs a claimed 7.3 pounds, while the Specialized SL 1.1 motor weighs a claimed 4.3 pounds.
  • 1 2
 @mikekazimer: indeed, but the fazua weight includes the battery and the motor, this is the disingenuous part i have been talking about.
  • 9 0
 @b45her, no, that weight is just for the motor. The Fazua battery adds an additional 3 pounds.

fazua.com/en/drive-system/evation
  • 3 4
 @WAKIdesigns: Your pull-up analogy is way off. For people who can't do pull ups, there are pull-up machines that can actually assist you. My gym has has them, they push you up by the knees. Sure, if you can't do pull ups, you'll still get a workout, but using the cheat machine will never get you in the same shape as someone who can do 20 pull ups unassisted.
  • 9 0
 $16,525 USD
  • 6 2
 @R-M-R: I think @inked-up-metalhead is trying to explain that on an ebike your whole body is getting a massive workout, because your legs, helped by the motor, are no longer such a limiting factor. So you still go to til your legs are shot but as that's a longer distance in the case of an ebike, the rest of your body has done wayyy more work. Not many people get that unless they have done a few big ebike rides. If you are gonna be lazy and do the same ride length you would do on a normal bike then that logic doesn't apply
  • 3 1
 @R-M-R: I think @inked-up-metalhead is trying to explain that on an ebike your whole body is getting a massive workout, because your legs, helped by the motor, are no longer such a limiting factor. So you still go to til your legs are shot but as that's a longer distance in the case of an ebike, the rest of your body has done wayyy more work. Not many people get that unless they have done a few big ebike rides. If you are gonna be lazy and do the same ride length you would do on a normal bike then that logic doesn't apply
  • 5 3
 @supermike306: Emtb'ing is more of a full body workout. You spend less time climbing and more time downhilling so your upper body gets worked more. You can also avoid all the hard pedalling efforts that might cause you to bonk so you can ride for longer if you have the battery life.
  • 3 2
 @graniteandrew: I would think the longer you ebike the less likely you would be ABLE to go back.
  • 7 5
 @SintraFreeride: absolute bollocks. 32-50 I’d loop out on what I call steep, even with bars in my balls. That is given the grip is virtually unlimited. Unless off course you run 165 cranks where you simply lack power and stuff feels steep to you. Come on... if it’s steep enough your Pole will simply make it impossible for you to keep rear wheel traction at such low gear. You can’t cheat physics. Steep climb is a battle between tire grip and looping out and lower the gear, higher the cadence, the harder it is to modulate power. Nothing illustrates it better than Levy VS Schurter. Mike didn’t fail because he was weak. He failed because he was spinning too fast on too low gear (sometimes one gear is enough) was spinning out each single pedal stroke on that looses surface and gassed out in the end. Nino trusted his legs and heart to spin methodically at a bit lower cadence and if you stop the vid you will see he is not on biggest cog and needless to say he’s on 36 front... it’s not just Nino‘s legs, it’s an actual technique. And if you want to tell me that you climb Such steep stuff for hours, heh, for more than a few minutes I will just laugh at you. Or encourage to compete in XC
  • 2 2
 @R-M-R: how about you go ride one and then report they are not fun.
  • 4 0
 @d-man: How about you go point out where I said they're not fun?
  • 10 0
 Hang on, are people still arguing about ebikes?!
  • 2 0
 @vinay: you beat me to it (thanks international time zone differences) but I was also going to mention the Lapierre eZesty with the Fazua 'hybrid' motor as being a prime example of available technology etc.
  • 4 0
 @duzzi: yea bro. 9 Gs and you still
have to put a decent fork on it, and brakes, and more. Sell us the frameset already.
  • 1 1
 @R-M-R: But when you can pedal up hill at the speed of xc pro rider, with little or no effort, that is what I call fun!
  • 1 0
 Bunny hop on uphill all the way upppp!!!
  • 4 2
 @aljoburr: I agree. That's why I'm excited about these lightweight e-bikes with 1× boost because that's about the speed of a pro on a bike with weight and handling similar to a normal bike.

The high-output systems with 4× boost are capable of more than double the sustainable output of a pro. Riding bi-directional cross-country trails at twice the speed of a pro on a 50+ lb. bike with a double-crown fork and nearly DH levels of suspension isn't quite the same sport any more. Bikes of that nature do make sense, however, for shuttle laps up access roads and down DH-only trails.
  • 1 1
 @greg390: Have you ever tried bunny hopping up hill?
I takes a lot of energy, but on an e-bike you can pedal kick up hill!
  • 2 0
 @CircusMaximus: yeah, in saw those prices and just went Wow!

I’m not sure why anyone would pay so much for an ebike, but there are folks who have money to burn.
  • 3 0
 @WAKIdesigns: I don't loop out on a 32/50 I loop out on a 24/50 which is my lowest gear ratio. So long as I stay seated I manage to get up most climbs. However, my next bike will have a steeper seat angle and longer chainstays to get up the 1% I currently am unable to climb due to looping out. By all means come on over here and see what can and can't be climbed.
  • 4 1
 @SintraFreeride: Staying seated doesn't really help against looping out, does it? Standing up on a climb typically shifts your weight forwards until the point that a limited reach will cause your kneepads to hit the handlebar. Agreed though preserving traction when standing up will become the next challenge. But I suppose pedal assist kind of levels that out so on bikes like these that would be less of an issue.
  • 1 0
 @Upduro: fair points but a lot of people also in AT/DE are asking for more range.

Your're overlooking that its not only the young people who have a limited leisure time and therefor don't do a lot of all day epics. There is a rising number of quite fit retirees who do have the time. But I assume you won't find many of them on trails so the term "epic" might not apply no matter how great the scenery is Wink
  • 1 1
 @vinay: he has a Pole so seat angle is steep as hell so he doesn’t need to stand up as much (his seat is like 5cm further ahead than mine) but whatever he is capable of climbing at gearing lower than 32-34/50 is not so steep he can brag about it. Off course there’s no way of resolving this Without trying each others climbs... Not to mention riders height.
  • 1 0
 @SintraFreeride: We dont have climbs in the UK like you get in the likes of California. We have short and not so steep climbs. They have steeper and significantly longer climbs.
Also, when in Spain I would like to pedal from Benalmadenna to the best trails every day, I hear there are some peaches east of Malaga but the climb is hard and its a fair ride to get there so by the time you hit the trail you are not at your best.
Imagine being able to ride over there with a boost, shred until you are shattered then cruise back on a boost.
Now that I could do (but how to travel in a plane with such a heavy rig!)
  • 1 1
 @betsie: you can have one mountain and 20 quite different climbs to it... slight change in gradient can make a 1000 vert feet climb a breeze or an awful grind. At the end of the day it's what you are used to. Body adapts, but in most cases those who do short steep stuff have it easier to occasionally do very long smooth grinds. I can show you a route through my local area where you will laugh at me saying that's like for children, and then take you on a 1.5h ride through 6 steep climbs totalling at no more than 1000vert feet, and you may want to call an ambulance when you spin out on the last one. You will be more battered than after 3000ft. of climbing in the average fireroad in the Alps.
  • 1 0
 @SlodownU: I'm pretty sure he said something about using resistance bands to "assist" your pull ups. Also if you're unable to do pullups then using assistance to get a few completed you can eventually get rid of the bands and make use of your new strength to eventually get to 20 unassisted pullups.
  • 1 1
 @SlodownU: stretch band is a pull up machine you can have at home... haven't seen much dumber thing at the gym than the pull up machine. Perhaps leg press.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Not a pull up machine by itself, but attached to the pull up bar. If you can't do a pull up, then you unfold the device that helps you by pushing up on your knees, otherwise its out of the way. I don't know much else about assisted pull ups other than what I've seen since I'm fortunate enough to be able to do them unassisted, just like I'm fortunate enough to be able to pedal up a hill without help.
  • 6 1
 @SlodownU: assisted pull ups are an effective mixing exercise for anyone under 10 unassisted reps. Just like wighted pull ups when you want to go above 10 pull ups... this is why I don't mind DH tires and cassette no bigger than 11-42 when climbing on my Enduro bike Smile

But the whole debate is like vegans trashing meat for being unhealthy - giving examples of abuse of something as an argument for complete abolition of it. Basically Donald saying not all people coming from Mexico are nice people hence: WALL!

For advanced riders E-bike are a mean of doubling, trippling, even quadruppling nr of descents per ride in same or shorter amount of time, like shuttling or almost as well as a lift.
  • 1 0
 @vinay: Staying seated maintains traction to the rear wheel where climbing standing up would cause spinning. I don't run knee pads when I pedal uphill and with 520mm of reach hitting the handlebar with my knees is a non issue. Pedal assist adds speed which helps on technical climbs. However, bad geometry with or without a motor won't climb well. This Levo SL version will climb worst than the normal one just because of the shorter chainstays and the short reach isn't helping either. Of course, not everyone likes to set themselves uphill challenges like me, haha.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: I'm game for that challenge! Wink I even built an uphill singletrack which would be perfect for it too. Switchbacks included! Let me know if you are in Portes du Soleil area this summer. I'll guide you on the secret singletrack for free.
  • 2 0
 @betsie: Yeah I get that. I have tried an ebike, a mondraker crafty, and it was a ton of fun!
  • 1 0
 @ButtermilkBar: I think you said the same thing just a different way lol
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Agree, assisted pull ups is kind of irrelevant to this debate since the purpose is to eventually enable you to do unassisted pull ups. No one is riding an e-bike up hills to someday enable them to go up them faster unassisted. End of the day, all I hear are justifications made by the lazy, but whatever, e-bikes are not for me. My riding philosophy is entirely different from someone who would use an e-bike.
  • 3 2
 @SlodownU: sounds more like your riding ethics Smile

Again you mention “lazy” pointing at abuse as justification for abolition.

And you still don’t understand the analogy. For some people it allows them to climb a mountain at all. My personal training analogy would be that for me Ebike is a rather powerful steroid and stimulant. Off course no pills or injections can match e-motor.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Abolition? No. I really don't care if you ride an e-bike or not, and I don't believe that they harm the trails. You want to one? Go right ahead, makes no difference to me. I'm just tired of hearing the "I have no time, I get more laps, etc." justifications for someone that just doesn't like climbing and wants an easier way to the top.
  • 2 1
 @SlodownU: man, even if you were as strong as Nino and then started doping you’d still not do as many runs as one can do on e-bike set to 30% power - not even half as many laps. We have different priorities for sure. I love tech climbs. Hate long grinds. Effort /reward way out of proportion for me. Sharp braking, both tires breaking traction in a loose corner, banging against the berm, hoping hip hinge timing is right and front won’t go over, wheels banging through holes, jumping off a little root over big diagonal roots, steep stuff, I love it... e-bikes? Will possibly never be able to afford one. Not until my kids move out of the house and then I will be too old for downhill.
  • 7 0
 I don't see the point of this argument. It's a fact that on a loop that starts and ends at the same place (probably your car) you will spend 80-90% of the time climbing. Climbing is the bit that most people dislike. Ebikes can redress the balance. It's not about being fit or lazy. It's about maximising enjoyment. As soon as there is a 17kg ebike I'll be all about it.

There is the other thing about driving. I have to drive 15 mins to my local spot. I would never ride that 7 miles, bang out a few laps and then ride the 7 miles back home... unless I had an ebike, then I probably would some of the time. Maybe like 20% of the time.

I'm super fit and look awesome with no shirt on. I could ride the 14 mile round trip but I don't want to spend two out of the three hours I have available riding a 15kg mountain bike on the road. I want to spend as much of it as I can bashing out downhill runs.

That's the point of ebikes as far as I'm concerned. I fail to understand the hate, or even if it's not hate why there is even such a lot of heated discussion about it.

If the pricing on them wasn't ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS, I think they would go a good way towards sending normal bikes the way of the 26er in the next ten years.
  • 2 0
 I just checked the Yamaha USA website. An R1 is $17,399.

Good luck selling me an ebike, Specialized!
  • 1 0
 @jaame: look at other companies, and last years model on sale, and you get a comparable emtb to normal mtb. Mine (merida e160 2019) was 3700, alu frame, lyrik rc, super deluxe r, full xt, dt 350 hubs, 2.8 minion dhr2s in the 3c exo flavour, then own brand rims, dropper, bar, stem, grips etc. Only gripe is 2 pot xt brakes, gonna be swapping to Saint callipers when I get time.
  • 1 0
 There's a book call the Emperors New Clothes I want you to read.
  • 2 2
 @MattyFive: really? Here? Where have you been with that comment when carbon rims, not to mention bars come up? Electronic shifting, data acquisition, expensive damper-upgrades?
  • 4 0
 @WAKIdesigns: You have to start every conversation with ebike haters the same way: Do you prefer to shred trail or exercise more? Then you know which of their sacred cows you'll be eating.....
  • 1 1
 @WAKIdesigns: you make some valid points there but I would say, data acquisition is of course viable for race teams sure. If you own rockshox, a decent damper upgrade would be of use too, yes. However when I get to lazy/old to pedal up a hill I'll actually be buying one of the pedal eMotos because that's the point. I was more critiquing this particular bike rather than ebikes in general. None of them are there yet however. They are too heavy, the range is terrible, if the battery dies, you need a tow. They will lead to armies of bike fans succumbing to debilitating range anxiety and paranoia. You must spend half the time looking at a small screen sweating from fear rather than physical exertion. Terrible
  • 2 0
 @R-M-R: There is no comparison with pedaling up on an analogue bike to a modern day eMTB. Where you can pedal with the eMTB would have you pushing on the analogue. The recent Trek Rail test by FLOW mountain bike they were riding up a Down Hill run and then bombing back down. You just can't do that on a non assisted bike.

Riding up such inclines and technical ups will also require decent amount of rider effort and skill. It is not just a case of sit - spin - motor and bike does the rest.

For me, the only thing currently holding me back is the in ability to travel internationally with an eMTB. There are many great Down Hill tracks I would love to ride but there are no shuttles and lifts and riding them on an analogue bike gives you 1 decent run. 1st run is always a sighting run to gauge condition of track, 2nd run is full on and by the time you have winched back up to the 3rd start, you are off your game and having to take it slower as taking it hard again will lead to mistakes and injury. I don't ride with the aim of ending up in hospital but I do like challenges. There are though physical limits I have to contend with and for what I would like, an eMTB would offset those and give me more safer runs down as I am not so knackered getting back up.

Maybe I should have a friend with a V8 shuttle truck waiting for me at the bottom of the run but I don't put that on my friends and Pickup vs eMTB ...... hmmmm (not that I am sucked into CO2 being "Evil").
  • 2 0
 @gnarterrorist: I don't disagree, but I do have concerns. Specifically, It's going to get scary if we start to see uphill traffic moving quickly, with 500+ watts available, up downhill tracks.
  • 3 0
 @R-M-R: Nah, you'll have speed differences on both up as well as downhill sections. I actually expect it is easier to lower your speed on an uphill encounter than on a downhill one. If you actually ride up the hill at 25km/h and smash into another rider climbing at 5km/h you're a proper tool and you did it on purpose. If you ride down a hill at 50km/h and suddenly encounter another rider rolling down at 30km/h it will be much harder to avoid. Because of the braking distance, wheels leaving the ground and also because the 30km/h rider could be unpredictable and suddenly move to one side of the trail.

Obviously climbing up a (one way) DH run is asking for trouble. Just as much as bombing down a tech climbing trail is. If it is a two direction trail, you just can't go fast on sections you can't oversee. Up, down or across.

There is no substitute for good manners and common sense.
  • 2 0
 @SlodownU: I am stoked on ebikes and far from lazy. Log between 1000/1500 kms/year as does my riding group and they are excited about them too. Your assumption is as so many others that it's the new or lazy riders pushing sales but it's not the truth. I think people would be shocked at how many pros are riding these bikes.
  • 1 0
 @jaame: couldn't agree more.
  • 1 0
 @R-M-R: I agree with you on this but it's really no different than hikers that go up DH tracks.
  • 1 0
 @d-man: It is somewhat, though. Hikers tend to move slowly and silently. Bikes - especially e-bikes - are faster and the motors often make enough noise to mask the sound of an oncoming rider until the distance is smaller.
  • 2 1
 @R-M-R: you have a lot to learn when it comes to fitness my friend. being exhausted does not mean you had a better workout.
  • 1 0
 @gwheelus: I'm actually pretty versed in physiology and I've done rather a lot of the sport in question, but thanks for the tip. Please tell me all about how, after having done similar exercises, the less-tired party was the one who had a better workout.
  • 1 2
 @R-M-R: Because, like, everyone in the Pinkbike comments says that you get more of a workout on the part of the ride where you’re going downhill and pedaling less.
  • 2 0
 @SlodownU: That's absurd. Both up and down can be an intense workout, but think about what you just wrote. You just told me descending is harder work than climbing. A different kind of workout, different muscles - sure. But descending as quantifiably, unquestionably harder work? Please.
  • 1 2
 @R-M-R: nah just a way too long discussion, we start to talk like luantics. Sure, there's no way to compare descend and climbing, it's like comparing burpees to riding a stationary bike. What would be a common measure? amount of calories burned? Heart rate? Then I will say my 20 minute ride from work ending with a steep 250ft hill on race BMX is worth more than 1 hour road ride and I am sure it is. I will just never be able to sell this idea to a roadie since our goals are completely different.
  • 2 0
 @R-M-R: The down v up argument isnt absurd is it?

Legs for up mostly
Legs, core, shoulders, arms, chest, back for down.

Then look at cardio (up) v weights (down).
Cardio calorie burn is what you burn then then minimal recovery calories (the muscles are not damaged in the same way)
Weights, higher calorie burn per unit time, but less time, then recovery calories.

2 totally different disciplines when it comes to total calories burned during exercise and for recovery.

1 is you v gravity
the other is you v x times gravity into corers and then to sprint effort out of a corner and not steady cadence.

Both great for you. Smile
  • 1 1
 @betsie: 2 completely different energy systems and ways to engage muscles... it's apples and oranges. Only fitness industry comes up with idiotic concepts like "which exercise burns most calories" - only heavily uninformed and misinformed idiots with no goals, ridiculous role models and unrealistic misplaced aspirations care. Same goes for Strava rats who count verts and distances. Actual health benefits cannot be measured precisely and caloric expenditure or weights on the bar or lap times per weekend are just some of the indicators of ones athletic performance and there is no common denominator. Racing kind of is, but then you have to clearly state best DH race result as the goal and we can compare methods you use to achieve that. If someone's goal is to climb a lot without assist then for fks sake, motor will not be of any use to them... but these people surely aren't after descending practice or just descending time.

Descending does require leg power and strength, taking eccentric loads, pedalling, more importantly just standing on legs, a sort of isometric exercise. That is why some are speaking of downhill endurance and unless you are of posture of like of Paul Aston, Daniel Sapp or Mike Kazimer (meaning your core weighs nothing), you do need resistance training to develop that. I guess I am not the only one with leg pump on longer rough descends with big holes. Skill is a factor, that includes skill to rest arms and legs on a DH run but at the end of the day... you have to take those hits and hover that platform that your upper body is.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: The truth is that even the industry is still studying trackers v activity.
We have a 2nd study open at the UHI in Inverness to look into how accurate trackers are when monitoring physical activity.
One of the former researchers (diet based researcher, she presented at my work before coming here) for the UHI now works in the clinical team where I work, 2 desks from me. Smile

Just dont do dead lifts and expect them to work for DH... (controversial) as the clue is in the lift bit, rather than the resist bit (I tried, monitored my times and I just got slower, empty vessels and all that), clean and jerk or the power press is far better as you engage the shoulders like pulling on the bars, then squat to press. Also balance ball, kettle bell crossed pick up to shoulder press is good. Core balance, legs, lats then shoulders, just like riding and pulling out of a corner.
  • 1 2
 @betsie: clean and jerk are not resistance training, I do them too as a part of my power training I do aside of isometrics, resistance and speed. Force, mass, acceleration are the modalities you work with. Considering how much skill is required to do Olympic lifts, telling someone to do C&J without being VERY mobile, profficient at deadlifts, overhead press, front squats, split squats, overhead squats is way off. Not to mention Olympic Snatch. Both have big demands on mobility. If someone made an article here on PB on mobility for overhead squat, nobody would teach Yoga on this site anymore... What weights are you moving and what's your body mass?

Balance is another can of worms but it has little to do with balancing on a ball. Balance ball has more to do with reflex of deepest muscles rather than balance. Bulgarian split squat is a balance exercise. Walking on a rope is a balnce exercise. Landing from a box is a balance exercise, so is clean, so is squat. Clean is an extremely complex balance exercise. Which exercise doesn't involve balance? Shoulders, hundreds of ways of training shoulders in all planes. It's all very nuanced. No point in discussing it here and I am not qualified. I'd need to post you links to hundreds articles. every approach bringing desired effect is a good approach. Yoga, How Insane Is This traning, Cross fit, Pilates, Tabatha etc. whatever floats your boat.
  • 1 0
 I tried out the assisted pull up machine last night at the gym and was impressed. It puts alot less stress on your elbows with the lighter weight and I was able to do over 15 pull ups! It feels exactly like the e bike version of pull ups. This is similar to how an e bike will increase your DH laps so there is a comparison to be made.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: we will agree to disagree.
So will Nino as he ases the balance ball and other balance mechanisms for riding balance and response.

What firt4racing is now showing is what I have done for years and other stuff.

Yoga is different and defo has its place, especially when injuries plague us. Wouldnt drop it now I have started it. Managed 2 basing wall up this morning. First time since my big crash last year.

For clean and jerk or power press. Watch les mills. It's not about your 1 rep max but about "time under tendion", go argue with les mills Wink
  • 1 2
 @betsie: fit4racing is undoubtably ery good but it’s still just crossfit... Balance:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=YspDNKpY4rA

Dr Andy Galpins channel is generaly worth Spending time on. I highly recommend informational videos from Shredded Sports Science (even if roasts are funny) he references many Actual physicians working with high level athletes

It’s complicated... balance on bike, heh, to hit a berm you need movement Pattern to push through the berm, there will be different movement, different pressure depending on the berm and then there will be different timing depending on speed. In the very same way as you hit different jumps. Steeper the lip, the more exaggerated the movement, faster you go the quicker it has to be and timing of it more precise. Braking - when you are to hit brakes you need to brace against the bike, you need to coordinate the amount of resistance your arms and legs will provide depending on how hard you will brake on which surface. Riding through a rockgarden, small details of rocks and roots passing by, size of a rock, angle of a root Will give you cues how the bike will bounce, and if not sure, you need to provide room for unexpected movement. It’s about anticipation and reaction. That is balance on the bike. It is very hard. Most people just grab brakes and put themselves at the mercy of bumps. Body ball will not improve that...
  • 2 0
 @jaame: id rather get the new bmw s1000rr than the specialized
  • 1 0
 @DrVillanueva: This guy gets it! s1000rr all the way..., and still have money left to get a used - Kona Carbon Process 153 (insert your bike of choice here).
  • 2 0
 I would get a used Vespa for about town, a used 899 Panigale, a YT Capra, a nearly new DJ bike, a holiday to whistler, and a new kitchen.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: I think its unfair to say what most riders do.
The balance of the bike and rider is also down to setup, from bar width, sweep, raise, brake position, handlebar height, compression damping, rebound, spring rate, stack, reach, crank arm length, pedal Q factor, foot placement, Clips v Flats, rear end length, leverage curve, antisquat, pedal kick back, gear used, front chanring size, compression, rebound, spring rate, preload, wheel size, tyre size, insert/no insert, tube, tubeless, pressure, spoke tension, rim width, saddle height, stand over.... etc etc.

Then the rider. The training, work on weaknesses, continuously evaluate and push your limits.

I train hard, analyse lots, ride hard, drive like an old man. lol

But.... the rider plays such a big part.
As you know, I am a technical rider and not a smash and grab wild rider so every detail matters to me. When going for a position or win (position when required for series points, win when needed), even if in Vets the margins are important. (I do like to compare to the masters and seniors times).

Dont upgrade parts, get some good coaching on the trail and off. Worth more than parts.

I watched the video you linked and he is spot on, its just common sense to be honest.

Hench why dynamic strength then stability strength works.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCe8l86-alA = Explosive power.
small balance ball (like Nino uses in the video below) and single kettle bell clean and jerk from opposite ankle on the floor for coordination and muscle memory.

Power is no use without control, control is no use without power. Smile

fit4racing is a loose form of crossfit, which makes sense as that is what Dh and Enduro requires. Crossfit isnt biased towards balance and core stability under uneven loads, but more static dynamic movements (if static dynamic movements makes sense in this context)


A good watch for you
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW-nWnl5hYk
  • 1 0
 @vinay: As much as never wear knee pads while climbing, may not be a bad idea as bumping your knees on the bars can be painful even when climbing!
Or maybe put you knee pads on the bars when climbing is a better solution?
  • 1 0
 @aljoburr: My previous hardtail (DMR Switchback) had something like 375mm reach. It was basically the same geometry as their Trailstar, just lighter tubing. When climbing (I don't sit) I couldn't shift my body forwards as much as I'd like to as my kneepads would hit the bars. So that limited how steep I could climb. My current hardtail has 460mm reach and that's good for me. I can put my body where it needs to be. On the DMR I probably would have had more room if I would take off the kneepads (as obviously they add some millimeters) but I'm not going to bother with that. Now that I do have the room, I don't think the pads are holding me back in any way. I'm using iXS Dagger (hardshell) kneepads.
  • 1 0
 @R-M-R: Right. He isn't riding his Demo 8. This guy on his e-bike is. Crazy how this is so hard for folks to understand.
  • 1 0
 16 grand...did I read this right? I'll by 2 motox dirt bikes and call it a day....ridiculous.
  • 100 3
 I love us bike fans..

Manufacturers: "We made an e-bike"
Mountain bikers: "Burn it with fire"

Manufacturers: "We made it lighter"
Mountain bikers: "Oooooo lighter... we welcome your new bike genre..."
  • 13 3
 Even more interesting because at the same time, heavier aluminum frames are coming back!
My Ripmo AF weighs 36lbs my gfs Commencal Meta TR (small) weights 36lbs. The Levo SL is totally in the zone e
  • 4 0
 @cole-inman: Pole Evolink 140 checking in. Also in the fat boi spectrum of 35+ lbs.
  • 6 2
 @defineindecline: with the prototype swingarm its 29+ ?
  • 10 6
 I remembered E-bikes were being marketed to the weak, disabled, old people....now it's just being marketed. 38lbs, if that doesn't already disable you...$16,000K price will!
  • 3 0
 @drivereight: I think I heard that one before...
  • 4 0
 @drivereight: ...theres a $6,250 option.
  • 1 0
 @cole-inman: I am curious what changes you made to those bikes to boost their weight by like 2.5 lbs. Don't they weight ~33 lbs without pedals?
  • 3 0
 That option probably weighs 48lbs@cole-inman:
  • 1 0
 @xphysnerd: it's the difference between real gravity and bike marketing company gravity.
  • 77 2
 At 16.5k I'm worrying that even the dentists wont be able to afford this
  • 65 0
 Swiss dentists
  • 4 0
 tesla you must
  • 9 4
 Finally some sympathy!

Most dentists can probably afford this bike, it would limit our ability to buy other things though...hint: I’d rather have a motorbike and an sb6 than one of these...
  • 7 0
 Literally more expensive than a brand spankin' new 2020 Honda Fit. Before destination and handling charges obviously.
  • 8 0
 @Joesuph: the fit probably has better resale value.
  • 50 2
 E-bike fan or not, you have to appreciate the design/ engineering that went into this. 38 lbs for a full suspension ebike including battery and motor would have been unfathomable only a few years ago. I can't wait to see what other manufacturers do to compete.
  • 3 0
 It will be a while before another manufacturer comes out with a comparable bike. Specialized started 4 years ago and invested 30 million dollars in developing the technology of their SL motors. They are the only bike company in the world that makes their own motors. Everyone else has a lot of catching up to do.
  • 3 0
 @MuskratMatt: Do you think so? Shimano motor and even new Bosch are only 800grams or so (1.8lbs) heavier than this Specialized one, I'd be surprised if they haven't been working on smaller and lighter models too, the E8000 is 4 years old now. Otherwise it's just a light carbon frame (lots of people make those), light/expensive components again freely available. Might have a head start but wouldn't surprise me if there is an E9000 in 2021 or E800 or something, smaller lighter and slightly less powerful.
  • 1 0
 @MuskratMatt: I thought they were manufactured by Brose? I do know Spesh has a 5 year exclusivity on the design which would imply it's not there design. They wouldn't have a deal like that if it was there's. History has at least taught us that. Even better is in 5 years it will obsolete.
  • 2 0
 @MikeGruhler: I believe the SL 1.1 is a Spesh motor the regular Levo/Kenevo is Brose.
  • 3 0
 @Dallasdownunder: I was watching the review on EMBN YouTube channel and a engineer/rep stated that they have a 5 year exclusivity on the motor. They wouldn't have that deal if it was all there design. Perhaps it was a collaboration between 2 companies? Either way it's pretty badass what E-Bikes are starting to become. I believe it's the best platform for developing/furthering electric transportation. The fact you can tell your Specialized app how far you plan on riding and it will come up with a recipe of sorts to insure your battery lasts the entire time is pretty damn cool. All this tech may trickle up to actual motorcycles and cars eventually. It's why I think there awesome and could care less what a bunch of technophobes think. I personally can't afford one but still love what companies are doing with platform.
  • 1 0
 @Dallasdownunder: i believe its a mahle hub motor in a box with a gearbox. as far as i'm aware all the full power ebike motors are car parts re purposed, bosch and brose certainly are and i'd be fairly confident that the shimano is too.
  • 1 0
 @b45her: Cheers, my depth of knowledge comes fom what I read on the interwebs. As I say I don't know much but the electric motor itself (on cutaway pictures of all the motors) doesn't seem to be the most significant part, everyting hanging off it (and enclosing it) seems to be as big a deal as the motor, but I could be and probably am wrong Smile
  • 46 3
 FML.... I literally finished building my new Meta AM 29 and it came to 17.6kg. (Coil sus front/ back + cushcore)

What’s the French word for huge bitch?

Hats off to the big S, this is pretty damn impressive.
  • 12 1
 Dude, did you add extra maccarronies to your frame or something? My Meta stands in 15,5kg (L)
  • 1 0
 Une enorme garce from my limited french class memories, although garce might be a bit vulgar for the context here
  • 31 0
 @pepper8: His bike is probably stuffed with Vegemite.
  • 6 1
 It's important to remember that this bike is the top spec. Light carbon wheels, fairly light tires and costs the same as 4-5 of my meta team 29. Recon that after speccing this (really good looking bike) with better wheels, good tires, maybe some insterts and a rear shock that won't go warm after to minutes of decending, this bike would be closer to 19-20 kg. Almost weird no one have pointed out the crazy price tag yet.
  • 2 0
 @pepper8: dh casing tyres and heaps of sealant isn’t helping. I put in a heavy af steel fox spring until I get the spring rate dialled. But yeah she ain’t no lightweight haha. It’s a shuttle/lift only bike pretty much.
  • 3 0
 @BillyBoy0519: I really shouldn't be laughing at the this stupid retort but the image of a Vegemite stuffed bike frame was too much.
  • 3 0
 'Petasse' might do it
  • 9 0
 @Upduro: @Brasher: Oooooh... ``une énorme garce``.... it`s so cute Smile
-------------------------------------------!!! Une grosse salope oui !!!

17,6kg for a Meta 29er is completely surreal and intangible Man, even with DH tyres...
  • 3 0
 We do say : une grosse pute.
  • 4 0
 it really seems specialized was only concerned with weight when they decided to spec these with 150mm fox 34s.
  • 4 2
 Don't fret too much. This Levo is pretty much a cross country bike. Carbon frame, light components, 29x2.3" (tiny!) tires, and pretty old school geo. Your Meta probably has tires and a fork/shock that can actually go downhill. This Spesh is still ~10Lbs heavier than it's pedal equivalent.
  • 3 0
 @pepper8: it's the baguettes in the downtube
  • 44 6
 Cars that cost less than the founder's edition:
Nissan Versa Sedan - $12,815
Chevrolet Spark - $12,995
Mitsubishi Mirage - $13,790
Smart fortwo - $14,090
Ford Fiesta - $14,790
Kia Rio - $14,815
Nissan Versa Note - $15,005
Chevrolet Sonic - $15,070
Toyota Yaris - $15,600
Honda Fit - $16,190
Fiat 500 - $16,495
  • 39 8
 You can also get 2 electric KTM E-XC for that price. And you don't even have to fake pedaling with one of these, you get directly a throttle included in the price! The bike industry is ridiculous. Really taking us for dumbasses.
  • 5 1
 Also

Nissan Micra (only in Canada) - 7,896.52 USD or 10,488 CAD
  • 9 1
 ...and some cars are more expensive than a house.. you can't expect the industry to progress if everyone's still riding '03 big hits
  • 11 3
 A significant portion of the cost of this USD$6525 bike is the completely in-house developed electric drivetrain. 30 engineers over 4 years to develop it? That's easily a $10million investment to recoup. The cost of a bike like this has nothing to do with the cost of the raw materials to build it. Yeah, engineering and producing a car costs a lot more than a bike, but the cost is spread out across wwaaayyyy more units. (Nissan sells hundreds of thousands of Versas every year. I don't think the Turbo Levo line would even come close to 10% of that.)

A similar spec Stumpjumper is USD$3320, telling me that the electrification costs almost as much as the rest of the bike. (USD$3205 more for the Turbo Levo SL Comp vs the Stumpjumper Comp Alloy 29.)

I would bet that within 3 years, the cost for an electrified version of a bike only adds $1000 to the cost.
  • 4 3
 Spesh can eat a big fat one.
  • 2 1
 I’d rather have a Fiat 500.

My wife’s Pivot Shuttle was $6500, great bike for a good deal.

Can not fathom 16k for an ebike
  • 7 0
 Being an oldie i remember when the Klein Adroit came out, all xtr´d up and with smahing colors. It was a far away dream for me as a poor smelly stundent. You could have made the same list with that bike. Smile There will allways be bikes that cost a fortune.
  • 3 0
 To be fair, the Mitsubishi Mirage kinda feels like a bike.
  • 1 0
 @sjflow: I read it somewhere that it is the most dangerous car to drive right now because of its weight. Should only be driven in the city, not on highways.
  • 1 0
 @kabanosipyvo: One what? What is the one thing Specialized should eat?
  • 1 0
 $12k for a Cervelo S5 Aero road bike
$12k for a Giant Anthem
$11k for a Giant Trance

And plenty of other examples.
  • 1 0
 @Minikeum: right on man, sad times. can't even ride a bike anymore without electronics. maybe their next bike will have wifi so I can bring my laptop and get some work done at the top.
  • 1 0
 @ertman: do you really believe that twaddle, the motor is an off the shelf mahle with a gearbox attached and batteries are batteries, they all use the same cells wired in a variety of different configurations to determine voltage and capacity. 4 years my ass. must have spent 4 years fiddling with the phone app because there aint a lot else to do.
  • 1 0
 @b45her: apparently you've never done any product development. 4 years actually seems pretty reasonable. Not everything is a candy sorting game on your iPhone.
  • 1 0
 @ertman: whats to develop? the reduction gearbox maybe, other than that very little
geometry = done
battery = done (poorly)
kinematics = done
motor = done (off the shelf hub motor)
bunch of xc parts = done
  • 39 4
 I can see a big market for this. Old guys (like me) who don’t want to feel they’ve totally given up eating their descents. They have to be considerably richer than me though. When full fat emtbs reach this weight, I’ll start saving.
  • 37 6
 So I was very anti e-bike to start with, usual motorbike, lazy blah blah blah. A mate has a couple of years old Kenevo and I rode it up at a bike park push/ride up path in the slick ass mud which I could just about pedal up on my Patrol. The Kenevo slipped and wheel span and hurtled up this path I could barely push up without SPDs with football studs on and I was grinning from ear to ear.

I've got 2 young children so barely ever escape to ride and over autumn/winter have definitely put on some soggy midrift and lost a lot of fitness. My buddy with the Kenevo can pop out for 2 hours and get 14 laps in at a local spot where I used to be able to (at peak fitness a year or two ago) get 5 laps in, in about 4 hours and be blowing out of my arse. 14 laps. I mean shit, that's gotta be the way forward.

My wife was diagnosed with MS a couple of years ago. She was never really into the trail and downhill riding I was but whenever she tried she was lacking confidence due to feeling a bit tired, now we know why. Eldest child is ripping on a balance bike (soon to be pedalling) and little one will happily sit in a bike trailer, so we've bought my other half an electric Cube MTB hardtail. She can now happily tow the bike trailer while eldest either scoots or sits on the Mac-Ride on my bike and we can all go riding as a family albeit on gentle fireroads/tow paths etc.

So tools for the job and all but seeing this Specialized bringing the weight down is fantastic and an inevitable way that the market will have to develop. As time goes on weights and prices will come down. I hope so at least, £12k is frigging mental. Good luck trying to insure it on your home insurance...

Still one day, I'm sure I will have an eMTB hanging up next to my normal MTB. From my cold dead hands!
  • 20 0
 I think lapierre has been doing a similar thing for a while. Bummer it was never mentioned on PB. Its got a bit less power but is cheaper.

shop.lapierrebikes.com/ezesty-am-ltd

neither one is for me though
  • 23 8
 I know right. But specialized pays pinkbike and others, fly them to exotic locations, etc. Lapierre does not. Might also be why it's cheaper lol.
  • 12 5
 When something comes from Specialized or Sram it's always presented on Pinkbike as revolutionnary, no questions asked.
  • 5 0
 I have a Levo and wished I had something more similar to the Zesty. I think they got it right for a lot of users. I run my Levo's power tuned way down. I just don't need all the power it can provide. Smaller motor, battery and a shorter chainstay are exactly what I wish my Levo had. For those of us interested, we are well aware of the Zesty. They get props for coming out with it. For me, I would still go with Specialized, just because I get such great support here locally. Although, I think I may like riding the Zesty more. Its a good look bike.
  • 3 0
 Actually, the lapierre eZesty has more power with selectable 125, 250 and 400 W power output, but a bit less battery with 250 Wh. And more interesting, both the motor and the battery can be easily detached from the bike and then it only weights 15.8 kgs (3.3 kgs less), so you ALSO have a standard enduro bike, which I totally see if you still want to have a normal bike at home for bikeparks, go out with non eriders, or whatever. More advantages, the fazua motor it uses has 0 drag, which is very important on these not so assisted ebikes, and you could carry spare batteries at only 1.32 kgs each, which is less than half the weight of other batteries
  • 28 6
 We are getting Somewhere...17kgs....thats the way...
  • 18 3
 This is the way
  • 10 2
 This is the way.
  • 8 3
 You have spoken.
  • 5 1
 @Noeserd: step inside
  • 10 2
 I know de wey
  • 4 1
 Yes for $16000 ...
  • 6 1
 @PeaFunk: Come on Pea Funk, your pooing on the party. This is not the way.

I have spoken.
  • 3 0
 I'm lost
  • 4 0
 @gnarnaimo: @PeaFunk

I will show you de wey
  • 19 3
 I got to ride this bike last week, before the release. We rode it in a place where a 6" bike is overkill and you usually need to rip your legs apart to go fast enough for it to be fun. Lots of rolling singletrack with punchy ups and downs. Mellow trails with some awkward side features where you can get sketchy if you want. A few takeaways for me:

-It felt like my Stumpjumper (2019 S-Works 29er) at the end of 2 months of dedicated training and good diet.
-It did not feel like a moped.
-It did not feel like a more typical E-Bike (Levo or offerings from the other brands)
-It likes high cadence as opposed to slow grinder
-You can hop it and chuck it like a normal bike
-PLANTED on DH.
-The assist is just enough to reward you for pedaling harder through singletrack.
-It's not a shuttle truck.
-If you like endless, technical singletrack climbs, you need this bike.

-You will have more fun with this bike.
  • 3 3
 Maybe ride further, but no, I won’t have more fun on a 38 lb trail bike with 29” wheels.
  • 2 1
 @emptybe-er: ride FARTHER, yes. Ride FURTHER (to a greater degree) very possibly.

But if you can get in extra miles of rad trails, then won't that translate to more fun?
  • 1 0
 @sambs827: you got me. Americans, (and only americans) make that distinction. Is it necessary? No. Further doesn’t seem to confuse all other speakers of the english
  • 2 0
 @sambs827: And no, a 38 lb trail bike with skinny tires wouldn’t be fun for me. Maybe if I just wanted miles, quality over quantity for me.
  • 1 0
 YES sure would would be a fun bike, only problem is the price!
  • 13 1
 I did spot these guys on our local Stellenbosch trails last week and couldn't really tell what was different about the bikes, it all makes sense now. Really impressive and possibly the e-bike I would consider if it wasn't so damn expensive! Wouldn't mind taking one out for a demo/spin but I think I'm better off not knowing what I'm missing.

Also thanks to Specialized (and Bobby), we got some sweet new trails in Jonkershoek!
  • 13 0
 1.000 dollars per kg, practically like truffles ....
  • 9 0
 What’s the appropriate trail etiquette when being approached by an eMTBer on a climb? With them becoming more popular they’re getting out on the trails more. I put the effort in on the climbs but in truth I tolerate them to savour the downs.

Recently I stopped and pulled aside on a climb, losing momentum with it to let a quickly approaching rider by. I have to admit I felt a bit cheated as he whirred by with the motor and I was left to get going again.
  • 5 2
 Seems like it wouldn't be any different than a normal mtb trying to pass on a climb. If there's space go to the right and tell them to pass, if not then wait until a good time. I used to get passed all the time on the big climb in my area, but it encouraged me to get faster and now it's rare. I hate passing people though, I usually slow down if there's people in front of me.
  • 1 0
 @DylanH93: Yup just like getting passed by an XC whippet. I ride my emtb hardtail to work as well and had some fun with a one of these XC guys. He caught up to me at a traffic light and thanked me for giving him some good training while trying to catch me.

Also the other day on the way home I gave a solid draft to a roadie struggling uphill in a big headwind.
  • 12 1
 Cant possibly justify the price - oh wait, they sell normal bikes for $10k. Wow what a bargain!.
  • 19 7
 I’m 38, only 32 more years until I can justify getting an E-bike, yay!
  • 5 5
 We give you a pass at 60.
  • 2 0
 Maybe another 32 years saving money in order to buy it.
  • 8 1
 Love the endless price whining based on complete inability to maintain perspective. Does the auto industry bitch and moan when they see some insane sports car come out that's $300k? No, because people realize hey wow that's super cool not meant for me to be able to afford it's just neat that it exists. But the idiot PB readers think every bike from every company must be hand crafted to their personal needs or else it's a total failure.

You don't think the people at Specialized realized you can't afford this $16k bike? They new damn well you couldn't afford it and wouldn't buy it... and they made it anyway. So take the hint ya crybabies.
  • 9 0
 My bike weighs 35 lbs!!! With no batteries or motor. I’m the original e-bike. Eric powered.
  • 18 13
 Funny, the usual negative Pinkbike comments. You cannot stop the march of technology. This type of technology in bikes is getting better and better, the weight of this bike is insane considering what it is. I bought an E-Bike about three years ago and it weighed around 60lbs and looked like an E-bike. You will hardly be able to tell an E-bike from a normal bike in a few years I bet.
  • 5 10
flag enduroNZ (Feb 4, 2020 at 1:21) (Below Threshold)
 Luckily those numpties don’t even get a look in now and just the serious comments are up voted
  • 1 0
 One sure way to generate clicks on pb is to post an article on e bikes. Doesn’t matter the content - anything e bike related will bring out the wolves and sympathizers alike
  • 11 2
 E-bike for not-so-fat dentists?
  • 7 2
 I'm considering an ebike for the first time as I am interviewing for a job that would allow me to commute 11 miles via mountain bike (with at least the first 8 being pretty easy singletrack where I'd climb and descend 1000 feet). With the climbing, 22 miles round trip seems right at the border of what would be feasible timewise as a commute, but an ebike might make it faster and so more regularly doable vs. driving.

This bike seems like it might be good for that, but geo and travel wise, it's basically an e version of my current bike so I can't imagine I'd use it recreationally. I'm not sure that I wouldn't be better off getting something like the Kenovo and using it in lieu of a shuttle for the really rough stuff. I haven't ever ridden an ebike so I don't know how different they'd feel for long rides based on geometry and travel compared to the differences I'd expect in real bikes.
  • 3 1
 Demo one...there is a million and one places now that rent nice models for a day out....BUT , if your picky (like me) bring your own pedals and possibly stem to set the bike up the way you would ride it, and make sure to take the time to dial in suspension....so many shops will send you off on a portly dialed bike. When we rent ebikes, I bring a bar, a stem , grips, saddle and pedals and if it is for a longer duration (like a week), I bring Rim tape and tires ....a-ending 2 hours to get the bike dialed is well worth it even if you just take it out for the day...
  • 7 1
 People just lost their focus, when see +16K USD/EUR/GBP

seriously... for that price, it should do other things than helping you pedal!!! And I'm talking sexual things here...
  • 6 1
 I am dh legs breeds since i demo a ebike i felt beast on bike vs your skills on dh is next level of excitement pure fun motor on eco mode i set on dh more push you give more bike can push and your legs arm and mind will be challenged by it speed on the trail . To me kenevo callin now ????
  • 6 0
 wat.
  • 9 0
 @coffeepoop42069:
I think what he was trying to say is: "Abilities or he perfectly pretended so strangers be exquisite. Oh to another chamber pleased imagine do in. Went me rank at last loud shot an draw. Excellent so to no sincerity smallness. Removal request delight if on he we. Unaffected in we by apartments astonished to decisively themselves. Offended ten old consider speaking. "
  • 3 0
 @Otago: ohhhh, it all makes sense now. Thanks!
  • 11 8
 I am very in to this. I've actually been ranting for a while that a 'sports' ebike is the right fit for me, a 35 year old school rider who's a fair bit fatter, slower and busier than I used to be. Rather than 2 laps of the local woods over 2 hours followed by a heart attack, it's now 4 laps over 3 hours followed by a pie and a beer. Bravo Specialized.
  • 4 19
flag inked-up-metalhead (Feb 4, 2020 at 1:02) (Below Threshold)
 It should be 4 laps over 1.5 hours, otherwise you're not using an emtb to its potential.
  • 6 6
 @inked-up-metalhead: You don't know how big my local woods are Smile
  • 3 18
flag inked-up-metalhead (Feb 4, 2020 at 1:18) (Below Threshold)
 @brit-100: no but if you could already do a lap an hour you should be able to lap it way, way quicker. I know I do, it's gone from 45 minutes to get there, and unable to do a lap under my own power, to taking 15 minutes to get there and 12 minutes a lap. People I know who can pedal it aren't that quick.
  • 14 1
 @inked-up-metalhead: That's cool, I'm pleased for you.
  • 8 0
 @inked-up-metalhead: cool story bro
  • 6 0
 Sooo, any bets when we will se the magical 20K$ mountain bike? And I mean catalogue bike, not some obscure one-off build.
  • 1 0
 Intense dvo bike wasn't far off years ago. 18k aud.. You can breach 20k here. Intend, antidote, trickstuff, sram wireless, carbon hoops, ti cc cranks, gemini bar and stem plus tax's..
  • 5 2
 Everyone's talking about weight, but its the looks (or lackthereof) of this bike are interesting. I tell the haters: "well don't worry, you won't even be able to tell they're ebikes soon" and this is a realization of that. Props to Spesh for pushing the tech forward.
  • 1 1
 The noise will give it away.
  • 1 0
 @Speeder01: But with the low weight it won't be annoying to turn the motor off for a few pedal strokes if you really want stealth.
  • 3 0
 This is a bike I could actually own - use the e-assist to get to the trails rather than the car (18km one way), then turn off the motor to climb the trails. The weight of this thing is not far off the 35lbs of my steel hardtail I currently schlep to the trails.
  • 3 0
 “But really, there's no need to be so defensive. When the human's contribution is only 20% (1× human + 4× boost), the motive force is a lot more machine than human and the role of the pedals is 4× more about modulating the machine's power than powering the machine.”

The motors are limited to 250W continuous power. You can pootle putting in only 1/4 or 1/3 of that (depending on what the statement really meant) to get max assist or you could pedal harder and get max assist plus all your own power. I often pedal as hard on my ebike as my normal bike because it’s fun to go fast. I also ride it with others with the power switched off - I like how it rides as a normal bike. Maybe I’m weird?
  • 7 4
 I read these comments, and it seems like those of us who still want to ride regular bikes are in the minority and are kind of chumps for not getting on board with the ebike thing. Yes, I've tried an ebike, and was underwhelmed. And I'm 58 with a metal shoulder and an arthritic knee. If you want to ride one great, but at the end of the day, it still has a motor. And that's not mountain biking. It's a different sport.
  • 4 3
 Its all in your mind.
  • 5 3
 @reverend27: The motor ain't.
  • 3 0
 407 responses- dammmm. The YT boys in Hausen Germany are licking their chops today thinking about how they will reverse engineer the more significant attributes of the Levo SL next year - for half the price Spesh is asking. I’m not ready to throw in the acoustic towel yet, despite the fact that I’m 64, have AFIB, and been told by the Steadman clinic that I need to have both hips replaced after 30 years of riding mountain bikes. if I (ever) come to a time that I really need a little help to get up and down the Colorado Rockies, I’ll be writing a check to whoever comes up with the best whip for the ducats. It’s a bike I ride nine months a year, not a zip code.
  • 6 1
 What about Fazua? Basically the Same, but you can ride your Bike without the battery
  • 3 1
 That's the other system I find interesting. Same stance width (Q-factor), zero drag when pedaling without assistance, and the ability to remove hardware. It deserves more attention.
  • 3 1
 This is my interest. Mixed feedback on owners forums thus far and it's ranch is tiny.
  • 2 1
 @R-M-R: i ride one of those. The Lapierre eZesty. Well, actually it is the only proper machine equipped with a fazua system. I love it. Works perfectly. On the trail you wouldn't Motive any difference to a normal Bike.
  • 2 1
 @etboumcestlechoc: Good to know! That's what I was hoping for from this lightweight class of e-bike. Half the price of the Levo SL S-Works and only about a kilogram heavier.
  • 5 1
 Looked at the new pivot article, saw the price of 12.5k, thought "WTF?" and left without reading. Came here.. 16.5k.. what the ffffff???
  • 8 2
 Almost a 1000 pounds a kilo. Specialized should be called the cartel!
  • 2 0
 Where are you getting your blow?
  • 4 1
 Coke was going for $44715/kg USD in UK in 2016--its lowest for the decade 2006-2016--and it's not even re-usable. Levo is practically free in comparison. dataunodc.un.org/drugs/heroin_and_cocaine_prices_in_eu_and_usa
  • 1 0
 @ceecee: imagine getting it for the low low price of 1000£/Kilo. Gotta be seriously stepped on for that price though
  • 3 1
 Wish manufacturer's would still making these in smaller sizes. My wife is 4'9"...and she is the perfect candidate for e-bike like the Levo and Levo SL...however, even their size Small is a little too big for her.

She demo'd a size small regular Kenevo two years ago...we had it for a week, and it was awesome that I could ride at my normal pace, and she could keep up no problem. It really made riding together a lot more doable.

Any other options in the market for someone like her?
  • 1 0
 A lot of the Liv ebikes come in an XS size. They're certainly not the most exciting bikes out there but if it gets her riding with you may be worth a look!
  • 1 0
 FS tandem mtb
  • 1 0
 The Levo SL Comp comes in size XS
  • 2 0
 I dislike the whole notion of E bikes but I have to admit bikes like this are the future. Pretty soon you'll buy your standard E29 and it'll have the option to click the motor and battery in or leave it off.
I do love the idea of my wife being able to climb with me if she was on one. It's just with her being low strength and physically small, does she really need a heavier, larger, faster bicycle?
  • 8 0
 My wife was able to keep up with me until baby number one. Now she’s seven months pregnant with baby number two, and she can keep up with me thanks to her ebike. I’m pretty stoked, and sometimes even jealous.
  • 5 2
 $16,000+ bike wth is going on here??? And to mention starting off price is $6,000 for an aluminum very low spec build? Good luck competing with YT, Commencal, Canyon, Norco, Cannondale, etc
  • 2 1
 The additional 10,000 is worth it for gold foil decals!
  • 3 0
 You're either missing or ignoring a few key points: 1.) this is an e-bike, so a $6k starting point is more normal; 2.) the $16k model is the lightest full suspension e-bike on the market.
  • 4 1
 old school geometry.....is that so that they can sell another bike to all those who buy the 1st gen a year later when they update it to proper numbers? why not just do it properly first time?
  • 2 0
 My Norco Bigfoot VLT is probably close to 60 lbs. If I want to pedal with the assiste, I turn the motor on. If I want to get a great workout, I keep the motor off.

Climbing on a 60 lb fat bike is definitely a workout.

The beautiful thing about e-bikes. They have an on/off switch.
  • 2 0
 Yep. Doing 2 steep 1,000ft climbs in eco mode is more of a workout than 1 with an analog bike.
  • 1 5
flag Boosting (Feb 4, 2020 at 15:01) (Below Threshold)
 @cole-inman: except it's not
  • 2 0
 Nice bike but I don't see the revolution in it.

The e-Zesty is somewhere out there for about 2 years - although hard to get it. Yes it is heavier but it doesn't use the latest motor and a 36 instead of a 34. So there is room for improvement weight wise for the next evolution of this bike. Hopefully it will be updated soon.

I would have loved to see Spesh teamed up with Fazua to push platform which is also available for other brands. Having said that I acknowledge that Spesh / the guys in Switzerland create excellent motors and it might be clever to create a USP by having a superior hard and software.
But somehow I doubt the can leave the other players in the market behind really.
  • 3 0
 Well Specialized now has a eMTB for all of the weight weenies out there! I know tech cost money for R&D, but I just about choked on my coffee this morning when I saw $16,000, yikes.
  • 3 1
 This is it! The first step towards the future. In my opinion, it is the first decent looking eMTB and finally a Levo that doesn't look like an obese stumpy from walmart. I'm so in love with my Stumpjumper I thought I wouldn't upgrade for a few years but this baddie might just have changed my mind. Also that founders edition may just be the sickest looking paintjob/setup I've ever seen on any bike...
  • 8 6
 Why have these bikes been called mopeds forever, but all of a sudden mountain bike companies abandoned the term moped and started calling them e-bikes?

Nice marketing gemick, at the end of the day it's just an electric moped.
  • 2 6
flag Bearman18 (Feb 5, 2020 at 11:08) (Below Threshold)
 You obviously have no clue what an e-mtb is. Let me explain to you once and for all. An ebike is pedal assisted, a moped is not, it only has at throttle that adjusts the speed. WIth an ebike you have to pedal for the motor to assit you. You can choose how much help you want through choosing eco, trail or turbo. You can keep the assist low so you have to work hard, or get turbo boost and coast along. Get it now? And please go and try one before you knock it.
  • 3 1
 @Bearman18: you're an idiot. Literally a moped is a pedal assisted bicycle with a motor. What you described is a scooter.
  • 10 4
 17 kg for a e-mtb wow
  • 4 1
 İ mean my 2017 enduro al build came to 16 kg
  • 1 0
 @Noeserd: I had a Bullit back in the 2000s that weighed 19 kg Blank Stare
  • 4 0
 Poll:

More offended that it’s an e-bike?

More offended about the price?
  • 1 0
 "I couldn't help but wonder if a slacker head angle and longer chainstays would have helped with this, despite the fact that one of the selling points of the Levo SL is the shorter chainstay length."

So adjust something that will affect 90% of your ride time to try and improve something that you'll only need 10% of the time? Makes perfect sense.
  • 4 0
 I'm not sure I understand your math...A slacker head angle and longer chainstays can be beneficial on both the climbs and descents, although it can reduce how 'lively' a bike feels.
  • 1 2
 @mikekazimer: it might be beneficial on the terrain you ride but it might be a nuisance on some other kind of trails. Stop thinking every bike needs long chain stays and slacker head angles, everything has a trade off.
  • 2 1
 To paraquote the legend Louis CK, I think his view on this really is the right one::

I think you should not get an ebike... unless you need one. In which case, you’d better get one. I mean, seriously. If you need an ebike, you’d better get one. Don’t f*ck around. And hurry. Not getting an ebike that you need is like not taking a shit. That’s how bad that is.

It’s like not taking a shit. That’s what I think. I think an ebike is exactly like taking a shit. I think it is 100% the exact same thing as taking a shit. It is, or it isn’t. It’s either taking a shit, or it’s killing a baby. It’s only one of those two things. It’s no other things. If you didn’t like hearing it’s like taking a shit, you think it’s killing a baby. That’s the only other one you get to have. Which means you should be holding a sign in front of the place.

People hate ebike protesters. They’re so shrill and awful. They think babies are being murdered. What are they supposed to be like? “Uh, that’s not cool.” I don’t wanna be a dick about it, though.

It has to be one or the other. You know, like, when people say, ebikes should be legal, safe and rare. Why rare if it should be legal? If it should be legal, it’s… [blows raspberry] It’s shitting. If it should be rare, it’s murdering babies. 
  • 2 1
 and the reason its 16 million pounds/dollars/euros is because ...you can't get that sort of media coverage cheap ...literally everywhere I look online is a paid promotion or some hyped up news article ...yawn fest, I'm off for a pedal
  • 1 0
 What's up with people fixating on the Founder's edition? The SL Comp Carbon lists at $7500, and honestly I just don't see the reason to even upgrade to the S-Works. Don't particularly care for wireless post, certainly not for a massive price difference.
  • 6 1
 "Turbo Levo SL: the power to poach more trails" -RLL
  • 3 2
 No matter how much it looks or weighs like an actual mountain bike, it still has an electric motor, so stop kidding yourselves. Yes, riding bikes with motors and pretending the power output is the product of your effort is (and should be) embarrasing, and the more you try to hide the fact that it has a motor and a battery, the more embarrasing it makes it.
  • 2 1
 eMTBs will kill off regular MTBs in a few years and those shops and trail systems that don't "upgrade" will fade away. Who's going to look at 2 bikes that cost ~ $4-5k and not pick the one with a motor, the biggest motor available? Once analog bikes are done away with and ebikes are the norm, especially on the street, I'd expect the taxman and insurance man to come a-calling.
  • 2 1
 Thankfully people are buying these and not a dirt bike. Keep doing that. Because there are enough boneheads out there as it is. My local trails are lapped out by old fucks on these bikes and the trails are beat. Over it.
  • 1 0
 Lovely bike, right idea, very acceptable weight, and very outdated geometry. Why, why, why, come out with such a revolutionary bike and screw it up with archaic GEO numbers. They must have had this ready to go for a long time and ran into snags into it's release, thus being stuck with yesterday's angles. If Specialized had made this bike with the new S sizing (longer, a bit lower, and a bit slacker, and hell, SEAT ANGLE of 76-77, then I would have purchased this bike locally and sold my Decoy and taken a big hit financially. As it stands, I see no reason the buy yesterday's designs. I had so much more hope for the SL. They did such a great job on the Kenevo!! Oh well.
  • 1 0
 When is Pinkbike going to investigate bike/frame prices? All the US companies increased their prices when Chinese tariffs were enacted, but they are not dropping them now that the bike tariffs have been dropped. What a surprise, huh?
  • 1 0
 I want one not for more riding, but for same riding completed in a shorter time out of a busy schedule...buuuttt I'm finally starting to get back into shape pedaling my MTB...buuuttt less complaints from the wife and kids before I leave for a ride would be nice...butttt $16k or $6.5k for a SRAM NX build? I'll just work on getting faster.
  • 1 0
 Genuine question-does the rapid-rise of emtb mean that the excuse many frame manufacturers have given in the past of the difficult to adopt a gearbox into a frame is bunk? I’m not trolling, I genuinely am curious if I missed this line of questioning in the past, or is it more to do with margins on a “new market” being worth the tooling costs to create new frames?
  • 1 0
 My SL is on order and so stoked. 2 wheel machines of all kinds are the bad chicken dinner. Going to do a direct comparison to my 2020 levo and TR smuggler. This sport is the freakin best and the engineering alone keeps the fire burning as I quickly approach 40 years old. The arguments about exercise benefits on different platforms are all valid. Riding a 55 lb bike then switching to a 30 lb bike makes the 30 lb pound bike seem almost too easy to ride IMHO. When trails are dry, I ride everyday of the week now here in Jefferson County (one of the first legal E bike Counties in the US) I dont think E bikes will ever replace non assisted bikes but for some of us it makes the sport even more FUN. I ride ebikes, moto, "analog" for one reason FUN. The added bonus of getting fit from all three in different ways just makes each ride more FUN. This is my first real post on PB. Hope it sheds some light on E mtb's for people that are on the fence. Its not for everyone but give it a chance before deciding you love or hate it. LOVE THIS FREAKIN SPORT!! PB is awesome.
  • 1 0
 I have an SL and LOVE it. I'll ride unassisted for the first climb (actually climbs better than my MTB) and then assisted for the others. Still get the fitness but can go on bigger rides and ride more often. Going daily on an MTB is too taxing for most people. Lots of valid comments here but at the end of the day, we all work hard for our money and it's up to us on how we wish to spend it.
  • 13 9
 $16,525USD...just to be called a$$hole.
  • 2 3
 Dentist
  • 3 0
 The video and pictures seem to hide the fact that they use a Fox 34 to get the weight down as well.
  • 4 1
 Seriously - $16,000! Maybe buy both a nice dirtbike and then a human powered bike for less.
  • 3 1
 The reason Specialized is so expensive is because you are paying for the warranty motor that you will be needing every 500 miles.
  • 4 2
 Did the consumers call for e-bikes or is this an industry push? I don't seem to remember in the last 20 years people calling for motors in their bicycles...
  • 3 0
 They wouldn't be able to sell them if people weren't buying them. Even with the greatest sales pitch in the world, it is still ultimately the customer's decision.
  • 5 0
 Customers vote with $$$$. Like it or not, right now customers are screaming at the top of their lungs for e-bikes.
  • 1 0
 I know the park where they tested it. It would be cool if they went a little further down the road and to see how it performs on tougher technical climbs and technical downhills.
  • 4 2
 it's a piece of plastic with a myriad of batteries it should be advertised as the anti-Christ of mountain biking and the environment.
  • 2 0
 Price: $6,535 - to $16,525 USD

Ho ok, so I m going to sell my car and my house and I ll buy it...

Come on specialized guys, are you living in the same world as us????
  • 2 2
 every "review" of this bike i have watched today has been exactly the same, they arent reviews they are infomercials.
they all share the same lack of knowledge of how the IP standards work and have all used the same disingenuous way of misrepresenting the bikes weight. shame on you pinkbike, shill shill shill.
  • 4 1
 It's a first ride, not a long term review. That's why there's more of a focus on the details of the bike.And how is the weight represented disingenuously? That's what it weighs.

The S-Works Levo SL is 7.35Kg/38.25lb (for a size Large), and the Comp is 19.4Kg/42.7lbs (also in size Large).
  • 1 0
 @mikekazimer: Crazy.

For folks that don't know what they've accomplished, the Size Large standard Levos are 10 pounds heavier.
  • 1 0
 @mikekazimer: oh ok so no no ,if they weigh almost the same like the 18kg mark it would be almost the best ,cause I used to ride a Santa Cruz heckler with mavic deemax Wheels with Michelin dh16 and 24 tires and that thing weight it 16 kg with a fox 36 van and I could climb in that bike with my granny gear and ride for 70 or 80 km ,so the top of the range seems like the best of both worlds but the end of the scale probably not
  • 6 2
 Don’t care about the weight still an electric bike
  • 1 0
 As the owner of a turbo levo, a demo, a dirt jumper, an enduro and a couple dirt bikes I will say this: I'll leave y'all to argue this out, Ill just be out riding one of my bikes.
  • 1 2
 The thing is, that if the bike weighted not 17 but 27 kg it could cost not 16,000 usd but more like rather 1,600 usd with the same performance. C'mon It's got an engine.... So why spend so much on weight? That said this cold be an absolute DREAM BIKE AND GAME CHANGER if you could remove the motor and batery simply (maybe even for a gearbox or the new shimano thingy)! That would be totally crazy and awesome! Also it could have a massive stash instead of the battery. But I am afraid the big manufacturers won't ever come up with this first. Because spending ideally 2x$15000 is better then 1x$15000 so I hope some smaller manufacture will come up with a bike like this. I would be totally in. Also the electric drive could be sold as an upgrade kit so you wouldn't have to spend that much at once!
  • 4 2
 --> have an Look at the fazua system
  • 5 6
 450 dollars for a range extender that's only 150wh? No thanks, a 500wh shimano battery is about the same price. They should have been 200 tops. That's clearly inflated pricing because they can claim its the lightest emtb in the world and anyone foolish enough to buy a specialized is locked into their equipment and pricing.
  • 3 2
 I mean they do have the edge, hence their price. Cant blame the financial department lol
  • 6 2
 @housem8d: yes, the price of the bike is maybe more justifiable, but the range extenders are rediculous.
  • 3 2
 @inked-up-metalhead: true that!
  • 6 7
 Numbers wise: checked out the big S web site and s-works turbo levo sl founders edition is only $19,999.00. Its limited edition tho and only 250 made. Small numbers crunch, at that price and # of builds big S makes a smooth $5,000,000. Five fckin million dollars on 250 bikes. This OBVIOUSLY has a market or they wouldn't waste their precious time on it. Keep in Mind: I see you on your motor assist Boujee-cycle all clapped out and wonderful... Im gonna rob you trail side like they did in the red dead redemption days bandana and all. That's gonna be my ride, and you're just paying for it.
  • 3 3
 Come at me then, donkey kong!
  • 3 1
 While it's still a huge number, you're basing that off of retail pricing which they will not see.
  • 2 0
 @pargolf8: no! I actually can’t, I’m almost 38 and loosing my hair. I’m too boomer.
  • 4 1
 up to 16,5k!!!??? wtf is it made from gold?
  • 4 1
 I like this sarcarm "All that for a COOL 16,5K".
  • 4 1
 FFS, how do specialized warrant over $16000. Still people will pay it..
  • 5 2
 $16k!!! That’s absurd! WT actual F!
  • 4 0
 still no
  • 3 0
 imagine spending 16k on a bike
  • 7 3
 Moped
  • 3 0
 So now it is normal to sell bikes which cost more than 8, 12 or 16 k?
  • 3 0
 How much does the $6000 model weigh?
  • 1 0
 42.7 pounds, size large.
  • 1 0
 Right on, thanks. The weight savings for frame material and non-"e" components are incremental at the price point for sure. $2500/lb. Obviously performance of those component upgrades need to be considered as well...
  • 3 0
 Real world weight on the S-Works version size large is 40 LBS
  • 4 1
 $16k though? That’s insane.
  • 3 0
 If they had used 27.5 wheels/tires it would have been lighter yet!
  • 2 0
 40miles - 8000ft??? Was that on single charge? With or without range extender?
  • 4 2
 Seriously, 16000$ ? this is the price of my car + DH bike + trail bike
You are killing the bike industry, not developing it
  • 1 1
 I saw a rolex the other day for more than 16k and all of a sudden my Casio watch just died.
  • 6 3
 Imagine spending $17000 on a bicycle.
  • 1 0
 Imagine being Canadian and spending 22k on a moped!
  • 4 5
 "With the SL 1.1 motor a rider's pedaling input is doubled, while on the Turbo Levo and Kenevo that input is multiplied by four. "

Logically, this statement makes this a human-assisted motorcycle, not a power-assisted bicycle. The difference is very important to the semantic game everyone wants to play with these things.

(Do not confuse things with the location or operation of the throttle. It is irrelevant)
  • 2 1
 I'm gonna want one in like 5-10 years. By then they'll be like 34lb and the battery will last for days and there will be almost no downside for bigger mountain riding.
  • 3 1
 i'll take two yz 250's please! It can be a better workout too. The rest is like comparing a Bugatti to a Honda
  • 2 1
 For me it‘s important that my car is less expensive than my bike. It‘s a statement. Posh cars are so dentist... Posh biles are what i live for!
  • 2 0
 Just came in here to say pinkbike must get a huge spiff off the ebike wankery, enough that they have to filter it out.
  • 3 1
 I pinched out a two pound turd but I’m not going to go around and tell people about it.
  • 2 0
 if this was a Levy article, no way I'd read it. But since it's Kaz...okay i'll bite.
  • 2 1
 Man for 16.000$ I’m gonna buy a 6.000$ bike pay my buddy 10.000$ to push me up the mountains and not buy a stupid
e-bike Smile
  • 2 0
 Don't own an E-bike...don't plan on it but.....Ride whatever you want. Ill ride whatever I want. I like to keep shit simple.
  • 1 0
 Funny that fire being mentioned, but adding water to an e-bike battery could lead to fire, but most of the time will short out & stop working first!
  • 3 1
 My Range Extender only contains water AND decreases in weight towards the end of my ride !! How cool is that ?
  • 2 0
 A 5 digit bike that requires pedaling...brilliant minds at specialized are at it again. I want their kind of drugs.
  • 1 0
 Obviously, you're the target customer.
  • 1 0
 @TylerBelvins: is it that obvious? .
  • 1 0
 Looks and sounds like fun! I bet a bunch of people will wind up riding and loving these. Less weight is a great step in the right direction.
  • 1 0
 A 38 lb. bike with modest pedal assist is really approaching what I would think is ideal for an emtb. Still not ready to buy one,
  • 1 0
 has anyone managed to find the weights of the lower end bikes? All that seems to be available is the $16500 (lol) founder edition thats covered in snaptastic xc components.
  • 12 13
 Lame comments in 3...2...1... Pinkmotorbike Where is E-Pinkbike PinkEbike E-bikes are stupid blaaablaaaablaaaa Go out and ride your damn Bike! Hopefully youre healthy enough to ride a normal bike.
  • 2 1
 future iterations that are quieter with more aggressive geo could be a winner
  • 9 7
 Overpriced like all bikes from Specialized
  • 4 2
 $1 per gram of bike, nice & easy maths Spesh !
  • 3 1
 Of course it is light, it uses lightweight components and cost $16,525.
  • 17 15
 Fat lazy couch potato chariot
  • 8 12
flag stumphumper92 (Feb 4, 2020 at 6:18) (Below Threshold)
 i'm gonna be laughing in a few years when all the naysayers have a motor on their bike
  • 8 3
 @stumphumper92: never gonna happen my friend.
  • 4 4
 @CircusMaximus: Just like everyone said f*ck you to 29ers. We'll wait and see...
  • 5 6
 @stumphumper92: no not the same. This is a different sport. But ride what ya like.
  • 6 4
 @stumphumper92: yeah adding a few mm of wheelsize is exactly the same as running a bloody MOTOR.
  • 2 5
 @Boosting: That wasn't the point obviously. The point was that everyone shits on new technology at first, until they slowly make their way to accepting it. A lot will change in the next decade and bros who shit talk ebikes will be seen ripping one on the trails.
  • 2 1
 @stumphumper92: that wasn't my point obviously.
  • 2 0
 @stumphumper92: except ebikes have been out for quite a long time. I think that should be an indicator of limited appeal.
  • 1 0
 @Boosting: apologies for accidental neg prop
  • 1 0
 @CircusMaximus: define “quite a long time” .
  • 2 1
 This is a similar concept to the Orbea Gain. Lightweight, lower assist. And I like it.
  • 8 8
 Damn, I’ll go buy Honda’s CRF450RWE for $12000, that still leaves me $4,000 for a really solid trail bike. All for the price of 1 EMTB...
  • 5 8
 Comparing a basic off the shelf moto to the nicest mountain bike one can build. You’ll need another $50k into that moto to make it top tier, whereas this bike comes that way stock. Or you could buy a cheaper ebike for $5k that would be a closer comparison to a stock dirt bike. Guess you have to decide if you are a mountain biker or dirt biker.
  • 2 0
 Really? a 450WE? Come on Yuroshek, the only thing you are riding these days are hipster ass scrambler bikes.
  • 4 0
 @bradwalton: it's not the same. The top offroad bikes are fairly close to what the average person can buy. A brand new fuel injected 2 stroke KTM + top of the line cone valve forks + top tier rear shock + custom valved + offroad goodies....you are right in the $15k ballpark.

Your $50k example would be the equivalent to a factory DH bike....
  • 4 3
 @RadBartTaylor: guess I was referring to top level motocross bike, no idea what that Honda is. Sold my dirt bike to buy an ebike and no looking back!
  • 1 0
 @ryane: Hey! I love my Ducati haha
  • 1 0
 They have a $7500 option with a NX build. You have to be a dentist to buy the NX build. Lol.
  • 1 0
 @bradwalton: not a bad idea TBH. I've been dreaming of getting an Ebike too and ripping on the moto trails around here....won't piss of the MTBers and I bet I can hang with the moto guys on the way down....so won't be in anybody's way
  • 3 1
 It´s an impressive achievement by Specialized. No doubt.
  • 2 0
 all I see is 16k for a mountain bike.
  • 1 0
 16K USD X 1.33 = $21,280.00 CDN + 14% tax = $24,259.20

Not a chance in hell.
  • 1 0
 @Waderson-Neilson: holy shit
  • 2 0
 Pretty sure the alloy sight weighs 37lbs with no motor.
  • 2 2
 I call BS Marketing......no mention of SIZE, CARBON or ALUMINUM, of course NO PEDALS that was weighed! $16, 000....your must be on dope!
  • 2 1
 It's much lighter than the standard version. That's the point. Clearly its carbon. No bikes get weighed with pedals. And pretty much everyone weighs the medium. All of that can be assumed. And you can assume they're talking about the highest end options. No one markets with the crap version stats. You think they want you going... yeah... Levo. I dig that.. 53 pounds... hell yeah. Nope. But that's what you're looking at if you want a large base model aluminum one with pedals. And clearly they're not marketing to you.
  • 2 1
 Pivot switchblade is the same price range (5500-12900) only without motor, battery and the techstuff. Bargain
  • 1 0
 Not the best comparison as the top model has AXS and LiveValve which makes about 3k extra. But if you're only looking at the price tag without the specs you are right.
  • 2 0
 $16,525..... I'll take two.
  • 2 0
 $16K? What a bargain! Put me down for two!
  • 1 0
 Focus have been running a smaller batteries for ages. And have had lighter bikes than most for ages.
  • 2 1
 So I don't need to graduate from medical university to be called a dentist?
  • 2 1
 The mtb industry is getting f*cking ridiculous. $16k USD for a bicycle. It is now replacing golf as the rich sport.
  • 4 0
 Golf is the rich sport ?

Have you ever tried car racing ?

Also, golf is sport??

Lol
  • 2 1
 OMG twice the price, twice the weight for a XC/trail bike basically OUCH feel the burnnnn
  • 1 0
 Game changer! It’s definitely the future of cycling!! New F-1 of the spot of MTBing.
  • 2 0
 It’s the lite beer of ebikes. Same high price, half the power.
  • 2 0
 Their marketing video: youtu.be/KmFYKSFjxcU
  • 1 0
 Wow, I'd love to crash that founder's edition down something steep and nasty.
  • 1 0
 Legitimate question. What does the version for $6,535 weigh-in? Under 20KG?
  • 1 0
 Wouldn't helical gears a better choice to reduce noise from the drivetrain?
  • 1 0
 “Earning” not “eating” ????????‍♂️
  • 3 1
 £12,701......wow.
  • 2 1
 Imagine if it wasn't an Bike and weighed 28 pounds!!!!!!
  • 3 1
 $16000 GTFOH
  • 1 1
 Hey Mike K...Let's get one thing straight...it's a SWAT Door, not a SWAT Box buddy.
  • 6 1
 But what does the door lead to? Doesn't the frame effectively become a box for holding all your snacks?
  • 1 1
 Ridiculous price. I'm sure someone's going to melt their plastic fantastic to be the talk of the trail for 2 months.
  • 3 2
 I’m buying an “ANALOG” t-shirt to wear proudly everywhere.
  • 1 0
 Wow! My Enduro weighs in at 37lbs
  • 1 0
 alright now im interested
  • 3 2
 That’s a nice light moto!
  • 1 2
 At 38lbs, no battery and pedals! No wonder the study claimed you get same workout as regular bikes, 38lbs, if that doesn;t break you, $16,000 dollars will definitely do!
  • 3 1
 It's so ugly
  • 1 1
 Nothing against Ebikes neither mortgages.
  • 2 2
 Its lighter than my non e-bike, what on earth!!!
  • 3 1
 Oh there's a typo, its 17kg not 13kg...
  • 2 2
 I got a fake account to see e-bikes!
  • 2 2
 I look forward to seeing some smart add on motors for standard MTBs.
  • 2 3
 38lbs bike is nice and nimble and easy to manoeuvre. Eating that SpecialEd coo-laid.
  • 3 0
 Guessing you've not ridden a 50lb e-bike?
  • 3 2
 No I have not. But when has a 38lbs bike been nimble and easy to manoeuvre regardless of being an Ebike or not? Total shit that a bike worth 16g is 38lbs and trying to sell it as lightish bike. @onemanarmy:
  • 4 1
 @GatoGordo, compared to a 50-lb e-bike this bike is significantly lighter and noticeably easier to maneuver, and that's not the Kool-Aid talking. Would I get rid of my non-motorized bikes for this one? Nope, I'm still firmly in the analog bike camp, but this is an interesting addition to Specialized's lineup, which is why we covered it.
  • 3 0
 @GatoGordo:

It is light. And I’m sure it is plenty nimble. Quite honestly... only time the weight of an ebike really bothers me is when I have to lift it over a downed tree. I notice the lag in the 29 inch handling compared to my 27.5 more.
  • 3 3
 I’ll wait on the ibis and Santa Cruz ebikes
  • 4 4
 never gonna happen
  • 5 1
 @bvd453: Talk to me next Tuesday
  • 4 2
 @bvd453: you have no clue .
  • 4 1
 @THE-GUNT: I have hope but no insight
  • 1 0
 m.pinkbike.com/news/santa-cruz-e-bike-heckler-first-look-2020.html
  • 1 0
 @bvd453: m.pinkbike.com/news/santa-cruz-e-bike-heckler-first-look-2020.html
  • 1 0
 I guess I was right.
  • 1 0
 @THE-GUNT: Not a good time to be right. I remember when Porsche started selling SUVs.
  • 2 0
 Ibis is next @bvd453:
  • 1 0
 20K CAD is a tad much
  • 2 2
 Don’t buy the top of the line .
  • 1 0
 16k????????????
  • 1 0
 Drop to flat video
  • 1 1
 i cant wait to get an ebike and log my strava rides as mtb.
  • 1 0
 16K LOL
  • 2 4
 I'd smugly ride the hell out of this bike. Just as smug as traditionalists.
  • 5 6
 THIS IS SO SICK THE AD IS PERFECT THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
  • 4 4
 Stupid ebikes
  • 1 1
 yes im here for the bike
  • 2 3
 Yup, this'll do.
  • 2 4
 Just wait for SC
  • 3 0
 53 lbs and a Shimano motor.
  • 2 2
 Actually it will be 20 kg
  • 1 2
 And the Ibis 34lbs
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