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Long Term Review

Living with a… Specialized Turbo Levo SL (Month 6)

Are ‘lightweight’ e-bikes like the Turbo Levo SL good enough to convince serious cyclists into going electric?

Dan Trent

Words by: Dan Trent

Published on 10 January 2025 | 0 min read

E-bikes come in all shapes and sizes and for riders of all persuasions, be they casual commuters or passionate enthusiasts devoted to cycling as a lifestyle pursuit. This Specialized Turbo Levo SL is very much for the latter and the latest in a long line of electric models from the brand credited with bringing mountain biking to the mainstream with its original Stumpjumper. Built around a sophisticated carbon fibre frame with suspension front and back, hydraulic disc brakes, an adjustable ‘dropper’ seatpost and decked out with top quality components the SL is one of a new generation of lightweight e-bikes with smaller batteries and less powerful motors designed to bridge the gap between regular mountain bikes and ‘full-power’ e-bikes. Even at its £7,000 rrp the Turbo Levo SL Comp Carbon is only the second rung on a range stretching all the way to the £13,000 S-Works Turbo Levo SL so is, by any estimate, a serious piece of kit. But can it win over a discerning and somewhat sceptical rider so far not swept along on the e-bike tide?
Skip to: Month 1 – Confronting your prejudices Month 2 – Ready to be convinced? Month 3 – Full fat or semi-skimmed? Month 4 – A fruity comparison Month 5 – Just ride it like an e-bike! Month 6 – Shocking conclusions

What is it?

  • Model: Specialized Turbo Levo SL
  • Version: Comp Carbon
  • Options fitted: None
  • Price as tested: £7,000 (full rrp – price at time of writing £5,950)

Who’s testing it?

Yorkshire-based 40-something with a lifetime passion for cycling; as happy commuting on a Brompton as putting in the miles on the road but heart lies with mountain bikes, riding steep and rocky local trails with the family, friends and occasionally dabbling in a bit of grassroots racing when the opportunity arises; yet to be convinced by e-bikes but open to being won over!

We like

  • It doesn’t look like an e-bike!
  • Suits riders with a base level of fitness
  • Brilliant ride quality and handling

We don’t like

  • Assistance limit still cuts in like a brick wall
  • Still heavier than a regular bike
  • Spec compromises

Month 1 – confronting your prejudices

Dan says: “Unlike a growing number of my cycling buddies I’ve yet to be convinced e-bikes are the future”


A keen mountain biker for the last 30-odd years the novelty of playing out in the woods shows no signs of wearing off any time soon! But unlike a growing number of my cycling buddies I’ve yet to be convinced e-bikes are the future. Not for want of them trying to convince me, either. I’m lucky those years in the saddle give me a base level of fitness, but for me the fundamental satisfaction of riding a bike is what you put in physically is what you get out. I totally get the arguments people have made to me that electric assistance simply frees more time for enjoying the fun bits when time is precious. But even having tried some seriously fancy e-mountain bikes like the Haibike AllMtn CF SE my thrill at being whisked up the hills has never been matched by the same joy tearing down them I get from my ‘normal’ bike. Blame that on the extra weight, the disconnection between pedalling effort and speed, the brick wall when you hit the mandated 15.5mph assistance limit, the cost, the fact many friends have had serious reliability problems … I could go on. Could this Specialized be the bike to turn me? A smaller battery and motor trims a significant 4kg off the weight of the equivalent ‘full fat’ Turbo Levo, and while it means less range and assistance the fact my legs still have some life in them should offset that. The sleeker lines meanwhile address my ‘but they’re all so UGLY’ anti e-bike snobbery! Indeed, at a glance this Specialized passes as a normal bike, and promises to ride as closely as possible to one. First impressions count and I was super impressed with the way the Turbo Levo slid out of its neatly packaged box ready to go after little more than tightening the handlebars, checking the tyre pressures and adjusting the suspension to my bodyweight. Much of this is familiar from regular bikes as well, ditto features like adjustable geometry to tailor the riding style to terrain and preference via the headset and on the mounting for the rear shock. You can also flip the rear wheel mountings to run a larger 29-inch one to match the front if you don’t like the mixed sizing it comes with as stock. A lot to consider beyond the regular stuff like setting handlebar and saddle height, so I phoned a riding buddy who reviews bikes for a living and went with his advice of leaving it as it came for now. He also advised holding down the ‘plus’ button on the motor controller to unlock the ‘Micro Tune’ 10-step power adjustment over the usual three of Eco, Trail and Turbo. He recommended 50 to 60 per cent assistance was the best balance of power and range. The fit is also absolutely bang-on, too. Specialized has come up with a new system of graded sizing running S1 to S6, with advice of how to measure yourself on its website. Upload those numbers and it spits out a size, the configurator saying I was an S5. From the first moment I slung a leg over it I knew it was a perfect fit. Further surprise and delight came when I found the neat case containing the manuals, charger and spares included some tubeless valves, the switch to sealant rather than trad inner tubes one of modern mountain biking’s great innovations given it improves grip, comfort and puncture resistance. It can be a right faff to set up, though, so I was chuffed to find all I had to do was swap tubes for the valves, seat the tyre, pump some sealant in, attach a pre-charged cannister and – pop! – they were sealed and inflated first time of asking. Game changer! Specialized app downloaded and bike paired to it for further customisation I was good to go. Moment of truth… Back to top

Month 2 – Ready to be convinced?

Dan says: “I have seen riding groups and even long-standing frendships splinter when some have bitten the e-bike bullet and others haven’t”


While I’ve long resisted the temptation to get an e-bike it’s been interesting chatting with riding pals who already have. Over barbecue chat with two also running Levo SLs I got two completely different views as well, one saying it had been a game changer and he’d ridden more since getting it than he had in years. And the other reckoning it had killed mountain biking for him because he’d lost all his fitness by leaning on the electrical assistance too much. I can see the arguments, but I’m hoping the Levo SL’s halfway house solution is the best of both worlds, and means I’ll be able to ride it when out with folk on regular bikes as well join the fun with those who have gone electric. Because, without wanting to sound too dramatic, I have seen riding groups and even long-standing friendships splinter when some have bitten the e-bike bullet and others haven’t. First impressions are positive. One of my issues with full power e-bikes is that you ride this amazing wave of electrified boost … and then crash headlong into the 15.5mph assistance limit mandated by the law for EAPCs, or Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles to give them their full legal definition. Because the bikes weigh so much going beyond that on anything other than a downhill section isn’t really viable, or at least much fun. But because the Levo SL has less power the balance twixt motor and leg power is more evenly matched, and because the bike is lighter overall that transition between the two is smoother and more natural. I’ve even ridden the Specialized with the motor switched off and, though heavier than my regular bike, it’s still viable, especially when I’m just chilling with the family. And then if someone is flagging I can always switch it on, attach my Kids Ride Shotgun tow rope and nobody gets left behind. Back to top

Month 3 – Full fat, or semi-skimmed?

Dan says: “Swapping between the bikes over the rest of the ride I think I still prefer the way the SL handles”


The big question hanging over e-bikes like the Levo SL when compared with regular ‘analogue’ equivalents or the full-power alternatives is are they the ideal split-the-difference compromise? Or the worst of both worlds? So far, I’ve been impressed with the Turbo Levo’s versatility, and the fact I can go out for my own and enjoy the full electric boost. Or ride it with the family as a ‘normal’ mountain bike with the power turned off. Which would be sheer misery if you tried it on a full-power e-bike. I’ve also had a couple of fun rides in mixed groups of riders on regular bikes, mid-power e-bikes like this and also ‘full fat’ machines with all the power. Using the Micro Tune 10-step adjustment on the motor I can fine-tune the assistance so I still get a workout but don’t get left behind on the hills. So far, so good. But what about riding in e-bike only groups? Some interesting observations, especially after a ride with my pal Jonathan, who has the full power Levo – the blue bike in the pictures. Indulge me some numbers for some context, his bike using a 700Wh battery and good for a peak output of 565 Watts (limited to 250 Watts continuous, per e-bike rules) and 90Nm of torque. My SL puts out 320 Watts and 50Nm, so not quite half but near-as. My battery is only 320Wh as well, contributing to near 5kg weight saving for the SL. Which in bike terms is a lot. Head spinning? Mine too, so let’s put that into some real-world context. At Jonathan’s suggestion we went up a steep, rocky trail usually ridden as a downhill. I’ve climbed it once on a regular bike and it wasn’t pleasant, so even on an e-bike it would be a test. Where we’d been relatively evenly matched up to that point he absolutely flew up it, putting a bike length into me with every turn of the pedals even with the SL in Turbo mode. I made but it took a decent effort and I was gasping by the top. For stuff like this a full power e-bike obviously still wins, then. But swapping between the bikes over the rest of the ride I think I still prefer the way the SL handles, given I still get a workout on the climbs and on the downhills it doesn’t have that sense of running away with itself you get with the heavier, full fat Levo. So, we’ll call that a draw. Thus far I’ve only been out on short loops, though. Can the SL and its smaller battery stay the course on a longer ride and bigger hills? I’ve got the perfect place to test that, and will report back next month on how it goes! Back to top

Month 4 – A fruity comparison

Dan says: “Both bikes were way better on the steep Golfie trails than the HaiBike I’d taken there previously”


Plenty of riding this month, the Specialized hitting the flow trails at Grenoside Woods outside Sheffield, winching me up the steep sides of the Tweed Valley in Scotland and hammering round Llandegla forest in the Welsh borders. Admittedly this is ‘if you know, you know’ stuff baffling to those who speak don’t speak fluent mountain bike but, if you do, you’ll appreciate the diversity of terrain it’s been on. Short version? I’m impressed. And my high-minded e-bike scepticism is looking increasingly shaky! The Grenoside trails are smooth and jumpy, with lots of banked corners and entertaining mix of swooping and tighter turns. While the length of this S5-sized SL might sound cumbersome for the latter it’s actually a real hoot, the smaller rear wheel helping it pivot around my hips while the stability at speed gives me huge confidence carrying that into the jumps. Happy days. Scotland was a very different test, with long climbs and steep descents over treacherously slippy roots and rocks. It was also an opportunity to ride it back-to-back with the Orange Phase Evo I was testing, which is to all intents and purposes an electrically boosted version of my regular bike and, on paper, a good match for the Specialized. The friend I was riding with didn’t get on with the Turbo Levo SL at all, saying the front end was too long and low for the steep stuff. We changed some of the spacers around to bring the bars up a bit, which helped. But he still preferred the Orange. It may be down to riding style but I was totally fine with the Specialized, again enjoying the way the smaller back wheel carves the turns. Both bikes were way better on the steep Golfie trails than the HaiBike I’d taken there previously as well, their lighter weight meaning less sense of them running away with themselves when the going got sketchy. Could they match the staying power on the long climb back up, though? Well, even towing my son we got well over 1,000m of climbing out of both bikes through tactical use of the assistance and Eco rather than Turbo modes. True, the guys on full power e-bikes were blasting past us and getting more runs in. But I still prefer the sense I’m getting a workout. And the Turbo Levo SL is ready to accept an additional range extender battery in the frame-mounted bottle cage if you want to stay out longer. A family ride at Llandegla was different again, and I actually did most of it with the power turned off. Which is testament to the SL’s flexibility, and not something I’d have done with the Orange given its Bosch motor felt a lot more draggy with the power off even if the bikes themselves weighed about the same. Any complaints? Well, if I were riding those Scottish trails more often I’d probably want some beefier tyres. And I’ve noticed the suspension both front and back has a habit of blowing through all its travel faster than I’d like. But Specialized has apparently come up with a fix for that, more on which next time… Back to top

Month 5 – Just ride it like an e-bike!

Dan says: “I’m finally accepting the benefits of cramming more riding into a shorter space of time”


I’m conscious that for much of my time with this Turbo Levo SL I’ve been celebrating the fact it doesn’t ride like an e-bike. Call it denial on my part, and a feeble attempt to keep my ‘proper cyclist’ conscience clean rather than embrace the guilty pleasure! But as winter kicks in, the trails get sloppier and windows for riding among weather and the domestic calendar get ever narrower I’m finally accepting the benefits of cramming more riding into a shorter space of time. And just riding it like an e-bike at last! Case in point being a loop from the house and to the local woods I can just about squeeze into a work-from-home lunchbreak if I’m really on it, my last run on the regular bike taking me just over an hour according to Strava. A few days later I returned to do the same loop on the Specialized and, with limited time, I just cranked the power right up and went full blast electrified on the basis I wouldn’t be going far enough to trouble the range. What was I saying about a guilty pleasure? Ridden like this I didn’t feel short-changed in terms of my workout, given I was pedalling as fast as I could and the motor was just helping me out – the 2 X You riding experience ‘amplification’ Specialized talks about in its promo material. With the going softer I was also very glad of the help on one particularly evil climb, which is touch-and-go on the normal bike even in the dry. The Levo SL didn’t whisk me up like a full-power e-bike and I was still out of breath at the top. I just got there a bit quicker, the whole loop completed in 52 minutes and my average speed 11.8mph rather than 8.2mph on the regular bike. Which doesn’t look a huge difference but was enough to get me home with time to spare to clean the bike, shower and then get back to my desk. Winter riding is also tougher on a bike, given the cycle of riding, cleaning and general upkeep but I’ve been impressed that the Levo SL hasn’t missed a beat, overturning another of my preconceptions about wobbly reliability on many e-bikes. I’ll need to replace a frayed gear cable sooner rather than later but that’s standard mountain bike stuff and I think I need to have another tweak of the suspension settings to take account of the softer going but, other than that, it’s proving rock solid. I have seen that Specialized has updated the suspension with a new proprietary technology it calls ‘Genie’, intended to address the difficulty in finding a setting on the rear shock that’s neither too soft nor too hard. I promised more on that this month but I’ll keep you waiting until next time for more on that but, brace yourself, it’s going to get geeky! Back to top

Month 6 – Shocking conclusions

Dan says: “Specialized has updated the rear shock for the 2025 model year, and sent me the aluminium version of ‘my’ SL to try it out”


I said from the start this long-term test would be an opportunity to confront my prejudices against e-bikes from the perspective of a passionate ‘proper’ cyclist, most of them based on my stubborn refusal to drink the KoolAid offered to me by pals who’ve made the switch. Six months in am I converted? Yes and no. The Turbo Levo SL is a great bike almost despite of its electric motor and the extra weight this and the battery brings. Perhaps in denial about the benefits of the boost it provides I spent much of the initial time on it running it in the minimum power settings and pretending it was just a normal mountain bike. But as winter has bitten, the days have got shorter and the ground softer I’ll admit my moral high ground is looking a little shaky. Case in point being the ride I did just before writing this out in the snow. I could have done it on my regular bike. But the deeper bits on the climbs would have been a slog. And no way would have I been able to cram a decent loop like the one I did into a lunch hour. A couple of other rides through the winter mud before and over Christmas served to make the same point – when time is limited you can cram more riding into a narrower window of opportunity. There are still things that put me off though, not least the weight. True, it’s less of an issue with this SL than the full-power Levo or its equivalents. But at the point a regular bike of equal snazziness becomes truly inspirational – those flowing trails where each pedal stroke you put in stokes the adrenaline levels and every root and rock turns into a launchpad – an e-bike hits a brick wall at 15.5mph when the assistance cuts out and feels like a leg iron. It’s less obvious on the SL. But it’s still there. And for every climb it blasts up these moments can kill the fun. But there’s a twist in the tale!
As I hinted at in the last update Specialized has updated the rear shock for the 2025 model year, and sent me the aluminium version of ‘my’ SL to try it out. Read the full review here but it’s pretty much identical to the Carbon I’ve been running but £1,000 cheaper. The killer feature it adds the new Genie rear shock, which uses a clever dual chamber to address the 2024 bike’s habit of blowing through its suspension travel too quickly.
Forgive the tech talk but this means you have to run the shock harder than you might otherwise, which makes it less comfortable on small bumps. The Genie uses internal shims that close the larger secondary chamber as the shock compresses, meaning the suspension effectively gets stiffer as you near the end of its travel so you can run it softer for small bumps but hit the big ones safe in the knowledge you won’t bottom out. If your eyes are glazing over at all that the short version is it makes the new bike feel like it has another 20mm of suspension travel, without losing any of the pop or spring of the previous one. Win-win, along with a price drop of £750 for both Alloy and Carbon versions. And maybe win again, if you choose to enter our Electric Bike Giveaway where you can stand a chance of bagging a Turbo Levo SL Comp Alloy of your very own! Click the link to enter and for full Ts and Cs. Additional photography: Sim Mainey Back to top

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