SerpApi.Org
Specialized Bicycles' latest range of Levo e-mountain bikes with their 3.1 Motor consists of four models that cover a pretty broad range of riders. The Levo 4 is a versatile platform with trail bike geo and travel. The Levo 4 X is a rig built for adventure with racks. The Levo 4 Evo is the long-travel electric enduro chassis, and the Levo R is a short-travel, lightweight 140mm front and 130mm rear travel eMTB with a more trail-friendly build kit and set of geometry numbers, but a complete weight that left me (and others) pretty confused - and the new Levo R Ultralight might fix that.
While the S-Works build of the Levo R was a somewhat lightweight offering, there are other full-power eMTBs out there that tilt the scales far less, and the new Levo R Ultralight build is Specialized’s voice in the conversation. The Levo R is a full-power electric trail bike, which is on paper pretty confusing, but during my time on it I definitely enjoyed the capability and snappier ride feel; it’s still a bit of an enigma when you look at all the super-light Avinox-powered bikes flooding the landscape.
Build Kit
The frame, drivetrain, and powertrain are the same as you'd find on the other Levo R S-Works builds, with the S-Works 3.1 motor putting out 850 Watts peak power & 111 Nm torque, and the same SRAM XX SL Transmission, integrated cockpit, and Genie Float Shock.
To shave grams (or pounds in this case), they have slapped on a Fox 36SL fork with Grip SL damper, a mechanical BikeYoke Dropper post, Roval Control SL VI wheels built to Industry Nine Solix Hubs with carbon spokes, and wrapped in different tires (Trail Control in the front / Ground Control in the rear), TrickStuff Dirretissima brakes, and stuck a 600Wh battery in the downtube instead of the 840Wh cell that all the other bikes come stock with.
Pricing
All this weight savings brings the Levo R Ultralight down to a respectable 41lbs (18.8kg), but it does bump up the price to an impressive $13,000 USD (£11,999, €13,999, $20,900 AUD). Overall, 41lb is a pretty respectable number for a full-power eMTB, and the little touches of polished silver make it stand out in an understated way.
I’ve enjoyed the Levo R for certain applications, and I can assume the weight savings are noticeable, especially with the smaller battery and lighter wheels, and those TrickStuff brakes really add a lot to the bling factor.
