James Kohls
Active Member
Thankfully, I have a really great Specialized dealer a block and a half from my house. They contacted their Specialized rep and got me a Levo HT to borrow for a few days while I make my final decisions about buying the Turbo Levo Comp Fat.
I took it out for an hour tonight on some local trails. On my travels I met a professional mountain bike racer who asked if I wanted to join him. I told him, I'm just borrowing the bike and don't really have a feel for it yet, but he insisted. The Levo let this 44 year old man of average fitness to keep up with him on the straights and climbs with ease. But he obliterated me on the downhill bombs.
The bike felt amazing on the trails. Very comfortable ride, even as a hard tail. Those 3" tires really soak up a lot of evil when the surface gets rough and grip well when it is loose. Since it isn't mine, I wasn't able to adjust the suspension fork, so it was a bit stiff for my taste. Regardless, it was a blast. Got a novice trail ride in with a pro for over an hour and hardly broke a sweat.
My only gripe is the 20MPH top speed. Had to adjust my ride style a bit compared to my 2015 Turbo-X. Having that speed overhead up to 26 really make a difference on the road. It is definitely geared for off road use. One could certainly up the chainring size a bit, but it is pretty easy to max out on speed as it is. It took a few miles, but I finally found a comfortable cadence that let me sit just under the motor cutoff point.
Still get a few more days to play around with it, but one ride solidified my decision that I will be getting a Levo for my next bike. There are so many great trails in my area that are inaccessible to my Turbo-X. It will open up a whole new world of ride possibilities.
I took it out for an hour tonight on some local trails. On my travels I met a professional mountain bike racer who asked if I wanted to join him. I told him, I'm just borrowing the bike and don't really have a feel for it yet, but he insisted. The Levo let this 44 year old man of average fitness to keep up with him on the straights and climbs with ease. But he obliterated me on the downhill bombs.
The bike felt amazing on the trails. Very comfortable ride, even as a hard tail. Those 3" tires really soak up a lot of evil when the surface gets rough and grip well when it is loose. Since it isn't mine, I wasn't able to adjust the suspension fork, so it was a bit stiff for my taste. Regardless, it was a blast. Got a novice trail ride in with a pro for over an hour and hardly broke a sweat.
My only gripe is the 20MPH top speed. Had to adjust my ride style a bit compared to my 2015 Turbo-X. Having that speed overhead up to 26 really make a difference on the road. It is definitely geared for off road use. One could certainly up the chainring size a bit, but it is pretty easy to max out on speed as it is. It took a few miles, but I finally found a comfortable cadence that let me sit just under the motor cutoff point.
Still get a few more days to play around with it, but one ride solidified my decision that I will be getting a Levo for my next bike. There are so many great trails in my area that are inaccessible to my Turbo-X. It will open up a whole new world of ride possibilities.
