2022 Specialized Turbo Levo Pro E-Bike

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What if we took one of our new, favorite mountain bikes, the Specialized Stumpjumper EVO, and made it into a dedicated mullet configuration? What if we then threw on a powerful, electric motor and beefier suspension? Enter the 2022 Specialized Turbo Levo. Specialized has taken the previous Turbo Levo platform and improved it on all fronts. The outcome is a bike that is as approachable as it is fun…as long as the price tag doesn’t get you or one of your kidneys down.

Highlights

• FACT 11m full-carbon frame
• 29-inch/27.5-inch dedicated mixed-wheel setup
• 150mm (5.9-inches) rear wheel travel // 160mm (6.3-inches) front (150mm front size S1)
• Geometry-adjustable Horst Pivot suspension design
• BB Height adjust +/-7mm
• Adjustable head angle +/- 2.5-degrees (when combined with BB adjustments)
• Fully-guided internal cable routing
• Roval Traverse carbon wheels
• FOX Float Factory 38 - Grip2 damper
• FOX Float X2 Factory rear shock
• 29x2.6-inch Specialized Butcher Grid Trail T9 front tire
• 27.5x2.6-inch Specialized Eliminator Grid Trail T7 rear tire
• 700 WH battery
• 565 Watt // 90 Nm Turbo Full Power system 2.2 motor
• Boost 148 rear spacing with 12mm through axle
• SWAT steer tube integrated tool
• Measured weight as tested (size large, no pedals): 48.9-pounds (22.18kg)
• MSRP $13,000 USD (as tested)

Our tester had the opportunity of owning the previous model of the Turbo Levo. It was a great bike, but he was always tweaking settings and swapping parts in order to get it feeling right and more capable on the descents. Specialized has addressed those gripes and have pretty much made the new Levo an all-day, do-it-all machine.

2022 Specialized Turbo Levo Models - $15,000 S-Works and $13,000 Pro

The Turbo Levo is currently launching with two models and a third model becoming available this summer. All builds of the new Levo bikes are designed around a ‘mullet’ configuration with a 29-inch front wheel and a 27.5-inch rear wheel.

The Turbo Levo S-Works is Specialized's top-end spec and comes with FOX Factory suspension front and rear along with Magura brakes. A SRAM XX1 AXS drivetrain and AXS Reverb dropper seatpost matched with Roval's Traverse SL wheels round out the build highlights. As with all things S-Works, all the best gear comes at a price - $15,000 for the S-Works Turbo Levo.

Vital tested the Turbo Levo Pro model, coming in at a scant $13,000. The $2,000 savings come by swapping to SRAM Code RSC brakes and a FOX Transfer seat post. The drivetrain switches to cable-actuated SRAM X01 Eagle. Roval's Traverse carbon wheels finish up the Levo Pro build.

2022 Specialized Turbo Levo Motor and Battery - 90nm and 700wh

Specialized has custom-tuned the motor for optimal power and torque at 90 Nm.

You can’t talk about an e-bike without talking about motors, batteries, and displays. Powering the 2022 Levo is a new 565-watt (peak power) Turbo Full Power system 2.2 motor. Specialized has custom-tuned the motor for optimal power and torque at 90 Nm. At peak power, the motor will nearly quadruple a rider’s input. Specialized's ‘MasterMind’ firmware was written to deliver power more smoothly than before– keeping unwanted power at a minimum and reducing drivetrain wear.

Any previous reliability issues surrounding the motor seem to be addressed. Specialized improved the drive belt and has also made it more substantial. The motor seals have also been improved throughout for improved weather sealing, including a new charging hatch with redundant seals.

The updated computer display is easy to read and more informative than before. The top tube screen is basically a built-in bike computer with the ability to display data like battery percentage, live power input and output, heart rate pairing, elevation tracking, and more. A handlebar mounted control can toggle through different displays. For more control, the Mission Control app allows a rider to make customized layouts.

With the 700Wh battery, Specialized is claiming the ability to have up to 5.5 hours of range. On the flip side, the 700Wh battery will take 5 hours and 15 minutes to fully charge. Specialized also lists stats on a 500Wh battery, which charges in 3 hours and 50 minutes. All carbon Turbo Levo models will come stock with the 700Wh battery.

Specialized has taken battery recycling into consideration, too. Starting first in the US, every Specialized bike battery in the United States will have a pathway to Redwood Materials by the end of 2021. Redwood is an electronics recycling outfit that was created by Tesla Co-Founder, JB Straubel. By 2022, the program should start hitting international markets, helping keep batteries out of landfills.

The Lithium-ion batteries used on the Levo are claimed to see no degradation after as many as 1,000 charge cycles. If there is an issue, the Specialized warranty includes a two-year, 15,000km (9,320-mile) warranty on all 2022 Levo batteries and motors as well as a lifetime warranty on all frames.

2022 Turbo Levo Suspension Updates

On the prior generation Levo, the stock RockShox Pike and inline rear shock combo had some riders swapping for more stout suspension options to keep up with the Levo's heft and hard-charging demeanor The 2022 Levo has addressed those issues with a FOX 38 fork and FOX Float X2 shock. This, along with improved kinematics, has made for a much more capable e-bike.

The kinematics of the frame have been updated by increasing progression and mimicking the rearward axle path at the start of the travel, as seen on the Stumpjumper EVO. We were happy with the stock volume spacer spec in the rear, but it is possible to go up or down in volume spacer size to fit your needs.

Six Possible Settings - Turbo Levo Adjustable Geometry

The 2022 Levo includes an angle set just like you’d find with its non-motorized cousin, the Stumpjumper EVO. Each of the three included headset cups provide one degree of adjustability of the head tube angle. There’s also a hi/low flip-chip at the rear Horst pivot adjusts bottom bracket height. Combining these two adjustments, you get six distinct geometry settings to suit nearly any terrain.

We primarily rode the size S4 test bike in the ‘low’ setting with the ‘middle’ headset cup installed. With these settings, the Levo sports a 64-degree head angle and a comfortable 475mm reach. The chainstays come in at 447mm, while the wheelbase measures out to 1261mm.

Turbo Levo Pro Bike Setup - Size S4, Rider Height 5'11"

Apart from swapping the rear flip chip to ‘low,’ we didn’t feel like changing the head angle from the stock ‘middle’ setting. At 5-foot 11-inches, the size S4 Levo felt very natural right from the get-go. The suggested shock sag of 25% worked very well. Though, we did find that there was diving during braking with the FOX 38 fork. When Low-Speed compression was maxed out, there wasn't quite enough mid-stroke support for our preferences. To compensate for the damper, we ended up taking out the three included volume spacers and increased spring pressure in the fork to 100psi for the test rider’s weight of 150-pounds. At sag, the fork was at 16% of its stroke and succeeded in retaining composure through g-outs and braking on steep terrain.

On The Trail

We rode the 2022 Levo throughout many undisclosed (and legal) routes in Bellingham, Washington. Regular heavy downpours are typical for winter there, and we found ourselves riding through rivers at times. It was a great opportunity to test the updated weather sealing on the bike! There were no reliability issues throughout the test despite torrents of moisture thrown at the Levo.

After our honeymoon in Bellingham, we took the bike back to our familiar, wide-open, fast moto trails in Boise, Idaho.

Climbing with the New Turbo Levo - Powerful and Quiet

Overall, climbing on the new Levo is fantastic. This thing ate up fire roads like it was nothing. The new Turbo motor and software deliver power that feels completely natural underfoot. There’s no herky-jerkiness, and the power delivery is predictable. Traction came effortlessly, and the motor had an uncanny ability to allow us to regain composure after we had been robbed of momentum on technical climbing sections. The previous motor’s power delivery was good, but it was noticeably less refined in this respect. Stop-and-go transitions are oftentimes a struggle with e-bike motors, but this latest Turbo 2.2 motor and updated firmware have all but eliminated that issue.

Even with it’s 90 Nm of torque, the motor is impressively quiet. Even on the steeper climbs and when we were putting full power to the pedals, the motor only let out a light hum. Additionally, there were multiple times where people had no idea we were on an e-bike as we passed.

Longer chainstays, at least on the S4 size, would have been welcomed here.

Speaking of those steep climbs, there were times where we felt too far over the rear and had a hard time keeping weight on the front end of the bike. Longer chainstays, at least on the S4 size, would have been welcomed here. This is a perfect scenario where size-specific chainstay lengths would help a taller rider feel more balanced between the wheels; especially as you go up in size. If not size-specific chainstays, then chainstay adjustment at the rear axle would have allowed us to manipulate the bike for the terrain. If we had a choice, we would have preferred chainstay adjustability over head angle adjustments.

Downhill, Technical Performance and Fun Factor of the New Turbo Levo

Much like its non-motorized cousin, the Stumpjumper EVO, the gen 3 Turbo Levo is extremely well-rounded when it comes to descending. It has the efficiency you need for all-day excursions while leaving room for feeling confident when the trail gets rough.

Coming in under 50-pounds, the Levo’s weight is respectable considering the 700wh battery. It hides its mass extremely well and this is potentially where the 27.5-inch rear wheel shines. Despite its weight, the mullet configuration helps keep things lively when the bike is pointed downhill. That said, there were times where we felt we were having to trade liveliness for stability and balance. This could be due to a combination of shorter chainstays and the lower axle of the smaller wheel out back.

With what Specialized coins as their RxTune, the FOX X2 shock and rear suspension configuration felt supple on the small bumps and had plenty of support on the bigger hits.

With the Gen3 Levo, we were able to keep it in Turbo without any moments of awkward power delivery.

With e-bikes we had ridden in the past, we've had to ride with less power or turn the motor off completely because power delivery was not predictable. The lack of predictability of the motor could cause us to lose control when we least expect it. With the Gen3 Levo, we were able to keep it in Turbo without any moments of awkward power delivery. This is the first e-bike we have ridden where the motor applied power only when we expected it. We never found ourselves fighting the 2.2 motor. In fact, it was easy to forget about it throughout a ride.

The smooth power transfer and supportive suspension pay huge dividends on descents. The ability to accelerate out of turns and pick up speed was a hoot. Not only was power transfer predictable, but we found that traction on even the slickest terrain (wet roots) was immense.

Apart from the phenomenal motor, we did find that the bike does have a limit to where it feels comfortable. Though, the Levo’s comfort level is completely within reason. To make the bike more capable, the wheelbase would need to be lengthened considerably. We would have appreciated some extra length in the rear, but the bike as a whole was snappy enough for a broad range of terrain. The Specialized Kenevo exists for extreme terrain, and we appreciate that the Levo doesn’t try to outdo its bigger sibling. We didn’t find that the Levo was boring or cumbersome on more mellow trails, and possessed the precision and responsiveness that we would expect from a 160mm-travel bike.

The 2022 Turbo Levo is fairly lively (considering the weight), and fun to ride all with a stout and very quiet presence. The combination of these characteristics allowed the bike to change lines quickly, and most importantly, we felt like we could push the bike hard without any complaints or creaks from the chassis.

Rear Suspension Performance

The rear suspension performance was exceptional. Like the Stumpjumper EVO, the rear end is very composed. The Turbo Levo doesn’t get hung up on small bumps and square edges. There was plenty of support in the mid-stroke for g-outs and pre-hops. We never found ourselves harshly bottoming out the rear suspension either. Overall, the rear suspension was easy to set up, and the Specialized suspension calculator is an excellent resource to work from. In fact, we just set the FOX X2 to the suggested tune and happily left it alone thereafter despite the varying terrain we encountered.

2022 Specialized Turbo Levo Pro Build Kit

The build kit on the 2022 Levo was very well thought out. Apart from the stock tire spec, we were very happy. The only component that we would see ourselves swapping out was the rear tire for something more substantial. Obviously, that choice part spec of our Pro model comes at a price...

FOX 38 Fork Performance

The Fox 38 was both stiff enough for precise steering, and supple enough to track well through rough terrain. The fork came with three volume spacers, but we found the mid-stroke support lacking with the low-speed compression maxed out. To compensate, we took out the volume spacers and increased the pressure in the fork to increase ride height and add mid-stroke support.

Specialized Eliminator and Grid Tire Performance

The tire specification made sense to us, but we would expect more aggressive riders to add heftier casing tires for both puncture protection and support. The new tire compounds front and rear are also a huge improvement over previous models.

Roval Traverse Carbon Wheel Performance

We have previously found that Roval Traverse Carbon wheels have been incredibly reliable and durable, and that sentiment stays true on the 2022 Levo. We had no issues throughout the test. The wheels remain straight and very quiet.

Brake Performance

The SRAM Code RSC brakes coupled with a 220mm front and 200mm rotor in the rear offered adequate braking power for our tester's size and weight. Like many aspects of this bike, we didn’t have to worry about overall performance.

Long-Term Durability - We Were Not Kind to the Levo

We were not kind to our test rig throughout the weeks we rode it. The 2022 Levo shrugged off our general neglect and desire to push the bike to the limit. If the bike did need adjustment, we never found that it difficult to work on. From internally tubed cable routing and local shop support, this new Turbo Levo is easy to recommend.

What's The Bottom Line?

The 2022 Specialized Levo pushes the e-mountain bike envelope with both integration and innovation. This machine caters to the rider that wants a lively, playful, fun e-bike that will have the battery power and efficiency for epic, all-day adventures. This is, of course, dependent on whether you are interested in spending (for now) a minimum of $13,000.

To learn more about the new Specialized Turbo Levo line, head to Specialized.com

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About The Reviewer

Greg Montgomery - Age: 30// Years Riding: 20 // Height: 5'11" (1.8m) // Weight: 150-pounds (68kg)

When he's not winning pro-level trail running races, Greg is hammering the trails of Idaho and the Rocky Mountain region on his mountain bike. Fit, fast and knowledgeable, he's also a mechanic for his friends, where he gets his hands on all kinds of different cycling products. For fun, he'll pedal his regular bike up moto trails, keeping up with his friends on e-bikes.