2020 Specialized Turbo Levo SL Expert Carbon E-Bike

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The Turbo SL is a great little bike.  If you are looking at purchasing one then you probably are willing to drop some serious coin.  After a few months of riding mine I think I have a pretty good impression of the bike over all. I am a dad of two, and I have neck and back issues from a spinal injury some years back. I’m in moderate shape, so I’m more than capable of being on a non ebike, and most of the time I prefer the lighter weight pedal bikes to ebikes.  Enter Turbo SL.

The SL is for people who want a really fun trail bike, who maybe are short on time or just want to go a little faster or further than their fitness allows.  I have two small kids so I’m not in the best shape of my life, but I can still bust out a 20 mile ride on my enduro if I have to.  I think that’s why the SL works for me.  If I were in really bad shape I’m not sure the 240 watt(or so) max assist would be enough for me.  The SL allows for an average to slow rider to keep up with faster riders, but even at max power you have to pedal hard(harder than other ebikes). The Turbo Levo would be your go to if you want to cover a lot more ground  in a shorter amount of time.

If you like getting airborne and popping of little doubles and trail features, that’s where the Turbo SL shines.  It’s not as poppy as my Ripley, but I would say it’s far more poppy than my Enduro.  It’s modern and slack enough to get you down pretty much any trail, but for those that want to shred, and you know who you are, you will want to change some things.  That’s not easy to hear on a bike that cost you 9k.  The DPS evol will be good enough for average riders, but if you start tackling steep really bumpy terrain traction is limited. If you want to plow down long rocky descents that’s little shock gets hot fast and starts packing down.  The linear suspension design also doesn’t stop you from bottoming out.  So if you like jumping and you want to progress or land in flat a lot, that little shock can survive but it’s not great.  Luckily Fox makes an X2 and a DPX2 in the 52.5x210mm size.  I also can not recommend enough the Cascade Designs Link for the SL which greatly increases traction and bottom out support.  

The 34 is not a bad fork in general, but specialized went light and cheap with the grip damper.  That basic grip damper on a $9k bike feels like a bad deal.  Either way if you are really pushing I think that going up to a 160mm 36 Will be worlds better. As a plus bumping up the travel slackens out the head angle which didn’t effect the climbing that much for me, but aided in tackling steeper loose terrain.  I won’t talk about offset much, but it’s worth mentioning that I have found on this bike I prefer a 44mm offset fork.  It makes things just a little more stable, and I have not noticed any lack of quick steering after switching from the 51mm offset. As a downside to overworking this bike, the bump in travel does slacken the already semi-slack seat tube angle, FYI. 

DH brakes are also a must for me on this bike . The guide 2s felt great until they didn’t.  Usually half way down a run they just stop biting.  Codes or your DH brake of choice is way worth it. Cush Cores are also a big plus on this bike.  Anyone else crack rims?  On a slightly heavier bike I especially appreciate the piece of mind that a good tire insert can offer.  

My Bike now weighs 41.5 lbs.  so I have added 3 lbs total. 

So Shock, Link, Brakes, and Fork, I’m too scared to do the math, and I’m lucky that I don’t pay retail price on most products, but damn.  This is an expensive experiment.  After all of these upgrades  I will say that the bike rides incredible.  It’s supportive enough to case even big doubles(obviously not on propose) and supple enough to be able to keep traction and control on some really steep gnarly terrain.  Even with all of these mods the SL is a fun bike on any legal trail.  Just enough power to make you feel fit, and playful and light enough to have fun everywhere.

I have been getting anywhere from 20-25 miles on my battery without the range extender, but I ride mostly in “trail” setting and not Turbo(the most electric assistance.)  

If you have the cash and you have access to a lot of trails where ebikes are allowed.  If you don’t need 500-600 watts of power and want something more playful to ride. If you don’t mind being called a cheater as you slowly but easily glide up steep climbs then the Turbo SL might be for you.  For me it’s a blast to ride, it’s not as capable as my 2020 Enduro, and it’s not as snappy as my Ripley, but it’s honestly making me think about selling both those other bikes because it’s pretty much the most fun bike to ride.  My riding buddy has to run and work out a lot to keep the speed that the SL allows my dad body to climb at;)

If you are an aggressive rider and you don’t want to blow a lot of money, there are more capable ebikes that you don’t have to mod to get what you need out of them.  Non of them can give you the “real” trail bike feeling that the SL can give you though, and that’s what makes it currently a very special bike. I’m excited to see where the light weight ebike market goes.  

I would give this bike more stars if it offered more value with the complete builds. Value is not something that I associate with this bike.  Clearly these bikes sell like hot cakes either way for the big S.