On paper, the Specialized Turbo Levo R Pro doesn't make a whole lot of sense - this 130mm travel 29er e-bike weighs almost 22kg, so it’s not much lighter than a regular e-bike, and with so little suspension it’s surely going to be less capable on the descents. Naturally, I decided that an epic adventure ride in the French Alps was the best way to see if these assumptions are misguided!
It didn’t take long to realise that the Specialized Turbo Levo R Pro might confound expectations. Most surprising was just how capable this 130mm travel e-bike felt, even on the high speed chunder found in Morzine and Les Gets, two riding zones synonymous with DH and Enduro, not short travel e-bikes.
And while it’s impossible to pinpoint the one thing that makes the Levo R Pro feel so composed, we can’t rule out Specialized’s Genie shock technology which makes the first 70% of the travel feel more like a coil shock, but retains the inherent ramp up of a traditional air spring at bottom out. Best of all, you can tune both parts of the air spring curve independently. Volume spacers on the XV air sleeve control how progressive the mid-stroke is, while volume spacers in the shock eyelet manipulate the ended-stroke ramp up.
So the suspension clearly plays a big part in how this bike rides well beyond its 130mm travel. But the geometry on the Levo R is also very progressive, and adjustable. You get drop-in headset cups to adjust the head angle, there’s a flip chip in the shock eyelet that gives two BB heights, and at the back of the bike, flip chips in the rear most suspension pivot adjust the chain stay length and weight balance of the bike.
I ran the 2027 Levo R in the long CS setting, as this also lowers the BB height and slackens the head angle, making it even better for high-speed alpine trails. Given the overall weight, big 29in wheels, and the Levo R’s inherent desire for speed, it’s great that the Pro build comes with powerful SRAM Maven brakes and full size rotors as standard.
Yes, if I was riding big mountain terrain all of the time, I’d definitely swap the T7 compound rear tyre for softer T9 in full gravity casing, but other than that the build and specification were on point.
The Levo R gets the Specialized 3.1 motor with 810watts peak power and 105Nm torque. Which compared to an Avinox equipped bike makes the Specialized look mid-power. Even jumping to the S-Works build only bumps up the power to 850Wh and torque to 111NM, but you do get the 900Wh battery on all S-Works built that will increase the range. And according to Specialized the new 900Wh battery is the exact same size and weight as the regular 840Wh battery found on the other models.
So the Levo R Pro isn’t the lightest e-bike I’ve tested. Nor is it the most powerful or the cheapest. And with that big fat down tube, some would argue that it’s not the prettiest either. Ride it however and one thing is crystal clear. This e-bike has a unique character that’s both fun and infectious.