SPECIALIZED S-WORKS TURBO LEVO SL GEN 2

Just about every feature's been changed up but will the new Turbo Levo SL get us charged up?

- Alan Muldoon

£13,000 MX specialized.com

If ever there was a bike that I totally misjudged, it was the original Specialized Levo SL. Launched in Feb 2020, it instantly had what appeared to be outdated geometry and sizing, where the 35Nm motor seemed seriously underpowered too. Factor in the flimsy tyre casings and a Fox 34 fork, both fitted for impressive weight saving, rather than impressive performance, and I basically looked the other way. Not the most professional approach for a professional bike tester, I know, but the numbers simply didn't add up.

To be fair, Specialized was breaking new ground, so it had no way of knowing how the Gen 1 Levo SL would be received, let alone how riders would use and abuse it. It was, after all, in a category all of its own. Twelve months on, Specialized had the feedback it needed and it was clear that the Levo SL frame was much more capable than the original build kit adorning it. As such, the fork got bumped up to a Fox 36, the shock grew a reservoir for better heat management, and the tyres got tougher casings. Sure, the overall weight crept up, but it was all lean muscle, which gave the Levo SL a swagger that it lacked previously. Now it had my full attention.

I tested the Expert model in 2021 and the S-Works version in 2022, and both times I was impressed by the overall feel of the Levo SL. The supple suspension response offers ridiculously high levels of grip and control, combined with the subtle frame flex that mirrors the response of an analogue bike. Sprinkle on the assistance of the motor and the Levo SL totally won me over. Yes, the frame proportions were short-ish and a touch tall, and other brands were beginning to catch up and even exceed the power output of the SL motor, but in our 'Lightweight e-bikes' shootout the Levo SL was still the lightest bike and had the best suspension in test.

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