Specialized have launched the alloy variant of their new Turbo Levo 4 and the team at The Wheelsmith Cycles have gotten their hands on a couple of demonstrators and are very excited about this step forward in e-MTB.

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The Specialized Turbo Levo is now in it’s fourth iteration after first launching back in 2015 and has been incredibly popular among riders of all ages. Claiming the most natural feel when the motor kicks in and now sporting an even bigger battery, Specialized are looking to set a new benchmark in the e-MTB market.

“The new levo 4 inspires rider confidence” - Wayne francis

“this is a massive improvement even from the last levo” - jayson clarke

Suspension

Specialized have maintained the 160mm travel fork and 150mm rear shock, however the Turbo Levo 4 is sporting an entirely new chassis. The rear shock is now a Specialized designed, Fox manufactured Genie, which is essentially a Float X shock with an extra air sleeve around the body. This new sleeve takes up the first 70% of travel, which leaves a highly progressive spring curve in the final 30%. This is designed to help prevent the rear shock from bottoming out on big impacts without sacrificing the suspension quality throughout the rest of the ride.

Diagram of how the Genie differs from a normal Float X.

Alongisde the click to dampen set up on the shock itself for on the fly adjustments, included in the box are all the tools you need to customize your Genie shock. There are multiple clip on spacers for the outer sleeve to really alter the shock behaviour. Adding more spacers brings the shock back in line with a regular Float X, while removing the spacers adds a much stronger springing to each movement of the shock.

devilish power

Specialized have also incorporated the new Specialized 3.1 Motor into the Turbo Levo 4. Designed in house by Specialized and manufactured by German brand, Brose, the new motor is a different beast to its predecessor. To help with noise, durability and thermal stability, Specialized have ditched the plastic gearing in favour of diamond-like coated steel gearing. According to Specialized, the steel gearing helps with the dissipation of heat, reducing noise. Although the motor is smaller than it’s predecessor, it comes in at the same weight of 2.9Kg.

Alongside the noise and thermal upgrades, the new motor is also more powerful than the outgoing motor. The new motor offers 101Nm of torque and a devilish 666 Watts of peak power (12% more torque and nearly 18% more Watts) and that’s not even getting started on the S-Works variant (111Nm & 720 Watts).

To power the motor, riders will notice a bigger battery tucked away in the side of the down tube, allowing much easier access. Now up to a 840Wh batter over the previous 700Wh battery. This upgrade comes at the expense of only 480g added weight.

Hidden behind the side entry battery, Specialized have incorporated a magnetised SWAT storage area at the top of the head tube, which they have named the ‘Wattage Cottage’.

Specialized have outlined plans for a future release of a smaller 600Wh battery for later in the year that will also save riders 1Kg more weight on the trail at the expense of some of the range.

In an interesting move, Specialized have allowed the new Turbo Levo 4 to be run entirely off a range extender rather than the full battery if the rider chooses. The range extender currently on offer is 280Wh and only adds 1.65Kg to the bike weight. If you want to run both the range extender and the regular battery, there is an enormous 1,120Wh on offer!

In terms of charging the equipment, the Turbo Levo 4 comes standard with a 5 amp charger and the option to purchase a 12 amp ‘Smart Charger’ which will charge from 0-80% in less than an hour.

New screen, new mastermind

The new Mastermind is certainly a step up on the already solid display from the previous Turbo Levo. This updated system has a mind boggling amount of information that can be customised to show or hide as much as the rider wants by simply using the free Specialized app.

Metrics on offer cover:

Speed
Distance
Elevation Gain
Slope
Cadence
Motor Power
Rider Power
Gear
Heart-rate (if a monitor is paired)

Like the outgoing version, the Mastermind allows for Eco, Trail and Turbo modes. However this new version also has an Auto mode, which will automatically adjust the power output based on the rider’s power output on the pedals, creating a more seamless feel.

Alongside these preset modes, rider’s can also fine tune each mode’s acceleration, overrun, support level and peak power, all through the app. Rider’s can also use the new Micro Tune or Dynamic Micro Tune in increments of 10% via the new controller on the handlebars.

The angles

The new Specialized Turbo Levo 4 has not tried to reinvent the wheel in terms of geometry from the previous version. As before, it will be available in six different sizes, from S1-S6, albeit with the removal of S1 from the Carbon Levo lineup.

The geometry numbers remain largely the same with only slight alterations from the previous Turbo Levo. Most notable, the seat angle now sits at 77 degrees and the chainstays are now 7mm shorter. Specialized have maintained all of the adjustability options from the previous version, including the option to increase or decrease the headset by 1 degree, a lower shock flip chip which drops the BB height by 6mm and chainstay flip that will extend the chainstays by 9mm.

As with all S-sizing by Specialized, the frame size doesn’t always match the height of the rider as with traditional sizing. Specialized claim the sizing more reflects rider style, for example, a 5’8” rider could ride anywhere from S2-S4, depending on the style of riding they want to do. As a guide though, the size chart below is a good starting point for a balance and comfortable ride.

The models

Specialized now have the new Turbo Levo 4 in 6 different guises, that’s 2 Alloy variants to 4 Carbon this time around. Now matter which variant you go for, you get the same 840Wh battery and Specialized 3.1 motor.

The models are (at RRP):

Come and see!

If your curiosity is peaked or you want to come and get hands on with the new Specialized Turbo Levo 4, reach out to the team to book a test ride today!

Book a ride now