Specialized has lowered the price of its latest Turbo Levo SL by introducing a new lightweight electric mountain bike with an aluminium frame.
The frame shares the silhouette, motor and battery of its carbon sibling, but Specialized has significantly dropped the price – in exchange for a weight penalty.
Just one model is available, weighing a claimed 20.2kg / 44.85lb in an S4 size and costing £5,250. International pricing and availability outside the UK are yet to be confirmed.
Like the carbon Turbo Levo SL, the alloy bike is sold exclusively as a mixed-wheel mullet bike, with 29in front and 27.5in rear wheels.
No extra parts, other than a 29in rear wheel, are needed if you wish to run a full 29er setup, however.
The bike gets the same adjustable geometry, with both head angle and bottom bracket height adjustable.
Five things you need to know about the Specialized Levo SL Alloy
- Alloy frame helps drop price to £5,250 (international pricing TBC)
- Same motor and battery as more expensive carbon model
- Sold as a mixed wheel-size mullet bike, but can be converted to full 29er with no extra frame parts
- Range-extender battery available separately
- Retains adjustable geometry – head angle and bottom bracket height can be adjusted; longer chainstay length for 29in rear wheel
Heavier bike is lighter on your bank balance, but not on features
The switch to an aluminium frame and cheaper components means this is the cheapest lightweight electric mountain bike Specialized offers.
It saves £1,750 over the cheapest Levo SL Comp Carbon, but weighs nearly 3kg / 6.6lb more than the range-topping, but significantly more expensive, S-Works model.
While the switch to an aluminium construction from carbon helps cut costs, it hasn’t come at the expense of frame features or the motor and battery.
The Levo SL Alloy has been given the same Turbo SL 1.2 motor as its carbon counterpart. This delivers 50Nm of torque and peak power of 320W.
This isn’t a match for Bosch’s Performance Line SX, but it aligns closely with TQ’s HPR 50 and Fazua’s Ride 60 electric bike motors.
The non-removable 320Wh battery also carries over and the 180Wh range extender is available separately.
Like the more expensive carbon models, the Levo SL Alloy uses the same MasterMind TCU display, integrated into the top tube.
This displays modes, battery capacity, speed, time, distance, elevation metrics and estimated range – and can also show your heart rate if connected to a heart rate monitor via ANT+ or Bluetooth.
Switching between the five modes – Eco, Trail, Turbo, Walk and Micro Tune – is controlled by a handlebar-mounted remote.
Using Specialized’s Mission Control app, each power mode can have its support, peak power output and acceleration response tuned.
Updates to the system can be downloaded and installed ‘over the air’ through Bluetooth via the app; there’s no need to plug the bike in to install the latest updates.
Different material, same geometry
The alloy frame not only shares the carbon version's silhouette, but also the majority of its geometry adjustment and suspension kinematics.
The Levo SL Alloy retains the brand’s S-Sizing concept and, as a result, is available in six sizes – S1 to S6.
Specialized claims this enables riders to choose their frame size based on their preferred reach, rather than the seat-tube length.
Riders wanting a more agile bike can size down and choose a shorter reach number, whereas those looking for more stability can pick a bigger frame, while still being able to use a long-travel dropper seatpost.
It means most riders should have two, or possibly three, frame sizes to choose from.
The S1 is unique in the size range because it features a 150mm-travel fork and slightly reduced rear travel of 144mm. All other sizes feature 160mm forks and 150mm of rear-wheel travel.
Reach numbers range from 405mm on the S1 size to 525mm on the S6.
The steps between sizes get bigger as you go up the range, increasing 20mm from S2 to S3 and 25mm from S3 through to S5, before a 30mm jump from S5 to S6.
The head angle on the Levo SL Alloy is a shade steeper than the carbon bike at 64.6 degrees, as opposed to 64.5 degrees, while the seat angle is the same at a not-so-steep 75.8 degrees on all sizes.
Chainstays are also the same across all sizes, at 432mm with the stock mullet-wheel setup, and jump by 10mm if switched to full 29er mode.
Bottom-bracket drop is -29mm on sizes S2 through S6, with the S1 having slightly more at -34mm on account of its shorter fork.
If you’re not a fan of these numbers, the Levo SL Alloy shares the same geometry adjustment as the carbon bike.
The head angle can be adjusted by one degree in either direction with the included headset cups.
A flip chip in the shock yoke drops the bottom bracket by 5mm and steepens the head and seat tube angles by approximately 0.5 degrees.
The bike features full 29in-wheel compatibility. This is taken care of by another flip chip in the Horst pivot on the chainstay.
Switching to the 29in rear-wheel setting increases the chainstay length by 10mm to 442mm.
| S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reach (mm) | 405 | 425 | 445 | 470 | 495 | 525 |
| Head angle (degrees) | 64.6 | 64.6 | 64.6 | 64.6 | 64.6 | 64.6 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 75.8 | 75.8 | 75.8 | 75.8 | 75.8 | 75.8 |
| Seat tube (mm) | 385 | 385 | 405 | 425 | 445 | 465 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 433 | 432 | 432 | 432 | 432 | 432 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1,158 | 1,184 | 1,208 | 1,238 | 1,267 | 1,301 |
| Bottom bracket offset (mm) | 343 | 348 | 348 | 348 | 348 | 348 |
| Stack (mm) | 609 | 617 | 626 | 635 | 645 | 654 |
| Top tube (mm) | 560 | 582 | 604 | 631 | 659 | 691 |
| Standover (mm) | 727 | 763 | 766 | 767 | 773 | 778 |
Specialized Turbo Levo SL Alloy specs and pricing
At launch, Specialized will only offer one Turbo Levo SL Alloy model.
In the UK, the bike is available in three colours and will be priced at £5,250, including the range extender. The brand has not confirmed international pricing and availability.
The bike features plenty of own-brand Specialized kit, including the handlebar, wheels, tyres, saddle, grips and SWAT CC tool hidden in the steerer tube.
Fox takes care of suspension with a Float 36 Rhythm fork up front and a Float X Performance rear shock, though S1 sizes get a non-piggyback Float shock.
Drive and braking is a full SRAM affair, with Code R brakes clamping 220/200mm rotors and NX Eagle drivetrain with an 11-50t cassette and 32T chainring.
X-Fusion’s Manic dropper post finishes the build in varying lengths depending on the frame size; the smallest S1 frame has 100mm of drop, while the biggest S6 is equipped with 190mm.
We have a test bike due in for review, so stay tuned for our thoughts.
Specialized Turbo Levo SL Alloy
- Frame: M5 Alloy, 144mm travel (size S1), 150mm travel (size S2-S6)
- Shock: Fox Float Performance (size S1), Fox Float X Performance (size S2-S6)
- Fork: Fox 36 Rhythm, GRIP, 150mm (size S1), 160mm (size S2-S6)
- Motor: Specialized 1.2 SL Custom Rx Trail Tuned 50Mn, 320W
- Battery: Specialized SL1-320, fully integrated, 320Wh
- Display: Specialized MasterMind TCU
- Drivetrain: SRAM NX Eagle derailleur/shifter/cassette/chain, SRAM alloy cranks
- Brakes: SRAM Code R, 220/200mm rotors
- Wheels: Specialized 29/27.5 rims and alloy hubs
- Tyres: Specialized Butcher GRID TRAIL GRIPTON T9 2Bliss Ready 29x2.3in (front) and Eliminator GRID TRAIL GRIPTON T7 2Bliss Ready 27.5 x 2.3in (rear) tyres
- Bar: Specialized, 6061 alloy, 780mm
- Stem: Alloy Trail Stem, 50mm
- Grips: Specialized Trail
- Seatpost: X-Fusion Manic
- Saddle: Specialized Bridge Comp
- Price: £5,250
