Specialized Turbo Levo FSR Expert

I think most of you know, I had a pretty "pro e-bike" mentality. I had based most of my beliefs on what others had written and a few videos and of course the mumbo jumbo marketing that the big S has put out there.

Recently I walked into a clients office for a meeting and the discussion taking place before I arrived was how great one of the guys new ebike was. I WAS FLOORED. Why? Because he's a beast of a human being on a bike. He holds king of the mountain (in the 200+ category anyway) on MANY trails in Orange County and is literally at the top of every single one of my friends feed. I can't tell you the pain of "1 second" and how it's seemingly impossible to get that extra 1 second on the dh run in my backyard.... anyhow!

He goes on to explain how with the specialized and the app that controls the bike that he's still getting the same workout, if not even better because he's pushing harder gears vs spinning certain places and that he's essentially still riding the same amount of time but going further, and for the times when he doesn't have the time he can do a quicky and still cover the trail.

Well, being pro e-bike I decided the time was now to finally ride one and see how I really felt at the end of the day. First things first, I want to make it clear I am completely aware of the reasons for concern and I'll say that SOME of them do actually hold a little bit of water; albeit not much.

I rode the Turbo Levo FSR Expert but did not connect it with the Mission Control app. I wanted the out of the box basic experience. The ride was with my room mate, one of the strongest riders I know who rode his 2015 Santa Cruz Nomad, with top tier build. He typically smokes me even on the climbs when I'm on my Tallboy. The other guy is a very average rider and I thought this would be a good test to see how much these bikes really do to help a guy like me. Quick segway if you're not aware. I have severe stenosis of the larynx. Essentially in laymans terms, my airway is approximately 1/8th the size of yours and I'm dumb enough to still try to ride mountain bikes even though I can't breathe. They don't call me wheezy for nothing.

So, we decided to do what we call "Todds Loop" (because that's my real name and it's my usual ride). It starts at the top of Ridgeline, top of el Morro. And we ride along fenceline backwards, then back, and then up the fire road, down and back up to Serrano Ridge, through Shady Canyon and home. So, technically not a loop but I hate the climb out of bommer canyon and my wife doesn't mind taking me back up to my truck.

SO... the bike, right? I suppose I should talk about that a bit now. We drop down towards the singletrack and I immediately am shocked at how fast I'm rolling with two pedal strokes. With my 260lbs and the bikes 50lbs, I'm hauling ass. 32mph according to GPS. It makes me smile. The big 27.5x3.0 tires just humming along with a sense of confidence I don't even feel on a DH bike! As I pull up to the entrance to the single track I turn and look, expecting my room mate to be right there, because he's always right there annnnnnddd... huh, that's weird, he's a a few seconds back.

I look down the line to make sure nobody is coming as we start onto fence-line "the wrong way" as I call it. And I know get a real sense of what this bike can do. I'm blasting through this section of trail like I never have, and am trying to do so. I'm giving it everything I have and I can feel the bike helping me do it. For a 50lb bike with 3" tires it feels nimble and light. Crazy right? We get to the transfer section and again, nobody behind me. My roomy shows up and he's a little red in the face and flips me off and calls me a cheater. I can honestly say, it was one of the most joyful moments of my life. We continue along and I decide to kind of loaf it through this section. This is where I figured out what the bike can really do and yes, where I think it's kind of a bit "too much" if I'm candid. I figured out that you can drop a few gears and kind of barely pedal and the thing will do most of the work. It's a weird balance of just keep the cadence and the bike will do most of the work vs the go all out where you don't notice it helping as much. But there I was, barely trying and still hauling ass. Pretty easy to make a mistake, which I did because you're going so much faster than you feel like you should be. Ran into the shrubs twice coming into corners. The big climb, which I usually can not make all the way without a stop was now suddenly achievable. I was winded, but made it to the top! Truly an enlightening and uplifting experience for a guy that's had a disability his entire life, has ridden this hill literally hundreds if not thousands of times in his life and has never made it. This one feat was the defining moment for me personally, and the reason why I'll spoil the end of this writeup now and let you know, I'm buying one.

Even with the help of the bike, these steeper climbs a guy that's a stud on a bike is right there as my room mate was only a bit behind and it was by his choice. He's not used to having any dust! Haahaa!!! So winning, and I love it. We headed back down and again, the DH capability of this bike are truly bad ass, and I think it's mainly the 3" tires, but the pike fork and fsr rear suspension were on point too. A little more travel and it would be the be all end all bike for me personally. Back up the fire road and down to the ridge. This is where this thing shines, but again, can be a bit too much. I could have left those dudes in the dust, no problem. The same technique on the lesser climbs allows an absolute blistering pace to be set. You just drop it down a few teeth and give it just enough go to let the bike start working and all of a sudden you're doing 15-16mph UPHILL!!! Kinda nuts. And by the way, this is all on "trail mode" which is allegedly 50% of it's rated output. (I think that's what it means anyway).

Again, killing it on the DH sections and having more fun on this trail than I've ever had because usually for me to even get back here I'm on a weight weenie XC bike, which is still rewarding for me because I know how much work it takes, but it sucks to see "normal" people back there like it's no big deal. I finally got to experience what it's like and man, now that I've had a taste I want more, a lot more! I found that the bike was most fun to ride when you actually put in the perfect amount of effort. I took my other friends advice and was pushing way harder gears than I normally would (because I'm usually sucking wind spinning a granny gear). I was getting a legit workout, having a blast and being rewarded with a bike that descends so much better than my trail bike. In my head at this point, I'm thinking about you guys and how this writeup will go and the haters and all the "ya buts" and "go ride a motorcycle" and all the other unfair statements about these BIKES.

I'll say this. They are most definitely still a a bike. You have to pedal it, you have to use brakes, you have to shift gears, and you damn well better have some bike handling skills with a 50lb bike. It doesn't roost or burnout and it doesn't go by itself and in fact I would say is more trail friendly than my xc bike that has a tendency to slip on climbs where the 3" tires just hook up with all the traction in the world. Which leads me to the laws and the classifications. I really do believe there is zero reasons this bike shouldn't be allowed on every single trail that a regular mountain bike is allowed on and there is nothing that will change that opinion. I've been a responsible rider on OC trails for over 20 years now and no matter whos hands it's in, it's no different than someone buying a full suspension offering from any manufacturer.

When we reached the bottom the of the ridge and had to climb up the Shady Canyon walking trail, which is a mind numbingly boring forever gradual uphill I decided to try the "turbo" mode. This is where I think they went too far. Using the same technique of "just enough" to get the bike to do it's thing, it turns into essentially a fully automatic bike, but not entirely. It's a lot, but you're still pedaling and breathing. I could drop a few gears and give it just enough and it would kick in 100%. At this level, you aren't really getting a workout. That said, I stopped and waited for the guys and told em I'd meet em at the house that I wanted to see what the bike would do in this mode when I gave it everything I had. I was off and blasting up hill and down and up and the final climb to my house is another pretty steady uphill. I was working hard but I was flying! Again, I believe this crosses the line of the intent of these bikes but not by so much that they should be viewed any differently. They say 20mph, but according to my GPS it was topping out at 18mph when you could feel the assist kick off and the full weight of the beast hit your legs. It takes some practice to find the happy spot where you're working, the bike is working and it comes together in this magical riding experience that for me, is the future of my riding.

To close it up, how much do I really believe in this bike and it's technology? Enough that my beloved Tallboy is going up for sale. I sat and pondered looking at the two, if I had both, when would I ride the Tallboy and if I'm honest with myself the answer is never. There will always be a place in my rack for a legit long travel DH rig and a trail bike. For the foreseeable future, my trailbike will in fact be an e-bike. Feel free to hate away!

XOXO,
The Wheeze

 

I think the e-bike makes a lot of sense for you. I don't have a problem with you riding it on the trails. I believe you will be responsible with the bike (given its extra power). Enjoy the new ride! Sounds awesome.

As far as e-bikes on the trial in general, the problem comes when people thrash and speed because they can. You know it will happen all while flipping me off because I was in their way on a regular bike. There is always THAT guy that will ruin it for the rest.

 

Dude! Just the title of your post makes me sick!

 

Add a pick of the bike and I will move this to bike review as this is really a review of a bicycle albeit an E-Bike.

@wheezy, if it were anyone else I would bash the Sh!t out of this. Knowing your health conditions I can only envision the fun and freedom you must have had climbing stuff that has been tough for you in your past.
Beating the crap out of your friends on human powered bikes is only interesting, as you "better" have been able to on a motorized bike, but none the less, I'm sure a kick for you to be able to do although the bike did the work.

I personally do not wish to ever ride with someone on an E-Bike. It would suck all the joy out of my hard efforts and years of training towards fitness and personal achievement. It would be miserable and demoralizing for me to have to experience that. I personally will stay with my own kind in that regard, and I mean that sincerely, not negatively.

I congratulate on your awesome experience!

In regards to hating. I really hate that word. Hate and "Haters" has become such a liberal word for the excuse for not liking "others" opinions. I disagree with E-Bikes on our trails for all the right reasons, not because I hate them and or hate the folks that ride them. I'm not that shallow.

If we do indeed get through this crazy stuff, and I'm sure "getting through it" will mean by us losing our stance on Motorized bikes on non motorized trails... we will have to deal with that scenario when it arrives.

I can easily envision a separation of, and, a new trail user group. There will be the E-Bike people, and then there will be the Mountain Bikers. I can not possibly think of them in the same group no mater how I slice it.

Edit: I guess I'm a little confused as to why Pro E-Bike people want to push E-Bikes on traditional Mountain Bikers so much. They insist that we "try them" and that we will like them. Almost like a street drug pusher. Why do they care what a mountain biker thinks about E-Bikes? If we don't like them, then we are haters. That's a double !

imtbtrails is a Mountain Bike Forum, not an E-Bike Forum. Like, some people actually think they are the same thing. If we go the way of the Dodo Bird or Fotomat, so be it.

 

Fine if the bike is ridden on trails that allow it. Other than that I don't give a hoot.

 

Dudes, I highly suggest you TRY ONE. It won't make you a non mountainbiker, I promise. Don't let an opinion get in the way of reality and what it takes to get on one and have a successful 15-20 mile ride.

Pre ride crew - Wheeze (yes I'm part Sasquatch), Seitz, Herv. Everybody excited to ride Todds Loop.



Mid Trail Break where I pushed as hard as I could to see if I could ditch Herv... He could have stayed with me so he says, but held up and rode with Seitz.




OK, OK, fair enough. They definitely seem to have worked a bit harder than me today. Herv is about as hardcore as anybody I know and he wants one after trying it but also says he'll NEVER get rid of his Nomad.

 

Huh..... you don't look ANYTHING like your avatar...

 

Shhhhhh... I rode one of those Levo's and I liked it...

Not selling any of my bikes anytime soon though

 

I hope you took the time to read the post. Because Wheezy's story is uplifting. If you take everything just at face value you miss out on the best things the world has to offer. Be positive, not jaded this world isn't all bad.

 

I don't know, Ryan. I've been taking a posting break, but definitely enjoying the break from E-bike threads. I agree with hillbilly and think Mikie covered all the bases in his post.

Happy for Wheezy, but he's disabled and this is a viable option for him. Not legal in our local parks unless handicapped, and not "cycling" in a human-powered sense.

 

I really hope your weren't going 30 mph plus on fenceline, especially going the wrong way...
I can imagine going downhill on emerald, and having an ebike dude going up hill 18 miles an hour...
As you correctly prophesized, why not ride a dirt bike? B/c you can't ride a dirt bike in El Moro...

 

I don't think the issue is Mountain bikers hate e-bikes, I think the issue is Mountain bikers hate to share the same trail with e-bikers.

 

I feel I am becoming a broken record with you guys. Exactly, how many times do I have to share my concerns. Do you want me to reference all the post explaining explicably my concerns with the e-bike movement over and over and over?
To be honest Louis, you are right. I don't want to share non motorized trails with bikes with motors. Just because you are pro e-bike doesn't mean we should allow them on non motorized trails.

 

Poo on Ebikes!

 

I own a turbo bought one of the first ones in OC. I gave up even mentioning the bikes because of the hate. Mike says would never ride with me because of the bike I ride....that is wrong to be threatened and react that way Mike. Especially when they will never try one and never look into the reason why someone would ride one. Mike can kick me off this site for being a e-biker if he wants and it would not surprise me if he did. All I can say is we will assimilate you earthlings resistance is futile.

Dean

 

Man, people sure are sensitive this time of year when we should all be looking forward to cooler temperatures. At least I am looking forward to that being a weekend warrior these days.

Seems like a bunch of pissing matches going on between this topic and the sore butts arguing over websites.

 

My original post was answered by a level headed couple of people who understand what is going on with this bullshit political correctness, and the throwing around the words hater and racists, like I said it makes me sick! My post had nothing to do with e-bikes. And I did ride an e-bike while I was in Sisters Oregon, and quickly formed my own opinion, it was to fast and to heavy, if you like to mountain bike than you know what I mean, yah I would probably get hurt on one. I don't give a Sh!t if you ride one or not!
From the title of this thread, it seems the author is trying to get things heated around here because he can't get enough. You guys can repeat yourselves all night now.

 

Dean.
I'm not sure if you or joking or not with your post. You end it with humor so I'm a bit confused.
Why would I kick you off the site for having an opinion. My gosh!

Yet, you are telling me I'm wrong for sharing how I "feel"? You'll probably just leave on your own because I'm not going to get all warm and fuzzy about your electric bike? Is that a requirement now? I have to accept a motor bike on non motorized trails because you think it should be okay?

Apparently you have short term memory loss my friend. I have thoroughly expressed all aspects of my position on e-bikes, I have shared all aspects of why I agree why someone would get one. Even above I shared why I could understand why Wheezy would love the bike.

I'm a hater because I align with the law? A hater because I don't agree with your opinion?
How audacious of you Dean. I have always stuck up for you bud. Always respected you. Still do, despite your viewpoint of my position.

 

Dean. Riding e bikes. I just never would have thought.. Ive been reading ur posts for years. Always had great insights n comments.
E bikes.. I have no use for them.
Dont ask me in 30 years though...

 

I want to ride my bicycle,
I want to ride my bike.
I want to ride my bicycle,
I want to ride it where I like.

I will be pedaling it of course.

 

Nice write-up, Wheezy. You make a lot of good points, and it’s good to hear that you had fun with the Turbo Levo. An E-bike may be just the ticket by allowing you to handle rides that are more aerobically demanding than you would otherwise be able to. I’ll add a short review/opinion from a different perspective. For the record, I have no problem sharing all trails with Class 1 E-bikes (or even hikers!) or sharing some other trails (USFS, BLM) with motorcycles, ATVs, jeeps, etc.

My comments are posted in the thread "So I rode an e-bike ..." in the Bike Reviews forum.

 

Ebikes

 

If you need one, you can have one. If you don't, you can't. Those are the new e-bike rules.

 

Sometimes while riding my road bike and sharing the road with automobiles, I find myself thinking what dipshifts drivers are for hauling all that unnecessary equipment and material to get to where they are going.

 

I am not the one that said I would not ride with someone that rode a certain type of bike. I just overreacted because I thought that was very narrow minded. For years I have rode the social trails all over the west pushing the limits of want might considered illegal. People pick and choice which laws they obey. Lots of folks smoke pot against the law, cheat on taxes, drive with illegal BAC. Those are felony's and misdemeanors that do not come close to a citation for illegal trail use. I really don’t care if people accept what I do or not, I am willing to pay the consequences of my actions. If those consequences means certain people will not ride with me so be it. I ride 90% of the time alone anyway. Not one of my friends have been anything but welcoming me back after my injuries, e-bike or not, and have been supportive of me getting back on the trail with them after a year abstinence .

Just for clarification: e-bike is one of 9 bikes in my garage and not the only bike I use. I still ride my single speed and the bike I ride the most is a fully rigid 11 speed. I am one of the rare MTBers that don't even mind sharing trails with motos and horses. I like them out there on remote rides.

Dean

 

lets kill this thread! Lets ride!

 

" Shot through the heart, and your to blame."

 

The e-bike threads on MTBer are asking that the moderators get rid of the ebike forum.

I will not bring up the subject and if anyone wants to private message me I will help. I only respond to posts already started. The division is so great that Mikie should just start deleting all ebike threads and post PM Dean. Or make a invitation only forum and appoint a moderator.

Dean

 

Or maybe the e-bikers should join a Moto Forum...... I kid, I kid Dean.