We often forget the true spirit of why we ride—to enjoy ourselves. But what do you do when those ear-to-ear grins slowly fade as you fall into the habit of riding the same routes, day in and day out? You grab a Turbo Levo FSR Carbon and experience the smile-inspiring power to ride more trails.
The Turbo Levo FSR wasn’t “just another bike”. It was the culmination of years of innovation and pushing boundaries—mounds of ingenuity and a massive amount of tenacity. Specialized goal was to shake the tree, not to just take parts and simply bolt them on whatever frame we had lying around. We needed to make an e-mountain bike that an experienced rider could throw a leg over and appreciate—something that looked and rode like a real mountain bike. And though it has all the industry-leading tech and performance you could want, the Levo FSR Carbon is bigger than that—it’s an e-mountain bike built for riders, by riders. It’s a send-it-ready, carbon trail slayer, just with a little extra oomph.
Full Carbon Frame
So what does a carbon frame do for the Levo? It takes 650 grams out of the frame and increases overall stiffness by 20%.
Let’s be clear, when Specialized set out to design the Levo FSR family, they had one goal in mind—build a trail bike first and then fully integrate the e-bike technology. Long top tubes, short chainstays, and low BBs are staples of the Specialized mountain bike DNA, so it was only natural to add these attributes to the Levo FSR Carbon. Along with a trail-ready geometry, the same proven geo on the alloy Levo FSR, the carbon iteration has modern specs to boot—150mm travel forks, powerful brakes, Rx Trail Tuned shocks, and 2.8" Butcher GRID tires provide a more forgiving, maximum-grip ride. These features and geometry keep the Levo FSR Carbon in line with what you may have ridden with the previous generation Levo FSR.
And now that the Levo is in carbon, S-Works bikes save a total of 650 grams (500g in the front triangle and 150g in the rear triangle). But more important than just weight savings is the ride quality. The frame is 40% more laterally stiff in the rear end and 20% stiffer overall. Stiff, planted, and confident—awesome.
Integration was nearly as important for the Levo Carbon as ride characteristics. Having a sleek, seamlessly integrated e-mountain bike not only makes for an aesthetically pleasing package, but building our own ecosystem (not just taking off-the-shelf systems) is what truly allowed us to build a no-compromises trail bike.
New to the integrated motor and battery system is our Trail Remote. Tucked discreetly on your bars to keep a clean cockpit, it provides intuitive, easy access to change modes and use the new walk-assist feature, without removing your hands from the bar. Smooth power delivery and silent operation also make the experience truly you, only faster.
The new Specialized 1.3 motor comes equipped on all 2018 Levo FSR models. Compared to the previous 1.1 motor, the new motor packs 15% more power through new magnets and an all-new electronic unit. Improved motor efficiency and better heat management come from two sources—hardware improvements and a new software update—which is also available for existing bikes. The software doesn't only support motor and heat management efficiencies, though, it also balances your own power inputs to guarantee even smoother assistance. Thermal pads in the motor, meanwhile, help balance heat distribution internally, while the thermal pad between the motor and frame rid the system of excess heat. Finally, built-in freewheels ensure complete motor disengagement when riding above the top speed of the motor.
