I have a 672 wh battery 48volt and I usually get 30 miles on eco with 1 or 2 bars left on battery and I ride all hill country up and down. I have never ran completely out of battery I guess because 30 miles of trails is enough for me. I’m 65 years old today.
I have the Levo Comp with the 700w battery and last night rode 38 miles with 3800ft of climbing and had 13% battery left. I am 95kg and only use Turbo on the steep climbs (9 of these last night), Trail on rough trails & small climbs and Eco on road sections or anywhere flat and smooth
I like the Idea of the Levo SL, providing a much lighter and therefor more nimble and bike experience. But as he said in the end. Put the Levo in Trail mode and you have the same power as the Levo SL in Turbo Mode. But the LEVO in Trail mode will bring you home, while the SL will get stuck on the way....
Personally I believe that anything over 15 mph is fast. A least in regards towards power management. So, I’ll guess that it was a little over an hour. That’s a good balance of using an electric bike and still getting a work out
One point to take into account is if you choose a bigger battery in the first place long term you'll reap rewards in the form of less battery degradation (I have a TH-cam channel myself on vehicular and the lithium battery tech is pretty much the same) ps I have a 2019 haibike sduro trekking 7.0) after 800 charges the 700w battery will still have around 15 to 20% more range than the 500w battery when it was new. Cheers
Comparisson I would LOVE to see: SL on Eco / Trail / Turbo (your choice!) with no range extender VS Turbo Levo 700w on ECO - see how much difference there is as Eco is about the same power output as a SL depending on tune.
Did a great ride yesterday on my 2021Levo comp with 700wh. Using a mix of eco, trail and turbo (only on the really steep stuff); went 25 miles and 4100 ft of climbing in 2 hrs 20 min, and still had 43% battery left!
So many ways to do these tests, I got 21 miles with 30% left on a 500wh 2020 levo. but I used eco and trail mode, with turbo only used very very occasionally. Maybe a test using each mode until emtpy would cover all the bases from all the millions of ways to test these bikes. I didn't realize turbo would drain that fast, as I rarely use it.. but it's nice to have when I'm winded and a big climb is just no fun.. I can blip it on for 1 to 3 minutes, makes such a huge difference and keeps the heart rate from spiking outside normal ranges.
23.6 km Distance 04:06:03 Moving Time 938 m Climb on my Heckler 500wh, two bars left mostly trail and boost Second ride less climb less boost mostly trail 42.8 km Distance 03:27:50 Moving Time 516 m Climb
The dirt conditions and speed you ride at play a HUGE role in this. I run Assegai tires in my SL and can get 40 miles and 8,000 ft from the 320Wh battery. But I ride super slowly using low power uphill on nice firm redwood dirt...
2021 Turbo Levo Comp 700 Wh battery. 5' 8.5" 198 Lbs 53 year old male. I did 28.1 miles today with 3000 ft elevation gain over all @ 3.2 hours of move time and landed home with 60% battery left . Steep and rocky hill climbs and decents in North Eastern Pennsylvania. Mostly in Trail and Eco mode. Come by sometime if you are ever in the states for a great ride.
Great review! Only one quibble: during the ride, you stated that the low-powered motor on the SL would work harder on steep climbs. As the range results proved, in terms of battery draw, the opposite is true: the smaller motor’s lower torque means that current spikes on hard acceleration will be lower. So in truth, the only thing working harder is the rider!
@@mrlaw711 Agreed. thats the point. I want to work and sweat, but having assists are sweet, even if it is just to offset the weight difference an ebike brings to the table.
I would love to have seen your output / heart rate / calories burned / effort required and Time difference for the Levo 500w vs SL tests for the same range and 70% less power you would be outputing an fair amount more for the same distance with a significantly less powerful bike. I have a Turbo Levo Expert Carbon with the 700w and LOVE it. Tried a Levo Comp Carbon with the 500w and range was a bit to low for my riding.
Would be fun to see a really precise test if you link your Garmin with the bike and see the average watt input from the rider too see if there was a difference there if you were getting tired for example.
I live in Aberdare and rode from my house to Mumbles just past Swansea 37 miles making 74 in total, mostly flat along a canal, mud, grass and gravel mixture, I used higher assist all the way home as it was getting dark. I was riding a Carerra Hellcat with a 1000 watt motor.
I love the 700wh in my Levo comp, I also have a levociraptor in setting 3 ( leave the derestrict discussion for elsewhere) and I get 35-40 miles with 2000ft of climb out of the battery with 50/50 between trail and turbo. 700wh is essential.
I run a E fatbike mostly commuter here in Houston. Some bumps on commute. Up and down curbs and few potholes. It's a rigid. But I'm setting it up for comfort. So the fatbike tires help. And I'll put a front suspension on it. And a suspension seat post. And comfort seat. All ready ordered cyclogot 850 light. Will upgrade the front brake to hydraulic. Cable in rear is good enough. And probably incorporate a spare battery somewhere. Rear rack or top tube maybe. And then ride around the trails at Memorial Park here in Houston. Occasionally pedaling, but mostly all throttle because I'm old and injured. But it's still fun and gets me out of the house in the fresh air. You can use ecomode to crawl upstairs if necessary. Great assist.
I really enjoyed that comparison. You'll definitely work more on that SL, but interesting that it went LONGER than the 500Wh system. Even if it went the same, I would be impressed. Has me thinking how much assistance I really need/want.
The thing is how much time he spent with 320 and 500... The only way you can go longer with less battery is riding slower and/or putting a lot of effort by your side. Physics are there for a reason :D
This has put me off an e bike,i do distance,i dont fancy lugging a dead battery around for half of it,wont be buying until battery technology improves,very informative video 👍
You can buy them going past 1400Wh. That's sticking to the most popular online marketplace. There are addons that enable linking multiple batteries. Just have to get creative on attaching them if one doesn't offer the range you need. How far do you go in a trip where you can't charge on route or before returning?
Guess it depends on how much work you want to put in to your ride. Having a long term leg injury the e160 with 700 battery has changed everything for me. I know I can get home if the pain comes on. I’m also loving having a bike that feels so different after years of riding. I was a blinkered die hardtail addict.
I just bought a 960wh battery for my ebike for £120...... Admittedly it's just a simple box structure and a xt60 connector using 21700 cells so not very sleek but still shows what battery prices should be closer to ... Good entertaining info though and I enjoyed watching as always. Do you think you will ever look st the bafang ultra type bikes, I'd love to know how they compare with your usual rides.
Yep, don't get worried about the battery endurance in this video. I have a 500 watt battery (Shimano Steps) and run the bike on eco mode almost all of the time, getting easily as much as 80 km(50miles) on mixed terrain on tracks, roads and hills. On flat roads it can well exceed 100km (62miles). I don't think I heard any mention of head winds in this video. Riding against the wind on flat roads for long distances also has quite an effect on the battery life. So, ride in eco mode as much as you can. Happy Riding.
S-Works Levo SL - rode 36 Miles using only 173Wh(3,798 ft elevation). You really should use BLEVO to compare rider power input and bike motor input, for the mentioned ride the biker total Wh was 543. I weigh 92kilo and bike is 15.8 Kilos
You should do the same comparison on the flat. While I do some trails, I use the turbo Levo SL because the full suspension is necessary given the poor condition of roads. Full suspension means no worries about potholes or curbs. And I can go “off the road” anytime when needed. I usually get 40 miles or more a charge. 700 is the only way to go. I hope for a bigger batter for same space someday! Big battery also means more rides between charges and thus better battery management.
I would go for the larger battery, if only because some of my rides are pretty long, and I sometimes don't recharge between runs. Yesterday I had three rides totaling 19 miles, and still had 60% battery left. That was mixed paved bike path and some rugged off road, with lots of elevation change, but I did it with the assist on level 3 out of 5. My e-bike is a heavy folding fat tire, so level 2 barely makes up for the extra weight. I've done 41 miles on a charge from the 672 watt hour battery, so I can't complain.
I ride an SL and my friend rides a normal levo, so I've got the 320 battery and he's got the 700, but we actually use about the same amount before they are drained, pretty consistently as well.
I think e bikes are great but for short trips I miss the lightness and feel of a simple non powered mountain bike. And those single front ring models are so sexy!
definitely a different animal, watched an early video I made and I was so clunky getting the huge Turbo Levo through tight trails. Yesterday I was rolling above 25mph on single track and killing it. This is much closer to a dirt bike than a bicycle in riding, especially if you have all the dirt bike techniques down. Seat bouncing is a pure joy, drops, you name it. Going back now is a learning process, but I understand exactly what you mean.
I normally only run on eco mode 95% of the time with a bit of tour mode when it gets too steep. I’m on vacation in the Austrian alps this week and I cycled up 1400m elevation and 50km distance today on eco mode. I have the Bosch gen 4 motor with a 625 Wh battery and it only used about 25%.
I have a 374 Wh. After a 20 mile trip and almost 2hrs charging I can get over half way back. This is starting with a full charge, ending with a cut off forcing me into human power mode. Then onto a bus if I don't feel up to pedaling the rest of the way. This will be an interesting watch. I'm considering a higher cap battery, and solar charging on the way. Even running off solar if I can get enough power directly from the panels to the motor.
Missed a chance to compare the Levo SL with range extender (480WHr) against the Levo (500WHr) set to lower torque so they match. would help if you could show your power input as well, I'm sure you could borrow a power meter.
Hey EMBN! Having the levo sl in this test really screwed the results badly! The sl has way less power and provided approximately 70% less assist to the rider! Chris pedaled harder to make that bike go farther than the turbo levo 500 watt hour! Being paid by specialized makes EMBN include the sl even when they know it makes it a bogus test! I realise this will not stop because the specialized marketing department will get mad at EMBN but I have to express my frustrations! What could have been a good accurate comparison is ruined by marketing bull excrement! Ride ride ride!
It's funny, I hardly noticed at the time but he's quoting the weights in kilos and the distances in miles :-) I guess that's a British thing, we're getting better at SI units but still clinging on to Imperial for dear life! It's like I'm 6ft, 12 and a half stone, ride my 12kg bike 2 miles to the gym, lift weights in kilos, do a quick mile on the treadmill in preparation for my 5k parkrun at the weekend, then go for a pint or two... there's no hope for us is there? :-)
I ride a Giant Trance E+ 2 2020, it’s got a 500w battery, I’m a very heavy rider too, at around 19 stone, but I manage to get around 40 miles from a battery, sometimes more, but I try to stay in eco as much as possible, I turn all the way down to no power on downhill sections, which suits me fine, I’ve never been a cross country rider, I come from a downhill background, so I am riding places I’ve never ridden before anyway, even locally, the important thing is that I come back from every ride absolutely gleaming!
Jon Davies definitely, I’m really shocked the bikes haven’t got more coverage, they are incredible! I’ve bought the bike to help with weight loss too, I’ve dropped a stone since having it, so hopefully I’ll get to a point where I can see a big difference in ride duration and getting to the top of climbs with less assistance. Best thing I’ve ever bought though, my last “good” bike was a 2014 Glory 1, since then I’ve got married and had kids, so I thought my riding days were over at 35, but I was massively wrong!
Great video. FYI for comparison, I get 100 miles on my cube 140 on bosh gen 4 625 on eco with 2.25 rocket ron's when I switch it on after full charge. 60 miles tour and 40 miles turbo.I think 2.6 over tyres the bike and reduces the range by 25% approx. because the weight of the ebike provides better grip on 2.25, I don't feel I need 2.6 hans damp.
Amazing the most I have got is 48 miles on stock 2.6 ,to hilly in Cornwall to achieve those big numbers , but in flat parts of the country in eco I could see this is possible 😂😃
Take a second shimano 504w that gives you over a 1000 watts, and they are fairly compact compared to the in frame batteries,I grabbed a second one for under 400chf! 1100 pounds for the Levo that’s insane.
I have 625 battery and with mosty eco mode I can go up to 185km. Few time i choose emtb/turbo mode. I'm quite happy of this range. My legs put all what I need to get the "turbo mode"😜
Wow I have a bosch gen 4 with 625wh battery and weigh 120kgs bike just shy of 24kg I rode yesterday for 14.8 miles in turbo mixed off road terrain and it left me with 76% battery 🔋 average speed of 12 mph 29x2.6 bontrager xr4 front and rear 28psi tubeless hardtail. Molten speed waxed chain too
I loved that video thank you! I'm buying a 2017 specialized turbo levo expert large today with 300 miles on it for $3600. I think that's a great deal I've been looking. It has the 500 watt battery and I'll possibly get an extra battery for weekend camping trips.
just carry an extra battery . remember weight is not such an issue when you have a motor . My bike is loaded up with tools . extra clothing, extra battery , water , food etc , then i plan a ride that won't exceed the use of one battery going out , so after i turn around or do a half loop i still have a bit left in the first battery before changing over .
I have a giant with yamaha motor and 500w battery, in turbo mode the longest ride with one bar left was 37 miles. In eco mode i get over 70 miles with one bar left on the battery.
On my Cannondale jeykll 800 with a TSDZ2 250w mid drive with 95Nm using a 748watt hr battery pack with 4 power zones Eco,Cruise,speed and Turbo. total climb height was 806 mtrs journey time was 3hr.28 minutes 748 watt hr battery did 39 miles with 35.5 left in pack 756 watt hr second battery of 8 miles still had 39v left from 41.7 pack 80% assist power was in speed mod 20% assist power was in Turbo mod average speed 22.4km/hr weight of bike with two batteries - 25kg My weight is - 119 kg Backpack - 6kg Total - 150kg
Interesting battery range test but would have been more relevant if all 3 rides had used Trail mode set the same on the Specialized app at say Support 65% and Peak power 95%. This would have made quite a difference and I think the SL would have done even better.
trail support for me is 30 and I still find it too much at times, 50 is Max and rarely touched. 39 miles of single track 38% battery left at end on 500w Carbon Comp. Even at 60 years old, I find no need for anything above 50 even on most knarly single tracks. Ave 13.7 top speed of 32.5mph yesterday on wicked nasty old motorcycle single track trails
Guys this is a super good comparative video! It will be intresting doing the same between E7000 and E8000 with same battery pack. Thank you for doing that stuff.
Personally I find trail mode much more controlled for climbing anything technical. Also if you are out for a decent ride you can’t go blasting about on turbo for long before you need to head home. Much better to maximise your riding and use the modes appropriate to the terrain.
The rider contributed about 30% more expended energy to get the SL to the same distance compared to the 500 Wh Levo. Equalize this by lowering the boost % of the 500 Wh bike and see what the range is. An unassisted bike would have completed the loop without running out of battery. Does it have the most range?
Best method would have been to use 700Wh battery for all e test by using charger capable of control charge to specific amount. Bonus is you'll can monitor your battery over the to see how much real capacity is left.
Hey you guys, I last week did The Mary townley loop on my mondraker chaser, 625wh battery with the new 85 nm Bosch upgrade. 47 miles and 6400ft of climbing. My ride was genuinely orientated around economy so the bike was in eco mode apart from the hardest ascents!!!! 16 stone rider here. My battery went at the 45 mile mark, if that isn’t impressive I don’t know what is!!!
Many thanks for that info - exactly what I was looking for as I recently did the MTL on a manual bike and don’t fancy doing it again like that! The only thing is that wherever you start from it’s likely there will a killer uphill at the end without assist unless you take more Wh with you. How did you find the last bit? For me it would be the climb up from Watergrove and then the bottom end of Rooley Moor Road. They were hard enough on my light weight Scott XC bike - would not have fancied pushing another 10+ kilos - but then again I wouldn’t have been so knackered on an eBike up to that point.
Steve Davison started at waterfoot then did anti clockwise so my finish point was at the top of Burnley road East... like I said my battery ran out just after the Mary townley statue so I was lucky, I still think doing it anti clockwise is slightly better....
@@bazzab1000 what’s that climb like out of Waterfoot going that way? That trail is very broken and quite long, imagine it’s quite a challenge. Can’t imagine doing that manually!
Steve Davison yeah, that climb I did on the e bike wasn’t too bad but it is short and steep up from cowpe then long gradual up to rooley moor with again short steep techy rutted for the last 100-200 yards...
I am torn between SL and full power. Ridden them head to head, I was blown away by the SL. All benefits of a normal bike with a decent amount of power. While the full power Levo has nearly 3 times stronger motor, in real life it is definitely not 3 times faster. At the same time, it feels way much heavier. Still, psychologically I cant accept that the SL would be as capable on the way up. This is why we need also Garmin data. Range is obviously similar between SL and full power so the effort makes the difference.
The SINGLE biggest mistake I made during the purchase of my first e-MTB was going for a bike that was shipped with a 400wh battery. Bitter experience has since taught me that this is only good for the commuter going to work and back (and even this has limitations). If you’re serious about taking on the trails, then SIZE matters and only a 500wh and above will suffice. Btw: I’m 18 stone of dead weight sitting on my bike. It would be a different matter if I was 12 or 13.
is battery consomption linear by that I mean do batteries hold (?) more power at for example the first 50% of charge than during the last 50% In my experience I have found that one can do huge amounts of vertical, using maybe 40%, and at the end slightly anxious albeit doing mainly downhill or undulating trails at the end is this so? your comparison between two different batteries on the levos appears to substantiate the theory it is also probably backed up by the figures given by certain companies vis a vis the charging speed of batteries, they all talk of 50% in X time but 100% is not twice that time if this is indeed the case might you consider asking the battery manufactures a vague idea of the decharging curve of a battery . I realised it will vary to do with age etc but a brand spanking off the shelf, never raced or rallied battery what are the curves for both charging and decharging? great show though maybe not enough for beginners, you chaps are all shit hot ,so its slightly hard to associate with what you do and what we might aspire to achieve cheers Mike
Great video! Would like to see the same test with the Bosch vs shimano and Brose. Spezial with the new Shimano engine! Did you weight the bike with your tire combo on? Thanks and keep on going with the good content.
I have a friend with the Bosch and it is no comparison, both 2019s, I love my specialized. After last update, it was a new bike, can't believe difference. Motor applies power even smoother and dead silent even after 2.5 years of hard off road riding. Main thing is to get out and ride. The GPS, the tracks I move into basecamp, the personal presets for motor control. Great Bike.
I always wonder if it is better to buy a 700wh battery or another 500wh battery and carry it over. The 700wh battery cannot be found cheaper than 1.200eur aprox, while I can find a 500wh new for 350eur of someone that has bought the 700wh and needs to get rid of the 500 one. What would you recommend? Thanks and congrats for your channel!
I have been thinking the same. It’s a shame the 500Wh battery isn’t smaller - looks like you need a decent backpack to cart it around. Also a shame we can’t regeneratively recharge these.
In my opinion. Weight is a secondary issue. It's nice to but not worth sacrificing reliability or functionality. I'd much rather have the best tires, (DD casing, soft compound, cushcore) high quality tunable suspension, and rugged drive train components than saving a few pounds. Also I'd rather have a bike with suspension kinematics optimized for traction and downhill performance over climbing/pedaling efficiency.
Is it worth buying another battery? The way I see it is that you turn up to the trail centre, nail it, go get a burger, stick the other battery on and nail it again. If you can charge it while you're riding, maybe in the centre? then you can be absolutely smashing runs out!
I would go with the SL. That way when it runs out the you’re not lugging around so much extra dead weight. Besides, most e-bikes are overpowered. Do you really need 4x assistance?
I’ve got a 52 volt 20 mah 1 kilowatt....on a 54lb. BBSHD Banshee Scirocco. It’s too new for me to hazard a guess at range. This bike will go up hill at 28 mph. Coming down that same stretch of road it will do 36 mph without trying. Maybe 40ish miles of range ?
The range is still poor in turbo mode and the weight still too heavy for EMTBs. Those that say they never take it out of eco mode, why not just buy a normal MTB and the weight saving will see you climb as quickly or very close to the eco mode. Not to mention the fortune you save on the bike cost and any servicing as well as fitness gains. 24kg for a mountain bike is madness, so is £1100 for a battery which will inevitably need replacing after a couple of years.
so the difference between 625 and 750Wh batteries is about 900g. Can you feel that difference? I bet you can, especially that all that extra weight is close to your head tube ? any thoughts ? :)
The other bikes should be on a mid-level power setting, comparable to the Levo SL on high. This is a range test, so they should be putting out similar levels of power.
Net Jacobsson ...I’ve got the comp and the 500w is plenty for me ....awesome bike love it , but my wrists are getting hammered with all the extra runs I can now get in
What size battery to do you have? Would you go larger or less?
I'd go larger (700 Wh) 😎
Jam2 9.6 378Wh
504Wh x 2 - much more flexible as I can recharge one while using the other at e.g. BPW
Larger the better as it means you can be on the bike for longer
I would go larger i have a 625w
I have a 672 wh battery 48volt and I usually get 30 miles on eco with 1 or 2 bars left on battery and I ride all hill country up and down. I have never ran completely out of battery I guess because 30 miles of trails is enough for me. I’m 65 years old today.
Happy birthday pal
have run vs have ran
I have the Levo Comp with the 700w battery and last night rode 38 miles with 3800ft of climbing and had 13% battery left. I am 95kg and only use Turbo on the steep climbs (9 of these last night), Trail on rough trails & small climbs and Eco on road sections or anywhere flat and smooth
you using better quality of electricity when charging battery :D :D
and strong wind was always from behind, plus probably bin without bag:)
Should have done it all in eco on every bike then on trail on every bike then on turbo on every bike.
I like the Idea of the Levo SL, providing a much lighter and therefor more nimble and bike experience. But as he said in the end. Put the Levo in Trail mode and you have the same power as the Levo SL in Turbo Mode. But the LEVO in Trail mode will bring you home, while the SL will get stuck on the way....
you can ride SL without suport. it weights just 2 kilos more than my enduro bike.
One data is missing here, how much time you used to ride for example 18 miles.
Personally I believe that anything over 15 mph is fast. A least in regards towards power management. So, I’ll guess that it was a little over an hour. That’s a good balance of using an electric bike and still getting a work out
One point to take into account is if you choose a bigger battery in the first place long term you'll reap rewards in the form of less battery degradation (I have a TH-cam channel myself on vehicular and the lithium battery tech is pretty much the same) ps I have a 2019 haibike sduro trekking 7.0) after 800 charges the 700w battery will still have around 15 to 20% more range than the 500w battery when it was new. Cheers
well said
Nice. Thanks for the info.
Comparisson I would LOVE to see: SL on Eco / Trail / Turbo (your choice!) with no range extender VS Turbo Levo 700w on ECO - see how much difference there is as Eco is about the same power output as a SL depending on tune.
Almost never take mine out of eco mode... I love the range eco gives me and the workout after words...
Brian, what sort of distance and climbing can you get with eco mode ?
Did a great ride yesterday on my 2021Levo comp with 700wh. Using a mix of eco, trail and turbo (only on the really steep stuff); went 25 miles and 4100 ft of climbing in 2 hrs 20 min, and still had 43% battery left!
Thanks so much for this video. Just ordered a 500wh turbo levo alloy. I'm excited to get it!!
Did you get it
It would be interesting to see the time taken to do the miles between the 500wh Levo and SL.
So many ways to do these tests, I got 21 miles with 30% left on a 500wh 2020 levo. but I used eco and trail mode, with turbo only used very very occasionally. Maybe a test using each mode until emtpy would cover all the bases from all the millions of ways to test these bikes. I didn't realize turbo would drain that fast, as I rarely use it.. but it's nice to have when I'm winded and a big climb is just no fun.. I can blip it on for 1 to 3 minutes, makes such a huge difference and keeps the heart rate from spiking outside normal ranges.
23.6 km
Distance
04:06:03
Moving Time
938 m
Climb
on my Heckler 500wh, two bars left mostly trail and boost
Second ride less climb less boost mostly trail
42.8 km
Distance
03:27:50
Moving Time
516 m
Climb
The dirt conditions and speed you ride at play a HUGE role in this. I run Assegai tires in my SL and can get 40 miles and 8,000 ft from the 320Wh battery. But I ride super slowly using low power uphill on nice firm redwood dirt...
Much better stats!
What was the age of each battery and you should compare a new battery to a 1yr battery to a 2yr battery
You also need to factor in weather, Heat and Cold drain batteries!
I did 42km on my Vitus E Sommet 790m elevation with a mix of eco and trail and used 3 out of 5 batt lights.
Excellent info. Don't hate me, but now we're going to need you do the same for eco. (pretty please).
Riese & Muller Tinker, tuned engine 82.5nm, 500 battery and 45 km (28m) in Turbo mode... we have no mountains in North Holland, but a strong wind.
This would be a great test in eco mode. I hardly ever touch turbo.
But turbo is the only mode
Agreed. I very rarely touch turbo as well.
The whole point of an ebike is the power assist. So I only ride in Turbo mode.
Have to admit I'm a turbo hog.
Turbo to get up the hill than the gravity does the rest for me
Would be interesting to see a similar comparison test on the bosch motor pre and post power upgrade, using different modes
Good video would like to see Chris ride say 5 different brands of ebikes from fully charged to flat in eco in a day. Get him on it Jonesy 😁
2021 Turbo Levo Comp 700 Wh battery. 5' 8.5" 198 Lbs 53 year old male. I did 28.1 miles today with 3000 ft elevation gain over all @ 3.2 hours of move time and landed home with 60% battery left . Steep and rocky hill climbs and decents in North Eastern Pennsylvania. Mostly in Trail and Eco mode. Come by sometime if you are ever in the states for a great ride.
Great review! Only one quibble: during the ride, you stated that the low-powered motor on the SL would work harder on steep climbs. As the range results proved, in terms of battery draw, the opposite is true: the smaller motor’s lower torque means that current spikes on hard acceleration will be lower. So in truth, the only thing working harder is the rider!
good point. Maybe we should ask (what's his name?) to use Turbo for the SL and Sport for the Levo.
Chris actually stated that You have to work harder on the SL, not the bike @21.45mins
And that is OK!
@@mrlaw711 Agreed. thats the point. I want to work and sweat, but having assists are sweet, even if it is just to offset the weight difference an ebike brings to the table.
I would love to have seen your output / heart rate / calories burned / effort required and Time difference for the Levo 500w vs SL tests for the same range and 70% less power you would be outputing an fair amount more for the same distance with a significantly less powerful bike. I have a Turbo Levo Expert Carbon with the 700w and LOVE it. Tried a Levo Comp Carbon with the 500w and range was a bit to low for my riding.
It would also be interesting to compare the rider watt output during each ride i.e. probably a lot more rider watts expended on Levo SL?
Would be fun to see a really precise test if you link your Garmin with the bike and see the average watt input from the rider too see if there was a difference there if you were getting tired for example.
I live in Aberdare and rode from my house to Mumbles just past Swansea 37 miles making 74 in total, mostly flat along a canal, mud, grass and gravel mixture, I used higher assist all the way home as it was getting dark. I was riding a Carerra Hellcat with a 1000 watt motor.
I love the 700wh in my Levo comp, I also have a levociraptor in setting 3 ( leave the derestrict discussion for elsewhere) and I get 35-40 miles with 2000ft of climb out of the battery with 50/50 between trail and turbo. 700wh is essential.
play with presets and extend that by hours of riding
I run a E fatbike mostly commuter here in Houston. Some bumps on commute. Up and down curbs and few potholes. It's a rigid. But I'm setting it up for comfort. So the fatbike tires help. And I'll put a front suspension on it. And a suspension seat post. And comfort seat. All ready ordered cyclogot 850 light. Will upgrade the front brake to hydraulic. Cable in rear is good enough. And probably incorporate a spare battery somewhere. Rear rack or top tube maybe. And then ride around the trails at Memorial Park here in Houston. Occasionally pedaling, but mostly all throttle because I'm old and injured. But it's still fun and gets me out of the house in the fresh air.
You can use ecomode to crawl upstairs if necessary. Great assist.
I really enjoyed that comparison. You'll definitely work more on that SL, but interesting that it went LONGER than the 500Wh system. Even if it went the same, I would be impressed. Has me thinking how much assistance I really need/want.
The thing is how much time he spent with 320 and 500... The only way you can go longer with less battery is riding slower and/or putting a lot of effort by your side. Physics are there for a reason :D
This has put me off an e bike,i do distance,i dont fancy lugging a dead battery around for half of it,wont be buying until battery technology improves,very informative video 👍
You can buy them going past 1400Wh. That's sticking to the most popular online marketplace. There are addons that enable linking multiple batteries. Just have to get creative on attaching them if one doesn't offer the range you need. How far do you go in a trip where you can't charge on route or before returning?
Guess it depends on how much work you want to put in to your ride. Having a long term leg injury the e160 with 700 battery has changed everything for me. I know I can get home if the pain comes on. I’m also loving having a bike that feels so different after years of riding. I was a blinkered die hardtail addict.
I just bought a 960wh battery for my ebike for £120......
Admittedly it's just a simple box structure and a xt60 connector using 21700 cells so not very sleek but still shows what battery prices should be closer to ...
Good entertaining info though and I enjoyed watching as always.
Do you think you will ever look st the bafang ultra type bikes, I'd love to know how they compare with your usual rides.
Yep, don't get worried about the battery endurance in this video. I have a 500 watt battery (Shimano Steps) and run the bike on eco mode almost all of the time, getting easily as much as 80 km(50miles) on mixed terrain on tracks, roads and hills. On flat roads it can well exceed 100km (62miles). I don't think I heard any mention of head winds in this video. Riding against the wind on flat roads for long distances also has quite an effect on the battery life. So, ride in eco mode as much as you can. Happy Riding.
S-Works Levo SL - rode 36 Miles using only 173Wh(3,798 ft elevation). You really should use BLEVO to compare rider power input and bike motor input, for the mentioned ride the biker total Wh was 543. I weigh 92kilo and bike is 15.8 Kilos
You should do the same comparison on the flat. While I do some trails, I use the turbo Levo SL because the full suspension is necessary given the poor condition of roads. Full suspension means no worries about potholes or curbs. And I can go “off the road” anytime when needed. I usually get 40 miles or more a charge. 700 is the only way to go. I hope for a bigger batter for same space someday! Big battery also means more rides between charges and thus better battery management.
I would go for the larger battery, if only because some of my rides are pretty long, and I sometimes don't recharge between runs. Yesterday I had three rides totaling 19 miles, and still had 60% battery left. That was mixed paved bike path and some rugged off road, with lots of elevation change, but I did it with the assist on level 3 out of 5. My e-bike is a heavy folding fat tire, so level 2 barely makes up for the extra weight. I've done 41 miles on a charge from the 672 watt hour battery, so I can't complain.
I ride an SL and my friend rides a normal levo, so I've got the 320 battery and he's got the 700, but we actually use about the same amount before they are drained, pretty consistently as well.
I get 2 full laps at Gisburn Forrest on 1 504w battery and it's 2 years old. 27.5 miles. Eco is plenty powerful enough trail and turbo is OP.
I think e bikes are great but for short trips I miss the lightness and feel of a simple non powered mountain bike. And those single front ring models are so sexy!
definitely a different animal, watched an early video I made and I was so clunky getting the huge Turbo Levo through tight trails. Yesterday I was rolling above 25mph on single track and killing it. This is much closer to a dirt bike than a bicycle in riding, especially if you have all the dirt bike techniques down. Seat bouncing is a pure joy, drops, you name it. Going back now is a learning process, but I understand exactly what you mean.
I normally only run on eco mode 95% of the time with a bit of tour mode when it gets too steep. I’m on vacation in the Austrian alps this week and I cycled up 1400m elevation and 50km distance today on eco mode. I have the Bosch gen 4 motor with a 625 Wh battery and it only used about 25%.
Thanks great usage. Im leaning towards the Bosch 625 for my next bike, thanks for the info.
Oh thats good to know that, 50km for 25% Battery consumed. Thanks for sharing.
I have a 374 Wh. After a 20 mile trip and almost 2hrs charging I can get over half way back. This is starting with a full charge, ending with a cut off forcing me into human power mode. Then onto a bus if I don't feel up to pedaling the rest of the way. This will be an interesting watch. I'm considering a higher cap battery, and solar charging on the way. Even running off solar if I can get enough power directly from the panels to the motor.
Missed a chance to compare the Levo SL with range extender (480WHr) against the Levo (500WHr) set to lower torque so they match. would help if you could show your power input as well, I'm sure you could borrow a power meter.
Hey EMBN! Having the levo sl in this test really screwed the results badly! The sl has way less power and provided approximately 70% less assist to the rider! Chris pedaled harder to make that bike go farther than the turbo levo 500 watt hour! Being paid by specialized makes EMBN include the sl even when they know it makes it a bogus test! I realise this will not stop because the specialized marketing department will get mad at EMBN but I have to express my frustrations! What could have been a good accurate comparison is ruined by marketing bull excrement! Ride ride ride!
Miles->Kilometers, feet->meters and pounds->kilo pleeeeeaaaase
Oh yes, this would be better because these are used more often!
Or the best would be to say both units
@Rowenta SFMC It'll have to be both for me. kms range means nothing to an oldie like me.
@Rowenta SFMC Google miles to kilometres conversion, it's not that hard
@Rowenta SFMC International? Do you really think most of the world still uses the Imperial system?
It's funny, I hardly noticed at the time but he's quoting the weights in kilos and the distances in miles :-) I guess that's a British thing, we're getting better at SI units but still clinging on to Imperial for dear life!
It's like I'm 6ft, 12 and a half stone, ride my 12kg bike 2 miles to the gym, lift weights in kilos, do a quick mile on the treadmill in preparation for my 5k parkrun at the weekend, then go for a pint or two... there's no hope for us is there? :-)
I ride a Giant Trance E+ 2 2020, it’s got a 500w battery, I’m a very heavy rider too, at around 19 stone, but I manage to get around 40 miles from a battery, sometimes more, but I try to stay in eco as much as possible, I turn all the way down to no power on downhill sections, which suits me fine, I’ve never been a cross country rider, I come from a downhill background, so I am riding places I’ve never ridden before anyway, even locally, the important thing is that I come back from every ride absolutely gleaming!
Good to know, im looking at getting Trance2 when stock comes in. Im about 10.5 stone, so would imagine could get more battery range on climbs.
Jon Davies definitely, I’m really shocked the bikes haven’t got more coverage, they are incredible! I’ve bought the bike to help with weight loss too, I’ve dropped a stone since having it, so hopefully I’ll get to a point where I can see a big difference in ride duration and getting to the top of climbs with less assistance. Best thing I’ve ever bought though, my last “good” bike was a 2014 Glory 1, since then I’ve got married and had kids, so I thought my riding days were over at 35, but I was massively wrong!
Interesting video but you are missing one vital stat. How long did each ride take?
I was wondering the same thing. I suspect that the bigger battery got to the end quicker
Great video. FYI for comparison, I get 100 miles on my cube 140 on bosh gen 4 625 on eco with 2.25 rocket ron's when I switch it on after full charge. 60 miles tour and 40 miles turbo.I think 2.6 over tyres the bike and reduces the range by 25% approx. because the weight of the ebike provides better grip on 2.25, I don't feel I need 2.6 hans damp.
Amazing the most I have got is 48 miles on stock 2.6 ,to hilly in Cornwall to achieve those big numbers , but in flat parts of the country in eco I could see this is possible 😂😃
That would be more than enough! So many variables, im just over 66kg so would imagine range should be not an issue. That cube looks like a great bike.
I am buying a e-mtb, not sure what one yet, but your posts are very helpful. Thanks
Take a second shimano 504w that gives you over a 1000 watts, and they are fairly compact compared to the in frame batteries,I grabbed a second one for under 400chf! 1100 pounds for the Levo that’s insane.
I have 625 battery and with mosty eco mode I can go up to 185km. Few time i choose emtb/turbo mode. I'm quite happy of this range.
My legs put all what I need to get the "turbo mode"😜
@daAnder71 R u serious? 🤔😂
Time? where is the route time?
Great comparison video and not much difference I see between the full fat and the sl in miles , but obviously it must have been easier on the turbo.
Wow I have a bosch gen 4 with 625wh battery and weigh 120kgs bike just shy of 24kg I rode yesterday for 14.8 miles in turbo mixed off road terrain and it left me with 76% battery 🔋 average speed of 12 mph 29x2.6 bontrager xr4 front and rear 28psi tubeless hardtail. Molten speed waxed chain too
Is that with the update on the Bosch motor?
@@danmorrison667 no not yet
Also, ambient temperature will affect battery performance. Which wasnt mentioned
French advise: the c in "Mont Blanc" is silent (the t in mont as well actually).
45.3km out of my Trek Powerfly LT 9.7 with a 500wt battery in EMTB Mode
I loved that video thank you! I'm buying a 2017 specialized turbo levo expert large today with 300 miles on it for $3600. I think that's a great deal I've been looking. It has the 500 watt battery and I'll possibly get an extra battery for weekend camping trips.
With my Rotwild RX750 Ultra, I usually only use 20% support and 35% support which gets me 35km /800m ascent with still 25% to 30% battery left.
It could be interesting to know your own watt input per miles on every ride... then it would be easier to compare.
just carry an extra battery . remember weight is not such an issue when you have a motor .
My bike is loaded up with tools . extra clothing, extra battery , water , food etc , then i plan a ride that won't exceed the use of one battery going out , so after i turn around or do a half loop i still have a bit left in the first battery before changing over .
I have a giant with yamaha motor and 500w battery, in turbo mode the longest ride with one bar left was 37 miles.
In eco mode i get over 70 miles with one bar left on the battery.
On my Cannondale jeykll 800 with a TSDZ2 250w mid drive with 95Nm using a 748watt hr battery pack with 4 power zones Eco,Cruise,speed and Turbo.
total climb height was 806 mtrs
journey time was 3hr.28 minutes
748 watt hr battery did 39 miles with 35.5 left in pack
756 watt hr second battery of 8 miles still had 39v left from 41.7 pack
80% assist power was in speed mod
20% assist power was in Turbo mod
average speed 22.4km/hr
weight of bike with two batteries - 25kg
My weight is - 119 kg
Backpack - 6kg
Total - 150kg
Interesting battery range test but would have been more relevant if all 3 rides had used Trail mode set the same on the Specialized app at say Support 65% and Peak power 95%. This would have made quite a difference and I think the SL would have done even better.
trail support for me is 30 and I still find it too much at times, 50 is Max and rarely touched. 39 miles of single track 38% battery left at end on 500w Carbon Comp. Even at 60 years old, I find no need for anything above 50 even on most knarly single tracks. Ave 13.7 top speed of 32.5mph yesterday on wicked nasty old motorcycle single track trails
Guys this is a super good comparative video! It will be intresting doing the same between E7000 and E8000 with same battery pack. Thank you for doing that stuff.
Personally I find trail mode much more controlled for climbing anything technical. Also if you are out for a decent ride you can’t go blasting about on turbo for long before you need to head home. Much better to maximise your riding and use the modes appropriate to the terrain.
The rider contributed about 30% more expended energy to get the SL to the same distance compared to the 500 Wh Levo. Equalize this by lowering the boost % of the 500 Wh bike and see what the range is.
An unassisted bike would have completed the loop without running out of battery. Does it have the most range?
Very good point - interesting!
Best method would have been to use 700Wh battery for all e test by using charger capable of control charge to specific amount. Bonus is you'll can monitor your battery over the to see how much real capacity is left.
Wheres's the Canyon Spectral On, I miss it so much!
Hey you guys, I last week did The Mary townley loop on my mondraker chaser, 625wh battery with the new 85 nm Bosch upgrade. 47 miles and 6400ft of climbing. My ride was genuinely orientated around economy so the bike was in eco mode apart from the hardest ascents!!!! 16 stone rider here. My battery went at the 45 mile mark, if that isn’t impressive I don’t know what is!!!
Many thanks for that info - exactly what I was looking for as I recently did the MTL on a manual bike and don’t fancy doing it again like that! The only thing is that wherever you start from it’s likely there will a killer uphill at the end without assist unless you take more Wh with you. How did you find the last bit? For me it would be the climb up from Watergrove and then the bottom end of Rooley Moor Road. They were hard enough on my light weight Scott XC bike - would not have fancied pushing another 10+ kilos - but then again I wouldn’t have been so knackered on an eBike up to that point.
Steve Davison started at waterfoot then did anti clockwise so my finish point was at the top of Burnley road East... like I said my battery ran out just after the Mary townley statue so I was lucky, I still think doing it anti clockwise is slightly better....
@@bazzab1000 what’s that climb like out of Waterfoot going that way? That trail is very broken and quite long, imagine it’s quite a challenge. Can’t imagine doing that manually!
Steve Davison yeah, that climb I did on the e bike wasn’t too bad but it is short and steep up from cowpe then long gradual up to rooley moor with again short steep techy rutted for the last 100-200 yards...
love my 750 Wh ! A whole morning on the hills and it still has 70% remaining!
Thanks for the vid, nice. Any chance you could do a cadence comparison test?
Very good info/video! Plan on an E Mtn. Bike and your ride was a big help
Great to hear John!
I would put Assegai on the front and DHR on the back. Just say'in. Its a great video. Love eMBN.
I got a Cannondale Habit Neo 4 2020 with Bosch 500w battery, done 21 mile in turbo mode today on the south downs and still had half a battery left
I am torn between SL and full power. Ridden them head to head, I was blown away by the SL. All benefits of a normal bike with a decent amount of power. While the full power Levo has nearly 3 times stronger motor, in real life it is definitely not 3 times faster. At the same time, it feels way much heavier. Still, psychologically I cant accept that the SL would be as capable on the way up. This is why we need also Garmin data. Range is obviously similar between SL and full power so the effort makes the difference.
I get plus 100km’s and 1450hm easy out of my 625w battery. Off/Eco/Tour.
Sometime emtb mode. Hardly ever turbo.
of course you do
What weight are you? Bike weight?
@@McStoolio 72-23
Great review. Thank you.
Hmm did you list the times for each bike over the same set distance?, that would make a big difference and be good to know.
The SINGLE biggest mistake I made during the purchase of my first e-MTB was going for a bike that was shipped with a 400wh battery. Bitter experience has since taught me that this is only good for the commuter going to work and back (and even this has limitations). If you’re serious about taking on the trails, then SIZE matters and only a 500wh and above will suffice.
Btw: I’m 18 stone of dead weight sitting on my bike. It would be a different matter if I was 12 or 13.
is battery consomption linear by that I mean do batteries hold (?) more power at for example the first 50% of charge than during the last 50%
In my experience I have found that one can do huge amounts of vertical, using maybe 40%, and at the end slightly anxious albeit doing mainly downhill or undulating trails at the end
is this so?
your comparison between two different batteries on the levos appears to substantiate the theory it is also probably backed up by the figures given by certain companies vis a vis the charging speed of batteries, they all talk of 50% in X time but 100% is not twice that time
if this is indeed the case might you consider asking the battery manufactures a vague idea of the decharging curve of a battery . I realised it will vary to do with age etc but a brand spanking off the shelf, never raced or rallied battery what are the curves for both charging and decharging?
great show though maybe not enough for beginners, you chaps are all shit hot ,so its slightly hard to associate with what you do and what we might aspire to achieve
cheers Mike
I Think you guys should do a 700watt test on the European limit at 15mph compared to the US of 20 mph. That at would be a interesting video
Which was more fun to ride? Low capacity light weight or the heavier high capacity battery bike?
Great video!
Would like to see the same test with the Bosch vs shimano and Brose. Spezial with the new Shimano engine!
Did you weight the bike with your tire combo on?
Thanks and keep on going with the good content.
I have a friend with the Bosch and it is no comparison, both 2019s, I love my specialized. After last update, it was a new bike, can't believe difference. Motor applies power even smoother and dead silent even after 2.5 years of hard off road riding. Main thing is to get out and ride. The GPS, the tracks I move into basecamp, the personal presets for motor control. Great Bike.
What a great place to do a great test!
Nice video. Lots of good info thank you!
Glad it was helpful Brent!
I always wonder if it is better to buy a 700wh battery or another 500wh battery and carry it over. The 700wh battery cannot be found cheaper than 1.200eur aprox, while I can find a 500wh new for 350eur of someone that has bought the 700wh and needs to get rid of the 500 one. What would you recommend? Thanks and congrats for your channel!
I have been thinking the same. It’s a shame the 500Wh battery isn’t smaller - looks like you need a decent backpack to cart it around. Also a shame we can’t regeneratively recharge these.
In my opinion. Weight is a secondary issue. It's nice to but not worth sacrificing reliability or functionality. I'd much rather have the best tires, (DD casing, soft compound, cushcore) high quality tunable suspension, and rugged drive train components than saving a few pounds. Also I'd rather have a bike with suspension kinematics optimized for traction and downhill performance over climbing/pedaling efficiency.
Is it worth buying another battery? The way I see it is that you turn up to the trail centre, nail it, go get a burger, stick the other battery on and nail it again. If you can charge it while you're riding, maybe in the centre? then you can be absolutely smashing runs out!
I would go with the SL. That way when it runs out the you’re not lugging around so much extra dead weight. Besides, most e-bikes are overpowered. Do you really need 4x assistance?
Would be great to see how far the 700wh battery would take you doing the same route if it was kept in eco mode 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
I beleive my Bosch EMTB (Stilus Big MTN) would easily do 80km in eco
I’ve got a 52 volt 20 mah 1 kilowatt....on a 54lb. BBSHD Banshee Scirocco. It’s too new for me to hazard a guess at range. This bike will go up hill at 28 mph. Coming down that same stretch of road it will do 36 mph without trying. Maybe 40ish miles of range ?
a comparison with Kenevo was also interesting
great video mate
The range is still poor in turbo mode and the weight still too heavy for EMTBs.
Those that say they never take it out of eco mode, why not just buy a normal MTB and the weight saving will see you climb as quickly or very close to the eco mode. Not to mention the fortune you save on the bike cost and any servicing as well as fitness gains.
24kg for a mountain bike is madness, so is £1100 for a battery which will inevitably need replacing after a couple of years.
Holy crap! £1100 for a 700Wh battery is nuts. They're even more expensive now. Glad I went with a DIY kit. My 1000Wh battery cost me a measly £300.
can you give me an idea how do diy?
so the difference between 625 and 750Wh batteries is about 900g. Can you feel that difference?
I bet you can, especially that all that extra weight is close to your head tube ? any thoughts ? :)
The other bikes should be on a mid-level power setting, comparable to the Levo SL on high. This is a range test, so they should be putting out similar levels of power.
I have a Kenevo Expert 2020. Would love to see the difference between the Levo and the Kenevo Expert in range as it is the same battery.
Net Jacobsson ...I’ve got the comp and the 500w is plenty for me ....awesome bike love it , but my wrists are getting hammered with all the extra runs I can now get in