Hot on the heels of the Levo R, Specialized has released a new and surprising variant of its 'electric downcountry' bike – the Levo R Ultralight, dubbed “The fastest Levo ever”.
The new bike is claimed to weigh only 18.8kg, while offering the same 111Nm torque and 850W power with a smaller 600Wh battery, compared to the 840Wh of the standard Levo R.
Interestingly, the Levo R Ultralight is not only lighter than the top spec S-Works Levo R, but also £500 cheaper. It still comes with top-spec components, just different ones.
Less weight, same power
This isn’t an 'SL' or lightweight eMTB – the Levo R Ultralight has as much power as Specialized’s top eMTBs, including the big-hitting Levo 4 Evo. That's because it uses the same full-power S-Works 3.1 motor, which offers 111Nm torque and 850W power.
However, the Levo R Ultralight shaves weight in many areas.
It comes with the same FACT 11m carbon frame as the rest of the Levo R range, including the top-spec S-Works version (with carbon shock extension and titanium hardware), and some exotic lightweight components.
Comparing the two bikes, the Ultralight uses SRAM XX SL Eagle Transmission, instead of the S-Works’ XX-level drivetrain.
The Ultralight gets a BikeYoke mechanical dropper post, compared to the S-Works' electronic RockShox Reverb AXS, and the Ultralight runs Roval Control SL VI carbon rims with carbon spokes against the S-Works' Roval Traverse SL II carbon wheels with steel spokes.
The Ultralight also has a lighter Grip SL damper in the Fox 36 SL fork, but maintains the same 140mm travel. Another upgrade is the boutique Trickstuff Direttissima brakes instead of the chunkier SRAM Motive Ultimate quad-piston brakes on the S-Works Levo R.
The Ultralight also gets a lighter 180mm rear rotor, whereas the S-Works bike has 200mm rotors front and rear.
The new bike sports a Specialized Trail Control tyre with Grid casing on the front and a Ground Control with Grid light casing on the rear, whereas the S-Works has a Purgatory with Grid casing on the front and a Purgatory Grid Trail on the rear.
Specialized says all this lightness adds up, and the Levo R Ultralight weighs 18.8kg, which is a substantial 2.36kg lighter than the 21.16kg claimed for the S-Works Levo R (both in size S3).
Interestingly, it won’t leave your wallet lighter than the £12,499 S-Works Levo R though, with the Levo R Ultralight retailing for £500 less at £11,999.
Levo R Ultralight details
The Levo R Ultralight has 130mm travel via the same frame and Fox Float Factory Genie shock as the S-Works Levo R.
The Ultralight’s 600Wh battery is still removable, which poses the intriguing question – If you could fit the larger 840Wh battery from the Levo R, how much would the resulting 'Frankenbike' weigh?
The XX SL Transmission and BikeYoke dropper have some polished silver accents, which look rather classy against the Ultralight’s matt black frame.
