Specialized’s latest Turbo Levo electric mountain bike receives geometry updates – getting the longer, slacker, lower treatment – with adjustable settings, a mullet wheel setup, new Mastermind Turbo Connect Unit (TCU) with customisable display, MicroTune technology and improved suspension inspired by its Enduro model.
The Gen 3 Turbo Levo’s Turbo Full Power System 2.2 motor also gets an update with a new drive belt to help address issues some riders experienced with the outgoing Turbo Levo's 2.1 motor – where the belt could get damaged, leaving the motor unable to provide any assistance.
Elsewhere, the newest Turbo Levo now comes with Specialized’s S-sizing, where the frame’s sizing is based on rider measurements and how the rider likes their bike to handle, rather than leg length.
Five things you need to know about Specialized's 2021 Turbo Levo
- The 700Wh battery has a range of up to 70km, 2,500m ascent or 5.5 hours of riding
- The motor has 565W of peak power and 90Nm of peak torque
- It’s available in six sizes suitable for people between 4ft 11in and 6ft 8in
- Adjustable geometry gives six potential configurations
- Prices start at £8,750 / $11,000 / €9,299 for the Expert model and lift to £13,000 / $15,000 / €13,999 for the S-Works model
A lot of the updates to the new Turbo Levo have been inspired by the latest Stumpjumper Evo, including the bike’s looks. And that’s no bad thing because when we reviewed the current Stumpjumper Evo S-Works we absolutely loved it.
2021 Specialized Turbo Levo frame details
The new Turbo Levo’s silhouette mimics the latest Stumpjumper Evo’s design but with an upsized down tube to accommodate the battery and chunkier tubing elsewhere.
It’s built entirely from Specialized’s FACT 11M carbon fibre and has the now-iconic sidearm that spans the top and seat tube.
Cables are internally routed from front to rear, and the Mastermind display and control TCU is integrated into the bike’s top tube, just behind the steerer tube.
Elsewhere, there is inbuilt chain slap protection and a small mud flap on the main pivot. However, unlike the acoustic models, there's no onboard SWAT storage because the space usually left for stashing items is taken up by the 700Wh battery.
Specialized has made space for a full-size water bottle inside the front triangle, though, while still being able to spec piggyback rear shocks.
It’s also specced with SRAM’s UDH (universal derailleur hanger), which hopes to simplify the plethora of derailleur hangers to just one with considerable performance benefits.
2021 Specialized Turbo Levo geometry and sizing
Following the trend of plenty of electric mountain bikes, the new Turbo Levo has mullet wheel sizes, where the front wheel diameter is 29in and the rear 27.5in.
Specialized claims this makes the bike’s handling livelier and more nimble because it's been able to reduce chainstay length over the outgoing full 29in-wheeled Turbo Levo.
Elsewhere, again mimicking the Stumpjumper Evo, seat tube angles have got steeper from 74.48 degrees on the old model to between 78 and 76.2 degrees depending on size.
The head angle has slackened out from 66.04 degrees on the Gen 2 Levo to between 63.5 and 65 degrees, depending on the geometry setting.
Reach figures span from 412mm for the S1 up to 532mm for the S6 bike, but seat tube lengths only increase by 85mm across the whole size range. This is thanks to Specialized’s S-sizing, which should mean people can size up or down depending on how they’d like their bike to ride.
| Size | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stack (mm) | 605 | 617 | 626 | 635 | 644 | 653 |
| Reach (mm) | 412 | 432 | 452 | 477 | 502 | 532 |
| Head tube length (mm) | 105 | 105 | 115 | 125 | 135 | 145 |
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 |
| BB height (mm) | 352 | 350 | 350 | 350 | 350 | 350 |
| BB drop (mm) | 25 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Front centre (mm) | 738 | 760 | 784 | 814 | 843 | 878 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 442 | 442 | 442 | 442 | 442 | 442 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1179 | 1200 | 1225 | 1255 | 1284 | 1318 |
| Standover (mm) | 752 | 776 | 783 | 787 | 788 | 790 |
| Seat tube length (mm) | 380 | 390 | 405 | 425 | 445 | 465 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 78 | 77.2 | 76.7 | 76.2 | 76.2 | 76.2 |
Typically, a smaller bike will be more responsive and less stable, while a larger bike will feel more planted at speed.
Specialized told us it's increased the bottom bracket (BB) height on the Turbo Levo compared to the old model and the Stumpjumper Evo to reduce the chance of pedal strikes while pedalling on rough terrain.
Compared to the old Turbo Levo, the BB has risen by 2.5mm to 350mm but has increased by 10mm compared to the acoustic Stumpy Evo.
The Turbo Levo’s geometry is now adjustable thanks to switchable headset cups, which change the head angle and flip-chip on the FSR pivot that alters bottom bracket height.
The adjustments create a total of six geometry settings that alter the BB height by 7mm and the head angle by 2.5 degrees.
2021 Specialized Turbo Levo suspension details
Specialized claims the 150mm of rear-wheel travel and 160mm of front travel (150mm on S1 size) has been tuned to be supple on small bumps while giving plenty of mid-travel support and bottom-out resistance.
Although not identical to the Stumpy Evo’s tune, the new Turbo Levo’s suspension is pretty close and should benefit from the same traits.
This includes a rearward axle path for the first 65mm of its travel when it then starts moving forward. Specialized claims this helps the rear end to eat up small bumps, improving comfort, grip and control.
Spesh didn't comment on the bike’s anti-squat figure (how much pedal-induced suspension bob is resisted) in the press material, but does say it “offers amazing pedal response”.
We’ve found that electric mountain bikes – thanks to the motor’s assistance overcoming pedal bob losses – don’t need high amounts of anti-squat.
2021 Specialized Turbo Levo motor and battery specifications
The newest Turbo Levo is fitted with the Specialized/Brose developed Turbo Full Power System 2.2 motor. Specialized told us the new motor addresses some reliability issues that previous generation motors suffered from where the drive belt would become damaged, rendering the motor unable to provide assistance.
The changes include a widened and strengthened drive belt that uses different materials to the old one, although Specialized couldn’t go into specifics on which materials have been changed.
The 2.2 motor has 90Nm of peak torque and 565W of peak power, made possible by a 700Wh battery pack stashed in the bike’s down tube.
Specialized claims the battery takes five hours and 15 minutes to charge from empty and says its lithium-ion battery has more than 1,000 charge cycles before its performance degrades.
The 2.2 motor is controlled by updated MasterMind firmware, and the MasterMind TCU user interface – located on the top tube – features a customisable display with 30 possible data fields and four display personalisation choices.
It’s compatible with Bluetooth and ANT+ heart rate sensors and can connect to the Specialized Mission Control smartphone app that opens up additional data and connectivity with the bike.
The new MasterMind TCU features MicroTune, where a rider can switch from the standard three levels of assistance – Eco, Trail and Turbo – to select how much power they would like in 10 per cent increments.
The new 2.2 motor also boasts improved waterproofing, which includes double seals on the electrical connectors and an improved ‘hatch’. This is claimed to make the 2.2 motor the most waterproof of any electric bike motor currently on the market.
2021 Specialized Turbo Levo warranty
The new Turbo Levo’s motor and battery are backed by a two-year, or 15,000km, warranty and once the customer is out of this warranty period an “assisted purchasing programme” is available.
The frame, however, is backed by Specialized’s lifetime warranty, like the rest of its bikes.
2021 Specialized Turbo Levo models and pricing
The new Turbo Levo is currently available in three models: Expert, Pro and S-Works.
Retail prices start at £8,750 / $11,000 / €9,299 and rise to £13,000 / $15,000 / €13,999.
Specialized Turbo Levo Expert specifications
- Frame: FACT 11M full carbon, 29in front 27.5in rear wheels, internal cable routing, Boost 148mm spacing, 150mm travel
- Shock: Fox Float Performance Elite, low-speed compression and rebound adjust with two-position lever
- Motor: Specialized Turbo Full Power System 2.2 with 90Nm torque and 565W peak power
- Control unit: Specialized MasterMind TCU
- Battery: 700Wh in-built battery
- Fork: Fox Float 38 Performance Elite GRIP2, 44m offset, 160mm travel with high- and low-speed compression and rebound adjustment
- Drivetrain: SRAM X01 Eagle
- Brakes: SRAM Code RS
- Seatpost / saddle: X-Fusion Manic / Specialized Bridge Comp
- Bar / stem / grips: Specialized Trail 780mm / Specialized Trail / Deity Knuckleduster
- Wheels: Roval Traverse 29in (f), 27.5in (r)
- Tyres: Specialized Butcher GRID Trail T9 29 x 2.6in (f), Specialized Eliminator GRID Trail T7 27.5 x 2.6in (r)
- Price: £8,750 / $11,000 / €9,299
Specialized Turbo Levo Pro specifications
- Frame: FACT 11M full carbon, 29in front 27.5in rear wheels, internal cable routing, Boost 148mm spacing, 150mm travel
- Shock: Fox Float X2 Factory, low-speed compression and rebound adjust with two-position lever
- Motor: Specialized Turbo Full Power System 2.2 with 90Nm torque and 565W peak power
- Control unit: Specialized MasterMind TCU
- Battery: 700Wh in-built battery
- Fork: Fox Float 38 Factory GRIP2, 44m offset, 160mm travel with high- and low-speed compression and rebound adjustment
- Drivetrain: SRAM X01 Eagle
- Brakes: SRAM Code RSC
- Seatpost / saddle: Fox Transfer / Specialized Bridge Hollow Ti rails
- Bar / stem / grips: Specialized Trail carbon 780mm / Deity Copperhead / Deity Knuckleduster
- Wheels: Roval Traverse Carbon 29in (f), 27.5in (r)
- Tyres: Specialized Butcher GRID Trail T9 29 x 2.6in (f), Specialized Eliminator GRID Trail T7 27.5 x 2.6in (r)
- Price: £10,750 / $13,000 / €11,499
Specialized Turbo Levo S-Works specifications
- Frame: FACT 11M full carbon, 29in front 27.5in rear wheels, internal cable routing, Boost 148mm spacing, 150mm travel
- Shock: Fox Float X2 Factory, low-speed compression and rebound adjust with two-position lever
- Motor: Specialized Turbo Full Power System 2.2 with 90Nm torque and 565W peak power
- Control unit: Specialized MasterMind TCU
- Battery: 700Wh in-built battery
- Fork: Fox Float 38 Factory GRIP2, 44m offset, 160mm travel with high- and low-speed compression and rebound adjustment
- Drivetrain: SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS
- Brakes: Magura MT7 with Loic Bruni lever blade
- Seatpost / saddle: RockShox Reverb AXS / Specialized Bridge Hollow Ti rails
- Bar / stem / grips: Specialized Trail carbon 780mm / Deity Copperhead / Deity Knuckleduster
- Wheels: Roval Traverse Carbon 29in (f), 27.5in (r)
- Tyres: Specialized Butcher GRID Trail T9 29 x 2.6in (f), Specialized Eliminator GRID Trail T7 27.5 x 2.6in (r)
- Price: £13,000 / $15,000 / €13,999
