There’s a new Specialized on the market, and it’s not the new Demo, or a new Enduro, or a new BigHit. Nope, it’s a lighter, shorter-travel version of the current Levo 4. It’s called the Levo R, and that “R” stands for “Rally.” The Levo R has 130 millimeters of rear travel, paired with a 140 millimeter fork, dedicated 29” wheels, and the same full-power motor and battery system as the Levo 4. 

To be totally honest, a shorter-travel Levo wasn’t on my bingo card, or necessarily my wishlist. But this bike has been full of surprises, all positive. Spoiler alert, I think that in some ways it’s a more fun, more cohesive ride than the Levo 4, and it’s probably the e-bike that a lot of riders “should” be on. So let’s get into it!

Specialized Levo R S-Works Details

• Travel: 130 mm (rear) 140 mm (front)
• Wheel Size: 29”
• Size Tested: S4
• Build Tested: S-Works
• Head Tube Angle: 65°
• Motor: Specialized 3.1 (850W power, 111Nm Torque)
• Battery: 840 Wh
• Measured Weight: 48.06 lbs (21.8 kg)
• MSRP: $15,650

For now the Levo R is only available with a carbon frame, with fairly premium builds, ranging from the $9,200 Comp, to the eye-watering $15,650 S-Works version I’ve been riding. Specialized says it’s the Subaru Impreza rally car to the regular Levo 4’s Ford Raptor. Quick, snappy, precise, more of a scalpel and less of a plow. But, unlike many other shorter-travel e-bikes, the Levo R gets the same full-beef motor and battery system as the Levo 4. So you’ve got a ton of speed, torque, and power close at hand. That’s an interesting and fairly unique combo.

Levo R Motor and Battery

The Levo R uses the same Turbo 3.1 system as the Levo 4, and comes with the same software update I covered last week. That means the S-Works version gets 850W of peak power and 111Nm of torque, while the regular versions get 810W and 105Nm. All bikes come with a 840Wh battery, and Specialized says there’s a 600Wh battery available aftermarket, along with a 280Wh range extender.

Unsurprisingly, the Levo R uses the same layout as the current Levo 4. That means that it’s got a pretty distinctive chunky downtube silhouette that some folks find unattractive. Honestly, in the pantheon of e-bikes, I have no issue with this aesthetic choice, and really appreciate how easy it makes it to swap the battery and access the SWAT bag which sits up behind the head tube. I’ll take a simple one-bolt battery swap over a svelter downtube anyday.

I went pretty deep on my Turbo 3.1 impressions in my long-term update of the Levo 4, and everything I said there applies to the Levo R, with the caveat that the Levo R S-Works I’ve been testing is even quicker, and more powerful than the Levo Alloy. It delivers power intuitively and powerfully, and is easy to tune either with the onboard display, or Specialized’s excellent app. This system is good, it works well, I’m a fan.

Levo R Geometry

Unsurprisingly, the Levo R gets steeper, and more aggressive than the Levo 4. And again, unsurprisingly, it keeps the same three geometry adjustments (headset cups for +/-1°, and flip chips at the shock mount and chainstay.) For the purposes of this piece, we’ll discuss the Levo R in its stock, neutral headset, long chainstay, low shock mount configuration.

In that stock guise, the S4 Levo R has a 475 millimeter reach, 65° head tube angle, 630 millimeter stack, 339 millimeter BB height, 447 millimeter chainstay length, and 77° effective seat tube angle.

Compared to the Levo 4 in its stock setup, the Levo R has an 8 millimeter lower stack, 5 millimeter shorter reach, half a degree steeper head tube angle, 12 millimeter longer chainstays, and 11 millimeter lower BB. But, of course, those angles are all fluid. You can make the head tube a degree steeper or slacker with the easy-to-swap headset cup, you can adjust the BB height 5 millimeters with the shock mount flip chip, and you can adjust the chainstay by 6 millimeters.

That means that you can make the Levo R longer, slacker, and lower than the Levo 4 if you so desire, or significantly steeper. That’s one of the big selling points of the current Specialized philosophy, the bikes are awesome set up stock, but if you want to dial them in for your riding style and terrain, you have lots of options. It’s also great to see the Levo R coming with slightly longer chainstays by default, since I found the Levo 4 to feel pretty short, even in its longest setting.

Levo R Frame Details

The Levo R shares a lot of frame details with the regular Levo, which is a good thing. Specialized’s battery swap, and in-frame SWAT system is still my favorite I’ve used. The thumb controller is easy to use, and the top tube screen is easy to read, and easy to configure. The S-Works Levo R uses a carbon link to save weight, and has a small integrated fender at the rear linkage. It uses a 34.9 millimeter seat tube, and comes with a native 200 millimeter rotor mount. It’s got an integrated chain guide, and plenty of chain slap protection, and so far has stayed nice and quiet.

I’ve had a very good experience with Specialized’s swappable head tube cups, as long as I make sure to grease the living heck out of both cups and bearings. I’ve been running a Stumpjumper hard for well over a year, and have yet to have any issues with creaking or popping, and never had an issue with the alloy Levo 4 either.

The S-Works version comes with a Smart Charger that can fill the battery from zero to 80% in less than an hour, while the regular version requires 90 minutes to achieve the same charge. Finally, it’s not quite a frame detail, but I really appreciate the steer tube-mounted SWAT tool that all Specialized bikes come with these days. There’s a reason that every personal bike I own has one of these bolted on. I love having a tool close at hand.

Levo R S-Works Build

Let’s just get this out of the way: this build is hilariously nice, that’s the point, it says “S-Works” after all. But, the lightweight sensibilities of this build trickle down to the others, so it’s worth discussing, even if your wallet isn’t thick enough to justify this top-end build. Specialized does most of the work to differentiate the Levo R from the Levo 4 in the build. This is a distinctly weight-conscious, XC-focused build.

That starts with the tires, a Grid Trail, T7 Purgatory out back, and a Grid T9 Purgatory out front. Light weight, just enough traction, very little rolling resistance. Those are mounted to Roval Traverse SL II rims. A SRAM XX Transmission drivetrain keeps things spinning, and is wired directly into the main battery. Don’t worry, if you kill that battery, you can keep shifting as you pedal your (sad, wet, cold, tired) butt home analogue style. Don’t ask me how I know, or why all my gear is still on the drying rack two days later.

SRAM’s Motive Ultimate brakes slow things down. I have…feelings about this spec choice. On paper, it’s the right call. The Motive shaves a bunch of weight over the Maven, and a 130 millimeter bike shouldn’t need Mavens. In practice, I personally wouldn’t ever run Motives on an e-bike. I’m a big heavy dude, I like powerful brakes, and I feel like I’m pushing the Motives to their max on the Levo R. But, for most riders, in most places, I think the Motives will be adequate if not inspiring.

Fox handles suspension on the Levo R, with a 190x45 millimeter Float Factory Genie out back, and a 140 millimeter Factory Grip X 36 SL up front. This suspension combo is excellent. On the Levo 4, I didn’t feel like I necessarily was benefiting that much from the Genie, but I think it makes a bigger impact on shorter travel bikes. It’s easy to tune in a shocking amount of compliance and sensitivity off the top, without compromising support deeper in the travel. The rear end of this bike feels delightful. Up front, I’ve not been the biggest fan of the 36 SL on meat bikes, but I think the extra weight of the e-bike overcomes my frustrations with this damper. It feels much smoother, and more compliant on the Levo R than it has on any regular bikes, and it does a great job holding up to the extra weight and forces that a big dude on a big bike puts through it.

The S-Works version comes specced with a 200 millimeter RockShox Reverb (still excellent) topped with a S-Works Power Mirror saddle, complete with Ti rails. I’m still a big fan of the Power shape, especially on an e-bike, where it combines with the Reverb’s slight suspension when it’s not at full extension to make for a very dynamic and comfortable climbing experience.

Up front, you get Specialized’s Roval Control SL integrated bar/stem combo. That gives you 50 millimeters of stem, 8° of backsweep, 2° of upsweep, and 780 millimeters of width. If those numbers don’t work for you, you’re out of luck. Luckily though, I got along with this cockpit just fine, especially given this bike’s more XC intentions.

The Meat Bike Connundrum

As you might have gathered, the Levo R has a pretty sweet build and geometry package. I’d be really stoked to see these parts and numbers on a meat-powered bike. Maybe a new Stumjumper ST or Camber? Give me a short-travel Genie-equipped bike, I want to make poor decisions both uphill and down!

Riding the Levo R 

There’s a common sentiment on the internet that e-bikes are the perfect vehicle to over-bike. They let you take beefier components and more travel to places that would be hard to access powered by sour candy alone. But the Levo R is the perfect antidote to that thinking. Before I hopped on the Levo R, I had zero desire to ever under-bike on an e-bike. Now that I’ve ridden it though, I’m hooked. This combination of snappy handling, relatively light weight, light components, and a super powerful motor and long-lasting battery is a riot.

Going uphill on the Levo R is absurd. It delivers plenty of climbing traction, and its geometry makes it easier to lock into steep and techy climbs than the regular Levo. And that motor system makes the most of your inputs, allowing you to blast over bigger obstacles. This bike is so much fun to ride fast on techy, undulating trails. It eggs you on to carry momentum and do your best to never dab. I found myself seeking out rolling singletrack loops and trying to maintain max pace all ride on this bike. 

Going downhill was also a bit of a revelation. I started out with a whole bunch of air in those Purgatories. I rarely run tires this light on meat bikes, let alone e-bikes. But gradually, I’ve dropped pressures to 23 PSI front and 24 rear. And with those lower pressures, the Purgatory is so much fun. It rolls super fast, and feels quite efficient. The contrast between the rolling speed of the dual Purgatory Levo R, and the dual DH Butcher Levo 4 is notable. And, when things get gnarly, the Purgatory holds on better than it has any right to. It’s been fairly sloppy here in Bellingham, and I’ve been riding some steep, soft, and rooty trails on the Levo R, so I expected to need to swap tires out pretty quickly. But instead, I’ve been embracing the Purgatory. No, it doesn’t grip like a Hillbilly, but it perfectly matches the intentions of this bike, and I’ve found myself squirting out the bottom of committing chutes, laughing like a madman as my tires barely hook up.

I absolutely love under-biking. I love taking a 130 millimeter bike with little tires places that really merit a 160 millimeter bike with cut spikes. But I didn’t realize that I could have that same feeling on a full-power e-bike.

Descending on the Levo R is interesting because it feels much quicker than the Levo 4. You can change direction easily, pump it through undulations, and hit tiny lips. It’s much easier to muscle around. And when it’s time to open things up and just point it and plow, it is much more stable and locked-in than a similar meat bike would be. The extra weight of the battery and motor, low in the frame make it feel much more capable and stable than I expected. No, it’s no enduro rig, but it’s much happier cosplaying as one on occasion than it has any right to be. 

In my long-term writeup of the Levo 4 I mentioned that it didn’t carry its weight particularly well. It never felt super balanced or stable to me. It felt a little like all the weight was right behind the head tube, trying to hatchet the front wheel into things. The Levo R has none of this sensation. It feels like the weight is working for you, not against you. The contrast in chassis stability is pretty impressive, and makes it even more fun to hooligan around on the Levo R.

Who’s going to dig the Levo R?

Before I swung a leg over it, I didn’t get the Levo R. It didn’t excite me. If anything, I wanted a long-travel version of the Levo 4. After riding it though, I’m much more convinced, and would go out on a limb to say that for many riders, it’s a more logical choice than the Levo 4. For the sanctioned riding around Bellingham, primarily on Galbraith, I’d take the Levo R over the Levo 4 every time. Sure, I might upgrade the brakes, but it’s absolutely enough bike for any of the black and double black trails around here, and it’s a whole lot more fun on mellower trails than the Levo 4. It gives me more of that experience of riding and pushing the bike, and less of that sensation of being a passenger on a fast-moving couch.

That said, convincing mountain bikers that they might want less travel, and steeper geometry, especially on an e-bike, is always an uphill battle. My anecdotal experience is that most folks want as much travel and as “safe” of geometry as they can get when a motor is climbing for them. There aren’t many brands making full-power, full-sized battery e-bikes in this travel range, but the Levo R makes a compelling case for bikes in this class. 

For now

Specialized’s Levo R is a little bit of an unlikely hero, but in my books at least, it’s a winner. It delivers a combination of full-sized e-bike power and range with quick, snappy, responsive handling and an excellent ride feel that I find super compelling. And, if you want to make it slacker, longer, and lower, well, it’s got all the adjustments you’d want.

Learn more: Specialized