Specialized’s Turbo Levo is so successful, so ubiquitous, and so dominant at the top of the e-bike hierarchy that launching a new version is a momentous event, with millions of dollars riding on how it’s received. And that’s in a normal market. But the gen 4 Turbo Levo is hatching into a world so completely transformed that it’s unrecognisable. Where up is down and black is white, and DJI is the only word on the lips of anyone in the market for a new e-bike. Has Specialized done enough to recover the attention it’s enjoyed across three generations of e-bike? Is it still the best e-bike on the market? It’s fair to say no stone had been left unturned in its quest to make the new Turbo Levo a success, so let’s not waste anymore time and get stuck straight into the details.

– Short of time? Click here to skip to the verdict –

The new Specialized S-Works Turbo Levo Gen 4 bears a strong family resemblance to the Stumpjumper 15 and Levo SL.

Specialized S-Works Turbo Levo Need to know

• All-new motor designed by Specialized and built by Brose
• Power goes up to 720W and torque climbs to 111Nm
• Three battery options: 840Wh, 600Wh, and 280Wh
• Side-loading battery
• Full carbon frame with 150mm travel and 160mm fork
• MX wheels and fully adjustable geometry
• Genie shock technology lets you tune the air spring and gives extra traction without sacrificing progression
• Internal storage with all battery options
• Colour display similar to Apple iWatch
• Fast charger gives 0-80% in less than 1 hour
• S-Works complete bike (S4) weighs 23.7kg
• Range of 4 carbon bikes starts at £6,799
• S-Works frame-only costs £6,799

Hopefully those bullet points give some sense of just how much has changed on this new Turbo Levo, but if you want to read about the other models in the Turbo Levo range, check out our news story here. When the gen 3 Turbo Levo came out in 2021, it felt like a massive update, with totally different geometry and tons of adjustment. But it still had the same motor and battery as the gen 2. This bike, on the other hand, has a completely new frame, 100% new motor and battery, and a completely redesigned interface.

Remove the battery through the side door using the included SWAT tool in seconds.

So it’s slightly ironic that, to look at it, the new Turbo Levo doesn’t seem particularly special. I don’t think it has the wow factor. Mostly because it looks like a Levo SL that’s spent too long at the buffet. We’ve seen the Genie shock, we’ve seen the adjustable geo, we’ve seen the new Specialized signature side-profile with the Sidearm removed. To be brutally honest, I found it a little underwhelming. True, that’s partly because Specialized sets the bar so high to begin with, not to mention the fact that so much of the hard work is hidden below the surface. It’s still a good-looking bike, but is it exciting? Does it make me look back over my shoulder as I walk away in the garage? One to ponder…

It’s a big down tube, sized to hold a chunky 840Wh battery and provide storage space, but it still looks lighter than the old frame.

Frame and geometry

While the silhouette looks familiar to the Levo SL and Stumpjumper 15, the new Turbo Levo frame is obviously completely different and includes some unique features.

All Turbo Levo frames use the same FACT 11M carbon frame, although the S-Works version gets a carbon shock yoke that saves 60 grams. Oh, and more power from the motor, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

The S-Works model gets a carbon shock yoke that saves 60g. A flip chip is just one of the geometry adjustments available.

Obviously the Sidearm shock reinforcement strut has gone, so the shock is now in-line with the frame, which should help with reliability. The rest of the layout is really similar to the Levo SL, which is no bad thing given that it puts the range extender as low and central as possible for the best centre of gravity.

The new motor is used on all new Turbo Levos, regardless of whether is says S-Works or not. It’s the software, and the size of your wallet, that decides how much power you get as a customer.

Compared to the gen 3 Levo, the new frame looks lighter and airier, especially since the pregnant belly of the old bike has gone. Specialized has done a great job of reducing the visual mass. Partly that’s because the battery no longer slides out the base of the down tube. Specialized has switched to a side-loading battery compartment, similar to the old Trek Rail. It says this is a better structural solution than the cutting a hole in the underside of the down tube, as well as making battery removal more convenient. To that end, the battery door is not attached to the battery itself, so you can swap power packs without needing to source additional covers.

The previous Turbo Levo Comp had a hefty visual mass around the motor.

Specialized is keen to point out that the big hole in the frame doesn’t compromise strength. In fact, it says that the new Turbo Levo 4 frame is stronger than the Levo 3 (in terms of ultimate head tube strength), and backs that up by saying it’s certified to run forks upto 180mm travel, thanks to elements such as ribs reinforcing the inside of the down tube.

Cutting a hole in the down tube seems like an engineering step backwards, but it adds convenience, and Spesh doesn’t seem fazed about the strength.

Cutting a hole in the frame and then reinforcing it is not the lightest solution, so how has this impacted the weight of the new Turbo Levo frame? Excluding the motor, battery, and shock, the new frame is 180g heavier than the gen 3. The new battery weighs an extra 642g, but then it has an additional 140Wh. While the 3.1 motor is actually lighter by 173g (3kg). Overall, the new Levo frameset has put on nearly 700g compared to its predecessor. And the total bike weight of the S-Works model in size S4 is 23.8kg, although that is with the DH-casing tyres that come standard. Too heavy for you? Well, Specialized had a bike on display at the launch with the 600Wh battery, trail casing tyres, lighter trail brakes, and a weight-conscious build still suitable for hard riding, and it tipped the scales at 19.5kg. As the S-Works Turbo Levo is also available as a frameset, this is something anyone could do… with enough cash!

Tucking the chainstay yoke into the back of the seat tube is a neat detail, and helps tuck the rear wheel in tight.

Before moving onto the other elements of the system, a key feature on the new Turbo Levo is the addition of internal frame storage. Of course, the SWAT tool comes standard in the head tube, and the bike comes with a unique bottle cage designed to hold the range extender securely, but tucked behind the head tube at the upper end of the down tube is a stash bag big enough for a tube or spares. It’s held in place by a magnet, so it can’t fall out every time you remove the battery. And should you wish to run the smaller, lighter 600Wh battery, the space freed up above the battery can be repurposed for further storage.

As usual, Specialized gives you plenty of leeway to mould the Turbo Levo into the bike you want. There are three head angle options using the included offset headset cup. At the shock there’s a flip chip that raises or lowers the BB height and affects the head angle. And the dropout flipchips give some adjustment of chainstay length. You can check out the actual geometry at the bottom of this first ride review, as we measured everything in the MBR workshop.

Motor and battery

Talking of the battery, the new S-Works Turbo Levo comes with a 840Wh unit. In fact, all of the carbon Turbo Levos come with this same power pack, even the smaller sizes. But there is also a 600Wh unit that’s shorter in length and lighter in weight, where the space saved can be used for extra storage. In terms of weight, the 800Wh battery weighs 4.2kg with its mount. The 600Wh unit saves around 1kg, and brings the mass lower and closer to the centre of the bike. Both of these batteries secure into the frame using a single 5mm hex bolt, that also holds the cover in place. Removal and installation is much faster and more convenient than it was on the previous Levo, as you don’t need to flip the bike upside down, and unplug the cable. Keeping everything neatly inside the frame should also help protect against water and dust ingress, something that could be an issue on the old bike.

With the range extender securely fitted, you’ve got 1,120Wh of battery, or remove the main power pack and run it off the 280Wh range extender for a more agile ride.

There’s also a third battery option. The new range extender is much more than an add-on for longer rides – it can power the bike on its own. Yes, you can remove the internal battery completely and just run the new Turbo Levo off the range extender. Max power is reduced to around 400w, but that helps with the range. With a 280Wh capacity and a weight of 1.55kg including cable, the new range extender lets you ditch 2.65kg in an instant. Effectively giving the Turbo Levo either the power and range of a full-fat e-bike, or the weight and handling of an SL bike, just by changing the battery. Two bikes in one? In a nutshell, yes, and it’s something that no other e-bike can do.

The range extender securely locks into the bottle cage, and the cable locks into the charging port. No elastic bands here!

While the motor is still made by Brose, it’s important to understand that this is a completely new unit, designed from the ground-up by Specialized, and exclusive to the Turbo Levo. Gone is the belt drive of the old unit, the peak power is up from 565w to 720w, the peak torque is boosted from 90Nm to 111Nm, and the way the power is delivered is totally different. In fact all the code for the new 3.1 was written from scratch.

A see-through version of the new Brose-built motor. It’s a completely ground-up design and unique to Specialized.

The badge on the side says S-Works, and that’s an important distinction, because only this motor gets the full beans. In what I’m sure will be one of the most controversial aspects of the new bike, Specialized has decided to launch with a two-tier approach to power output. So while the top end model gets all the power and torque, the three cheaper models have been detuned down to 666w and 101Nm. The real kicker is that it’s exactly the same motor – only the software is limiting the power. So this is about giving the S-Works customer something more, and restricting everyone else, even if they’re spending more than ten grand on the Pro model. To me that feels wrong. Famously, BMW was lambasted by consumers recently when it introduced a £15 a month subscription fee to enable heated seats that were already installed in its cars. The German brand was forced into an embarrassing climb down as a result of the negative publicity, but you could argue the damage was already done by that point. It’ll be interesting to see the market response to this tactic, and whether Specialized sticks to its guns in the long run.

On the left is the 280Wh range extender, in the middle is the 600Wh down tube battery with space above for storage, and on the right is the SWAT bag that fits above the 840Wh unit.

Back to the motor, and Specialized has gone to extreme lengths to make sure this is the best unit ever fitted to a Turbo Levo. From talking to the people involved, every t has been crossed and every i has been dotted in this ground-up development. Firstly it moves from a 42V system to 48V. The higher voltage needs less current, which means less heat for more stable charging and resistance to derating. It should also help the battery longevity.

Inside the motor, there has been a huge effort to increase durability, effectively manage heat, and stabilise performance even on the longest, steepest climbs. From the casing of the stator and windings, to the wider full metal gears and HardDrive surface treatment that reduces friction to similar levels of polymer gears, everything has been examined and improved. Specialized has worked hard on the NVH (noise/vibration/harshness), not only of the motor itself, but the whole system when mounted to the bike. Something no other brand can really do, since everyone else can only influence such aspects once the motor is bolted into the frame.

Previous Levo motors suffered from well-publicised issues, and Specialized is keen to avoid history repeating itself. As such, the new motor has been subjected to over 100,000 miles of lab and field testing in all sorts of extreme climates.

The new colour to tube screen is from an old Apple watch and is easy to read.

Display and controls

The Turbo Levo was one of the first bikes with the kind of minimal display that hardcore mountain bikers really wanted. It was small, it was colour, it was easy to read, configurable, packed with info, and wired to a small remote that wasn’t vulnerable to damage and didn’t overly eat into handlebar real estate. This latest generation moves the game on with a larger colour screen of the type originally used on early Apple watches. The controller keeps a similar low-profile, and is still wired into the system rather than wireless, but adds a toggle switch for power mode selection and gains further functionality.

There’s a tweaked version of the original controller, with a new toggle switch to change power modes and access other functions.

Front and centre of the user interface is the new Mastermind screen, sitting almost flush with the top tube. If it looks a bit like an Apple watch, that’s because it is the screen off an old Apple watch. It’s big, it’s easy to read, and it gives you access to a stack of metrics and adjustments as well as allowing you to connect to additional bluetooth devices for further data collection. It’s also removable without a tool, should you need any diagnostics, but it’s not a touchscreen.

Stacks of seat tube insertion on the S4 Turbo Levo.

Suspension

Specialized has kept the travel of the Turbo Levo unchanged at 160mm front and 150mm rear. But the Sidearm has gone and the shock is no longer offset from the centreline of the bike. So all the forces travel symmetrically through the shock.

That shock is now updated with the new Genie technology, first introduced on the Stumpjumper 15. This clever design, exclusive to Specialized, allows for a larger air volume throughout most of the travel, then closing off part of the air chamber at the end of the stroke to add progression.

The Genie shock was first introduced on the Stumpjumper 15 last year.

Not only that, you can tune the relative size of both positive air chambers to play around with how the shock behaves. So you can have a very rampy end stroke, or a plusher, more linear response. All with the volume spacers included with the bike.

The Genie air can is mounted on a Fox Float X Factory shock, which gets a unique damping tune developed by the Specialized Ride Dynamics team, and the usual external adjustments such as low-speed rebound, low-speed compression, and a climb switch.

Up front is a Fox 38 Factory fork with the new Grip X2 damper. It’s four-way adjustable and super sturdy, but might be overkill for some riders. In fact, the entry-level Comp model gets a slimmer Fox 36, and previous Levos I’ve ridden have felt better with a little more chassis compliance.

SRAM’s top end XX drivetrain graces the new Specialized S-Works Turbo Levo.

Components

Given the figure on the swing tag, you shouldn’t be wanting for anything on the S-Works build. And aside from the Fox Factory-level suspension, there’s also a matching Fox Transfer Neo Factory dropper post, SRAM’s fancy XX Eagle wireless drivetrain with carbon crank, Roval Traverse carbon wheels, Maven Ultimate brakes, and a Race Face ERA carbon bar.

Specialized has not skimped on tyres – all models come with downhill casings and soft compounds.

It’s an unashamedly hardcore build, with heavy-duty, soft compound downhill tyres, massively powerful brakes, and burly fork. Is that what the S-Works customer wants? Obviously Specialized knows its market best, but most of the S-Works Turbo Levo customers I see are cruising along on the road, or blasting on a dirt track, not hitting gnarly enduro trails. Would Specialized have been better off giving all models the same power, and making the S-Works a super-swanky lightweight build with boutique parts and a sub-20kg weight? Perhaps, but we’ll never know.

Madeira was the location for the Specialized Turbo Levo Gen 4 launch, and the trails did not disappoint, even if the weather did.

Performance

Is the gen 4 Turbo Levo a better bike than its predecessor? Undoubtedly, in every department, and I’ll explain why in a minute. Is it as powerful as an Amflow PL Carbon Pro? Absolutely not. Even if I’m not convinced that matters. Certain aspects of the S-Works Turbo Levo I really love, but I also have a number of reservations.

There’s no shortage of power from the new motor, even if it doesn’t quite match up to the DJI’s numbers.

Climbing

The new Turbo Levo is noticeably more powerful than the gen 3. Even the detuned motor brings an obvious increase in power and torque. That torque comes in early, and the power doesn’t tail off at higher cadences, which encouraged me to blast up climbs at an unrelenting pace. Turbo feels really strong, whereas Trail is dramatically throttled back by comparison. Of course, you can customise the modes in the app, but I found it hard to resist the lure of Turbo once I’d sampled it. Long press the toggle switch up, and the mode switches to Dynamic Micro Tune. This is one of my favourite options on the Levo, giving me the chance to tweak the assistance in 10% increments, while still being able to tap into the full power of the motor as long as I put the effort in.

The new Dynamic Micro Tune mode lets you dial back the support, but still tap into full power from the motor if you work hard enough.

There’s a background noise to the motor, which increases the harder it works, but it’s like a kettle boiling in the next room.

With the chainstays in the short setting, I found there was still the poise and traction to climb some serious gradients. The motor was sensitive enough to pull away when I’d dabbed on a steep slope, but the overrun control and slow-speed manoeuvrability on technical moves didn’t seem as polished as the latest Bosch CX.

The new motor has been tuned to have a less intrusive noise, but both the bikes we rode had a very slight rattle – more when engaging and disengaging than coasting.

But what about compared to the DJI Avinox motor in the Amflow PL Carbon? There’s no escaping the fact that even the S-Works version of the new Turbo Levo can’t keep up with that motor. It doesn’t have the Amflow’s insane low-down grunt when pulling away in a high gear, or its ability to accelerate out of a turn in a single crank. Nor does it headbutt the speed limiter quite as easily as the Avinox. So if speed is your number one priority, the DJI is still the top dog.

Even with the big 840Wh battery, the Turbo Levo loves back wheel.

Descending

Firstly a quick note about the motor. There’s a very slight rattle that was never present on the old Brose unit. It was more noticeable on the S-Works bike I rode at the launch in Madeira than the Pro model I’ve been riding back in the UK, so it’s fair to assume there will be a slight variance between individual bikes. But I could detect it on both demo bikes. It’s very slight, and I didn’t find it annoying like an old Bosch CX or Shimano EP801.

More of a reservation to me was the harshness that could be felt through the chassis. On chattery trails, there’s a level of high-frequency feedback that is mildly uncomfortable and fatiguing. It’s like riding a race bike – where comfort has been shunted to the bottom of the priority list, and you just have to suck up the pounding and only worry about the big hits. As such I didn’t find it a particularly relaxing or comfortable bike to ride.

It’s bomber solid, and extremely capable.

There’s no doubt it has pace, and I could ride it as hard, and actually harder, than I was comfortable with. The new Levo is incredibly capable, and the weight balance is super neutral in the stock geo setting, so the front end is pretty easy to lift and the back end tucks in nicely on tight turns. In that respect it feels totally agile. But there’s no getting around the fact it’s a 24kg e-bike, and that extra weight did start to take its toll on my energy levels earlier than it would on a lighter model. Having said that, using Turbo helped recoup some of that energy by cruising up the climbs.

I noticed a bit of harshness on high frequency vibrations, which could be the fork, the frame, the wheels, tyres or a combination of everything.

A point that was hammered home when I rode the Turbo Levo without the 840Wh battery, powered solely by the range extender. By god that felt like a breath of fresh air. The Levo was transformed: it became stunningly dynamic, almost effortless to throw around, and accelerated out of turns like a slingshot. So much weight came off the front end that it was necessary to reduce the air pressure in the fork to really optimise the suspension.

Range and speed are impressive in the stock settings, without even needing to tinker in the app.

In this extreme weight loss, stomach-stapled, guise, the Turbo Levo would be amazing for a short post-work blast, or uplift day. I did three runs of a 200m vertical descent in this configuration (in 40/100 Micro Tune) and used 20% battery per run. Extrapolate those figures and I reckon I could get 1,000m climbing out of the range extender alone.

With the 840Wh battery, exclusively using Turbo mode, I got 1,444m climbing, at an impressive 22km/h average speed. With full power on tap right up until the battery hit 0% – no limp mode whatsoever. And given that the S-Works model has Specialized’s new fast charger – that can give you 80% charge in under an hour – with a quick lunch break, you could be out again and heading towards 3,000m climbing in a day.

Madiera’s trails are heaven!

There’s so much more to try on the new Turbo Levo that 3,500 words of first ride impressions doesn’t even feel like the first chapter, it’s a preface. I want to try different geometry, the smaller battery, fiddle with the volume spacers in the shock, slap on some different tyres, maybe some alloy wheels, and even a 36 fork. It might not be perfect out-of-the-box, but I’m convinced it can be moulded into the Levo I’m looking for.