Back in 2020, Specialized debuted the Turbo Levo SL, a thoroughly impressive electric mountain bike which, even today, continues to be competitive in the premium e-MTB market. That being said, Specialized, being the trailblazer that it is, has decided to give the Turbo Levo SL a thorough makeover. Now in its second generation, the electric mountain bike is lighter and better than ever before. Let's take a closer look.
To start with, Specialized has given the Turbo Levo SL a power bump. The first generation bike was powered by the SL 1.1 motor with just 240 watts of power and 35 Newton-meters of torque. This time around, the Turbo Levo SL gets a new motor with a 320-watt nominal output. That's 33 percent more oomph than the previous model. What's more is that the motor has a mechanical torque advantage, and spits out 43 percent more torque at 50 Newton-meters.
Despite the increase in power, Specialized has managed to keep the motor efficient, and hasn't needed to upgrade the battery pack. It's still rocking the same SL1 320-watt-hour battery pack which should give you anywhere between 28 to 34 miles of range on a single charge, depending, of course, on the terrain and degree to which you rely on the bike's pedal assist.
Complementing the revised powertrain, the new Turbo Levo SL is equipped with a new MasterMind Turbo Control Unit that displays all pertinent ride information on a screen mounted on the top tube. No need to worry about durability here, as it's made out of Gorilla Glass, and is more than capable of taking a hit or two out on the trails. This means that you no longer need to rely on your smartphone to toggle settings on the e-bike, although this is still possible via the Mission Control App.
Electronics aside, the Turbo Levo SL also flaunts a slew of revisions to the frame. Across the board, the Turbo Levo SL features FACT 11M carbon, as well as multiple adjustment points that allow you to alter the bike's geometry. In total, the rear shock extension can be adjusted in two positions that raise and lower bottom bracket height by six millimeters. Up front, the head tube can also be adjusted in three positions that alter the head tube angle from 63.8 degrees fo 65.4 degrees. Another change for the 2023 model is the use of a mullet setup, so here, we find a 29-inch front mated to a 27.5-inch rear wheel.
As for pricing, it comes as no surprise that a bike of this caliber would cost quite a pretty penny. In its top trip level, the Specialized Turbo Levo SL S-Works LTD tips the scales at no more than 17.71 kilograms. The price for such a capable, featherweight e-MTB? A whopping $16,000 USD. There's also a Turbo Levo SL S-Works version with less fancy components for $14,500, while the standard Turbo Levo SL Comp Carbon retails for a still expensive $8,000. Specialized also has a Turbo Levo SL pro, but the pricing of this model has yet to be announced.
