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Specialized has added a limited-edition Ultralight model to the Levo R range. Grams make kilograms, a wise person once said, so, here we go!
The S-Works Levo 4 R Ultralight LTD uses the same carbon frame, 140/130mm suspension, and full-power motor as the existing S-Works model. A smaller battery and high-zoot parts bring the claimed weight down to an impressive 18.84kg for a size S3.
That’s 2.32kg lighter than the regular S-Works Levo 4 R. We weighed our S-Works Levo 4 R test bike at 21.26kg without pedals and with the tyres set up tubeless.
Australian pricing is a casual $20,900 AUD, the same as the regular S-Works Levo 4 R, Levo 4 X, and the new S-Works Epic 9 Ultralight LTD.
S-Works Turbo Levo R Ultralight LTD
- Frame | FACT 11m carbon, adjustable geometry, SWAT downtube storage, 130mm travel
- Fork | Fox 36 SL Factory, GRIP X damper, 140mm travel
- Shock | Fox Float Factory GENIE, 190x45mm
- Motor | Specialized 3.1 S-Works, 111Nm torque, 850W peak power
- Battery | Specialized 600Wh, removable
- Charger | Specialized 12A Smart Charger
- Wheels | Roval Control SL VI carbon rims, 25mm internal width, Industry Nine Solix hubs, Vonoa carbon spokes with titanium end pieces
- Tyres | Specialized Trail Control 29×2.4in GRID T9 front & Specialized Ground Control 29×2.35in GRID Lite T5/T7 rear
- Tubes | Specialized TPU inner tubes
- Drivetrain | SRAM XX SL Eagle AXS Transmission 1×12 with hot shoe power & 10–52T cassette
- Crankset | SRAM XX Carbon, 160mm, 34T chainring
- Brakes | Trickstuff Piccola two-piston with carbon levers & titanium hardware, 180mm front/160mm rear rotors
- Handlebar | Roval Control SL RISE integrated carbon cockpit, 780mm width, 50mm stem
- Seatpost | BikeYoke Revive 3.0 Silver LTD, 125mm S2, 160mm S3, 185mm S4, 213mm S5
- Saddle | S-Works Power Mirror, carbon rails & base, 143mm
- Colour | Satin Carbon/Silver Foil
- Claimed Weight | 18.84kg in an S3
- Price | $20,900 AUD
What has changed?
The Ultralight isn’t based around a new Levo R frame. It uses the same frame, motor and suspension platform, with the weight reduction coming from the smaller battery and lighter components.
The main changes include a 600Wh battery, a 1,275g Roval Control SL VI wheelset, Trickstuff Piccola brakes, and an SRAM XX SL Transmission.
It comes fitted with a Specialized Trail Control GRID T9 front tyre and a Ground Control GRID Lite T5/T7 rear, along with lightweight TPU inner tubes.
We’ve seen this limited run concept recently with the S-Works Epic 9 Ultralight LTD. Both bikes use XX SL Transmission, Piccola brakes and extremely light Roval wheels with carbon spokes and titanium spoke ends. The Epic goes further with Flex Lite Air Trak tyres, while the Levo uses slightly more substantial Trail Control and Ground Control rubber.
That’s quite a gram-saving parts list for a full-powered e-MTB, though!
Smaller 600Wh battery
The biggest individual weight loss comes from swapping the standard bike’s 840Wh battery for the smaller 600Wh unit.
Specialized says the 600Wh battery weighs 3.2kg, while the larger battery weighs 4.4kg. That’s a saving of 1.2kg, though it also reduces the onboard battery capacity by around 29%.
Both batteries fit through the same side opening in the downtube, so the 600Wh unit remains removable. The frame, battery hatch and internal SWAT storage are unchanged.
The optional 280Wh range extender takes total capacity to 880Wh, which is actually 40Wh more than the regular Levo R carries with its standard battery alone. Specialized claims up to 3.36 hours of riding with the range extender fitted. By comparison, the standard S-Works is claimed to provide up to 4.4 hours with its 840Wh battery and the same range extender.
During our testing, the regular Levo R covered almost 70km with more than 1,700m of climbing. It also recorded 2,201m of climbing in Wil’s awesome standardised range test. We’ll need to test the 600Wh battery separately to see how it compares in the real world.
The excellent 12A Smart Charger is included and is claimed to charge the battery from 0 to 80% in under an hour.
Roval Control SL VI wheels
The Ultralight uses some damn fine hoops, the Roval Control SL VI wheelset featuring carbon spokes, titanium spoke ends and Industry Nine’s snazzy Solix hubs.
Specialized says the complete wheelset weighs just 1,275g with tape and valves. Yikes. The Traverse SL II wheelset fitted to the standard S-Works has a claimed weight of 1,757g, making the Control SL VI wheels 482g lighter.
With the smaller battery, those two changes account for dropping about 1.7kg.
Slick-stuff, Trickstuff brakes and SRAM XX SL
There are more grams shaved from the braking department.
The Ultralight uses Trickstuff Piccola two-piston brakes with an 180mm rotor up front and a teeny weeny 160mm rotor at the rear. It’s still a very XC-oriented setup for an e-MTB producing 111Nm of wham.
The SRAM XX SL Eagle Transmission derailleur draws power directly from the Levo system through a hot shoe connection. That removes the separate AXS battery and means the derailleur is powered whenever the bike is switched on, good for those who constantly have flat phones.
Dropper travel on the BikeYoke dropper varies by frame size, with 125, 160, 185 or 213mm posts.
Otherwise, the main chassis components are unchanged. The Ultralight uses the same Fox 36 SL Factory GRIP X fork, Fox Float Factory GENIE shock and S-Works 3.1 motor.
Same Levo 4 R frame and motor
The FACT 11m carbon frame provides 130mm of rear travel and is paired with a 140mm Fox 36 SL fork. Specialized claims the frame is 530g lighter than the one used for the regular Levo 4.
The S-Works 3.1 motor produces up to 111Nm of torque and 850W of peak power. That means the Ultralight retains the same output as the regular Levo R and Levo 4, despite landing at a weight more commonly associated with lower-powered SL e-MTBs.
It rolls on dual 29in wheels and offers three head angle settings, two bottom bracket positions, and adjustable chainstay length. Plenty of fettling to be had, in true Levo 4 style.
In its standard setup, the S4 has a 65° head angle, 77° effective seat angle, 475mm reach and 447mm chainstays.
Using the existing frame means the downtube remains the same size despite the smaller battery. However, the shorter battery provides more storage space inside the downtube for bulk snacks.
How does it compare to the rest of the Levo range?
The Ultralight sits at the lightest and shortest-travel end of Specialized’s continually expanding Levo 4 family.
At 18.84kg, it’s claimed to be 2.32kg lighter than the regular S-Works Levo 4 R. The two bikes share the same frame, travel and motor output, though the standard model has 40% more battery capacity.
It’s also 4.84kg lighter than the S-Works Levo 4 we tested. The Levo 4 has another 20mm of travel at each end, along with a Fox 38 fork, piggyback GENIE shock, SRAM Maven brakes and heavier GRID Gravity tyres.
At the other end of the range, the long-travel Levo EVO bumps travel up to 180/170mm and uses a RockShox Zeb, Vivid Air shock and gravity-focused component package.
The Levo 4 Comp Alloy we reviewed provides the same 3.1 motor hardware and 840Wh battery in a considerably cheaper, yet heavier package.
How does it compare to other lightweight e-MTBs?
The 18.84kg claim places the Ultralight somewhere between conventional SL e-MTBs and most of the full-powered models in our guide to the best e-MTBs.
The Specialized Levo SL, a much-loved bike here at Flow, uses a much smaller 320Wh battery and a 50Nm motor. The Levo R Ultralight carries nearly twice the onboard battery capacity and produces 111Nm, though it still remains heavier than the lightest Levo SL builds.
The Santa Cruz Vala Lite is a closer comparison. Its top XX AXS model has a claimed weight of 20.64kg, a fixed 600Wh battery, 160/150mm of travel and a price of $18,499 AUD. The Levo R Ultralight is claimed to be 1.8kg lighter and has a removable battery, but costs $2,401 more and provides 20mm less travel at each end.
The Amflow PL Carbon Pro weighed 20.42kg during our testing with an 800Wh battery and 160/150mm of travel. It isn’t an entirely clean comparison since we’re mixing our measured weight with Specialized’s claimed figure, but the Levo R Ultralight is solid 1.58kg lighter.
Flow’s Take
The 600Wh battery addresses one of our main criticisms of the Levo R. The standard bike’s 840Wh battery delivered excellent range, but its 4.4kg weight worked against the shorter-travel platform in a few ways when we hit the trails.
Specialized has dropped 1.2kg from the battery and another 482g from the wheels, with the brakes, tyres, and remaining components accounting for the rest.
The comparison with the Epic 9 Ultralight LTD shows just how far Specialized has gone with the component selection. The two bikes cost exactly the same and share several key parts, despite one being an XC race bike and the other a full-powered e-MTB.
Of course, there are some obvious trade-offs. Battery capacity is down by 29%, while the lightweight tyres and 180/160mm brake rotors are a long way from the tougher equipment typically fitted to a full-powered e-MTB.
The standard S-Works Levo R and the Ultralight both cost $20,900. One comes with an 840Wh battery and more robust bits. The other gets a 600Wh battery, much lighter wheels and an 18.84kg claimed weight.
The post First Look | Specialized trims the Levo R below 19kg with new S-Works Ultralight appeared first on Flow Mountain Bike.
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[[{“value”:”Specialized has added a limited-edition Ultralight model to the Levo R range. Grams make kilograms, a wise person once said, so, here we go! The S-Works Levo 4 R Ultralight LTD uses the same carbon frame, 140/130mm suspension, and full-power motor as the existing S-Works model. A smaller battery and high-zoot parts bring the claimed
The post First Look | Specialized trims the Levo R below 19kg with new S-Works Ultralight appeared first on Flow Mountain Bike.”}]] Read More Flow Mountain Bike
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