Riding the Specialized Levo 4 might be the next best thing to early-season pow turns.

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There’s a time of year in any mountain town where skiers start to lose their minds. Temps start to drop, the days get shorter and shorter, but with lingering warm temps and late fall high pressure, the start ski season seems to be perpetually out of reach. Here in the Tetons, we call it mud season–once the first snowfall goes through a freeze-thaw cycle, the ground turns into a soupy mess, much like our minds when all we can think about is making those first tantalizing powder turns. We turn to things like pickleball, hours in the gym, hours-long cooking projects, or, god forbid, gravel biking.

There is a solution, though. And, for the first time ever, I reluctantly tested the waters before diving headfirst into a new world for me: riding E-MTBs. When a rep from Specialized reached out this fall seeing if POWDER wanted to check out the new Turbo Levo 4, I thought to myself “POWDER doesn’t write bike reviews…what are they thinking?” I’ve been a pretty die-hard mountain biker for the majority of my life, dabbling in enduro races, spending days in the saddle on massive bike traverses, reviewing bikes for various publications, and spending as many days a summer as I can enjoying the singletrack around my home and on the road–and since first riding the original Specialized Levo in 2018, pedal-assist E-MTBs have always held a degree of curiosity in my mind. But they’ve been one of those things that I figured I’d turn to later in life, once my fitness declined and my knees gave out. It never occurred to me that having one would be a huge bonus to the quiver and open up an entirely new world of riding.

But, I figured I’d give it a shot, especially after reading about Bike Mag Editor Deven McCoy’s experience with the new bike. Turns out his main gripe was that the Levo 4 was best suited for winch-and-plummet style riding (long grinding uphills, followed by steep technical descents), and it occurred to me that my favorite mountain bike trails in my home range were exactly that–the perfect testing ground for the new bike. With ski season inching ever closer but still out of reach here in the Tetons, I’ve spent the last month putting the bike through its paces on my home trails, and man, am I hooked. 

Specialized Turbo Levo 4 Specs:

• Size tested: S4
• Build tested: Specialized Turbo Levo 4 Comp Carbon
• Motor: Specialized 3.1 Motor w/ 666 Watts & 101 Nm, 840 Wh Battery, up to 5.33 hour range
• Travel: 160mm front, 150mm rear
• Wheel size: MX – 29” front, 27.5” rear
• Weight: 53lb
• MSRP: $9200

Geometry, Sizing, Components and Tech:

From far away, the new Specialized Turbo Levo 4 looks just like any other modern mountain bike, sharing nearly the same sleek silhouette as the much-lauded Stumpjumper 15 EVO. Look a little closer, and the thicker downtube and bottom-bracket mounted motor become visible–but the bike isn’t anywhere near as chunky as other full-power bikes on the market. 

That battery and motor system hides what sets this bike apart from the rest. With over a dozen different power options available on the market now (DJI, Bosch, Shimano, SRAM, Fazua, to name a few…), Specialized stuck to their Swiss development team to design the new Specialized 3.1 motor system, that delivers 101Nm of torque and 666W of power, and is connected to a battery with 840wh. The S-Works version of the motor delivers 110Nm of torque with 720W of power. The bike falls into the Class 3 E-Bike category, meaning it has a top pedal-assisted speed of a whopping 28mph. 

A 2.2-inch multifunction screen is mounted directly into the top tube, controlled by a new toggle lever next to your left grip. The extremely bright and easy-to-read screen gives info on the bike’s current mode, speed, and can display other info like ride distance and power output.

I tested the mid-range Specialized Turbo Levo 4 Comp Carbon, featuring a full-carbon frame and the same motor/battery system as the higher end models (save the S-Works), with more budget-friendly components. Suspension is handled by Fox, with a 160mm FOX FLOAT 36 Rhythm GRIP fork up front, and a FOX FLOAT X shock featuring Specialized’s GENIE aircan delivering an unreasonably-smooth 150mm of rear travel. Brakes and drivetrain duties go to SRAM, with powerful Maven Bronze brakes, and the electronic SRAM S1000 Eagle Transmission 12-speed drivetrain that’s wired directly into the bike’s main battery.

The remainder of the build (wheels, cockpit, seatpost, tires) are all built to take a beating, and on a full-power E-MTB I was glad to sacrifice a few pounds of weight in the name of durability and simplicity. Check out the full spec sheet here.

The bike is only mixed-wheel (mullet) compatible, meaning there’s a 29” wheel out front, with a smaller 27.5” wheel on the back. I’ve been a huge fan of mulleted bikes for DH/enduro and bike park riding, but personally prefer a full 29 setup for most riding and better climbing efficiency. On the Levo 4, the powerful motor more than makes up for having a smaller wheel out back, which immediately makes the bike more fun and maneuverable on descents.

How Does The Specialized Turbo Levo 4 Perform?

Breaking down how a bike like this performs in the real world had me thinking about a few different things. There’s the question of how does the bike perform as…well…a mountain bike? Then there’s the issue of all the electronic bits, and finally, what is it like to actually live with a bike like this?

Range, Motor Performance and Power:

Specialized makes some pretty bold claims about the Levo 4’s motor and performance in their marketing literature, but it’s clear they’re onto something with the new system. The power and battery numbers aren’t necessarily best-in-class, but the way the power is delivered is next-level. The motor comes with three pre-programmed power modes (Turbo, Trail, and Eco) plus Auto mode and OFF mode (no motor power at all). There’s also “walk mode,” which helps get the bike up steep hills when pushing by delivering a small amount of power without pedal input. 

Turbo delivers 100% power, but drains the battery fastest. Trail is a happy medium, whereas Eco mode gives just enough power to offset the bike’s weight but not have you zipping up climbs any faster than you might on an acoustic bike. Auto mode does the decision-making for you, adjusting power based on the terrain and how hard you are actually pedaling. All four modes can be fine-tuned using Specialized’s app, letting you mess around with power delivery settings to optimize the bike to your liking.

Compared to the few other E-MTBs I’ve ridden, the Specialized motor feels different. For one, it’s super-quiet, emitting a low hum, even at full power. More impressively, however, is how the power is transmitted is remarkably smooth. Even with the super-powerful 101Nm of torque, the power delivery doesn’t feel jolty or jerky, instead it ramps up subtly but quickly to amplify your pedal input without throwing you off the bike. For the most part, I found myself riding the bike in either Auto or Trail mode (fine-tuned with the app to 60/100), but would engage Turbo for smooth fire-road climbs or road miles. I found Turbo to be too powerful on most steep, technical climbs, causing the rear wheel to spin out. Heading downhill, it’s tempting to turn the motor off completely, but I found that running it in Eco mode kept the ability to add a few pedal strokes before a lip or when pedaling out of a corner. 

Battery range is similarly impressive–the only time I came close to running the battery completely out was on a nearly five-hour ride in mucky conditions that involved some seriously character-building climbs. The top tube screen shows the remaining battery percentage, and I found it to drain predictably (eg. 75%-50% drained about as fast as 50%-25%). Specialized also sells a range extender 280Wh add-on battery that clips to the bike’s bottle cage mount for an added boost for truly huge days. 

On-Trail Performance:

So, how does the bike actually ride on trail? Simply put, excellently–but it took me a few rides to figure out exactly what I liked so much about it. The Levo 4 presents a best-of-both-worlds option that (thanks to its suspension design and aggressive geometry) descends like a bat out of hell, but makes easy work of extremely technical and steep climbing that most acoustic bikes couldn’t handle.

When climbing, the 101Nm of torque is crazy powerful, giving you the ability to clean wildly steep climbs littered with rocks and roots while maintaining a steady but easy pedal cadence. I found myself wanting to ride the bike up terrain that I would be grabbing fistfuls of brake heading down, focusing on maneuvering the bike and timing my pedal strokes to avoid rocks/roots instead of focusing on my heart rate and breathing to keep from passing out from the effort. 

One thing I did notice and had to learn to deal with was that the geometry of the bike (especially when set to the slackest 63-degree head angle setting) causes the front end of the bike to lift off the ground very easily. It’s something that’s common with long-travel and slack enduro rigs, but the added power of the motor makes it really easy to lift the front end of the bike off the ground. I found myself having to lower the seat quite a bit to keep my weight low and forward enough to prevent the front end from wandering or looping out completely. 

Heading downhill, the bike feels much more capable than its on-paper numbers might let on. The heavier weight of the bike (compared to a mid 30-pound enduro bike) gives the suspension a huge edge in performance and make it feel like a longer-travel bike. The additional sprung weight means there’s far less deflection going on, and the fork and shock work better to keep the bike absolutely glued to the ground. The GENIE rear shock works shockingly (ha ha) well–I’d say this is the best-feeling air shock on the market right now, with super-supple initiation into the travel, predictable and smooth ramp up, and zero bottom-out. I typically ride a coil shock on my enduro bike for its smoothness, and the GENIE feels better. 

The bike feels about as planted as anything I’ve ever felt (akin to a DH race bike), with otherworldly levels of traction, excellent cornering (thanks to the small back wheel, short rear end, and super-grippy Butcher GG tires), and an insatiable desire to be pointed down the steepest, rawest trails at mach speed. The 53-pound weight means it’s not poppy or particularly playful on small features, but at high speeds it’s ready to be pointed off any lip or drop in sight.

Where the bike does fall a bit short, however, is on super smooth, rolling terrain where a lighter and more playful bike would shine. The monster-truck character of the Levo 4 feels out of place here–but then again would you bring a pair of 110mm underfoot freeride skis on a blue groomer? 

Living With The Bike:

My late-season testing ground for the bike consisted mostly of riding a network of adventurous backcountry moto trails near my home in the Tetons, with 1500-2000 foot steep and rutted climbs that deposit you on top of similarly steep and fun downhill trails. On an acoustic bike, a riding day here mostly involves long hike-a-bike sections and one or two rowdy downhills, followed by some serious recovery time. On the Levo 4, lapping these trails multiple times in an afternoon was no problem at all, meaning I could squeeze in a full day’s worth of riding into a short afternoon session. 

To me, that’s the single biggest selling point on a bike like this: it opens up an entirely new world of riding possibilities, especially when the days are short or you don’t have much time on your hands. I found myself exploring unknown bits of trail that I would avoid on my regular bike for fear of having to push back out, or getting so far from a trailhead that I’d run out daylight to get home. I just had to remember to charge the damn thing. The whole experience felt like adventure ski touring, where I was seeking out loamers instead of powder turns. 

The bike is filled with neat little details that make the whole experience that much better, like the SWAT multitool integrated into the steerer tube, or the large in-frame storage bag that nestles in behind the battery (just pop the battery cover off to pull out the battery and the bag). I spent A LOT of time riding this thing in the mud and even snow, and I can attest to the weather-sealing on the frame pivot bearings, battery cover, charging cover, and anywhere else moisture might wreak havoc. Finally, all the built-in adjustability is easy to use and makes a lot of sense to adjust the bike to different riding styles–this bike can go between super-slack enduro sled to a more nimble pedal-friendly trail bike in minutes. Swapping out the headset cups to change the head tube angle took me all of 10 minutes, flipping the shock mount or the chainstay length flip chip was even easier. Specialized bikes have not always been the easiest to service, but this one sure is.

A few components I’d probably personally change on the bike would be to upgrade the fork to a longer-travel 170mm fork (the bike is rated up to a 180mm fork) with an upgraded damper like the Grip X2, or the equivalent from Rockshox, to give it even more stability and plushness for steep descending. That would also raise the bar height up a bit to give the bike better handling on steeps. With that, I would also upgrade the brakes to the more adjustable SRAM Maven Silver, or throw on a different DH brake like the TRP Evo PRO. I’d also consider adding a longer-travel dropper post to get the seat even more out of the way on the steep terrain the bike loves so much. Finally, I’d switch to a high-rise carbon handlebar to help smooth things out even further. The wheel and tire spec is great as is, and the durability-minded S1000 drivetrain is a great choice here.

Who Is the Specialized Turbo Levo 4 Best For?

Truth be told, a bike like the Levo 4 doesn’t replace a regular mountain bike for me–it’s simply an additional tool in the quiver to facilitate a different kind of adventure. I could certainly see this completely replacing a regular bike for some riders, but I truly enjoy a hard pedal, not to mention I spend a good bit of time enduro racing and at the bike park, where E-MTBs have no place. 

I see the Levo 4 as a second bike in the quiver for three types of riders. First, it’s wildly useful for those of us with access to miles of backcountry and high-alpine riding that they’d like to explore during the warmer months (assuming those trails are E-MTB legal…don’t be the asshole who gets trails shut down due to your rule breaking!). Secondly, it’s a great accessibility tool for anyone recovering from an injury, dealing with an illness, or who simply doesn’t have the strength to make it up steep climbs but wants the thrill of a steep downhill.

Finally, the Levo 4 is also wildly fun for anyone living in place with a trail network that features a climbing trail or road leading to steep and rugged descents, like the PNW, BC, or even parts of the East Coast. The battery life and power will allow for lap after lap of downhill fun, turning that trail network into your own E-MTB shuttle park. Just be respectful to those choosing to earn their turns the old-fashioned way.