Specialized S-Works Levo 4 Electric Mountain Bike Review: Best Electric Mountain Bike

The next trip was on a single track from my house to Spirit Mountaina lift-accessed downhill park in Duluth that features 24 trails ranging from easy to expert. Lacking a full-face helmet and the landing skills to handle double black runs like those called Calculated Hazards, I rode Candyland instead. The machine-built flow trail had some nice high, serpentine curbs where the bike’s chunky tires kept me upright and stable. I had so much fun cruising around the bike park, riding steep downhills like The Puker for one last flowing downhill ride, that I had to head home for dinner at dusk.

On the way home, I got scared riding a chunky, steep, extended rock bridge in Trail mode and experienced the only moment of fear in the entire 50 miles of testing I’ve ridden so far – I had already committed to forward momentum but got scared at the last second, so the bike lunged forward as I jumped sideways into the bush. It was more of a lack of user confidence than a bike flaw, but it’s also a good reminder of two things: how powerful a bike is and how it’s only as capable as its rider.

At home, I checked the dedicated app and found that I had climbed 3,451 feet over 22 miles in about two hours, essentially in the bike’s automatic mode. I still had 44 percent battery power and power in my legs.

Smart ride

Photo: Stephanie Pearson

After subsequent rides, what stands out most about the Turbo Levo 4 is how intuitive it is. The bike’s high-performance torque sensors can instantly “feel” the rider’s output and amplify it, maintaining control, traction and precision at higher speeds. This is particularly evident in Auto mode, which feels the most natural of the four modes Eco, Auto, Trail and Turbo, all of which are easy to read on the bike’s Master Mind computer located in the top tube.

I was a little on the fence about the Turbo Levo’s ability to jump out of it From first class to third class Electric mountain bike. On US versions of the bike, riders can adjust the speed limit by toggling through Master Mind and raising the Class I limit of 20 mph to the Class III maximum of 28 mph. It’s an easy ride designed for mountain bikers who ride along city streets to access the trails.

But it also raises a question: What breaker would want to switch back to a top-tier bike—the limit for most trails across the United States—unless the speed police are in hot pursuit? By allowing this solution in the higher speed limit category, Specialized puts the onus on the rider to follow the rules, opening a Pandora’s box — especially on trails populated mostly by non-motorized mountain bikers where safety is a greater concern.

Other than the moral conundrum, my only small issue with the S-Works Turbo Levo 4 is that it’s so much fun that it sucks time. I’m in such a state of flow that I forget to go home and make dinner.