Trek powerfly 9 FS or Levo FSR comp - what would you go for?

[braylew]

next time you have it powered up and full let me know what it says on the screen.
Riding will change them and go up hills more so the range will drop.
Range is going to be down to ride and fitness but be nice to see what they say full and its own predictive range on screen

Just both bosh and Yamaha say a lot more than the Levo on paper to start with.

Sorry for been a pain but want to make sure I get the right bike.

Then all I will need is some more Ebike users my way or range will not be my problem as others will be not wanting to get out on longer trips

I have had 2 haibikes with bosch and nyon after charging the range displayed on the nyon I found to be a bit misleading.i mainly ride the Sherwood pins red route and I can do same range on the levo as the bosch. the good thing about the levo is if I want to get more range I can reduce the motor current as well as the assistance and acceleration.

 

[Richard-Ebike]

I have had 2 haibikes with bosch and nyon after charging the range displayed on the nyon I found to be a bit misleading.i mainly ride the Sherwood pins red route and I can do same range on the levo as the bosch. the good thing about the levo is if I want to get more range I can reduce the motor current as well as the assistance and acceleration.

So basically your saying 500w battery = about same tho with Levo you fine tune to extend more
Less support but more range and to be expected

The sherwood pines red was my test ride on the Yamaha bike
Enjoyed it and found eco was plenty
Could have gone on to eco+
But was my 1st time there and wanted to see how I felt after.
Was on borrowed time as I borrowed bike from shop

 

[RobF]

Some good points Rob. My understanding with the bosch motor is the gearing is 2.5x full circle and i believe bosch sell a 22t front ring x 10t rear cassette. High cadence, could get you well into the 40mph bracket for a time.

There are some forum members on other sites who have done this with video to match. Either way it's interesting, not something i will be doing.

Finally, not sure what size dinner plate you eat off but my Collage c59 certainly didn't have a dinner plate sized front ring!

A 22t Bosch ring would give you 55t equivalent, with a 10t rear that equates to about 85rpm for 40mph.

Much more doable for some, although I cannot imagine being able to push such a tall gear at what is still a relatively high cadence.

The amount of assist is another consideration.

Typically, Bosch don't release much information, but I'm sure I read on their site something which suggested the system doesn't do a lot much above 90rpm.

It's designed, quite sensibly, to work best at between 50-60rpm, which is roughly the cadence of most recreational riders.

 

[Steve A]

Rob, I think there would also be heat issues. I remember one day (stupidly) doing a 15 mile ride at avg 28 mph in turbo mode with dongle and the battery would not recharge due to excess heat. This is a safety feature and all was fine after it cooled down. It made me realise there's always a bottle neck somewhere.

 

[I Am Jon]

Had a quick go on the Levo FSR Comp today. First impression of it was very good, can't get away from the fact that it's a very good looking bike. Build quality also felt excellent, wouldn't be at all concerned about bits falling off or battery damage. Brose motor felt smooth and powerful. Did crunch through the gears somewhat, probably just need to get used to switching but didn't have that issue when tried Bosch. Did miss the cockpit controls and display but can be fixed by buying the extra controller.

However the Levo is £500 more than the similarly spec'ed Cube hybrid HPA 160 and the staff seemed reluctant to offer any discount or freebies. Main concern is reports of problems with battery, motor etc on all e-bikes. Since it would be a lot of hassle for me to get back to the specialized dealer I'm inclined to go with the cheaper Cube that I can buy locally.

Also had a look at a Trek Powerfly 5, while better build quality than the Scott's it still had some fairly flimsy plastic trim around the bottom of the battery. Seems the only purpose of this trim it to make the battery appear more integrated into the frame. At least the Cube bikes have the battery a bit more integrated without sticking extra bits of plastic around it, even if it doesn't look as pleasing from a distance. Also looks like Trek are still using the older Bosch display on the cheaper bikes.

 

[Steve A]

I would buy locally, I didn't and when i have a problem its a 3 hour round trip

 

[EddiePJ]

Had a quick go on the Levo FSR Comp today. First impression of it was very good, can't get away from the fact that it's a very good looking bike. Build quality also felt excellent, wouldn't be at all concerned about bits falling off or battery damage. Brose motor felt smooth and powerful. Did crunch through the gears somewhat, probably just need to get use to switching but didn't have that issue when tried Bosch. Did miss the cockpit controls and display but can be fixed by buying the extra controller.

However the Levo is £500 more than the similarly spec'ed Cube HPA 160 and the staff seemed reluctant to offer any discount or freebies. Main concern is reports of problems with battery, motor etc on all e-bikes. Since it would be a lot of hassle for me to get back to the specialized dealer, I'm inclined to go with the cheaper Cube that I can buy locally.

I realise that it costs £500.00 more, and isn't local to you in respect of any possible warranty return, but I have a feeling that you going to perhaps be disappointed long term if you don't buy the Levo.
My experience of making a warranty claim on a distance purchase has been pleasant and very different to that of SteveA, but he does have a valid point.
I also once purchased an eMTB from just 8 miles away, and both the bike after sales and warranty procedure was a complete nightmare.

I guess that I am trying to say, don't be too quick to dismiss the Levo because of the traveling distance. Speak to the dealer, and find out what procedures that they might have in place for support.

 

[Mr T]

Hi.
I have the Levo Turbo Expert FSR and I love the bike even with the problems.
The bike is ridden on tricky trails with steep inclines with drop offs so the bike get used. I ride with two groups one on e mountain bikes and one group on standard top end Mountain bikes.
As I live in the north of England the trails are usually wet and there is lots of sandstone rocks and loads of mud.
Had the bike 7 months now, have the Garmin button to change modes and a Garmin 520 to tell me the speed, mileage, mode and battery charge.
I have a Mudhugger front mudguard, the bike was Invisiframed from new (definatley worth getting that done) and a short mudguard at the back to protect the bottom of the main frame. Every thing else is standard.
I have had issues with the bike but all sorted quickly including a new motor and a new battery after 600 miles. Have friends with both Yamaha and Bosch motors and they have had replacements. I think the problem with the motors are the seals on the main cranks are not up to the job for all MTB e bikes especially in difficult terrain. I have swopped bikes with my friends and they all love mine and so do I. If I had the choice again I would buy another but the manufactures need to sort out the seals to protect the bearings and the internal PCB in the motors. Hopefully we will be able to buy the spare parts required to fix them after the warranty has expired.
It definitely puts a smile on your face when riding it. The reason I ride one is due to damaged knee and takes the strain out of the steep climbs.
I have the settings on mine at 10% ECO - 30%Trail - 100% Turbo. Motor set at 100% power and acceleration set at ECO
Hope this helps.

 

[Mr T]

Hi.
I have the Levo Turbo Expert FSR and I love the bike even with the problems.
The bike is ridden on tricky trails with steep inclines with drop offs so the bike get used. I ride with two groups one on e mountain bikes and one group on standard top end Mountain bikes.
As I live in the north of England the trails are usually wet and there is lots of sandstone rocks and loads of mud.
Had the bike 7 months now, have the Garmin button to change modes and a Garmin 520 to tell me the speed, mileage, mode and battery charge.
I have a Mudhugger front mudguard, the bike was Invisiframed from new (definatley worth getting that done) and a short mudguard at the back to protect the bottom of the main frame. Every thing else is standard.
I have had issues with the bike but all sorted quickly including a new motor and a new battery after 600 miles. Have friends with both Yamaha and Bosch motors and they have had replacements. I think the problem with the motors are the seals on the main cranks are not up to the job for all MTB e bikes especially in difficult terrain. I have swopped bikes with my friends and they all love mine and so do I. If I had the choice again I would buy another but the manufactures need to sort out the seals to protect the bearings and the internal PCB in the motors. Hopefully we will be able to buy the spare parts required to fix them after the warranty has expired.
It definitely puts a smile on your face when riding it. The reason I ride one is due to damaged knee and takes the strain out of the steep climbs.
I have the settings on mine at 10% ECO - 30%Trail - 100% Turbo. Motor set at 100% power and acceleration set at ECO
Hope this helps.

 

[Mr T]

Thanks humbucker I ride in the same north west area, peaks etc. What sort of range do you get from the bike?

 

[Mr T]

Might sound like a daft question but How do you guys get on if you have to push the Levo on some very steep tech stuff. It does not have the walk assist like the Bosch bike so I wonder if this is a disadvantage. Pushing 50 pound bike uphill sounds hard!

 

[EddiePJ]

You can pretty much stop by hand the walk assist on the Bosch system, so don't be taken in by that one. When I required it in the Swiss Alps, it didn't even move the bike forward.

There aren't many occasions when you need to push an eMTB anywhere.

 

[Trevormonty]

When I've used the bosch walk assist it was just as easy to carry bike for short distance. The Shimano Steps seems work well on wife's bike but you need to put it in high gear, easy done it while in walk mode. Was good on sandy beach and up some steep stairs.

I bought Cube without trying Levo as I couldn't justify 20-30% more to get equivalent spec bike. No regrets with Cube, but if I had been willing to wait another 6months and spend more would gone for bike with new shimano eMTB drive. Which ever bike you buy it will never be perfect.

 

[Richard-Ebike]

Quick question ...Cycle insurance.

What's a good company as the price seems to be expensive are there any discounts club things to gain extra discount

cheers
Richard

 

[I Am Jon]

Quick question ...Cycle insurance.

What's a good company as the price seems to be expensive are there any discounts club things to gain extra discount

cheers
Richard

Looked into this a bit. If possible adding to home insurance is usually the cheapest option. Otherwise looking at specialist insurance such as Cycle Guard but they tend to be a bit pricey (£200+/year for bike over £3000). British cycling membership (~£37 / year) includes third party liability insurance plus various discounts including bike insurance.

 

[Richard-Ebike]

Don't think home insurance covers you when you are out .
Need to find a better way, Paying 200+ for a bike insurance makes it an extra bill :-(

 

[Steve UKLSRA]

Our home insurance covers bikes away from the home (Halifax), it cost an extra £200ish to cover three bikes at a value of £7k

 

[Richard-Ebike]

Our home insurance covers bikes away from the home (Halifax), it cost an extra £200ish to cover three bikes at a value of £7k

Thanks ..

I will phone and see ..dont mind paying a bit more but its not looking cheap at 230-280 depending how or what bike

need to do some calling about but good to know they cover it

 

[Humbucker]

Thanks humbucker I ride in the same north west area, peaks etc. What sort of range do you get from the bike?

Hello Mr

Thanks humbucker I ride in the same north west area, peaks etc. What sort of range do you get from the bike?

Hello Mr T.
The range is dependent on the terain, climbs, mode and speed. I can get between 20 miles and 30+ miles depending what mode and how much assist I use.
As to pushing it its definitely harder getting it up stairs or steep inclines and lifting over stiles, gates and walls is more effort but I can manage it and when you are out with others its easier when two of you lift it.
Also you are not as tired when you have to push or lift it

 

[Walt11]

Hi all. I bought a Cube Stereo Hybrid HPA 140 SL 27.5+ last year and have no regrets. I live in SW France on the border with Northern Spain so all my riding is in the hills / mountains. For big days out I carry a second battery which allows my to do some serious climbs, followed by equally big descents. Spec on the bike is first class and I love the Magura MT5 brakes. Very powerful brakes but with great modulation. But the standout feature of the bike is the 27.5 plus wheels which does a great job of translation torque into traction on steep climbs. But we have do not much in the way of muddy conditions so it may be different for those of you riding in the UK winters. I also often ride sandy trails in the forests near the coast and again that is where the plus tyres at a low pressure really shine.