RUSSELL’ S SPECIALIZED TURBO LE V OS L EXPERT CARBON £8,500

The Levo SL’s been treated to some new ‘shoes’ for the summer

With its recent OneUp carbon bar swap, the Levo SL feels close to the perfect bike for the varied mix of riding I do. But long summer days on the trails with friends have left me thinking and given me something else to pick at…

An e-bike allows me to keep pace with race-ready, fitter riding companions on regular bikes. But the difference in rolling speed once the motor tops out is noticeable, with the lighter bikes easing away. It’s not an issue with full-on descending, where the Levo SL is right on top of things, but more with maintaining that flowy momentum when you’re pedalling fast.

Because the trails are hardpacked right now, I decided to fit some lowerprofile rubber. The new Specialized Ground Control and Fast Trak tyres seemed to offer the advantage I was after. The tread on both isn’t as deep as the Butcher/Eliminator combo the bike came with, and there isn’t as much cornering edge. In wetter conditions I’d probably be questioning my wisdom. But for now, when the trails are firm and fast, the combination seems to be working. Effort at top pedalling speed is noticeably diminished and the bike is maintaining its speed once the motor cuts out. There’s only my (lack of) fitness to blame for trailing at the back now. www.specialized.com SPEC CHECK Specialized Ground Control 2BR T5 29x2.35in tyre £40 Specialized Fast Trak GRID 2BR T7 29x2.35in tyre £45 www.specialized.com