Bike Life Adventures With Dirty Gertie Vol. 2

I've been riding my Specialized Turbo Levo SL (Expert Carbon model) since April 16th and when I started writing this post she had roughly 117.66 miles (Now more!). About 20-some miles were from a test ride she had and all the others were from me riding to work and logging anywhere between 10-17 mile rides on the local mountain bike trails per evening.

The great thing about this bike is that I find it so enjoyable to ride, that I'll ride into the sunset hour and past that. I mean, it's the busy season and supper isn't getting eaten until 9-10 p.m. So why not ride until 8:30 p.m.?

Granted, I'm not going out for rides every night, but I will say that I noticed my legs feeling very tired after logging 10-17 mile rides consecutive days in a row. My muscles are feeling sore, my shoulders tight, my feet are tired, and it's not all related to work. Heck, the other night I could tell my left knee was wanting a break from riding! Yes, the assist helps, but that does not mean I'm not getting a workout!

For me, it's worth it. Especially since I'm not able to ride every single night/day, being able to ride as long as I want to during the time I have available is huge! Also, to know that I am not limited by allergies, hormones, or stress in how long I ride or how I feel when I ride is an added bonus.

Now, let's get into some nerdy fun!

I downloaded the Specialized Mission Control App and have used it a little bit. I've adjusted my assist settings a smidge and I've recorded one ride. There are preset assist levels for Eco, Trail, and Turbo that you can adjust to add or subtract the assist power. I adjusted the Trail setting down to 50 from 60, to make it feel a bit more natural to me for regular use. At this time, I know that I can get at least two decent mileage (10-12 mile) rides back to back without recharging. Those rides are mainly on the "Trail" setting excluding a few "Turbo" bumps. As of May 1st, I changed the Turbo setting to 90/90.

When I'm riding, I leave the bike powered on the entire time. I don't shut it off or turn down the assist level if I'm descending; I want the ride to be as hands-free as possible. I will adjust assistance as needed, which I've found to be relatively easy. The controller is a nice size and I feel, pretty seamless to use. I say that because I've not had too many accidental pushes of subtracting assistance unintentionally. You can tell right away, so you can bump it up quickly.

At this time, I'm not riding my bike in "Ninja Mode" aka without the power light on. So far, my rides have me pedaling into the sunset hour and beyond, and the little blue glow gives me some comfort. Also, I like the audible sound of my hitting the plus or minus buttons to add or subtract assist, and I like visual aids, and with the charge bars lit up. I have two places to look (on the computer head or the bike) to get a gauge as to how much charge I have left for my ride(s).

All in all, I've found the bike super easy to use. Being able to connect to the Specialized Mission Control app is nice, tho I have yet to use it to its full potential. Since I work at a bike shop that is heavily invested in pedal-assist bikes, it's great to know that Specialized is truly a great resource for any sort of help that we may need with their line of pedal-assist bikes regardless if it's as a consumer or mechanic.

This is a purchase I never imagined I'd make until I was far older, but at the same time, I am so grateful I didn't wait! This bike takes away any excuse I have to go out for a ride, no matter how tired or worn out I feel. I also feel that it does help me not put so much pressure/strain on my left knee, which likes to blow up with "water knee."

I'm at a time in my life where I want to go out and simply enjoy my time outside. I don't want to stress my body when I'm already stressed out emotionally and mentally. This bike helps me accomplish that with ease.

I'm slowly but surely going to explore the Mission Control app a bit more, but at this point, I can say that I think it's a really slick option for folks to tailor their ride experience. You can worry less about range anxiety and focus on your ride! At some point, I am sure I will purchase a range extender for my bike, especially when we want to go riding elsewhere that is EMTB friendly, as we typically try to log as many miles in as we can. This could be especially helpful if we have traveled somewhere for a weekend trip. At this time, for our local trails and my living so close to them, it's not an accessory I need at this time. If it came down to turning off the assist in order to conserve battery power, I know it's a bike that I could pedal without any assist.

A couple other bits to note:

I put a bell on my bike so I can better alert folks if I ride up on someone. With more folks out exploring due to COVID-19, I figured it would be wise to have something in which I could announce my presence without yelling/calling out. The wheels don't have noisy hubs, which most of my other bikes have, so I figured it would be a wise accessory to have.

The size small frame can accommodate a water bottle cage (which would hold a range extender). So folks who are concerned about carrying water need not worry.

Two other things that I feel are a great asset to my e-biking adventures that I'll write more in-depth reviews on later:

Women's Deflect Jacket w/SWAT- this has been a perfect, and I mean perfect, wind jacket for EMTBing! It's very light and easily packable. I'm still in the spring season where it might get a bit cool when the sun starts to set, so having this jacket keeps me prepared for anything. Plus, when EMTBing, you're not putting in as hard of an effort, so you're not warming up as instantly into the ride. It is also the most breathable wind jacket I own.

Flux 1200 Headlight- I have not been on a ride with this yet, but will be soon! I'm finding with my work schedule most of my rides have me chasing sunsets and riding into the dark. Sometimes I don't know if I'm heading out for a ride until last minute, so I've slacked on charging up my high-powered helmet light. The one thing I hate about wearing a helmet-mounted light is that it usually always gives me a headache, and that is one thing I don't want to deal with.

The beam pattern for this light is wide, and I'm not riding super fast in the dark, so my hope is that this light will illuminate my way if I want to get in a couple laps on some of the easier trails before I head home. I'm most excited that I don't have to lug a battery pack with me for this light.