I have been a die hard Specialized…
I have been a die hard Specialized Turbo Levo rider and still own the 2023 Comp Carbon and the Gen 4 Expert. I started riding the Current Exp last weekend and have put over 100 miles on it. It took a couple days to get used to the minimal differences in geometry and the 29" rear wheel but by the third ride I was 80% solid on the new bike. By my fourth ride I took three KOMs from local Specialized shop riders and two 2nd places so this bike can roll. I'm trying to figure out where this bike falls short compared to the Levos and the only things I can come up with are just stats on paper but they do not translate to actual riding. Obviously the suspension travel is less on this bike and I might actually perceive it but it is so slight that I also think it might just be the power of suggestion. This bike is definitely more powerful and you can tell. It's also more smooth in power delivery and when you hit the speed limit. My only wish is that this bike had a battery extender option for longer rides which I have for my Gen 4 Levo. So the funny twist of fate is that this bike has a little less travel but I will end up using it on shorter rides that usually are a little bit more spicy on the downhill. I'll use my Gen 4 levo for the 8,000 vertical foot climb days. Being that this bike is much much less money I would say it's a no-brainer over any other e-bike on the market. For most ebike riders this will be more than they will ever need. What I think is cool is that for beginner ebikers that want to get into the sport inexpensively, they can buy this bike and it actually performs like a $14,000 bike and outperforms $8,000 bikes. When Aventon comes out with a piggyback battery, I'm not sure I'll ever look back at other more established e-mountain bike brands. FYI I'm 56, 5'8", 180lbs and got the medium.