Specialized's 111Nm S-Works Turbo Levo 4 and more from Giro, Fizik, Ergon and SQlab
The best kit to grace the ORCC office and the top stories of the week
More Features
A quick examination of the three-time winner's S-Works Epic 8 race bike.
It's been a HUGE week for news, too!
The five coolest things to come into the office alongside this week's top news.
As well as this week's best stories.
Once again, we're back for another Five Cool Things where we check out some of the coolest kit to land at off.road.cc HQ. This week, we've got Specialized's £12,500 S-Works Levo 4 that brings 111Nm to the game as well as Ergon's latest saddle and Fizik's all-new grips. On top of all that, Giro's updated Chamber III shoe makes an appearance, and SQlab is set to make bar ends cool again with its Inner Bar Ends.
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But first, let's glance over the top stories to hit the site over the past week, and we've been all about DH racing in our features. First off, we chat with none other than Hattie Harnden to talk about her switch from enduro to downhill, THAT incident during her Poland race run, and her goals for the season. We then managed to get some time with Phoebe Gale, one of the UK's most exciting talents, to talk about her daily driver, the Orbea Rallon.
It's been a big week for drivetrain news, too, with SRAM unveiling its new Force and Rival XPLR AXS drivetrains, both of which receive the Full Mount derailleur design, and Shimano bringing its wireless Di2 tech to XT and Deore levels. Specialized also made headlines having announcing its partnership with Brembo in producing a 'revolution' in braking technology. Additionally, Fazua brought a new firmware update to its Ride 60 drive system, Orbea unveiled a new Terra gravel bike, and Garmin released the Edge MTB, its first mountain bike-specific cycling computer.
As for our in-depth reviews, Jimmer checks out Fizik's Kassis, its new mountain bike helmet, Stu gives us his thoughts on the Boardman TRVL 8.9 DB gravel bike that's equipped with a suspension fork, and we've got a review on Insta360's Ace Pro 2 action camera.
Specialized S-Works Turbo Levo 4
£12,500
2025 specialized levo s works 4 ct.jpg, by Liam Mercer
With its new Levo 4, Specialized is set to bring the head to the likes of Bosch and DJI with its 111Nm, 720W S-Works 3.1 motor. Not only does the motor bring more power to the Levo 4, but it's adorned with the usual connectivity that we've come to expect from the brand. Without diving into the Mission Control app, the bike offers four power modes and more, if you were to dive into the new MasterMind display and Micro Tune settings.
In fact, the Levo 4 is brimming with neat features, as the bike itself brings a lot of adjustment to the game. With that, riders can tweak the chainstay length, bottom bracket height, and the head angle, all of which offer 12 different geometry setting combinations, making for what could be one e-MTB or a whole range of trails. Riders can also pick from a mullet wheel sizes, and full 29in wheels thanks to that adjustment.
With 160mm of travel at the front, the 150mm rear travel is damped thanks to Specialized and Fox's GENIE technology. It's a pretty fancy shock that has two air chambers with the secondary chamber closing off as the shock reaches 70% of its travel. The result is said to be a more active start and mid-stroke, but with plenty of support towards the end stroke.
Neat features continue as this is the first e-mountain bike to also include downtube storage located in the battery compartment, just above the battery. And as the bike's battery system is modular, allowing for a smaller battery, or for the bike to be powered by a range extender alone, that storage can grow or shrink as you see fit.
I'm only scratching the surface of what's going on with this bike, so keep your eyes peeled for the review coming soon.
Fizik Race Feel grips
£30
2025 fizik grips 5ct.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Fizik has expanded its range of touch points now to include grips for flat handlebars. A few weeks ago, we had a look at the Comfort Feel grips, and these are the Race Feel options. They're built to provide grip and control regardless of how wet it is outside, and they use a silicone compound that's chosen for its vibration-damping qualities.
Compared to the Comfort Feel grips, these are thinner, which should boost bar feel, and they use a different texture with a more pronounced waffle and a fine texture elsewhere.
Ergon SMS Men saddle
£75
2025 ergon saddle 5ct.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Ergon is another brand that aims to put ergonomics first, as you might have guessed from its name, and the SMS is one of its very latest products. It's a saddle designed for trail riding, but it's said to be more compact and lighter weight. Not only does Ergon say that the saddle achieves an even pressure distribution, but the brand claims that it boasts 'optimum' shock absorption.
That's apparently achieved via a high-performance foam that's been tuned for mountain biking, and as a men's saddle, it's shaped for the male anatomy. It then gets CroMo rails and is claimed to weigh 260g.
Ergon SMS
Giro Chamber III shoes
£150
2025 giro shoes 5ct.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Giro's Chamber has been a stable clipless shoe for years now, and now in its third iteration, it's set to build on the solid foundations laid by Chambers prior. Claimed to bring 'a new level of performance', the Chamber III is said to be lighter and slimmer than before while being primed for enduro and downhill riding.
It gets a microfibre upper to help the shoe conform to the foot while boosting security. The closure is simple too, as Giro has chosen a classic lace and hook-and-loop fastening. Towards the outsole, there's the brand's Sensor rubber outsole, which aims to balance grip and durability, while the stiff DH shank offers 10mm more cleat setback, so cleats can be positioned further back into the tracks than before.
SQlab Innerbarends 410 2.0
£36
2025 sqlab bar ends.jpg, by Liam Mercer
It seems like a very long time ago now, but bar ends were once cool. They were on all kinds of mountain bikes, providing multiple hand positions and more comfort on the bike. Now, whether they're cool or not, it's all about the somewhat confusingly named inner bar ends.
Joining Ergon as one of those brands that prioritise ergonomics, SQlab has designed these bar ends to encourage a natural hand position when they're held, while adding more positions to hold your handlebar. They're also shaped to keep your brake levers well in reach, so control shouldn't be compromised.
Claiming to 'add performance, not weight,' these inner bar ends are set to weigh 95g per pair while easing load on the arms, shoulders, and back, which should make for a more comfortable time while attempting big-distance rides.
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