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I would provide some advice but when I'm not riding my Levo I have a lot of fun riding my singlespeed Moxie!
However my Levo is the technically outdated Gen 2 version. It was the cheap one which only had a 500Whr battery to start, and that battery claims to be at 90% health (but I suspect less) after what must be about 500 charges (it had a motor change two and bit years in which reset the data). The geometry is arguably too short and not slack/steep enough. It has a comically tiny inline shock (now delivering 157mm travel) and a bigger-than-approved 170mm Fox 38. It has huge mudguards which makes it look even worse. It definitely doesn't handle like a normal bike, although it's not crazy heavy (24.5kg plus the mudguards).
I have so much fun riding it! (I haven't ridden any other ebikes and am not planning to - and I very rarely go on ebike-only group rides).
2 of these
I know you're a fan weeksy, so don't take it personally. I just find Treks the most uninspiring, bland (beige if you like) bikes to look at. I don't know why, I don't suppose there's even that much wrong with them in the looks department.
And that's coming from someone who has two uninspiring Specialized bikes 🤣
The Trek is a full 29er, not a mullet and the TQ HPR50 motor is a bit pants apparently.
The Trek is a full 29er, not a mullet and the TQ HPR50 motor is a bit pants apparently.
It can be run as a mullet, it has a flip chip for that
2 of these
I know you're a fan weeksy, so don't take it personally. I just find Treks the most uninspiring, bland (beige if you like) bikes to look at. I don't know why, I don't suppose there's even that much wrong with them in the looks department.
And that's coming from someone who has two uninspiring Specialized bikes 🤣
2 of these
I know you're a fan weeksy, so don't take it personally. I just find Treks the most uninspiring, bland (beige if you like) bikes to look at. I don't know why, I don't suppose there's even that much wrong with them in the looks department.
And that's coming from someone who has two uninspiring Specialized bikes 🤣
Lol I was mostly kidding. Treks though to me just do what they're supposed to. But that's as far as it goes. But I've never really ridden a boutique brand bike to compare.
I do want to try and Atherton S150 but I'm scared I'll like it.
I like specialized too though, my Status and his Sworks Enduro were ace.
Not for me, happy with my Levo, but all the Germans on the campsite cant wait to get one.
Is it just hype or the next best thing since sliced bread.
So the only downside I can find anywhere, from anyone, is that big, heavy, ugly-as-sin, FF bikes will go up hills faster.
Pretty much. To add further to the SL vs FF debate, I'm firmly on the SL side. I want an ebike that handles and rides like a normal bike. I've had limited experience on a FF 26kg Bosch-powered ebike and the weight ruined the ride for me. FF ebikes are getting lighter but there wasn't anything like my 20.5kg SL available (and in my budget) when I bought my Heckler SL.
Of course it’s all subjective, but as a former owner of an ‘SL’ ebike, which was also ~20.5kg by the time it actually had suitable components on it, I’ll happily take the 1.3kg penalty to a bike with 2.5 times the battery capacity & similar increase in power for my full fat.
The reality was my KSL couldn’t actually do any more range or climbing than I could, without a motor. Then it was turned down to a level where I’m just riding a heavy bike around every so slightly faster up hills. Pointless.
Now, if I could get a mid powered bike, something like the HPR60 with a decent battery to around 18kg, and be confident it wasn’t going to fall apart down trails, I’d probably never bother riding a human powered bike again for anything other than XC.
This is the most recent video I've watched featuring that Will bloke who used to work here. It's the same as all the others but he rattles through it pretty quickly with minimal waffling. He summarises by saying it's the "most fun, best performing, lightweight e-bike I've ever tested".
That video was almost 3yrs ago though... Way before the Bosch SX motor came out... Before even the TQ HPR50 came out, and that's already been superseded by the HPR60 now!
He's reviewed a number of bikes since then FWIW... 😉
Honestly, if you rode a Levo SL back to back with a decent bike with the Bosch SX motor in, there's no way you'd buy the Levo SL, even with less of a discount on the SX bike! TQ's HPR60 is getting much better press than the HPR50 did too, and seems a very good piece of kit for those who really want the lighter and more natural feel.
my 630wh battery means that I’m knackered before I run out of batter. With roughly half that battery I’d be pissed off id run out of battery
Agreed... Running out of battery before running out of steam yourself isn't ideal... OK so you need to exercise restraint and power management whatever you're riding, but if you can't get a 3hr ride out of your battery in the "middle" power setting (whatever it will be called on your motor system) or 90mins on full boost/turbo I'd say the battery is too small...
Now, if I could get a mid powered bike, something like the HPR60 with a decent battery to around 18kg, and be confident it wasn’t going to fall apart down trails, I’d probably never bother riding a human powered bike again for anything other than XC.
I'm there with you... Currently accepting that around 20kg is as light as I'm going to get what I want right now (without spending crazy money on a dentist spec Yeti MTe) and it not to require fixing every time I ride it, but I'm seeing zero downsides to riding a bike that's 4kg heavier but eminently more versatile than a similarly specced/configured trail bike without a motor or battery right now, especially as it has enough power to keep up with the full fats when I want to, in eco it's spot on riding with people on regular MTB's, and in Tour+ and eMTB it's spot on for the majority of my riding. My XC bike is almost being relegated to a glorified gravel bike now as a result!
I rode the DuneXR for a couple of weeks with the SX motor and that was proper lovely... Not as powerful as the big players of course, but certainly good enough for what i wanted.. Sadly the DunXR is a million pennies, so out of my range.
I think the analogy above with single speed above is good. Some people want to do it for some bizzare reason, whether they think it looks cool, are stuck with 5yr old marketing BS in their head, or they are a masochist.
The Levo SL is not light years ahead of my Rise LT in handling terms, its a bit more nimble, but id say worse DH.
I can run my Rise at whatever power output I like on a scale of 0 to 85nm, but I would say most of my riding is 45nm or 85nm. If battery was infinite it would always be 85nm but I would just go further.
Maybe if Op is after that 'SL' ebike feeling, just get the Spesh analogue equivalent, strap maybe 5kg weight to it, and it we feel like a low powered ebike without the cons of a motor and battery 🙂
Of course it’s all subjective, but as a former owner of an ‘SL’ ebike, which was also ~20.5kg by the time it actually had suitable components on it, I’ll happily take the 1.3kg penalty to a bike with 2.5 times the battery capacity & similar increase in power for my full fat.
My experiences have been on my SL/20.6kg and a full fat Cube at 26kg with nothing in-between, so I'd be interested to try a full fat <22kg sometime. By the time I'll start thinking about (and being able to afford...) replacing my Heckler SL things will have moved on quite a bit I imagine.
I was pleasantly surprised my SL is 'only' 20.6kg despite a robust build on a XXL frame: XM481/EX471 on Pro4s, 4-pot XTs with 203s, EXO+ tyres inc rear insert, Mezzer Pro, and that's inc pedals, mudguard, bottle cage etc.
but I'm seeing zero downsides to riding a bike that's 4kg heavier but eminently more versatile than a similarly specced/configured trail bike without a motor or battery right now
Or, another 2kg for a bike you don't have to absolutely rinse to get full power out of and can go 1.5-2x further?
My trek fuel exe (now with hpr60 motor retrofitted in place of the original Hpr50) is 19.5 kg with the 360wh battery, or 20.5kg with the range extender giving a total of 520wh. That's with a fairly heavy duty build, fox 38, hope tech4 v4 brakes, thick 200mm rotors, continental enduro tyres etc.
With just the main battery and no range extender itwill do about 1000m of climb over 25ish miles using all the modes. I'd expect it would do double that if you were really sparing with the power.
The new hpr60 motor is about 15 - 20% more efficient than the old hpr50 motor, and you can definitely notice the additional 10nm
I rarely ride my full power orbea wild fs, I don't like the weight of it.
"My trek fuel exe (now with hpr60 motor retrofitted in place of the original Hpr50) is 19.5 kg with the 360wh battery, or 20.5kg with the range extender giving a total of 520wh. That's with a fairly heavy duty build, fox 38, hope tech4 v4 brakes, thick 200mm rotors, continental enduro tyres etc."
That's light - my old Levo has much the same parts and only a 500Whr battery (but a full power motor and alloy frame) and weighs 4kg more (ie 20%)!
but I'm seeing zero downsides to riding a bike that's 4kg heavier but eminently more versatile than a similarly specced/configured trail bike without a motor or battery right now
Or, another 2kg for a bike you don't have to absolutely rinse to get full power out of and can go 1.5-2x further?
An 800Wh battery alone is 2kg heavier than a 400Wh... The CX motor is 900g heavier than an SX... So that's 2.9kg before changing any other parts/spec... Which is likely given most full fat bikes are longer travel and have beefier components... Certainly I can get away with lighter wheels and tyres on a lighter eBike than I can on a full fat...
Besides which... I have one of those too! It's 24.5kg with an EXT coil shock, 38's, strong wheels etc... I've just done a near 50km ride with almost 2km of climbing on it and it was absolutely the right tool for the job... But the SX powered bike is more fun for and eminently more suitable for shorter, flatter rides! 👍🏻
Julians- do you mind if I ask how you got the upgrade - did you just buy a new motor (apparently straight swop but need new plastic motor cover), and did you try to sell your old 50 motor. Ta
ps are you anywhere near Oxfordshire ,
Julians- do you mind if I ask how you got the upgrade - did you just buy a new motor (apparently straight swop but need new plastic motor cover), and did you try to sell your old 50 motor. Ta
ps are you anywhere near Oxfordshire ,
I bought the new motor direct from silverfish via their web shop. When you fit the new motor it doesn't work until you activate it using the dealer software (takes 5 mins), so you need to pay a dealer to do this bit or have software and a dongle and do it yourself.
You don't need a new motor cover if you remove the cooling fins from the motor.
I havent tried selling my old motor because it's broken, will take it apart at some point....
I rarely ride my full power orbea wild fs, I don't like the weight of it.
I find my heritage 2017 Levo a fat, weighty lump, particularly on anything nadgery and downwards pointing. Some of this will be because I am a feeble, fundamentally unskilled rider, so of it because I only ride it very occasionally so my muscle memory/motor learning responses are tuned to work with a much lighter bike and my inputs feel 'wrong'. I'd probably be better if I rode it more often, but then I'd rather ride a conventional bike and retain the ability to do that. YMMV, that's just my personal take.
I suspect I'd probably get on with an SL-type bike, but I'm not much of an e-biker and the thing I love about heading out on a normal bike is not having to fret about battery range.
It does worry me a little that transitioning onto an e-bike is becoming some sort of normalised pathway to the point where people stop questioning whether they want an e-bike at all and just start deciding which e-bike they want or whether lightweight or full fat is the way forward because the default assumption is that a power-assisted bike must be inherently 'better'. I've always been a 'use it or lose it' sort of guy, and figure the best way of continuing to be able to boot a conventional e-mtb hard up a short techy climb is simply to carry on booting conventional e-mtbs up hills. It's also, for me at least, considerably more affordable.
Re the OP's original question. Yes, the Levo Sl might be 'almost the price a regular bike would be with this spec.' but you have to ask whether having assistance adds value for you personally and also factor in how you'd feel about investing a bunch more cash in it if / when the battery/motor fail out of warranty. There's a short-termism about a lot of e-mtb purchase decisions where the assumption seems to be that you'll only keep it for a couple of years then get rid/upgrade and I say that as someone with a now eight-year-old one. If the battery failed and I had to stump up £800-odd for a new one, would it be worth it?
Sorry, not anti-emtb, but the way it's fast becoming a default is something I find a little troubling, then again I'm of the unpopular opinion that it would be better for people generally to walk or cycle short journeys rather than jump in the car every time.
fwiw, I swap between a 10kg xc bike, 14kg trail bike and a 25kg full-fat emtb with little issues. It doesn't take long to get used to the handling.
I should add I weigh 97kg though, so compared to my body weight, my full-fat bike is probably like an SL for someone lighter!
These are the 155mm Specialized kids cranks : https://www.certini.co.uk/components/service-parts/specialized-s211600035-turbo-sl-crankset-m20-mountain-155mm-sram__96736
Although there are comments about the SL bike not being a lot better than an anaolgue bike because the extra weight pretty much compensates for Eco mode in the first place, but with the SL bike I am able to reserve the assistence for the steep climbs that would otherwise push my heart rate up to high levels - I'm 61 so try to keep it down to 170 as a max.
The tryes on the SL are also quite hefty, although I'd read that switching to something lighter and softer might actually hurt the range.
I've looked at so many bikes this weekend. Fat ones, skinny ones, light, heavy, ugly, less ugly. 6, 7, 8 grand for bikes with crap suspension, brakes and tyres.
Basically my previous opinion about the general state of e-bikes hasn't changed. They're all a bit shit. You just need to pick the flavour of shit that you can live with.
Nothing really tickled the wife's fancy but she still wants something. She's getting excited about riding now, talking about it all the time.
If it was just for me I wouldn't even consider one yet. I'm very happy with what I have.
As for e-bikes becoming the norm, I think that horse has bolted. MTB is a motorised sport now especially for newcomers.
Basically my previous opinion about the general state of e-bikes hasn't changed. They're all a bit shit.
Elaborate if you would... 5yrs ago I'd have agreed with you for the mostpart, 3yrs ago I'd have agreed that it was a bit 50/50 (some good some bad), now though... I'm struggling to see where you're coming from! The choices are endless (far too many probably!) and I really can't think of any real standout "bad eMTB's" these days... Unsuitable ones for purpose? Yes of course... But "all a bit shit"...? 🤷🏻♂️
I also alternate between my Airdrop, a mullet trail hardtail and a Turbo Levo and love them all in their different ways. I agree that like all things in life, for the moment e-bikes are still a bit of a compromise weightwise but the future is bright.
I definitely don't have the same passion for e-bikes from a looks POV as a steel hardtail but boy are they are they fun 🙂
It’s certainly no contest when it comes to which of my two MTBs I (anyone with eyesight) prefer(s) aesthetically:
But they’re both equally fun in entirely different ways. For me the ebike makes commutes quicker, less tiring, and more fun, acts as a self-uplift vehicle where you’d just be pushing back up on a normal bike, and has the occasional XC outing when the weather is being stupidly windy (as is more and more common nowadays).
If I was as skilled and fit and time-rich as I’d like to be I’d be on the hardtail almost all the time but sadly I have to live in the real world where gears, more suspension and power assistance are rather helpful.
I do love how the Levo handles, especially with the bigger fork and smaller rear wheel.
The Levo’s just had the battery connector cable fail which is the first fault in years. About £100 to replace so it could be worse… Hopefully this isn’t the start of a cascade of age/mileage-related issues!
Basically my previous opinion about the general state of e-bikes hasn't changed. They're all a bit shit.
Elaborate if you would... 5yrs ago I'd have agreed with you for the mostpart
My Eeb is 5yrs old 22kg (ish) and is easily the best thing i`ve ever bought! Its full power (but all levels are set as low as possible) with a dinky in frame battery and a range extender. (2020 focus jam2 plus)
@sharkatack by chance, I got to swing a leg over a Mint Green Turbo Levo SL2 yesterday and from a carpark ride it felt great, 2x power still got me to max speed real easy, but the bike was easy to move around, lift the front and hop. I was in the market for a Levo 4 Comp Alloy next year and this has swung things for me...
stop thinking about it, stop reading too much into it and go pick up that Ohlins SL2 and enjoy it!
Sorry I've been ignoring STW all week!
I did see some e-bikes I like. I like the Focus Sam, I like the Trek Slash, I like the Vala which I haven't seen in the flesh yet.
One of my ideas was to get the lowest spec Druid Core and sacrifice my Airdrop to use all the nice parts which are a direct fit, even the shock and seatpost. But, you can't get the Druid anywhere, I really like my Aidrop, it would be a terrible bike for the wife.
stop thinking about it, stop reading too much into it and go pick up that Ohlins SL2 and enjoy it!
Maybe I've tried to and maybe the LBS has dropped the ball and left me hanging.
If we become a full e-bike family in the future I'll have to give up one of my bikes, probably for the Druid.
One of my ideas was to get the lowest spec Druid Core and sacrifice my Airdrop to use all the nice parts which are a direct fit
If you still ride lift assisted trips you'll regret going down to just an eeb only garage. I use my Kenevo SL for most of my local rides (2-3 hours sessioning trails mostly), but still have my 'enduro' for uplifts and the occasion when I want a change or am riding with non eeb mates. Despite the Kenevo SL being a great machine, I much prefer the analogue bike riding downhill (the weight of the eeb means you need to wrestle it more on the tight stuff and gets more tiring if doing a lot of jumps) and certainly don't want to be lifting the Kenevo on an off a trailer or chairlift all day. I have quite few mates and all of them that have an eeb also have an analogue for similar reasons.
My next eeb will be full fat I think as if my riding group continue to buy them, they'll go this way.
If you're thinking of the druid and swapping parts, consider the LitE with a 210x55mm shock. Turns it into a CorE
If you still ride lift assisted trips you'll regret going down to just an eeb only garage.
I know. I really like the Edit MX so I'm hanging onto it. It's perfect for what I use it for.
If you're thinking of the druid and swapping parts, consider the LitE with a 210x55mm shock. Turns it into a CorE
I'll consider everything when the time comes but I think it's a long way off. I'd like to see a Druid before I commit to buy one but there's not many around yet.
I will add, just to break the suspense, that I committed to buy the Levo SL last Friday and the shop broke it while doing the PDI. It's been a shambles ever since. 6 days later I'm still waiting for the call to collect it.
So much for supporting your LBS. I should have ordered it from Tredz and built it myself.
If you still ride lift assisted trips you'll regret going down to just an eeb only garage. I use my Kenevo SL for most of my local rides (2-3 hours sessioning trails mostly), but still have my 'enduro' for uplifts and the occasion when I want a change or am riding with non eeb mates. Despite the Kenevo SL being a great machine, I much prefer the analogue bike riding downhill (the weight of the eeb means you need to wrestle it more on the tight stuff and gets more tiring if doing a lot of jumps) and certainly don't want to be lifting the Kenevo on an off a trailer or chairlift all day. I have quite few mates and all of them that have an eeb also have an analogue for similar reasons.
You say that & it’s something I had troubled myself with thoughts over for a while, but again I work on the principle of having the bike for the 95% rather than the 5.
Not that I do any UK uplifts any more, as e-bikes kind of make them pointless & redundant. I did some back country lift assisted eebing this summer in Aosta & it opens up so much more territory.
My actual biggest issue has always been flying with them, and really is the reason why I still have a very nice, yet hardly ridden Raaw hanging up in the garage, but it’s a utterly pointless extravagance which probably gets ridden 10 times a year.
In reality I should sell it & buy something TQ powered so I can take the battery out of & build the 18kg AM bike, that probably weighs the same as the Raaw when it’s not got the battery. At least it would get used.
Uplifts are currently a lot more than 5% for me. I have a group of mates who will only ride bikeparks and DH tracks. We've been averaging one weekend a month for over a year so 20 plus days of riding. There are loads of other bikepark, jumpy style venues on my wishlist and we still go to the Alps every summer. Having a DH focused bike without actually riding a DH bike is kind of essential.
The Edit is also perfect for local stuff like Wharny but I mostly ride there alone as all of the grown ups have switched to e-bikes.
The Levo will get the Mrs back out and we can have cheaper/free days out all over the place, no lifts required.
You say that & it’s something I had troubled myself with thoughts over for a while, but again I work on the principle of having the bike for the 95% rather than the 5.
I did swap my Megatower V2 for a V1 and some cash so I didn't feel so bad about the value of the 20% of my riding bike. However what with scratching itches and all that I've swapped the V1 frame out for a Raaw Madonna V2.2 which has reignited my love for analogue mtbs. I'd also forgotten about flying with an eeeb as have been in a van to France the last couple of years, but we'll likely be flying again next year, so that's another tick for the 2 bike approach.
I did consider a DH bike rather than the enduro, but realistically the enduro is so much more versatile.
In reality I should sell it & buy something TQ powered so I can take the battery out of & build the 18kg AM bike, that probably weighs the same as the Raaw when it’s not got the battery. At least it would get used.
if you went for something TQ powered, you can take the main battery out and leave it at home, and take the bike and just the range extender for foreign trips as its small enough (160wh) to be allowed on a plane. You can actually take 2 x 160wh range extenders on a plane if the cost of 2 batteries is acceptable.
This is a long thread and I confess to not having read all of it as they tend to go a bit off track, but as others have suggested, if it's what you want, buy it. That's what I did. They are good bikes, Specialized warranty is legendary. With some lighter wheels etc mine was down to 18.5 kg including pedals. It handles well, used it for a bit of everything, woods, mountains, trails, including a 115 km cross country ride with some fitter non ebike pals (extender battery fitted for that one!). Mines for sale now though as I'm fit enough for the 'analogue' bike again. If you're worried about the cost, buy something like mine, half the price, under warranty, try it, use it, sell it on if you want to change up or try something else . You won't lose a bunch of money doing that and you'll have a bunch of fun doing it. Do it. Enjoy your new/used bike now.
Here it is, the "pig rolled in glitter".
I was finally invited to collect it after the 8th day of waiting for a PDI. I've spent the morning cleaning brake fluid off the fork legs and brake levers, greasy smears from the entire bike, sorted the absolute birds nest of hoses and cables, removed the broken dork disc which was flapping freely behind the cassette amongst other things. Absolutely, the worst build I've ever seen on a new bike.
But anyway it's here now and ready to ride. Unfortunately, there's 50mph winds and torrential rain outside so I might wait until Monday.
The plan was to ride Hamsterley today but the bike is 5 days late so the Mrs went up north without me.
I definitely need to go up to a heavier spring but other than that it feels mint. I'll do a fork service and see if there's a volume spacer in the negative spring. If there is I'll launch it into the bin where it belongs.
It comes up shorter than my other bikes but I deliberately sized down so the wife can ride it. The plan is to have another lighter spring or a basic air shock which we can quickly swap in and maybe a different handlebar. I really like the 800mm width and she probably wants 760 max.
It'll be a faff for a while but I can imagine us ending up with another e-bike by this time next year. Or she'll lose interest and I'll fully adopt this one.
I thought I was bad, but I've never seen someone trying harder to pretend they didn't really want an, ebike but circumstances mean they've been forced into it 🤣
Enjoy, you'll love it. It's OK to admit it! 😉
I fully admit I can't wait to ride it! I'm a bit paranoid about going solo at Wharny or Greno until it's added to the house insurance. I don't have that particular anxiety with my other bikes. Scallys aren't interested in human powered bicycles anymore.
I'm wondering how accurate these online spring calculators are. This has a 502lb spring and it's a bit on the soft side but the calculator is putting me well over 600lb.
Looks great - I’m sure you’ll have tons of fun on it!
Regarding the spring rate, like my Levo it’s not very progressive and has quite a high leverage ratio, so you’ll need quite a firm coil for your weight (and it’s heavier than a normal bike).
First ride today. The overiding feature was the storm and if I didn't have a new bike sitting here I would have stayed home.
I might as well drop some first impressions for the people who have read this far...
It took 50 minutes to go from near Meersbrook Park to Ox Stones above Lady Cannings. It's almost 6 miles, gradually uphill all the way and there was a fierce headwind. The battery plummeted from 100% to about 80% and then slowed down.
When I got there I did 2 laps of Blue Steel. This is where my main concerns were put to rest. On the twisty, bermy stuff the bike felt mint. It's silent, planted and it rips corners. Even though I set the fork up too hard and I'm running 50% sag on the rear it was very promising.
I started the return journey with exactly 50% left and only used 14% to get home.
I don't know how the bike is configured. I've only glanced at the app so have no idea what settings I'm running. The 'power' is erm, understated. The power delivery is very soft, you can barely feel it fading in and out. There's no hard cut when the assistance hits the speed limit which is nice.
The bike doesn't ride itself. I was still pedalling and getting a sweat on. Heart rate was 131 average and 172 max. It definitely doesn't pull you along like a full power bike it's more of a gentle push. Today though, in that wind, I managed to sit and spin when I definitely would have been off and walking on my other bike.
I need some kind of protection for the downtube because every little pedal and grain of sand hitting the carbon sounds like a gun shot.
I can't wait to ride it in less dramatic weather. New spring is on the way so suspension will be sorted this week. Even the Specialized tyres might survive the cut.
The wife, unfortunately, has to work all week. So she won't get her first taste until next weekend at the earliest. I'll just have to bed it in for her.
Glad you like it. We started in 2017 sharing an ebike. Wasn't long before we had more than one 😂
Regarding the tyres I fitted the new 2 4 Butcher Grid Gravities before we started our first trip in May. Just comming to the end of the last trip They have been hammered hard in all types of terrain and conditions. Run them at 16 psi front and rear with no inserts.
Not had a problem with performance and durability. Rear could be ready for replacing before the Peak winter.
Great stuff!
I think the most undervalued ebike thing is to make headwinds much less annoying - I’ve used mine for pure XC rides when it’s been too windy to ride in the woods safely (ash dieback making the trees even more likely to fall on you) and too windy to pedal a bike in the open at more than walking pace.
If the Specialized tyres are the T9 compound on the front and a Grid Trail or Grid Gravity casing on the rear (depending on your gnar factor) they’ll be good.
OP, Great to read you picked up the bike and enjoyed the first ride.
Now for the sales pitch...I have an Ohlins 18074 - 17 which is the 640lbs one if the 605 is too soft, £30 posted.
The 605 is 18075 series and mine is the 18074 which is 5mm longer, I think you're okay going slightly longer on springs, its shorter you have an issue, but do check if interested!