On v In the bike…. how do I get to feel in ??

I was just wondering how you get a bike to feel that you are in it rather than perched on top of it?

Im on my 4th Gen 3 levo now and the previous 3 I felt I was sat in the bike rather than on it.

For some reason this one feels very different, I feel perched on top instead of in.

All bikes have been the same size and Ive fitted 170mm fox 38 to all of them.

Even the lad I ride with has the same size bike and his feels completley different to mine??

Any ideas?

Ever tried a Selle SMP saddle?

Compression tune on the rear shock is my first thought.

Is it too firm basically?

Difficult one given you say you’ve ran the same bikes with the same size previously. I do get what I think is the difference between ‘in’ & ‘on’ when out riding…on my XC bike I prefer ‘on’ so its low stack height and the saddle higher than bar height, plus seated position is a bit more stretched. My trail/enduro bike is ‘in’…higher bars/higher stack, saddle is level/lower than bar height, seated position closer to bars. So, regardless of being the same bike with same size frame, has your new Levo got the same relative bar/saddle position as previous bikes?

Yep its a weird one.

Same rise bars

Same rise stem

Same fork

Same saddle and post

The only thing I can think is maybe too much air in the shock?

The only thing I can think is maybe too much air in the shock?

Yeah, sounds a plan as less air and more sag would lower the rear of the bike so you were sat ‘in’ it more

Do your shock / forks have spacers / tokens in that your previous bikes didn’t??

You’ve had four identical geo-ed bikes and access to a fifth via your mate and only one feels different and wrong – its definitely the suspension settings.

suspension settings arent an exact science, its all oil flowwing through valves and other hidden things like volume spacers, there’s a lot of variation within them. if you decided you needed x psi and y clicks of compression and z clicks of rebound 3 bikes ago, there is no guarantee that the new bike would respond the same with the “same” settings.

Before I opened this thread I knew it was going to be a Specialized.

I’ve had several over the years and they all felt like you were on rather than in them. Very bizarre sensation.

Best advice I can give is sell it and get something else. Zero issues with my Santa Cruz Hightower LT or Nukeproof Mega whereas the Spesh Enduro I had before them felt awful

Best to just get a 5th levo, it’s the only sensible solution.

Was the bottom bracket lower, this can make you feel more in the bike

If the shock is set up correct have you checked that the frame is set up in the same settings

Head tube angle sits at 64.5 degrees but can be made either a full degree slacker or steeper by swapping the headset cups, or can be modified ½ degree by using the geo flip chip in the Horst Link. This smaller adjustment will also adjust bottom bracket height by 7mm

Maybe you just need to ride it to get used to a slightly different position. A steeper seat angle might be pushing you up a bit higher? I’m a firm believer that you get used to a new bike when you have a few miles on it. Perhaps I don’t have the skills to really notice the difference🤔

If your fork is softer and your shock firmer then it’ll feel like this. Or if your flipchip is in high. It’s basically about the BB height being low enough vs the bars (stack height etc).

I used to notice this when changing the geometry on my Banshee – low/slack felt way more on the bike than high/steep.

Aren’t the gen 3 Levo very adjustable in terms of having flip chips and swappable headset cups to change all sorts of angles?

In which case, Check whether yours is set up the same as your mates (and your previous bikes) in all those areas of adjustability.

Thanks for the replies.

I’ve got this one set up the same as the previous 3 : Standard headset cup and high at the back.

I dropped 5 psi out of the rear shock before Saturdays ride and it’s made a subtle difference but still not feeling 100%.

The only other difference is that I am running Hope pedals on this one whereas the others were fitted with crank brothers mallets.

“low/slack felt way more on the bike than high/steep.”

Sorry, contrary typo. Low/slack felt way more IN the bike!

Try the low flip-chip position, you might prefer it. My older Levo only has that adjustment and I’ve always had it in low – and I also run a lot of shock sag, about 35%, to it get it down where it feels best.

All ours are run in the low and slack with 30% sag. It’s not a long job to swap the headset cup out and the ones at the rear you could do trail side to try.

What rear shock have you got and how much sag are you running.