Specialized electric bicycle engineering office in Switzerland appears to be testing a hardtail version of the Turbo Levo electric mountain bike. The new hardtail has not been formally announced, however, its development comes as no surprise, as a hardtail electric mountain bike would fill a gaping hole in Specialized’s electric bike lineup, which is currently composed of primarily road-tuned ebikes (Turbo, Turbo S, and Turbo X) and an extreme off-road ebike (Turbo Levo). The hardtail would likely be more useful to riders that prefer light trail riding, and the hardtail design might shed a pound or two of weight in addition to reducing maintenance requirements and reducing production costs.

The Specialized Turbo Levo Hardtail electric mountain bike seen testing in Tyrol, Austria

From looking at the photo, the Turbo Levo Hardtail appears to use the same downtube-mounted battery and Brose mid-drive motor as the full-suspension Turbo Levo.

The Turbo Levo Hardtail will go on sale as the Turbo Levo HT and starts at $4,000. Variants include a fatbike, the Turbo Levo HT Comp Fat with 4.6″ tires ($5,000), a mid-step model for women (the Women’s Turbo Levo HT Comp 6Fattie), and the standard men’s model, the Turbo Levo HT Comp 6Fattie ($4,000).

The Specialized Turbo Levo HT Comp 6Fattie electric mountain bike

The Specialized Turbo Levo HT Comp Fat electric mountain bike

The Specialized Women’s Turbo Levo HT Comp 6Fattie electric mountain bike