Article 2020 SPECIALIZED KENEVO

[Al Boneta]

Going to have to swing a leg over one of the comps, tempted to build up the dove grey one with 700wh battery, Red lyric Ultimates, and a Super Deluxe Ultimate with the red spring for pimping points.

As much as I love a DH fork, I think overkill and probably a pita for my local trails.

Actually thinking of doing something similar. I have two spare 700wh batteries already and I have a new Manitou Mezzer that I haven’t put on anything yet. On the back I might order a Cane Creek DB coil. My current Kenevo is black and I don’t really want the dual crown fork, so the expert is out for me. We won’t see the bike in our shop till November, so I have some time to plan this out.

 

[Topov]

Finally got back from Holiday at 02:30am and what was the first thing I did this morning? Picked this up of course

will have a direct comparison with my 2018 Kenevo soon

 

[Peko]

Like your pedals.
What size is it?

 

[Topov]

Like your pedals.
What size is it?

They are limited edition Berkshire Bike specials, might even be worth a few quid in years to come. I will put on my own soon its a S3 or old school medium

 

[Peko]

Coming back from holiday and picking up a new Kenevo. Awesome!
How tall are you?

 

[Gary]

I think that most DH rims are narrower? And a narrower rime must create a more rounded tread profile leading to better side knob grip? Not too sure of all the facts behind rim width, many folks are going 35mm - 40mm. I've been happy with the DT Swiss at 30mm on the Levo and am surely not skilled enough to notice a difference between the 2mm difference between the 30mm Levo and 28mm Kenevo wheels!

Just noticed this post Rob.
As I said earlier. I haven't looked too closely at the kenevo and had no idea of rim/tyre spec until reading the above.
Yes. most DH racers use 25-30mm internal width rims (and 2.5" tyres) It doesn't really create a "rounded" profile as such. it does however generally give the tread on most 2.5" DH tyres a good supportive edge though. DH tyre casings are stiffer so remain supportive without requiring added rim width.
It's generally not fast agressive highly skilled gravity riders who are running around heralding the added grip plus tyres and wide rims allow. it's generally plodders.
Looks like Spesh have got it spot on with their choice of rim width for this bike. And Yes. it'll almost definitely add to the bikes agility/playfulness over wider rims and plus tyre junk.

 

[Topov]

Coming back from holiday and picking up a new Kenevo. Awesome!
How tall are you?

5'8" and its a good fit, have a 2018 kenevo and had to have a longer stem fitted to make good

 

[#lazy]

Actually thinking of doing something similar. I have two spare 700wh batteries already and I have a new Manitou Mezzer that I haven’t put on anything yet. On the back I might order a Cane Creek DB coil. My current Kenevo is black and I don’t really want the dual crown fork, so the expert is out for me. We won’t see the bike in our shop till November, so I have some time to plan this out.

I would leave the Marzocchi shock on and change to a lyric however would be interested in your setup ! Don’t the cane creek shocks have way too many dials ?

 

[DaveyPetey]

Anyone else look at the Norco Range and think the numbers just look a all around better? Shorter chain stays, you can achieve the same reaches/wheel bases outside of the s5, and much better stand-over height. Not to mention the price point is much better with better components. Yeah the BB is a 1cm higher and the travel is a cm less, and you don't get the triple clamp, but 12 speed gx, better brakes, and better wheels/tires are nothing to scoff at. Am I out on a limb on this? It seems like the Norco should be getting much more hype than it is, no? Am I missing something?

 

[R120]

Anyone else look at the Norco Range and think the numbers just look a all around better? Shorter chain stays, you can achieve the same reaches/wheel bases outside of the s5, and much better stand-over height. Not to mention the price point is much better with better components. Yeah the BB is a 1cm higher and the travel is a cm less, and you don't get the triple clamp, but 12 speed gx, better brakes, and better wheels/tires are nothing to scoff at. Am I out on a limb on this? It seems like the Norco should be getting much more hype than it is, no? Am I missing something?

No your not missing anything, this area of the market is now got some heavy hitting bikes in it, the Kenevo is by no means then be all and end all of a gravity focused EMTB.

 

[Eduardoramundo]

I rode 3 different levo’s (Fork lengths/ mullet) and two sizes of 2020 Kenevo Expert today at the Forest of Dean, UK (Mud/slop).

I was totally shocked as I thought I would hate a 29’er and was set on a Kenevo.

The Levo was everyone’s favourite by far. It was Lighter, more nimble and fun. Plenty of travel. The Kenevo was good but just felt heavy, burly and dulled in comparison. A great capable bike but too much bike unless you are riding full on DH tracks in the Alps.

I will now be getting the Levo comp with Lyrik and changing the air spring to get 160mm.

 

[Zimmerframe]

I rode 3 different levo’s (Fork lengths/ mullet) and two sizes of 2020 Kenevo Expert today at the Forest of Dean, UK (Mud/slop).

I was totally shocked as I thought I would hate a 29’er and was set on a Kenevo.

The Levo was everyone’s favourite by far. It was Lighter, more nimble and fun. Plenty of travel. The Kenevo was good but just felt heavy, burly and dulled in comparison. A great capable bike but too much bike unless you are riding full on DH tracks in the Alps.

I will now be getting the Levo comp with Lyrik and changing the air spring to get 160mm.

Glad you're finally there !! You deserve a free bike for your patience !!!

 

[Dax]

Anyone else look at the Norco Range and think the numbers just look a all around better? Shorter chain stays, you can achieve the same reaches/wheel bases outside of the s5, and much better stand-over height. Not to mention the price point is much better with better components. Yeah the BB is a 1cm higher and the travel is a cm less, and you don't get the triple clamp, but 12 speed gx, better brakes, and better wheels/tires are nothing to scoff at. Am I out on a limb on this? It seems like the Norco should be getting much more hype than it is, no? Am I missing something?

Is the norco available in the UK?

 

[Zimmerframe]

Is the norco available in the UK?

I don't think the "desirable" ones are ... they were available in all sorts of bizarre places .. but not the uk ..

 

[DaveyPetey]

I returned my 19 Kenevo and have a Norco on order now, but I'm in Utah.

 

[Al Boneta]

I would leave the Marzocchi shock on and change to a lyric however would be interested in your setup ! Don’t the cane creek shocks have way too many dials ?

Well that’s you would do and I am sure it suits you just fine. We all like different things

I am the Technical Director at my shop and I have access to whatever suspension I choose. I have been running the Mezzer for quite awhile on the current Kenevo and it’s the best single crown fork I have tried.

Nothing comes close, especially the Lyrik fork it came with.

The Cane Creek is a Twin Tube Shock with a 9.5mm Shock shaft. Because of the clevis Yoke design on the Specialized FSR system, the shock is subjected to lateral forces not found on other suspension designs. Since Öhlins, Fox and RockShox use 8mm shafts on their shocks, the 9.5mm Cane Creek Shock shaft well give me extra piece of mind when I inevitably end up hucking to flat.
Yes there’s a bunch of knobs on there, luckily I know what all of them do. Plus Cane Creek are made here in the US so I can order a custom spec Shock.
This winter I will building a dedicated suspension lab in our shop with an automated shock dyno so I’ll be able to measure changes accurately and show my clients graphs of suspension curves.
Thanks for all of your advice

 

[#lazy]

Fair play , your on it Al

 

[brash]

The Cane Creek is a Twin Tube Shock with a 9.5mm Shock shaft. Because of the clevis Yoke design on the Specialized FSR system, the shock is subjected to lateral forces not found on other suspension designs. Since Öhlins, Fox and RockShox use 8mm shafts on their shocks, the 9.5mm Cane Creek Shock shaft well give me extra piece of mind when I inevitably end up hucking to flat.

This bought a smile to my face. I've been a user of CC products for a long time, I was one of the first to put a DB IL Coil on a new gen stumpy, then stumpy evo, I snapped a bunch of them in short. In collaboration with CC I was one of the guinea pig/testers for the new shaft and eyelet design. As of June this year, the IL coil is "stumpy/levo compatible" It was a cool thing to be a part of considering I'm all the way over in Australia, but I think in the end the result is worth it. The side loading issues should be a thing of the past.

There is a DB Air CS Upgrade coming too, think X2 killer

 

[CjP]

Since Öhlins, Fox and RockShox use 8mm shaft

Incorrect, Öhlins use a 10mm

 

[Al Boneta]

Incorrect, Öhlins use a 10mm

View attachment 19701

I stand corrected
But as far as that shock goes,

I finally found a use for it

 

[CjP]

I stand corrected
But as far as that shock goes,
View attachment 19711
I finally found a use for it

Hahah I’m guessing you don’t like Ohlins. Can I ask why?
I personally am not great at telling the difference between all the brands but I have ridden Fox, RockShox and obviously Ohlins and I find them all great to ride.

You are obviously a cane creek fanboi and I know you Americans are all about American made but it helps to give genuine reasons as to why you think they are so great.

For what’s its worth I have a cane creek coil cause it’s black so I’m not dissing the brand it’s just that you have some wild claims there, I and I’d guess many others would like to know more.

 

[Al Boneta]

Hahah I’m guessing you don’t like Ohlins. Can I ask why?
I personally am not great at telling the difference between all the brands but I have ridden Fox, RockShox and obviously Ohlins and I find them all great to ride.

You are obviously a cane creek fanboi and I know you Americans are all about American made but it helps to give genuine reasons as to why you think they are so great.

For what’s its worth I have a cane creek coil cause it’s black so I’m not dissing the brand it’s just that you have some wild claims there, I and I’d guess many others would like to know more.

Obviously you like to make assumptions.
I am no Cane Creek fanboi... fanboy?
I would be a fanman? I am 44 FFS
I think the Cane Creek In-line was a piece of shit and I don’t find their fork too impressive either.
Why don’t I like Öhlins? I do like Öhlins. Almost every motorcycle I have owned for the past 30 years has had some Öhlins product on it.
But when it comes to products made for bicycles I have had nothing but problems with their products. Which almost lead me to believe that Öhlins bicycle products were a licensing agreement between Öhlins Sweden and some Taiwanese suspension manufacturing company.
I am a top 50 Specialized dealer so I dealt with my fair share of Öhlins warranty claims.
The quality was really inconsistent on the first Specialized Bikes with Öhlins. Everything from leaks, blown shocks to catastrophic failures.
Then there was the inconsistency in tuning the shocks. Two identical shocks on two identical bikes with identical air pressure and set up would yield completely different suspension tunes and feels. Knobs that never seemed to do anything and knobs that would set the suspension up one way to feel completely different 10 minutes later. I was glad when Specialized got rid of most of the Öhlins spec in their bikes.
If you’re not that great at telling the difference, consider yourself blessed because you’re going to save a lot of money not shelling out for Kashima coated marketing terms.
As for the condescending “You Americans” remark, well I could give a fuck where anything is made, just so long as it’s made well. My comment was that because the Cane Creek is made in America and not Asia, I can order a custom shock from them directly. Can I order a custom Rock Shox or a Fox from their Asian factory? No
As for the genuine reasons as to why I am going to go with a Cane Creek DB Coil,
I have run the this shock on my S-Works Demo. After I got the setup dialed in I never had to touch it again. It worked flawlessly for 3 seasons of DH racing. It was hands down the best performing shock I had ever raced. It’s just too bad no one at the time made a proper fork to match its performance.
But don’t take it from me, hear it from a suspension god, David Freeman

Also David Freeman built one of the coolest Kenevos ever

And I hate gold forks

 

[CjP]

Obviously you like to make assumptions.
I am no Cane Creek fanboi... fanboy?
I would be a fanman? I am 44 FFS
I think the Cane Creek In-line was a piece of shit and I don’t find their fork too impressive either.
Why don’t I like Öhlins? I do like Öhlins. Almost every motorcycle I have owned for the past 30 years has had some Öhlins product on it.
But when it comes to products made for bicycles I have had nothing but problems with their products. Which almost lead me to believe that Öhlins bicycle products were a licensing agreement between Öhlins Sweden and some Taiwanese suspension manufacturing company.
I am a top 50 Specialized dealer so I dealt with my fair share of Öhlins warranty claims.
The quality was really inconsistent on the first Specialized Bikes with Öhlins. Everything from leaks, blown shocks to catastrophic failures.
Then there was the inconsistency in tuning the shocks. Two identical shocks on two identical bikes with identical air pressure and set up would yield completely different suspension tunes and feels. Knobs that never seemed to do anything and knobs that would set the suspension up one way to feel completely different 10 minutes later. I was glad when Specialized got rid of most of the Öhlins spec in their bikes.
If you’re not that great at telling the difference, consider yourself blessed because you’re going to save a lot of money not shelling out for Kashima coated marketing terms.
As for the condescending “You Americans” remark, well I could give a fuck where anything is made, just so long as it’s made well. My comment was that because the Cane Creek is made in America and not Asia, I can order a custom shock from them directly. Can I order a custom Rock Shox or a Fox from their Asian factory? No
As for the genuine reasons as to why I am going to go with a Cane Creek DB Coil,
I have run the this shock on my S-Works Demo. After I got the setup dialed in I never had to touch it again. It worked flawlessly for 3 seasons of DH racing. It was hands down the best performing shock I had ever raced. It’s just too bad no one at the time made a proper fork to match its performance.
But don’t take it from me, hear it from a suspension god, David Freeman

Also David Freeman built one of the coolest Kenevos ever
View attachment 19712
And I hate gold forks

I knew I should have put a smiley face at the end of my post.
I am seldomly serious so I’m sorry if you took what I wrote as an attack or condescending. Just some light hearted banter.
I also agree with you regarding Ohlins quality control.
I had my first shock rebuilt by the Oz Ohlins gurus and noticed a difference straight away. Obviously they are put together poorly.
I was merely asking your reasons for such hate as you put up a photo of one in the bin.
I do like that Kenevo though, even with its golden forks.

Thank you for your spirited yet informative post.

?

 

[Dax]

Wasn't the CCDB built in partnership with Ohlins?

The ohlins on my mk1 kenevo is excellent, it's worked perfectly for a year, imho it is one of the things that makes the bike so fun to ride. On the other hand, the ccdba on my tracer is excellent, it transformed the bike when I fitted it. Pick a colour you like, as long as it's gold.

 

[brash]

The problem with us Aussie’s and ohlins is that NSD is the only place that can service them. Their turn around and service is fantastic however.

They did a great job on the tune on my s-works demo. Couldn’t be happier.

Suspension is such a personal thing however. Take 2 guys the same weight and speed on the same bike and besides spring rate been probably close, the remainder of the settings can vary wildly. As long as you feel comfy and at one with the bike then you’ve done well.

 

[Al Boneta]

Wasn't the CCDB built in partnership with Ohlins?

The ohlins on my mk1 kenevo is excellent, it's worked perfectly for a year, imho it is one of the things that makes the bike so fun to ride. On the other hand, the ccdba on my tracer is excellent, it transformed the bike when I fitted it. Pick a colour you like, as long as it's gold.

Yes before Öhlins entered the bicycle market the Twin Tube design was licensed to Cane Creek. Fit and finish of Cane Creek is superior to Öhlins. Then there’s the performance

 

[R120]

can someone with a comp weigh it please?

 

[#lazy]

Not sure but it’s definitely lighter than the 2019

 

[Zimmerframe]

can someone with a comp weigh it please?

23.63kg

 

[R120]

23.63kg

2020 ?