2020 Specialized levo/kenevo rumors?

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Kim

Member
Apr 27, 2019
27
12
Norway
2020 Turbo Levo FSR use same frame as MY19, but have some changes in spec. #Lyrik select #Delux select (and+), #Rockshox 35 #TranzX
 

Zimmerframe

MUPPET
Subscriber
Jun 12, 2019
14,057
20,857
Brittany, France
They’re just prototype frames of the 2019.
Spoil sport. :)

While I wouldn’t ask you to break any confidentiality if you were in the market for a new kenevo would you wait for the new one to come out?

Presumably your question would be based on specification ? So the new one, when it does come out will probably sadly ditch the x-wing frame (making the 2018/2019 bikes future classics which will be worth $1.2 million in two years time), but be maybe 2kg's lighter, maybe have bigger brakes on the front, probably have the option of dual crown forks on one of the models. Probably the 2.1 motor and most likely the 700wh battery, and either come in some 2020 sultry colours or a crazy red. A reasonable possibility of 29 wheels, or at least 29 front. A different dropper and slight geometry changes. I don't know any of this, but it would make sense as the next step.

When you're deciding you have to weigh up if you want that for £6k - £8k (again a guess) or if you're happy with the existing spec for less money which you could also do some upgrades too - like dual crown. I ordered a grey/blue/red Expert (whatever colour it is) one last week for £3800 and someone yesterday on the Kenevo thread ordered a Black uk Expert for about £4500.

There's also the question of patience .. I have none and want it NOW .. the new one we don't know if it will be September, October, November, December. Though it can't be far off if they're discounting the 2019 bikes.

Whatever you decide, it will be a beast of a bike and you'll love it ! :)
 

rsilvers129

New Member
Aug 11, 2019
5
9
MA
Today I tested a Giant Trance 1. It was really good looking. The Yamaha motor felt fine as far as pedal feel and was natural enough, but it was too noisy for stealth. Also the battery tube was significantly thicker than the Specialized, and also can't do a 700 Wh battery. The MSRP was about $5800 and had GX 12 and Fox forks and was much nicer than a Levo base and even Comp. But, it was heavier (not much by lifting feel) and even though some random YouTube channel rated it the "best downhill ebike," it felt less slack and more forward than the Levo.

Also tried Haibike - the new one with the integrated battery. The Bosche motor was quieter than the Giant, but louder than the Brose. Feel was fine also!

I was trying to get a used or demo 2019 Levo base model. I only found a new one, but decided against the yellow and the build. It overall felt too compromised compared to the other bikes as per parts. The 2019 Comp I rode, in gray, while still not awesome parts, looked acceptable - but for how much more money it was, I didn't want to spend the difference unless I got the 2020 with the 700Wh battery. But, it is harder to get a deal on a 2020 of course. So, I bit the bullet and ordered a 2020 Comp in gray. While it was a lot of money, I felt like I would cry once. My other MTB is a 2013 Giant.
 

atcspaul

Well-known member
Dec 28, 2018
194
216
Portage, Michigan
Today I tested a Giant Trance 1. It was really good looking. The Yamaha motor felt fine as far as pedal feel and was natural enough, but it was too noisy for stealth. Also the battery tube was significantly thicker than the Specialized, and also can't do a 700 Wh battery. The MSRP was about $5800 and had GX 12 and Fox forks and was much nicer than a Levo base and even Comp. But, it was heavier (not much by lifting feel) and even though some random YouTube channel rated it the "best downhill ebike," it felt less slack and more forward than the Levo.

Also tried Haibike - the new one with the integrated battery. The Bosche motor was quieter than the Giant, but louder than the Brose. Feel was fine also!

I was trying to get a used or demo 2019 Levo base model. I only found a new one, but decided against the yellow and the build. It overall felt too compromised compared to the other bikes as per parts. The 2019 Comp I rode, in gray, while still not awesome parts, looked acceptable - but for how much more money it was, I didn't want to spend the difference unless I got the 2020 with the 700Wh battery. But, it is harder to get a deal on a 2020 of course. So, I bit the bullet and ordered a 2020 Comp in gray. While it was a lot of money, I felt like I would cry once. My other MTB is a 2013 Giant.
You will not regret your decision.
 

Enon

Member
Aug 4, 2019
19
35
Uk
Yep :) rode with them both last Sunday and had an interesting chat ??

@Rob Hancill Did you talk about high power assistance vs low power assistance? I have a feeling Specialized are currently at a cross roads with their E-MTB development. Do they go for a low power, low weight and high range model like the Creo they‘ve just released? Or do they go with a high power, lower range and heavier weight, similar to the Haibike Flyon?

When Marco was talking to Steve in the GMBN video, he mentioned 15/16kg being the best weight for handling and that E-MTBs could be in this range within five years. The motor and battery in the Creo adds around 4kg in weight and considering a good trail bike weighs 13kg, we could be near that 16kg mark sooner then you think! Another interesting topic Marcus touched on was the data from the mission control app. He suggested riders don’t use anywhere near a full battery on a ride due to battery anxiety, which would suggest they are looking into bigger ranges. I’d love to see all of the data gathered from the mission control app as it would be a pretty powerful insight to our riding habits. My guess is that UK riders go for shorter blasts in higher power modes.

Lastly when they were talking about E-bike specific geometry, Marco said he had ridden a bike with 420mm chainstays that was super fun. Pure conjecture here but if that was an E-bike, then it’s got to be Specialized’s own motor or a repackaged Brose at the very least. Short chainstays and fun screams Kenevo to me!
 

Mondfuchs

Active member
Jun 24, 2019
53
109
Switzerland
Indeed Marco had touched several thinks and we could interpret between the lines :sneaky:.

In one way I've understood, that I will have as a customer from Specialized a bike for my individual ride and terrain. That means to me, I need to buy 2-3 eMTBs from them;
- a heavy duty machine for bike park/downhill such as the new upcoming Kenevo 2020 :p
- a light version, long range Levo for cross-country and bunny-hop/trial/trail funstuff (2021...) :cool:probably with Mahle Engine / Range Extender batterie as Creo
- and keep the old silent Levo :ROFLMAO: as no of the future ones will be so quite anymore as T/S-Drive :cry:
Let's see what happen in Croatia/September
 

coggbike

Active member
Jul 24, 2019
59
128
California
I used one for a 5 hour drive on my kenevo but I did add a strap to take the weight of the bike just in case. No problems otherwise.

Thanks @Christian! Do you have the Thule that I pictured, or a Yakima? No concern with pulling 50 lbs on the dropper post? Or did you have it somehow configured not to be hanging from under the seat?
 

33red

New Member
Jun 12, 2019
447
137
Quebec, Canada
Indeed Marco had touched several thinks and we could interpret between the lines :sneaky:.

In one way I've understood, that I will have as a customer from Specialized a bike for my individual ride and terrain. That means to me, I need to buy 2-3 eMTBs from them;
- a heavy duty machine for bike park/downhill such as the new upcoming Kenevo 2020 :p
- a light version, long range Levo for cross-country and bunny-hop/trial/trail funstuff (2021...) :cool:probably with Mahle Engine / Range Extender batterie as Creo
- and keep the old silent Levo :ROFLMAO: as no of the future ones will be so quite anymore as T/S-Drive :cry:
Let's see what happen in Croatia/September
You should have mentioned selling your 2 houses and your dog
 
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coggbike

Active member
Jul 24, 2019
59
128
California
Hi Coggbike,

Noticed you're also in California

Northern Calif, San Francisco East Bay

Cool. My LBS can order for you. My friend and I both ordered a 2020 Turbo Levo Expert last Saturday. They’re in Cupertino, so a little bit of a drive depending on how north in East Bay you are. But they’re a really good shop. For example, they do tubeless set up by default, and they don’t just take the bike out of a box from the factory and put on the handlebars and saddle, they do a complete rebuild. Owner operated shop, but not a hole in the wall. It's a reasonably large, robust shop. They carry Specialized, Ibis, Yeti, and Transition. And the owner was instrumental in getting Santa Clara County to allow ebikes in all Santa Clara County Parks!!

I now see from your first post that you're near Mt Diablo. So definitely a bit of a drive. But if your local LBS can't order, I think you should give my LBS a call. The longer you wait to order, the longer the line for delivery gets. I just talked to them, and they can take an order and credit card over the phone. But you would still need to come down to pick the bike up when it's ready.

Let me know if you want more details, and perhaps I could even connect with you at the shop if you decide to come down.

Cheers
 

johnwski

Member
Aug 11, 2019
19
21
Calif
Ah Cupertino, you're close by. My wife and I moved from Cupertino to Danville 30+ years ago and we're down there often visiting friends.

Sounds like you've got a good, well connected LBS and tubeless setup!! I'm working with two major LBS chains here and both have problems trying to order the 2020 Levos, go figure?????

Agree, the longer I wait the longer the delivery line gets :)

Okay, Cupertino's only a short drive (Non Commute hours) so your LBS might be in for another sale. Yesterday my local LBS said they would contact Spec about ordering a 2020, I'll give them a day or two to get back to me. If not I'll pm you and purchase through your Cupertino store.

Thanks, appreciate the help and quick response
 

rsilvers

Well-known member
Dec 2, 2018
283
244
US
It is hard to make sense of the build sheets since the info is all spread out. I was concerned about the forks as NX vs GX is no big deal.

2019 Levo base has RockShox Sektor RL DebonAir Boost 29" with 32mm stanchions. About a $430 Fork.

2019 Comp has RockShox Revelation Charger RC, 29" Boost™. This is a $600 Fork with 35m stanchions.

2020 base ????

2020 Comp is Rockshox Lyrik Select Charger RC Fork 29" , a $700 Fork with 35mm stanchions.

I didn't expect the Comps to go right up to 35mm diameters.
 

rsilvers

Well-known member
Dec 2, 2018
283
244
US
This may have been covered, but why does the 2020 Comp have a 2.3 tire in the back rather than 2.6?

The 2019 had Butcher, GRID casing, GRIPTON® compound, 2Bliss Ready, 29x2.6" front and back. The 2020 went to a 2.3" Eliminator in the back for some reason.
 

jemen

E*POWAH Master
Jun 1, 2018
317
379
Austria
This may have been covered, but why does the 2020 Comp have a 2.3 tire in the back rather than 2.6?

The 2019 had Butcher, GRID casing, GRIPTON® compound, 2Bliss Ready, 29x2.6" front and back. The 2020 went to a 2.3" Eliminator in the back for some reason.
Two reasons: More space for better self cleaning while riding between tire and motor housing (frame) and for energy saving (as we heard in the latest EMBN video tires do effect up to 20%)
 

Kim

Member
Apr 27, 2019
27
12
Norway
It is hard to make sense of the build sheets since the info is all spread out. I was concerned about the forks as NX vs GX is no big deal.

2019 Levo base has RockShox Sektor RL DebonAir Boost 29" with 32mm stanchions. About a $430 Fork.

2019 Comp has RockShox Revelation Charger RC, 29" Boost™. This is a $600 Fork with 35m stanchions.

2020 base ????

2020 Comp is Rockshox Lyrik Select Charger RC Fork 29" , a $700 Fork with 35mm stanchions.

I didn't expect the Comps to go right up to 35mm diameters.

2020 base Levo FSR has RockShox 35 29, DebonAir spring, Motion Control fork.
 

Brooky

Member
Jul 29, 2018
11
6
UK
2020?

E58F6F6A-1C96-41C4-9681-F7026DC12555.jpeg
 

George76

New Member
Jun 13, 2019
7
1
Belfast
Was gonna wait for the 2020 comp but the 2019 is now down to £6150. Surely worth the buy for an extra £500 over the 2020 comp
 
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