Kenevo Gen1 29er Front and Rear Kenevo

#lazy

E*POWAH BOSS
Oct 1, 2019
1,404
1,529
Surrey
When I mulleted mine I went 170 air shaft which felt great then swapped it back to 180 for FULL 29
 

mustclime

Active member
Apr 19, 2023
421
346
New Jerzy
Hello All, I have just bought a Kenevo for what I would say is a good price. Had a few shots on a Levo first but always felt a bit 'over the bars' on it. Anyway, I am wanting to venture into the 29 wheel size world. I don't have much of a budget at present so am thinking of going with a mullet set-up to start with, the thing is I don't want to slacken the head angle any more than it is stock. Reading through loads of old posts on here, it appears a 160mm 29er fork with a 44 offset might be the way to do this - can anyone offer any advice here? Thanks
Depends on the fork, I wouldn’t use a fox34 or a pike( or any lesser fork). Definitely up the air shaft to 170mm as 160mm will lower your already low bb.
 

uamvar

New Member
Aug 22, 2023
20
2
Scotland
Ok 170mm it is! Thank you for the assistance chaps.

Regardless of the performance, I have to say the Kenevo is also a really good looking bike! The only manufacturer that could currently tempt me away is Nicolai, but I will have to wait for a lottery win to go down that route...
 

mustclime

Active member
Apr 19, 2023
421
346
New Jerzy
Just be warned, with a fox 36 at 170mm and a 29er wheel in the front ,the stand over goes up to 33inchs on a S3( mullet).
 

mellllo

New Member
Dec 22, 2023
1
0
United States
Hey Guys, I'm new to the forum but have been following this thread for the last few months and finally got around to completing the transition to a 29er Kenevo. I sourced a few take-offs from other bikes for the build. I bought a Zeb Select 170mm fork and some Kenevo SL 29er wheels. I did not notice before swapping the wheels but the rear disk is extremely close to the frame - a credit card is just about all that clears. Is this normal? It does not rub the frame.

If this is not normal, any suggestions on how to increase the clearance?

Thanks,
Andy

IMG_6114.PNG
IMG_6115.JPG
 

Mk0

Member
Nov 1, 2020
3
1
Helsinki
Struggling with the same issue and found one wheel+disc that doesn’t work with the frame.

I am using DT Swiss only and it is really close but working with 1501 and 1700 series wheels (240 and 350 hubs) and TRP 220mm disc but the 1850 series wheel (possibly 370 hub) was that didn’t work.

It’s not about the size of rotor in my case when it’s grapping from inner part of the disc.

Went to the local dealer and we tested also other wheels and frames to find out is there something in the frame. Is is like that and the best combo was some random spesh wheel (no dt hub) and SRAM disc.

Will continue with small clearance even it hurts my mind when building bikes for enduro durability…
 

Christurbo

E*POWAH Master
Jul 11, 2023
384
722
North Wales
Struggling with the same issue and found one wheel+disc that doesn’t work with the frame.

I am using DT Swiss only and it is really close but working with 1501 and 1700 series wheels (240 and 350 hubs) and TRP 220mm disc but the 1850 series wheel (possibly 370 hub) was that didn’t work.

It’s not about the size of rotor in my case when it’s grapping from inner part of the disc.

Went to the local dealer and we tested also other wheels and frames to find out is there something in the frame. Is is like that and the best combo was some random spesh wheel (no dt hub) and SRAM disc.

Will continue with small clearance even it hurts my mind when building bikes for enduro durability…
I’m running 220mm rotors with Hope Fortus 30 on Pro5 hubs. I cant say I’ve noticed this issue. S3 frame.
FB47A373-6132-4605-9F1A-07D8FC95C1AA.jpeg
 

uamvar

New Member
Aug 22, 2023
20
2
Scotland
I must have those brakes..... the SRAMS that come on this are awful. I often wonder what they actually put in that huge box at each lever, maybe they are considering using one of them as the venue for the next Superbowl.
 

Christurbo

E*POWAH Master
Jul 11, 2023
384
722
North Wales
I must have those brakes..... the SRAMS that come on this are awful. I often wonder what they actually put in that huge box at each lever, maybe they are considering using one of them as the venue for the next Superbowl.
I have:-

Shimano Saint Levers
MT7 Pro calipers
Galfer Purple pads
MDR-P rotors (this pic is where I have temporarily put HS2 rotors on as I warped the rear MDR-P and it’s near on impossible to true back up as they are 2 piece).
 

Nick

Member
Nov 19, 2018
13
0
Staffordshire
It’s now back to single crown but I chose a light(er)weight setup.

It’s very agile, turn in is savage and it’s rapid! BB is set to high to address geo. Highly recommend.


View attachment 131131
Thanks for the response , I’ve tried a mullet too but wasn’t too happy with the handling tried a few things to get it running good but went full 29 which felt very capable but I only had 36 forks and they felt underrated , it was very fast , but I thought it lost a bit of its sparkle so I Went back to stock which I love but can’t help but think that there is an ultimate setup with the right offset forks as a mullet out there , I do like dual crown forks though !
 

uamvar

New Member
Aug 22, 2023
20
2
Scotland
Thanks for the response , I’ve tried a mullet too but wasn’t too happy with the handling tried a few things to get it running good but went full 29 which felt very capable but I only had 36 forks and they felt underrated , it was very fast , but I thought it lost a bit of its sparkle so I Went back to stock which I love but can’t help but think that there is an ultimate setup with the right offset forks as a mullet out there , I do like dual crown forks though !
...might that be a 170mm fork with 44mm offset perchance? Reason being is that that is what I intend to do if Santa brings me some Christmas waste on bike money.
 

Levo Laland

Well-known member
Nov 27, 2019
273
236
Surrey UK
I’ve just gone MX or MWS, only one ride in, but I might prefer it to the full 29er, which is a genuine surprise to me, managed to keep the geo sensible (BB height and head angle) as I run a Bomber Z1 at 170 up front and using a 2.6 rear tyre, chip in high position.

I can recommend using:

Bike Geometry Calculator - MAD SCIENTIST MTB

to get a good idea of what changes to all the geometry any of these changes will make, I found it to be very accurate.


Every time a read the geometry chart for the latest greatest Enduro e-bikes I compare them to the Kenevo and they are always so close, it was ahead of its time and it works great with all wheel combinations.

If it isn’t obvious the top picture below is the MX and the bottom is full 29er.
IMG_20231224_111729669_Original.jpeg
IMG_20231119_152932696_Original.jpeg
 
Last edited:

Levo Laland

Well-known member
Nov 27, 2019
273
236
Surrey UK
It’s now back to single crown but I chose a light(er)weight setup.

It’s very agile, turn in is savage and it’s rapid! BB is set to high to address geo. Highly recommend.
That front end looks way too high and slack and also the BB is to high, you want a 29er fork with a low axel to crown measurement, there’s a table with fork measurements further back in this thread.
 

mustclime

Active member
Apr 19, 2023
421
346
New Jerzy
How is the lever pull on those, I tried a set and they felt kinda stiff. I also saw the a video by Dale Stone.


What’s your opinion?
 

Kenevo_Cal

New Member
Mar 4, 2024
16
22
Vancouver
How is the lever pull on those, I tried a set and they felt kinda stiff. I also saw the a video by Dale Stone.


What’s your opinion?
it is a little harder at the initial stroke…but not crazy
i’m used to shimano brakes on my other mtb, so i don’t really know what sram lever pull should feel like

but they got big time power 😤
 

mclydeg

Member
Jun 3, 2019
34
16
Phoenix AZ USA
On the Kenevo full 29er build
To test concept has anyone put 29 lowers on the boxxer and just switched the wheels to 29
Seems like a cheap route to see if I woukd like the setup before Fox 38 /x2 etc ???
 

cozzy

E*POWAH Elite
Subscriber
Aug 11, 2019
930
1,037
Hampshire UK
On the Kenevo full 29er build
To test concept has anyone put 29 lowers on the boxxer and just switched the wheels to 29
Seems like a cheap route to see if I woukd like the setup before Fox 38 /x2 etc ???
Yes works fine if you can find a set. I had to import them.
 

2wheelsahead

Member
Feb 22, 2023
33
12
Wrexham
IMG_7916.jpeg

This is my offering so far..after going from a gen1 kenevo it’s very different. I might try a 29 rear wheel as it feels a bit wild like this. Anyone else tried ZEBs in their quest for the MX set up?
 

cozzy

E*POWAH Elite
Subscriber
Aug 11, 2019
930
1,037
Hampshire UK
Thanks for the reply!
Did you find the build a great improvement as mentioned by Rob??
Was the low speed tighter handling changed alot ???
I've covered it on these forums if you have a dig around. I only went 29 front.
Summary better at high speed chunk with 29 front, worse low speed stability.
The boxxer with the 2.1 damper is better than the base level charger, but a fox40 is a much better fork than the upgraded boxxer I found.
 

CHACO83

Active member
Apr 13, 2022
3
11
France
hello, after 2 years of good and loyal service, I finally upgraded my Kenevo to a full 29. A zeb 180 mm and 1 bos syors to glue all that to the ground. the bike rolls everything up, zero regrets... if perhaps not having done it sooner 😁
1000013726.jpg
 

mustclime

Active member
Apr 19, 2023
421
346
New Jerzy
I still say the Kenevo works better as a 27.5 plus bike. Get some 40mm iw wheels and some 2.8 tires. All that skipping through rock fields on 2.3-2.5 tires aired up to 25psi or more goes away. 2.8 tire aired down to sub 20 psi allows the rubber to conform to the rocks much better. The new e tires with strong sidewalks don’t have tread squirm. No argument, the 29er’s roll faster but the 27.5s roll better imo.

IMG_2728.jpeg IMG_2727.jpeg
 

OrangePower

Member
Jul 12, 2022
16
1
Slovenia
Hi, I need information about converting kenevo to full 29er.
What do I need to replace oem boxxer fork for zeb 180mm fork (bearing...)?
My next tires will be conti cryptotal/argotal.
What tire width should I get for rear side?
 

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