Kenevo Gen1 29er Front and Rear Kenevo

[MrSimmo]

Just seen this thread and watched Robs video. Thinking of swapping out my Levo frame for Kenevo, buying Fox38 and X2/180mm and using all my other parts.

Couple of questions if anyone knows the answer!

1. I run 160mm Fox36 / 158mm FoxX2 on my Levo; will the Fox38 180mm / X2 180mm set up of the Kenevo be better in pretty much all scenarios except for XC?!

2. Rob or anyone that might know, is Rob running a custom tune on his fork and shock?


Cheers!

 

[#lazy]

Just seen this thread and watched Robs video. Thinking of swapping out my Levo frame for Kenevo, buying Fox38 and X2/180mm and using all my other parts.

Couple of questions if anyone knows the answer!

1. I run 160mm Fox36 / 158mm FoxX2 on my Levo; will the Fox38 180mm / X2 180mm set up of the Kenevo be better in pretty much all scenarios except for XC?!

2. Rob or anyone that might know, is Rob running a custom tune on his fork and shock?


Cheers!

Don’t know about his tune but I can climb as good as anyone on my old kenevo mullet so should be better in full 29er . I’ll find out tomo

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

2. Rob or anyone that might know, is Rob running a custom tune on his fork and shock?

The shock was made for the Full Fat Kenevo by Silverfish UK - Not sure exactly the specifics of the tune though.

Fork is the Factory 38 eTuned 180mm (I bought the 170mm eTuned and got Silverfish to swap to a 180mm air shaft)

 

[MrSimmo]

The shock was made for the Full Fat Kenevo by Silverfish UK - Not sure exactly the specifics of the tune though.

Fork is the Factory 38 eTuned 180mm (I bought the 170mm eTuned and got Silverfish to swap to a 180mm air shaft)

Nice one cheers, will give them a buzz Monday

 

[Dirtnvert]

Sounds like it stacks up well against the voima. Its not a huge segment , or as huge as i think it should be. Id like to see a kenevo 29, voima, crestline, whyte e180 shootout

 

[#lazy]

Rob ………when you say warranty voided , you mean the frame not the motor ?

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Rob ………when you say warranty voided , you mean the frame not the motor ?

Yes. Although, I always say this ‘may void your warranty’ in videos, more of a heads up / safety thing, to make sure folks understand that any large changes in bike setup can often void warranty.

 

[1ma2t]

Just saw Rob's video! I have a comp with Marz Z1. Has anyone tried to fit a 29er wheel in the 27.5 Z1 fork? I know it's going to void warranty, but this entire thread is doing that. Would love to just be able to buy wheels and tires to change my bike.

 

[#lazy]

Yes. Although, I always say this ‘may void your warranty’ in videos, more of a heads up / safety thing, to make sure folks understand that any large changes in bike setup can often void warranty.

I thought so but will a bigger rear wheel change the speed assist cut off point ?

 

[#lazy]

Just saw Rob's video! I have a comp with Marz Z1. Has anyone tried to fit a 29er wheel in the 27.5 Z1 fork? I know it's going to void warranty, but this entire thread is doing that. Would love to just be able to buy wheels and tires to change my bike.

I’m not sure with the mrzers , I’d imagine they’d fit ok but you’d have to let the air out and fully compress to see if the crown will hit the tyre .
I wouldn’t worry about the warranty , the frame won’t break with 29 wheel !

 

[#lazy]

Loved the 29er today , it eats up fast chunky runs and climbs better than any bike I’ve ridden . Like the taller longer feel to , can’t wait to get out again . Big improvement over the standard 27.5 bike !

 

[Cseven]

S4 Frame and 700Wh. I’ve ordered an offset bushing so will fit asap

Hey rob, can you send me the link to the offset bushing you ordered?

 

[Jason M.]

if anyone is interested in a fox 38 have one for sale. Its converted to a Vorsprung coil with 40 weight coil. ( taken off my kenevo )

 

[JMP85]

if anyone is interested in a fox 38 have one for sale. Its converted to a Vorsprung coil with 40 weight coil. ( taken off my kenevo )

I could be interested. I have a Zeb ultimate 29er just now but fancy the fox

 

[sp00n]

Just saw Rob's video! I have a comp with Marz Z1. Has anyone tried to fit a 29er wheel in the 27.5 Z1 fork? I know it's going to void warranty, but this entire thread is doing that. Would love to just be able to buy wheels and tires to change my bike.

Yeah I have a couple of pages back, I don't really recommend it.

Kenevo - 29er Front and Rear Kenevo

You can look online for various offset bushing Solutions. the amount of difference comes from size of mounting bolt. You’ll need to give details of the shock, I.e bolt diameter (M8/6) outside diameter of the bushing and length of the bushing. Try offsetbushings.com Hope this helps

www.emtbforums.com

 

[Gallijam]

Great video was thinking about doing this for a while have been on a mullet on my expert and love it just set it up full 29 er now see how it goes also think the zeb is much better then 38 s plush

 

[Ervas]

Just finished the build and tried it today. It has been raining a lot this past weeks in Portugal, and the trails are muddy and tricky. Couldn’t have a better bike for those conditions, really happy with it. Two things that still couldn’t make a proper opinion of - went for the air shock, and I’ve been riding coil for the last 3 years, which felt a bit strange, and went for same 50mm stem as the original. Also felt strange. Probably try a little shorter

Thanks again for all the inputs.
Joao Jervell

 

[dixie]

Yes, what would you like to know?

Hi i bought a kenevo with 170 fox 36 up front
180 dpx rear
Ive set.it up 20er using new fork lowers etc. Still at.170. Travel
Should i leave it? Or up the air spring to 180

 

[CjP]

Hi i bought a kenevo with 170 fox 36 up front
180 dpx rear
Ive set.it up 20er using new fork lowers etc. Still at.170. Travel
Should i leave it? Or up the air spring to 180

Well it really depends on the type of riding you do. For basic xc/enduro I would stick to what you have. If your hitting a bit more chunk/Gravity then I would upgrade to the 180 spring.
I ran my 29er Kenevo at 200 front and rear but I ran dual crowns so the axle to crown was the same as a 180 single crown. Still at that setting the HA was quite slack at 61/62 degree. Great for gravity but a bit floppy at low speed XC trails. Not a deal breaker but yeah depends on what you like.
I love gravity so I am happy to have a bike set to go down fast over anything and then have fun trying to manoeuvre tight trails.

 

[dixie]

Just got it in my head. That 170 front 180 rear is gonna frag my OCD
But it was a 27.5 when i bought it...but was able to.29er it. Any tips on sag setting front n rear if im gonna keep it 170....to keep it balanced

 

[CjP]

Just got it in my head. That 170 front 180 rear is gonna frag my OCD
But it was a 27.5 when i bought it...but was able to.29er it. Any tips on sag setting front n rear if im gonna keep it 170....to keep it balanced

I get the OCD thing. I can barely ride with any of my mates with messy cables.

Suspension wise you will just have to play around with settings that will suit you. My brother runs EXT 170 single crown front and 180 coil rear on his Kenevo and loves it.

Personally I am not full on with suspension tuning. I had my suspension rebuilt and tuned to my weight/riding style from factory, set sag (20 to 30%) depending on where I am riding and then adjust the switch on the rear based on the trail.

 

[Funky Bolly]

Rob you’ve ridden the standard Kenevo SL does this 29/29 full fat Kenevo feel the same ? I loved the SL felt fantastic but the low power put my 59yr old off climbing ( which I’m no fan of anyway )

 

[wessobert3000]

I have read this thread in recent days with much interest after I saw robs video on the conversion on youtube.

As a tall rider with long legs (6'5 tall) I wonder if the Kenevo in S5 converted to 29er still has enough reach and stack at 180mm travel. The head tube isn´t very long with 135mm.

In addition, I am currently considering whether the 2023 Zeb or a Fox 38 Performance Elite fits better to such a bike.

Does anyone know if the kenevo frame is also sold individually on demand?

Are there riders here in my size who can report?

So many questions

I tested turbo levo in s6 and found it ok, but it has not blown me away.

 

[sp00n]

AFAIK the frame isn't sold separately. At least it didn't show up on the Specialized page, and there was a section "How to build your frame" for the Levo, but not for the Kenevo on their support section.

You can calculate the new geometry for the bike here:

bike-stats - everything about bike geometry

Use this app to compare bike geometries of different manufacturers with each other, in order to determine the most suitable bike for your personal requirements.

bike-stats.de

It does include a Kenevo 2020 S5, which has the same geometry as the current model.

 

[cozzy]

Merlin have some cracking deals, 45% off, on 40's for anyone wanting to mullet or 29.
They also have bargains on flexy, creaky csu, single crown fox forks for those who want to do bar spins.

Fox

Browse our amazing Fox Cycling range - available with free/low cost delivery worldwide & hassle free returns

www.merlincycles.com

UPDATE Just bought the last set of 40 grip 2. Happy Christmas to me

 

[RSpence58]

I think I will try a 180mm Fox Factory 38 E-Optimised, X2 230x65 and 29er front and rear in S4

I suspect in this configuration the geo will shift a bit, overall higher BB with 29er front and rear, with a +20mm raise on the front, 63 degree head angle and reach of around 490mm.

Hi Rob,
I can’t find an e-optimised Fox 38 with 180mm, they only seem to do 170 max in e-optimised. Where did you source yours ?

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Hi Rob,
I can’t find an e-optimised Fox 38 with 180mm, they only seem to do 170 max in e-optimised. Where did you source yours ?

Hi - I bought the 170mm and had Fox UK add a 180mm air shaft

 

[Singletrackmind]

Hello Rob and Jooles I have a quick question for you guys please see below:



I have fitted a single offset bushing into the EXT Storia top shock mount with the bushing rotated to position the 8 mm hole inward. My Flip chip is in the High position. The steering/handling feels a little squirrely and floppy, not as stable as before with the Boxxer 27.5 set up.



Is this is what the full 29'er Front and Rear set up it is supposed to feel like? I have a 50 MM stem and OneUp Bar.



See Photos Attached:

Where did you purchase the off-set bushing for your EXT Storia?

 

[Singletrackmind]

2021 Kenevo S4, I am 6 feet tall (183)

I did the 29er And mullet, went back to 27.5

neither were preferred

Mullet: My Kenevo front end wondered all over the enduro trails in the high or low setting, while climbing the front end lifted very easy.

29er: My Kenevo was ”OK” in low, bad in high setting, felt like my Kenevo was a S5 and wheelbase was extended I believe around 40 or so millimeters (The Titanic)

Appreciate your insight. Just got a 2022 Kenevo Expert and chose this model specifically because it came with 27.5 f/r wheels. I did install the upgrade kit on the RockShox Boxxer Select RC fork and just ordered an EXT E-STORIA coil shock (wasn’t impressed with the RockShox rear shock that came stock). Have you made any suspension mods to your rig?



 

[tabrat]

just built. Surprised at the weight!

180mm Front / Rear Zeb ultimate 29er Kenevo

View attachment 91267

View attachment 91268

I am super impressed by this project. I still ride a 2019 turbo Levo expert but am dying to find a S4 Kenevo frame. The reason I am still riding mine is my 4th motor replacement is now a 2.2 Version so with all the changes I have made upgrading to Shimano XTR everywhere and the switch to DVO Onyx SC1 in front and DVO Topaz in rear with custom tune from DVO plus converting to ENVE wheels with Industry 101 hubs it’s hard to change because this bike smokes just missing the extra travel of the Kenevo that I now want. I am not a big believer of the mullet set up on the new specialized either nor a believer in SRAM brakes. I am really surprised that DVO is mentioned so little in all these modifications since their stuff is flat out awesome especially with their custom tunes.
I would like to see do a review on the DVO Onyx and the Topaz to have your comparison and it if affects your times since it made a world of difference on mine and pure confidence especially with the fork.