Kenevo 2019- broken shifter and spoke

[Evo Wan Kenevo]

Hi All,

Just wanted to see if anyone has faced any issues with the durability of their Kenevos.

I pinged a spoke on a red trail on Sunday- not sure how it happened- was quite a tame ride for me. Didn't think it was a big deal and moved on.

Took it out again today and had a fairly innocuous Oscar Tango Bravo moment- Over I went, Kenevo landed softly in some tall grass. I rolled, got up, laughed and got back on. 20 yards later, I realised that the Upshifter was completely busted- hanging outside of it's housing.

I had to cycle 2 miles home on the middle of the cassette on flat ground- had to turn the motor off and muscle it. Count myself very lucky indeed, as I was at the end of 38 km loop when it happened.

Given the Enduro credentials of the Kenevo, am I being unreasonable in thinking it should be able to take such small knocks without breaking? I had dreams of big Lake District and Snowdonia epics next year with it- I'm a bit worried now whether I could depend on it for such an adventure.

Going to take it to the LBS tomorrow to get sorted, but wanted to know if any of you guys have any experience of similar or otherwise- would love your feedback.

Jamie

 

[Doomanic]

The shifter is a normal MTB shifter, nowt different about it, so if the Ken is to blame it's because it landed funny and it's a fat bugger.
Don't know about the wheels. They'll be machine built, mass produced and as cheap as the bean counters can get away with. It could have been bad luck, the weight of the bike or a mix of both.

 

[Evo Wan Kenevo]

Absolutely agree, it is an MTB shifter; nowt different about it!

I guess the question is, can you make an E-bike that has 180mm travel which has the durability to take what you naturally would throw at a 180mm bike, using some components with "nowt different about them".

Was trying to get some feedback from Kenevo owners if they've suffered mechanical faults from innocuous falls to see if my issues were bad luck or part of a wider problem.

However, your point does raise the question as to whether using components built for 15kg bikes can survive on a 24kg bike when you stack it; which would then be a question that encompasses all E-bikes, not Just Kenevos or indeed even specialized bikes.

 

[Dax]

I've beaten mine pretty hard down some rocky descents, had some issues with pivot and axle bolts coming loose at first and saddle pivot bolt slipping, but after torquing it all up, it's been fine.

I've not had an otb yet, but have had a few impromptu dismounts and bent the mech hanger on one. I was surprised how easily it bent, probably due to the extra weight of the bike. This is where I bent it, probably doing 20mph:

 

[Evo Wan Kenevo]

Thanks for the feedback Dax.

I know so far that this is only two separate anecdotes about components breaking surprisingly easy- but I do wonder if it hints at a wider engineering problem from using 'normal' bike components on much heavier E-bikes.

Anyone else had any similar issues?

 

[Dax]

I suspect that's the case with the mech hanger for sure, it's the same part as a lot of specialized bikes which weigh 2/3 as much as the kenevo. I would still rather bend a £20 hanger than snap a £80 mech thou.

Regarding parts like shifters...I've broken a lot of those over the years on regular bikes, I would put it down to bad luck. I once dented the frame on a 3-week old bike, laid it down on some rocks, it's just how it goes.

@Rob Hancill is probably the person to ask about durability, he has throughly tested his kenevo

 

[Evo Wan Kenevo]

Agreed, Dax. Putting my issues down to blind bad luck.

But I still think there is the issue of under-engineering.

It is much better to have a bent £20 hanger than pay for a new mech, but wouldn't you rather have a £40 hanger that's beefier that doesn't bend as easy? It's not like I'm going to notice an extra couple of hundred grams if some of the components are strengthened?

I guess given that these bikes are only in the (relatively) early stages of development, then (relatively) early adopters are going to have to see some teething issues from an design/engineering standpoint.

 

[Al Boneta]

I have over 1000km on mine and haven’t crashed once.
I broke three derailleurs on my first Levo, but that was due to rock strikes and cartwheeling dismounts.
A heavier bike tends to break things more than a light bike when it falls over.
I’d say it was bad luck.

 

[Donnie797]

It's not meant offensive, but i would throw in the "If you crash, things might break" statement.
One way to encounter it, is to not tighten those screws to hard, so the shifter and brake levers can move on an impact.
That said, it really is an early time for e-mtbs going big travel and more and more companies are up on it. For e-mtbs they now have stronger tyres and rims, more riggid forks, bigger brake discs, shorter cranks, etc... it might just be a matter of time when Shimano and SRAM will bring out e-mtb specific shifters and brake-levers (maybe with a more stable housing). But also those will break if they hit a rock hard enough... nothing can beat the physics (besides of aliens )

 

[Kernow]

How many brands actually fit ebike specific parts especially wheels and hubs . I didn’t come across many brands who specified these parts , although Iam sure the kinevo must have a wheelset specified to take the knocks .

 

[Al Boneta]

It's not meant offensive, but i would throw in the "If you crash, things might break" statement.
One way to encounter it, is to not tighten those screws to hard, so the shifter and brake levers can move on an impact.
That said, it really is an early time for e-mtbs going big travel and more and more companies are up on it. For e-mtbs they now have stronger tyres and rims, more riggid forks, bigger brake discs, shorter cranks, etc... it might just be a matter of time when Shimano and SRAM will bring out e-mtb specific shifters and brake-levers (maybe with a more stable housing). But also those will break if they hit a rock hard enough... nothing can beat the physics (besides of aliens )

The Kenevo has an Ebike specific shifter and SRAM has an Ebike group in the EX. They are coming out with Ebike specific versions of all of their groups this September

 

[Al Boneta]

Also I agree with @Donnie797, the title of this thread is a little misleading. It reminds me of our US news media

 

[Evo Wan Kenevo]

I think I mentioned earlier that my "crash" was no more than a fall OTB with the bike landing in tall grass. If I'd been going 30mph through a rock garden or went OTB off a six foot drop off, I wouldn't have posted.

I have a basic appreciation of physics and I can see that if I stack it at 30mph or case a landing, something probably would break. But to go OTB in a park and the bike to basically land softly on grass and a major component break; I thought it very strange- no MTB I have ever owned previously has failed due to such an innocuous incident.

I took it to my LBS today who shared my sentiments and they are going to replace it FOC because, in their words, "it should be able to withstand a lot more than that".

And as far the post title being misleading- it's clearly a question, not an inference (hence the question marks). All I wanted was to get an idea if others are experiencing similar issues. I think that's more an error in interpretation.

I'm pretty sure that the US media conglomerates have bigger fish to fry than trying to whip up anti E-bike sentiment and I certainly wasn't either.

 

[Al Boneta]

I think I mentioned earlier that my "crash" was no more than a fall OTB with the bike landing in tall grass. If I'd been going 30mph through a rock garden or went OTB off a six foot drop off, I wouldn't have posted.

I have a basic appreciation of physics and I can see that if I stack it at 30mph or case a landing, something probably would break. But to go OTB in a park and the bike to basically land softly on grass and a major component break; I thought it very strange- no MTB I have ever owned previously has failed due to such an innocuous incident.

I took it to my LBS today who shared my sentiments and they are going to replace it FOC because, in their words, "it should be able to withstand a lot more than that".

And as far the post title being misleading- it's clearly a question, not an inference (hence the question marks). All I wanted was to get an idea if others are experiencing similar issues. I think that's more an error in interpretation.

I'm pretty sure that the US media conglomerates have bigger fish to fry than trying to whip up anti E-bike sentiment and I certainly wasn't either.

Yes but by that rationale, the title of the thread would have been clearer if it read “SRAM shifter fragility???”

 

[Evo Wan Kenevo]

Agreed- it wouldn't have been clearer.

The reason I entitled the post as I did was due to the fact that I also had a spoke break (as outlined in OP)- therefore the question was about the bike, not specifically the shifter.

As you can see, I've since put both occurrences down to blind bad luck.

I love the bike and love the fact that my LBS is fixing it FOC- but I'm still disappointed and think it should be able to handle more than I've thrown at it- by an order of magnitude.

Just in case anyone missed it- Al Boneta has since edited his post above. Previous post said that it wouldn't have been clearer!- Hence my response!

 

[Dax]

I think the question here is wether the parts we bolt onto ebikes are tough enough to take the abuse we give regular bikes, knowing that crashes are inevitable and a ebike weighs 50% more than a regular enduro bike.

In short - no.

However, my buddies that ride moto are constantly breaking parts, often without even having big mtb-esque crashes, so I think its a sad fact of life with bigger, heavier bikes. What worries me a lot more than a broken shifter is how motors would take being rag dolled down a mountain.

If it helps any, I once took a new intense tracer on two week trip around bike parks in canada, in two weeks I bent both wheels, dented the back wheel, bent both rotors, bent the mech hanger, bent both mechs, broke both shifters and dented the frame. I then took the bike back for its free service

 

[Kernow]

I have found the SRAM shifters to be a bit unreliable , mine had to be replaced and never shifted into 1st gear well from the start , japsureds went the same way , and I’ve seen the little plastic lever break off easily on the trigger , it just clips in and if it’s knocked off ,you can’t change down gears . , the derailure is much longer than a shimano , so I feel easier to get damaged .
Iam hoping the new shimano will cover the larger range of the SRAM gearing

 

[c4s2rs6]

This is what happens when you hit a rock. Used the integrated SWAT chain breaker to turn the Kenevo into a single speed for long ride to car. I don’t think it was any fault of the bike other than I can ride rougher longer rides than my legs would allow normally, albeit the mech is quite long

 

[Al Boneta]

Agreed- it wouldn't have been clearer.

The reason I entitled the post as I did was due to the fact that I also had a spoke break (as outlined in OP)- therefore the question was about the bike, not specifically the shifter.

As you can see, I've since put both occurrences down to blind bad luck.

I love the bike and love the fact that my LBS is fixing it FOC- but I'm still disappointed and think it should be able to handle more than I've thrown at it- by an order of magnitude.

Just in case anyone missed it- Al Boneta has since edited his post above. Previous post said that it wouldn't have been clearer!- Hence my response!

Auto correct

 

[Al Boneta]

I have found the SRAM shifters to be a bit unreliable , mine had to be replaced and never shifted into 1st gear well from the start , japsureds went the same way , and I’ve seen the little plastic lever break off easily on the trigger , it just clips in and if it’s knocked off ,you can’t change down gears . , the derailure is much longer than a shimano , so I feel easier to get damaged .
Iam hoping the new shimano will cover the larger range of the SRAM gearing

XT and SLX 12 speed in the spring

 

[Kernow]

XT and SLX 12 speed in the spring

Yes hoping that will be good and a fair price , it’s the 48 or 50 top cog that’s more important than the number of gears , 10 speed would be fine for ebike but there isn’t the range available .

 

[Evo Wan Kenevo]

Auto correct

Does autocorrect work retrospectively after you've posted and made a mistake?? Must get me one of them!

I edited my post a couple of hours after you edited yours when I realised that your edit made my subsequent post look completely out of context.

I found this re-writing of history to be "misleading"- like the US media conglomerates and their alternative facts! .

Would have been less misleading if you had just posted that you made a mistake, other than making my post look out of context.

 

[Slowroller]

It is much better to have a bent £20 hanger than pay for a new mech, but wouldn't you rather have a £40 hanger that's beefier that doesn't bend as easy? It's not like I'm going to notice an extra couple of hundred grams if some of the components are strengthened?

Hangers are mostly designed to bend so you don't damage your frame and hopefully save your RD. You can bend them back if you're a cheap dirtbag like me, although I always have a spare in my toolbox. They are easy to bend if you smack them just right on a rock or drop them on it like in your crash. It happens.

 

[Al Boneta]

Does autocorrect work retrospectively after you've posted and made a mistake?? Must get me one of them!

I edited my post a couple of hours after you edited yours when I realised that your edit made my subsequent post look completely out of context.

I found this re-writing of history to be "misleading"- like the US media conglomerates and their alternative facts! .

Would have been less misleading if you had just posted that you made a mistake, other than making my post look out of context.

My IPhone Auto correct typed out “wouldn’t” instead of would so I corrected when I was back at my laptop. I had not realized you responded to my post with the grammatical error until you made a point of pointing it out. I wasn’t trying to mislead you or anyone else. My apologies. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me.
Feel free to hit the ignore button if you can’t accept my apology. I wouldn’t want to upset you any further. Again my sincerest apologies. If we ever find ourselves in the same city, I would love to buy you a pint.
Or if you prefer you can give me your address and I’ll send you the shifter that broke and 6 spokes.

 

[Evo Wan Kenevo]

Apology accepted.

It will take me a few days to get over the devastating upset you've caused, but time is a healer- I'm sure I'll find it in my heart to forgive you one day!!!

PM'd you my address- look forward to receiving the shifter and spokes- I may need spares in the future.

 

[Al Boneta]

Apology accepted.

It will take me a few days to get over the devastating upset you've caused, but time is a healer- I'm sure I'll find it in my heart to forgive you one day!!!

PM'd you my address- look forward to receiving the shifter and spokes- I may need spares in the future.

You didn’t PM me the address.
All I need is an address you can receive the parts. Work, your Mum’s whatever dead serious

 

[Evo Wan Kenevo]

Can you send me one of them custom titanium springs and a spare 504wH battery?

 

[Al Boneta]

Can you send me one of them custom titanium springs and a spare 504wH battery?

Nope, shifter and spokes is the offer

 

[Donnie797]

This is what happens when you hit a rock. Used the integrated SWAT chain breaker to turn the Kenevo into a single speed for long ride to car. I don’t think it was any fault of the bike other than I can ride rougher longer rides than my legs would allow normally, albeit the mech is quite long View attachment 4150 View attachment 4151

@c4s2rs6 I do see two other interesting things here:
1. you have mounted a mudhugger to the rear, which version is it and does it cover the wheel down to the motor housing? Could you provide some detail pics please? Maybe in that thread? That would be great
2. there‘s a cam on your bar - show us the vids! ^^

 

[Mgbudd]

Hi All,

Just wanted to see if anyone has faced any issues with the durability of their Kenevos.

I pinged a spoke on a red trail on Sunday- not sure how it happened- was quite a tame ride for me. Didn't think it was a big deal and moved on.

Took it out again today and had a fairly innocuous Oscar Tango Bravo moment- Over I went, Kenevo landed softly in some tall grass. I rolled, got up, laughed and got back on. 20 yards later, I realised that the Upshifter was completely busted- hanging outside of it's housing.

I had to cycle 2 miles home on the middle of the cassette on flat ground- had to turn the motor off and muscle it. Count myself very lucky indeed, as I was at the end of 38 km loop when it happened.

Given the Enduro credentials of the Kenevo, am I being unreasonable in thinking it should be able to take such small knocks without breaking? I had dreams of big Lake District and Snowdonia epics next year with it- I'm a bit worried now whether I could depend on it for such an adventure.

Going to take it to the LBS tomorrow to get sorted, but wanted to know if any of you guys have any experience of similar or otherwise- would love your feedback.

Jamie

I have had one big off on the kenevo and not a mark on the kenevo, wish I could have said the same for me!!