Kenevo and Levo stock Butcher tyres - grip questions ???

grayedout

Member
Jul 17, 2018
133
173
Ludlow
Just wonder if anyone found the stock tyres (Butcher, GRID casing, Gripton compound, 2Bliss Ready, 27.5 x 2.8") not great for grip wet or very dry ..? could just be me as my son said he loves them but I have had a lot of crash with front wheel slipping out ? I ordered some (Magic Mary Evo 27.5x2.60" DH Addix UltraSoft Wire) from Front and rear . so will post my thoughts when I have then fitted..
 

tcm

Member
May 27, 2018
11
7
GB
Bike transformed with 2.6 magic Mary on front. Having said that I also realised I wasn't putting my weight far enough forward as my old bike was shorter..
 

grayedout

Member
Jul 17, 2018
133
173
Ludlow
I am liking this forum .I said to my 16yr man these tyres don't seem to have much grip "dad its the way you ryde not the tyres" . Lol.
 
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grayedout

Member
Jul 17, 2018
133
173
Ludlow
Wouldn't bother changing the rear.. Waste of ultra soft compound

I have lost a bit of confidence on corner since getting the Kenevo , I am jumping much bigger and bike feels really solid much nicer than my Demo 8 , except the corners and grip .. I will stick front and back on for now got a good price so need my confidence back more than £35 Lol
 

Churchill

Active member
Jul 15, 2018
81
215
Idaho
I have lost a bit of confidence on corner since getting the Kenevo , I am jumping much bigger and bike feels really solid much nicer than my Demo 8 , except the corners and grip .. I will stick front and back on for now got a good price so need my confidence back more than £35 Lol
Just curious, what tire pressures front and rear do you use and what is your weight?
 

Dax

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 25, 2018
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I’m running around 23psi with the stock butchers, 75kg or so. No real issues with grip in the dry UK summer
 

Kiwi in Wales

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I have lost a bit of confidence on corner since getting the Kenevo , I am jumping much bigger and bike feels really solid much nicer than my Demo 8 , except the corners and grip .. I will stick front and back on for now got a good price so need my confidence back more than £35 Lol

Hey Greyedout,
I had 2.6 MM's DH front and rear. Great choice!!!
In my opinion the Butchers are ok, but the DH versions of the MMs are something else!

Upsides:
They are mega grippy and are sure to help you regain your confidence.
They are also almost indestructable, you can run them with low pressures as they have super thick sidewalls. (Check out the screenshot below). The yellow bit in the screenshot is some sort of hard material that you cannot physically bend, unlike the paper thin Butcher. Point and shoot at any rock garden. They are that good!
You will see on the sidewalls recommended pressures start from 17psi up to 35 psi.
I ran mine with 18psi front and rear and they were great. You may need more depending on how you like things set up.

Downsides:
They are heavy 1.4kgs. Who cares!!! you have an ebike and to be honest I did not feel I was having to push any harder to get up to speed or to get up steep hills or my battery ran flat any earlier ;)
They wear quicker than normal. Hey! you want grip? Well there is a cost to grip. If you are riding on terrain like I have in Brechfa Wales which has a lot of routes made of slatey/rocky compound then 6 months tops before you have to think about changing them. As you know, most ebikers are covering twice to 3 times the mileage they used to do on their non engined mtb's so 6 months is a lot of miles.

Hope the above helps.

IMG_3710.PNG
 

Donnie797

Well-known member
Jul 2, 2018
529
526
Germany, southern Black Forest
The MMs are a great choice, i love them! I would just not use the ultra soft compound on the rear - it will wear down quick and you might destroy the nobs much quicker when sliding. But yes, for confidence and ultra grip it's fine :)
 

grayedout

Member
Jul 17, 2018
133
173
Ludlow
The MMs are a great choice, i love them! I would just not use the ultra soft compound on the rear - it will wear down quick and you might destroy the nobs much quicker when sliding. But yes, for confidence and ultra grip it's fine :)

Ok thanks , I have order the DH version any thoughts on DH vs TL ...
 

Kiwi in Wales

Short cranks rule!🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
Patreon
Founding Member
Jan 24, 2018
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Carmarthen, Wales
The MMs are a great choice, i love them! I would just not use the ultra soft compound on the rear - it will wear down quick and you might destroy the nobs much quicker when sliding. But yes, for confidence and ultra grip it's fine :)

I can confirm that there are no destroyed knobs after 6 months of use. They are worn but not that worn. I will post a picture tomorrow.

74kgs 18psi front and rear
 

grayedout

Member
Jul 17, 2018
133
173
Ludlow
Hey Greyedout,
I had 2.6 MM's DH front and rear. Great choice!!!
In my opinion the Butchers are ok, but the DH versions of the MMs are something else!

Upsides:
They are mega grippy and are sure to help you regain your confidence.
They are also almost indestructable, you can run them with low pressures as they have super thick sidewalls. (Check out the screenshot below). The yellow bit in the screenshot is some sort of hard material that you cannot physically bend, unlike the paper thin Butcher. Point and shoot at any rock garden. They are that good!
You will see on the sidewalls recommended pressures start from 17psi up to 35 psi.
I ran mine with 18psi front and rear and they were great. You may need more depending on how you like things set up.

Downsides:
They are heavy 1.4kgs. Who cares!!! you have an ebike and to be honest I did not feel I was having to push any harder to get up to speed or to get up steep hills or my battery ran flat any earlier ;)
They wear quicker than normal. Hey! you want grip? Well there is a cost to grip. If you are riding on terrain like I have in Brechfa Wales which has a lot of routes made of slatey/rocky compound then 6 months tops before you have to think about changing them. As you know, most ebikers are covering twice to 3 times the mileage they used to do on their non engined mtb's so 6 months is a lot of miles.

Hope the above helps.

View attachment 3153


Wicked .. thanks for taking the time great advice ..!
 

grayedout

Member
Jul 17, 2018
133
173
Ludlow
just got back from a 2 hour ride (new wheels not arrive but) put a MM DH on the front and man the grip was so much better cornering and braking an mega steep trails. Still had the 2.8 butcher on the rear which was all over the place but thats my riding more that anything. will be riding over the weekend and really see how much better the MM perform for me..
 

Kiwi in Wales

Short cranks rule!🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
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Founding Member
Jan 24, 2018
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Carmarthen, Wales
maybe I need to drop to 18PSI .! my Kenveo isn't tubeless btw
Ah, sorry, I have been running tubeless for years and keep thinking everyone else is.
Should have said, apologies.
Did you get rim strips with your Kenevo? If not, I don’t think they cost too much and are easy to fit. Get some ‘Stans no tubes’ sealant, some tubeless valves, watch the YouTube vids and you are good to go or you could get your local bike shop to convert you to tubeless if you don’t want to take the task on yourself.
Once you go tubeless you will never go back. Also, if you are running DH MMs the likely hood of getting a puncture is virtually zero. All you need to remember to do is to check and top up the sealant if required every 2 or 3 months
 

Donnie797

Well-known member
Jul 2, 2018
529
526
Germany, southern Black Forest
Forgot to ask would it be better to have Medium compound on the rear ?

Maybe the "Performance" line of the MM would be a good choice? Of course not as much grip as the ultra soft compound, but much more durability:

1532065774400.png


I can confirm that there are no destroyed knobs after 6 months of use. They are worn but not that worn. I will post a picture tomorrow.

74kgs 18psi front and rear

6 months of use on an ultra-soft magic mary and still good? Okay, guess the trails in the swiss alps are killing those rear-tyres much quicker (and my higher rider-weight maybe) ^^ Had Nobby Nics two years ago (hard compound on the rear) and some of the nobs were gone after the first 2 weeks - just ripped off from breaking hard on the roots and rocks... then i have a friend riding the soft Nobby Nics for 2 years - but he's just 50kg :)
 

grayedout

Member
Jul 17, 2018
133
173
Ludlow
Maybe the "Performance" line of the MM would be a good choice? Of course not as much grip as the ultra soft compound, but much more durability:

View attachment 3171



6 months of use on an ultra-soft magic mary and still good? Okay, guess the trails in the swiss alps are killing those rear-tyres much quicker (and my higher rider-weight maybe) ^^ Had Nobby Nics two years ago (hard compound on the rear) and some of the nobs were gone after the first 2 weeks - just ripped off from breaking hard on the roots and rocks... then i have a friend riding the soft Nobby Nics for 2 years - but he's just 50kg :)

Cheers Donnie, couldn't fine bigger than 2.35 in the "Performance" but come across the Apex which looks good o your chart .. even the MM DH 2.6 looked odd on the front after a coupe of week looking at the mega 2.8 ...maybe they will do 2.8 on these soon...
 

grayedout

Member
Jul 17, 2018
133
173
Ludlow
Cheers Donnie, couldn't fine bigger than 2.35 in the "Performance" but come across the Apex which looks good o your chart .. even the MM DH 2.6 looked odd on the front after a coupe of week looking at the mega 2.8 ...maybe they will do 2.8 on these soon...

Ok so just found the Apex in 2.8 ! which could be the best around option .. so my next question to the group is .is it the combination of a thinner 2.6 and the MM that make the grip so good or will a 2.8 but the same .I do like the massive 2.8 when riding on rocks and roots just feel there is more rubber helping ..Lol
 

davegixer

Active member
Jul 7, 2018
217
207
UK
Did your Kenevos come with tubeless valves ready for you to to fit, and were the rims taped ready? I'm just wondering what I need to buy and what I should already have.
Thanks.
 

grayedout

Member
Jul 17, 2018
133
173
Ludlow
Did your Kenevos come with tubeless valves ready for you to to fit, and were the rims taped ready? I'm just wondering what I need to buy and what I should already have.
Thanks.

Hmmm I will check in the boxes . I think the rims are taped a just swap tyre to try a new MM DH on the front and it looked taped to me but I need to ask my son
 

davegixer

Active member
Jul 7, 2018
217
207
UK
Hmmm I will check in the boxes . I think the rims are taped a just swap tyre to try a new MM DH on the front and it looked taped to me but I need to ask my son

Thanks. I was told the rims are taped and the valves were supplied - but as the valves weren't in the box I'm questioning the information.
The Butchers are tubeless ready, which is a nudge in the right direction.
 

grayedout

Member
Jul 17, 2018
133
173
Ludlow
Thanks. I was told the rims are taped and the valves were supplied - but as the valves weren't in the box I'm questioning the information.
The Butchers are tubeless ready, which is a nudge in the right direction.

I need to check for Valves ! asI haven't open any of the extra boxes I need to check they maybe in one just took the charger out Lol... will have a look now give me 5
 

Donnie797

Well-known member
Jul 2, 2018
529
526
Germany, southern Black Forest
Ok so just found the Apex in 2.8 ! which could be the best around option .. so my next question to the group is .is it the combination of a thinner 2.6 and the MM that make the grip so good or will a 2.8 but the same .I do like the massive 2.8 when riding on rocks and roots just feel there is more rubber helping ..Lol

I will try the new Schwalbe "Eddy Current" as soon my first set of Butchers is done on the Kenevo, really wonder how good they are.

The 2.8 vs 2.6 question is really depending on personal feeling, the riding style and the ground you're riding on. Easy spoken, the thinner will stay on track better when it's muddy, the thicker will more smoothly ride over roots and rocks and gives more grip on the climbs. Maybe best choice is 2,8 in the rear and 2,6 in the front? I remember an EMTB video where they talked about that, but can't remember when...
 

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