Swissrider
Well-known member
Having had my 2018 Kenevo for three months now and done about 400k on everything from tarmac to very steep and technical off road, I thought I’d share some thoughts and observations:
The good:
1. It is an extremely capable bike. This, for me, outweighs all of the cons I list below. Once one gets used to it, (which takes a while, since it can climb so much steeper than a conventional bike) one can climb amazingly steep and rugged ground with so little effort that technical ascents can be as enjoyable as technical descents. It’s downhill capabilities are amazing - it seems to float above the ground even when it’s really rocky. In these situations, I think it’s weight is an asset - it just feels so solid. Although people say it is harder to move around, I haven’t had any trouble on twisty trails. It’s geometry makes going down steep ground less intimidating and even a gnarly old git like me has managed to follow my son (who has raced competitive downhill) down some of our steepest local trails.
2. I think that it is actually quite good value. A similarly specced non ebike bike would
still cost a fair bit. When you add in the battery and engine I think you are getting a lot of bike for the money. Although the brakes and tyres can be improved, that is about it and at least they both work OK out of the box. There aren’t really any other upgrades that are really worth doing.
3. The motor is powerful and feels stronger that the top of the range Bosch one I have on my other ebike. I like the fact that it is quiet. I can’t really notice the much vaunted uncoupling of the motor after 25k. I’m usually freewheeling downhill anyway when I go faster than 25k.
4. It has a Horst link. Specialized bought the licence to use this clever invention of Horst Leitner (perhaps the father of Mountain Biking) and have jealously guarded this patent ever since. It is still the only real way to isolate peddling and braking forces from suspension forces, which is one of the reasons that Specialized bikes have always been praised for how well their suspension works.
5. Although highly subjective, most people think it looks good. The engine and battery are well integrated into the design. It looks like a classic mountain bike.
The bad:
1. Reliability. The walk mode on mine didn’t work from new and the control unit had to be replaced. The walk mode is still pretty flaky. It takes a while to get going, then it can accelerate too much and if one’s thumb slips off the button you have to wait again for the walk mode to work. Several of my friends have Levos. On one, the walk mode does not work and on the other he had to remove the crank and motor cover to replug the control wire connection to get his bike to work at all. The motor has cut out completely on mine a few occasions and the battery has to be turned off and back on again to get it working. I have another ebike with a Bosch motor and in 2,500k it has never gone wrong.
2. Surging. The power is slow to come in and slow to stop. If one is peddling and a steady and high cadence it’s fine, but if one stops peddling and then starts again the power can come in with a jerk and I’ve had the bike continue under power even after stopping peddling, which can be alarming. These characteristics are particularly noticeable in Turbo which is a pain around 25k as it cuts in an out. Again, this is much less noticeable on my Bosch powered bike in Turbo which shows it can be done properly. I don’t know if if have the latest software but the bike has been on the market for a year before I bought mine so this should have been sorted out.
2. The weight. All ebikes are heavy but the Kenevo is a beast, especially when you have to lift it over a fence. It rarely bothers me riding and in certain situations (see above) can be an advantage, but hopping it around or flicking the back wheel up is tricky.
3. I miss the computer which my Bosch bike has. I understand the philosophy of not wanting distractions, but I’ve never been distracted by my computer going downhill because the terrain automatically takes all ones attention. On uphill sections, it’s nice to have something to play with and things like range and a graphic of how much power you’re putting in is useful. I bought a Garmin edge computer so I can at least see what level I’m in and how much battery I’ve got left (although the accuracy of the Garmin Levo app is another story. I think that a tacit admission if this weakness is the fact that Specializied are now offering a handlebar display as an accessory. It’s hard to believe all the other manufacturers had got it wrong.
5. Whilst Mission Control is great in theory, in practice it is flawed. It’s often hard to connect, the figures are unreliable and some of the displays are meaningless. For instance, the fields which show rider and motor power just show figures which jump around so much that they become meaningless. Much better would be a simple graphic like Bosch use. Speed shown does not agree with my very accurate
Garmin. In IOS 12 the app crashes so one loses all data anyway.
4. I think the connection to the battery is a pain and much prefer the Bosch system with which you simply click the battery in place or lift a rubber flap covering the socket for the charging plug. On the Kenevo, you have to get muddy fingers trying to prise off the cap and then it’s awkward, especially in poor light, to push the cable out of the way and mate up the magnetic power cable. Getting the battery out is also quite awkward and it can be covered in mud, plus anyone could steal a very expensive battery if they’ve got an Allen key. You can’t really leave the bike chained up in a public place because if this.
So, a mighty bike with some flaws, none of them that serious but annoying nevertheless. Most of these should have been eradicated by Specialized before these bikes came to market. They were late to the party anyway and should have been able to capitalise on others’ mistakes. It feels that they were worried about being left behind and rushed their bikes to market without fully developing them. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve hugely enjoyed my Kenevo but it would have been nice not to have these small frustrations.
The good:
1. It is an extremely capable bike. This, for me, outweighs all of the cons I list below. Once one gets used to it, (which takes a while, since it can climb so much steeper than a conventional bike) one can climb amazingly steep and rugged ground with so little effort that technical ascents can be as enjoyable as technical descents. It’s downhill capabilities are amazing - it seems to float above the ground even when it’s really rocky. In these situations, I think it’s weight is an asset - it just feels so solid. Although people say it is harder to move around, I haven’t had any trouble on twisty trails. It’s geometry makes going down steep ground less intimidating and even a gnarly old git like me has managed to follow my son (who has raced competitive downhill) down some of our steepest local trails.
2. I think that it is actually quite good value. A similarly specced non ebike bike would
still cost a fair bit. When you add in the battery and engine I think you are getting a lot of bike for the money. Although the brakes and tyres can be improved, that is about it and at least they both work OK out of the box. There aren’t really any other upgrades that are really worth doing.
3. The motor is powerful and feels stronger that the top of the range Bosch one I have on my other ebike. I like the fact that it is quiet. I can’t really notice the much vaunted uncoupling of the motor after 25k. I’m usually freewheeling downhill anyway when I go faster than 25k.
4. It has a Horst link. Specialized bought the licence to use this clever invention of Horst Leitner (perhaps the father of Mountain Biking) and have jealously guarded this patent ever since. It is still the only real way to isolate peddling and braking forces from suspension forces, which is one of the reasons that Specialized bikes have always been praised for how well their suspension works.
5. Although highly subjective, most people think it looks good. The engine and battery are well integrated into the design. It looks like a classic mountain bike.
The bad:
1. Reliability. The walk mode on mine didn’t work from new and the control unit had to be replaced. The walk mode is still pretty flaky. It takes a while to get going, then it can accelerate too much and if one’s thumb slips off the button you have to wait again for the walk mode to work. Several of my friends have Levos. On one, the walk mode does not work and on the other he had to remove the crank and motor cover to replug the control wire connection to get his bike to work at all. The motor has cut out completely on mine a few occasions and the battery has to be turned off and back on again to get it working. I have another ebike with a Bosch motor and in 2,500k it has never gone wrong.
2. Surging. The power is slow to come in and slow to stop. If one is peddling and a steady and high cadence it’s fine, but if one stops peddling and then starts again the power can come in with a jerk and I’ve had the bike continue under power even after stopping peddling, which can be alarming. These characteristics are particularly noticeable in Turbo which is a pain around 25k as it cuts in an out. Again, this is much less noticeable on my Bosch powered bike in Turbo which shows it can be done properly. I don’t know if if have the latest software but the bike has been on the market for a year before I bought mine so this should have been sorted out.
2. The weight. All ebikes are heavy but the Kenevo is a beast, especially when you have to lift it over a fence. It rarely bothers me riding and in certain situations (see above) can be an advantage, but hopping it around or flicking the back wheel up is tricky.
3. I miss the computer which my Bosch bike has. I understand the philosophy of not wanting distractions, but I’ve never been distracted by my computer going downhill because the terrain automatically takes all ones attention. On uphill sections, it’s nice to have something to play with and things like range and a graphic of how much power you’re putting in is useful. I bought a Garmin edge computer so I can at least see what level I’m in and how much battery I’ve got left (although the accuracy of the Garmin Levo app is another story. I think that a tacit admission if this weakness is the fact that Specializied are now offering a handlebar display as an accessory. It’s hard to believe all the other manufacturers had got it wrong.
5. Whilst Mission Control is great in theory, in practice it is flawed. It’s often hard to connect, the figures are unreliable and some of the displays are meaningless. For instance, the fields which show rider and motor power just show figures which jump around so much that they become meaningless. Much better would be a simple graphic like Bosch use. Speed shown does not agree with my very accurate
Garmin. In IOS 12 the app crashes so one loses all data anyway.
4. I think the connection to the battery is a pain and much prefer the Bosch system with which you simply click the battery in place or lift a rubber flap covering the socket for the charging plug. On the Kenevo, you have to get muddy fingers trying to prise off the cap and then it’s awkward, especially in poor light, to push the cable out of the way and mate up the magnetic power cable. Getting the battery out is also quite awkward and it can be covered in mud, plus anyone could steal a very expensive battery if they’ve got an Allen key. You can’t really leave the bike chained up in a public place because if this.
So, a mighty bike with some flaws, none of them that serious but annoying nevertheless. Most of these should have been eradicated by Specialized before these bikes came to market. They were late to the party anyway and should have been able to capitalise on others’ mistakes. It feels that they were worried about being left behind and rushed their bikes to market without fully developing them. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve hugely enjoyed my Kenevo but it would have been nice not to have these small frustrations.
