Black is beautiful and so my choice in Kenevo - it was always going to be matted out black. Also never liked derailleurs that much and so my choice there - Rohloff. I put one in one of my first e-bikes and it was fantastic despite having more gears than needed. Difficult to get one of those installed any time soon. Or so I thought.
So I checked out some options & called a few shops. Only a few medium black Kenevo’s left in the country and an enticing discount! That made it a bit more tantalising. I called another shop, same story but I asked if they knew about any IGH’s - internally geared hubs — that I could install, expecting maybe Shimano Nexus or Alfine. Not expecting the answer — that Paul, the Rohloff Australia distributor and engineer, had just left the store.
Long story short - 2 weeks later I have a matte black Kenevo with Rohloff 14 speed Speedhub ready to ride. Matte black skin from Ride Wrap and Rohloff installed by the Specialized shop - Just Ride in Nerang QLD - the Gold Coast for those outside of Australia.
What was really special was that I had the bike delivered with major modifications & upgrades from the shop in about 2 weeks, no searching for the right choice of Rohloff parts — there are so many options & combinations now. No question about the warranty — it’s officially sanctioned. I mentioned that I’d use Blevo without altering the speed limit — no problem. Strange though — on having a look at Blevo, the speed limit is 28.8 km/h as default. I thought it was supposed to be 25 km/h? No problem, I’ll gladly take the extra 3.8 km/h.
The Rohloff feels instinctively right on the Kenevo. Flick through 10 gears in an instant — after a while the right selection becomes second nature. No need to pedal to shift, in fact it’s the opposite, flick through every gear while stationary & in motion, a slight pause on the pedals while shifting ensures a smooth shift every time. Having a chain tensioner instead of a derailleur, it’s not quite as vulnerable to being crunched but number 1 above all, it’s maintenance free apart from a yearly oil change. It’s great to have a Rohloff again.
Even though the Rohloff adds 1 kg net weight & adds significantly to the price tag of what’s already premium, it makes the Kenevo, one of the best bikes I’ve had the pleasure of riding, even better. I’ll post some video when I get a chance.
So I checked out some options & called a few shops. Only a few medium black Kenevo’s left in the country and an enticing discount! That made it a bit more tantalising. I called another shop, same story but I asked if they knew about any IGH’s - internally geared hubs — that I could install, expecting maybe Shimano Nexus or Alfine. Not expecting the answer — that Paul, the Rohloff Australia distributor and engineer, had just left the store.
Long story short - 2 weeks later I have a matte black Kenevo with Rohloff 14 speed Speedhub ready to ride. Matte black skin from Ride Wrap and Rohloff installed by the Specialized shop - Just Ride in Nerang QLD - the Gold Coast for those outside of Australia.
What was really special was that I had the bike delivered with major modifications & upgrades from the shop in about 2 weeks, no searching for the right choice of Rohloff parts — there are so many options & combinations now. No question about the warranty — it’s officially sanctioned. I mentioned that I’d use Blevo without altering the speed limit — no problem. Strange though — on having a look at Blevo, the speed limit is 28.8 km/h as default. I thought it was supposed to be 25 km/h? No problem, I’ll gladly take the extra 3.8 km/h.
The Rohloff feels instinctively right on the Kenevo. Flick through 10 gears in an instant — after a while the right selection becomes second nature. No need to pedal to shift, in fact it’s the opposite, flick through every gear while stationary & in motion, a slight pause on the pedals while shifting ensures a smooth shift every time. Having a chain tensioner instead of a derailleur, it’s not quite as vulnerable to being crunched but number 1 above all, it’s maintenance free apart from a yearly oil change. It’s great to have a Rohloff again.
Even though the Rohloff adds 1 kg net weight & adds significantly to the price tag of what’s already premium, it makes the Kenevo, one of the best bikes I’ve had the pleasure of riding, even better. I’ll post some video when I get a chance.
