New Kenevo…!!!

[Dwazzer]

Hi All, Loving the Forum!!!

I got my first Ebike 2 years ago in the form of a Cube Stereo Hybrid 140 27.5+.

I couldn't believe how capable this bike was and the motor meant that I could go out riding with my son again after I had knee surgery

I went riding with my son and his Uni mates in Scotland last weekend and afterwards thought that I would like a more Enduro focused bike...SO, a trip to my local(ish) store saw me with a new Specialized Kenevo!

They only had a medium and at 5'9(ish) I am on the cusp of Medium/Large! When I got on the Spesh, it just felt 'Right'! I also tried a Sam2 6.7 but it didn't feel like it fit me...???

Yesterday, I went out just for a pootle round the streets near me and fairly quickly realised that actually, it was too small and I needed a Large

I started to look at components that I needed to change to make the bike fit...Stem, Shock spring, seat post...and then thought I would just give the shop a call! Long story short, my bike is now in the living room in storage, and I am waiting on my new LARGE kenevo to be delivered to the store! Thank god I discovered this BEFORE taking it to the hills for a proper play!!!

A HUGE thanks to James at Wheelbase in Stavely for the EXCELLENT customer service...which is why I will remain a loyal customer!!!

Can't wait to get the Kenevo and go out SHREDDING (as my son would say!)

Cheers, Dave.

 

[Geoff]

Are you sure that you are actually 5'9"? At that height you would have to have really long legs in proportion to the rest of body to even consider the Large over a Medium. The additional standover height of the Large will really become your enemy once you get out on the trails. In the case of a Kenevo if you are on the cusp of the next size up I'd really recommend choosing the smaller option. If we were talking 2018 Levo then, also from actual riding experience, I'd definitely recommend going the larger Levo frame option. There are a good number of Kenevo owners active in this forum who are on the cusp of Large/XL who may have an opinion to offer as to why they chose the size they did.

Until you point a Kenevo down a hill on the dirt you just can't fully appreciate the geometry of this beast of a bike. Of course this bike will never feel right when "pootling" around the streets. It will always tend to feel a little short in the reach - that's normal. Once you get it out on the dirt you'll really appreciate the fact that when in the attack position your weight will be where it needs to be - over the front of the bike for maximum control with the ability to maintain a balanced position low over the back wheel when descending. The Kenevo is a big bike built for big gnarly terrain but, if you are accepting of the gravity focused nature of the geometry, still offers a good experience on more sedate terrain.

FYI I'm 5'9". I ride a Medium 2014 Sworks Enduro 29er that has an almost identical geometry to my Kenevo. My initial thoughts of the Enduro, when I first rode it, were that it felt tall in height and small in length but I was comparing it to my Medium 2013 Specialized Epic that has very different, stretched out XC orientated geometry. After riding the Enduro on the style of trails it was designed for I soon came to realise that a Medium was actually a perfect fit for me.

A Large Kenevo for me would have been too long in the reach measurement (negatively affecting steering and control), have an excessive standover height (bordering on unsafe), and a seat tube so long that it would prevent the installation a 185mm dropper seat post should I choose to install one to really get the saddle out of the way.

I guess what I am trying to say is don't judge the sizing of the Kenevo based on a ride around your local streets. Just because the geometry doesn't work in this scenario does't mean it won't work when you ride it on the terrain that it's designed to be ridden on.

Another thing to point out is the spring on the Ohlins damper. It's unlikely that it is the correct spring rate for your riding weight. If not firm enough the additional sag/lower bottom bracket will increase the head angle adding to the "not quite right" feel.

My Medium Kenevo. I'm still running the original 125/150mm WU post but the option of installing a Bike Yoke 185mm dropper is there if needed. With riding weight just short of 95kg the stock 457lb/in spring has been replaced with a 550lb/in Cane Creek Valt spring.
Seatpost up.

IMG_20180823_172442.jpg

• Geoff
• Aug 23, 2018
• 2
• kenevo specialized

Seatpost down.

IMG_20180823_171235.jpg

• Geoff
• Aug 23, 2018
• kenevo specialized specialized kenevo

 

[Dwazzer]

Thanks for the remarks and feedback from your experience Geoff, much appreciated!

On a review of my actual height, it turns out that I am actually just over 5'10" (180cm) which would possibly account for why the bike felt a little cramped! Also, I was a large in my Cube frame, but I do know that sizes do not always correlate the same between manufacturers!

I may not have got down and dirty with the bike yet, but I put over 10 miles on it and did ride up and down quite a few sets of steps (to try and get a feel for the 180mm travel). Also, I tried quite a bit to get the 'fit' to feel right with the stock setup, but just couldn't seem to make it feel big enough!

I am positive that the Large Kenevo is going to be right for me, and will report back when I have had a chance to ride that one

Cheers, Dave.

 

[Geoff]

Ahh, just over 5'10" tall. That makes a so much more sense as to why you would feel the Medium to be smallish. Yes that would place you in Large territory as you would probably find benefit having the additional reach length.

Going to the Large will put you at the the low end of the height scale for the frame so you may find the WU dropper post may need swapping out for something a little more conventional (without the huge stack height of the WU) so as to get the saddle as low and out of the way as possible. The larger frame could also mean that the drop measurement of the post may need to be shorter as well.

Hope your bike shop can get you sorted out quickly and you can hit the trails on your new Kenevo soon.

 

[JPag]

Hi, I've just taken the plunge on a kenevo as well! My dad has the levo but I wanted something with a bit more travel ?