Kenevo Gen1 Official 2020 Kenevo Owners Thread

[ScottWest]

No problems at all in full compression ? Had you just cut out the spacer or take everything a part to take it out ?

Thinking about go 190 - 188 already

No problems for me. I cut one side of the spacer and twisted it to get it off. cutting only one side allows me to put it back on if needed

 

[Snowdude]

Now that I have ordered one.... what actual color is the comp version? Is it really greenish as it is in the picture or is it more grayish as in gunmetal gray? I need to buy matching pedals but I am a bit confused what color it actually is.... I have never actually seen a real Kenevo yet.

 

[yokev]

I've now cannibalized both ends of my FIrebird 29 to put on my Kenevo.
I really like the 29" front now, so I'll get 29" forks for the Kenevo, and just switch between a 29x2.6, and 27.5x2.8( I built a pair of 35mm i.d. wheels).
Blew the living hell outta the POS Marz shock today(ejected the shaft, and I think its bent), and since I couldn't find a DHX2 anywhere that could get it to me by tomorrow, I stole the X2 off my Pivot as well(low and behold it's 230x65mm) I ordered a DHX2, and if I like the X2 on the Kenevo(hoping it creates more pop), I'll put the coil on the Pivot. I've wanted a coil on that thing anyway as it doesn't have problems popping off anything, thus I'd prefer to take advantage of a coil to keep the rear end glued. Plus, it's only about 30lbs. It can take another couple hundred G's no problem

 

[Mark02380]

Now that I have ordered one.... what actual color is the comp version? Is it really greenish as it is in the picture or is it more grayish as in gunmetal gray? I need to buy matching pedals but I am a bit confused what color it actually is.... I have never actually seen a real Kenevo yet.

Mine came today and the colour is nothing like the picture, it more of a brown I think.
looks a great bike tho.

 

[JonasH]

Any rumors out here on a Kenevo SL?

 

[JonasH]

Asked my LBS on delivery time for a Kenevo Expert 2020. They said late July/august. Norway. How is the situation in other countries?

 

[Nikolaos Tsivis]

I've now cannibalized both ends of my FIrebird 29 to put on my Kenevo.
I really like the 29" front now, so I'll get 29" forks for the Kenevo, and just switch between a 29x2.6, and 27.5x2.8( I built a pair of 35mm i.d. wheels).
Blew the living hell outta the POS Marz shock today(ejected the shaft, and I think its bent), and since I couldn't find a DHX2 anywhere that could get it to me by tomorrow, I stole the X2 off my Pivot as well(low and behold it's 230x65mm) I ordered a DHX2, and if I like the X2 on the Kenevo(hoping it creates more pop), I'll put the coil on the Pivot. I've wanted a coil on that thing anyway as it doesn't have problems popping off anything, thus I'd prefer to take advantage of a coil to keep the rear end glued. Plus, it's only about 30lbs. It can take another couple hundred G's no problem View attachment 26341

View attachment 26342

Good day.
You must be the first one I know of to install a Float X2 on the 2020 Kenevo. I was waiting for someone to try this, I was not sure there was enough room for this shock due to the side arm.
A few questions if you don’t mind:
1. Have you checked clearances? Is it really close?
2. Did you ride the bike? Have you seen any rubbing anywhere due to the tight fit and flex during riding?
3. Do you plan to keep it at 65mm stroke or shim it down to 62.5mm?
Thank you in advance for the help.
Brgds/Nikolaos Tsivis

 

[yokev]

Good day.
You must be the first one I know of to install a Float X2 on the 2020 Kenevo. I was waiting for someone to try this, I was not sure there was enough room for this shock due to the side arm.
A few questions if you don’t mind:
1. Have you checked clearances? Is it really close?
2. Did you ride the bike? Have you seen any rubbing anywhere due to the tight fit and flex during riding?
3. Do you plan to keep it at 65mm stroke or shim it down to 62.5mm?
Thank you in advance for the help.
Brgds/Nikolaos Tsivis

I'm not sure what you're talking about as far as clearance is concerned.
Are you referring to the extra 3mm of stroke? If so, I've got plenty of rear tire clearance with the OE 2.6 tire. Looks like even a 2.8 would fit, but I personally have no plans to swap out to a bigger rear. I like as much front traction as I can get, but like the back end to slide around when I want,
If you were referring to clearance around the shock itself, there's no problem there. It fits without touching that brace.
I just installed it yesterday and today it was a rainy day here, so I'll be riding on it for the first time tomorrow. Ill cut it a little slack because it's an air shock, but I like the shock to break into its travel sooner rather than later, and I like the tire to follow the terrain instead of bouncing all over hell's half acre. Where I'm riding tomorrow has some areas where you need to bounce from rock to rock, so I'm hoping the X2 gives it more pop. If it does that, I'll be willing to be more forgiving on the other stuff Keep in mind however, that the X2 I'm using came off my Firebird 29, ie it's been valved for a bike with different wheel size, leverage curve, and of course, one that weighs over 20lbs LESS. I'm anticipating the valving being a little weak. If it works as-is good enough to keep, I'll just send it off to have it re-valved, and put the incoming DHX2 on the Pivot.
Either way, I'll report back here how it works
Edit: I just went out in the garage and let the air out so I could take pics showing the clearance at the tire, and around the shock. Hope this helps you.

Just to be clear, these photos are with the rear suspension totally bottomed out

 

[Nikolaos Tsivis]

I'm not sure what you're talking about as far as clearance is concerned.
Are you referring to the extra 3mm of stroke? If so, I've got plenty of rear tire clearance with the OE 2.6 tire. Looks like even a 2.8 would fit, but I personally have no plans to swap out to a bigger rear. I like as much front traction as I can get, but like the back end to slide around when I want,
If you were referring to clearance around the shock itself, there's no problem there. It fits without touching that brace.
I just installed it yesterday and today it was a rainy day here, so I'll be riding on it for the first time tomorrow. Ill cut it a little slack because it's an air shock, but I like the shock to break into its travel sooner rather than later, and I like the tire to follow the terrain instead of bouncing all over hell's half acre. Where I'm riding tomorrow has some areas where you need to bounce from rock to rock, so I'm hoping the X2 gives it more pop. If it does that, I'll be willing to be more forgiving on the other stuff Keep in mind however, that the X2 I'm using came off my Firebird 29, ie it's been valved for a bike with different wheel size, leverage curve, and of course, one that weighs over 20lbs LESS. I'm anticipating the valving being a little weak. If it works as-is good enough to keep, I'll just send it off to have it re-valved, and put the incoming DHX2 on the Pivot.
Either way, I'll report back here how it works
Edit: I just went out in the garage and let the air out so I could take pics showing the clearance at the tire, and around the shock. Hope this helps you.
View attachment 26437 View attachment 26438 View attachment 26439 View attachment 26440
Just to be clear, these photos are with the rear suspension totally bottomed out

Good day!
Excellent info! Thank you so much for taking the time to advise in such detail!
Please report after testing the bike!
The poppy feeling is also something I am missing from the coil shock. The bike is just very heavy, although it tracks the ground perfectly and keeps the line like no other, the air shock will make it livelier.
Brgds/Nikolaos Tsivis

 

[beutelfuchs]

So last Friday I got my broken bike back, with a new motor (so they sayed).
Today on tour I first noticed that my leg power shown on my Garmin was way to high given how little I pushed the pedal. Also I took notice that the bike accelerated a lot more agile than before. I changed the dynamic setting in MC to 0% but that didn't change anything.
Then I experimented a bit until I saw that in fact I now have a self driving bike:


That's about 10% uphill and the right value you can see on my watch is the leg power measured by the bike. It says 149 watts while in fact it was 0.

Anyone had this before?
I suspect when they changed the engine that either they messed something up with the leg power sensor. Maybe it's broken, wrongly mounted or just not calibrated.
Its a huge dealer and they seem to sell lots of at least Levos, so I am surprised they got that wrong. I would still love to point them in the right direction then I go there tomorrow. So thanks in case someone can comment something useful.

 

[khorn]

So last Friday I got my broken bike back, with a new motor (so they sayed).
Today on tour I first noticed that my leg power shown on my Garmin was way to high given how little I pushed the pedal. Also I took notice that the bike accelerated a lot more agile than before. I changed the dynamic setting in MC to 0% but that didn't change anything.
Then I experimented a bit until I saw that in fact I now have a self driving bike:


That's about 10% uphill and the right value you can see on my watch is the leg power measured by the bike. It says 149 watts while in fact it was 0.

Anyone had this before?
I suspect when they changed the engine that either they messed something up with the leg power sensor. Maybe it's broken, wrongly mounted or just not calibrated.
Its a huge dealer and they seem to sell lots of at least Levos, so I am surprised they got that wrong. I would still love to point them in the right direction then I go there tomorrow. So thanks in case someone can comment something useful.

That is a dead motor for sure, did they not test it before they gave it back to you?

Karsten

 

[beutelfuchs]

No clue what they did exactly
But why do you think it's a dead motor? Its new and it works after all. Just not as controlled as it should.

 

[khorn]

No clue what they did exactly
But why do you think it's a dead motor? Its new and it works after all. Just not as controlled as it should.

To my eyes it indicate a defective torque sensor and that’s integrated inside the motor and is not a serviceable part.

Karsten

 

[beutelfuchs]

You know that for sure?
That would mean waiting for another replacement engine

 

[khorn]

You know that for sure?
That would mean waiting for another replacement engine

Based on your video unfortunately yes, did it do like that from the very start of your ride?

Karsten

 

[beutelfuchs]

That I suspect according to the unexpected heavy accelerations. But I had to try to take the feet from the pedals to see it that clear.

 

[Kiwiman]

Asked my LBS on delivery time for a Kenevo Expert 2020. They said late July/august. Norway. How is the situation in other countries?

Hi here in New Zealand are six xl‘s in stock and I’ll be ordering my one today. Exiting times

 

[#lazy]

That I suspect according to the unexpected heavy accelerations. But I had to try to take the feet from the pedals to see it that clear.

You ain’t having much luck with that kenevo , mines been in shop for a week waiting for new forks ! I’ve been riding Mtb’s for nearly 30 yrs and had never had to use a warranty, buy a kenevo and it’s 3 time in 5 months ! If your listening spec “ GET A GRIP “ !

 

[Bryan Wells]

So last Friday I got my broken bike back, with a new motor (so they sayed).
Today on tour I first noticed that my leg power shown on my Garmin was way to high given how little I pushed the pedal. Also I took notice that the bike accelerated a lot more agile than before. I changed the dynamic setting in MC to 0% but that didn't change anything.
Then I experimented a bit until I saw that in fact I now have a self driving bike:


That's about 10% uphill and the right value you can see on my watch is the leg power measured by the bike. It says 149 watts while in fact it was 0.

Anyone had this before?
I suspect when they changed the engine that either they messed something up with the leg power sensor. Maybe it's broken, wrongly mounted or just not calibrated.
Its a huge dealer and they seem to sell lots of at least Levos, so I am surprised they got that wrong. I would still love to point them in the right direction then I go there tomorrow. So thanks in case someone can comment something useful.

that is what mine did! and no one wanted to believe me!

 

[yokev]

Good day!
Excellent info! Thank you so much for taking the time to advise in such detail!
Please report after testing the bike!
The poppy feeling is also something I am missing from the coil shock. The bike is just very heavy, although it tracks the ground perfectly and keeps the line like no other, the air shock will make it livelier.
Brgds/Nikolaos Tsivis

So it was kinda how I expected. Valving was too light.
When I ordered the Pivot, the dealer asked me if I wanted the 'factory' or 'performance' X2. He mistakenly told me the only difference was the coating on the shaft. I'm a big believer in a separate high-speed compression circuit, as our local bike parks(summit, Mammoth) have a LOT of chatter, and other square edged hits If you don't have your HS compression dialed in correctly, by the time you get to the bottom of the hill your arms will look like Popeye's, and you'll have no control over your hands.
Anyway, I ended up with the 'performance' X2, and it didn't come with high speed adjust-ability. Long story short, the Pivot works well without it, so I left it alone.
Not so much on the runs today on the Kenevo. LOTSA rocks, holes, chatter, and other square-edged shit, and it desperately needed HS compression. I kept adding compression 4 clicks at a time, but by the time it actually started soaking in the chunder, the side-effect of losing rear traction had kicked in, and my tail end was trying to pass the front on a couple occasions.
I came away with this opinion: IF you were to go to Fox and order a FACTORY X2 specifically valved for a HEAVY e-bike(which they do all the time), you probably can get an X2 to work for you. ESPECIALLY if you're the type that prefers air over coil, i.e. you choose pop over smoothness.
My situation of trying the X2 'Performance' I had on another bike didn't produce results that would have me change my DHX2(coil) order over to an X2 however. It's ride-able, sure. It just didn't give enough control over the back end
I'll tell you something else I've learned with the '20-and this may cause some controversy here- In my experience with an '18 Kenevo and the '20, the '18's chassis IMO is MUCH more stable, and WAY less sensitive to setup. My '18 plowed down anything like a locomotive, turned just like a well made enduro bike, and jumped neutral. After one run down jumpline, I couldn't even feel its weight. In fairness, I pitched the OE Lyric(I hate SRAM suspension), and put on a G2 36. Kept the OE Ohins shock though.
The '20 OTOH, jumps like your riding a fricken semi, and has a terrible habit of dropping its nose. IMO Specialized took a BIG step backward with the '20 chassis. Even though it has MUCH more power, and with the addition of the 700wh batt(I bought it separately), I seriously regret selling my '18 for the '20.

 

[beutelfuchs]

You ain’t having much luck with that kenevo , mines been in shop for a week waiting for new forks ! I’ve been riding Mtb’s for nearly 30 yrs and had never had to use a warranty, buy a kenevo and it’s 3 time in 5 months ! If your listening spec “ GET A GRIP “ !

Indeed, two broken shocks which I had to solve by buying a different one. And now the 2nd broken engine. All within 1000Km

that is what mine did! and no one wanted to believe me!

But could you please share what you did with that? Was it repared and how? Did the change the engine as khorn assumes that its needed? Would be great if you could share all details!

 

[beutelfuchs]

Anyone who could tell the spoke length on the rear wheel, non drive side?

 

[E-volution]

I find the new Kenevo quite difficult to jump on small gap jumps etc. The rear shock combination with the rear yoke and possibly the geometry make small jumps a lot of hard work. Hard to compress into the jumps and little pop forcing much higher speeds that is often optimal. Has anyone figured a solution ?.

 

[yokev]

I find the new Kenevo quite difficult to jump on small gap jumps etc. The rear shock combination with the rear yoke and possibly the geometry make small jumps a lot of hard work. Hard to compress into the jumps and little pop forcing much higher speeds that is often optimal. Has anyone figured a solution ?.

I thought an X2(air shock) might help, and as luck would have it, I blew the shaft outta my stock Marz coil, and the X2 from my Pivot was the same exact size.
Wasn't a perfect comparison in my case, as the X2 was valved for a bike over 20lbs less, and of course for a different linkage curve(and wheel size). It ended up being way too soft, but I still could tell it gave more pop.
A couple things I noticed that contributed MORE to my bike riding like a semi. Firstly, the 700wh battery(I have a comp, but purchased the 700wh batt separately) adds a noticeable amount of weight in the downtube, which makes the front wheel wanna stay on the ground that much more.
I also installed a 29" front wheel on my bike(again, ripped the 29" forks and wheel off my pivot), and WHOA, Straight away the front end would dive like a 4-stroke mx bike with WAY too much engine braking. I finally got done building a set of 35mm wide(interior width) 27.5s, so installed them on my bike over the weekend, with a 2.8" tire up front. Bike jumped a LOT better than with the 29" wheel, and I still had the 29" forks on-gonna keep 'em , as the extra axle to crown picks the bottom bracket off the ground enough to really cut back on pedal dragging, plus there are instances where the 29" wheel works better, and I can run both wheels with these forks
If you don't mind the ride of an air shock(more harsh off the top than a coil)< I would advise buying an X2 direct from Fox so they can set it up/valve it for the 55lbs Kenevo. Otherwise you'll blow through the stroke, and when you try to slow it down with spacers you'll notice more harshness throughout the beginning and mid stroke, and the back end will start sliding around more. Contrary to popular belief, spacers don't merely slow down the end stroke. They affect the stroke from beginning to end, and also start taking away rear traction.

 

[CjP]

I ran a slightly heavier spring, maybe try that?

 

[yokev]

I ran a slightly heavier spring, maybe try that?

Really the only reason running a stiffer spring would help is if you're NOT running the correct spring for your weight, thus you're running to low.
The correct spring weight/proper sag number sets the shock up to run in the correct position in the stroke, i.e. beginning stroke when running over chatter, mid-stroke when running over holes and/or rocks, and end stroke when jumping etc.
If you for instance were to run a stiffer spring than you need, you'll end up running in the wrong stroke position, ie you could be hitting medium size rocks or holes in the beginning of the stroke, which among other things would create a harsher ride because of the softer valving. If you end up stuck in the mid-stroke when encountering big(ger) hits etc, then you'll end up blowing through it, which again, creates a harsh ride. And lemme tell you, blowing through the stroke when encountering big hits, HURTS.

 

[CjP]

Really the only reason running a stiffer spring would help is if you're NOT running the correct spring for your weight, thus you're running to low.
The correct spring weight/proper sag number sets the shock up to run in the correct position in the stroke, i.e. beginning stroke when running over chatter, mid-stroke when running over holes and/or rocks, and end stroke when jumping etc.
If you for instance were to run a stiffer spring than you need, you'll end up running in the wrong stroke position, ie you could be hitting medium size rocks or holes in the beginning of the stroke, which among other things would create a harsher ride because of the softer valving. If you end up stuck in the mid-stroke when encountering big(ger) hits etc, then you'll end up blowing through it, which again, creates a harsh ride. And lemme tell you, blowing through the stroke when encountering big hits, HURTS.

This I understand, I am running 200mm rear and just felt that the 550lb spring worked better for my 85kg. Without knowing the guys weight I thought maybe a different spring maybe what he needed

 

[#lazy]

Are these spring weight charts ebike specific which take into acc the extra bike weight ?

 

[CjP]

Are these spring weight charts ebike specific which take into acc the extra bike weight ?

Another reason I went up in spring weight

 

[Matlockmeat]

Just picked up a new Kenevo on Saturday from Berkshire Cycles.

Great bike but need to make a few tweaks to get it right.

First noticeable thing is seating position.
On paper the top tube length is huge however the bike feels tiny like I'm sat too far forward. It's and s4 and I'm 182cm.

I can't seem to tilt the seat back enough. If anything the nose is pointing down. There doesn't appear to be any more adjustment on the seat post.

I need to get over the back of the bike more. Command post doesn't feel no where near as good as my Xfusion on the Levo.

Anyone else felt like this? And what have you done to address it?