Kenevo SL Official 2022 Kenevo SL (KSL) Megathread!

MatCret

New Member
Jan 21, 2024
44
23
France, FarWest France
The final build!
Went through some parts swapping, suspension settings tweaking to find the near ideal setup!
Still wondering why I need to over pressurize the shock and closing a lot the HSC (20psi more compared to Specialized starting point...) and still bottoming a lot (I need to open the shock to check how many volume reducers are fitted). The bike is really enjoyable to ride, up and down.

Details:
I'm 1.70m/72kg with gear+food+water.

Frame size: S2
Mullet setup.
+1° headset cup.
High position bottom bracket.

31.6/150mm dropper post, ONEUP.
SDG Bel Air saddle.

Handlebar, PRO 40mm rise, 5° up, 9° back. 740mm width. Started with an old renthal but I really like more backsweep...
Stem, BURGTEC enduro mk3, 42.5mm/0°
15mm of spacers, started with 25mm but went progressively down.
BARFLY stem GPS mount.
RACE FACE Half Nelson grips, cut...

155mm cranks from the KIDS TURBO LEVO.
CRANK BROTHERS E-mallet pedals.

ROCKSHOX LYRIK ULTIMATE 170mm, 42mm offset, ANDREANI damper piston, C1 air piston and half a FORMULA NEOPOS token.
MUCKYNUTS mudguard.

NEWMEN EVOLUTION SL EG 30 wheel set (29"27.5")
CONTINENTAL DH super soft, 19psi front/22psi back.
MILKIT valves.
Tubeless.

SRAM CODE RSC brakes.
200mm CENTERLINE discs.

Custom frame bag (spare parts, tools,...) made by Bikepacking Raoul | Lille
ONEUP pump holder, the only one I found to fit the shape of the down tube...
Old CANNONDALE pump.

SRAM GX EAGLE derailleur, K7, trigger and chain.

ALL electric/electronic connectors coated with dielectric grease, usually very muddy and wet here. But not today!!!

Will probably cut the steerer tube once I am sure of the height...

Tell me what you think of it!

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Last edited:
Apr 11, 2023
24
17
US
The final build!
Went through some parts swapping, suspension settings tweaking to find the near ideal setup!
Still wondering why I need to over pressurize the shock and closing a lot the HSC (20psi more compared to Specialized starting point...) and still bottoming a lot (I need to open the shock to check how many volume reducers are fitted). The bike is really enjoyable to ride, up and down.

Details:
I'm 1.70m/72kg with gear+food+water.

Frame size: S2
Mullet setup.
+1° headset cup.
High position bottom bracket.

31.6/150mm dropper post, ONEUP.
SDG Bel Air saddle.

Handlebar, PRO 40mm rise, 5° up, 9° back. 740mm width. Started with an old renthal but I really like more backweep...
Stem, BURGTEC enduro mk3, 42.5mm/0°
15mm of spacers, started with 25mm but went progressively down.
BARFLY stem GPS mount.
RACE FACE Half Nelson grips, cut...

155mm cranks from the KIDS TURBO LEVO.
CRANK BROTHERS E-mallet pedals.

ROCKSHOX LYRIK ULTIMATE 170mm, 42mm offset, ANDREANI damper piston, C1 air piston and half a FORMULA NEOPOS token.
MUCKYNUTS mudguard.

NEWMEN EVOLUTION SL EG 30 wheel set (29"27.5")
CONTINENTAL DH super soft, 19psi front/22psi back.
MILKIT valves.
Tubeless.

SRAM CODE RSC brakes.
200mm CENTERLINE discs.

Custom frame bag (spare parts, tools,...) made by Bikepacking Raoul | Lille
ONEUP pump holder, the only one I found to fit the shape of the down tube...
Old CANNONDALE pump.

SRAM GX EAGLE derailleur, K7, trigger and chain.

ALL electric/electronic connectors coated with dielectric grease, usually very muddy and wet here. But not today!!!

Will probably cut the steerer tube once I am sure of the height...

Tell me what you think of it!

View attachment 138931 View attachment 138930 View attachment 138929 View attachment 138928 View attachment 138927 View attachment 138926 View attachment 138925 View attachment 138924 View attachment 138923 View attachment 138922 View attachment 138921
Nice setup, i am very close to you 5'5", 150lbs. I have KSL 1.1 (s2), but I have oneup 120. does the post get in the way when it is down. It looks high. I just measured my post and it is 6 cm from top of seat post clamp to the top of the insertion ring on the one up.
 

MatCret

New Member
Jan 21, 2024
44
23
France, FarWest France
Hi!
surely the seat post insertion is the weakness of the S2... but I don't feel bothered when riding downhill.
My bottom bracket to saddle rail length is 665mm (with 155mm cranks).
You are right to look for the maximum clearance when saddle is all the way down as the KSL needs a lot of rider's input!
(my point of view on the bike handling).
TDS.jpeg
 

Mene

New Member
Apr 11, 2024
7
4
Germany
Something is going on withe the kenevo. The normal kenevo was removed from the Specialized site in Germany and now there are huge discounts on the SL. The Kenevo SL 2 S-Works just droped from 13500.- to 8100.- €... Maybe maybe ..
 

Ou812

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2022
765
520
Inverness
Something is going on withe the kenevo. The normal kenevo was removed from the Specialized site in Germany and now there are huge discounts on the SL. The Kenevo SL 2 S-Works just droped from 13500.- to 8100.- €... Maybe maybe ..
Spesh is just trying to clear out inventory, almost all their bikes are on sale right now. There’s some crazy deals going on, I’m looking at the S-works stumpjumer for 50% off!
 

Mene

New Member
Apr 11, 2024
7
4
Germany
Yeah but normaly, these huge Discounts will be right before a new model comes out (whehter its a repaint and respec of the current one or a new Gen.) The Levo does not have any discounts (besides the 22 Models)...
 

Dax

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 25, 2018
1,726
2,112
FoD
Seems unlikely there will be a KSL 3 anytime soon. Even updated colours seem unlikely given the KSL2 only launched 5.5 months ago
 

sethimus

Member
Dec 31, 2023
127
114
Switzerland
Something is going on withe the kenevo. The normal kenevo was removed from the Specialized site in Germany and now there are huge discounts on the SL. The Kenevo SL 2 S-Works just droped from 13500.- to 8100.- €... Maybe maybe ..
looks like they offloading the old colors. old expert is reduced, new colors not

dealer prices were already reduced a few weeks ago
 

head

Active member
Jul 2, 2020
124
119
Slovakia
Something is going on withe the kenevo. The normal kenevo was removed from the Specialized site in Germany and now there are huge discounts on the SL. The Kenevo SL 2 S-Works just droped from 13500.- to 8100.- €... Maybe maybe ..

This morning, there was a sweet deal on a 2023 Kenevo SL 2 Expert for 6300 EUR, but it is no longer listed.
 

Endurafrika

Member
Jul 7, 2022
27
12
Cape Town
Something is going on withe the kenevo. The normal kenevo was removed from the Specialized site in Germany and now there are huge discounts on the SL. The Kenevo SL 2 S-Works just droped from 13500.- to 8100.- €... Maybe maybe ..
I doubt there is anything coming. I have just received a crash replacement frame which was manufactured in March '23. Way to short for a new model being lined up.
 

davem85

Member
Feb 1, 2021
47
16
Germany
kids levo with 50% discount... that makes the motor upgrade very reasonable.

patience pays :)
Did anyone here actually do a motor swap using the kids bike? Can you easily "derestrict" it? Is the chainring usable for an adult and does the chainline work with an "old" AXS kit? I think you would probably need cranks at least - SRAM Dub compatible as well like the adult Transmission kits?

Cheers!
 

cañonaco

Member
Feb 3, 2020
57
70
España
Did anyone here actually do a motor swap using the kids bike? Can you easily "derestrict" it? Is the chainring usable for an adult and does the chainline work with an "old" AXS kit? I think you would probably need cranks at least - SRAM Dub compatible as well like the adult Transmission kits?

Cheers!
The chainring is identical to that of the Levo SL2, Eagle Sync2 32T. The 155 cranks are also perfect for adults. Only the engine protector is essential for the Kenevo SL1
 

soso79

Member
Feb 19, 2021
51
104
Germany
If somebody want a 1.2 Motor, got one as sparepart. Dont Need it anymore.
For the rest like, cranks, update, Spider, please care by yourself.
Pm :)
 

Rich-H

Active member
Apr 3, 2023
151
110
Hampshire
If I upgrade the Code RS to Mavens, do I need new rotors?
No, but you might need new mounting brackets (depending on rotor size).

00.5318.007.009 POST BRACKET - 20 P 1 (FOR USE WITH 160MM AND 180MM ROTORS ONLY) (140 to 160 OR 160 to 180)
00.5318.007.010 POST BRACKET - 20 P 2 (FOR USE WITH 200MM AND 220MM ROTORS ONLY) (180 to 200 OR 200 to 220)
 

venturavin

New Member
May 10, 2024
7
18
CA
KSL.jpeg


Long time listener, first time caller. Rode normal bikes for 20+ years, moved to an area with pretty terrible trails a few years ago and turned to ebiking to spice things up. Started out with a Norco Sight VLT. Had lots of fun with the full power not going to lie, and the seemingly infinite range of the 900wh battery was a treat. But having loved riding normal bikes (including specifically Stumpjumpers and Enduros in recent history) I had always been very curious about the Kenevo SL. An Enduro that pedals like an Epic? Sign me up. Finally curiosity got the best of me, listed my Norco for sale, and found a sweet deal on a KSL nearby with 120 miles on it.

So far, incredibly stoked with how it rides. I'd say all the reports are true so no need to beat a dead horse... but these bikes sure are fun and live up to the hype. I found it telling that the only consistent gripe you read about is the motor noise... to me an extremely trivial issue indicating there aren't many other issues for people to fuss about.

One of the major conflicts I grappled with before buying was that I knew if I went lightweight ebike I'd want the distance of a range extender (for long exploration days, and for days in turbo keeping up with full power friends). But having avoided wearing a pack for a solid 10+ years now I had no interest in going back just because my battery was hogging my bottle cage. I'm sure a lot of people do this, but I did not see much online about it to help me out... so for anyone like me who wants to run a range extender and no pack, I was able to juussssst barely slam a 590ml fidlock bottle inside the front triangle. To make it fit I had to ditch the spacers under the bottle cage. Also had to ditch the flip lid for the water bottle and cut off the lid's mounting tabs. Not terribly worried since the lid is just to keep dirt off, and it is pretty well sheltered by the range extender that is 1mm away.

This is on an S4. S5 would probably be a breeze. There's also plenty of room to just put the fidlock above the top tube thanks to the shallow seat insertion... but keeping everything inside the frame feels much tidier even if it's a bit jammed. Fidlock also offers a 750ml "compact" bottle that looks like it might be similar length that I will probably try as well.

Anyone else got any good solutions they've come up with for range extender + hydration without a pack?
 

Teoslav

Member
Nov 4, 2023
17
25
Zagreb, Croatia
Has anybody been running a coil shock?

I am riding the Float X2 with about 260Psi and was wondering if anyone switched to coil and what spring are they running.

I do not have any problems with the air shock currently (except for some air leaking) but I would go for the coil just for the lower service interval. Any thoughts?
 

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