Specialized Kenevo or Merida e-One Sixty

[slowbrain]

Have anyone had chance to try both to somewhat compare - namely riding performance (uphill), stability and agility? Based on this test on e-mountain magazine I can get how eOne Sixty compares to Levo.
I'm just deciding which one to get and struggling little bit because I have no chance to test neither of them.
I've been test riding my girlfriend's Levo Comp 2018 and loved it. If Kenevo climb performance is just 80% of Levo it will be still awesome. I'm also not sure what to wait from Shimano STePS motor. On Levo I've been running 20-40-60 assist. The biggest problem with Levo was that on bigger jumps I tend to bottoming it even with 20% sag setup.

 

[Kernow]

Merida is along travel enduro , the Levo is a medium travel trail bike . If your already bottoming out a Levo then you need the Merida . IMO the Merida is streets ahead having ridden both .
Check this out , if there’s any left it’s got to be the best deal I’ve seen in a while
MERIDA eOne Sixty 800 27,5”+ 2018 Black / Blue Mountainbike

 

[slowbrain]

Merida is along travel enduro , the Levo is a medium travel trail bike . If your already bottoming out a Levo then you need the Merida . IMO the Merida is streets ahead having ridden both .
Check this out , if there’s any left it’s got to be the best deal I’ve seen in a while
MERIDA eOne Sixty 800 27,5”+ 2018 Black / Blue Mountainbike

My dilemma is to choose between Kenevo and Merida.
Geometries of both are very similar (down to mm, most significant difference is rear linkage). Both have more travel than Levo I've tried and are praised for downhill performance. I guess I would not make mistake there with any of those two.

Levo, in my personal opinion, climbs excellently therefore I've started to think about Kenevo (similar platform, motor). Is Kenevo much worse than Levo in climbs?

Thanks for the link though... It's €500 less than what I've found so far!

 

[knut7]

I haven't ridden the Levo yet, but the Kenevo clims very well. Going ut the steep hill of the local dh track (slalom slope) it did very well. In technical climbs I prefer the Shimano motor as I find it easier to control. But that could just be because I'm used to the E8000. Both of these bikes are quite agile considering how burly they are. The Kenevo needs a bit of speed to really come alive. The Merida wheighs a little bit less and is more fun at moderate speed, typically on flat sections and thight turns, and can still be ridden hard. It's a bit more all-round.

 

[mxh]

I demo'd both the Kenevo and the Merida before I made a purchase.. I really liked the Kenevo, but it felt quite bulky, and almost a bit too much bike for the sort of trails I'd ride it on. I almost think it would be more suited to sticking a triple clamp fork on there and self shuttling the DH trails. I know it's based on the Enduro, but it feels a lot burlier (and I can compare, as I've also got an Enduro)

In the end I went for the e-One sixty. It's got a great spec, is a couple of K cheaper (AUD) and just feels a bit more like an enduro bike. And that includes climbing - I feel it does that a bit better than the Kenevo. That might have something to do with the steeper head angle, although I might, at some point, slacken it out a little which could negate the difference.

Overall though, I don't think you'd be disappointed with either.

 

[slowbrain]

Thank you guys! I will try to get on at least one before I get it.
I'll update this post once I get the bike.
Thanks again.

 

[drjarvis2003]

If you ride steep slopes, it's also worth checking how far down you can get the saddle on each bike.

 

[slowbrain]

Indeed @drjarvis2003, but I guess it is rather equal there too.
Merida goes down only 115 mm and WU on Kenevo (150 - 120, back and front of the saddle) is one thing many people complain about...
Kenevo has tiny bit more compact chassis, but I guess without testing it would be just pure speculation from my side...

 

[zeeack]

I have a Kenevo in large and I’m about 5.10” I can’t complain at all! Done a few rides up the peaks and a few rides on some steep local bike park trails with some decent sized jumps. Climbing wise it powers up anything I throw at it and downhill it comes alive also flys through the air on any jumps! The seat post on the Kenevo is a little high even in the dropped position being the command post with its tilt action but that can be sorted with a reverb or simalar but it hasn’t bothered me at all! I’ve not road the Merida so can only comment on what my bike feels like. Hope this helps.

Zack

 

[drjarvis2003]

Indeed @drjarvis2003, but I guess it is rather equal there too.
Merida goes down only 115 mm and WU on Kenevo (150 - 120, back and front of the saddle) is one thing many people complain about...
Kenevo has tiny bit more compact chassis, but I guess without testing it would be just pure speculation from my side...

Sorry, I meant the saddle height at full drop, compared to bar height.

 

[slowbrain]

Sorry, I meant the saddle height at full drop, compared to bar height.

I've played little bit with that (overlaping the pictures) and surprisingly Merida seems to be marginally better in this respect (saddle height at full drop, compared to bar height) although the "cockpit" is compacter for Kenevo.

 

[drjarvis2003]

I thought that. Have only tried a kenevo on the easy hills round the shop so couldn't tell if the seat would go down as far as my merida. I should have measured it when I had the chance. Both tried in medium.

 

[Muzzabike]

A mate has a Kenevo and I have an e-Onesixty. I have been able to ride both on varying terrain.
Both are great bikes. A very quick sum up would be do you want an enduro feeling bike?(e-Onesixty) or more of a downhill bike (Kenevo). The Kenevo doesn't feel as lively, this could be due to coil shock and extra weight. The coil rear end does do a fantastic job of soaking up everything.
The limiting factor with the Kenevo being able to climb technical steep sections was more down to the specialized tyres than the bike itself. After a five hour ride on the Kenevo trying to pop off small features etc, I was exhausted. But if you are more of a big hitting, hard and fast rider then the kenevo is a great tool for the job. I enjoy riding the Kenevo as the motor is quieter and until recently had an advantage of being able to be set ECO lower than the ECO mode of the Shimano fixed ECO mode. (recent DU update has reduced this), but personally I very happy with the my choice of the e-Onesixty. I hope this helps.

 

[slowbrain]

I've decided to give it a try and go for Merida.
My 45 minutes long intense demo ride of Kenevo ended up very similar as @Muzzabike described - that bike drains you. I've never been on bike that flew through rock-garden as if they are pebble stones, that was just awesome, but I missed the agility of Levo. I've tried 2019 Levo on the same loop right afterwards and it was quite a difference in handling and liveliness in slower speeds. But Levo is definitely on the edge with bigger drops and gnarlier terrain.
I tend to drift to enduro style riding nowadays, as I get older, so Merida it is.
If Merida is better than Levo as @Kernow mentioned it's a win. If I will miss the longer travel I know what to swap the bike for eventually!

Thanks to everyone for very helpful insights!

 

[R120]

You should check out the Vitus E-Sommett if you get a chance, can descend like a Kenevo but more chuckable.

 

[drjarvis2003]

I've decided to give it a try and go for Merida.
My 45 minutes long intense demo ride of Kenevo ended up very similar as @Muzzabike described - that bike drains you. I've never been on bike that flew through rock-garden as if they are pebble stones, that was just awesome, but I missed the agility of Levo. I've tried 2019 Levo on the same loop right afterwards and it was quite a difference in handling and liveliness in slower speeds. But Levo is definitely on the edge with bigger drops and gnarlier terrain.
I tend to drift to enduro style riding nowadays, as I get older, so Merida it is.
If Merida is better than Levo as @Kernow mentioned it's a win. If I will miss the longer travel I know what to swap the bike for eventually!

Thanks to everyone for very helpful insights!

You could always throw in a 180mm air shaft to extend your fork and they are only about 40 quid.

 

[slowbrain]

@drjarvis2003 is it really that simple to extend the fork? It makes sense though. Same base for all the travels and the difference is just in guts...

 

[drjarvis2003]

@drjarvis2003 is it really that simple to extend the fork? It makes sense though. Same base for all the travels and the difference is just in guts...

Yes, I have done it for 3 bikes so far and whilst I had the fork off, put in an angle headset too. You will need lower leg fork oil and some of the correct grease though.

 

[Kernow]

Yes, I have done it for 3 bikes so far and whilst I had the fork off, put in an angle headset too. You will need lower leg fork oil and some of the correct grease though.

Thought if doing it when I fitted mine , did you notice the steering feeling slower .

 

[Muzzabike]

I have also installed a new 180mm debonair air shaft (Rock shox). I do find as these have a larger negative air chamber the actual measure travel when the bike is just sitting there is about 175mm. I also fitted a lower headset cap to enable me to drop the bars to account for the forks extra height. Feels great, and it is not an expensive upgrade. One of the reasons I opted for the e-onesixty- 800 was the rock shox suspension that I can source parts and work on easier than the other main brand.

 

[Crud249]

Just adding my thoughts on couple of points,

I have got 2017 levo with 160mm fork upgrade... And now got merida e160 800 and I've put a 170 cartridge in the forks. It makes a massive difference to the levo! And adds a little extra to the merida.

After having ridden both bikes I can honestly say the merida is a weapon compared to the levo! I'm a dh rider and the merida rides amazing at most dh tracks! It feels lighter, although I'm sure it's not much lighter, it certainly rides and feels lighter. The merida is my goto bike now. Even the basic slx brakes are surprisingly good! On par if not better than the guides on the levo.

Both bikes climb well, the shimano motor works amazing in trail mode and gives a different sort of assistance than the levo, makes the levo feel a bit flat. But... I've yet to have the latest update to the levo which I'm told will improve the liveliness of the motor.

Hope this helps anyone deciding between the 2 bikes.

 

[drjarvis2003]

Thought if doing it when I fitted mine , did you notice the steering feeling slower .

No, it was an improvement but not a big one. Also fitted a 2018 lyric damper and that helped quite a bit.

 

[mxh]

You could always throw in a 180mm air shaft to extend your fork and they are only about 40 quid.

Can you just clarify what fork you're talking about here - I know the top level eOneSixty has the Fox 36s but I think others in the range use a Rockshox fork.

And if you're talking about the RockShox - does anyone know if it's possible to also extend the latest e-bike specific Fox 36 fork?

 

[drjarvis2003]

Can you just clarify what fork you're talking about here - I know the top level eOneSixty has the Fox 36s but I think others in the range use a Rockshox fork.

And if you're talking about the RockShox - does anyone know if it's possible to also extend the latest e-bike specific Fox 36 fork?

Was talking about the rockshox, but you can also do it on the fox, although I think it only goes to 170mm. You will need to check that though. Ben cathro did a vid on YouTube about the fox.

 

[slowbrain]

This is a closure of this tread.
I've got Merida eOne Sixty 2019 first. Definitely one hell of a bike!
Unfortunately frame was cracked and return it. Bummer #1.
There was no other piece in my size to replace it so I would have to wait until March 2019. Bummer #2.
At that point I put my order on new Levo. I've got it last week and I have to say yet another one hell of a bike (for me). I figured that only for 10-20% of my rides I would find Kenevo better suited bike and I was really tempted with new motor and integrated battery (damn).
Levo is indeed quite more expensive compare to Commencal, Canyon even Merida if one looks at components. On the other hand it is quieter than Merida I shortly had so it adds some value to it (for those who care).
So I've ended with completely different bike than initially intended but I'm very happy with it.

 

[mxh]

Unfortunately frame was cracked and return it

Where abouts did the frame crack? And any explanation / reason as to why it cracked? Would be interested to know just in case there's a weak point on them that needs keeping an eye on.

 

[slowbrain]

I do not have picture of it anymore. It was hair wide crack just in front of the top weld between seat tube and top tube. Bike shop said they never had such issue with any Merida bike before. I didn't ask for reason though.