Kenevo Gen1 Specialized Turbo Kenevo owners please help me

[marcellistudios]

Hey Everyone,
I'm in the market for an EMTB. I think I've narrowed my search down to either a YT Decoy or a Turbo Kenevo Comp.. I would love to hear the pros and cons from anyone owns a Kenevo as I want to make sure I'm as educated as possible when I drop my money down.

My main concerns are:
1. Motor feel when riding and power delivery (smooth, rough?) and reliability
2. and over all handling and reliability of the bike as a whole.

thank you so much!

 

[Salespunk]

I have several hundred miles on my Kenevo. The power delivery is excellent and highly tunable unlike a lot of the other systems available. Overall reliability has been OK on my bike. My TCU went out and had to replaced under warranty which took about 10 days. Other than that my bike has been. On the handling side, the bike is a monster. I have ridden it with both 275 and 29 setups and it just smashes through everything. The Decoy is closer to the Levo than the Kenevo with the HA and a few other measurements, but closer to the reach of the Kenevo.

 

[marcellistudios]

I have several hundred miles on my Kenevo. The power delivery is excellent and highly tunable unlike a lot of the other systems available. Overall reliability has been OK on my bike. My TCU went out and had to replaced under warranty which took about 10 days. Other than that my bike has been. On the handling side, the bike is a monster. I have ridden it with both 275 and 29 setups and it just smashes through everything. The Decoy is closer to the Levo than the Kenevo with the HA and a few other measurements, but closer to the reach of the Kenevo.

Hey thanks for the feedback. What do you mean by HA? I’m still learning. Are you on the comp or the expert?

 

[marcellistudios]

I have several hundred miles on my Kenevo. The power delivery is excellent and highly tunable unlike a lot of the other systems available. Overall reliability has been OK on my bike. My TCU went out and had to replaced under warranty which took about 10 days. Other than that my bike has been. On the handling side, the bike is a monster. I have ridden it with both 275 and 29 setups and it just smashes through everything. The Decoy is closer to the Levo than the Kenevo with the HA and a few other measurements, but closer to the reach of the Kenevo.

Would you say the Decoy is in a much different category then the kenevo? It looks to be a strong enduro/dh (all around) bike.

 

[Salespunk]

The head angle. You really need steep/rough terrain to use the Kenevo. The Kenevo geometry is close to that of a DH bike. If your local trails tend to a little bit mellower the Decoy might be a better choice. I do think they are different categories of bike even though YT markets the Decoy like the Kenevo. It is actually closer to the Levo. You can see it when you put the numbers side by side

Kenevo/Decoy/Levo

Head Angle 64/66/66
Reach 495/455/462
Wheel Base 1293/1235/1235

I would continue, but you can see the trend here. Comparisons are S4/Lg/Lg frame sizes. The Decoy lines up almost exactly with the Levo on almost every measurement.

 

[marcellistudios]

The head angle. You really need steep/rough terrain to use the Kenevo. The Kenevo geometry is close to that of a DH bike. If your local trails tend to a little bit mellower the Decoy might be a better choice. I do think they are different categories of bike even though YT markets the Decoy like the Kenevo. It is actually closer to the Levo. You can see it when you put the numbers side by side

Kenevo/Decoy/Levo

Head Angle 64/66/66
Reach 495/455/462
Wheel Base 1293/1235/1235

I would continue, but you can see the trend here. Comparisons are S4/Lg/Lg frame sizes. The Decoy lines up almost exactly with the Levo on almost every measurement.

Thank you so much that makes total sense

 

[Peko]

You really need steep/rough terrain to use the Kenevo

Can't agree here.

I have a 17Levo and a 20 Kenevo and mostly I ride the Levo on technical and playful trails and shorter ride-outs.
Somehow I prefer my Kenevo on longer rides... And of course on steep downhill stuff. ?
I feel more comfortable on it.?‍

 

[wepn]

Have you considered the X-Wing? -19 Kenevo geometry is much more like the Decoy.

Probably my favourite bike of all and according to all reports, considerably more reliable.

	20- Kenevo	-19 Kenevo	Decoy	Levo
Head Angle	64	65	66	66
Reach	495	455	455	462
Wheel Base	1293	1233	1235	1235

 

[Adam Thomas]

I own a 2019 Kenevo Expert and its a bruiser with 180mm travel it tackles steep chunky downhills and takes it all in its stride. Im hitting pretty decent bike park doubles with no problems at all. No its not flickable and agile like a Levo . So I would suggest you should consider the terrain you wish to ride. Also a massive thing to consider is warranty . From my own personal experience Spesh are just brilliant at looking after there riders .

 

[panaphonic]

Remember that the Kenevo has a flip chip that can raise the bb and steepen the head angle. Also combine that with a slightly firmer spring and it makes for quite an agile ride (for a 24kg eMtb).

Reliability is good but a 4 year warranty is good too.