What did you do to your Levo/Kenevo today?

Rusty

E*POWAH BOSS
Jul 17, 2019
1,513
1,673
New Zealand
Yesterday I drove my Levo 330 kms.

Was going to finish work early and go for a ride but when the trees started leaning over about 45 degrees and the rain got heavy enough to turn the roads into a kayak section I decided Feck that and went home early. Put the bike into a nice warm garage and hoping it will light up when I press the button tonight.
 

55plusmxinsanity

E*POWAH Elite
Aug 18, 2019
283
254
Apple Valley, California
Yesterday I drove my Levo 330 kms.

Was going to finish work early and go for a ride but when the trees started leaning over about 45 degrees and the rain got heavy enough to turn the roads into a kayak section I decided Feck that and went home early. Put the bike into a nice warm garage and hoping it will light up when I press the button tonight.
Mine sometimes takes a couple days. It’s the tcu that’s the bugger. I have taped mine up.

CUSHCORE: after 1200 miles on tubeless, I added the cushcores. Wow, I can really feel the tires connecting with the trail. I still run my preferred pressures, no low pressure for me
 

jbodnar

Active member
Patreon
Subscriber
Nov 23, 2019
143
79
California
I put a new Cane Creek DB coil shock on my Comp. Was going to put it on my S-Works but the comp is going to get ridden more.
View attachment 22918
Longer stroke and some offset bushings, I now have 168mm of travel to match the 170mm I have in the front.

Al,

Is that a 210 x 55?

I noticed you didn’t use an IL model and have the Sprindex...is it worth the money in terms of plushness over the stock shock?

Do you recommend upgrading the stock Lyrik Select to 170 and upgrading the damper to RC2?

Thanks.
 

Al Boneta

Dark Rider
Patreon
Founding Member
Jan 18, 2018
1,351
2,602
California
Al,

Is that a 210 x 55?

I noticed you didn’t use an IL model and have the Sprindex...is it worth the money in terms of plushness over the stock shock?

Do you recommend upgrading the stock Lyrik Select to 170 and upgrading the damper to RC2?

Thanks.
No it’s not a 210x55

A DB is easier to customize than an IL

It’s only worth it if you know how to tune it.

Too many people buy expensive suspension and have no idea what any of the knobs do.
082EC04A-CC78-4A89-BF4D-9C2A5717F5DA.jpeg

Based on my experience, coil and air shocks both have pros and cons and one can be better than the other based on application.

The stock fork is actually really good. Don’t let it’s value fool you. Overall I think the Lyrik forks offer great performance and value and I would buy them over a Fox 36 if I didn’t prefer something else.
Upgrading the damper to the RC2 won’t make it all of sudden miraculously better. While it does improve the performance slightly, the difference won’t be that noticeable despite every other armchair suspension tuner telling everyone that it’s “night and day”

In my experience small incremental performance upgrades are not as noticeable on an Emtb as they are on a regular mtb.

Going to 170 will void the warranty and make the bike handle like a chopper unless you go to a 210x155 in the rear. 160/150 is actually a really nice sweet spot on the Levo.
But I like to experiment, which I didn’t really get to do with a gen 2 Levo last year.
Since the 2020 Kenevo can’t be set up as full 29er, I wanted to see just how far I could take a Levo. Now that my 2020 Kenevo comp came yesterday, it will be my next bike I experiment with.

This is all based on my experience selling Levos, upgrading Levos and repairing Levos.
It is solely my opinion.

628BB786-66F9-4463-97D8-D42F87979DD5.jpeg
 
Last edited:

Zimmerframe

MUPPET
Subscriber
Jun 12, 2019
14,001
20,757
Brittany, France
Yesterday I drove my Levo 330 kms.

Was going to finish work early and go for a ride but when the trees started leaning over about 45 degrees and the rain got heavy enough to turn the roads into a kayak section I decided Feck that and went home early. Put the bike into a nice warm garage and hoping it will light up when I press the button tonight.

You seem to be sharing our weather .. I need to go out with the chainsaw and open up some trails, but the trees seem to be coming down fast still, so it seems pretty pointless. You can even kayak some of the fire roads at the moment ..

fireroad.jpg
 

jbodnar

Active member
Patreon
Subscriber
Nov 23, 2019
143
79
California
No it’s not a 210x55

A DB is easier to customize than an IL

It’s only worth it if you know how to tune it.

Too many people buy expensive suspension and have no idea what any of the knobs do.
View attachment 23218
Based on my experience, coil and air shocks both have pros and cons and one can be better than the other based on application.

The stock fork is actually really good. Don’t let it’s value fool you. Overall I think the Lyrik forks offer great performance and value and I would buy them over a Fox 36 if I didn’t prefer something else.
Upgrading the damper to the RC2 won’t make it all of sudden miraculously better. While it does improve the performance slightly, the difference won’t be that noticeable despite every other armchair suspension tuner telling everyone that it’s “night and day”

In my experience small incremental performance upgrades are not as noticeable on an Emtb as they are on a regular mtb.

Going to 170 will void the warranty and make the bike handle like a chopper unless you go to a 210x155 in the rear. 160/150 is actually a really nice sweet spot on the Levo.
But I like to experiment, which I didn’t really get to do with a gen 2 Levo last year.
Since the 2020 Kenevo can’t be set up as full 29er, I wanted to see just how far I could take a Levo. Now that my 2020 Kenevo comp came yesterday, it will be my next bike I experiment with.

This is all based on my experience selling Levos, upgrading Levos and repairing Levos.
It is solely my opinion.

View attachment 23219

That’s the exact sort of advice I was looking for.

I’m not an experienced shock/fork tuner, but I do have a Shockwiz...will see how plush I can get the stock suspension, before I make any suspension changes.

Seems like the stock suspension adjustments are limited...

I definitely want at least 160 in the front.

I wish I could fit a 3.0 in the rear...that would make the Levo the perfect bike for me...I’m used to my 29+ Lunchbox with 156 mm rear and 170 mm front (but it has a super short chainstay and short wheelbase).

Thanks.
 

Al Boneta

Dark Rider
Patreon
Founding Member
Jan 18, 2018
1,351
2,602
California
That’s the exact sort of advice I was looking for.

I’m not an experienced shock/fork tuner, but I do have a Shockwiz...will see how plush I can get the stock suspension, before I make any suspension changes.

Seems like the stock suspension adjustments are limited...

I definitely want at least 160 in the front.

I wish I could fit a 3.0 in the rear...that would make the Levo the perfect bike for me...I’m used to my 29+ Lunchbox with 156 mm rear and 170 mm front (but it has a super short chainstay and short wheelbase).

Thanks.
The adjustments are limited because the majority of riders don’t really understand even the basics of suspension set up.

Tire pressure and tire choice are also crucial in setting up your bike. If you want that 3.0 feeling, install Cushcores.
Grab a pump and find a section of trail with a downhill turn that you can easily rail every time. Experiment with your tire pressure until you find that edge of grip. Document all the changes, that way you have data to refer back to.
 

Zimmerframe

MUPPET
Subscriber
Jun 12, 2019
14,001
20,757
Brittany, France
The adjustments are limited because the majority of riders don’t really understand even the basics of suspension set up.

Tire pressure and tire choice are also crucial in setting up your bike. If you want that 3.0 feeling, install Cushcores.
Grab a pump and find a section of trail with a downhill turn that you can easily rail every time. Experiment with your tire pressure until you find that edge of grip. Document all the changes, that way you have data to refer back to.

Al's gone all Burt on us ! ... COOL ! :)
 

ebikerider

Active member
Oct 1, 2019
706
484
Australia
The stock fork is actually really good.

In my experience small incremental performance upgrades are not as noticeable on an Emtb as they are on a regular mtb.

Going to 170 will void the warranty and make the bike handle like a chopper unless you go to a 210x155 in the rear. 160/150 is actually a really nice sweet spot on the Levo.

This is all based on my experience selling Levos, upgrading Levos and repairing Levos.
It is solely my opinion.
I have removed parts of your quote for ease of reading and because I agreed. The rest remains because I disagree and imo it is technically incorrect.

A 210x55mm stroke only changes the bike in compression ie when it bottoms out. It does not change the static position of the bike or suspension length from standard so the chopper comment is incorrect and misleading.

The stock Lyrik Select relies heavily on air pressure and pneumatic ramp up from tokens to stop bottoming because the damper does not provide any support. It can be harsh and generally doesn't work well over a wide range of settings when ridden with a little gusto. It's not rubbish but calling it really good is a stretch.

IMO small changes on the ebike are much more noticeable than on a standard bike.
Better drivetrain...smoother shifts. Much easier to get perfect shifts on a normal bike most of the day, having bulk torque and swapping lots of gears can catch out the most careful ebike rider so having a better drivetrain lessens the chances of whincing when it crunches as it should be smoother more of the time.

Better brakes...yep, not fading, not shitting myself at the end of a descent slowing up me and my 25kg battery.

Better grips....ebike I'm riding longer so appreciate the greater comfort...same for bars.

Better seat...sitting pedaling more...less butt hurt.

Just my opinion too btw ??
 

Pyr0

E*POWAH Master
Sep 22, 2019
533
387
Wirral, UK
Today I fitted an invisiframe kit to my 2020 expert. The bike shop said they couldn't as they didn't have a sterile area, lol. I did it in a carpeted room with a cat walking around being nosey.
It was pretty easy and turned out quite well for a novice imho. It just took a few hours and probably would have been easier if I had more room and/or a maintenance stand.

After the invisiframe kit, I added a rear mudhugger and swapped my front brake and gear levers around to move the gears slightly further from the hand grip.
 

Pyr0

E*POWAH Master
Sep 22, 2019
533
387
Wirral, UK
Just had a look at the specialized link above, but it was blank when I selected turbo levo and 2020 :(

I took my levo for a quick spin around the local woods
CLnzolR.jpg

Will H’s lower mudguard cant come soon enough :)
 
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Levo Laland

Well-known member
Nov 27, 2019
273
236
Surrey UK
I got one of the lower mudguards as well.
Shame about the 2020 models not showing in the suspension app. Mine’s the 2019.
 

jbodnar

Active member
Patreon
Subscriber
Nov 23, 2019
143
79
California
Installed some fenders...

446AD66B-4AAF-4FD0-B382-8FB18F1D8329.jpeg


Will Hesch‘s rear guard and Crud XL Fender.

I can slide the XL up to fit the Thule Insta-Gator arm...can’t say it keeps the stanchions as clean as other fenders.

Will install a large Mudhugger rear fender later.
 

Four Flusher

Active member
Jun 24, 2019
122
85
Reno
I can’t recommend Cushcore enough. I can now install them in twenty minutes but I use the Park WH-1 to hold the wheel while I do it.
View attachment 22922
After watching a few youtube about Cushcore I'm ready to give them a try. Two questions. Do you just add extra sealant like normal? And, if you do get a flat that can't be patched, do you pull out the Cushcore and add a tube to get home?
 

Al Boneta

Dark Rider
Patreon
Founding Member
Jan 18, 2018
1,351
2,602
California
After watching a few youtube about Cushcore I'm ready to give them a try. Two questions. Do you just add extra sealant like normal? And, if you do get a flat that can't be patched, do you pull out the Cushcore and add a tube to get home?
I have never had a flat tire with Cushcore. It would be hard to pull the Cushcore out Trail side, but you can ride on a flat with Cushcore without destroying your wheel
 

#lazy

E*POWAH BOSS
Oct 1, 2019
1,404
1,529
Surrey
We did a 4 1/2 hr Leith hill ride this morning, was great fun , big group and Danny from MBR was on his Levo !
 

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