Is my Specialized Kenevo Expert illegally trimed?

V86

Member
Jul 13, 2018
48
38
Norway
Sooo...that was a fun experience in my commute to work today. I just got told off at the stop light infront of 10 other bikers by a fellow emtb biker on a Haibike. He basicly told me to get the fuck out off the bike lane with my illegally trimmed ebike and told me register it as a moped instead. I had biked past him half a km earlier and he was 110% shure I was on a trimmed ebike because of the speed I was going at. Our laws are quite strick on ebike, so I don´t even want to trim my bike, I feel its fast enough as it is. I even tell people myself it´s not worth it and I would never do it myself , when they ask me about emtb and trimming comes up.

I am a heavy but physically strong man(110kg ) and I do like it in turbo. But I havn´t done anythning to my kenevo expert after I bought it «demo used» at a Specialized consept store some months ago. When I bought it they did change out the wheel and the rear cassete, since the wheel had taken a hit and the cassette had some wear, but other than that I would think its quite stock?

Since I don´t ride with a speedometer or riding app I don´t really know how fast I was going.
I did do a test with a gps speedometer app on my way home though. On the uphill I was only at 26km/h when I was at the 3rd highes gear. When I came to the flat I could get it up to 30-35km/h. on the second highes gear (my highest has a broken tooth) , but I was peddeling like crazy and I could barly catch up to the speed of the wheel. But if that was the motor still helping, momentum or just me doing to many squats :p, I don´t know.

I also have 2red lights that comes on for a few sec when I start in in fully charged state.
Could it be a fault in the speedsensor or motor? (How does it even messure and cut the power after 25km/h?) Has someone who borrowed it for a demo Illegally trimmed it (and how is that even possible) or is it just to much leg press at the gym ?:p
 
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skyfree

Member
Aug 31, 2018
41
43
Fremont, CA USA
Wow, I thought that kind of stuff happens only here in the USA :)

I have some experience with this and I know that on the flat I can peddle my Giant Trance above the 32 km/h cutoff which is how class 1 is defined here, but I have 29'r commuter wheels with 50mm tires on it pumped up to street riding pressure. The Trance is geared low, and there was no reason I could see to derestrict (trim?) it because at that speed the cadence is already near my comfortable limit for sustained travel. I'd have to gear up to make it worth it, and I'd only get another 1.6 km/h with the largest chainring I can fit.

I can't do it for long, and not above 35 km/h. It's easier to hang out right at the cutoff so that's not something I do regularly. Tires make a huge difference. I also have my suspension locked out.

My other bike is a derestricted Haibike and that thing will cruise at 37 km/h in Turbo with normal / moderate effort. Top speed is limited by cadence at about 49 km/h. That has a commuter tire on the back and a 3" knobby on the front. The only person who ever passed me on that bike was on a Turbo Vado class 3 (45 km/h) in turbo (legal here).

If yours was completely derestricted I think you would know. You should measure your top speed on the flat and if it's above 40 with only moderate effort it probably is. There is also physical evidence for chipped bikes if you take a look at the motor. The chip on my Haibike is quite large and will not fit within the motor casing. There are also other versions that replace the speed sensor that should be obvious to spot.
 

V86

Member
Jul 13, 2018
48
38
Norway
Apparantly I was on the old Mission Controll app?

And someone who demoed it might had gone in and adjustet the wheel size.
So I will do a factory reset and se if that helps.My rear tire had 4 spokes torn off though, so I won't get it back before next week.
 

Fivetones

E*POWAH Master
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Feb 11, 2019
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I think they may have a point if you're belting along at moped speeds.

As ever, though, there's room for us all if we all give each other appropriate respect. (this goes for trails, roads, bike lanes etc)
 

V86

Member
Jul 13, 2018
48
38
Norway
I think they may have a point if you're belting along at moped speeds.

As ever, though, there's room for us all if we all give each other appropriate respect. (this goes for trails, roads, bike lanes etc)

I switched to the empty car lane to bike past him. So I shouldn't have bothered him in any way.
I had mine in turbo and was peddling til my shoes caught on ? , but without any speedomoter on a Kenevo its hard to tell what speeds I was at. Later that day I tried it with a random GPS speedomoter app. On the flat I got it up to 30-34km/h
In the uphill I only got it to 26km/h (25 is when the motor is suppose to slow down its power support by law) but going into the Mission control app thst one only said like 10km/h

The app I had was apparantly an old app. Something I found out when I went into the app store and searched for it and only could find a new one I had to download.
The store I bought it though maby someone that demo used it at tuned it without them catching it up when they sold it to me. He told me they probably changed the wheel diamater in the app. Something thats not possible in the new one?

I'm also thinking of putting a hub gear on it on day (kidnernay) how would that affect the speed control and still keep it legal?
 

V86

Member
Jul 13, 2018
48
38
Norway
I pressed the factory preset in the tuning. Is that the correct way to "factory reset it"? I see it says 800mm in wheel circumference , so I'm guessing thats the correct one? I deleted the old app so I don't know what it was at. I gues I won't know until I get my backwheel back.
44716C34-A832-4C53-AA4F-29E7944934CE.png
 

V86

Member
Jul 13, 2018
48
38
Norway
There are de-restrictors that cut the speed signal received by the controller in half. It sounds like you might have one of those.

A physical hack? On a kenevo expert? . It was a demo bike in a bike part before I got it.l and it was owned by Specialized. So I kinda doubt that.
 

V86

Member
Jul 13, 2018
48
38
Norway
On my Levo the wheel circumference is set at 2300mm and can't be altered. I think 800mm would be about a 10'' wheel.
Ofcourse, I was thinking diameter. (English isn't my main language)
And I deletet the old app :S so how do I reset it to correct wheel size?:S I can't find a factory reset button in the app.
 

escrs

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2019
283
259
UK
Its been hacked as the wheel circumference is showing 800 not 2300

On the 2016/17/18 Levo and Kenevo and early 19 Levo's this can be done using Blevo or other available app, then when your in Mission control the wheel size will show 800 no 2300

The 2019 bikes with the later Firmware cant be hacked using an app and need a de restrictor physically fitted to the bike, either under the TCU for the latest one (Velociraptor) or on the rear wheel for Planet gear ones

My guess is someone demo'ed your bike and de restricted using Blevo, Ive done it to a Levo and Kenevo i demo'ed but i put it back to normal just before i handed it back

To set it back to standard just do a factory reset in the Mission control app and it will go back to the normal wheel size 2300
 
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V86

Member
Jul 13, 2018
48
38
Norway
Its been hacked as the wheel circumference is showing 800 not 2300

On the 2016/17/18 Levo and Kenevo and early 19 Levo's this can be done using Blevo or other available app, then when your in Mission control the wheel size will show 800 no 2300

The 2019 bikes with the later Firmware cant be hacked using an app and need a de restrictor physically fitted to the bike, either under the TCU for the latest one (Velociraptor) or on the rear wheel for Planet gear ones

My guess is someone demo'ed your bike and de restricted using Blevo, Ive done it to a Levo and Kenevo i demo'ed but i put it back to normal just before i handed it back

To set it back to standard just do a factory reset in the Mission control app and it will go back to the normal wheel size 2300

there is no factory reset i my app. Only factory preset, and that does othing to the wheel size.
 

CjP

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Later that day I tried it with a random GPS speedomoter app. On the flat I got it up to 30-34km/h
In the uphill I only got it to 26km/h (25 is when the motor is suppose to slow down its power support by law) but going into the Mission control app thst one only said like 10km/h

To me this means that’s it’s stock. On flats you should be able to pedal past the restrictor under your own power. You did said you were pedalling like the devil.
Uphill you said you got to 25km/h.

Am I not reading this right?
 

V86

Member
Jul 13, 2018
48
38
Norway
To me this means that’s it’s stock. On flats you should be able to pedal past the restrictor under your own power. You did said you were pedalling like the devil.
Uphill you said you got to 25km/h.

Am I not reading this right?

Wheelsize is set to 800mm in Mission Controll instead of 2300. This was done before I bought it cause I haven't done any tuning since I got it.
I deleted the old app though and now I am on the 2.1.0 versjon and I can't find a "factory reset" function anywhere.
 
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CjP

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Understand but based on what you said above you couldn’t get above 25km/h uphill. If it was de restricted you would have gone much faster.
 

Gary

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Understand but based on what you said above you couldn’t get above 25km/h uphill. If it was de restricted you would have gone much faster.
depends on the gradient and the fitness and weight of the rider. Derestricting only alters the max assistance speed. it doesn't alter maximum torque.
plenty climbs around here you'd never manage at 25kmh
 

CjP

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Fair enough, I know I have powered past a road bike up a hill. He looked fitter than I am and I don’t have massive legs. I was pushing my hardest and he seemed to have half decent pace. My bike is definitely restricted and has an assist cutout of 24km/h due to the shorter cranks (confirmed on mission control) I have seen I think maybe 27 to 28km/h with short sprints but that it’s definitely without assistance as I can feel it switch off.
I know if I’m on flat ground I can ride past 30km/h if I push myself but that reminds me too much of the old days and I stop that shit straight away.
 

CjP

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Someone explained it somewhere but that’s what my bike was reading afterwards. Something to do with cadence maybe?
Or I’m just tripping?
 

Kiwi in Wales

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I can assure you, the bike is hacked and as it is set to 800mm it will give you assistance right up to around 75kmh.

You will never hit that speed pedalling due to the gearing on your bike.

I believe you can do a factory reset using Mission Control or just take it to the bike shop you purchased it from and they will restrict it back to whatever speed your country allows.

I can assure you once it is restricted, as you are so used to it being ‘unrestricted’ it is going to feel like you have a fault with your bike as it hits the cut off speed and you finally feel the full weight of your 24 - 25 plus kilo ebike.
 

ccrdave

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its very easy to hack pre 2019 bikes you can do it with a bluetooth editor .do a google search for lightblue hack, once you understand how to do it you can put it back to the correct wheel size yourself,
but I bet you will regret it!!
 

knut7

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Go back to the Specialized store and ask them to fix it. Warranty is probably void on this bike, and that's not okay when you didn't tune it. Make sure warranty is okay before leaving the store.
 

ccrdave

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did you buy it from berkshirecycles? if yes dont worry about it just ride and enjoy
 

cozzy

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2019
767
801
Basingstoke UK
I must say I took mine out for a ride after getting it yesterday & it does seem to bomb along, far quicker than my old ride to work commuter ebike that has a very defined cut out. I was looking at the mission control for speed & it only said about 15kph, definitely wrong.
This is a new bike from a uk shop yesterday, with 800 as the circumference.
A firmware incompatibility between the battery & motor? I think my motor is good at 5.0.4, but the battery was on a 16.x which I gather is quite out of date?
 

cozzy

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2019
767
801
Basingstoke UK
Ok yes I can confirm. Im not the op, but have the same "issue", if it can be described as an issue. New uk bike. only .5km showing up in the app, so not a demo bike, unless these things can be reset.
On a light incline im spinning out at 25mph (40+ kph)
motor 5.0.4
battery a.16.3
Im off to berkshire cycles tomorrow to get them to look at it, as it has a battery fault.
 

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