Hello all, so I have two EMTBs in the shop 'basket'...but I can only have one...arrgghhh...

[davegixer]

Afternoon all, great forum, tons of info for an E-Newbie such as I.
Like perhaps some of you, I've watched every available video on Youtube and pretty much read all there is to read before making me decision on which to throw my cash at.

I've owned a ton of Specialized over the years (among others, Scott, Cannondale etc), and I love them, I've looked at every make and model out there and this is where I am torn...

2018 Levo Comp Vs 2019 Kenevo Comp Vs wait to see the new spec of the 2019 Levo.
The Levo and Kenevo are the same price, obviously the Levo comes higher spec, motor, battery etc Vs the Kenevo's longer travel but 'lesser' motor and battery. I'm fairly sure the Levo's Drop Post won't go low enough for me, so that might have to be factored into the cost.
If money was no object i'm reasonably sure I'd be all over the Kenevo Expert, but i’m not sure if it is too rich for my first EMTB.

So, about me and my riding...
Ive been riding MTBs since the early 90s when I raced XC (DH didn't exist).
I also come from a MX, Enduro, Trials and track racing background (engine driven variety), competing all over Europe at various levels of those disciplines until 2018. My body is pretty much smashed to bits through so much fun over the years haha! I'm off the dirt bikes for now (for now!), having a KTM Superduke 1290R for road and track.
I'm moving near Aston Hills so will be riding their tracks most frequently, but I won't solely be doing the gravity stuff, I will be riding longer trails in the Forest of Dene or across the Downs, Wales etc, maybe venturing into Europe to have a bash at things like the Bosch eMTB Challenge.
So that's the bits about me that count, I now need your help with my first EMTB purchase pleeeassee.

Has anyone ridden Aston Hills on a Levo? I'm sure you can see my dilemma.....am I simply overthinking it??

Cheers all,

 

[R120]

if Budget is what’s stopping you buying a Kenevo Expert why don’t you just get a 2018 Kenevo? Freeborn Bikes doing them for 4600

 

[davegixer]

if Budget is what’s stopping you buying a Kenevo Expert why don’t you just get a 2018 Kenevo? Freeborn Bikes doing them for 4600

Can you post a link? I assume this is the wrong shop.....

Search results for: 'kenevo' - Freeborn.co.uk

 

[R120]

Yes that shop, call them

 

[Dax]

Take a look at this thread. Just found some great deals on 2018 Specialized Levo/Kenevo and others if anyone is about to pull the trigger on a new bike! £4675 for a Kenevo ! - EMTB Forums

Ive got a 2018 kenevo expert, it's fantastic

 

[davegixer]

Take a look at this thread. Just found some great deals on 2018 Specialized Levo/Kenevo and others if anyone is about to pull the trigger on a new bike! £4675 for a Kenevo ! - EMTB Forums

Ive got a 2018 kenevo expert, it's fantastic

Cheers Dax, it sounds like the Kenevo is the way forward. I'm getting bored of trying to decide now, just want to buy one and ride the thing.

 

[EddieJ]

Is the Kenevo now powered by a Bosch drive unit?

 

[Dax]

No, the Kenevo is powered by brose. The 2019 comp is brose 1.2e, the 2018 and 2018 expert are brose 1.3.

@davegixer you definitely won't be disappointed by the kenevo, they work really well. Basically a DH bike with a really fit roadie to take you up the hill. The expert has ohlins on the back which is superb. Maybe take a look at the pivot shuttle and the commencal too. The shuttle is a LOT of money, but gets great reviews and there was a post about somewhere doing £1500 off a shuttle

 

[EddieJ]

I thought that the Bosch emtb Challenge was for Bosch powered bikes?

 

[Ryder]

Freeborn are will do a shuttle for £7600 if you ask nicely! Still a lot of money though.

 

[R120]

Bosch EMTB challenge is for all comers, just sponsored by Bosch.

 

[davegixer]

No, the Kenevo is powered by brose. The 2019 comp is brose 1.2e, the 2018 and 2018 expert are brose 1.3.

@davegixer you definitely won't be disappointed by the kenevo, they work really well. Basically a DH bike with a really fit roadie to take you up the hill. The expert has ohlins on the back which is superb. Maybe take a look at the pivot shuttle and the commencal too. The shuttle is a LOT of money, but gets great reviews and there was a post about somewhere doing £1500 off a shuttle

Loving that analogy Daz, "with a really fit roadie to take you up the hills" haha, brilliant.

I'm edging towards going to go for the 2019 Kenevo Comp; take a punt on the motor not being the 2017 lump that some found troublesome, Dan is doing a comparison test soon which will hopefully show good things from it. I'm an uncontrollable fiddler so will no doubt be changing components anyhooo, so will undoubtedly spend the cash saved on the Expert on shiny bits.

 

[Donnie797]

I'm on the same decision (waiting for the new Levo and the new Brose S Mag), but with your background i really think the Kenevo is the thing to go. 2019 Comp vs 2018 Expert is a tough decision though. I personally would tend to get an 2018 Expert not only because of the better components, it's the 1.3 motor and the bigger battery as well.

 

[Interpaul]

I have a dirt bike background like you, enduro and a bit of MX. Buy the bike that is most like a dirt bike, so that would be the Kenovo, the ohlins shock is superb, I briefly rode a kenevo and the ohlins had the same feeling as my XC-F 250. So whatever bike you get choose one with the 170mm + suspension as you will ride it like a Moto and will need all the travel you can get.

I bought a Lapierre overvolt SX800 two years ago, largely because it’s orange paint reminded me of my KTM haha. It’s a great bike with 170mm travel but the air shock is shit and I am about to change for a coil. Personally don’t think air shocks are up to the job for ebikes.

The kenevo looks awesome though and would be my pick of the current bikes. The ohlins shock is over £600 to buy and if you buy a bike with an air shock, you will end up upgrading anyway. Kenovo makes sense for your Moto background

 

[davegixer]

I'm on the same decision (waiting for the new Levo and the new Brose S Mag), but with your background i really think the Kenevo is the thing to go. 2019 Comp vs 2018 Expert is a tough decision though. I personally would tend to get an 2018 Expert not only because of the better components, it's the 1.3 motor and the bigger battery as well.

Thanks Donnie, I seriously toyed with waiting for the 2019 Levo, but I think you're right - Kenevo is the way forward for me which leaves me with exactly the dilemma you said. I'll do some phoning around tomorrow and see if I can find a XL 2018 at a decent price, that will (probably, hopefully, maybe) clinch it.

I have a dirt bike background like you, enduro and a bit of MX. Buy the bike that is most like a dirt bike, so that would be the Kenovo, the ohlins shock is superb, I briefly rode a kenevo and the ohlins had the same feeling as my XC-F 250. So whatever bike you get choose one with the 170mm + suspension as you will ride it like a Moto and will need all the travel you can get.

I bought a Lapierre overvolt SX800 two years ago, largely because it’s orange paint reminded me of my KTM haha. It’s a great bike with 170mm travel but the air shock is shit and I am about to change for a coil. Personally don’t think air shocks are up to the job for ebikes.

The kenevo looks awesome though and would be my pick of the current bikes. The ohlins shock is over £600 to buy and if you buy a bike with an air shock, you will end up upgrading anyway. Kenovo makes sense for your Moto background

Cheers Paul, yeh I think you're also on the money with the Kenevo; I've been thinking about my XC bikes and riding style, particularly the Stumpjumper - over the years I've always hankered for more travel on an MTB due to my MX background, but traded it off for a bike that can can also climb and tackle single tracks etc. EMTBs are removing the old compromise it seems.
Haha, I love that it reminds you of the KTM.....I actually looked at KTM EMTBs too as I am a KTM nut (I just bought a camping chair because it was orange FFS), but with MTBs I just always keep going back to Specialized, stick with what you know I guess, and as the Levo/Kenevo are very similar geometry to my Stumpy I'm sure I won't go far wrong.

Again you're on the money with the suspension, and I am a sucker for Ohlins, but I can get a 2019 for £4K and haven't found an XL 2018 for less than £5.5K yet (it may be out there), so fifteen hundred quid equals a lot of custom parts. And man I love fiddling and making a bike mine.
All that said, we don't know what the 'new' 1.2E motor will be like yet, but with the 1.3 more is better right?
As for the battery I'll buy a second one anyway for longer rides, and there are already deals where the 504 battery comes with the bike.


I really appreciate all the help and advice from you all, I was starting to go slightly mad trying to decide, it's good to talk.

The 2018 Expert and 2019 Comp decision is a tough one; I'll do some phoning around tomorrow, if I can't find an XL 2018 I'll order the 2019 and start looking at trick bits.

Probably. ;-)

 

[R120]

Out of interest, have you looked at other brands? You will most likely get a better spec for your budget than you will find from Specialized - Kenevo is a great bike, but equally as good and better specced bikes out there for the money. E. G you can pick up this Devinci for just over 5k, 180mm travel and full fox factory spec, and 2kg lighter, or you can get the Vitus E-Sommett for £3699. Both will slay any terrain, especially gravity focused.

I see why you want the Kenevo, but the Specialiseds are expensive for what they are.

 

[davegixer]

Out of interest, have you looked at other brands? You will most likely get a better spec for your budget than you will find from Specialized - Kenevo is a great bike, but equally as good and better specced bikes out there for the money. E. G you can pick up this Devinci for just over 5k, 180mm travel and full fox factory spec, and 2kg lighter, or you can get the Vitus E-Sommett for £3699. Both will slay any terrain, especially gravity focused.

I see why you want the Kenevo, but the Specialiseds are expensive for what they are.

View attachment 2835

Ah man you're killing me with orange.....

Yeh I did look at as much as I could find out there, but I was a complete novice to this discipline so it was tough treading. A part of me really wanted to find something other than a Specialized, as I've had so many and I wanted something different from the norm, but I just can't get passed them, probably unconscious bias. But that Devinci...that looks really sweet. Just had a look on their website, nice. Back to the drawing board......

Edit, no dropper post. Not a deal breaker but definitely needs one.

 

[knut7]

I testrode the Devinci AC nx/gx a while back: 2018 Devinci AC nx/gx
That one had a dropper, and it seems the XT has too.

 

[davegixer]

I testrode the Devinci AC nx/gx a while back: 2018 Devinci AC nx/gx
That one had a dropper, and it seems the XT has too.

Spot on, thank you

 

[davegixer]

 

[davegixer]

I need to buy a bloody bike and stop over thinking it

 

[Doomanic]

That last drop in looks pretty serious!

 

[davegixer]

That last drop in looks pretty serious!

Doesn't it just, big kahunas required.

 

[R120]

It’s damn tricky isn’t it! The Specialized is a great bike, the one thing that puts me off the comp is the smaller battery

 

[Doomanic]

Seems at least one shop will swap out the battery for the 504 at no cost so that's one worry dealt with. I'd need more info on the 1.2E motor before I took a punt.

 

[davegixer]

Seems at least one shop will swap out the battery for the 504 at no cost so that's one worry dealt with. I'd need more info on the 1.2E motor before I took a punt.

That's my thoughts too, and I'll buy a second battery anyway so I've drawn a line under that. But yeh that motor, there just isn't any decent info on it yet, but I think I can be sure it won't perform 'as well' as the 1.3 or why would they put it on the cheaper bike. Then again, marketing has a lot to answer for over scientific logic.
Fifteen hundred quid dearer for the 2018 Expert, would I really notice that? Especially considering it's my first Bike, so I have absolutely no datum for reference.
One piece of advice I was given - don't buy the bike based on battery and motor, buy it based on geometry.

I've got a headache.

 

[R120]

I testrode the Devinci AC nx/gx a while back: 2018 Devinci AC nx/gx
That one had a dropper, and it seems the XT has too.

You have nailed it with this review, as what you say about the Geo is also the same for a lot of the more gravity focused bikes. I love my Vitus, I have never ridden any bike, motor or no motor, that is as good downhill, the faster you go the better it gets, and is super confidence inspiring.

However on tighter single track, which let’s face it lots of the UK is, you do notice the extra length. When we where on the forum ride at Peaselake last weekend, riding trails such as Barry Knows Best, I knew that a slightly more trail focused bike would have been more fun, simply because a bike not quite as slack would probably have been better and quicker to fling about.

Don’t get me wrong the Vitus is awesome and I love it, and it’s freat for the riding I mainly do, but you need to look at the trails you you mostly ride and be sure that the bike you get is best for that.

That’s what got me interested in the De Vinci DC, which is the shorter travel bike, as something to compliment the Vitus

 

[davegixer]

You have nailed it with this review, as what you say about the Geo is also the same for a lot of the more gravity focused bikes. I love my Vitus, I have never ridden any bike, motor or no motor, that is as good downhill, the faster you go the better it gets, and is super confidence inspiring.

However on tighter single track, which let’s face it lots of the UK is, you do notice the extra length. When we where on the forum ride at Peaselake last weekend, riding trails such as Barry Knows Best, I knew that a slightly more trail focused bike would have been more fun, simply because a bike not quite as slack would probably have been better and quicker to fling about.

Don’t get me wrong the Vitus is awesome and I love it, and it’s freat for the riding I mainly do, but you need to look at the trails you you mostly ride and be sure that the bike you get is best for that.

That’s what got me interested in the De Vinci DC, which is the shorter travel bike, as something to compliment the Vitus

It's funny you should say that, just been chatting to a mate of mine from our MX and Enduro (engine) days, he's on his 2nd EMTB now, he thinks the 150/135 is enough for everything but the narliest of DH. Of course he's right, like you are, but if i'm 'mostly' doing DH bike parks then the 180 is boss. Probably. Maybe.

Tomorrow; see if I can find a 2018 Kenevo Expert XL for a decent price, otherwise it is 2019 Kenevo Comp and fifteen hundred quid to throw at it.



Probably.

 

[R120]

For sure having one bike I would rather have the slacker bike, so no regrets with the Vitus and you won’t have any regrets with the Kenevo

 

[Doomanic]

2019 Kenevo Comp and fifteen hundred quid to throw at it.

Will that make it better though? Forks and shock will eat most of that 1500 quid surely?