Kenevo Gen1 Official 2020 Kenevo Owners Thread

[OrangePower]

May I suggest staying away from alloy anything. I converted my rear wheels to hg drivers so I can run nx cassettes. Gx and the XO cassettes have 2-3 alloy cogs, great for weight reduction, bad for parts lifespans. The front cog is a steal 32 tooth 104 bcd ring. Please avoid trying an alloy chain ring , I have a buddy with a Levo that destroyed one in a couple months.

Can you give me advice what to get? Which Cassette and front ring?

 

[mustclime]

Can you give me advice what to get? Which Cassette and front ring?

Pretty sure these will do it, your rear hub should be the ratchet style rather than the 3 paw dt Swiss. I have seen on other forums some of the dt Swiss 370 rear hubs were paw style so you should check it.

 

[Nomadic Dad]

Anyone got the tech workbook for the 2020 Kenevo (Gen 2) as seen the 2019 Levo one online but can't find a Kenevo one on here or anywhere?

Also whilst I'm here, Just swapped the original Fox DPX2 for a shiny new Factory X2 on my Kenevo and seem to have these 2 spacer looking things left over and no idea where they are from

I've triple checked the upper and lower shock mounts plus the horst link bolts but they won't fit in any of them and I only undid these - anyone recognise them

 

[DylanJM]

Anyone able to advise on sizing. I ride a S3 Stumpy Evo. Looking at the numbers an S2 Kenevo is roughly the same. I'm 173cm. Should I go with an S2 or go to S3 and take the extra room?

 

[Geas]

Anyone able to advise on sizing. I ride a S3 Stumpy Evo. Looking at the numbers an S2 Kenevo is roughly the same. I'm 173cm. Should I go with an S2 or go to S3 and take the extra room?

My wife is 170cm and she loves her S3 Kenevo.

 

[Nikolaos Tsivis]

Anyone able to advise on sizing. I ride a S3 Stumpy Evo. Looking at the numbers an S2 Kenevo is roughly the same. I'm 173cm. Should I go with an S2 or go to S3 and take the extra room?

I am 173 too and on my second Kenevo. The first one was an S3 with a 35mm stem and a 170mm dropper. It was nice. It got stolen. I bought a second Kenevo. This time an S4 with a dual crown fork, a direct mount stem of 10mm length and a slammed dropper at 180mm travel. I enjoy the more DH feeling than my previous one. All my Kenevos left at 27.5" wheels.

I also own a specialized status 2022 at S3 size. I wouldnt go larger on this one.

Hope I helped.

Thanks/Nikolaos Tsivis

 

[DylanJM]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[biota]

May I recommend your first mod be a 200 mm air shaft for the boxer.

So by what you say, I assume it's the same fork, just a different air shaft?

I'm having some trouble with the 180 mm boxxer, so considering complete replacement or maybe some kind of upgrade...

 

[calisp]

So by what you say, I assume it's the same fork, just a different air shaft?

I'm having some trouble with the 180 mm boxxer, so considering complete replacement or maybe some kind of upgrade...

It's took me three and a half years to get happy with my Boxxer I think the most important things were fitting a Charger Damper 2.1 and then having it tuned by JTech. The JTech tune was the main thing but they couldn't have done that on the Select damper.

I also have the 200mm air shaft and recently switched back to the 180 out of curiosity. The fork performed fine but I preferred the geometry with the 200 so switched back again. That was a little surprising given I also fitted 29" lowers/wheel so the geometry is waaaay off stock (61 degree head angle) but it feels good so I'm sticking with it. I do have a 65mm stroke shock and the flip chip in high which offsets it a little.

Anyway, if I bought another Kenevo Expert, I'm not sure if I'd go with all the mods or sell the Boxxer unused and get a Grip X2 Fox 40 (very happy with one on another bike), or maybe try a Dorado / Ohlins DH38..

 

[biota]

It's took me three and a half years to get happy with my Boxxer I think the most important things were fitting a Charger Damper 2.1 and then having it tuned by JTech. The JTech tune was the main thing but they couldn't have done that on the Select damper.

I also have the 200mm air shaft and recently switched back to the 180 out of curiosity. The fork performed fine but I preferred the geometry with the 200 so switched back again. That was a little surprising given I also fitted 29" lowers/wheel so the geometry is waaaay off stock (61 degree head angle) but it feels good so I'm sticking with it. I do have a 65mm stroke shock and the flip chip in high which offsets it a little.

Anyway, if I bought another Kenevo Expert, I'm not sure if I'd go with all the mods or sell the Boxxer unused and get a Grip X2 Fox 40 (very happy with one on another bike), or maybe try a Dorado / Ohlins DH38..

The whole tuning thing is new to me.

What do they actually need to know and do to "tune" the forks for a particular rider?

Man, I've always said I just buy a bike and ride it, not into all this playing with them and binning good enough parts. But here I am now I've finally dropped some real dough for a new one, I want it 100% and am looking to drop even more cash

I could buy a used Beta or Sherco for the price of a suitable fork, then ride it for a decade without touching it

 

[calisp]

Best to phone them up for a chat but for 80% of people you'd just need to give your bike details, your riding weight, and state that you need an average rider tune.

What they'll do is change the shim stack in the damper, and maybe upgrade the piston, so that the high/low compression/rebound range is right for you. With the compression working properly, you also won't have to under/over inflate the air chamber which has negative effects if you're needing to do that.

How much of a benefit you'll get will depend on how bad the stock damper is for your weight/your bike/your riding. For me it was night and day. I could always set the fork up well for one thing, but it would have at least one serious problem (harsh/wallowing/bottoming out/compacting) doing anything else. With it tuned, I don't feel like I'm making compromises any more. I sometimes tweak the LSC a bit, mostly depending on my mood, but it has no problem with lines that are a mix of small kicky jumps, big jumps, drops to flat, fast chunky tech, tight corners and long flowy berms.

I'm really happy with what JTech have done on two forks and a shock, and they were always super helpful when I spoke with them. Also, if you buy the charger 2.1 damper from them the tuning is free. There are other options though - TF Tuned and Sprung Suspension Workshop seem to have good reputations.

 

[biota]

Best to phone them up for a chat but for 80% of people you'd just need to give your bike details, your riding weight, and state that you need an average rider tune.

What they'll do is change the shim stack in the damper, and maybe upgrade the piston, so that the high/low compression/rebound range is right for you. With the compression working properly, you also won't have to under/over inflate the air chamber which has negative effects if you're needing to do that.

How much of a benefit you'll get will depend on how bad the stock damper is for your weight/your bike/your riding. For me it was night and day. I could always set the fork up well for one thing, but it would have at least one serious problem (harsh/wallowing/bottoming out/compacting) doing anything else. With it tuned, I don't feel like I'm making compromises any more. I sometimes tweak the LSC a bit, mostly depending on my mood, but it has no problem with lines that are a mix of small kicky jumps, big jumps, drops to flat, fast chunky tech, tight corners and long flowy berms.

I'm really happy with what JTech have done on two forks and a shock, and they were always super helpful when I spoke with them. Also, if you buy the charger 2.1 damper from them the tuning is free. There are other options though - TF Tuned and Sprung Suspension Workshop seem to have good reputations.

Cheers.
I'm leaning towards just putting a Dorado on it, or even a Mazzer would be enough really but I'd have to change the wheel it get an adapter to 15mm.

 

[Zed. (Justin is short)]

Cheers.
I'm leaning towards just putting a Dorado on it, or even a Mazzer would be enough really but I'd have to change the wheel it get an adapter to 15mm.

Beware on how deep the rabbit hole can be, financial ruin follows all hobbies

as to axles, the (single crown) Mezzer is 15x110mm boost whereas the (twin crown) Dorado is 20x110 boost.

although buying a new wheel to fit a Dorado or similar large-axle fork would also be a great excuse to jump up to 29" front for a 'free' mullet



Rich.

 

[biota]

Beware on how deep the rabbit hole can be, financial ruin follows all hobbies

as to axles, the (single crown) Mezzer is 15x110mm boost whereas the (twin crown) Dorado is 20x110 boost.

although buying a new wheel to fit a Dorado or similar large-axle fork would also be a great excuse to jump up to 29" front for a 'free' mullet



Rich.

I only need a new wheel if I go down to a 115mm axle, as the boxer is 120 like the Dorado.

But part of the reason I'm leaning towards the Dorado is I can run whichever wheel I want later

Also though, as I plan to mainly use it at the bike park, I'm not sure I'm a big believer in the benefits of a 29 front.

 

[Zed. (Justin is short)]

I only need a new wheel if I go down to a 115mm axle, as the boxer is 120 like the Dorado.

But part of the reason I'm leaning towards the Dorado is I can run whichever wheel I want later

Also though, as I plan to mainly use it at the bike park, I'm not sure I'm a big believer in the benefits of a 29 front.

I wasn't sure if the kenevo-standard Boxxers used the Zeb lowers & 15mm axles

I (we ride Bpw mostly & 29" is definately a good thing

Rich. (just bought another Dorado)

 

[cozzy]

Reading another thread this morning about someone wanting to replace their 2020 kenevo. There really isn't anything mainstream available.
I still love mine. Ok its a bit rubbish for general trail riding, but brilliant at the bikepark.
Recently fitted some 50mm bars to help with my back injury and fitted a oneup v3 180mm dropper in place of the v2 200mm, as the 200mm was no longer comfortable at full extension and the v3 i had on my ksl has a smoother action.
Plus ordered a reserve valve (on sale at stif) for the front to match the rear, as the presta is clogged.
But now it its totally finished and I dont need to buy anymore parts. Honest

 

[biota]

Reading another thread this morning about someone wanting to replace their 2020 kenevo. There really isn't anything mainstream available.
I still love mine. Ok its a bit rubbish for general trail riding, but brilliant at the bikepark.
Recently fitted some 50mm bars to help with my back injury and fitted a oneup v3 180mm dropper in place of the v2 200mm, as the 200mm was no longer comfortable at full extension and the v3 i had on my ksl has a smoother action.
Plus ordered a reserve valve (on sale at stif) for the front to match the rear, as the presta is clogged.
But now it its totally finished and I dont need to buy anymore parts. Honest


View attachment 166226

I've been doing 25km+ trail days in the lakes on mine, still love it!

 

[cozzy]

I've been doing 25km+ trail days in the lakes on mine, still love it!

I recon if i put 27.5 back on the front for trail riding it would turn quickly.
Stupidly i sold the reserve wheel 18 months ago. Ive just messaged him to see if he wants to sell it back!
Edit. He sold it a few months back .

 

[Nomadic Dad]

I've tried the Amflow PL, Santa Cruz Vala and Bullit in the last few months but after messing around a bit with my suspension settings the last few rides I can't see me replacing my mulleted Kenevo until next spring at the earliest now. It has the burliest components & tyres on and with the 700 battery still weighs 25kg in S4. I can also swap that battery for a spare 500 in under a min if I want a slightly lighter bike and carry on riding for several more hours.

 

[mustclime]

My current setup is a s3 with a suntour voro 230x65 rear shock, a Fox 38 e- tuned 170mm 29er. The bike is mulleted with 2.8 rear tire on a 38 mm wide rim for tech climbs and a 2.5 29er in front for rollover. The code rs levers were swapped for some code ultimate levers, the bars were swapped with some PNW 50mm rise to increase the stack. Some crap Amazon 155mm cranks takes care of the peddle strikes.
Some notes, the fox 38 e-tuned oem is a fox rythem with a retuned grip damper and a factory air spring and 3 tokens. I ditched the tokens and added the bleeder valves. Great riding fork, I found the 180mm 29er to floppy so I run it as a 170mm. The suntour voro rear shock was pretty much made for the Kenevo, 14mm steel shaft and damping that is great for the low progression ratios of the Specialized suspension. The bike can be a little long for tight trails but once you learn stoppies that can be worked around. Most of the time I use the 500wh battery, drops almost 3 pounds from the front of the bike.

 

[Deleted member 37410]

Hey guys. I have a question about the dropper post routing. I hate this fucking routing on this bike!

The question: Am I supposed to be able to remove the post and put it back without having to mess with the routing?

Cause whatever I do I cant manage to do this. Right now I fucked things up and have the cable running directly from seatpost to the clamps, not around the motor. But at least its working

 

[Deleted member 37410]

But now it its totally finished and I dont need to buy anymore parts. Honest

Immediately bought new bike lol!

 

[cozzy]

Immediately bought new bike lol!

Yes i sold my kenevo frameset a week ago. Quite sad really. Owned it for 5 1/2 years. Never owned a bike that long before.
Haven't got anything till my velduro turns up in spring. Hope it rains till then so i dont feel like im missing out .
Regarding your dropper, its easier to remove the shock and cable clips, then push the cable through whilst withdrawing the dropper at the same time.

 

[biota]

Hey guys. I have a question about the dropper post routing. I hate this fucking routing on this bike!

The question: Am I supposed to be able to remove the post and put it back without having to mess with the routing?

Cause whatever I do I cant manage to do this. Right now I fucked things up and have the cable running directly from seatpost to the clamps, not around the motor. But at least its working

I was struggling with this and ran out of time as was doing it the day before a trip. In the end said F it and left it like that.

I dripped WD-40 down the sheathing until I felt like it was maybe full and then just pushed it through the frame with that tight angle and it's worked fine for over a year now
I have a sneaking suspicion LL built it up like that with a dry cable and that's why it seized after just a few months. I'm not really one for messing and I ripped the old one out before even knowing about all this so didn't look. But the old sheathing came out very easily and I could see no path to put it back.

Most of the WD-40 has run back out when I've turned the bike over, etc

But if it ain't broke I absolutely will not be fixing it

 

[Deleted member 37410]

I have low friction running it like this so seems like no problem really. It just bothers me that I have to remove shock and stuff just to service the seat post

 

[mustclime]

The question: Am I supposed to be able to remove the post and put it back without having to mess with the routing?

Specialized really tied down the cables to cut down on noise. I was able to disconnect the dropper lever and loosen the cable tie downs and pull out my post without moving the motor. One of my riding buddies had to pull the motor to free up the post cable…… so I guess the reply is “it depends “.

 

[#lazy]

I use a X-fusion dropper which uses a cable and fully extend the post , loosen post bolt , turn bars to the right to free up cable (if lever is on the left) , in the same movement pull post up while pushing cable towards the frame route hole until it’s free , unhook cable at bottom of the post . Do the opposite for reassembling . This is probably totally wrong but works for me !

 

[Deleted member 37410]

I use a X-fusion dropper which uses a cable and fully extend the post , loosen post bolt , turn bars to the right to free up cable (if lever is on the left) , in the same movement pull post up while pushing cable towards the frame route hole until it’s free , unhook cable at bottom of the post . Do the opposite for reassembling . This is probably totally wrong but works for me !

Sounds good, but dont you have to loosen the cable clamps behind the shock? My housing hardly wants to move even when I have those loosened, so its a bit of a hassle, but doable

 

[James_C]

you need to take the shock off, loosen the cable clamps, and then push the cable from the handle bar end, whilst gently lifting the post out of the tube. Last week I had to resort to using long nose pliers on the cable outer around the shock area though.

 

[#lazy]

My clamp near the shock is tight but still lets the cable move !
Hi James