Are Full Powered EMTBs Fun In 2023?

These are my thoughts on the full fat EMTBs after riding a Specialized Kenevo Expert for 600 miles.

[@JaredHerdlevar]

Nice perspective. I def agree with having an ebike just means more time on your bikes!

[@LoamerMTB]

Thanks. So many more miles this summer! Almost like having a bike park in B’ham 😂

[@pt.mtb2389]

Great point about fitness and HR zones!

[@LoamerMTB]

Just have to stay diligent and put the time in on the analog and it’s a great tool.

[@chelisvallegallego5896]

Thank you very much for the video. Very clear and sincere and from the perspective of an impartial user and not KZbin channels sponsored by brands or with commercial interests, not always completely free and objective in their comments.

[@LoamerMTB]

Definitely no sponsors here 😂 It would be tough to give a fully impartial review while receiving product that’s for sure. Thanks for watching.

[@Dialed1]

Dude, this is a great overview! Very well done!

[@LoamerMTB]

Gonna sell you on e-bikes before too long 😂

[@MTB_Corbin]

One of your best videos yet!

[@LoamerMTB]

Thanks!

[@ab_mtb]

Those kenevo's just look so awesome with the duel crown fork. Ive been looking at the levo & the kenevo. I just think the levo will suit the tighter scottish trails better. The PNW looks amazing to ride, great vid

[@LoamerMTB]

Yeah the dual crown is so good! Makes this bike plow. The Levo is great too. Have some buddies that absolutely shred the gnarliest stuff here on them.

[@manoleiustin8839]

got my kenevo about a month ago and it has been the best bike I ever owned it is really a bike that can do nearly everything

[@LoamerMTB]

Congrats! Bike is so sick.

[@manoleiustin8839]

@@LoamerMTB Thanks!

[@peterkinghorn5064]

I’m 52 and have the 2022kenevo expert, all I can say is wow yes it’s more bike than I will ever need but the confidence it gives me is unbelievable and my skill set is improving ride by ride. Only downside is lack of lock on forks and it’s a lump to move sometimes but all in all the positives outweigh the negatives 1000%

[@LoamerMTB]

Such an awesome bike! Love the dual crown for smashing chunk. Really fun bike. Glad you’ve been having fun with it. 🤘

[@thelittle]

you can try a single crown fork with lockout and maybe 29 wheel front. Make the bike more suitable for all mountain rides, and saves a lot of weight. I dont use lockout on mine but the bike with single crown behaves like a boosted travel Levo.

[@thelittle]

I have the 2020 kenevo (same frame but old tcu) with a fox 38 180mm front and both 29 wheels. The bike sits a bit higher than with 275s but plows trhu stuff like a blast! Im used to do 2000m+ elevation rides and the bike shines. I suggest you to try, a single crown fork with a 29 wheel. It behaves more like a Levo and less like a DH bike.

[@LoamerMTB]

I keep hearing good things about the mullet or full 29 Kenevo. I do love the dual crown tho…

[@karlrasur8356]

why switching to a single crown fork on a kenevo expert ? if i want something that behave like a Levo, im going to buy a Levo

[@thelittle]

@@karlrasur8356 mine was comp, came with a 180mm single crown marzocchi. There are serveral reasons for that. First, Levo has 150mm travel, so its more limited on rough DH. Also its an older bike (2020), much cheaper to buy than a G3 Levo and it has a very similar geometry. You can use any single crown or dual crown forks.The last reason is that you can use any wheel combination, including both 29, and it makes the bike very versatile for any kind of ride. I ride with my friends that have G3 Levos and the bike performance and battery usage is very close., since they have the same motor, battery and similar geometry. For me is one of the best and most versatile bike available since 2019.

[@Jcool721]

Thanks, what a great experience and thinking. I would like to talk about "stupid" EU speed limit 25km/h. In US you can have so much more fun with the 30 km/h for sure. But, it's not that bad indeed. I actually love to ride over 25km/h and it's with my own legs, no motor assistance. It feels like a rubber band resistance because you don't need your own leg power as much during acceleration. It's like the rubber band which also feels lighter in the beginning of travel before it becomes heavy. So the motor stops helping and I can kind of do weight training with higher cadence. It's different from a normal bike starting from zero to accelerate and you run out of energy before 25 km/h. In addition, it is such an encouraging limit to aim for and feels great to push over the speed limit. Great for training intervals.

[@LoamerMTB]

My Kenevo also caps out at 25 km/h max assist so I know what you mean. Hits a fair amount of resistance when you push past that and makes for a great workout! Thanks for watching.

[@tonym6633]

​@@LoamerMTBBring it to the shop and get set for US 32 km an hour.

[@ksnax]

"An e-bike is a good addition . . ", exactly that. Don't give up the regular bike!

[@LoamerMTB]

Absolutely. I’d rather be on my Spire most days.

[@TheBrokenMountainBiker]

I appreciate this is a year ago now but the Kenevo can be improved, single crown 29" fork, run mullet wheels and then flip the chip on the shock to the "high" position. You get a higher BB so better clearance, the head angle ends up around 63deg, the bigger front wheel just adds yet more speed and keeping the 27.5" in the back keeps it relatively agile still. One other thing is the smaller 500w/h battery removes a kilo or so from the top of the downtube bringing the weight closer to the BB and the bike feels more agile. Granted the range is less but then you just make better use of eco/trail mode rather than smashing turbo mode all day! LOL.

[@LoamerMTB]

That would be awesome. The low BB and heavy weight makes this bike very cumbersome to ride in tech. I like the dual crown enough to keep it the way it is but that setup sounds awesome.

[@thelittle]

I did the same, but upgraded the battery from 500 to 700 on mine. It adds a bit of weight but we do some 2000m + elevation rides, impossible with 500Wh battery.

[@Stylelss]

Great video I’m considering getting a specialized bike. May I ask what trail that is you’re riding on the North Shore?

[@LoamerMTB]

I like to ride Cypress and Seymour. All of the footage in the vid is south of the border. The janky tech section is on Double Down in B’ham.

[@Stylelss]

@@LoamerMTB thanks for getting back…are there trails that are smooth and flowy like this video on the north shore?

[@LoamerMTB]

Not too many that’s for sure! Head down to Galbraith for the flow 🤙

[@markvan3465]

I wonder if going full 29 with this bike would help with bb strikes?

[@LoamerMTB]

I’m sure it would!

[@albertocoratelli]

Hey, very nice video and very useful, I just wanted to ask you what size frame you bought and how tall you are, thank you very much and congratulations!

[@LoamerMTB]

Thanks Albert! I am 6’ tall and have an S4 which has 500mm reach. Bike is Specialized Kenevo Expert.

[@bfranco1519]

Too heavy? No . There is just an adjustment period coming off a traditional mtb. If you ride moto, then they feel pretty light. It’s all relative to what you’re used to.

[@LoamerMTB]

Exactly. It’s all relative. The Kenevo makes my Spire feel like a flimsy ultra light xc bike when switching back. 😂

[@kiethpederson7558]

Wish to have without having rocks and roots every three seconds

[@TheAntoine191]

I am a quite fit rider with the full ebike I can cram a 4hr ride in 3 and it definitely help because its not that easy to fit 4 hour ride in a week. I don't take the car to ride so I have a good hour of road riding in it. If I went with a light ebike I wouldn't have enough range and the little added power would not make a big time difference vs the ebike so sl bike are a bit meh for ke anyway. Also bike are delicate and ebike even more have only ultralight stuff is not good for durability. The motor allows using stronger components. Anyway I ride a 10kg xc spark and a 24kg moterra. You can absolutely feel the weight difference but I never felt like it removed fun during downhills.

[@LoamerMTB]

The kenevo is pretty stout for sure. Burly build. Glad you are enjoying the ebike!