JAMIE’S SPECIALIZED TURBO KENEVO SL COMP

MONTH 2: JD’S quest to ease post-ride aches has backfired but only because he’s been having too much fun to stop

£7,000 / 29in / specialized.com

Iordered up the Kenevo SL with the firm belief I’d be able to ride all the same trails I love, and cover the same distance, but that I’d be 20% less shagged afterwards. Some people would call this cheating, digital doping perhaps, but I was too excited to care, anticipating finishing a ride without needing a day in bed to recover (I’m getting old). Well, the early days of 2022 have frozen out that idea, in fact I’d argue I’m 20% shagged after some rides. Just deserts, you’re probably thinking.

The Kenevo SL is a fun, engaging and capable bike to ride, and therein lies the problem. It eggs me on to ride harder, not easier. Instead of finishing a ride with a chunk of energy left, I want more; more trails, more descents, more of everything. And with 240W and

35Nm torque under my pedals, it’s just a thumb-press away.

It’s even worse when you’re treating the Kenevo SL like a full powered e-bike, shuttling yourself up the climbs in Turbo mode without heed to legs or watt hours. I won’t do that again. After rinsing the battery in just over an hour, I had what seemed like an hour’s crawl to the car on a flat battery. You can definitely ride the Kenevo SL without the motor on – there’s not much resistance there and the bike’s weight doesn’t prohibit it – but it’s not fun when your legs and stomach are as empty as the battery.

So, this is what I now know about the Kenevo

SL. Number one: it’s really extremely easy to rip through a battery, and Turbo mode is to be treated with caution. Like your Christmas bonus, you’ll spend it quicker than you can say: credit card bill. It is really an e-bike, it’s an Enduro with a little extra grunt.

Number two: the modes are there for a reason. With Bosch you can stick your e-bike onto EMTB mode and it’ll do all the working out for you, plus you’ll have hundreds and hundreds of watt hours to play with. On board the SL, you need to be thinking more like a bio biker, metering out the power carefully and with a cool head. I spend most of my time now in Eco or Trail mode, as a form of restraint. Number three… you’ll have to wait for, there’s too much to say and not enough space for it all. Till next month then.

WHY IT’S HERE

Diet e-bikes: the best or worst of both worlds?

THE RIDER JAMIE DARLOW Position Front section editor Mostly Rides Surrey Hills Height 6ft1in Weight 82kg THE BIKE ■ Lightweight e-bike, splitting the weight difference between the full-power Kenevo and regular Enduro ■ Less than half the power of a full-fat e-bike, with 240W and 35Nm of torque, and a small 320Wh battery (with optional 160Wh range extender) ■ Entry-level Turbo Kenevo SL gets Fox Performance suspension, Fox Rhythm fork and SRAM GX drivetrain, but retains the full carbon frame ■ Progressive geometry and sizing makes the Kenevo SL a full-blown enduro bike Judicious use of modes is the way to squeeze more juice from the 320Wh Spesh battery SPECIFICATION Frame FACT 11m full carbon, 170mm travel Shock Fox Float X Performance Fork Fox Float 36 Rhythm, GRIP damper, 170mm travel Motor Specialized SL 1.1 Battery Specialized SL1 320Wh Display Specialized Mastermind TCU Wheels Specialized 110/148mm hubs, Specialized hookless alloy 30mm rims, Butcher Grid Trail Gripton T9/T7, 29x2.3in Drivetrain Praxis forged M30 chainset, SRAM GX Eagle r-mech and shifter Brakes SRAM Code R, 220/200mm Components Specialized 6061 alloy 800mm bar, Specialized Trail 50mm stem, X-fusion Manic 150mm seatpost, Specialized Bridge Comp saddle Sizes S2, S3, S4, S5 Weight 19.4kg (42.8lb) GEOMETRY (LOW SETTING) Size tested S4 Rider height 6ft 1in Head angle 62.7° Seat angle 67.2° Effective SA 75.6° BB height 337mm Chainstay 450mm Front centre 841mm Wheelbase 1,291mm Down tube 757mm Top tube 635mm Reach 485mm