SPECIALIZED S-WORKS TURBO KENEVO SL
The Turbo Kenevo SL is the second low-powered, lightweight e-mtb that Specialized has brought to market. And unlike the shorter travel Turbo Levo SL that launched in 2020, the Kenevo SL is not based on an old frame design. In fact, the Kenevo SL bears no resemblance to any other bike in the Levo family. Instead, it takes design cues directly from the 100% human powered Specialized Enduro – a 170mm travel 29er, designed to tackle the toughest enduro race courses.
Take the Enduro, bolt a 35Nm motor to the BB shell and shove a 320Wh battery into the SWAT compartment on the down tube and you basically have the Kenevo SL. Obviously that’s not possible, and it’s not the whole story, as you’d still need to add the Mastermind display to the top tube and fit the handlebar remote that lets you toggle between the three power modes: Eco, Trail and Turbo. But you get the picture.
On the scales, the compact SL motor adds 1,900g, the battery an additional 1,835g. Combined that’s 3.735kg without any wiring, and it brings the grand total for the range topping S-works Kenevo SL complete bike to an impressive 18.79kg (41.42lb). That’s 1kg lighter than the Forestal Siryon. And given most analogue enduro bikes with similar build kits currently weigh around 15kg, unless motor and battery tech improve dramatically, the weight of the lowpowered e-bike is not coming down anytime soon.
Clearly the Enduro and Kenevo SL share similar silhouettes, but the frame layouts are not identical. Adding the motor bumps up the height of the shock tunnel by roughly 30mm, which in turn eats into the seat tube length available for the dropper post. So with the
170mm Rockshox Reverb AXS post, the minimum saddle height on the S4 size is 755mm (centre of BB to top of saddle), which is tall for what is effectively a size L. So even though Specialized makes a big deal about its S-sizing and the ability to choose your bike size on handling, not just fit, the limited seat tube insertion on three of the four available sizes is a real roadblock to an otherwise great idea. Also, with only four sizes, the jumps between each size is 25mm, so some riders will slip between the cracks.
In terms of adjustability, the Kenevo SL is streets ahead of the Enduro. The addition of offset upper headset cups give you three head angles, stock 63.7° or +/- 0.75°. The BB height and chainstay length are also adjustable, but not independently – flip chips in the chainstay pivots offering low/ long or high/short settings.
Together that’s six different configurations, and Specialized even has an online geometry calculator to help you navigate all the permutations.
SUSPENSION
Like the Enduro, the Kenevo SL uses what Specialized refers to as its 6-bar suspension design to deliver 170mm travel. And just like the Enduro, the Kenevo SL over delivers on its travel promise – we measured vertical rear wheel travel at a whopping 174mm.
But let’s back up for a minute. Is the suspension on the Kenevo SL really a sixbar? In short, no. It’s still a classic fourbar design. The twist being that with some creative accounting, Specialized adds the two sub-links that drive the shock to its four-bar equation, even though these links do not impact the anti-squat or anti-rise characteristics in the way a true six-bar design would.
Semantics aside, the S-works bike gets a high-volume Fox Float X2 shock, with four-way damping adjustment. Performance on the X2 is first rate, but the latest design, including the shock on our test bike, has issues with cavitation, where oil and gas mix to create inconsistent damping and a distinct slurping sound when you cycle the suspension. It’s a quick repair that’s covered under warranty and once fixed the shock on the Kenevo SL proved
100% reliable. With relatively high anti
£13,500