New Specialized Kenevo SL Combines Their Enduro Platform with a Lightweight Motor

The dentist jokes come out in rapid-fire succession during conversations about any bike priced over $10,000, and some tooth-care professionals may argue that the new Specialized e-bikes are even out of their trail-toy budget. The two models of this new Kenevo SL platform sell for between €9,499 (£8,750) and €13,999 (£12,500) respectively, with the S-Works frameset priced at 6,999 (£6,500).

This latest addition to the Specialized e-bike lineup is a mashup of their popular Enduro model, with a lightweight motor and battery setup that’s decidedly difficult to distinguish from the muscle-powered Enduro bike. The Kenevo SL is reportedly 12 pounds lighter than the previous Kenevo model, now equipped with a 240w motor and 320Wh battery. Part of that weight savings comes from the move to a single-crown fork on this updated self-shuttle machine.

The leggy 170mm carbon fiber 29er includes all of the geometry adjustments we’ve come to expect from Specialized, with three headset angles and two BB height options to choose from that result in six different geometry configurations. In the lowest and slackest setting, the bike has a 62.5° head tube angle, whereas the steepest setting clicks it up to 64.7°. The geometry possibilities are far too vast to list, so we’ll paste the table for your enjoyment. The short story is that this new e-bike looks long and slack and ready to play all day.

A rearward axle path for the first 45mm of travel should help the Kenevo SL maintain speed on small- and medium-size impacts, and the Horst-link pivot layout that largely mirrors that of the Enduro and Demo should make for a smooth and predictable ride. Specialized calls their latest version of the classic four-bar design a “six-bar” stating that “the additional ‘tension links’ that drive shock compression give us the engineering freedom to separately and independently control leverage rate and axle path, broadly enhancing suspension capability. Compressing the shock from these tension links also eliminates side-loading of the shock. Side-loading can cause binding and shock failure, and removing that from a suspension improves performance (reduced stiction means smoother and more responsive suspension) and durability.”