# Levo/Kenevo and "tubeless ready": do I just need stem and sealant?



## Whiterabbitt (May 16, 2020)

Hi guys,

Asking here cause mtbr seems to get more traffic than emtb.

Just bought a Kenevo. Barely ridden it so far because life. Love it so far though.

I have the wheel off right now for a tire change, and it looks like the rim is taped pretty well, and not just a cheapo rim strip, but I can hardly tell such things.

The bike says tubeless ready. My new tires are tubeless ready. I have stems and sealant from another bike. Am I GTG to try tubeless on this wheel? Or would I need to re-tape it?

Basically, I'm putting the tube back in it if I need to re-tape, because taping is not fun and I don't mind the weight and I weigh so little I can run 15 psi pressure on these tires without risk of pinch flats.

But experimentation is the spice of life, so if I can "try" tubeless for basically no effort other than wheel reassembly, I might try it this time just to see....

Anyway, the question is this: did my bike come with tubeless tape on the rim already, so that I just need a stem and sealant to go tubeless?


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## Dirtrider127 (Sep 17, 2010)

When I brought my Levo home from the shop and before I rode it, I went tubeless.
Just popped one side off and pulled out the tube, screwed in the new valve stem, put the side back on and filled it up. You should be good to go with that strip that comes with it


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## mlx john (Mar 22, 2010)

My Levo SL came with the tubeless rim strips already installed. You should just need valves and some sealant.


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## Whiterabbitt (May 16, 2020)

OK, done. Much easier than my failed attempt earlier (on an old bike with crappy tape on old rim-brake rims...not pretty.... but all my fault). Had the parts, will give it a try. I hope it works out.

I pumped the tire up to 35 PSI to set the bead which popped in nicely, then shook things up to coat sealant around, nothing came out, seems good.

How long should I leave it at high pressure before I bring the pressure down to service pressure? I usually ride at 16 psi with tubes.


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## mlx john (Mar 22, 2010)

Let them sit at higher pressure until it's time to ride. Spin the wheels as well as shaking them.


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## Whiterabbitt (May 16, 2020)

10-4

As we roll out of fall, I will be riding less as well. Family life and all that. Are there maintenance requirements as well if the bike just sits? (I mis-like maintenance, especially if I'm not riding as much...) All the online writings about tubeless seem to be from riders who ride daily or weekly or very frequently, it seems.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Did you get one of the new 2020 Kenevo's? 

I just ask because I wanted one, but my local shop couldn't get one. Specialized told them they were sold out. The lbs sells Spesh and Giant bikes, so I wound up going with the Giant Reign E+ instead. I'm hoping next year maybe I can find one. Those bikes are pretty dang sweet.


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## Whiterabbitt (May 16, 2020)

Yes, new 2020 Kenevo. I don't know how I got it, to be honest. Everyone said they were out 'till February. When LBS said they had an order coming in, it was easy to put down a deposit for one. LBS didn't care if I bailed anyway, they knew they would sell every one of them within a week.


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## JetSedgwick (Jun 14, 2016)

What are your thoughts on the Kenevo vs. Levo?


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## Whiterabbitt (May 16, 2020)

technically, I never rode a Levo. I rented a Levo SL and rode it for 50 miles on a selection of flowy trails, tech up, fireroad up, and technical downs. But "only" 50 miles. Ironically, with all the stuff going on, I haven't ridden my kenevo 50 miles yet...

Anyway, coming from a 26 inch bike, I didn't care for the 29 inch wheel size. between the "in the bike, not on it" feel plus the wagon wheels, I felt like I was pedaling a big-wheel. That, and my #1 priority for an ebike was a quiet bike. The SL has tons of power, and the kenevo is just as noisy when in turbo mode, but its SO MUCH more power I don't need to take it off eco mode or even go softer on power which will keep it much quieter than the levo SL. The noise benefit of buying an ebike with too much "e" for me is huge.

So, at the end of the day, If I want a 27.5 and a quiet motor, the kenevo was the only choice. I think the SL has a much better spec, but as long as the fork and wheels were good, I'm good. I can fix the rest of the spec cheaply.

Swapped out the 11-42 for a 11-51 deore and a 36T chainring so I don't spin out on fireroads (32 and 11-42 is plenty of gear for a powerful e-bike and technical ups and downs). Swapped out the 150mm dropper for a 210 one up dropper because of no good reason other than I wanted it and it fits. Tires now swapped out because both the Levo SL and Kenevo have front-wheel washout on me on loose gravel and that annoys me. Brake pads were swapped out immediately for MTX brake pads, but the jury is still out on these codes. I didn't like them on the SL and I'm not sure I will keep them on the kenevo. rear seems OK now, but I have a saint front kit in my jensen cart I may pull the trigger on. The smashpot is on backorder so no word on that yet. but I'm not an air-shock guy, so I'll be happier on springs.

If I were willing to swap wheels, replace the air shock with a coil, and didn't care about noise, I'd have picked the Levo SL and converted to 27.5. That would have also cost me $2000 more than I paid for kenevo and parts.

Only other useful thing I can say is the kenevo front end is super heavy compared to the levo SL. that has me a little worried about riding drops, but I think it'll come with time, just need to get used to it. My old bike has a super light front end, so it's probably me.

I did get more airtime on the kenevo than I've ever had before, so the 54 some odd pounds doesn't bother me a fig.


Oh, and I've coveted a marzocchi bomber of any flavor since 1999, so that pretty much sealed the deal for me too. 

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Anyway, The tubeless thing can be filed under the same category as the dropper post. I'm trying it for no good reason other than I want to and life is sweet. With DH tires, the sidewalls are so stiff I run 16 psi with tubes anyways, and I'm actually maintenance-averse on a bike (one reason I wanted the smashpot). Tubeless may just be a 1-year experiment unless the ride quality is a paradigm shift or something. Looking forward to hitting some trails soon.


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## Flyer (Jan 25, 2004)

Yeah, that added weight is a detriment and the front is much heavier so you have to learn to either sail off jumps earlier and harder or drop more carefully. I also find it harder so I ride my e-bike a bit differently than my regular bike. I'm a bit slower downhill and that is not a big deal, but learning to lift the front takes more planning and strength if trying to launch off things and not just drop the front. 

I think the tubeless things is fantastic. I have been tubeless since 2004 when I converted my 26" Kenda Karmas on my Yeti ASR-SL. My Pivot has 2.8 27.5+ tires (I prefer 29ers though) and at 175 lbs, I run 12-14 Front and 14-16 Rear...that seems to be where the grip is great.


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