It was around the year 2000 and freeriding had just become the new trend. Dropping was the lifestyle of an entire generation of bikers and heroes like Wade Simmons and Brett Tippie were daringly throwing themselves off ever higher cliffs on their bikes. Brands like Kona from British Columbia were right on trend. The Canadian flagship in particular, the Stinky, shone with good riding characteristics and extreme robustness, but the years following the freeride trend were tough for Kona.
Innovation jams galore, bikes that were too heavy, still the old and heavy freeriders that were reluctant to pedal uphill, while Cannondale or Rocky Mountain had long been offering robust MTB fullys well below the 15-kilo mark. Kona's brand image was gathering dust and soon nothing more was heard of the former cult brand from British Columbia.
Until the new 153-Process suddenly appeared in the exhibition halls at the end of 2013. Motocross-inspired, banana-swinging rear triangle, surprisingly efficient and yet outstandingly forgiving, reasonable weight and - it must be said today - pioneering geometry. The long reach and low bottom bracket provided a lot of confidence on steep descents, the angles were slack but not extreme, the chainstays were extremely short, so the bike remained playful and easy to control despite its downhill strength. The Process 153 rode straight into the hearts of the testers and in one fell swoop Kona was back on the scene.
Almost four years have passed since then, during which the Process has only ever received visual updates, but the long wait has been worth it. Because now it's here: The new, completely revised Kona Process 153 called G2.
The most important innovations of the Kona Process at a glance
Three models of the new Kona Process there will be. The aluminium Process 165 has the most suspension travel and is well suited to the bike park and relaxed tours, while the Process 153 is more forward, lighter, faster and more efficient. But without the fun - the trump card of the old Process - being neglected. For the first time, there is also a 29-inch version of the Process with two aluminium models, the Process 153 in 27.5 inches comes in two carbon and two aluminium versions, the chainstays are made of aluminium on all bikes.
In addition to the carbon option of the 27.5-inch bike, the most important innovation is certainly the rear triangle. The shock is now back in the frame instead of lying on its side as before. The pivot point of the rocker is very high in order to combine a soft response behaviour at the beginning of the suspension travel with a strong end progression. In addition, a bottle cage and, from frame size M, a 150 millimetre dropper post now fit in the frame, which was also one of the main criticisms of the old Process and thus the reason for the new development. In L and XL, even dropper posts with 170 mm travel can now be fitted. The fact that the Process with upright shock fits in better with the rest of the product range is seen by the developers as a pleasant side effect.
Geometry: powerful downhill yet playful
In contrast, the changes to the geometry are only moderate. Although the bike is slightly longer and slacker - 475 millimetres reach in frame size L and 66 degree head angle on the Process 153 - all non-racers in the world can breathe a sigh of relief. 425 millimetres of short chainstays on both wheel sizes (!) of the 153 Process breathe playfulness into the bike, the new rear triangle should also provide significantly more performance up the hills without sacrificing performance downhill, reach and head angle have remained moderate. The bottom bracket drop on the 27.5-inch bike is -10 millimetres, on the 29-inch bike -29 millimetres. At 74 degrees, the seat angle is pleasantly steep on both wheel sizes. For extra durability, Kona also uses high-quality, sealed ball bearings for all bearings and even uses solid 20-millimetre bearings on the rocker and the main pivot point of the rear triangle for rigidity and durability. The rocker is reminiscent of the downhill racer Operator, and the new frame should also be extremely stiff in other respects. British Columbia is happy to accept the slightly higher weight for this, as they have deliberately dispensed with geometry adjustment by means of a flip chip or similar. Better intuitive and good than fiddly and complicated, that has always been Kona's credo.
Ian Schmitt, Product Manager at Kona, explains how the new Process came about and what was particularly important during development.
Prices and equipment of the Kona Process G2
The upper end of the new Process product range is marked by the two carbon models Process 153 CR/Dl 27.5 and CR 27.5. Compared to the top model CR/DL, the CR primarily saves on the drivetrain, suspension and brakes. Instead of the Guide RSC, a Guide R is used here, and instead of the X01 Eagle, a GX Eagle with the normal Descendant crankset is used. In terms of suspension, there is "only" the normal Deluxe RT shock instead of the Super Deluxe RCT with reservoir and a Lyrik Solo Air RC instead of the RCT3 version. The carbon models will cost 5999 US dollars and 4799 US dollars, similar prices in euros are to be expected, but are not yet available to us. The cables are mostly internally routed for a clean look but are continuous so that they can still be changed easily. Kona has also concealed a spare derailleur hanger where the cables exit the frame at the bottom. A clever detail!
However, more price-conscious buyers are more likely to opt for the aluminium models of the Process G2. Here you have the choice between 27.5 and 29 inches, whereby the DL models again have the better features, but will also cost 3599 US dollars instead of the 2999 US dollars for the standard model. However, the standard model saves money in a few places. Instead of Guide R, the brakes are Level T, Maxxis Minion DHF dual compound instead of the 3C compound in the Deluxe model provide ground contact, the standard model rolls on cheaper rims but the same hubs, the gears are sorted here by an NX 11-speed groupset with Race Face Aeffect cranks instead of the GX Eagle with Descendant cranks in the DL model. The standard model also has a dropper post, but a cheaper Trans-X instead of the Reverb in the DL model. However, the suspension is the same with Rock Shox Yari Solo Air and the Deluxe RT rear shock. The cables are routed externally here. It doesn't look quite as stylish, but it's a good solution and saves a lot of work and fiddling when in doubt.
The 165 Process is priced between the carbon and aluminium models of the 153 Process with only one model for 3999 euros. With a head angle of 65 degrees, it is slightly slacker than its smaller brothers, but the reach shrinks by 10 millimetres to 465 millimetres in frame size L, while the seat angle and bottom bracket drop remain the same. A Rock Shox Lyrik RC Solo Air with 170 millimetres of travel and a Super Deluxe Coil R steel shock absorber iron out the bumps on the trail, the brakes are provided by the Code R downhill brake and the gears are sorted by a GX Eagle with Descendant crank, A KS Lev Integra with ergonomic Southpaw Lever provides the saddle drop, the bike rolls like its little brothers on WTB i29 rims with Formula hubs and Maxxis Minion tyres, but now in the downhill version and of course the high-quality 3C compound.
Conclusion: Making good things even better
Like its predecessor, the new Kona Process G2 could be a big hit. The playful geometry has been retained as far as possible and only optimised in details, while the new frame effectively solves problems such as the missing bottle cage or the too-short dropper posts. For the first time there is a 29-inch and a carbon version, freeriders will be delighted with the Process 165 and Kona has also come back down to earth in terms of price, if the dollar prices can be translated directly into euros as in the past. The Canadians were never a bargain, but over 5000 euros for the well but not exorbitantly equipped top model Process 153 DL with aluminium frame was really a bit exaggerated and the new product range is a long way from that. We are looking forward to the first tests!
All information on the individual models on the Website of Kona.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
