If you haven’t heard, Kona is back as a rider-owned brand. There was a (brief!) period of time during Sea Otter when it looked like bikes Kona had been working on for years would never see the light of day. But now that Dan Gerhard and Jake Heilbron are back at the helm, they’re wasting no time in rolling out not one, but two new Processes.
The Kona Process has been their go-big-or-go-home play bike since 2014, topping out with a very long-travel Process X series for park, DH, and enduro racing, but mostly living in the big trail bike world of s#!t eating grins. That version is back and better than ever, along with an equally new edition of the shorter travel Process 134 for shredders who love to underbike.
New Kona Process 153
The Process 153 gets 153mm rear wheel travel, paired with 160mm forks, and comes in carbon and alloy frames, two trim levels each. Carbon frames have fully guided internal routing for everything, with a “Y Connector” letting you properly route your rear brake no matter which side of the bar you run it on (moto or regular). Alloy frames have external routing for everything but the dropper post.
The big update is a flip chip behind the rocker that lets you adjust geometry to fit 29er or 27.5″ wheels in the back. Front is 29er only. All Small sized bikes ship as a mullet, others come as full 29ers.
The suspension kinematics are updated to work equally well with air or coil shocks. The leverage ratio drops from about 2.82 to 2.38 (with a 29er rear wheel), which should mean a good bit of ramp toward the end to prevent bottom out. The curve is the same with a 27.5″ rear wheel, it just starts a bit higher, around 2.94 dropping to 2.49.
The frame gets better bottle cage placement for easier access and removal, plus tool mounting points under the top tube. Extra frame protection on the downtube, BB shell, and chainstay is added.
The seat tube is shorter, keeping the bike’s weight low and offering great standover clearance. It also has deeper post insertion, making room for droppers, ranging from 175mm up to 200mm or more depending on frame size and dropper model.
Kona Process 134
If you like the idea of a Kona but need that sweet-spot mid-travel bike that works well almost anywhere, the new 3rd generation Process 134 is probably it. Same suspension layout for getting rowdy, but with a bit snappier pedaling performance.
It also gets the flip chip and MX capability, has two carbon and two alloy models. And it’s compatible with air and coil shocks, has better bottle clearance, tool mounts, and extra frame protection. Basically, it’s the same, just with less travel. Even the pivot and bearing hardware is the same across all models, frame materials, and sizes, making it easier on shops to carry spares.
