Kona Process 153 29er

My Intense Tracer 275 is in the shop for some repairs, so I went to The Path to borrow something for the weekend. All they had in my size and my riding preferences was a Kona Process 153 29er CR/DL. Not on my list of bikes to try, but why not?

It looks like this:


12 Spd SRAM transmission. 32 tooth chainring. 10-50 cassette. SRAM Code 4-piston brakes with 8" rotors on both ends. Carbon Descendant cranks. Carbon bar. Rock Shock Super Deluxe Ultimate shock and Lyric Ultimate RC2 fork (160) debonair. Reverb dropper post.

2.4" Maxxis Minion DHR II in the rear (23 psi) and 2.5" Maxxis Assegai in front (21 psi) WTB rims. DT Swiss 370 hubs. Frame is all carbon except the aluminum chainstays. Size XL.

Rider is 6'4" tall, 215 lbs with pack.

Test ride in Aliso-Wood Canyon Park. On many test rides I've done, I let the shop set up the suspension based on my weight and rode the bike that way. It's always a mistake and I waste a good portion of my test ride realizing that there is far too much air in the shock and fork. I was not going to make that mistake today.

I rode up the paved road we call Cheater Cholla to get to the rock drop at the top of Lynx to make sure the suspension was as dialed as I could get it. The bike's geometry felt good immediately. A few drops off the rock and I was using almost all of the suspension front and rear. It was perfect. So up the extra credit I went. My first taste of dirt climbing was positive. The bike climbed fine. It's big and heavy, but it was OK on the first climb.

Off down Rock-It I went. First thing I notice on the little stutter bumps on the upper fire-road was I was getting much more feedback through my hands than I get with my bike. How can that be? This Lyric is supposed to be awesome, and I know I don't have it over-pressured. The recommended pressure was 85 psi and I ran it with 70. And remember, I did the drop test to confirm that I was using all of the travel.

The back of the bike felt great. Took three little jumps and the bike was planted as it landed.

The upper portion of Rock-it was unremarkable. The bike was a bike. The Rock Garden was just OK. The bike didn't hold its line as well as I thought it should, nor as well as my Tracer. The front end was getting tossed around a little. The up-and-over was a breeze, and the bike corners well and quickly.

Off to climb Cholla. I had to manually pull up the Reverb post to get the last couple of millimeters of extension. So up Cholla we go. Well, a 32x50 on a heavy 29er is no easier than 30x46 on my 275 Tracer. I just went slow. I had no problem with traction on the little techy sections, and the front end stayed planted just fine.

Down Stair Steps. Well what can I say, a big-travel, slack, beefy 29er certainly flattens the chunk on Stairs. I really admired the rear shock, and how quiet the bike was. I smiled.

When I turned around to try climbing back up, I got about as far as I do on my Tracer, although I spun out once. More a function of not knowing where to put my weight than anything else. I tried climbing the side trail, but I kept having to unclip and put a foot down. The front end had a mind of its own, and if I moved forward to put more weight on it, I seemed to lose grip in the rear. Maybe it's just something the rider would adapt to over time.

Down Lynx. Again, the bike was sooooo quiet! And the back end was superb off of all the little drops. But the front end was nervous and easily knocked offline. Lots of feedback through my hands and arms. And for those who don't know me, I ride with a forward, aggressive style - chest low, elbows out.

I climbed up through the neighborhood for a run down 5-Oaks. More of the same. A tale of two bikes. Superb rear, nervous front. Has to be the suspension, but I used all of the travel on Lynx and 5-Oaks, so I can't let out more air. The high speed compression dial was all the way out (no compression damping). The low speed was in a few clicks to prevent dive. I may have had a little too much rebound damping, so I backed it off two clicks for 5-Oaks and it was a little better.

Bottom line? It's a heavy yet playful bike with an impressive rear end. Very planted and quiet. Figure out the front suspension and the bike would be a blast. If you struggle with climbs, this bike is not going to help you in any way. It climbs fine for what it is, but it takes work.

Oh, and my heels hit the chainstays, so this bike would be a no-go for me for that reason alone. My size 13s didn't play well with the short, wide chainstays.

Not the bike for me, but it was fun, and I always enjoy trying different bikes.

 

I always enjoy your bike reviews... And usually take something away from them.

Now if only I could get you to review some slacked out overforked hardtails...

 

I'll let @rossage handle those!

And thanks.

 

I have found with the Boost rear ends, this is going to be a very common problem, and one you just may have to learn to live with.

 

I wear a 13 as well and even with my big bulky 5 Tens I have plenty of clearance.

@herzalot my buddy Dennis has the same bike as you and demoed a couple of bikes yesterday. He said it just made him appreciate his bike even more.

 

Nice run down, @herzalot


The Process 153 page says the STA is 76 degrees. My Smash’s STA is 73, with the virtual figure at 75.8. Virtual STA is the number we need, not STA. And at various seat heights like Banshee reports it. Who knows how Kona got 76 degrees...slam the seat? They obviously are not gaging the actual STA.

Lots of seat post and long legs will surely work against a rider looking to cap on the benefits of steep VSTA. Maybe rationale for defaulting to a generously sized frame over undersized?

 

My pre-boost Process 111 does this too.

my wife rented a 153 last year in Crested Butte. Totally the wrong bike for CB outside the park.

 

I've been pondering the new 134... Which has similar Geo, do you think the front end could be the super short chainstays? Us taller folks need longer rear center to offset the longer front ends...

May I ask, what's your inseam length? We're close in height, but I'm all arms and legs with short torso, so bike fit feels tricky..

 

No surprise with the Reverb, LOL. Those things suck.
How did you like the Assegai? I am thinking about it for my next rear as the Aggressor is not very good, IMO.

 

I rode a bike with super boost 157. I couldn’t hit the chainstays with my feet if I tried.

 

The new gg bikes, and yt are the two that stand out as having their actual and effective seat angles very close.

Like you said, all these companies who have effective angle at 76, but a kink in the seat tube making the real angle in the 60s make it muddy territory

 

I wear 34 inseam. I’m all torso.

I can’t get my head around how short chainstays would work against a tall rider to create a twitchy front end. Is it because when we stand our weight is further back?

 

Most of the issue was while climbing correct?
Basically yes, it would be creating a load over the rear axle, leaving the front lighter to wander. That's why companies like Norco, yt, and Santa Cruz recently are increasing chainstays length with larger size frames. It makes the ratio of front to back more equitable and balanced

 

I expected the front to be a little unruly climbing, but my disappointment was how the front end was so nervous descending. It did not want to hold a line, deflecting constantly. Probably just the finer points of fork setup.

 

How slacked out are you talking? My Kona Explosif had a 150mm fork that was designed for a 120mm fork. Straight ahead was awesome. Tight turns it absolutely sucked.

 

I’ve noticed this on my Process 152 27.5...my guess is short chainstays with slacker seat tube (up at tall guy height) contributes....

I recently got a much heavier version of the 153 29 (and kind of like the 165) which has 435 chainstays. Nervousness is gone on downhills. May also be partly due to the much heavier weight.