First Look: Kona Process 153 & 134

It’s worth watching.

Frame details

Carbon frames feature fully routed internal cable routing with a Y connector for easier routing of the rear brake tube on either side of the head tube. Meanwhile, the alloy ones have fully external routing (except for the dropper post) for easier home maintenance.

Underneath the down tube is an accessory holder and space for a full-sized water bottle. Frame protection has been improved and Kona uses the same widely available swivel bearings throughout the Process line to make it easier to order replacement parts.

There aren’t any specific numbers on the depth of the seat post, but sizes L and XL come with 200mm posts and M and S come with 175mm. Kona says some aftermarket 240mm posts will fit the XL and L sizes.

Suspension

As expected, the Kona sticks to its single-pivot, tie-rod driven suspension setup. This is sometimes called a “faux-bar” because it looks like a Horst-link four-bar, but the rear axle is directly connected to the main pivot.

The leverage ratio has been tweaked to offer 16% progression across the stroke (in the case of the 153 with 29″ wheels), which should be enough to play nicely with coil shocks, but is probably better suited for air (all models come with with air blast).

Leverage and travel increase slightly with a 27.5″ rear wheel versus a 29″ (as is often the case), so it may require a slightly different shock setup.

Geometry

While the reach numbers have grown and the head angles have decreased, the Kona doesn’t do anything too wild with the Process shape. Chainstays remain at 435mm across the size range and for both models – the chainstay length adjustment found on the Kona Process X is missing.

The seat tube angles aren’t particularly steep and are slightly slack in the larger sizes. In recent years, we’ve seen more brands switch to steeper seat tubes for taller riders to compensate for the greater rearward weight bias they otherwise experience.

He is building