In what is surely a good sign, Kona just announced the third generation of their popular Process 153 and Process 134 mountain bikes in both carbon and aluminum frames. While the updates aren’t huge, the refresh brings welcome changes, and perhaps more importantly, demonstrates that the Kona brand is alive and well.
Unlike the transition from the first to second generation, the third generation Process is aesthetically pretty similar to the previous iteration. The shock position remains the same, though Kona has worked to improve clearances within the front triangle for bigger water bottles. They’ve even added accessory mounts, too.
Kona says both the Process 134 and 153 can run a coil or air shock, though all the builds currently on offer are running air, so interested buyers will need to purchase a coil shock on their own. Carbon bikes feature internal frame routing while the aluminum models feature external routing; clearly Kona understands their buyers. All the new frames are UDH-compatible, and top-end builds are offered with a SRAM GX Eagle Transmission drivetrain.
Kona Process 134 G3
The Process 134 is the brand’s full suspension trail bike with 140/134mm of suspension travel front/rear. This bike sees the most changes this time around, starting with the geometry.
The head tube angle on the Process 134 is slackened by half a degree to 65.5° and the seat tube angle is a touch steeper at 76.7°. Reaches have grown by about 5mm, as have the chainstay lengths. Overall, the geometry changes are pretty minor, and most riders likely won’t be able to tell much of a difference.
| S | M | L | XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube length | 380 | 380 | 420 | 450 |
| Top tube length | 570 | 599 | 628 | 666 |
| Reach | 430 | 455 | 480 | 515 |
| Stack | 605 | 615 | 625 | 635 |
| Standover | 700 | 700 | 710 | 720 |
| Head tube angle | 65.5º | 65.5º | 65.5º | 65.5º |
| Head tube length | 94 | 105 | 116 | 127 |
| Seat tube angle | 76.9º | 76.9º | 76.7º | 76.6º |
| Chainstay length | 435 | 435 | 435 | 435 |
| Bottom bracket drop | 23 | 33 | 33 | 33 |
| Bottom bracket height | 342 | 342 | 342 | 342 |
| Wheelbase | 1171 | 1200 | 1230 | 1269 |
| Front center | 738 | 767 | 797 | 836 |
| Fork length | 551 | 551 | 551 | 551 |
| Fork offset | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 |
Previously, the Process 134 was offered with 29er or 27.5″ wheels. This time around, sizes medium through XL will roll on matched 29er wheels while size small frames will be fitted with mixed wheels. An integrated flip chip allows the larger sizes to switch to mixed wheels, though buyers will obviously need to purchase a 27.5″ wheel and tire on their own.
Builds for the Kona Process 134 are priced from $1,899 to $5,499.
Kona Process 153 G3
The third generation Kona Process 153 appears little changed from the previous version, with nearly (or actually?) identical geometry to the previous version. Like the Process 134, the 160/153mm enduro bike rolls on 29er wheels for sizes medium through extra large, while size small is mixed wheel.
| S | M | L | XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube length | 380 | 380 | 420 | 450 |
| Top tube length | 574 | 599 | 628 | 667 |
| Reach | 430 | 455 | 480 | 515 |
| Stack | 615 | 615 | 625 | 635 |
| Standover | 690 | 700 | 710 | 720 |
| Head tube angle | 64.5º | 64.5º | 64.5º | 64.5º |
| Head tube length | 94 | 94 | 105 | 116 |
| Seat tube angle | 76.9º | 76.9º | 76.7º | 76.6º |
| Chainstay length | 435 | 435 | 435 | 435 |
| Bottom bracket drop | 20 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Bottom bracket height | 345 | 345 | 345 | 345 |
| Wheelbase | 1190 | 1215 | 1244 | 1284 |
| Front center | 756 | 781 | 811 | 851 |
| Fork length | 571 | 571 | 571 | 571 |
| Fork offset | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 |
The Process 153 will be offered in aluminum and carbon fiber models, with prices ranging from $2,499 to $5,499.
See all the builds and find out more at konabikes.com.
