The B-A-B Wagon Wheeler

[born-again-biker]

So after a lot of delays and more waiting, my new whip finally arrived!

Frame - 2019 Kona Process 153 Deluxe 29er (AL) (Size XL)
Rear shock - RS Super Deluxe
Front shock/fork - RS "Chari" (or "Yarger"?) 160mm
Handlebars - Chromag OSX 35 (800mm ...for now....)
Stem - Chromag HiFi 35
Headset - FSA
Grips - ESI chunky
Saddle - WTB
Seatpost - TransX 170
Front brake - Guide R, 200mm
Rear brake - Guide R, 180mm
Cranks - SRAM NX
Chainguide - ...still in the packet waiting to be fitted
Chain - sometimes needs oil
Pedals - Chromag Synth
Rear derailleur - SRAM GX
Rear shifter - GX/NX ?
Cassette - GX Eagle
Front hub - WTB
Rear hub - WTB
Front rim - WTB KOM (29mm internal I think)
Rear rim - WTB KOM (29mm internal I think)
Spokes - Yep, got them
Nipples - really stiff in the cold Tassie air.
Tyres - Minions 2.3 / 2.5
Tubes - Nope
Total weight - Eleventy Hundred MacKilos

So many awesome bikes on the market these days...choosing was agonising.
This bike represents a few "firsts" for me...
- First wagon wheeler
- First single pivot frame
- ....and a return to flat pedals

So why the Kona?
- Geometry for a tall bloke with long limbs.
- Upgrades to 2019 model made it more appealing.
- LBS was doing a special deal.
- Kona frames are built to withstand WWIII.
- Some other "feeling" I can't explain.

How does it ride?
Fark me, where do I start. It's pretty amazing.
So far I've only ridden it a handful of times on my local trails....but I've started to gel with it on the gnarlier sections. (To be fair, this thing is complete overkill on most of my locals so I'll get a better idea when I take it to Derby/Maydena etc etc)

Climbing
It's a big, heavy bike and my fitness is not good after about 7 months off the bike. But I have noticed that if you can keep the cranks turning it will go up and over anything. The big wheels just keep on rolling.
With the shock in full hard or medium it feels really good - heaps of power transfer. There's minimal front wheel flop too.
Never had SRAM drivetrain before - so far so good. The big pizza gear is copping a flogging 'coz I'm so unfit.
I'm looking forward to getting fitter again 'coz I think this thing will climb like a monster once I've got a bit of muscle to feed it.

Descending
I don't know how fast and rowdy it would have to get before this bike feels overwhelmed ....but maybe one day I'll find out. Now I know why people talk about bikes with "the magic carpet ride". The suspension is phenominal - so, so supple.
On the second ride I just started hitting jumps and features that I had always been wary of. It just flies over everything without any sketchiness. Grip is huge. I feel like it fits my big, lanky 100 kg carcass well. There's lots of room to move around.
I'm still tweaking suspension (slowly reducing rebound damping) and I will probably play with air pressures & tokens soon. I'm already using all the travel and the local trails are XC with a little bit of Enduro-ish stuff....so I think I'll need more bottom-out/ramp when the trails get biggerer.

It's funny....I thought this bike would feel a million miles different from my 650B Trance.
But it doesn't feel radically different - just faster, more capable...and a bit smoother. It still stops, turns, jumps, changes direction, accelerates much the same - which is a good thing.
I was worried about the "lifeless sled factor"....but so far it just feels like a bigger Trance. (depending on your opinion of Giant's greatest trail bike, you may read that as positive or negative?)

Negatives...?
I'm not completely comfortable with 800mm bars. Fuck they feel like a Harley chopper. I loved the 760mm and 780mm bars on my Trance so I thought 800mm would be as good or better....but I think I have found the limit for my preference. And that's with my long arms too (I'm a proper knuckle-dragger)
I'm gonna leave 'em at 800mm for a few more rides....but if I don't get used to it there will be a date with Mr Hack-e-saurus.

Umm what else...I miss the Shimano 2 direction down shifts!! SRAM - are you listening? Your down-shift trigger is only half finished.

The saddle is harder than a cat's head. I have a bony arse so I would like something that cushions my precious freckle around the bush. The standard WTB has a nice Kona logo printed on it and it looks great....but it feels ....um...."in-expensive".

I have had a couple of pedal strikes that I don't remember on the old bike. Maybe I'm just rusty. Maybe the rear shock needs a couple more psi...
But it got me thinking that I might try some 170mm cranks in the future...

Other thoughts / Future mods ??
Not a negative (yet)....but the stock dropper is a TransX. I had planned to sell it immediately and fit a new BikeYoke Revive (same as my last bike). But it seems the TransX / Brand X have plenty of fans out there in internet-land....so I thought fuck it, I'll just run with it and see how it goes. It has a nice consistent action so far. It's hooked up to a KS remote that is quite stiff to operate.

In the flesh, the frame is actually a lot greener shade and the pedals, grips & bar decals don't match as well as they do in the photos. You can see it in the last few photos in the bush. Not the end of the world, but lesson learned when playing the matchy game on the internet!

All cables are externally routed until they hit a chainstay or the seat tube. This is an awesome feature for a home mechanic like me and it still looks nice and neat down the topside of the downtube.

The Yari feels heaps better than my old Pike. Way less stiction to get it moving. Front wheel feels unshakeable.

Have ordered a 450ml Fidlock magnetic bottle system. Should be perfect for local rides - that's if it fits in the frame!

Don't like the RS mudguard much....have ordered a Marsh Guard.

Never had SRAM brakes before.
They're not bad really. Like everyone says - mushy at first, but strong when you call on 'em. If only there was a fraction less lever throw so they didn't come quite so close to the bar when you're really squeezing.
I did notice a tiny bit of fade and a slight smell on the last descent the other day.
Will swap in some sintered pads and a good bleed and see how they go for the foreseeable....don't really wanna change 'em if I don't have to. But again, haven't been to big mountains yet.

Quick plug....
The guys at Cyclingo in Hobart are awesome.
The long delays in delivering the bike were not their fault.
The bike set up was flawless and they did a few extra things for me like tubeless & replacing the old style dropper remote with a KS under-bar lever for nix too.
The chromag stuff is beautiful and they put it all together perfectly.

Anyway....'nuff yackin' shit - pics bitches!! (crappy quality of course )

 

[hellmansam]

Congrats on the new steed ! I'm with you on the Shimano shifters. I find myself reaching for the trigger all the time when riding SRAM equipped bikes.

 

[hifiandmtb]

Yeah that's cool. Thanks for the writeup!

 

[Oddjob]

Wow that is a bright bike, I like it, Miami Vice on wheels.

Did you get the joy of riding the Yari before the charger damper went in?

You know who's bringing a xl Pole and Banshee Legend to Maydena on the 16th? We could have a xl love in. I even have the pad booked. I might even throw in a lobster dinner.

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[the drizzle]

I love the new Konas! Sweet rig!

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[SummitFever]

Nice looking bike. XL frames with wagon wheels do look good.

 

[The Reverend]

Impressive looking bike. I've seen one in a shop recently and was drawn to the solid look of it.

Like you I'm tall and it means one has to focus on CS length and stack as too often I find them too short.

Hope you love the new bike!

 

[born-again-biker]

Wow that is a bright bike, I like it, Miami Vice on wheels.

Did you get the joy of riding the Yari before the charger damper went in?

You know who's bringing a xl Pole and Banshee Legend to Maydena on the 16th? We could have a xl love in. I even have the pad booked. I might even throw in a lobster dinner.

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Haha.... I always take a half shell of Lobster in my camelback on the long rides

The 'Yarger' came with the damper fitted. It's the 'basic' LSC only... But it feels so much better than my old Pike.

I'd love to catch up while you're down here... But I'll be away working from the 12th onwards

 

[droenn]

Nice, the new ones sure look schmick.

Can you leave the shock open and pedal up technical bits? That’s one of the drawbacks to my 2016 model- I need to put shock on firm for most climbing (could be I just suck though), and I think was part of motivation for redesign of pivot and shock placement. It’s not a huge downside, just makes it a really a “winch and plummet” ride instead of a more balanced trail bike..

And you can put a water bottle in frame

 

[Oddjob]

Haha.... I always take a half shell of Lobster in my camelback on the long rides

The 'Yarger' came with the damper fitted. It's the 'basic' LSC only... But it feels so much better than my old Pike.

I'd love to catch up while you're down here... But I'll be away working from the 12th onwards

Hold on. I'm an idiot. I fly in on the 11th.

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[born-again-biker]

Nice, the new ones sure look schmick.

Can you leave the shock open and pedal up technical bits? That’s one of the drawbacks to my 2016 model- I need to put shock on firm for most climbing (could be I just suck though), and I think was part of motivation for redesign of pivot and shock placement. It’s not a huge downside, just makes it a really a “winch and plummet” ride instead of a more balanced trail bike..

And you can put a water bottle in frame

TBH I haven't tried climbing with the shock in full open yet.... only because I'm enjoying the novelty of the climb switch.
The guys at Cyclingo reckon you can leave it open all day and it'll go up and down as good as any other system.
I'll leave it open on the next ride

 

[slider_phil]

Some other "feeling" I can't explain.

Pretty much the main reason why we chose what we ride. Geometry and numbers are one thing but there's always something that makes us choose one over another.

Nice looking bike!

 

[caad9]

TBH I haven't tried climbing with the shock in full open yet.... only because I'm enjoying the novelty of the climb switch.
The guys at Cyclingo reckon you can leave it open all day and it'll go up and down as good as any other system.
I'll leave it open on the next ride

I’m firmly in the shock open camp, the Process will absolutely crush technical climbing. It is a very good climbing bike (relative to its category, of course)
Leave it open and keep the legs turning and you’ll get over anything

 

[Chriso_29er]

Awesome bike, and loving the matching lid

 

[BT180]

Nice one! Mate of mine LOVES his process. XL size too. He's fitted a coil to his, along with a 44 offset fork. Took the bike up another level.

 

[davos808]

Nice one! Mate of mine LOVES his process. XL size too. He's fitted a coil to his, along with a 44 offset fork. Took the bike up another level.View attachment 350013

Yep thats my bike. LOVE the Process. I came from a 2014 Speccy Enduro 29 XL running a Fox X2 - great bike that was ahead of its time - but the Process with its modern geo is just better in most ways - the longer front end makes the bike a weapon, but the short CS still keeps it nice and playful. Can be harder to get the weight right in corners but you soon get used to it. It pedals/climbs really well compared to the Enduro - the flat leverage curve off the top gives a good platform. The bike is stiff as - tracks really well - the alu rims give good compliance as needed. And the 20mm pivot bearings are bomber.

As my mate says, the combo of the Fox 36 (170mm) and DHX2 (long stroked to 160mm) has taken the bike to the next level. Our local terrain (Sydney Northern Beaches) is all steep techie rocky trails - the coil is so composed in this stuff. Makes the bike climb even better - traction for ever.

Weight be damned - I've got a 1.4kg assguy on the front, Cushcore in the rear, bike is 17+ kgs now but for bigger guys (I'm 86kg) I think its manageable. I just HTFU'd.

That new carbon model looks pretty mint though...

Best part of my build? The poo brown Chromag trail master saddle - natch!

 

[Joeypee107]

Nice write up! The new Kona’s sound like a fun bike. Gotta be fun dialling it in though?


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[born-again-biker]

Yep thats my bike. LOVE the Process. I came from a 2014 Speccy Enduro 29 XL running a Fox X2 - great bike that was ahead of its time - but the Process with its modern geo is just better in most ways - the longer front end makes the bike a weapon, but the short CS still keeps it nice and playful. Can be harder to get the weight right in corners but you soon get used to it. It pedals/climbs really well compared to the Enduro - the flat leverage curve off the top gives a good platform. The bike is stiff as - tracks really well - the alu rims give good compliance as needed. And the 20mm pivot bearings are bomber.

As my mate says, the combo of the Fox 36 (170mm) and DHX2 (long stroked to 160mm) has taken the bike to the next level. Our local terrain (Sydney Northern Beaches) is all steep techie rocky trails - the coil is so composed in this stuff. Makes the bike climb even better - traction for ever.

Weight be damned - I've got a 1.4kg assguy on the front, Cushcore in the rear, bike is 17+ kgs now but for bigger guys (I'm 86kg) I think its manageable. I just HTFU'd.

That new carbon model looks pretty mint though...

Best part of my build? The poo brown Chromag trail master saddle - natch!

That's a badass Process Davos!
Very nice springy bits too. How does the shorter off-set fork feel?

I weighed mine the other day - it's bang-on 16kgs ready-to-ride....and I'm completely OK with that.

Have had a couple more rides on it since last posting - it just gets better every time. The faster I push the better it feels. Can't wait to hit the big mountains soon...

 

[born-again-biker]

Nice write up! The new Kona’s sound like a fun bike. Gotta be fun dialling it in though?


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Yep. Frothin' on the Process so far.

I've added a touch more air to the fork & shock and feel like I'm getting closer to the right set-up.
It's poppier than where I started, but I haven't lost any composure through the rocks and fast chunder.
I keep forgetting to chuck the serial numbers into the RS site and see how many volume spacers are fitted to each end.

It has wayy more grip than my old bike too.
The local trails are loose-over-hard. And I mean really loose, over really, really hard packed.
The big Process just hangs on when you lean it over thru a fast off-camber stuff.