I bought a Kona process a few weeks back, I’ve only done about 5 miles on it due to injury, but I’m really struggling with long low slack from a riding position.

I tried a Spec Camber and a Santa Cruz that were both 120-130 instead of the 160 on the kona, only round the local park today after an MTB event.
They’re note traditional geometry than the kona and I just felt a lot more at home very quickly with them.

Maybe I bought the wrong bike, but I did the 5 miles on an xc ride and it was far from terrible, but I’m still struggling to feel it.

I wrote and placed an advert on here, but it was only really a half hearted advert.

So the question is as per thread title.

Go faster

Just my opinion…

Long low and slack isn’t better everywhere all the time. It works best when you’re caning it on (down) steep terrain.

If you’re just bimbling along*, then ‘short high and steep’ makes a bit more sense, if not sounding as fashionable…

(*let’s be honest, ‘bimbling along’ covers most of us most of the time)

In other words, you probably don’t need a 63 degree head-angle to have a bloody good laugh on the trails at Rother Valley…

Yes? I swapped from my Sunn Tzar to a mk2 BFe a few weeks ago and it took me a few rides to get used to it. The frames are pretty similar but different enough to be, well, different.

Perhaps the Kona is ‘too much bike’ for what you enjoy doing? I recently binned off my 170mm FS in favour of my long travel HT* because I don’t have to be going at warp speed to get the most from it 😀

* the LT HT was a fixture long before any FS graced the shed.

The kona is more suited to what I’m trying/wanting to accomplish currently but its not always as easy to get time and location for the harder faster stuff.

I understand that the kona is more suited to down though.

Yes you can but its all about mind set and just taking each bike on its merits maybe its easier for some than others if I go from a stache 29er with its 3″tyres to my 5 year old 26″ remedy it takes about 30mins to get back into the remedy as it feels so different to the stache other way round no problem might sound strange to some that.I would keep at the Kona give it at least 6 rides to make up your mind.

yes. Takes about 6 miles…

The Kona’s geometry is a little odd to me – it’s at the longer end of the scale in terms of reach, and it’s reasonably low, but it’s got a 66.5 degree head angle. It’s like they forgot to change it off a 2012 bike. Odd.

It’s almost like it should be a 130mm bike. The new one is now 65.5, so it’s getting there.

But in answer to can you get used to it – given enough time, yes of course.

The thing with ‘enduro’ bikes is they need to be ridden fast, and hard to work. They are long, low and (mostly) slack – it’s more radical in the geometry department than the DH bike I raced only 3/4 years ago.

If you don’t ride hard or fast, I can’t imagine it being much fun to ride. Maybe something shorter travel, but more agro based would have been suitable until you could crack on at a decent lick.

Long and low tends to work for me uphill as much as downhill. Slack depends on speed in my opinion, and too much on a Hardtail makes some trails difficult.

Worth persevering with though I’d say.

One size does not fit all… Plenty of things to fiddle and adjust in there

you bought a new bike

you rode it for 5 miles

you dont get on with it .

you are hora and i claim my 50pence

give it time , take it to a decent place to ride and give it beans.

itll put smiles on your face !

TBH it only took me one ride to get used to the Kona geometry, it felt like I’d finally discovered the “right” fitting bike (my new bike is the exact same reach).

I did crash my 111 on the first ride by leaning back on a twisty descent, but since then I’ve learned to stay more central.

The Kona’s geometry is a little odd to me – it’s at the longer end of the scale in terms of reach, and it’s reasonably low, but it’s got a 66.5 degree head angle.

Weeksy’s bike has a single offset bushing, so should be closer to 66deg.

Might be an idea to swap that for a normal one? Let me know if you don’t have any.

I don’t have any Chak, if you have spare i’ll happily buy from you to try etc.

I tried some old Spank bars this morning on there, they’re a 35mm or so rise (20mm Kona bars) and less pulled back than the Kona bars on there… They’re also 40mm narrower…

I have to say, they feel better… Not night and day better, but a little… However as tehy’re white i’ve taken them back off and have tried the Kona bars at a slightly differnt angle of sweep to see how i get on with them.

I may also up the pressure on the rear as it feels a bit squishy possibly… Or maybe it’s the fact that due to seatpost angle you’re quite ‘back’ on the bike compared to the cranks..

Sadly with the rib injury still holding my back currently i can’t take it anywhwere more exciting than the Ridgeway / CX course this morning. So “pin it fast downhill” just still isn’t really on the cards yet.

I’d say give it a decent chance.

Being tall, I rarely get to test bikes before buying. I bought a Kona Honzo (similar geometry to the Process 111) a few years ago and thought I’d made a big mistake. It took me a few months to realise I hadn’t, and just needed to be a bit more dynamic on the bike.

I then bought a Liteville 301 (slack, but rather short on reach) to replace my suspension bike and couldn’t get on with it – I gave it a good chance and changed various bits, but after having a long (reach) bike, it never felt right. I replaced it with a Process 111 and all’s good again.

For me, the longer reach/front centre gives me confidence. I ride mainly in the Surrey Hills/North Downs (plus annual Alps trip) if that makes any difference.

It’s not an xc bike, go to more suitable locations!

Email me your address weeksy, no need for money. Should have included one with bike anyway.

Face facts people have their judgments clouded by what’s cooler and aestheticly pleasing – nothing sexy about some 90’s mtb geometry – get on the local dull as ditch water trails though and that steep head angle is often the pragmatically better choice ..

some take longer the long top tube in the 456 took ages to get used to but that is the only bike recently that took more than just one ride to know i respected it and trusted it and could ride it*

* Note to self never be a cycling journo everything sounds ****

oldtalent – Member

It’s not an xc bike, go to more suitable locations!

I;ve still got cracked/broken ribs… if i could do that i wouldn’t have cancelled BPW for next Weds.

Trailrat, why go through life putting up with something? Go meet the bike of your dreams don’t put up with a bad choice.

Some people love the Orange Five, I don’t. Horses for courses. Everyone has different preference s

I couldn’t, went from a BigWig which isn’t that slack, long or low but i hated it to a solaris which feel so much better

Fast and agile – long, slack but short travel. It’s the way forward. Leave the Enduro stuff for Enduro days, get a fast trail bike.

Bird Aeries 120

Santa Cruz 5010

etc

Got a 5010 at the moment and just amazed at how fast this thing is, and very easy to pedal. It’s long and slack enough though to be happy on the steep also.

Geometry is always going to feel a bit different between bikes, and always going to be better/worse in different situations.

My 2014 Spectral for example is well documented in many reviews to be a bit short in the top tube, which can feel a bit cramped when pedalling around on fire roads, but once pointed down with weight behind the saddle I feel right at home on it.

Yes, you can get used to any geometry. Kona Process with 160mm is a real nice bike for Enduro/All Mountain.. Can take big hits and still climb well. Can ride in city too if you have self control.

I had the same realization. I have an older 130mm bike and bought a used 160mm bike. Everyone one I know told me it was the one bike that ruled them all, and I would only need one bike now. Nope. I hate it any time I have to climb for miles. I have gone very fast up and down on this 160mm bike, but it really only feels good decending. I am glad I bought it used, and it is really good at the same stuff the Process is. But I would not use it as my only bike.

* You’re injured
* You took a 150/160mm travel FS on an XC bimble (while injured)
* It was just OK.

Tricky one this… Why not wait until you are feeling better and take it up a mountain a couple of times. If it doesn’t magically turn you into a riding god, then sell it.

All very fair points. I did 50km yesterday on the new Parkwood and really gelled with it. Finding that a really cool HT now. Whihc could now be argued that i don’t need the Process to do anything other than Tech stuff, i don’t need it for some local fun. But it does feel a little wasted hanging up 99% of the time.

I’ve got a possible option on a Commencal Meta AM29, which funnily enough used to be MY Meta AM29, but the guy is making me laugh as i suggested a price of £1050 for the Meta (2014, Fox CTD etc) and he said “The Meta isn’t worth that much”… So doing himself out of a possible deal. LOL

I’ve also got a guy on Pinkbike who’s interested in cash on collection type deal and i was debating using that for a Yeti SB95.

I’m off to Swinley tomorrow evening with my boy for some skills/tech practice and will likely take the Kona … It could be decision time.

too slow to edit…

On your original point, i guess every rider is different. On Monday i took my old 26 out for a couple of hours for the first time since getting the Rocket Max. It felt smaller in every way, (new bike is XL, Stumpy is L) slower in most places, neaaly killed me when i popped a manual and was generally a bit twitchy. 20 minutes later it was as great as i remember. On Tuesday i did the same loop on the Max. It took about a second to feel at home. Point? I’m awesome 😛 Nah, but i don’t take long to get used to a new bike and 20 minutes is a long time for me – and that’s on a bike i’ve known inside out for the past 3 years. You’ve not rode a process for long, or on the type of terrain it shines on (hired one on an uplift day a while back when the stumpy blew a wheel – and was impressed with it, and this was the lower spec). Give it more time – at least until it feels like your bike, then decide what to do. Be a shame to sell so soon after buying.

What Euro said.

I’ve got two quite different most used bikes. If I’ve ridden the 456 (26r version) a couple of times in a row it takes me a good few minutes to get properly back into the Camber. It’s tall in comparison (although not in bb height), needs different weight distribution and feels unwieldy until I dial back in to it.

Took me a good 20 minutes on an xc route that starts across open land/ wide smooth ish trails at the weekend. If I go to a trail centre about 150m of singletrack does it. In the latter case I think that’s because the Camber is in its element on that kind of thing so it makes sense quicker to me as a rider and the more interactive nature of the trail forces a faster adaptation.

Edit. In summary reserve judgement until you can ping it down something suitable?

rOcKeTdOg – Member
I couldn’t, went from a BigWig which isn’t that slack, long or low but i hated it to a solaris which feel so much better

Total thread hijack so apologies.

I’d be interested to read more on this (bit of a 29er HT fan here). Has there been a thread on this I’ve missed?

Back on topic, +1 to Euro’s post.

I’ve always been a Kona fanboi but having tried their more recent stuff it make me feel like I’ve spent the last 20+ years riding children’s bikes.

The Honzo was the first bike I’ve ever tried that felt spot on from the very first second however almost no one who has tried mine has liked it. Different things for different people I guess, the only thing is you have to decide if it feels wrong because its wrong or if it feels wrong because its different.