Apparently the Kona Process 111DL is a ” durable” bike according to a test by Dirt , what does that mean and does the same apply to the 134DL as well ? I only ask because mine is now needing its SECOND set of frame bearings and is only 2 years old , gets ridden once a week on average . Expecting too much am I or not up to the job ? Unimpressed rider of Kona’s on and off for last 20 years .

Set a year seems ok.

Not great if you only ride once a week .

100 hours-ish? In all weathers.Cheaper than a new drivetrain.And probably due for a shock/fork service by now too.
No one said fs was cheap to run.

I wouldn’t trust this sort of statement from a bike magazine.

How long had they had it?

I never get a set to last a year. It’s grim up north.

Strange thing is ive been told if you ride a bike things wear out yet I had a Spicy that did a season in Whistler ( equal to at least a years hard riding ) then a further 4 years before I sold ( same type of riding as Process) never had a single bearing replaced ?

1 set of bearings a year seems ok to me- that said 3.5 year old process 153 has just had its 2nd bearing change and ive ridden it through some pretty grim weather

are you sure its the bearings? coz mine turned out to be fine, it was a shock bushing that was worn but It took me ages to figure it out, was abut to replace the wheel bearings too before I twigged 😳 🙄 😳

Did a bit more digging , bikes been in LBS twice for frame bearings but turns out only one complete set so maybe not so bad ?

3 years and 2 set of bearings in my single pivot bike. I drive quite a lot tho, including bike park driving and bad conditions etc.

I’ve just done all 10 on my 153 and it made a pretty big difference to how supple the suspension was, the main pivot bearings were absolutely knackered. I’d say one full set of bearings (£70 for a full set of EnduroMax) in two years is pretty good going!

because mine is now needing…

As determined by?

Is there play/knocking? Very stiff to move? Or are they just ‘not as smooth as they could be’?

I don’t know if you do your own maintenance or take it to an LBS, but what I would tolerate and keep an eye on on my own bike an LBS might advise a customer to replace, especially if they only see said customer infrequently and the bike is in for other work at the same time.

Also, frame bearings are an unusual case, a normal cartridge bearing is actually ill suited to the job (low speed, partial rotation, high load) so they can wear in funny ways, and often if off the shelf bearings are used they are woefully under-lubed for use on a bike in the filth and (relative) static conditions they operate in.

Normally they end up needing replacement due to corrosion or premature wear caused by dirt/water ingress rather than actually ‘wearing out’ if you know what I mean, if you can prevent the corrosion or contamination then they will often last a lot better.

A good purge and fill with a proper (and proper amount) of waterproof grease can actually make them last many times longer than they would if just fitted as they come. My record is ~7 years* out of a set on a Mk1 Intense tracer, which I bought second hand, and eventually sold on with the same bearings, and that’s a bike that was known for ‘eating bearings’ at the time.

*used summer and winter and for quite a few XC and 24/12hr races.

Amedias I took the bike into shop because it had started annoyingly creaking which I couldn’t get to the bottom of . It was happening under load at low speeds especially climbing . You’ve made me wonder now if it is bearings why doesn’t it creak when you bounce up and down on the bike ? Bike shop guy is a mate so I trust his advice . I guess the quality of bearings is more down to quality of seals he reckons the ones he gets are equivalent to Enduro and the ones Hope uses .