Friend of mine that’s not on stw is very keen on buying one said I’d ask on here if anybody has one and how they find it?he is a wee bit concerned about the weight. Any info appreciated. TA

Very fast bike downhill.

Any good biking back up?

Not if your in a hurry. The 134 or 111 will be lighter/quicker.

Great bike for the CRC price and I bought one. Changed the brakes and post. Weighs a ton but I don’t care – my plan is to only ever use it with an uplift! It does have a granny ring…

I replaced my Spicy with a 134 Process , it’s witchcraft it is !

Yup had mine about 18 months

Its brilliant, the long Geo and very stiff back end makes it very confidence inspiring on the downs , really feels like a dh bike, but still pedals well

Climbing is fine, If you’re prepared to take it steady, used mine all over the uk, ews tweeflove, Megavalanche, uplifts, all day loops at trail centers, dh and enduro races

Downsides:
If you go 1x an upper guide is good or it can throw the chain in rough fast sections
Stock mine was 15 kg but I’ve lightened it a fair bit, as the drive train has worn out and I’ve added some lb carbon wheels etc

Limbers interested in getting the weight of mine down but not the carbon route . Been thinking Pro 2s with Arch rims , do you reckon that will save much on the stock SLX / WTB combo ? I’ve looked at Flow and Hope rims and the weight saving is negligible . Hope XC rims might save even more but not sure how fragile they will be .

Limbers ? Doh ! KIMBERS god I’m so old 🙁

I’ve demoed one and it was great, if it had been available frame only I’d have bought it.

Bikes like this (and I’ll chuck the Mega-AM, Spesh Enduro, Reign etc into the mix for good measure) are for enjoying the downhill sections of trails and for having an Enduro race ready bike.

If you want a bike that climbs like a mountain goat there are numerous lightweight short travel carbon offerings available, life is a compromise, you don’t get (almost) downhill bike ability with the pedalling efficiency of an XC bike despite what the marketing team of said company would have you believe.

The weight is a non issue. Still my heaviest bike is a steel hardtail with coil forks, 2×10 drivetrain, cheap wheels and zero carbon….but it scampers along the trail beautifully because it doesn’t wallow in excess suspension travel or roll on silly low psi tyres!….setup is more important than weight.

How did we get to the point where a 30lb 160mm bike is desirable but a 34lb 160mm bike is derided for being heavy?!
If the bike rides well (and the Process 153 does BTW) then the weight shouldn’t bother you.

Rode a DH bike by the British firm Empire recently, it was by far the heaviest bike on that uplift day…but it rode well, virtually no movement at the rear until it had some work to do, no pedal bob, in fact had the seat angle not been DH bike slack you could have quite easily pedalled it around the woods not just pointed it downhill….all down to setup, weight is something we (cyclists in general) obsess over but is usually a red herring in how good a bike actually is.

I had a little go on a 153 a while back in the Lakes. It felt superb downhill but what suprised me the most was how well/easily it went uphill especially on technical climbs. Most people I know ride overbuilt heavyish bikes as everything else just breaks in the Lakes so am used to how a heavy bike feels uphill and obviously someone who usually rides a 25lb carbon bike may find the 153 a dog to ride.

It’s fairly easy to get obsessed with weight as a means of judging a bike but I have ridden bikes way lighter than mine that didn’t ride anywhere near as nice. Geometry, setup and linkage will have far more impact than weight.

It may not be ideal for trail centers etc but for an all day bike in the mountains that will stay in one piece all year I would say the 153 would be great. As for how fast it goes up well I know a certain Lakes individual that just bought one and his 153 goes up very fast! So that depends on you really!

Only thing I didn’t like about it was where the linkage and bearings are ie in the line of fire from mud etc.

Thanks guys I will pass on these comments, basically he wants a bike to do it all and something that ain’t going to fall to bits, he is a fairly aggressive rider! any good deals around on them ? Think he has been offered a 2014 model for around £2250

Have you seen the 2013 ex-display one for <1200 quid at CRC?

That’s a completely different design isnt it? (from memory)

I do quite fancy a Process 134.

Oh yeah, all my comments above are for the old type!

Just to quantify my comments , the weight of my 134 is irrelevant when I’m riding it . I’ve got the DL version so a good spec sheet , I’ve just been hung up on the 32lb weight since I’ve had it but that’s just me 🙄

oldfart

easiest way to save weight is to go 1×10/11 but as said id recommend an upper guide

the stock cassette and cranks were quite weighty too

im not sure pro2s are the lightest hubs out there if you want to save weight

oldfart – Member

god I’m so old 🙁

true dat 😉