I need help in making my decision on the bikes above please.
I like everything about the kona but it’s a bit heavy.heard it’s 32.5 pounds with pedals. Also has a life time warranty on the frame.
The capra looks great with good spec with either rock shox or bos suspension but Heard bos have great performance but lack reliability,also the e13 wheels on the comp can have hub problems, cracking.frame warranty is 5 years for manufacturing breakage and if crash damage it’s pay for new frame which is roughly £750.
I’ve seen a bronson xt spec with fox 34 forks which I’d rather pikes.also 5 year warranty and life time on bearings.
I mainly ride bike park Wales, Cwmcarn xc trails, afan and the hills around South Wales.
Budget is £4800 max.
Look forward to your advise.

get some demos and see what feels the best.

I’ve ridden the bronson and the process.

I’d pick the process everytime.

Ive ridden the process – its awesome. with a few choice upgrades, namely wheels and tires the weight will come down to below 30 lbs.

There’s only 4 kona’ s left in a large and can’t get a demo,and yt are direct from the factory.and butty does have a bronson I could try though.

I was thinking of upgrades, like the crankset to a next sl. Would like to keep the tyres though. What wheels would you recommend without paying silly money?

In true STW tradition, how about none of the above?
The Propain Twoface: Website is in German but it looks pretty sweet.
Slightly less burly than your examples (150mm/145mm) and no carbon frame, but ridiculous spec for the money – £2500 for the SRAM X0 version.

Got a process 153

I as absolutely love it
Its like the most playful dh bike I’ve ever ridden – it handled BPW no sweat and still easy enough to take round W2 at Afan like any other trail bike
If you want something a bit more xc biased go for a Bronson

Worth noting that the process has a longer reach I think that helps with making it feel super stable but the short stiff back end still lets it rail corners

Saving weight go 1×10 with a narrow wide and you’ll save half a kilo
Other than that lb carbon wheels easiest way but not cheap

As for the YT vfm it looks hard to beat it’s only the shorter reach that would make me hesitant that and the lack of UK backup

Thanks. I really like the look of the geo on the kona and was thinking 1 x 10 . What’s the actual weight of your process with pedals?
I’ll take a look at the prepaid two face thanks.

Thanks. I really like the look of the geo on the kona and was thinking 1 x 10 . What’s the actual weight of your process with pedals?
I’ll take a look at the prepaid two face thanks.

The hubs are the main problem with the std wheelsets as the are abit portly. Some hope pro 2s on stans would be very reasonable for the money.

The HR tyres are great for Downhill etc but if you wanted to make it a bit more pedal friendly swapping out to something a bit lighter like Butchers would make a difference. IMHO.
Id also go 1×10. Im thinking of trying to get a frame only Process from the next batch. Perfect bike for BPW Kimbers. Its very stable downhill isn’t it.

For that dosh you could have the new Orange Five and a load left over.

my medium non-DLprocess is 31.5lbs with pedals, 1×10 and the stock tyres ,which are as robbonzo says heavy!, I had a single ply nobby nic on the back which rolled much fatsre but I ripped the sidewall so back to the HR2, running tubeless as the rims come ready taped, just need valves and fluid!

Have you looked at the Focus Sam 1.0.
The £4000 model comes with XX1 and Pikes so nothing to change really (as long as the brakes hold up).
28lb I think.

I think Chipps has been reviewing one – maybe in the next mag.

Not totally convinced by the brand, but the bike itself look really sorted – worth a look?

Try a Meta AM.
I’ve got a Meta SX (26″ wheels), have test ridden a Bronson – the Bronson is a bit mleh in comparison to the Meta, so if I was going to do the 650b thing I’d try the Commencal in addition to the ones you list.

The 3 bikes on your short list all use very different suspension systems and have have varying leverage ratios.

They will all ride quite differently.

May I ask what is the most important thing that you look for in the way your bike rides?

With that budget a Norco range or a GT Force would be worth a look too.

Not wanting to sound gobby or owt but i think some demo days to find out what type of bike suits you best would be the way to go before splashing that kinda cash.

Whatever you go for it’ll be fun to ride on those trails… jealous.

£2k under budget and less than 28lbs (without pedals)…no test ride tho’

You’d have to do a custom build as they’re frame only but I can’t really fault my Spitfire. It pedals amazingly well (KS link just drives you forwards instead of bobbing up and down) and corners and descends like a monster. Technically it’s only 140mm at the back but with the rearward axle path and CCDBair it rides the rough like it has more. It is long, low and very slack – 65.5 deg HA with my 160mm Pikes on 27.5 wheels in the lowest/slackest dropout position. I can’t quite believe how sideways I got it last night and didn’t crash, it’s so stable and balanced when you’re on the ragged edge of your abilities.

The kona process is awesome, but just put my leg over the yt…… Jesus what a bike, looks amazing and goes even better……… Problem is tho, they are all sold out. Also ridden the trek slash whoch is a great bike, but budget for a rad cartridge as the current fox is a bit pants….. If you are considering the process then u should also take a look at tge nukeproof mega pro and save yourself 700 quid over the kona.

but just put my leg over the yt

Which one – the 650B Wicked with Pikes?

covert cf – thread closed

The capra looks great with good spec with either rock shox or bos suspension but Heard bos have great performance but lack reliability,

No, they don’t lack reliability, they’re just harder to get fixed if anything goes wrong. I’ve had 3 sets of Devilles and a Bos Vip’r and they’ve been the most reliable forks and shock I’ve ever had. I ride every day all year round and they’ve been brilliant.

That Capra would be top of my list.

Keen on a capra but I don’t fancy waiting until June.

but just put my leg over the yt

Which one – the 650B Wicked with Pikes?

The capra pro

Thanks for all of the above guys. I’ve got a process on order to take a look at but sadly no demo.
Mbnut. .no worries. As long as the bike pedals pretty well and it’s not too slow steering on the trails . And want it to be great on all the runs at bpw.
Was a bit worried though that the capra is too slack for Cwmcarn and the likes ( 65.5 ha )
So would a cane creek angleset be needed?

Really tempted to get the Capra Comp, a bit unsure about sizing though.
Think a medium is the one I need.

Demo and decide. Is the kona warranty lifetime or 5 year lifetime like most.

I’m really tempted by the capra too.Have a read up on the wheels and see who you think.. One guys hub cracked twice and with no shop to deal with any problems your gonna be out of action for a bit.
Kona has a life time warranty for original owner.

+1 for demo. Kona maybe great down hill but that weight maybe the limiting factor for your type of riding. What about second hand? You could get a lighter and as capable bike. Trail centers aren’t all down hill 🙂

If you think the weight matters then it will. If you don’t then it won’t – unless you’re chasing a fraction of a second to win a race. The pedalling efficiency matters far more. The difference between a light and heavy alloy all-mountain build is like the difference between a full and half full camelbak bladder. Even a light carbon build won’t be a whole bladder’s weight less than a pretty heavy alloy build. Do you honesty get up hills that much quicker when you’re carrying a bit less water?

Cyclists obsess about weight because it’s easy to measure and because of over a century of roadies worrying about it as actually it matters when you’re trying to win a tour stage in the mountains.

If you’re trying to podium on enduro races then I understand the weight worries but the pedalling efficiency still matters more. If not then you’re misguided.

Yeah my bike is noticeably more nimble, at the end of a ride, when my camelback is empty 😉

kona warranty is for lifetime on frames since 2009

Do you honesty get up hills that much quicker when you’re carrying a bit less water?

That’s missing the point about a light bike though isn’t it…it’s not really about a flat climb situation – is it not more about the manoeuvrability of the bike below you at all times?

True, light is not always best but generally a lighter bike will be more manoeuvrable irrespective of whether your bladder is full, or your bowels for that matter lol! 😕

On the above bikes, it shouldn’t come down to numbers (reach, tt, head angle etc) but always does. A test ride would be great but trying to do that for new bikes is not always easy. I took a punt and had one of the first bronsons in the uk last year and have been a bit underwhelmed with it since, so next time I’ll definitely be trying to get a shot. Next time is likely to be the carbon process.

My bike is so much more manoeuvrable, at the end of a ride, when my 700g water bottle is empty – the trails come alive, I tell you! 😉

I agree about weight. But the guys choices between say a 35lbs bike and say the Bronson C is quite a bit, both pedal very efficiently but 7lbs ish extra on the trail will make a difference to a days riding. I was basing my reply on what type of riding he does, trail centres etc. I demo’d the Bronson C for day and half before committing having checked the geometry against what I knew worked for me. I’m not a weight weenie but buying without a demo? Plenty of demo events around and it’s money well spent not to make a costly mistake.

I have the Process 134 DL, so can provide some input. I think the weight is fairly close to the 153, so it’s fairly similar. In my opinion it pedals efficiently – that’s compared to riding my hardtail (Soul) which had been my only bike for 3 years. It climbs really well without needing to touch the rear shock lockout, and I’m not a great climber. It doesn’t feel at all heavy to ride, just very confidence inspiring, balanced and responsive. It’s a lot of fun, and feels like Kona have got it just right.

The only time I notice that it’s a few pounds heavier than my hardtail is when I have to carry it upstairs to my flat. I was worried it was a bit heavier than average, and would be slow, but it really isn’t heavy to ride, and it can shift – even with me riding it 🙂

In the past I’ve ignored a lot of bikes that are heavier, it’s easy to think it can’t have been well engineered if it’s a little more than the norm, even if the weight difference is only marginal. I was lucky that a friend let me take his Process to Cannock for a test ride. I knew it was the right bike for me just minutes into the ride.

Whatever you choose, I hope you have fun with it! 🙂

gerwri123 – Member

I’m really tempted by the capra too.Have a read up on the wheels and see who you think.. One guys hub cracked twice and with no shop to deal with any problems your gonna be out of action for a bit.
Kona has a life time warranty for original owner.

I’d probably change the wheels at some point for carbon derby wheels. Wider rim and lighter, but obviously I wouldn’t want to have a hub crack on me before that point.

Thanks for the input 🙂 that’s what I was hoping to hear.i wasn’t worried about the weight for the uphill part , just how the bike would handle and pop off little kickers and things. I have a 37 pound downhill bike and find it too much for bike park Wales.
Carbon wheels would be nice. See how the funds are looking though ha

Banshee Rune.

I was so tempted by the Capra. I’ve just tested the Orbea Rallon…. That is a special thing. 32lbs as I tested it but I’d go for the next model up at 30,bs with the BOS bling.