Kona Process X CR Review

All in, the Kona Process X CR is an excellent all-mountain bike. And it’s the nicest-looking mountain bike I’ve seen for a number of years.

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By ben_haworth

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https://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/kona-process-x-cr-review/

I too really like the look of that, and many other Kona’s.

 

But like your scepticism, the ones I tried on a test day at Comrie felt like the geometry didn’t match the published figures… It felt steep and twitchy, and didn’t look the same as a nest identical Merida next to it.

some good prices on this bike if you look around

 

and i love the colour, now if i just had the cash…..

I have purchased Kona bikes almost exclusively for the last 22 years. But after dealing with their frame replacement policy and paying a small fortune to replace my rear triangle I can only really advice to steer clear of this brand.                                                          This is also before taking into account that the brand seems to have lost its roots since it was sold to a private equity fund in 2022.

 

Seeing that in the flesh, the colour is utterly stunning.

I dislike carbon so it isn’t for me, but looking at the spec, it feels high for the kit it comes with.

I’m happy to accept my knowledge of bike pricing is way out these days, but it is a lot of cash on things I’m not keen on just for a stunning colour…so fortunately for me, I’ll just have a look at the one in a local bike shop until it is sold!

1. I dislike carbon so it isn’t for me, but looking at the spec, it feels high for the kit it comes with.

its a great solid spec and Id say priced for COVID times,  its actually half rrp if you look around, which is pretty good vfm, tho maybe not CRC fire sale cheap!

im also a long term kona fanboy, but their recent situation im very unsure of where they are headed, the ’24 bikes are all iterations of the current designs, with a few improvements: flip chips, accessory mounts etc,

what the company looks like and what their bikes will be we probably won’t know until next year, tho Freds experience is not encouraging

Am I missing something, as this (and also the Fox 36 fork review) seem very short/light on information, not an in-depth review at all.

Also a disillusioned Kona fan , lost their way since Dan and Jake stepped down .

Am I missing something, as this (and also the Fox 36 fork review) seem very short/light on information, not an in-depth review at all.

I think the latest reviews are being written by AI as some sort of cost-saving measure…

It’d be nice if the opening paragraph told you what sort of bike the Process is – travel, intent etc, rather than just launching into the geometry and how long it’s been around. I’m guessing MY2021 means ‘model year’?

It’s all been written at gunpoint before an urgent trip down the pub hasn’t it?

Is it me or it there literally no description of actually riding the bike?

Just some (admittedly useful) analysis of the geometry and some stuff about the suspension being over damped.

One of the writers on PB does this as well, gets lost in the weeds of setup and whatnot and forgets to tell us what the bike feels like.

I’m possibly a bit more critical than some, as an editor myself, but maybe the feedback will be useful.

Yeah I read this and wondered where the rest of the review was. Word count less than 10% of a Flow Mountain Bike review by Wil Barret last week lol

Anyway I had a Process X a couple of years ago. During the pandemic bike shortages it was about the only bike actually in stock anywhere. Bit too much bike for my purposes but I feel like it’s been underrated. Doesn’t usually get a mention. Felt suitable for dropping off rooftops, whereas I just wanted a long, low and slack trailbike. I thought it was a surprisingly good technical climber, so long as the rider is not in a particular hurry. This colour is quite a subtle unobnoxious pink but it’s still too pink for me. Mine was black. I do like the lines of the frame.

By the way the carbon version isn’t new, it came out first before the aluminium.

Am I missing something, as this (and also the Fox 36 fork review) seem very short/light on information, not an in-depth review at all.

As others have echoed, this 👆🏻

I would also say that a few years ago this review would’ve pondered why the suspension needs such careful attention; is it the frame kinematic, is it the shock tune, is it something a custom tune or aftermarket shock could fix? Or is there something about the frame design that makes it particularly fussy?

Also, I’ve read this & the Factory 36 review, which is a fork I owned, & I also found that to get anywhere near reasonable performance all of the damping had to be virtually backed off entirely. I’m 92kg so in Benji’s view this should work great for me, but it really didn’t; at high speeds it was harsh & felt very overdamped despite a check of the O ring showing I was getting all but 7mm travel out of it.

What does it weigh?

Mine was 33lbs, tubeless in XL with XT pedals. I did swap wheels and I think the weight was after doing that. Didn’t really do it to save weight, but they were slightly lighter.