Looking for a full suspension trail bike that is fun to ride and lives for fast and rowdy descents? The Kona Process 134 is an awesome mid travel shredder that handles smoothly and confidently, and is plenty of fun from the first ride.
Pros
- Aggressive, modern geometry
- Plush rear suspension
- Excellent grip
- Fast and fun on downhill and flowy sections of trail
- Versatile
Cons
- Brakes feel a bit underpowered
- Heavier than average
- Climbing ability leaves something to be desired
Bike specs
(Kona Process 134 29 with aluminum frame)
Frame
Kona 6061 aluminum butted with 134mm travel
Geometry
(for size large)
| Reach | 475mm |
| Chainstay | 427mm |
| Head tube angle | 66° |
| Seat tube angle | 76.3° |
| Front center | 791mm |
| Bottom bracket height | 342mm |
| Bottom bracket drop | 33mm |
| Standover height | 725mm |
Suspension
Front fork
RockShox Recon RL Motion Control Solo Air 140mm
Rear shock
RockShox Deluxe Select Trunnion
Brakes
Calipers and levers: Shimano MT201 hydraulic
Rotors: Shimano RT20
Tires
Front: Maxxis Minion DHF 29×2.5″
Rear: Maxxis Dissector 29×2.4″
Drivetrain
Shimano Deore
Bike weight
34.8 lbs
Handling and overall bike impression
Kona is a bike company known for building fun to ride mountain bikes that puts a premium on the rider experience. For this reason, the amount of travel their mountain bikes have do not measure in round numbers (like 140mm or 150mm), because the company designs the optimal bike first, then measures the amount of travel once the bike is perfect, not the other way around.
This is the same approach Kona took with the Kona Process 134, which has 134mm of travel built in to its full suspension frame. Kona’s focus on building the best bike possible, and measuring after, shines through in the way the bike looks, feels, and most importantly, rides. As a result, it’s one of our favorite trail bikes of the year.
The Process 134 definitely has an awesome fun factor, and feels quite playful on fast, flowy sections of trail.
Climbing
While the Kona Process 134 is a fun mountain bike to ride, it is definitely not the fastest climber.
The bike doesn’t climb amazingly well for a few reasons. For one, the Process 134 is on the hefty side for a trail bike weighing in at 34.8 lbs. By comparison, the Santa Cruz Tallboy weighs in at 33 lbs, and the Norco Optic C2 weights in at 30.7 lbs (all in size large).
Beyond just it’s weight relative to other trail bikes, the Process 134 has geometry that can make it a bit awkward to climb on. At 76.3 degrees, the seat tube angle is not overly steep, and if you remain seated, it pushes you into a position further back than optimal or comfortable for climbing.
And while the rear shock is responsive for downhill sections, it causes pedal bob on climbs which results in you wasting energy and losing efficiency on your pedal strokes. One way to counter this is by locking out the shock before long climbs. If you ride a lot of trails with short climbs, though, this may not work as well for you.
Descending
Ripping downhill and shredding fast sections of trail is where the Kona Process 134 truly shines and comes into its element. The Process 134 is a blast to ride downhill. And after all, mountain biking is supposed to be fun, isnt’ it?
The bike’s smooth, plush suspension, both in the fork and the rear shock, allow it to confidently carry speed through bumpy and steep trails. In particular, the 134mm of travel in the rear shock helps the bike to track smoothly over fast and rowdy stretches of trail.
The modern geometry, including the slack head tube angle and relatively slack, or less steep seat tube angle keeps your weight back and in ideal position for fast and steep trails.
The low bottom bracket found on the Process 134 helps to keep you low and ready to attack the trail. The bike’s angles keep you in a confident position and makes the steepest trails feel less steep by keeping the front wheel out in front of you while you ride them.
When you’re shredding a trail with speed, you need enough traction to keep locked in on your line, and this bike’s tires provide more than enough grip and traction. The Process 134 comes standard with a Maxxis Minion DHF 29×2.5″ front tire and the Maxxis Dissector 29×2.4″ in back.
The Process 134 has a short chainstay at only 427mm, allowing it to maneuver well around tight turns at high speed. The short chainstay helps to give the Kona Process 134 its lively, playful feel, and lets you throw the bike around despite it being on the heavier side.
You can be confident the bike can handle just about every impact you’ll throw at it when riding down rough trails at speed. And while the brakes stop you okay, we found they leave something to be desired and are a little underpowered.
We wouldn’t describe the brakes that come standard on the Process 134 (Shimano MT201/RT20) as poor brakes, however they aren’t quite as powerful and precise as some would prefer, and we’re not sure if this is just the brakes themselves, or a combination of the brakes and the weight of the bike itself.
After all, it requires more force to stop a heavier bike than it does a lighter one. This is the one aspect of the Kona Process 134 that hinders its downhill performance.
Rough terrain, jumps and drops
Rough terrain
The Kona Process 134 has excellent handling over the rough stuff, thanks to its suspension and modern, slack geometry. The ultra plush rear shock, the RockShox Deluxe Select Trunnion, provides plenty of cushion to absorb some of the hardest impacts.
The smooth, robust suspension provides plenty of forgiveness if you happen to pick a wrong line and hit something you shouldn’t. This allows you to push your limits and take on all sorts of difficult terrain. The added confidence the extra forgiveness from the Process 134’s suspension makes it an impressively fun bike over rough and uneven terrain.
Jumps and drops
Off of jumps and drops, the Kona Process 134 holds its own against other trail bikes. The bike’s slack, modern geometry is helpful in getting your body position right while hitting features, and helps you tackle steep drops and landings with confidence.
The slack head tube angle helps to make steep drops and landings feel less steep, and the not overly steep seat tube angle does a good job of keeping your weight back a bit and in a good attack position.
The suspension on the Process 134, including the RockShox Recon RL up front and the RockShox Deluxe Select Trunnion in the rear, provide plenty of forgiveness if you don’t land quite how you planned.
If you case a landing (by not fully clearing a jump’s gap) you won’t feel as hard of an impact and will be more likely to ride away unscathed and still on your bike compared to trail bikes with less suspension. It’ll also be less likely for you to damage your rear axle from a hard landing thanks to the extra cushion.
Frequently asked questions
No, the Kona Process 134 is not an enduro bike. While it is a solid full suspension trail bike, enduro bikes tend to have longer travel suspension (usually at least 160mm of travel in both the front fork and the rear shock), and are built for bigger impacts than the typical trail bike.
Our aluminum Kona Process 134 29 in size large weighed in at 34.8 lbs. The weight of a Kona Process 134 depends on its frame size and spec level.
Mountain bike review criteria
When reviewing mountain bikes, these are the things we look for:
- Frame quality
- Component quality
- Bike weight
- Bike style and aesthetic appeal
For a detailed breakdown of how we assess each of these criteria, see How We Review Mountain Bikes.
Conclusion
Above all, the Kona Process 134 is a ton of fun to ride. While the brakes do feel a little underpowered, that doesn’t overshadow the bike’s otherwise stellar downhill performance. The smooth suspension, playful feel and modern geometry of the Process 134 gives riders plenty of reasons to love it. Whether you’ve been mountain biking for a while or are brand new, you’ll definitely up the fun factor of your rides on the Kona Process 134.
If you’re interested in how the bike stacks up head to head versus the Marin Rift Zone 2, check out our comparison here.