Kona Process X CR review | Enduro Bike of the Year contender

The Process X from Kona is designed for the rigours of enduro riding and racing thanks to its 162mm of rear-wheel travel and stretched-out geometry to help keep things under control at speed.

There are three Process X bikes available (not counting the Process X DH), with the CR sitting in the middle of the range, but the cheapest to come with a full carbon frame.

The kit on offer here is solid and works as you'd expect, but for the cash you’d expect to see a higher-spec fork than the Fox 38 Performance bolted on here – as well as some fancier brakes.

But can the ride make up for any marks lost in value? Yes, to a certain extent.

The supple suspension feels great in the rough and, coupled with the progressive geometry, makes for a seriously confident ride when the gradient drops away suddenly.

Along with the question mark around the pricing and value, it’s not the sprightliest or most energetic enduro bike in our 2024 Bike of the Year test when getting on the pedals.

Kona Process X CR frame and suspension details

Kona has stood behind the linkage-actuated single-pivot design for many years now, so it’s no surprise to see it front and centre on the Process X.

Here, it doles out 162mm of rear-wheel travel (9mm more than that of the Process 153) and is paired to a longer 170mm-travel fork up front.

Although Kona ships the Process X CR with 29in wheels front and rear, a flip chip at the seatstay rocker-link pivot enables you to switch to a 27.5in rear wheel if you’re after a little more in the way of backside clearance.

Kona won’t please everyone with the PF92 press-fit bottom bracket, which takes a bit more effort to replace, although at least the cables aren’t routed down through the headset.

Along with the ample chainstay, seatstay and down tube rubberised protection, Kona includes a small sticker with vital information listed lower down on the seat tube.

This lists things such as the Process X’s headset size, shock dimensions, bearing sizes, bottom bracket type, the type of derailleur hanger required and even seat tube dimensions.

It’s a simple idea and saves you having to search the internet any time something needs replacing to find the right size.

Kona Process X CR geometry details

Even though the Process X frame has been around for a good couple of years, its figures remain right at the forefront of what you’d expect to see on the latest enduro bikes.

The size medium seen here sports a reach of 465mm and a relaxed 63.6mm head angle. The front centre is a lengthy 815mm, which should equate to plenty of high-speed stability.

With my saddle set to my preferred pedalling height, the seat tube angle measured in at 78.1 degrees, which is pretty steep and should promote a fairly efficient seated position on the bike.

At 343mm off the floor, the Process X’s bottom bracket sits close to the bulk of other enduro bikes.

Kona doesn’t alter size-specific chainstay lengths. However, it provides a flip chip at the rear dropout, enabling you to alter them by 15mm if you’re looking to alter the balance of the bike or your ride position.

I left mine set at 435mm, but the option is there to lengthen them to 450mm if you fancy it.

Kona Process X CR specification

The parts on the Process X CR are all solid performers that do the job well.

First up, the Fox 38 Performance fork delivers 170mm of travel, which is controlled using the GRIP damper. It’s simple but effective.

Fox also supplies the shock, although this time it’s a Fox Float X Performance Elite unit. That means you get more external adjustment but forgo the golden Kashima coating found on the pricier Factory version.

In terms of adjustment, it includes low-speed compression-damping adjustment, along with a two-position low-speed compression lever to help firm it up should you need to. There’s also rebound-damping adjustment.

Shimano takes care of the brakes with its Deore four-piston stoppers, which require an Allen key to alter the lever reach.

There’s a mixed Shimano drivetrain, which comprises an SLX derailleur, crankset and 10-51t cassette, with a Deore chain and – the best bit – an XT shifter.

The WTB KOM Trail rims are laced to DT 370 hubs, wrapped in Maxxis tyres. An Assegai is chosen up front with the ever-dependable Minion DHR II at the rear, both in the tough EXO+ casing.

Kona supplies its own bar, stem and saddle, while the dropper is from Tranz-X.

Overall, the medium Process X CR weighed in at 15.62kg without pedals.

Kona Process X CR ride impressions

I put the Kona Process X CR through its paces on a wide range of terrain, including flowy jump lines, steep and natural singletrack, through to high-speed, super-rough bike park tracks.

This enabled me to get a good gauge on where the bike performed well, but also highlighted any potential limitations.

Kona Process X CR setup

Setting up the fork took a little bit of time, to ensure I could balance its suppleness with enough support through the air spring.

After a bit of tinkering, I settled on 70psi to the air spring for my 68kg weight and opened up the rebound dial fully.

The rear end is a bit more of a puzzle. That’s because, as I got more accustomed to the bike's traits, I needed to tweak things as I went.

Initially, though, I started with 30 per cent sag (around 130psi) and all adjusters fully open. While the rebound stayed open throughout testing, it was the low-speed compression dial that saw the most action.

Kona Process X CR climbing performance

The Process X CR’s seat tube angle is fairly steep and I found the seated position comfortable.

Pedalling up gentle fire-road gradients is done with things remaining relatively calm out back. The rear suspension bobs a little, but it's not enough to hold up progress and isn't distracting or overly energy-sapping.

When the trail steepens, though, and you need to feed more power through the cranks, the rear suspension starts to squat more with every pedal stroke.

Not only does this begin to feel draining on longer climbs, but also upsets the seated position somewhat. As a result, it caused me to shuffle forward on the saddle to try to compensate for my weight shifting backwards.

Adding low-speed compression damping onto the shock helps to mitigate this, although I found myself simply flicking the low-speed compression lever any time I was faced with a steep, long uphill, to try to maximise efficiency.

The lever is easy to reach and firmed up the rear end enough to help maintain the seated position, as well as quelling suspension bob. This made uphill progress far easier on the legs.

While there’s no doubt the Shimano SLX gearing works well, I noticed how noisy it became after a relatively short period of riding in the mud.

This is in contrast to other bikes using SRAM GX equivalents, which never got as rumbly or grumbly in near-identical situations.

Kona Process X CR descending performance

Any qualms about the Process X CR’s climbing prowess go out the window as soon as you drop into the trail.

The plush suspension delivers a forgiving ride that sticks the tyres to the trail, spewing out grip in sections where other bikes are left scrabbling around or slipping sideways.

This instantly boosts confidence when slithering down steep, rough, natural tracks, littered with slippery, matted roots. Scenarios such as this seem to cause the Process X and its supple suspension far fewer issues than some enduro bikes.

It’s not just the balanced, highly comfortable suspension that flatters your ego when taking on treacherous terrain, but the impressive geometry, too.

The roomy reach, lengthy front centre and relaxed head angle make for a seriously stable ride as the pace picks up or the trail plunges even steeper.

Up-front, the Fox 38 Performance is supremely comfortable but can use its travel up a little readily at times, especially when you start to hit steep catch berms at pace.

Just as I’ve found from the Fox 36 with the same damper, it’s all about striking a balance between that seriously impressive comfort and having enough support to ensure the front end stays propped up high enough when you’re ducking and diving through steeper sections of trail.

Increasing the air-spring pressure in the fork helped to counter this, and in the end I was left with a balanced ride feel that offered enough support when it mattered, but still cushioned me enough from the repetitive impacts to keep my hands feeling fresh.

Getting weight over the front wheel was never an issue though, and I was always impressed by how well I could attack poorly supported turns without having to shift my weight around dramatically to keep the tyres gripping.

The punchy, powerful brakes make scrubbing off speed before quick changes of direction easy, and the light lever feel of the Shimano stoppers helps keep your hands feeling fresher for longer.

Keeping it comfy

Venture onto faster, rougher bike-park style tracks and the Process X instantly impresses with its comfort, balance and ability to remain calm when going fast.

With hundreds of jagged rocks beneath its tyres, the Kona does a fine job of isolating you from the impacts and vibrations.

It’s calmer than many bikes at speed and feels better damped, less fidgety and not as hectic as some with even more travel.

Despite the fact that the suspension feels plush and comfortable, it’s still reactive, and easy to move about and play with on the trail.

On mellower sections of trail, it doesn’t feel as if it can carry momentum quite as easily as those with more supportive suspension platforms.

That means awkward gaps or jumps might require a little more rider input to get the Process X over them, compared to some bikes that might not be as comfortable, but seem to hold their speed more easily in these sections.

That said, the Process X stands out when the terrain gets technical and gnarly. Its geometry and hyperactive suspension boost rider confidence and make easy work of the seemingly terrifying.

How does the Kona Process X CR compare?

Comparing the Kona to the Santa Cruz Megatower C R – another bike from our 2024 Enduro Bike of the Year test – there are a number of similarities when it comes to the spec.

Both frames are made from carbon fibre for a start, although the Santa Cruz offers 3mm more rear-wheel travel.

And although the bikes use suspension from different brands, the forks are at least of a similar performance level (the Megatower comes with a base-level RockShox ZEB equipped with the cheapest Rush RC damper). However, the Kona’s shock offers more external adjustment.

The Kona’s gearing and brakes are superior to the SRAM NX drivetrain and G2 RE brakes found on the Megatower, too.

But the Process X CR is £800 more expensive, which is a significant amount of money for a relatively small upgrade.

On the trail, performance is quite different between the two. While the Megatower climbs quite easily and covers ground with relative ease, the Process X feels as though it has more travel and is harder work when pointed uphill.

Downhill, the Process X feels more comfortable and seems to generate grip more easily across a wider range of surfaces than the Megatower.

Both bikes are well-balanced and confident descenders, but the Process X has the edge when it comes to rough and ready, steep natural terrain.

Faster, roughed-up tracks are where the Megatower shines. It’s just as solid and although not as comfortable as the Process X, it mutes the bumps nicely.

But it’s here that the Megatower’s speed-carrying prowess shines through, skimming through the chatter and maintaining its speed with ease.

While neither bike screams ‘value’, I’d sacrifice some comfort and take the Megatower, pocketing the extra £800 in the process.

Kona Process X CR bottom line

Although the Process X CR isn’t the most efficient or sprightly bike on the climbs, much of this can be forgiven when you’re hammering back down the hill.

The plush, well-balanced suspension, coupled with the well-proportioned geometry, make for a seriously confident descender, especially in steep, rough technical sections of trail, where it really does shine brightest.

There’s no denying, though, the sticking point here is the price. The kit is decent and works well, but for this sort of money, most riders will expect more bang for their buck when it comes to componentry.