BEN’S KONA PROCESS 134 SUPREME
Ben’s supremely chuffed with his new carbon superbike
Crashing sucks. But after a long lay-off due to a knee injury that resulted in surgery, I’m back on a bike and back on the mbr longtermer test fleet. And this time I’ve really landed on my feet as I am now the custodian of the most expensive bike to ever grace the mbr longtermer pages, the Kona Process 134 Supreme.
OK, let’s address the price first – this bike sells for one pound shy of 10 grand. That’s an awful lot of money for a bicycle, any bicycle, especially one without an electric motor. But with the ‘Supreme’ tag, Kona has thrown every top-end component at a full-carbon frame to create a ‘dream-build’ targeted at super fans of the brand – where the ‘Supreme’ moniker will switch from one model to another, creating a potential fleet of dream machines for the lucky few to collect.
So what does £9,999 buy you? The carbon frame is a mix of svelte lines and burly linkages and it is beautifully finished in a fancy purple/ green metallic ‘Prism’ paint like on an earlynoughties TVR, if you remember those. In most lights it appears to be purple, but catch it in direct sunlight at the right angle and it flips to green – very bling.
For the build, Kona has raided SRAM’S top-drawer, fitting XX1 AXS electronic shifting, AXS Reverb dropper post, Zipp 3Zero Moto carbon wheels, Rockshox Pike Ultimate fork, Super Deluxe Ultimate shock and G2 Ultimate brakes. The Supreme build is then finished with a Truvativ Descendant carbon bar and stem, and the only NON-SRAM parts: a titanium-railed WTB saddle and Maxxis Minion DHF and Dissector tyres.
Now, I know you’re probably thinking that this bike has lots of electronics, but not the most important ones – a motor and battery. Call me a luddite, but I’m really excited to be putting the miles in under my own steam to see what the electronic AXS shifting is like to live with and whether I’ll remember to keep the batteries charged.
Also, having read our review of the Zipp wheels, I’m really keen to see what they’re like; supposedly offering increased traction, comfort and control through the unique way the carbon rim flexes around the spoke bed.
WHY IT’S HERE
To me they sound like a genuine game-changer.
And the timing couldn’t be better as I’ve now got the perfect proving ground to put all of these components to the test. This winter I moved from Surrey to the Forest of Dean, and having been stuck in lockdown with my knee in a brace, I haven’t been able to explore the massive network of trails around my new house. So it’s fitting that the Kona is a lightweight trail bike that won’t be shy of those exploratory miles. Will 134mm of travel be enough on the descents though? Time will tell, but the geometry and sizing on the Process 134 are fairly progressive so I’m confident that I’ll need to press on to find the limits of this bike.
I’ve only been able to get out on it a couple of times but first impressions reveal a bike that rides light, feels super agile and poppy and has a lovely ‘damped’ ride feel that you only get with high-end carbon bikes, or could that be due to the Zipp wheels? Like I said, there’s lots of new tech to explore on this one, including the Tyrewiz pressure sensors on the wheels and the SRAM AXS app on my phone. So in addition to dialling in the suspension the good old fashioned way, I’ve a busy month of riding and fettling ahead. I can’t wait!
Shock
Wheels
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