Kona Process 153 2015

til027 · Feb 25, 2015

ildottore46 said:
Thanks man. I am a complete noob when it comes to shock and susp. settings. I just ride the bike lol. Does the sag % logic apply the same for the RC and RC3?

BTW the o-ring on the shock 7/10 rides will come loose at the very bottom of the shock.

I've read that the monarch rc doesn't really perform that well, with people going for the debonair or CC inline.

Will wait and see

Thanks!

The RC is obviously not going to preform quite as well as it's big brothers but I've found it to be a very nice. And yes setting your sag is something required with every air shock, I generally run it around 30%.

If the sag adjust doesn't fix it the shock may need a tune up or you could upgrade to an RC3 debonair (or ccdbair).

ildottore46 · Feb 25, 2015

Thanks everybody, i'll go with 30% and see from there.

Since we're on it, what % would you recommend in the stock Pike?

rickygmoney · Feb 25, 2015

Not sure what % i'm at right now, I'll check when I get home. That damn thing is so nice, that I literally set it up once. I set it up really soft in it's "Open" setting. Then when I need it more stiff, i'll put it in pedal mode, or "Locked" position if I need it SUPER stiff. I'm on the RCT3, but it's pretty much the same exact fork (minus low speed compression).

ildottore46 · Feb 25, 2015

yeah I really like the pike, I have no issues with it and if feels real good with my type of riding and surface.

Do you guys normally do shock and fork services yourself or go to a shop? I've seen some vids and it looks fairly easy if you have the tools and other requirements.

rickygmoney · Feb 25, 2015

I'm def. going to learn to do my own servicing.. I don't like random people messing with my bike lol... So far I've learned tubeless tires, bottom bracket replacing(press-fit sadface), and rear derailure setup.. much more to learn... but I enjoy that sort of thing.

phantasim · Feb 26, 2015

ildottore46 said:
Thanks everybody, i'll go with 30% and see from there.

Since we're on it, what % would you recommend in the stock Pike?

I find about 25-27% sag works well in my pike, and normally 4 to 6 clicks of lsc depending on trail.
You can use bottomless tokens to tune the way it performs also.

rickygmoney · Feb 26, 2015

Just a heads up... talked to Sram today about pedaling platform:

Q: "Does the sag setting on my Monarch Plus RC3 effect the "Lock" settings firmness?"

A: "No, the SAG setting should in no way affect the lockout platform for your Monarch Plus, as the damper unit is separate from the air pressure settings."

Regards,
SRAM USA

www.sram.com

til027 · Feb 26, 2015

Can't decide whether I should upgrade the shock or the brakes first...

CarolinaPanthers · Feb 27, 2015

Hm. I understand that both perform fairly well, so it's kind of a toss up.

I'm totally anal about how my brakes feel, so I want to upgrade off the bat. Tool free reach adjust is big for me. It's a mental thing for me.

If you're after more stopping power, the shop owner said he threw Zee calipers on the stock levers. He's happy with that change.

If you're less discerning about the brakes, go shock. I already posted about my local shop owner totally loving the switch, and a shock will be a much more noticeable upgrade.

antigravity19 · Feb 27, 2015

til027 said:
Can't decide whether I should upgrade the shock or the brakes first...

Jenson has an additional 75 off that DBCS deal mentioned earlier with "save75" code right now.

On brakes, the Deore's on mine are a bit behind the XT's on my other bike but not by much, also a bit of noise every now and then. I have never tried Zee or Saint. Been tempted to try Guides to see if there is a little more modulation at moderate speeds.

til027 · Feb 27, 2015

There are actually a bunch of codes flying around that will get you 15% off on jenson ($90+) so it's only $756 for the Air CS and mounting hardware and shipping to Australia (costs $900+ otherwise)

I do like powerful brakes so I'm going for saints, I was thinking of trying XTR race levers with saint calipers but haven't decided. Would they be harder to install if I did this?

I'll probably just buy the brakes and shock at the same time now and hope I don't get hit with customs duty for them... (15% for duty and 17% tax for items over $1000)

til027 · Feb 27, 2015

Scratch that ^, turns out saint calipers and xtr levers might not be compatible anymore.

Saints it is I guess.

CharlieDog · Mar 13, 2015

I've had my 2015 process 153 non-dl for about a month now. Some thoughts:

-Fit feels really good. I'm 5'10" 170 lbs, pretty average and the medium feels great. I'm running the stock stem and bars and see no need to change. I didn't care for the stock grips but that was a cheap change. Also swapped the saddle.
-The bike climbs well. After reading some reviews it seemed like this could be the downfall of the 153. It has good grip and pedal bob isn't any more than any other bikes I've ridden. I do a ride that starts off with a 1 hour fire road climb and the lock out on the shock is nice.
-This bike is a beast downhill. I have hit 5-6 drops and ridden some challenging terrain and the bike is incredibly composed. I feel like I havent come close to pushing it to the limit.
-Not really a critical thing but I just like how it looks. Black stealth seat post, pike, black shock, it looks sweet. I've had alot of people ask me about it.

Overall i am very happy. Love the bike. Would be interested to try a different shock but for now i am going to roll with how it is. Cheers!

ildottore46 · Mar 14, 2015

CharlieDog said:
I've had my 2015 process 153 non-dl for about a month now. Some thoughts:

-Fit feels really good. I'm 5'10" 170 lbs, pretty average and the medium feels great. I'm running the stock stem and bars and see no need to change. I didn't care for the stock grips but that was a cheap change. Also swapped the saddle.
-The bike climbs well. After reading some reviews it seemed like this could be the downfall of the 153. It has good grip and pedal bob isn't any more than any other bikes I've ridden. I do a ride that starts off with a 1 hour fire road climb and the lock out on the shock is nice.
-This bike is a beast downhill. I have hit 5-6 drops and ridden some challenging terrain and the bike is incredibly composed. I feel like I havent come close to pushing it to the limit.
-Not really a critical thing but I just like how it looks. Black stealth seat post, pike, black shock, it looks sweet. I've had alot of people ask me about it.

Overall i am very happy. Love the bike. Would be interested to try a different shock but for now i am going to roll with how it is. Cheers!

Spot on review. I've got 30mm rise 785 mm wide bars and like it better than stock.

Got Zee brakes as well. Couldn't ask for a better bike honestly.

ildottore46 · Mar 16, 2015

Does anyone know the seat clamp diameter for the process 153? Mine's a 2014, but it should be the same?

I read somewhere it's 31.6, but can't find any brands that make that, only 31.8... is this ok?

til027 · Mar 16, 2015

34.9 for the 2015, I believe they're the same though.

rickygmoney · Mar 17, 2015

Hey CharlieDog. I'm about your same weight and height.. I'm curious, how much sag are you running front and rear? Tire pressure? Tubeless? I just like to see what others are riding at.

I'm at 33 sag front, 38 sag rear, 28 front and 29 rear for tire pressure, tubeless. I weight 165 and I'm 5'11". This setup is pretty soft, just the way I like it. I'm using ALL of the travel, but don't ever feel a bottom out. Remarkably, the bike still climbs very well with this setup!

CharlieDog · Mar 17, 2015

rickygmoney said:
Hey CharlieDog. I'm about your same weight and height.. I'm curious, how much sag are you running front and rear? Tire pressure? Tubeless? I just like to see what others are riding at.

I'm at 33 sag front, 38 sag rear, 28 front and 29 rear for tire pressure, tubeless. I weight 165 and I'm 5'11". This setup is pretty soft, just the way I like it. I'm using ALL of the travel, but don't ever feel a bottom out. Remarkably, the bike still climbs very well with this setup!

Hey Ricky here is where I'm at currently:
Fork at about 25% sag, psi is around 60- I've messed with this quite a bit lately because I started out with much higher pressure (going off what was recomended) and I wasn't getting all my travel. This seems to be pretty good but doesn't quite feel perfect yet. Not running any tokens either and haven't bottomed out yet. You running any tokens?
Shock is 30% sag- still tinkering with this too. The o-ring on the shock is at the very end after my rides but hasn't been pushed all the way off. I think the rear end feels pretty good but I may lower it if you are running 38% and still not bottoming.
Tires- stock minions on the stock i25 wheels tubeless. Pressures almost identical, 28 front 30 back. I think I could go a little lower.

I'm about 175lbs geared up, 5'10". You on a medium or large frame? And do you have the monarch rt shock? That is the only thing I'm thinking of upgrading at this point. Cheers!

rickygmoney · Mar 17, 2015

I'm on a Large frame. I didn't try the Medium frame, as I probably should have.. but the Large seems fine. I have a full DL build, so I have the Monarch Plus RC3 on the rear. I'm not sure if there are any tokens in my fork, as I haven't opened it up yet.

til027 · Mar 21, 2015

Hey guys wondering if anyone knows the approx cost of having new brakes(and rotors), shock and handlebar/stem installed? Vs buying the tools and doing it myself.

I believe all I would need is a BB/cassette tool a torque wrench and some allen keys. My bike is already at the shop though so if it's not overly expensive I'm happy to give them the buisness.

The shock would take 2 minutes, the brakes maybe 15 (the hoses need to be swapped) and the stem/handlebar 20 so it couldn't be much more than $100 for labor could it?

Kona Process 153 2015

til027

ildottore46

rickygmoney

ildottore46

rickygmoney

phantasim

rickygmoney

til027

CarolinaPanthers

antigravity19

til027

til027

CharlieDog

ildottore46

ildottore46

til027

rickygmoney

CharlieDog

rickygmoney

til027

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