Kona Dream Builds: Jason’s Process 134 is the perfect Plus 1

Jason’s inspiration for this build is classic equation N+1, “because why the heck not!”

A little deeper though, I got the 2015 Process 134A DL frame after ordering the purple Process 111 frame from the same year. A trip to Prescott for the Whiskey Off-Road, and borrowing a friend’s 22” Raijin so I didn’t have to fly with a bike gave me a new outlook on what size bike I should be riding (I had a 20”). So when I got home, I sold my 20” Raijin, ordered a new 21”, and I also swapped my size large Process 111 frame for an XL Process 134A frame.

I had a blast on that Process 134, built up with full XTR 9000 11-speed. I rode ALL kinds of singletrack at home and out west, a couple of trips to NWA, a bike-packing trip from Durango to Moab, and even a lap or two of the Old Pueblo 24 course the year we went just to “hang out”. Fast forward several years and 29” wheels were making headlines once again. But this time it wasn’t in the world of Lycra-clad XC racers, it was in the Enduro and DH scenes. Riders/racers that had been touting “26 ain’t dead” for years were now dipping their toes in the waters of the wagon wheel craze. It seemed like the results they were seeing had them more than “just liking” the switch.

So in the spirit of changing bikes like underwear, I decided it was time to do a top to bottom service for the old Process 134A, and put it up for sale on Craigslist and Pinkbike, and get myself a new dream whip. 2019 saw the release of Shimano XT 12-speed, and when it became available, I jumped on it like a fox on field mice. Before the new Process was even revealed, I was working on the build kit.

My dream build has a full Shimano XT 12-speed groupset.

Stopping comes courtesy of a set Shimano XT dual-piston calipers and matching levers.

Kashima coating is everywhere possible, it’s up front with the 150mm Fox Factory 36’s and outback on the Float DPX2, and it’s even on the Fox Transfer dropper post.

Bars, stem, and saddle are PRO by Shimano and the grips are from Love Handles from Race Face.

Then the new Wah Wah pedals came out and I knew the anodized orange ones would just push the steeze over the top.

Some Derby carbon hoops are laced to DT Swiss 240s hubs with Yeti green decals I previously rode on my murdered out Kona Carbonzo frame (circa 2017). While they’re not an exact match, the orange anodized components from Wolftooth definitely take the bling factor to 11. And I’m riding my all-time go-to for tires. A WTB Vigilante 2.5 up front and a Vigilante 2.3 out back. I wanted to run a 2.4 Trail Boss on the rear, but the tire shortage right now is more real than an anti-vaxxers denial of science.