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Fresh from reacquisition by its founders, Kona is introducing two new bikes with the launch of the Remote X and 160 DL.
As the brand points out, the Remote 160 DL is best thought of this as an amplified version of the new Process 153, featuring much the same handling built around that familiar, progressive, geometry. Naturally, this means the bike also features the same robust suspension design.
Reading this it is easy to see why ‘keeping it similar and familiar’ ensures a bike with much the same easy-to-love reputation, offering something which aims to appeal to all riders from beginners to pro-level shredders.
As an e-bike, the 85nm Shimano EP8 motor is built into the design, and paired with a long running 612wh battery nestled in the downtube.
Keeping it Kona, the brand points out that “all the kinematic revisions that we built into the new Process models carry over to this bike, but are tuned to account for the potential increased speed that extra wattage generates; better small bump sensitivity, more progression, superior bottom out resistance.”
Enabling riders to unlock the full potential of the Shimano EP8 motor, the Remote 160 DL features a name defining 160mm of rear wheel travel, and is paired with a RockShox Zeb fork up front.
From the secure battery mounting to the beefy UDH to the Maxxis Assegai DoubleDown casing tyres, the rest of the bike is built to handle whatever riders throw at it, where ever the trail takes it.
Remote X is positioned by Kona as “glorious excess defined”. In plain speak, that means 180mm of travel and a geometry aimed at hardcore shredding.
Naturally enough the 85nm of get-up-and-go provided by Shimano’s EP8 motor, backed up with a healthy 612wh battery, means that what goes down hill rapidly, doesn’t suck the ‘what no uplift’ life out of a rider slogging (pedalling) their way back to the trail head.
Suspension duties are handled by Fox’s 38 fork and Float X shock, with a Shimano drivetrain and brakes controlling the show.
To all intents and purposes, the Remote X is a highly evolved park or DH bike. Unlike the analogue park or DH bikes, the Remote X doesn’t need a chairlift or a shuttle rig to get to the goods. Pedal up, fully e-bike assisted, smash every hit all the way back down, then do it again. Subtlety and nuance not included.
