I thought it was important to give an insight into my own personal rides and methodology if for nothing less than to support that I practice what I preach. I am however acutely aware that my preferences often stray from those of the masses which can sometimes make it a challenge to get a bike that feels right for me. If anything though it’s this experience which helps me help you in getting it right, there’s a whole wide world of bikes out there and the each to their own philosophy is all too often overlooked. 

I was getting flowed Scott bikes but after frame number two lasting the better part of three weeks I thought it may be time to cough up for something I really wanted. As a die hard small wheel enthusiast who didn’t gel well with longer travel options I really wanted a Transition Scout. Unfortunately there were none available for a few months so I found myself scrambling to secure option two - a Kona Process 153. The 27.5” 153’s were only available here as complete bikes with a pretty basic build kit and alloy frame but when you’re a short back end, low bb fan who’s carbon and wagon wheel adverse in 2023 - beggars can’t be choosers. 

Thanks to the legends at Kona Aus my new bike arrived promptly and was in the stand to be stripped down that evening. Fast forward a few days and we hit the dirt for the first time with nothing outside of the frame remaining from the original build. Initially I was rolling on a pair of Spank wheels hand built by yours truly until one rim met its’ untimely demise. Yet again faced with availability issues a stop gap was found in the form of an off the shelf Race Face Aeffect wheel set. They’ve proven a little flexy for my liking due to the non drive side not actually making contact at the spoke cross but they are holding up. Around them sits my favourite tyre combo to date - Vittoria Mazza front and Martello rear with an HD Tubolite up back. Outside of that it’s been pretty smooth sailing with a mix of sturdy, good bang for buck parts including Magura MT5 brakes (far less fiddly than 7’s and a chunk cheaper), a 210mm One Up dropper that just squeezes in, mixed Sram drivetrain (mainly so I can run XD drive 10-52t cassettes) and a host of Wolf Tooth, Bergtech and Deity goodies. I could really waffle on even worse and run you through the decision behind each component individually but I’ll spare you. That being said if you are curious about this build or anything specific on it please feel free to drop me a line.

Flat pedals and external cables forever - Rob