Our new Process X DL represents a new approach to our gravity-oriented riding: while riding a Process 153 on our local DH tracks wasn’t comparable to riding an Operator, with the Process X, the difference between full DH vs. Enduro has diminished significantly. The geometry figures should provide for a very capable bike, we haven’t ridden it yet – we are having snow and heavy storms right now – but we are very excited to check it out and see whether it could really be our new go-to rig. A few weeks ago we spent a few days in Finale Ligure which even sparked a bit of enduro fever. While we always considered ourselves to be 27.5″ people (we are both 1.70m / 5’7″), we’ve been riding the 2021 Operator CR as a full 29er without any trouble, we think we will stick with full 29″ with the Process X as well. Although we might do a mullet test one day, just to learn the differences.

The SRAM GX AXS drivetrain remains stock. 

While the stock RockShox Zeb Ultimate RC2 Charger 2.1 DebonAir 170mm remains, Jan has opted for some sweet custom decals.

The most important custom part is clearly the Cane Creek DB Kitsuma shock because we wanted the rear suspension to feel as Operator-like as possible. We checked out Miranda Miller’s build and went for a progressive spring, too, hoping it will provide enough progression to avoid regular bottom-outs with bigger jumps/drops. Also because the white color perfectly matches the blue/white scheme of our build.

The other parts are personal preferences which we also have on our other bikes. We prefer the enormous stopping power of the Shimano Saint brakes, especially because it requires very little actuation force. Grips are DMR Deathgrips, pedals are also DMR – the grip and feel of the Vaults are excellent. Stem and bars are Chromag, we got used to the OSX‘s rise and angles.

We are Alexandra, Jan (and little Lea) Werkmeister from Germany.

In 2016 we had the strong feeling that we were in need of a change in our lives. We decided to do more of what makes us happy, we quit our jobs in IT and moved from Germany’s big northern city of Hamburg to the small mountain town St. Andreasberg in the Harz mountains. The Harz mountains are Germany’s most northern uplands, roughly three hours drive south of Hamburg it’s an MTB Eldorado with a myriad of trails and five bike parks.

In St. Andreasberg we started our own business and opened up a Bed & Breakfast for mountain bikers and outdoor enthusiasts. We had traveled a lot with our bikes and visited a number of places, so we had a very clear picture of what our “perfect” MTB B&B should be like. It should have all the features you need as a mountain biker, like a secure garage, workshop, bike wash, drying room etc. but it also should feel like being at a friend’s house, and grow into becoming like a “hub” for mountain bikers, people should meet, BBQ together, tell each other stories of their latest adventures on their bikes.

Jan has been riding bikes for many years and the easy-going freeride attitude that the late 90s/early 2000s Kona bikes had made him a fan  –  he never owned one because in school/university he simply couldn’t afford a Kona bike. When MTB began to play an even larger part in our lives and we pursued our new “Do More Of What Makes You Happy” motto by moving to the Harz mountains, the perfect fit was clearly Kona. Right before moving to St. Andreasberg, we got our first two Kona DH bikes – two used 2015 Supreme Operators that we bought from Austrian MTB coach and ex-DH racer Michi Gölles.

Living next to five bike parks we got more and more fond of gravity biking, so in the following years, a 2018 Operator DL and a 2021 Operator CR were added to the garage. Although we also have a Remote 160 and a Process 153, most of the time we in fact ride our Operators.

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