Kona Remote 160 Review

Made from butted 6061 aluminium alloy it is easy to see how the Process DNA is infused into the Remote 160. The chainstays are a little longer than the Process but they are very short for an e bike. This is thanks to the compact nature of the Shimano motor which means that the designers haven’t had to compromise very much to give this bike a powerful boost.

The rear travel is a little longer and the head tube angle a little slacker which gives the Remote a confident feel on the trail even when the going gets rough and fast. The battery pack is neatly integrated into the down tube and there is room for a bottle cage in the front triangle.

In keeping with its enduro ambitions, the Remote 160 is fitted with hard-hitting suspension components. Up front, the RockShox Lyric Select fork with Charger damper and DebonAir spring offers 160mm of travel and soaks up the hits with ease. Considering the extra weight of motor and battery the Lyric is actually a good choice for trail riding on an e bike.

A RockShox Super Deluxe Select shock takes care of the 160mm of rear travel. With a piggyback oil reservoir this shock offers consistent performance on long, rough trails, soaking up all the bumps. The high-volume tyres and extra weight of the bike all help to make the bike feel very stable and planted when hard charging over challenging terrain.

While not the most powerful e bike motor the Shimano Steps E8000 system does offer a very natural feel. The motor boosts your natural pedalling power in a very intuitive way. It feels more like you have extra powerful legs than motor is doing all the work.

The Shimano display is a highlight, it’s subtle yet very easy to read and is tucked out of harm next to the stem rather than on top of it. The three riding modes are easily selected from the handlebar mounted remote switch. Eco will give you the longest range while boost gives you full power for those very steep climbs. The trail setting reacts to your pedalling input offering a very intuitive feel. The 504Wh battery pack is tucked neatly under the downtube.

The groupset on the Remote 160 is well thought out. It’s not flashy but everything works just as it should. The SRAM Eagle drivetrain gives you a very wide range of gears and the single click shifter helps to preserve the chain and cassette when shifting under load. The SRAM Code R brakes give you DH levels of stopping power and are just what you need on a hard charging e bike. The rest of the finishing kit is all good-quality and the action of the Trans-X dropper post is very smooth.

Like many other full sus electric mountain bikes, the Remote 160 rolls on 27.5” wheels with plus sized tyres. This set up is ideal for e biking as the extra volume of the tyres works really well with the extra weight. The 2.8” Maxxis Minion tyres are ideal for riding challenging trails and its great to see them fitted to the Remote 160. The wide WTB i35 rims offer good support for the wide tyres and are laced to reliable Formula hubs.