Test: With a Bosch CX motor of the previous generation, the remote CTRL of the MTB veterans from Kona is now a real exotic. The drive can still keep up with the current models, but the sporty E-MTB is slowed down by a rather inharmonious handling
Kona Remote CTRL: The Facts
Suspension travel: 150mm / 132mm
wheel size: 27,5 inch
Drive: Bosch Performance CX 2th gen
Display / control unit: Bosch Purion
Battery capacity (test bike): 500Wh
Frame material: Alu
Weight complete bike (size L without pedals): 25,31kg
Maximum weight allowed: 138kg
Price: € 4.699
A separate test video is currently being produced for each E-MTB test 2020 and will be added here in the coming days and weeks.
| frame | Kona 6061 |
| suspension fork | Rock Shox Yari RC |
| Drive | Bosch Performance CX 2th gen |
| Rechargeable battery | Bosch Power Tube 500 |
| Suspension shocks | RockShox MonarchPlus |
| Wheels | Formula hubs / WTB ST i40 TCS rims |
| Tire VR | Maxxis Rekon Exo 2,8" |
| Tire HR | Maxxis Rekon Exo 2,8" |
| derailleur | SRAM NX |
| Gear levers | SRAM NX |
| Crank | Ram EX1 |
| Front derailleur | Without |
| Brake | Sram Guide RE |
| Brake discs | Sram Centerline 200/180mm |
| Seat post | Trans-X Dropper 150mm (L) |
| Saddle | WTB Volt Sport |
| Stem | Kona XC / BC 35 |
| Links | Kona XC / BC 35 |
It is an almost everyday phenomenon in our fast-paced, technology-dominated world: products that were state-of-the-art yesterday are suddenly obsolete almost overnight. What happened? Well – a successor was presented. This applies to smartphones as well as to bicycles. However, we do not believe that products will suddenly deteriorate overnight - in this respect, we first of all accepted without judgment that we also had an e-MTB in the test field with the Kona Remote CTRL, in which the "old" Bosch CX motor was still used of the 2nd generation is installed.
Solid engine performance
In practice, however, it shows a little that the drive is already five years old. While it can still keep up with current motors in terms of support power, it clearly falls short in terms of dynamics, naturalness and general driving experience. Perhaps the biggest difference, however, lies in the dimensions of the motor unit. The chain stays then also grow in order to create the necessary space in the bottom bracket area. Exactly this circumstance is one of the reasons why the Kona drives much more sluggishly and inharmoniously than most of our other test candidates.
Geometry Kona Remote CTRL
| S | M | L | XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| seat tube (in mm) | 420 | 445 | 475 | 505 |
| Top tube horizontal (in mm) | 604 | 629 | 654 | 692 |
| head tube (in mm) | 130 | 130 | 130 | 140 |
| chainstay (in mm) | 485 | 485 | 485 | 485 |
| Wheelbase (in mm) | 1237 | 1262 | 1287 | 1327 |
| Steering angle (in °) | 66 | 66 | 66 | 66 |
| Seat angle (in °) | 74.3 | 74.3 | 74.3 | 74.3 |
| Reach (mm) | 425 | 450 | 475 | 510 |
| Stacks (in mm) | 626 | 626 | 626 | 635 |
On the climbs, the long wheelbase of the Remote CTRL initially has a positive effect. The front and rear wheels literally stick to the ground and you sit nicely in the middle of the mighty bike. However, as soon as it comes to technical climbs, the disadvantages of the bike come to the fore: the less sensitive motor and the very bulky handling let us down again and again surrender early. The fact that the bike is "only" equipped with an 11-speed gearshift from Sram is not so important, since the motor usually easily makes up for the lack of bandwidth with its power.
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Inharmonious handling on the descent
The Kona's geometry doesn't just have its disadvantages on the descent either: the very long, modern frame with its slack steering angle always runs really well when the trail isn't too narrow. The Rockshox chassis does a good job, and the rear end with "only" a little over 130mm of travel is definitely enough to keep your finger off the brake lever of the snappy Sram Guide RE for a while. But here, too, it gets uncomfortable as soon as the curve radii get smaller and there is less space. The bike with its progressive geometry actually wants to be ridden actively, but as soon as you shift your weight towards the handlebars, the center of gravity on the bike shifts so unfavorably that you have trouble maintaining control. Unfortunately, the low-grip Maxxis Rekon tire at the front doesn't help to provide more security either.
The big Velomotion E-MTB test 2020: test fields, individual tests and background information
We set ourselves the daunting task of conscientiously and objectively testing 57 eMTBs. With our two large test fields "Highend" and "Bestseller" we had a huge range of different bikes.
Our test conclusion
E-MTB test 2020: The best e-mountain bikes for every application
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Our test candidates in the bestseller category: BH AtomX Lynx 6 Pro | BMC Trailfox AMP SX two | Bottechia proton | Bulls E-Stream Evo AM 3 | Canyon Neuron: ON 9.0 | Centurion No Pogo E R2600i | Corratec E-Power RS 160 Pro | Cube Stereo Hybrid 140 HPC™ | Ducati MIG-S | Flyer Uproc 3 6.50 | Focus Jam² 6.8 Nine | Fuji Blackhill Evo 27,5+ 1.3 | Ghost Hybrid ASX 6.7+ | Giant Stance E Pro 0 | GT Force AMP | Haibike XDURO AllMtn 3.5 | Hercules Nos Pro FS 1.1 | Kettler Scarpia FS 2.0 | Kona Remote CTRL | KTM Macina Chacana 291 | Lapierre Overvolt AM 7.6 | Nox Hybrid All-MTN 5.9 Comp Sachs | Radon Render 8.0 | R Rayom FullRay E-Seven 9.0 | Scott Strike and Ride 910 | Specialized Turbo Levo | Stevens E-Pordoi | Stevens E-Sledge ES | Thok Mig 2.0 | TrekRail 7
You can also find this at the kiosk Velomotion E-MTB test yearbook 2020. There you will find all 57 individual tests of the bikes, exciting stories and advice on everything to do with e-mountain bikes on over 160 pages.
Here you can also order the E-MTB yearbook 2020 directly from us.
