davei1980

My little brother keeps talking up Jones handlebars. I looked up the company and they make complete bikes and custom order bikes that are like nothing I have ever seen. Jeff, the company's founder, makes a lot of claims about comfort and efficiency that seem to be substantiated by 1st hand reviews.

What do you guys think? Are these actually awesome, "do everything" bikes or are they a faddish, heavy, overpriced turd of a bike? I have heard nothing bad about them so far so if you have one or have ridden one, please share with me your honest and unfiltered feedback!

ksryder

I've read the same reviews you have, and I haven't heard anything bad about them from actual users.

As far as being a fad though, they're too niche and non-mainstream to be a fad. Also, Jeff Jones has been doing his own thing for decades so I don't think this is really a fad, I think this is his own design philosophy that's been developed over many years.

I think you'd want to be really clear on your expectations though -- they seem like bombproof rigs that are at home on singletrack or bikepacking or touring or commuting, but you're not going to be racing crits or CX on them. At least not very well.

davei1980

Yeah he definitely has an impressive curriculum vitae!

mrv 

BikeSnob NYC has two Jones Bikes, the 'budget' steel SWB and LWB. He's going to be giving one away.
Bike Snob NYC: This Just In: I'm Giving Away A Bike!

I've got a set of JONES Bars on my ancient 26in wheeled Rock Hopper. I'm pretty happy with them, I got the 2.5in riser loop version. The only thing they don't offer is a position to grab the bars like if you're riding your hoods (drop bars).

davei1980

Awesome build you got there! An option to "test the Jones waters" which is in play is to take a Bianchi Incline frame I have (similar specs to your rockhopper, 26", cantis, etc") and turn it in to a cargo bike with a Crust Bikes Clydesdale fork and Jones bars and see how I like riding it before I drop $2 large + on a Jones frame build. Worst case scenario: I wind up with a cargo bike with an expensive set of bars I don't like but can easily swap!

ksryder

If you don't like the bars they're really easy to sell.

indyfabz

Have you dropped in on the drop bar illusion thread in General? Start from the end and work your way back. You will learn that riding hoods is just asking for trouble. Even possible death. You will also learn that 40%=75% when it comes to American obesity statistics.

mrv 

- I will have to search that thread out.
I may have very well had my hands on the hoods during a recent bike crash. Although I think the hidden curb I hit had more to do with the bent fork, sprained thumb, and subsequent new helmet purchase......

Wildwood 

I don't know of the Jones bikes or bars (other than pics).

Is Jeff Jones sort of a Grant Petersen in cycling terms?

davei1980

He's definitely a thought leader like Mr. Peterson - definitely more radical in terms of design ideas, from what I can tell.

davei1980

I have but that's alarming! I need to get rid of my drop-bar bike and start driving to work in order to avoid danger to my health and safety! I don't want to die young riding on the hoods.... are all the Grand Tour competitors doing it wrong? Has my whole life been a lie?

mrv 

I get the impression Jeff Jones is similar to the Riv-Bike philosophy as far as utility goes.
But where Grant (I think) goes for beauty (beautiful lugs, funky names, and lovely colors), Jeff is going for design efficiency - maybe - disc brakes to accommodate a variety of wheel sizes, mostly black (only black, can't remember and too lazy to google) and titanium. Truss forks over suspension forks to save weight.
my 2 cents. now where do I get me some gum-rubber brake hoods......?

79pmooney

Lance Armstrong lost several key teammates to training ride crashes when they hit potholes following other riders. Alberto Contador did the same in a Tour de France. It is very likely they had somewhat relaxed grips on their hoods and did not see the potholes in time and had their hands slip off. In my racing days, 40 years ago, the hoods were a lot less attractive (those brake cables!). My club's vets taught us to ride the drops any time the going was at all "iffy", in large part so our hands stayed on the bars even with relaxed grip. That we were to set our bikes up so the drops were always usable and comfortable. (Those ugly brake cable did the same as the curve of the drops. All of us had at least one violent jam of our thumb crotches on those cables - a spill that didn't happen).

I hit an unseen pothole on a March training ride, 1978 when a car passed me. Hard hit. My hands stayed on and I rode on thinking "all good, my wheels are still round". 8 miles later I looked down and saw that my handlebar was bent 30 degrees at the stem! (Old aluminum bars. It was their time.) Point is that this was a hard hit that I did not see but because I was in the drops, it wasn't a crash. Had I been on modern hoods set low as both I needed for an aero position and that my hands like, that would have been probably a season delaying collarbone (assuming the car missed me). (Editorial - good bike! I noticed this 20 miles from home but 4 miles from my riding partners house. Rode gingerly to her house, went in the kitchen door I knew she didn't lock and checked the train schedule behind the door. Train in 40 minutes. Rode the 1 mile to the station. Conductor allowed my otherwise banned bike on board when I showed him the handlebar. First stop 1 mile from home.)

Edit: I wasn't riding a Jones Bike but I was wearing a Jones cycling jersey. Jones Cycle Wear out of Leominster, MA, club sponsor. Wore its successor yesterday.

Ben

ksryder

I think Grant Petersen wishes he was Jeff Jones.