pakeboi

According to their website The New Jones Complete Bike is a do-it-all , all-rounder , so I'm posting here in the General Cycling Forum .
"A great bike for dirt, road, mountains, gravel, city, touring/trekking, bikepacking, commuting, fitness, riding around the world or just around your neighborhood."

I would appreciate hearing feedback from those that have ridden or own the bike .

https://www.jonesbikes.com/jones-plus...plete-bicycle/

Maelochs

Not a good road bike. Can be ridden in a lot of places .... but "do-it-all"? What's the low gear, 32x11? My grocery trips would take twice as long and three times as much work. Forget any kind of quick road-riding.

What that looks like is a more off-road version of the True all-around bike, the mid-late '90s rigid MTB.

Except those bikes cam with triple cranksets, so you really could do road rides, and still climb serious piles of dirt.

My Bridgestone MB4 weighed 30 pounds, which nowadays would be 25, with modern tech ... but it had a 48/38/28 triple Deore running gear, used 1.6 tires (plenty of room for more) and served me well for trails, roads, daily commuting, camping, touring .....

This same bike with a triple and a second wheel set would be pretty good. Discs allow a big variation in rim widths. But ... that is an off-road bike, not an all-'rounder.

In fact, all it is, is a normal 27.5-Plus MTB with Jones bars.

indyfabz

The low gear is 32x42. Did you mean high gear?

Maelochs

32x11 is pretty low ....

(whoops .... .)

pakeboi

No secret sauce geometry ?
What then are some alternatives that I can swap Jones bars ?

HerrKaLeun

No experience with it, just been drooling over Jones bikes the last weeks.

Normally you buy the frame and build it up and it cost $3K or so with good components. This one is an attempt of a budget version. But you really have to understand the compromises and be happy with them or have to upgrade later. The frame and fork are not heat-treated, so they are heavier than the standalone frame/fork you buy. Obviously you can't upgrade the frame.... 1x10 and cable brakes seems not great. Especially 1x10 seems limited for a "do it all" bike that has to go fast and on very low gear.
You get the same geometry as with the expensive version, so basically you pay for the geometry. I myself rather pay $3K for a great bike than $1,800 for a bike with mediocre brakes and drivetrain. That's just my opinion, I totally understand if someone just wants a nice-riding comfortable bike and can live with the shortcomings. Maybe to you those are not shortcomings.

pakeboi

I was thinking the same , pay up now to make it a true "do-it-all" .

Cl904

Lazyass

I wouldn't want that monstrosity for a do-anything bike. Those tires alone weigh almost 2lbs each.

WizardOfBoz

When I walk through the mall one of the things I am struck by and find bizarre is the number of stores popping up that are obviously trying to find a super-high-end niche. So they want you to pay 300 dollars for their jeans when Levis are 50. And I mourn for my countrymen and women that fall for this. We are becoming a nation of fad-following idiots.

Then same thing for beer. Here, I must confess some guilt as I do buy more expensive beer. Usually on the basis of taste, though, and not because a beer is fashionable. But again, there are hundreds of small companies popping up thinking that they will be "the one" company that will be successful charging 14 bucks a 600ml bottle of their unique (zucchini! avocado! raspberry! all organic! no GMOs!) beer. These beers usually have edgy names ("Sniveling Cur", "Pregnant Hippotamus", etc) which apparently is enough for some people. Sheesh.

The point is, I look at this Jones bike and fail to see much difference between it and a Walmart BSO. I suspect that its better made and WORKS better than a BSO, but you can find a lot of bikes, for a lot cheaper than 1800 bucks, that work better than a BSO. Perhaps I'm missing something. Is 1800 bucks a good price point for a 4130 frame (please spare me any haranguing about how Jones has come up with quantum leap in making 4130 frames) with tektro components?

I mean, this may be a great bike, but it seems like an overpriced also-ran to me. I mean, I have to agree with
Correct me if I'm wrong, though!

Cl904

WizardOfBoz

Thanks, but the concept of me looking good (or needing to look good to "attract chicks"*) in a pair of jeans went the way of the dinosaur about 5 or 10 years ago. Sigh. As an aside, on my last Levi's trip, I bought three pairs, all of which fit to a degree, and all of which had different waist sizes. Three different sizes, depending upon model. Yoiks.

I don't have a problem with folks paying more to get something they value. What I have a problem with is folks (to use your analogy) trying to sell malaysian-made JSOs for 300 bucks on the basis that it's their new, "cool" brand.

*Today is our 36th anniversary

Cl904

WizardOfBoz

I worked in a machine shop and a bike shop in Racine Wi, when I was a kid. Some of the lugged paramounts were made in Racine. I've a respect for the lugwork and expert brazing from that era. Artwork.

For many years I had a Paramount. It was improperly sized (long story) and so I sold it. I'm now running a CF (Trek Domane 6) and a I just retromodded an 853 LeMond Zurich (now with 11spd Ultegra R8000). If I could find a properly-sized paramount (or possibly a lugged 531 Cinelli from the same era) my stable would be complete. But I'd have to spend 200 bucks on a pair of Detto Pietros and cleats!

zze86

Looked at these when Jones announced them. Took a look at the price/specs and choked. $1800 will get you a MUCH nicer bike just about anywhere else. Granted the geometry is different and of course they come equipped with Jones' loop bars but that's quite the premium for those two features. With those specs, this would be a ~$1000 bike anywhere else.

On a different note, anybody else find it ironic how the two most well-known frame designers in modern day, Jones and Peterson, talk about "the bike for the everyday person" and not just the pure cyclist but their prices are such that only very specialized persons would buy their products? Not to say that a commuter or utilitarian bike cannot be high end, just that they are charging a crazy premium on their welded frames. I get it that handmade frames will be expensive irregardless of manufacturer but with both moving to welded frames from China I would have thought that their prices would come down to reflect their philosophies more.

Jones = $1800
Rivendell = $900 for their least expensive frameset

Cl904

General Geoff

Ehh, for a few hundred more, the Priority 600 is much closer to a real "do it all" bike, with far better gear range and much longer lasting drivetrain w/no maintenance. At least with the 600, you know where your money is going (Pinion gearbox).

livedarklions

Do you actually have one? How does it ride?

If something does go wrong with the gear box, it it serviceable or do you have to replace it?

General Geoff

Not yet, though I think it's gonna be the next addition to my stable, probably next year. Been thinking about taking a trip to NYC to look at and ride one before committing, since I'm only about a 90 minute drive from the city.

The gearbox is completely sealed, as in weather and water proof, and the casing is held together with torque-to-yield bolts, similar to an automotive cylinder head. The gearbox has more in common with an automotive manual gearbox than a bike drivetrain, and was designed by Porsche automotive engineers, so while I'm sure it's possible to take it apart and service it, it would require skills not necessarily common among bike mechanics. The gearbox is also designed to stay sealed with no maintenance except for changing the oil in it (about one cup of oil) once a year or every 6,000 miles, whichever comes first. The gearbox comes with a 5 year warranty.

edit; here's a very recent review from KevCentral on youtube, about the 600:



The design of the Pinion gearbox lends itself to extremely long service life, especially compared to chain-based drive systems.

Hiro11

Adding to the chorus, ask yourself if you'd pay $1,800 for a no-name 4130 frame with a rigid unicrown fork, base model 1x10, mechanical brakes and house brand everything else. For me, no thanks. You're paying for the sticker on the downtube, which is strange because no one outside of true bike nerds would have heard of Jones in the first place. If I were looking for "practical", it can be found for a fraction of that price. Note that I actually like the bike's design, unlike some here.

Also, the Jones Ti Spaceframe with a truss fork is all kinds of awesome (and it should be for that price).

badger1

Might as well hear from someone who is actually using one. Makes a change in these kinds of 'debates'.

Bike Snob NYC: This Just In: Test Bike Revealed!
Bike Snob NYC: Reasonably Priced Chubby-Tired Bicycle Shootout!

tyrion

IMO this $1800 Jones bike should be compared to the Surly ECR or the Trek 1200. The distinguishing feature is 29x3 tires.

Having said that, I think the gear range is too limited (1 x 11-42). Wish they'd spec'ed the basic Deore touring triple crank.

fietsbob

Forty Two... Any thing you like, it's just a variety of MTB Bar ..




Glad you have done well and have $1,799.00 in your hands,
to drop on a new bike..

Or are you on the hamster wheel of indecision, with no end in sight.. ??





...

Maelochs

Basically ... it is a boutique bike built up with low-end components offered at almost a competitive price.

Maybe some folks love it ... great. The world is full of different kinds fo people. I have heard there are men who like having their dangling modifiers stabbed with stiletto heels. Doesn't mean it is good, or that it is suited for general consumption.

To me .. . someone who is going to lay out the bucks for a handmade frame ought to spend the rest of the cash needed to build a really nice bike.

The bike is what it is ... and all the claims about it are belied by the actual bike.

Nothing wrong with the bike, but all it is is what it is.

Doctor Morbius

I'm more impressed with his bike handling skills than I am with the bike. I guess I'm too easy to please as I'd rather have a Giant Toughroad and pocket the difference in cost.