We often post studio photos of the bikes we build before they go out to their new owners, but it goes without saying that those bikes are going out to be ridden, so we wanted to post a few photos that those riders have sent to us!  With each bike that we build up and send out into the world, we’re left wondering what the trails and roads that it travels will look like.  Will it be used as a bike for local trips or long tours?  This is another reason why it’s so rewarding to hear from riders who are out exploring on their bikes!  The versatility of a Jones bike is highlighted by the variety of uses that people put them to: bikepacking, traditional loaded touring, commuting, exploring dirt roads, shredding singletrack, or best yet: a combination of all of those things!  What follows is a collection of photos and quotes that have been sent to us by riders who either bought framesets and built them up, or got complete bikes from us, and then went out and rode them.  Beyond saying “thanks” and “glad you like it!” we haven’t put them together before, so hopefully you’ll enjoy hearing their side of the story!  All of these photos and quotes are used with permission, so if you send us photos or notes, we’ll always ask before we post it!  We really appreciate hearing from everyone, and hope to keep getting to hear about your adventures on your Jones!

[wooslider keyboard_nav=”true” playpause=”true” slider_type=”attachments” picture_size”fixed” ]

 

Dan wrote us a while back about his first impressions of the Jones Plus LWB 148 TA complete bike he got from us, and since he put it succinctly, it’s worth just reading the whole thing:

“If you have potential customers wondering about the versatility of the 29 Plus, you can share this, as I had a free week to play last week:
I rode the Jones with the Big Apple tires up to Logan Pass on the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. Climbing was not significantly different from my road bike On the descent, I could have ridden with no hands reading a book, it is so stable.
Then, I did a 2 day fully loaded 125 mile bikepack trip on forest service roads with my 3″ tires. It handled the load flawlessly. After 6 hours in the saddle each day, I had no discomfort or body fatigue – just tired from riding.
Then the next day, I road 25 miles of fairly technical single track. It was great, and only once or twice did I wish I had suspension.
It is an amazing bike – to be able to perform such different tasks so well. If you are not in the Tour of France, this truly could be your only bike.
Now, I’m saving pennies to buy one for my wife.”

Brian wrote us a note about his Jones Plus LWB 148 TA that definitely rings true for us:

“I just wanted to take the time to let you know how much I have been enjoying my Jones+. It snowed last night (rare in Oklahoma) and I had the best time commuting to work this morning. I enjoyed it so much that I went out in the 15° on my lunch break to get a few more miles around a local lake. Thanks for making the best bike I have ever ridden.”

Chris sent us this, after riding his Jones Plus LWB 148 TA complete bike:

“Just wanted to say: Love my Jones 29+!
Beautiful, awesome bike, fantastic workmanship.
Also it was packed really well and arrived in perfect shape. Really easy to get rolling due to the minimal reconstruction required.
I love the build and am pleasantly surprised at how “light” it is given that I went with the awesome steel frame….
It was a pleasure dealing with you all at every step from info, ordering, to buying.”

Bob got his new Jones Plus LWB complete bike and really liked it.  He wrote a longer email about his experience, and while many of the quotes to this point have been excerpts for brevity, it just didn’t seem right to cut a piece out of Bob’s email so here it is in its entirety:

It has been a bit more than a month since delivery of my Jones 29 Plus, a sufficient period to assess the bike and what I call Jeff’s back-to-basics design beliefs. During this time I’ve cycled about 650 miles of which 610 have been on the Plus. Included was a six-day 300 mile trip in the Adirondacks with about 19,000 feet of climbing, a ride which started three days after my bike arrived.

The bike arrived in perfect condition, certainly a result of the well thought out packing, and the assembly quality was a 10 out of 10. The only adjustment to date was a quarter turn to tension the rear derailleur cable after about 250 miles. Assembling the bike went quickly and yes, Jeff, I used a torque wrench for the process. Jones’ practice of leaving the stem affixed to the handlebar simplified attachment. Buyers need not be concerned about what the condition the bike will be in upon arrival.

My first ride, up and down my street to check seat height, was a new experience. The bike was different, especially the H-Loop bar, yet for some reason it all made me smile. Something about every bike new ride takes time to get accustomed to but to me the only learning-curve item I sensed was the steering. The whole just felt so natural.

So here I am 600 miles later which to me is enough time with the bike to assess the bike and to decide if the high expectations formed by the many reviews I had read and, more significantly, the two hours of total time speaking with Jeff, were met. Note that Jeff took a cold call from me to discuss whether the builder of another custom built large-tire steel frame I was about to order needed to consider anything special to accommodate an H-Loop bar. Our conversation evolved into everything bicycles and Jeff’s take on what a bike should be about. His focus on fit, comfort, stability, agility and not needing a stable of special purpose bikes was and remains compelling. A few minutes after hanging up I called him back and ordered the bike. I figured in for a dime, in for a dollar. I accepted all of Jeff’s build-up recommendations, the most difficult one being to accept 170 cranks instead of the 175’s I had been using for almost 40 years, and very happy I did so.

Out of concern about the fit of a non-custom frame (I am 6’ tall with a 34” inseam), a few days after placing my order I sent Jeff the build specifications for several custom frames built for me by a highly regarded East Coast builder. Jeff’s response was unusual and welcome; he took one of his built-up 24″ Plus bikes, adjusted the seat height to mine, set up his adjustment levels and other measurement devices to do an exact comparison and sent me several photos. During a follow up call he assured me the Plus would be comfortable. He went so far as to say that after any ride, short or long, hard or easy, on the road or off, I might come back with my leg muscles burning but every other of part of me would be without ache or pain. My exceptions were high and I am a nitpicker.

It turned out the bike is great and has met or exceeded all of my expectations. Big time. The below comments are not in any specific order, just stream of consciousness.

1. The bike is very comfortable; no aches or pains. Don’t underestimate the benefit of not having to use your hands to support your upper body.
2. The carbon H-Bars are very comfortable and the set-up of the controls contributes to the bike being easy and fun to ride. The variety of hand positions is a real plus even though it took a bit of time to sense and learn the nuances of each position.
3. The stability and handling is astounding. Most of my riding is on the road and too many miles are in Northern New Jersey. The State’s failure to spend money on infrastructure is, to me, best exemplified by road conditions. They stink and are hazardous. The Plus eliminates 90% of the stress caused by road conditions.
4. The bike is fast. I use 2.35 Schwalbe G-One Speed TLE tubeless tires, 23 lbs. back and 22 lbs. front. Most of my rides are hilly. The bike climbs and descends quickly. Downhills were never my favorite part of a ride but now they’re a hoot.
5. The benefits of standing upright when out of the saddle, coupled with the wide bars, took a while to appreciate. It results in a wider open chest area which feels better for breathing, together with the H-Loop’s provide real good leverage and allows the easy use of body weight for power.
6. Sitting upright is so good in many respects. You see many more things, you feel like a kid, you realize you’re cycling through and viewing beautiful scenery, you don’t get neck pain, you are more visible to cars, and on and on.
7. Dirt, hard pack, gravel and forest roads are much more fun than with gravel grinder bikes which, to me, are based for the most part on drop handlebar road bikes built to accommodate larger tires (I am comparing this to my well respected builder steel bike with 38 Specialized Trigger tires). You can plans routes regardless of road surface. You can take any road on a whim.
8. The Jones frame pack is useful and convenient for all types of riding. It beats stuffing things in your jersey or jacket pockets. Keeping a water bottle or two in the top compartment which has an easy to use zipper on the drive train side is easier to access and use than seat tube or down tube cage locations.
9. I ride in almost all weather and this is a true all weather bike.

I have one minor complaint and it concerns the fenders. While they are solid and easy to install as a result of the sturdy design and all adjustment work being done by Jeff before shipment, the edges are sharp and have cut my knee twice. I’ll probably sand them a bit should I have the time.

I no longer ride technical trails so my one-month test cannot opine on how the Plus would be to ride in those conditions.

In summary I love the bike and use it for all my riding. It is my go to bike. Jeff’s opinions and suggestions seem out of the box when compared to most if not all other small and mass production bike companies. What he says, however, makes eminent sense for most of us if you truthfully answer the questions of what type of rider you really are and what type of bike is really best for the type of riding you do most all the time.

In the year before buying the Plus I sold several racing/high performance bikes because they are not comfortable enough for the type of riding I am doing and the condition of many of the roads I use for recreational riding and commuting. 25 and 28 tires no longer did it for me and, after getting the Plus, 32 and 38 are not as comfortable as I thought they were.

The bike is a great ride.

Jo wrote to tell us that:

“My bike arrived on Wednesday and I did today my first 40 mile ride with
it. I absolutely love it! It’s absolutely everything Jeff said it is.
Fantastic handling!”

Christian, an MD and orthopedic spine surgeon got a complete Jones Plus LWB from us recently, and initially sent us this note:

I just got my new bike on Friday and got it together last night. I took it out for my first ride today about 12 miles mostly through mowed down cornfields and single track in some pretty hilly farmland of central Massachusetts.

It’s so funny how so much of what you discussed and describe regarding the bike just comes true even in one ride. It all made sense in a natural way. None of it was contrived at all. I keep looking at it and it looks very different from my Gary Fisher. But it just feels right. It’s so much more comfortable. But also powerful and fast because I wasn’t losing speed on bumps or rough terrain.

The bar just allowed my hands to find so many different natural positions depending on what I was trying to do. For instance my hands naturally reach back when I was trying to get a little more pull and power. If I was climbing up a steep hill my hands found their way right up front. It’s as if my mind and body were searching for all these contact points on a bike for years and the way you designed it made it happen.

Just as having a dropper seatpost to me has felt like having another gear that loop handlebar almost makes me feel like I have a whole other gear. And I had no elbow or shoulder pain at all.

No issue at all bombing down a hill that before I used to really slow down and constantly fear a crash over the bars.

The frame pack is great too. So many of the elements about the bike are a departure from what I’ve had in the past but in a good way. I’m kind of surprised at how quickly it all came together and felt natural. It feels like I’m riding Batman’s bike and can go anywhere and tackle anything.

After contacting him again to see if we could quote him, he added:

I had a couple of weeks to do some riding since I sent my first message. I have ridden some trails that, in the past were pretty jarring ( even on my GF hard tail with front suspension) and the Jones just felt so much better in every aspect. I found myself diving back into trail sections and exploring more rather than just “getting in my ride” and being glad the beating was done. Going down hills just felt way safer and I seemed to be able to look ahead further down the trail and just know I’d get up and over the roots and rocks that line so any of the trails here.

No matter what the day, the bike calls me like my bikes did as a kid. No matter how busy, I always take a few spins around my driveway or yard because it’s just a fun ride.

I’m so glad I just trusted in yours and Brendon’s advice on the build. There were some things I knew I wanted. But whenever I wasn’t sure, I just trusted in your judgement and it’s come out great. I feel like I have a human powered super hero bike.

Frank said (of his new Jones Plus LWB 148 TA complete bike) that:

“I put it together that evening and have been on it ever since. I can’t remember when I have had so much fun on a bike. It is without a doubt the most comfortable versatile bike I have ever owned. My biggest problem thus far is keeping my wife off of it. Will probably need to order her one soon.”

Later, he added that:

I am still loving the bike. We have been having wet weather here and can assure you that it handles brake deep Georgia clay quite well.

And another rider named Frank that bought a Jones Plus LWB complete bike around the same time sent us some photos of the bike too!  Some of the first riding he did on it was in Moab, and he told us that “It was a baptism of fire as I picked up the bike on Wednesday and then headed off to Moab, UT that following Saturday. I’m happy to report that it performed amazing on some of the most demanding terrain around.”

Of his riding he told us that “By the time day three rolled around and we were taking on the Whole Enchilada, I would typically be hitting my physical limit with all manner of nagging creaks, groans, and muscle pain. This story had a different ending. Back pain? Nill. Wrists and hands? Nada. Forearms. Fresh as a daisy. Legs? Well, let’s not get crazy.”

Corey just told us that his Jones Plus 148 TA that he built from the frameset up was working “swimmingly” on the Oregon Outback, and he sent us a couple of photos:

 

Patrick has been taking his complete Jones Plus Plus LWB 148 TA on some pretty impressive rides!  Below are a couple of photos of it on a recent outing near Mt Baker in Washington.  He told us that he “thoroughly hammered the jones and it just kept going and going…so thanks again for an excellent design and well built product”.

 

 

Dan, who got a complete Jones Plus LWB 148 TA from us said:

“My new Jones Plus is a simply a fantastic bike…It is certainly the most comfortable bike that I have ever owned.”   He went on to say that “The ride and handling are much better than my full suspension bike, on flat hard pack (of course), but especially on ruts and over rooty, bumpy trails. I was a bit surprised that the ride of the Jones Plus is better over roots that my full suspension bike.”

 

Warren, who bought a complete Jones Plus LWB 148 TA told us that, “I just wanted to send a note to let you know how pleased I have been with my new Jones Plus. It has been all I had hoped for and more. Whether riding woods roads, snowmobile trails, double track, bike built single track or bushwacking, the bike has been great.”

 

 

After Marian got her Jones Plus 135 built up (from the framset she ordered), she emailed us to tell us, “Just wanted to let you know my Plus is built and beautiful. Even better, the ride is everything Jeff says it is! I’m always skeptical of the supposed one bike to rule them all, but I honestly think he may have achieved that with the Plus. I took it on some local flowy trails then went in for the tightest, twistyest and chunk-filled double diamond trails in Vermont. It simply shined.”

 

Darrell sent us a few photos from his recent ride in Alaska and the Yukon.  He told us that the design of the Spaceframe Plus LWB 148 TA that he built up and was riding made it easy for him to get off and also to carry the bike over logs and across creeks!

 

To sum up, we really appreciate everyone sending us their photos and thoughts!  We look forward to hearing and seeing more of your rides, and also to helping more riders get the Jones bikes that will help them have the best rides possible!