Aquaholic was one of Jeff’s early customers, and he has ridden a number of different Jones bikes over the years. Most recently he bought a Jones Titanium Diamond Frame Plus LWB (check out the post here), and that bike was a big departure for him because he loves big rock rolls and the technical Southern California terrain in which the Jones 29 frames that he had been riding in the past thrive. Keep in mind also, that while he has been riding Jones bikes for a long time, he has also been riding full-suspension mountain bikes as well, so he has experience with a wide range of bikes.
After talking with Jeff about the Jones Plus LWB geometry, Aquaholic decided to give it a try, and at first, he was not convinced because it felt so much different than what he was used to in the technical situations that he likes so much. He’s kept us updated on his thoughts, and recently he told us that:
“It’s taken me a good 6 months to really get on with this bike and fully understand its idiosyncrasies. It’s strengths and weaknesses. I’ve got to confess that I was thoroughly convinced that this was a bike that I would HATE out on rides with super chunky, tight switchbacky stuff…Shockingly the bike performed well beyond my expectations! I thought I would completely hate the long wheelbase, especially the long chainstays. In reality…the long wheelbase allowed me to get away with some stupidly sketch lines…Almost giving the sensation of being endoproof. What really stood out, though, was the tires and wheels. That ridiculous contact patch that those wheels and tires provide, allowed me to come to a complete stop on the backside of some crazy steep boulder and trackstand…almost defying gravity and staying securely planted. The best way to describe it would be like a fly stuck to a vertical surface.”
The majority of the riders who get a Jones Plus LWB aren’t pushing its limits in this area: they want a great bikepacking bike that will also allow them to ride just about anything else, but that doesn’t mean that the Plus LWB isn’t capable of a lot more. Riders like Aquaholic are used to pushing their bikes to the limit, and in doing so have to get used to the way a bike behaves under those circumstances. The Jones Plus LWB is a very different bike from what most people—including, obviously, Aquaholic—would think of taking into extremely technical terrain, so its abilities usually come as a surprise.
