[Closed] jones bikes and bars ..really something particularly special or just different?

I tried them, I liked them so much I bought three pairs.

Couldn't really care less what anyone else likes on their bike and I'm ambivalent towards beards.

I do however wear wrap around shades, they cost £3 though. 🙂

Jeff is a definite innovator when you look at the way he's trying to develop rigid bikes in a world where some people just throw more travel at a bike.
He does seem to have kind of kicked of a trend of people looking at wheel sizes and fork offsets and the like.
If it's for you or not is another question.
I had one of the early spaceframes and still own a later gen spaceframe but i'm getting older now and doing more lift assisted riding and riding it less and less.
It is still absolutely brilliant on smoothish woodland singletrack and is still an eye opener for what a rigid bike can do.

Just different.

You really need to ride a Jones for a bit and then get back on a normal bike to appreciate the alternative riding position of the Jones. You don't jump on it and it's an instant revelation. It's when you get on another bike after that you realise. Seriously, my other bikes now feel wrong.

The bars on their own are not the full picture. Get an extended test ride on a full bike if you can, then go back to
your own and see. I'm in West Sussex if you want a try.

I have a half fat (with 29er front wheel option) original (Merlin titanium works) 3d Space frame with a Rohloff and it's now my winter Thursday night bike, it's great and does everything that I want from it.

Most of my time now I ride my Lauf fork'ed mainly Jones bar'ed titanium hard tails that offer more give but still with the same lack of maintenance.

Would I sell the Jones? I doubt it and it would need to be at the right money.

I finally gave in and bought a pair of his bars.
So far?
So good.
Seem pretty much spotty dog on my Krampus for long, bike packing days out..

[IMG] [/IMG]

Your not really describing the ride though are you John.
Just trying to swing your shit handling fireroad bike owning dick. 😆

I run Jones loop bars on my rigid fatbike - for long-distance riding they really are awesome as they really help keep your weight centred on the bike, both seated and climbing. Never found a situation where they've compromised control, including coming down Boner at Caberstone Forest where getting your weight back is kinda necessary.

I've got the bars and find them really comfortable. I've not ridden a Jones but have gone back to a rigid frame.
What I've realised is that most of my mountain biking on a day to day basis can be done on a rigid bike and I only need the full suss on trips elsewhere.
The bikes I ride daily are more about comfort than anything else. I imagine that a Jones bike fits that idea more than most.

BTW I've got a set of ummarked allow loop bar in the garage if anyone want's to offer me anything for them?

Rode jeffs bike at sswc and it was quite a revelation in terms of position and what it could handle.

Cant imagine how horrible a rohloff makes it feel though (spoken as a rohloff owner)

I have a set of the bars and a set of the h bars made under license to titec.

bought a mega bucks version will say yes as they have a vested interested in not being disappointed but

Bill, as you know i have bought and sold more bikes than most on here. varying from £99 on ones up to £3k ventana's and nicolai's.
i buy em, ride em and if i dont like the feel, they are gone.

my jones+ so far was (up to surgery) keeping me smiling. it just feels kind of right. a big boys bmx if you like, which is why i ride, to keep me happy and smiling like when i was a kid.

time will tell i suppose. but if the time comes when it feels wrong, it will be sold without so much as a blink.

and the bars just feel very comfy and have stopped any wrist ache i had. and that was a lot (fused right wrist).

oh, and if you want to borrow it for a day in the next 2 month, feel free to drop me a email.

It's when you get on another bike after that you realise. Seriously, my other bikes now feel wrong.

That happens with all sorts of bikes, nothing to do with Jones.

What pisses me off about this kind of 'inventor' - Moulton springs to mind as well as Jones - is that rather than simply inventing something and throwing it out there, they seem convinced that they've revolutionised the entire industry, they're right and everyone else is wrong. And when not everyone likes it, they think we're all poor deluded fools being strung along by marketing of companies with vested interests. And then they attract a small group of followers who drink the Kool Aid and then think they are the chosen enlightened ones following their messiah and everyone else is wrong and a poor deluded fool led by marketing of the big multinationals who are too invested in the status quo to change.

The video on Jones' site also annoys me - ok, so he's riding his bike around stuff, to show us the really rad things you can do on his amazing rigid bike. Well, that terrain's all pretty damn smooth isn't it? Big bastard rocks are what suspension is for not steep stuff.

Just admit it - it's a rigid bike, it's built a bit differently, some might like it some might not. Others might not be able to afford it. And there's plenty of innovation out there.

BTW I've got a set of ummarked allow loop bar in the garage if anyone want's to offer me anything for them?

£20?

i reckon you are a bit jelous molgrips...... 😀

No, I'm open minded. To everything, including Jones.. and everything else.. 🙂

I might be interested in the bars if I could get an almost tri-bar-like position by holding the front part of the loop and resting my forearms on the rear part.

What pisses me off about this kind of 'inventor' - Moulton springs to mind as well as Jones - is that rather than simply inventing something and throwing it out there, they seem convinced that they've revolutionised the entire industry, they're right and everyone else is wrong.

it's ok molgrips, email me, you can have a go too. 😆

Maybe it's his fanbois then, not him!

Or maybe that's how he lures you into his cult...

I've had a go on a Jones btw, around a campsite. May have been too small but it felt very short and the front was quite low.

i had a go on loads of full sussers round mountains.....they felt too bouncy and flexy.

go figure........ 😀

They are worse climbing. But ace descending, I don't change bikes often, I like to find the good in everything 🙂

front was quite low.

thanks all especially to Ton for his kind offer but I'm rairly oop north however ..with an offer like that maybe i should find an excuse to visit the friendly country !
like the idea of the jones loop bars but I also like bar ends and that's not really possible on his design . i have probably tried every bar set up bar ( not a pun ) loops and have found a decent riser with big bar end ergons and a smaller bar end set more central suits me great . I'll also add some origin drop bar ends into the mix if touring to make the most awesome /uncool front end you'll ever see but it works for comfort and versatility. To old and settled to give a F about fashion ..for me now biking is about having fun , maintaining fitness and getting away from it all...not impressing others or trying to prove something .

Sounds like you met the man molgrips

Seriously ....and I think Stu was there and bought a bike off the back of it- while some first adey folk attended k a lad who just stacked it on a drop I asked Jeff if I could have a go on his funky looking bike and he just handed it over no speech no I'm Jeff Jones - I had no ****ing idea who he was. He just had an interesting looking bike that me as a student had no intention of buying but was seriously impressed with how it rode

With a truss fork

Yes, but with those if you change the angle the ends of the bars can be moved up and down a lot. I don't remember but maybe that's what he'd done.

I remember that guys splatted face Terry...

Yes, but with those if you change the angle the ends of the bars can be moved up and down a lot.

[quote=dovebiker ]I run Jones loop bars on my rigid fatbike -Me too. They do seem to add some extra fine control when navigating through soft snow etc. I've tried them on a "normal" bike and they didn't really do anything for me.

For bikepacking I prefer bar ends on flat bars, I've also fitted some TOGS and even occasionally fit tri-bars. That seems to give me enough hand positions for longer rides.

like the idea of the jones loop bars but I also like bar ends and that's not really [s]possible [/s] [b]necessary[/b] on his design

FTFY 🙂

Sorry no understandy?

Er sorry yeah reading back that was nonsensical.. made sense in my head. Let me re-phrase:

Even if the forks are higher, the bike also had Jones bars which because of the rearward extension allow you to move the grips up or down quite a bit by rotating the bars. So the owner might've had the bars low down even if the fork was high.

I really liked bar-ends and flats btw, but when I went to big wheels I had to have wider bars and they felt quite wrong with bar ends.

I've tried the bars and they work.

It's the angle at which they place your hands and the range of movement offered.

They are certainly a genuine alternative to straight bars with ergo ends/butterfly bars and in my very limited experience seem to be a more useable alternative to both.

It's an old fashioned idea brought sensibly up to date.

I think the bikes themselves are very interesting, definitely on the 'must do' list.

I'm quite interested in how a Jones bar feels but they are pretty expensive just to have a test run on. The most comfortable bars I've ever had were Mary bars put on upside down.

I still regret not taking you up on your kind offer sstu of a go on your Jones years ago at an ssuk or sswc but I was afraid I'd want one and need a remortgage lol. I did however have a go on Jacquie Phelan's singular and bought one of those, I'm very easily led obviously 🙂

Stu sent you a message

A few people have emailed me about buying my loop bar.
I'll get round to taking some pics and putting up a for sale add later in the week.

They are certainly a genuine alternative to straight bars

Or in other words, sweep can improve comfort.. there are many swept bar options these days of course! I'm using on one fleegles, they were a tenner.

'm using on one fleegles, they were a tenner.

molgrips, so jelous and miserly.......... 😀

I've owned various Jones bikes and the space frame is just brilliant. I've got through nearly as many bikes as ton and have no problem with spending a lot on a bike and getting rid of it quickly if it just doesn't gel for me. I like the fact that Jeff does his own thing, doesn't push it down everyone's throat and isn't the next best marketing thing in the world of ever increasing gnarrrrr-silliness. Its more of a case of form following function, which results in a really unique ride. Yes it looks like the bastard lovechild of a leg caliper and a coat hanger, but I don't care.

Idiosyncratic, amazing ride, well thought through in every way. Not just different, definitely better.

Once you ride one and 'get it', you do wonder why his ideas aren't more mainstream.

If you have never ridden one, or just don't 'get it', here's a great video explaining the point. It doesn't look that way by accident or just to look different.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rfGu3yGcnJQ

It's nowehere near as plush as a full susser, but definitely more forgiving than a hardtail. The position works, the forks are amazing. Makes you realise just how much unwanted flex there is in a suspension fork as well as the up and down movement that you actually want.

You can set it up fat, semi fat or racing snake. Very versatile. I personally have mine set up with wide carbon rims, 3.0 up front and 2.3 out back. Provides plenty of grip and comfort.

I have the thru axle ti spaceframe and after years of searching I do genuinely feel like I have found bike nirvana. I have tried and been critical of many bikes over the years, so I am quite objective, but the Jones is amazing in pretty much every respect. Looks (subjective I know!), build quality, ride quality. And the bars are part of the story. A really natural hand position and many different options.

A Jones isn't cheap, so many owners have owned quite a few other bikes on the way to their Jones, and aren't afraid to criticise even bikes they have spent quite a bit on, but most agree that the Jones is special.

Watch some of the other videos of Jeff riding and you will appreciate that you ride a Jones in a slightly different way to a modern full susser. A bit more finesse required (it is a fully rigid bike afterall), but very capable off road.

The one frame size thing is a bit strange, but somehow it works, although I personally think that it has a 6ft'ish sweetspot.

[IMG] [/IMG]

I've had a go on a Jones btw, around a campsite.

Well that's a definite test then 😉

Joneses come in 4 different sizes, 29er (short wheelbase) Spaceframe Plus (slightly longer) and Plus, 24/25" (long qwheelbase)
Opossum
I've never read a comment that the front of a Jones was too low before.

I've had mine for 7 years, as my only bike and it suits my riding, which is South Downs/rooty/twisty/woodsy single track.

That ^^^ is exactly what I am talking about.

They are uglier than the bastard child of Bernard manning and Jo brand.

Nobeerinthefridge - Member
They are uglier than the bastard child of Bernard manning and Jo brand.

But you don't see it while riding it.

lets face it - they aint as ugly as those ****ing [s]girvin flexy stem[/s] sorry lauf forks.

half ugly i reckon

[url= https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7475/28147480550_c44cf9b157_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7475/28147480550_c44cf9b157_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/JTicjN ]2016-07-20_01-11-14[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr

@johnclimber - yes you do, that split top tube looks worse from above....

#gopping

Having people complain that your Jones looks ugly is something of a badge of honour to owners! Nobody buys one for the looks. There's so much more to it.

Cynics may mock the looks, and admittedly both the looks and the ride aren't for everybody, but you have to admire Jeff's thoughts and determination to do things his way. You either but into it or you don't, but if you do, frankly nothing will dissuade you.

They are a novelty bike. Great fun I'm sure; not what any serious cyclist would use though, especially if you ride black routes.

I'm not knocking the bikes, never really ridden one properly. I'm knocking fanbois in general.

mine is stonking on the canal towpath.....makes it come alive 8)

Crikey, the front of Tons Jones looks a bit low! 😉

singlespeedstu: sent you an email re. bars. Can you check you got it?

Crikey, the front of Tons Jones looks a bit low!

it is so uncomfortable set up like that, i get terrible backache.... 😆

I've had my Jones (ti SF) for 5 years new and I still cant believe how good it is. It was a massive commitment to me (and a big bank loan!) and I'd never even seen one - never mind ridden one prior to getting mine built up - super risky!

It took me 6 months to get the set up right, had loads of tinkering with the bars but just absolutely love it now.

To this day, I can't decide if I like how it looks but the way it rides and feels a seems so much better than anything else I've ever been on. Its been x30, x10 and ss, 29/29+ front and fat front, full bike packing mode and pedalled through grim Scottish winters and its never disappointed.

Sure, Jeff Jones - ideas/bikes/components splits opinion and I'm a fussy guy so I'd always respond honestly - if it was rubbish, I'd have sold it and moved on.

Understand it's not for everyone but for anyone curious, they need to have a spin on one to get a sense of what's going on. Its now my only bike, I can't think of a scenario where I'd every choose anything else...

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I can only comment on the loop bars. I use them on my Fargo. I love them, so comfortable, they just feel right.... When I go back to riding risers you realise how good the loops are, risers just feel so wrong. Also have the loop out in from of you gives you a sense that you can 'barge' through anything

They are a novelty bike. Great fun I'm sure; not what any serious cyclist would use though, especially if you ride black routes.

Just loving that comment 😈

I feel so much a lesser rider for having had 4 Jones bikes, really 😆

I've nothing to add to this conversation although these articles are worth reading...

http://nsmb.com/jones-plus-long-term-review/

http://www.bikepacking.com/bikes/jones-plus-review/

I rode a bike with a truss fork long before Jeff Jones 'invented' it! 😆

It was similar to this. It had been in the cellar of a friend's house, and we got it out to have a play on it. It was comfy, but very heavy, and the brakes didn't work. I think it ended up as as scrap. 😥

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Didn't they start off on motorbikes? I seem to remember a couple of framebuilders reviving the truss fork back in the 90s. The main issues until recently, were that metal fatigue eventually did for them, and the frame and fork have to be more or less specific to one another. Makes for difficult manufacture. They never became popular because of these issues. Titanium, and modern steel alloys allow for better performance and longevity.

As for the handlebars; again, they just seem to be adaptations of previous designs. Fair play to independent builders for trying different things out though; it's nice that we can enjoy the results of someone's experimentation.

I keep wanting to reply to this, but don't want to feed the trolls.

I have a Jones, I like it; I have other bikes, I like them too; but the Jones is definately the most adaptable of the lot.

I can't think of a scenario where I'd every choose anything else...

Blasting rock gardens as fast as possible?

Passenger
Cyclist

Choose one

?

molgrips, so jelous and miserly

So if you don't spend £150 on bars you're a miser? 😯

This is great. One bike doesn't fit all so stop fighting it.
If you spend a lot of time flying through rock gardens then there are better bikes for you. If you ride 200km a day on the road then there are better bikes for you.
Jeff has made a collection of bikes that cover a very broad spectrum of riding and does it exceedingly well. The majority of people that have tried them like them. If you don't it's no biggy. Specialized will sell you a bike that will make you happy as will Trek, Marin, Genesis, etc.
As The Doctor Pepper advert use to say,"Try it, you might like it."
Tim

I'd love a Jones, but that's because I do like a bit of 'oddness' in my life..

Having ridden a jones around a bit (again, mostly carpark riding, not proper off road) I can confirm that my Kona Minute has a very similar riding position 😉 (same bars, too!!)

Jones Space frame:
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Kona Minute:
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DrP!!

would that be a jones thats been through a mangle to make the wheelbase twice as long ?

Jeff Jones - probably the smartest guy I've ever had the pleasure of talking to about bike design. I just asked some questions then learned by listening. I liked the h bar I had on my SS, liked his approach to it all and a chat then a test ride sold me a bike.

I liked my first Jones bike enough to buy another one a few years later. When it came to racing the Divide there really wasn't a better bike to use, imo. It's not the best bike in every way, nothing is, but I rate it as really good at more things than anything else I know of. It's simply a huge amount of fun to ride, the handling is sublime. I've used it on local singletrack, week-long alpine tech rides, road touring and bikepacking racing, would do it all again on the same bike. Fan, yes. I've said all this before here and there over the last 5 or 6 years now so it feels genuine and consistent.

Been keen to try that Jones Plus since reading that NSMB review a while back. Think it looks "right" in a way that a lot of his others don't.

Only had a very quick play on a full Jones bike at the old Kielder 100. Looked shiny, didn't get to do anything other than a quick car park lap so can't comment on ride quality.

Had a set of Loop bars on my SS 29er for a while though, to be honest I didn't get on with them. The sweep was just a bit too much for me and I never felt as comfortable on them as I did when I switched back to a normal flat bar on that bike. Wouldn't derive a excellent/good/poor/rubbish scale from that, but they just didn't work for me. Other people's experiences may vary.

So if you don't spend £150 on bars you're a miser?

yes.

oh, and where do you do your' blasting through rock gardens' molgrips?

Er.. Wales?

But what does it matter if I do it or not? Point stands. Horses for courses. As someone else said, Jones are only suitable for certain kinds of riding, just as Endro sleds, XC race bikes, gravel bikes and all the rest are.

quite happily "blast" my jones through rock gardens in wales, peak district etc.. and even on *gasp* black routes!!

dont have a problem with it, yes it's a bit more of a handful than a 5" trail bike, but its also a hell of a lot more satisfying and not as shockingly **** as most boingy gear ****s would expect 🙂

note: my blast and your blast may be different depending on level of gnarrr, but I seem to overtake a lot of mincing storm troopers so if not blast to your heroic standards at least faster and with more panache, than a pootle 🙂

wales? bloody wales, i did snowdon on a full rigid inbred fitted with vees. and you need a bloody full susser for a few rocks. you need a good dose of MTFU mate. 😆

but ton, you dont understand it doesnt bring the trails alive unless its on the latest garish enduromongchariot with whichever wheel size is in this week 😉

😆 @ tazzy.

got to be honest now, enough piss taking. i see my jones as my 'grown up ton' bike.
i dont want to go fast, i dont want hardcore, i dont like riding over anything too rocky, i dont want maintainance.
i do want simplicity, i do want to carry luggage offroad, i do want to go off the beaten track, i love steel bikes.

i have ridden every type and make of bike, i have never ridden a Jones until i bought my +.

hopefully it will keep me happy and stop me buying bikes that are not what i really need and are not suitable.

I like mine

Jones are only suitable for certain kinds of riding, just as Endro sleds, XC race bikes, gravel bikes and all the rest are.

I don't doubt that it's wider range than many or most bikes. But it's still rigid 🙂

I discounted Stooge because I didn't want what it was offering.

Exactly, it's a limiter, but it's not as much of a limit as many think - I get all kinds of suprised looks riding it in places where everyone else is on springs but I feel a bit fraudulent, it's just that people don't generally realise what the bike is capable of if you gel with the handling style it has. Somehow (for me) it handles in a way that means there's few places where I miss suspension - usually very long back to back days on stuttery ground, ie that annoying sort of rough rather than 'good tech'.
I'd have a susser for big mountain days if I lived closer to big mountains, but as an addition to the Jones rather than to replace it. There's plenty of places with steep slo-mo tech where I'd rather ride the Jones than a full susser.

I get all kinds of suprised looks riding it in places where everyone else is on springs

You must ride with some greenhorns 🙂

I can ride any of my bikes on any trail I know. Just some are much slower than others 🙂

What I like about my long travel FS is the body-English aspect of it, how you can pump it through corners and so on. On my rigid, I like how it doesn't move when I get out of the saddle on technical climbs.

I'm missing a short travel FS currently. No urge to buy Jones for that purpose 🙂

I think a big part of what makes it work so well is the very low BB, tall stack height and short-ish reach. You're basically standing in the same position as on a lot of downhill bikes, with the resulting stability and reduced load on the arms. My hardtail is set up similarly - it's long reach but with the short stem plus bar backsweep the grips are in line with the steerer.

I wonder how huge a difference in stiffness there is between the truss fork and a modern tapered steerer large stanchion fork? I'm sure there's a massive gulf between it and the XC forks in use when the bike was launched.

Yes I cannot see how all that metalwork on the fork makes any difference.