And so it begins!

Aquaholic · 10-27-2005

.....................

the_dude · 10-27-2005

oooohhhhhhh. glad to see you went with the truss fork. it'll be a thing of beauty. any other details you care to divulge?

wolfy · 10-27-2005

man than Jonsie likes to torture people with pics. Better it just shows up on your doorstep a year later.

-M

motoman711 · 10-27-2005

That should be my bike! You owe me a beer man. I gave up my place in line for you...

lanpope · 10-27-2005

For a moment I thought you bought an Anvil jig. I think those things are cooler than a Jones frame...

Nice tools to make nice frames...NICE

LP

Aquaholic · 10-27-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_dude

oooohhhhhhh. glad to see you went with the truss fork. it'll be a thing of beauty. any other details you care to divulge?

I'll get the story and some preliminary details out soon. I've been waiting for this day 15 months now.

Bryce, yes...I will gladly oblige, amigo. Thanks!

Pic from 2 weeks ago.

DWF · 10-27-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquaholic

.....................

Ooooh, nice frame fixture! I wonder where he got that?.....

ozlongboarder · 10-27-2005

Finally, that cat is out of the bag... I guess a few people here have been sworn to secrecy like me. I keep getting random pics of of JJ bikes in my email for months now..........you are such a tease Aqua.

Enjoy the final wait!

Padre · 10-27-2005

delicious.

DMFT · 10-27-2005

- A friend of mine just got one of those............................................. ...Anvil jigs that is

Aquaholic · 10-27-2005

Somewhere in this pile of Ti Tubes, my future steed hides.

AteMrYeats · 10-27-2005

I was more impressed with the jig...

motoman711 · 10-28-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquaholic

Bryce, yes...I will gladly oblige, amigo. Thanks!

Well, I don't think that I could have given it up to a more worthy person. Jeff told me about your rides together. He said that he was quite impressed.

Besides, I am going to wait for the telescoping chainstays...

Bryce

cocheese · 10-28-2005

I like the pile of ti shavings in the corner. Melt it down and you've got a bike right there.

RobW · 10-28-2005

I tried to sell him hard on the truss fork while he was up here in the Michigan woods. I thought he wasn't listening...

Endomaniac · 10-28-2005

Iâ€™m so jealous. I want the same thing 29â€, truss fork, and abuse ready.
Did Jeff just call or email it was your turn?
Iâ€™ve been waiting about 10 months now and have no idea how much longer it will take to make it to the top of the list.
I have to imagine a lot of folks are waiting that wont be able to make it happen financially when their time comes.
I have a regimented Jones savings plan going, itâ€™s been hard to stay out of, especially when MC put that Behemoth up for sale earlier this week.

Mattman · 10-28-2005

I'm glad to see you found a suitable replacement for the Frankenbike....or has there been one in between? I enjoyed visiting Jeff in his shop and riding one of his bikes just a bit in June. I was still coming off the broken ankle and did not venture out onto serious trails with him. Seeing the drop you did there, assures me I made the right choice. I had Jeff put me on his list too, If I'm still a poor mechanic when my time comes I hope I can afford to follow through with the bike.

If not, I wonder what I can sell my spot on the list for on ebay

Aquaholic · 10-28-2005

You guys want to see the pics from my ride with JJ?

motoman711 · 10-28-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquaholic

You guys want to see the pics from my ride with JJ?

Yes please. And I heard you had a whole write-up about your ride too...

Aquaholic · 10-28-2005

Here's part one: This is taken from an email correspondence:

Saturday.

So, after getting settled in on friday with the rental car and hotel I grabbed some dinner and hit the sack early. I didn't sleep much as I was so excited to finally meet and ride with Jeff.

A short 15 minute drive into the forest outside of Medford and I pulled up at JJ's place.
This must be the place!

This is Marley.And.......Sheilah. (Jeff's daughter and wife)

Gnarly Marley takes flight!

Marley really likes dinosaurs.

So, with the skies dark and threatening, we head out. Our ride today will be on a heavily forested trail. There's a bit of fireroad climbing, but once on the dirt, I am amazed at the beauty of this place! Lot's of Redwoods and Pines. It is so lush and green here. Such a stark contrast to the sunbaked, martian-like terrain that I have in San Diego.

JJ was a bit under the weather, but still was able to muster up enough energy to play tour guide. It rained lightly on us off and on throughout the day.
Saturday, I would spend the entire ride on the 26 inch version of his vertically compliant bike. This bike also had the Truss fork. My primary goal of this trip was to determine if I could deal with a rigid front end.
The single track was stunning here. Lots of tight switchbacks with a bed of decomposed organic material topped with a coating of Pine needles. Unreal traction!

JJ playing on a boulder section. These rocks were wet.

JJ, clearing the gap on this slick, wet bridge. They remove sections of the bridges to keep the motorcycles off the trails.
JJ, eyes up a stump. It was very slick and slippery!

After we finished our ride, JJ demonstrates his otherworldly trials skills. No -handed wheelie! The man is amazing!

Nose hopping!

After the ride, we returned to base camp (JJ's house). JJ cooked us up some organic pizza breads. They were quite tasty.

What a day! Afterwards, I headed back to my hotel and cleaned up. I then drove into Ashland for dinner, Ashland is about 10 miles away, It is a destination spot for the Shakespeare crowd. A very nice, scenic, artsy, place.

Aquaholic · 10-28-2005

...................

Aquaholic · 10-28-2005

............

Aquaholic · 10-28-2005

Sunday's ride at Mt. Ashland.

Again, taken from an email:

Sunday, the clouds parted and we were greeted with an awesome sunny morning. Jeff's health had deteriorated and I could see that he was digging deep for all the strength he could for this ride. "I'm not having you come up all this way and not ride".

Not up for climbing today, JJ decided it best to shuttle up to the Top of Mt. Ashland ski resort. After leaving the JJ van back in the town of Ashland, we threw the bikes in my rental car and headed up to the top 6000+ feet.
The shuttle vehicle. Reassembling the bikes.

Today, I would be doing the entire ride on JJ's personal 29er.

This would allow me a good back to back comparison of his two bikes.

Right off the bat, I could tell this would be a completely different type of ride then the one we did on saturday. I asked for chunk and JJ delivered. After leaving the top we sliced and diced through some amazing high speed alpine mountain singletrack. The dirt once again was blowing my mind. It was the consistency of coffee grounds. There were traces of snow at the top.

This bike was totally a different ride than the one I rode on saturday.

When we arrived at this first stunt, I watched JJ session it a few times. I felt a lump in my throat as JJ says "Your turn". I turned around to pedal up for a run in, and noticed that the chain was missing on my bike. "I think we have a small problem".

I thought that I had felt something hit me in the leg a long way up, near the start of our run, but I thought it was a stick.

While JJ napped, I hiked (and hiked), back up the trail looking for the chain. Talk about looking for a needle in a haystack. Finally after hiking back up a 1/2 mile or so..I found it! the power link had let go.

Back at the boulders, we reasembled the chain with a spare link and I tried a few runs at this stunt. But, I wasn't really feeling the bike yet, and I aborted my attempt.

So, we took off again and this trail starts to rail! Fast swoopy and flowy.....dotted with log jumps and nice rock gardens. I was really starting to get the feel for the big wheels. What a contrast to the 26" bike I rode the day prior. It stuck like glue in the fast corners and switches. Hard braking produced no front wheel slippage and I was really started to understand this bike. Now, I felt confident enough to fly this thing, and just let it all hang out. The rigid Truss fork up front was surprising in that it made things so totally predictable when coming into a corner really hot. There is no brake dive that you experience with a suspension fork. Same thing when entering a chunk filled, rock garden...point the front wheel and things are just predictable. The big hoops just roll over dips that would swallow a 26" wheel and they definetly smooth out the chunk.

I had to look down repeatedly, to remind myself that there was really a rigid front end on this bike! Another thing about this bike is that the rear seat stays are really squished and the arcing is really exagerated. This along with the 29 inch wheels provides a ride that was in stark contrast to the 26" wheeled bike I rode the day before.

Unbelievable velcro dirt!

JJ dropping the steeps.

It's too bad that these shots are so blurred. The lighting wasn't the best this weekend. That, and my camera skills suck!

"That dude's an a full rigid bike, Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It was amusing watching these grommet's reaction to Jeff's antics. JJ was putting on a clinic! I should have gotten a picture of their faces.

Steeper than it looks.

This was an interesting log ride about 6 feet off the ground that ended with about a 10 foot huck.

JJ on the rocks. Ultra smooth. I cleaned this on my second attempt. The 29er felt amazing in this section! We're now riding on a trail that is used for sanctioned down hill races. Staying close to JJ though the high speed stuff I was in awe as I watched him get huge air off of waterbars and wall rides. I need to come back with a helmet cam and capture JJ in action. Words don't describe how fast and fluid he rides!

Towards the end of our ride JJ took me to this stunt filled playground. By this time I felt totally comfortable with the bike. I knew how it reacted on steep rollers as well how it felt to fly it through the air.

As usual.....way steeper than pictures can convey.

All too soon the ride came to an end back in Ashland. I was grinning ear to ear like a Cheshire cat. That was one ride I'll never forget. It really delived. I was, however, bummed that it was over. I have it burned into the VCR player of my mind.

JJ's bike blew my mind! I begged him to just wrap it up and let me take it home with me. The Truss fork and 29 inch wheels are without a doubt the way I want to go on my bike. I basically just asked JJ to duplicate what he has done with this bike on my build.

Back to JJ's house we feasted on some homemade organic pizza that Sheila and the kids whipped up. I was very sad that my weekend was about to end. I had a great time hanging with JJ and his family. They are such awesome, warm people.

Marley drew me a picture as a parting gift, and Sheila packed me some homemade chocolate cookies.

Back to reality.

SBG

Aquaholic · 10-28-2005

................

Aquaholic · 10-28-2005

...............

Rainman · 10-28-2005

Count yourself very lucky...

I know I would feel that way, to ride with JJ on his own bike like you did.

R.

bigdrunk · 10-28-2005

Holy *****, JJ is my new hero. Not only is he an artist, he is a sick rider! I had the same reaction to 29" wheels the first time I rode them too. There was no going back to 26" for me.

Wish I Were Riding · 10-28-2005

Incredibly cool to say the least.

How much are you gonna pay for the frame and fork?
(or am I not supposed to ask?)

edemtbs · 10-28-2005

You need at least 5" fs to do that sick stuff!

You so lucky!

Aquaholic · 10-28-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wish I Were Riding

Incredibly cool to say the least.

How much are you gonna pay for the frame and fork?
(or am I not supposed to ask?)

[SIZE=3]Know anybody who wants to buy a kidney?[/SIZE]

**shiggy** · 10-28-2005

WOW! It looks like it was inspired by the MagicMotorcycle-Cannondale prototype!

Wish I Were Riding · 10-28-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquaholic

[SIZE=3]Know anybody who wants to buy a kidney?[/SIZE]

Know anybody who wants to buy 2!?!

But seriously, really, come on, how much?

Nat · 10-28-2005

This pic is freaking me out. How'd it go for you? I'm getting an urge to drive down there and try it.

movingmountain · 10-28-2005

un-f-ng believable photos. After this post it will take a couple of years of waiting to get one. I guess my question/ post on the Homer side about his warranty is answered.

Aquaholic · 10-28-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nat

This pic is freaking me out. How'd it go for you? I'm getting an urge to drive down there and try it.

Here's a couple more for ya, Nat. This little "playground" area was at the end of the ride at Mt. Ashland (sunday). I was bummed when JJ told me we were almost done with our descent. But, we played on these boulders for awhile and I gotta say....as usual pictures flatten stuff out. These were way steeper than these shots convey.

Nonetheless, I felt totally comfortable flying and rolling the bike.

"C'mon JJ...just wrap it up right now, I'll take it!"

MovingMountain: It's funny that you mention that. JJ knows that I tend to snap bikes in two. So he is doing some special things for me on my build. For instance, he's going to go with bigger tubes on the seat stays and downtube(I think),and the curved top tube will be slightly thicker as well. The HT will be 20mm taller and that will provide addional strength for the frame. The truss will have a slightly thicker tubeset as well. And, we're going to run an additional crossbrace fore and aft of the seattube.

JJ: "I can't afford to have you break my frame". These things take way to long to make".

PS Sorry for the Sh1tty pics...my camera skillz suck.

Hubert · 10-29-2005

Way coool pics man !
I'm jealous Steve

I have to wait for several years or so, but if it's worth the wait .....

volpepazza · 10-29-2005

You got mad skilz!

Aquaholic · 10-31-2005

So, I just got off the phone with JJ....we went over the parts list and discussed the final geometry,and some detail stuff. Basically, I told him I don't care how the bike rides as long as we get the bottle opener in the right place.

He's got the tubing, ready to begin cutting and forming.

He wanted to point out that sometimes he gets people giving him a hard time about the stuff he does on his full rigid bikes,(Like flinging it off of boulders). "Well sure Jeff, you can do that stuff because you're a freak!" So, he says that it warmed his heart to see me abusing, err....I mean flying his bike.

When we first starting talking about this 15 months ago, I had virtually no experience on a hardtail, Singlespeed, or even 29" wheels.

I have been riding a 5" travel squish bike, primarily, for the last 5 years....so I really had no frame(pun intended), of reference for any of this hardtail, 29" wheeled stuff.

BTW, When I committed to this project, I was dead set on going with 26" wheels. I even started gathering the various bits like fork, wheels, and handlebar, etc. I just wanted to get a head start on the build, even though it was more than a year off. I figured that it would help me defray the cost of the build. Well, at least spread it out.

But, that plan got thrown out the window, when I decided to go with the big wheels and Truss fork.

This last summer when I went home to visit my parents in Ann Arbor, I got a chance to ride Bob D's Jones and also ride with RobW, who owns that pimped out Dean 29er with Rolhoff hub.

Spending time on both of these bikes convinced me that the big hoops were the way I wanted to go. It was BobD's idea for me to go visit and ride with Jeff to make sure that this was the right call for me and also to check out the Truss fork.

This is a shot of me riding BobD's Jones back in Michigan (July). There's also shots of BobD and RobW as well.

motoman711 · 10-31-2005

If i remember correctly I tried convincing you too... But, it definitely takes some saddle time and then you will be hooked on the big hoops. Especially, I am sure, after riding Jeff's personal 26"er and 29"er back to back. I might just have Jeff build mine after he is done with yours... All of this is just killing me.

Moto

Aquaholic · 10-31-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by motoman711

If i remember correctly I tried convincing you too... But, it definitely takes some saddle time and then you will be hooked on the big hoops. Especially, I am sure, after riding Jeff's personal 26"er and 29"er back to back. I might just have Jeff build mine after he is done with yours... All of this is just killing me.

Moto

Bryce:

Yes, I do remember you trying to convince me, and I was having no part of it.

Man, I gotta tell you that I was on pins and needles when I caught wind that you were wavering on whether to commit or not. I've got to say that I think you are nuts. But I am grateful that you are nuts.

You should change your handle to "Runaway Bride".

motoman711 · 10-31-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquaholic

Bryce:

Yes, I do remember you trying to convince me, and I was having no part of it.

Man, I gotta tell you that I was on pins and needles when I caught wind that you were wavering on whether to commit or not. I've got to say that I think you are nuts. But I am grateful that you are nuts.

You should change your handle to "Runaway Bride".

I am no longer wavering. I am 100% committed (or is that commitable?). I talked it over with the S.O. and all is cool. I am going the same route as you. Basically Jeff's prototype with an EBB instead of the telescoping CS.

Aquaholic · 10-31-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by motoman711

I am no longer wavering. I am 100% committed (or is that commitable?). I talked it over with the S.O. and all is cool. I am going the same route as you. Basically Jeff's prototype with an EBB instead of the telescoping CS.

I was hung up on the telescoping CS as well. I pressed JJ a few times on it and he's just not ready to release it. It really needs long term testing to determine if there are bugs to work out.

The big issue right now with the sliding CS is that he doesn't have the range of adjustment that he feels comfortable with to accomodate various gear ratios.

The benefits of the EBB over the sliding CS for my build :

1. The larger surface area of the BB shell gives him more room to work with as far as joining the seat and down tube. This will be a factor because he's going to use a bigger diameter downtube on mine. The net result will be a stronger frame.

2. I will be able to adjust my BB height.

3. I'll be able to run any gear ratio as a SS.

4. The EBB is time tested and proven.

Anyway, these bikes are like computers. I can sit around and wait for the next wild idea that pops into JJ's head and then wait some more, for him to deem it usable. In the meantime, more time passes me by, when I can be enjoying this piece of artwork on the dirt.

You and I have been waiting almost the same amount of time. The waiting is excruciating enough as it is. I have to laugh when I hear of others complaining of waiting 1 -2 months for their custom bikes

dirtdrop · 10-31-2005

I'm totally lusting after this.

sslos · 11-01-2005

Dude! That's awesome!
I'm really excited that you're getting this, but a bit hurt that you never mentioned anything. You know I still have pics of you in a skirt...

Congrats, and welcome to the wonderful world of big wheels.
Oh, and do you realize that the Jones will be worth the cumulative amount of the rest of the bikes on the Thursday night SS ride?!?

the los

Aquaholic · 11-01-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by sslos

Dude! That's awesome!
I'm really excited that you're getting this, but a bit hurt that you never mentioned anything. You know I still have pics of you in a skirt...

Congrats, and welcome to the wonderful world of big wheels.
Oh, and do you realize that the Jones will be worth the cumulative amount of the rest of the bikes on the Thursday night SS ride?!?

the los

WASSUP Carlos?!?

I know, it was killing me not being able to tell you about my little project. It's so funny...everytime I would strike up a conversation with you big wheeled, hardtailed, or SS peeps... I would mention that I'm getting a Ti Hardtail. You guys would always inquire:

"OK, so what builders are you looking at?" I'd always respond with a vague "Ohhh, you know, the usual suspects". Or, "I dunno, who do you recommend?"

So after a year and a half of this, and still no one pressed me on the subject. It was pretty funny.

My plan was just to show up at the trailhead with it one day. But, after my trip to Oregon, I had to share the pics and story. I couldn't hold out any longer.

How's Texas treating ya?

UNO-Speedo, here's a few more shots of BobD's lusty creation. Pics don't do this bike justice!

RobW · 11-01-2005

This is turning out to be one of the coolest bike-geek threads in a long time, Steve. A+ on the composition skilz, not to mention that crazy **** you ride!

Nat · 11-01-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquaholic

a few more shots of BobD's lusty creation. Pics don't do this bike justice!

Holy foo, I think that's the most aesthetically pleasing Jones I've seen. I like the straight twin top tubes. I'm not a huge fan of the bowed TT as seen on his Interbike show bike. This one though...

**shiggy** · 11-01-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nat

Holy foo, I think that's the most aesthetically pleasing Jones I've seen. I like the straight twin top tubes. I'm not a huge fan of the bowed TT as seen on his Interbike show bike. This one though...

The straight tube frames are more "hardtail" and the curved tube "softtail".

I think Jeff will still build the former. Easier to make, too.

Aquaholic · 11-01-2005

Wanna see something wild?

Czech this out. For awhile this was the plan. I even had JJ talked into going along with it.

Pretty trippy, eh?

motoman711 · 11-01-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquaholic

Wanna see something wild?

Czech this out. For awhile this was the plan. I even had JJ talked into going along with it.

Pretty trippy, eh?

That is just wrong man. The Truss fork is a thing of beauty.

Yep, Jeff will still build the straight tubed frame. It costs less too because it takes a lot less tube manipulation. You actually get a more laterally rigid frame that way. But, it gives up the smooth ness of the compliant frame (obviously).

Moto