Jeff Jones has updated his Spaceframe 29er to get thru axles front and rear, which gave him the opportunity to bring a few other standards up to date, too. But the bigger news is his new 29+ Diamond Frame model that pushes things wider and long in a counterintuitive move to make for one very comfortable long haul mountain bike…
In addition to the 12×142 rear and 15mm thru axle front, he switched to Shimano’s direct-mount rear derailleur attachment.
The new Jones Plus is a 29+ bike takes their standard diamond frame and spreads the wheelbase out to accommodate the larger tires, but it spreads them plenty more than necessary in effort to smooth out the ride for long distance bike packing.
They get a 19″ chainstay, up a full 2″ from the standard model, and the fork gets double the offset out at 76mm. That puts it at a slack 67.5° head angle, but since there’s so much rake, Jones says it still handles pretty quick. He said to imagine how a limousine’s stretched wheelbase smooths out the bumps for the passengers, and you get the idea. The bike is very clearly aimed at those wanting to load their gear and disappear, as this rendering suggests:
Note the huge tire clearance behind the seatpost even with Maxxis’ Chronicle “plus” tires on board. It’s available now, bags and accessories optional.
