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Cross / Roads with Kerry Werner and the new Kona Major Jake

Written by Zach Overholt
15 Comments
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Cross / Roads with Kerry Werner and the new Kona Major Jake
Photos c. Kona Bicycles

Cross season is here, and Kona is ready with an all new Major Jake. There’s also a new Super Jake, and Jake the Snake that are all ready to take on the barriers no matter what your budget. Along with having us up to Squamish for the launch of their 2018 lineup, Kona also gave one of their newest bikes to sponsored pro Kerry Werner. We’d like to think our riding looks something like this, but know that’s far from the truth…

Cyclocross training takes on new meaning when you ride for Kona.

Cross / Roads with Kerry Werner and the new Kona Major Jake

If you missed all the details from our first post here, check out the tech video above or Kona’s site for more.
Zach Overholt
5,726 articles

Zach Overholt is the Editor in Chief of Bikerumor. He has been writing about what’s new in the bicycle world for 12+ years. Prior to that, Zach spent many years in the back of a bicycle shop building and repairing nearly every type of bike, while figuring out how to (occasionally) ride them.

Based in Ohio, Zach is now slowly introducing a new generation to cycling and still trying to figure out how to fit the most rides into a busy schedule as a new dad.

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15 Comments
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Chader
Chader
7 years ago

Really a great video. Well produced with great flow and a nice vision (sun up to sun down). Cool focus on gravel with the hints of CX tossed in (riding and background audio) for fun.

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KB
KB
7 years ago
Reply to  Chader

My thoughts exactly. I’m doing everything I can to stay at work right now and not play hooky for the rest of the day after watching.

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Mircea Andrei Ghinea
Mircea Andrei Ghinea
7 years ago

why Americans are going into this MTB thingy of: long top tube along with slack head angle?
while Europeans are still using the “standard” geometry (meaning something like 72° head angle along with normal top tube) and, have a look, they are winning like crazy.
i don’t understand.

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Nathan Balsdon
Nathan Balsdon
7 years ago
Reply to  Mircea Andrei Ghinea

wrong… Euro brands really lead the way for the log top tube short stem. Mondraker has been doing it for years as have other brands. American brands are just catching on now.

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Mircea Andrei Ghinea
Mircea Andrei Ghinea
7 years ago
Reply to  Nathan Balsdon

bro, talking about CX (cyclocross) bikes. this post is about Kona Major Jake, which is a CX bike.

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codyish
codyish
7 years ago
Reply to  Mircea Andrei Ghinea

They aren’t winning because of the geometry. Americans are far more willing to adopt advances in tech and geometry, while Euro racers adopt more slowly because they are more influenced by “tradition”, but they always end up adopting eventually. Look at disc brakes in CX – Americans used them widely first, Europeans still won, but then started using them within 2 seasons. Within 3 years you will see slackening head angles and shorter stems under Euro racers and from Euro brands.

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Scott Robertson
Scott Robertson
7 years ago
Reply to  codyish

You are describing an industry tech move to cx discs, not US racers choosing it (“adopt”) first. I don’t recall elite American CXers showing up on start grids with homemade disc bikes because they were so into it, their large manufacturer sponsers decided they would do it.

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Mircea Andrei Ghinea
Mircea Andrei Ghinea
7 years ago
Reply to  codyish

really curious what it will be in 3 years. Trek is heavily involved in European CX, they should change it first, yet they don’t do it. so far European riders (BE & NL) are on “european” geometry and they are doing just fine. really curious if that “american” geometry will be the future.

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Dinger
Dinger
7 years ago
Reply to  Mircea Andrei Ghinea

Define “winning”. If you mean race results, the rider is the horse, not the bike. That’s all a matter of talent, not equipment.

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Mircea Andrei Ghinea
Mircea Andrei Ghinea
7 years ago
Reply to  Dinger

winning like… winning, which confirms something: that you’re on the right track.
BE & NL are on “european” geometry and they are doing just fine. why would they change?

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Dinger
Dinger
7 years ago
Reply to  Mircea Andrei Ghinea

Their success has almost nothing to do with their bikes. It has to do with cycling & cyclocross being ingrained in their culture the way baseball is in American’s.

They would change because the new technologies are demonstrably better, perhaps a year or two later than they could or should.

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Mircea Andrei Ghinea
Mircea Andrei Ghinea
7 years ago
Reply to  Dinger

yup, agree it has to do with “cycling & cyclocross being ingrained in their culture”. but to say it has nothing to do with the bike’s geometry… i don’t know.

my question is: do they really need a longer top tube and a slacker head angle? yup, that is perfect for going downhill, but CX is much more than that.

look at world champ Wout Van Aert, 1.89m height, he is on much smaller frame size than usual, with a “normal” 72° head angle, meaning his front wheel is really close to him (really small front-center). how is he doing?! well, just fine!

if he needed a longer front-center he would simply choose a bigger frame size. (because he really can). but no, he even goes smaller than usual – which is a sign that the “standard” front-center is not a problem in CX (so no need for bigger one).

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Andrew
Andrew
7 years ago
Reply to  Mircea Andrei Ghinea

It’s about comfort. Van Aert already slams his stem to the top cap, so sizing up wouldn’t work as well. He’s also been on a bike like that for a long time. I find that if my cross bike handles closer to my mountain bike than my road bike I like it better, but that is personal preference.

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Mircea Andrei Ghinea
Mircea Andrei Ghinea
7 years ago
Reply to  Andrew

indeed, Wout is special, too special 😉 crazy low, even most road riders are not like him. now on his road bike he’s even lower – don’t know how he does it. but, yup, it’s a lot about how he’s feeling, being like that for a long time now.

at his 1.89m he could easily fit on a next bigger frame size along with a 17 degree stem. but he doesn’t, he likes the feel of a compact bike too – meaning also a smaller front-center. that’s one of the reasons i’m thinking that smaller front-center is not really a must in cyclocross. longer front-center really helps only in the downhill part, only there, elsewhere it’s on a minus side.

but, yup, if your position is quite upright then a longer front-center could help.

really curious what will be the future of cx geometry 🙂

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Yup
Yup
7 years ago

That video is up there with Jeff Kendal-Weed’s rip on his Ibis Hakkalugi! Well done Kona!

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