The latest creation to come out of the Jeff Jones workshop is a 29+, but Jeff is very quick to point out that this isn’t your average bike with big tires. Jeff mentioned that the inspiration for the bike came while riding some super heavy cargo bikes in Asia that still handled well in spite of their exceptionally long wheelbase. While the Jones Plus also has a long wheel base, the fork and frame have been designed together to provide a super comfortable and stable ride that retains its quick handling.
Jeff also had the newest version of the Jones steel Spaceframe and Truss Fork on hand with 27.5+ wheels which will be an option, but he personally still prefers the larger 29+ wheels and tires. All together the new wheel options mean there are 4 different tire configurations possible with Jones frames making them even more versatile than ever before…
Built to accept both 29″ and 29+ tires, the 4130 chromoly steel diamond frame and truss fork has plenty of clearance for any current 29+ tire offering. The front fork uses a 142x15mm thru axle using the same standard we’ve seen before on a few fat bikes. The rear is a standard 135mm QR dropout. The front fork will work with 29, 29+, and even 26×4.8″ tires.
One of the knocks against running 29+ and 29″ wheels on the same frame is the amount of change in bottom bracket height the larger wheels impose on the geometry. To keep that from being an issue the Jones 29+ frame uses an eccentric bottom bracket that allows you to raise or lower the BB based on the tires used. Other details include more rack and fender mounts than you can use at once, and massive clearance for frame bags like the Jones bikepacking bags.
For Jones, the key to the design of the 29+ is the geometry. This particular bike uses a 71 degree seat tube angle and a 67.5 degree head tube angle with 76mm of rake/offset to create a bike with short trail to keep the handling quick. Available in only two sizes, the bike is measured by top tube with a 24 and 25″ frame – though with different components and set up they both can be dialed in to fit a wide range of riders.
The 29+ was also built using an early sample of the new Jones headset. Instead of using cartridge bearings or ball and cage bearings, the headset will just use ball bearings creating a headset that is very light but also extremely durable and inexpensive. More details on the headset in the future.
Even though this bike was rolling 27.5+ tires on 35mm rims courtesy of WTB and Velocity, the real news is in the improvements to the Spaceframe. Along with the new orange color option, the frame uses smaller diameter seat tubes and provides improved rear tire clearance and a lighter overall weight.
For a frame built for 29″ wheels, the 27.5+ fit pretty well as we’re beginning to see more and more often.
