Not every mountain biker is comfortable on a XC-focused bike with a big saddle-to-bar drop. So Jeff Jones’ alt Loop H-bar gets a new high-rise variant, in affordable straight gauge aluminum. The SG 2.5 Loop H-bar gets hands back up to a comfortable level, while offering plenty of spots to get a grip. Plus, Jones’ short SWB Plus & long LWB bikes are here too..
Jones SG 2.5 Loop H-bar alt, high-rise mountain bike handlebar
A sizeable portion of mountain bikes being ridden out on the trails are still holdovers from times when XC racing was the focus, and getting your bars as low as possible was the highest priority. That means a lot of tiny headtubes, where if you want to raise your bars to a more comfortable position you might need a stack of spacers and a high-rise stem.
Now with the 2.5″ of rise in the new affordable aluminum Jones Loop bar, riders struggling with limited flexibility or too much weight on their hands can put a bit more comfort into pedalling down the trail.
Tech details
At just $80, the new SG 2.5 Loop H-bar is a pretty low cost way to try out the combination of the higher bar position and the multiple swept back hand positions of the Jones Loop H-bar. It is effectively the same bar as the standard Loop that has just 1/2″ of rise. That standard rise bar is available in titanium ($425), carbon ($315), butted aluminum ($120), or a straight gauge alloy ($80) variant like this one. So far the 2.5″ rise bar is just in the cheaper alloy version, but you can pick it in either 660mm or 710mm overall widths, and in either silver or black.
On the other hand (and this is totally not what Jones was aiming for, but…) they advertise the standard Loop H-bar as a +/- 0.5″ (13mm) bar for riders (especially those on 29ers) looking to lower their bar position too. So if you are a small rider on a XC 29er looking to overcome a high bar position, or even a cross or gravel rider looking for a lower flat bar style handlebar, the SG 2.5 Loop H-bar could help drop your hands by a much needed 2.5″!
The 31.8mm clamping SG 2.5 Loop H-bar has a super comfortable 45° backsweep, and a regular 22.2mm clamping area for your grips (or bartape) & cockpit controls. Jones claims weights of 635g in 660mm & 650g in 710mm for the bars. It looks like it isn’t actually available right this moment, but Jones is taking pre-order sales through their website, with orders slated to start shipping out next week.
Jones Plus SWB, shorter wheelbase plus bike
At first mildly confusing (but ultimately clarifying), with a series of naming updates Jeff Jones is revising his frame geometries a bit to get allow for shorter wheelbases. For years there was a single Jones 29 geometry that used a relatively tight wheelbase, but could still squeeze in big for the time 29″ tires. In the meantime, bigger tires became available and there are now a plethora of 27.5+ options as well. So going forward Jones bikes will be offered in SWB & LWB variants, both fitting plus-sized rubber.
The current (original) Jones 29 evolves into the Jones Plus SWB bikes (short wheelbase) with wider small wheel tire clearance. The SWB bikes are optimized for 27.5 x 3″ or 29 x 2.4″ tires (but will clear a 29 x 2.6″ in the back), with fork clearance for 27.5 x 4″ or 29 x 3.25″ front tires.
Jones Plus LWB, longer wheelbase plus bike
The current Jones 29 Plus geometry will now be called Jones Plus LWB. The LWB bikes (long wheelbase) are optimized for 29 x 3″ tires (but will clear a 29 x 3.25″), with the same fork clearance as the SWB.
Basically, Jones has always been a fan of big fat tires, and now that there are more 27.5+ and 29+ tire options, it is worth giving each their own optimized Plus-sized wheelbases with a more clear naming scheme.
