Getting the Kona Jake the Snake ready to sell.
On-One Dirty Disco news
I got fitted a bit today for the Dirty Disco. This bike is going to be so SWEET! The fit is pretty darn close to my Kona thanks to Shiggy’s patent pending measurement system. I am actually even more looking forward to Cross Crusade this season. The project is going smoothly and we are waiting on the brakes and other bits to finish her off. One of the cool things about this frame I think is that I will be able to re-use a set of 29er mountain bike disc wheels as it was designed with them in mind.
On a side note: I may have my 2010 Kona Jake the Snake frameset (56) becoming available soon as the Disco will most likely become my go to work horse bike. Contact me if you are in the market. We could work something out.
Or you could get your own Dirty Disco today for $799.
Jeremy
Source: shop.titusti.com
And BOOM, just like that we are back in business.
This is the exact reason I keep old random parts around in the Evil Lair. My old rear wheel was still hanging on the back wall. I pounded out the fork end and made some shifting adjustments that were bothering me previously. I can ride for another day, and eventually get a new rear wheel. The hardest part of the fix was getting the old tire of the broken wheel.
Wonder what I should do with the busted wheel? I have some ideas…
And BOOM just like that, I need a new wheel.
This will be the second and last time the bike goes on the roof of the car. Not thinking, I put the Jake up on the roof while in the parking garage at Sunset transit center, and if you’ve had a roof rack you know what comes next. Frak.
Damage taken:
Rear wheel - toast
Carbon Fork - Hopefully repairable (dropout is a little bent)
Roof rack: Bent skewer
At least the Jake and the car are better off than expected. Funny thing is this is a new wheelset with barely 300 miles on them. I’ll end up throwing the old rear wheel on and riding out the rest of February. Bummer.
Put it away wet.
I love my Jake the Snake. It is my work horse bike.
A view from above.
It is always nice to come back outside and see your buddy sitting there waiting.
Commuted to the doctor appointment this morning. That seat looks angled high, note to self take a look at it.
My Sexy Bike.
Getting the band back together again.
I started the rebuild on the Jake tonight. Swapping parts back and doing some cleaning. The new major thing is the wheel set. I needed it. I can’t wait to get it functional again and take it out and get her dirty.
As you can see in the back is my Felt Breed SSCX bike frame which will remain dormant and resting for a little bit. I want to get new cantis and possibly a new fork. The original steer tube was cut an inch too short so I’d like to trade up. I had the Jakes fork on it and loved the extra height of the stack.
The Karate Monkey, not in the picture, will get the usual winter overhaul and revert back to a singlespeed rigid 29er. It makes cleaning easier and riding it that way during the winter months slows me down on the trails. I use this to actually look at the wilderness and enjoy the beauty.
Later I will get a chainring bash guard from Ruckus and convert it into a 1x9 setup.
This is what I do during the winter months.
The Jake is getting ready for CX.
I took off the road slicks, tossed the speed kings back on. Took off the commuter things like lights, etc. I put my carbon seatpost and narrow seat on to replace the stock setup. I found that I like the narrow seat a bit better than the stock WTB saddle.
Next up, brake pads, replacement cleats for the Time ATACs, and hopefully a new wheelset.
I like this bike.
Did I ever mention I really like my Kona Jake the Snake?
I see this in the web analytics all the time for this blog. “2010 Kona Jake the Snake review”.
So here is the review:
I love it.
Prologue:
This is my second Kona Jake and both have felt awesome from the fit perspective. Besides my Karate Monkey, I think this is one of the only bikes where I have consciously thought while riding “Man, this bike feels good”. There are reasons for that, I think and mainly it was the setup out of the box. It is a 56 and I got a fit on my previous Jake so I knew where to put components for comfort.
The Drivetrain is all Shimano 105 and shifts smooth as butter. I went about 1500 miles before changing out the cables and housings in the Portland rain commuting. I would say that is pretty cool.
The Wheelset is Mavic Aksium Race and is strong and light. I am suprise I have not broken these wheels yet. I actually wore the brake surface down enough to the point where I reluctantly have to replace them. Bummer because I really like them. I will probably go with them again, or bump up to the next level mavic wheel whatever that is.
The Brakes suck ass and should be thrown in the garbage immediately upon purchase. they are Kore cantis and have crappy pads. This area is the only downside of the bike. I switched them out for some Cane Creek SCX5’s and better pads for rain weather. The MTB pads I got are made here in Oregon by Kool Stop.
I can only wish that Kona would create a Jake with disc brakes. That would be AWESOME! I would probably sell this one and buy it instantly.
End of story, if you are looking for a nice commuter/cyclocross bike don’t hesitate to test out the Jake. I do not think you will be sorry.
[note to Kona, I had to download your image and resize it for this blog]
Mr. Snake in Commuter Attire
Today I finished up the Kona project and converted the Jake the Snake into my daily commuter. I will be travelling about 10 Miles a day, so the need for a geared tough bike was necessary. I added a rack, fenders, and my old panniers. I have lights and am ready for a test run either Friday or Saturday.
Here’s to cyclocross bikes making awesome commuters!
Jeremy
Mr. Snake in Commuter Attire 
From 2010-05-20
Bike Geek, Cancer Survivor, and geeky dad. Writes about cycling, two wheeled culture, and the bicycle industry.