Kona-Jake the snake for road?

I'm looking to get a faster bike and have been riding a trek 7.3 fx. I'm not sure if a lighter bike would increase my speed or if there is something I need to be doing differently. A salesman at a bike shop was showing me a Kona cyclocross, because I expressed concerns about how bad the roads are here and he said I could switch the knobby tires for something thinner. I like a bike that I don't have to worry about being too delicate for roads that might as well be trails, as bad as some of them are. Some of the roads we ride on could eat bikes, and small cars. I'm looking for thoughts and suggestions on using a cyclocross bike on the road. We like to do centuries, and I'd like to lessen the time it takes to finish, probably around 7 1/2 hours riding time.

Becca, how long is it taking you now to do a century?

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

Becca, how long is it taking you now to do a century?

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About 7 1/2 hours riding time. It's a little intimidating to nearly always be the last ones to finish. Not that it should matter, but I suppose I have a teensy little competitive streak.

sorry, i thought you said your goal was 7.5 hours.
(I think that's a pretty good time myself)
The lessons from Raleighdon:
1. spend as little time as you can off the bike. Pre plan your stops, get your business done, get back on the bike. He's beaten many a faster rider simply by not wasting time at food and potty stops.
2. Do more hills. The more hills you do the stronger you will be on the flats.

Having said this, a road bike should speed you up a bit, but not a lot. The different angle you are sitting at alone will make you want to move faster.(happened to me, I can't explain it)
I was also told that the single upgrade to your bike that does the most per dollar is changing wheel sets.

My husband has a Jake the Snake that he uses on the road. He just changed the wheels, which was really cheap. He also is as fast as some of the people with their carbon frames so the rider does affect it. He does like the bike a lot though and he's done gravel trails with it, with the knobby tires on.
I guess it depends what you're looking for, if you want to upgrade. If you want a road bike, but one that can do more (for commuting too), then it's a pretty good, sturdy bike :)

I have a Jake the Snake and ride with a guy who has one (though he still rides on the road with his knobby tires). When I got Jake, I was a die hard mountain biker, looking to ride some road, but not wanting to be completely locked in. I have ridden it on some gravel rail trails and dirt back roads. It was fun, but it's a rough ride. I love the versatility of the Jake and I smoke people on rough downhills because it provides such a steady, solid platform, and I never feel like the bike will wash out from under me even though I have slick tires on it.

Fast forward a season and a half. I moved to a place with amazing dirt and country roads and tons of climbs. My mountain bike starts collecting dust and I'm out riding Jake all the time. I sign up for a century at the end of August and slowly start putting in the big miles and long rides. Now I'm reminded that I'm on a cyclocross bike and not a road bike. The bike is heavy for climbing and I feel every bump in the road because the aluminum is so stiff. Also, the geometry is different. An hour-long all-out red zone effort for cyclocross racing is much different than sitting on a bike in the same position for six or seven hours. It's been rough on my body and I've since started shopping for a carbon fiber road bike.

This, of course, is just one experience and as a cross bike, the Jake rocks. It would be a faithful commuter or the perfect companion for a muddy ride or for 20-30 miles of blazing dirt roads, but for my century, I'll take a road bike any day.

Feel free to PM me with any questions, etc. Good luck in your search!

I have a Surly Cross Check (which is a steel cross bike) as well as a Cannondale R6 road bike. I find that I ride the same loop at the same speed regardless of which bike I am on - even the hilly ones. My road bike is a little more comfortable for long distances because of the geometry, but when I break down and get a shorter stem for my Surly I'll be fine. I still have the knobbies on my Surly and good road tires on my road bike.

I did find out from bike store people that a faster century has more to do with the rider than the bike. I guess I would have to find out if the bike I'm considering weighs less than my 7.3 fx. I also think that if my husband had a little computer on his bike we'd train harder and more efficiently. As it is, if he slacks off a little I do too, and I think we're capable of better times if we worked harder. Problem is, I still want it to be fun!
I will still be searching at some point, just because we don't have enough bikes yet. :D

Lighter wheels will make a much bigger difference than a lighter frame as far as speed is concerned. This is because wheels are "rotating weight," meaning you propel their weight with every pedal stroke. The frame is "static" weight, and that affects its performance, speed-wise, very very little. The Kona frame may be a bit overbuilt for pure road riding (although maybe ideal given your overall riding conditions), but put a set of lightweight clinchers on there for your centuries or pure road efforts, and you will still have a great road ride, I'd guess, and you should really feel the difference a set of light wheels can offer.

The one thing I'd add -- check out the gearing on the Jake. Cross bikes run the gamut, and if you put skinny tires on a bike with very widely spaced, low gearing it can feel frustrating and slow.

I have two steel cyclocross bikes that I use almost exclusively on the road. (Surly Cross Check, like so many folks here on TE; and a Waterford X-12) Both of my cyclocross bikes have slick tires, which really make a huge difference on the speed. I'm comfortable with steel because I like the way it absorbs the road buzz, and I am very comfortable knowing that the sturdy cyclocross frame can handle any weird things I might do on the bikes. I do occasionally ride on dirt, gravel, and grass, and maybe once in a while I accidentally ride over a curb or pothole or two... or three.

One of my previous bikes was a Kona Dew. The same frame as a Jake, just set up as a hybrid (according to my LBS). The aluminum does transmit road buzz, and it bothered me quite a bit on rides longer than about 50 miles. But, oh, I did loooooove that bike!

Ask your LBS if you can take the Jake out for an hour or so. The geometry is sweet, a very willing bike, it will do whatever you ask of it. Then try a steel bike with similar geometry (Jamis Aurora, Surly Cross Check, etc). Some folks feel the difference between aluminum and steel on long rides, and some don't.

Considering the needs you listed, I really don't think you can go wrong with a cyclocross bike. When you fall in love with one, buy it!

I bought a Jake the Snake last September. I love it for cyclocross, but am not as enamored with it on the road. The geometry and fit are great for a cross race, but it's not my favorite bike for longer road rides, and I would not want to ride a century on it. My road bike is titanium and carbon, and the aluminum frame on the Jake gives a noticeably harsher ride.

It's also a little heavy -- but that was just the incentive I needed to start lifting weights so I could more easily run with it over the barriers. ;)

Alex

Thankyou everyone for the advice! I'll be trying out lots of bikes at some point, and probably asking more silly questions.

No question is silly! Ask away.