Kona-Jake the snake for road?

[Biciclista]

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.

[bikecanada]

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

[bluebug32]

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!

[andtckrtoo]

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.

[beccaB]

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.

[lunacycles]

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.

[VeloVT]

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.