greenpeppers

Hey all, I'm looking to get my first cx bike, and I've come to the decision of either buying a Kona Jake or the Giant TCX 2 from my LBS. I'm split 50/50 and need to know which would be better bang for my buck!

I don't care about how they look, just how they ride. If you've got any info that would be much appreciated.

Max

Andy_K 

I would go with the Jake, hands down. It's got better components (shifters, front derailleur, wheels and crank), and it has a steel fork, which makes for a nicer ride.

I have an '08 Jake, and I'm very happy with it.

greenpeppers

thanks, that's what I noticed too about the shifters tiagra vs sora. but I'm not too crazy about the chainring on the jake. It's three ring while the TCX 2 has 2 and a tooth count of something like 36/46.

What do you use the jake for? I'm planning on trying my first race this fall.

Andy_K 

Everything. Mostly I use it for commuting, but that's only because I have a commute every day and there are only cross races a few months out of the year. :-) I also use it for centuries during the summer. So the triple makes sense for me.

In general, I see the usefulness of the two-ring setup for cross racing -- I tend never to leave my middle ring. I'm not sure I'd need both rings on a cross-specific double. A lot of people run 1x9, which you could do with the Omega on the Jake.

The spec for the crank on the Giant site is a little weird. It says it has an FSA Vero, but it also claims a MegaExo bottom bracket. As far as I know, those two things don't go together. It also lists the rims as "FSA BB-7420, Cartridge". I suspect that's the real bottom bracket spec. Anyway, my point is that while the chainring configuration may be better on the Giant, the actual crank on the Kona is a better component level.

You might be able to get your LBS to swap out the triple for a double.

greenpeppers

Thanks man, I am gonna go with the Jake. It seems to be a lot more versatile. Thanks for all your research! I also think most of the components are better on the Kona. I also want to use it for some centuries so I'm glad to hear you've done that already. The geometry on both models is the exact same for their high-end models, the only difference is the sexy scandium Mig Fighter material on the Major Jake. You really did help, it doesn't even seem like the TCX 2 is very popular.

Max

jnorto06

I have a 07 Jake and it rides awesome! Im thinking about upgrading a few parts to make it more race ready.

sucka free

I have the '08 Jake and love it for commuting and occasional CX racing. I didn't like the triple chainring, so I bought a compact double Tiagra crankset from ebay for 40 bucks and haven't looked back since.

KDGast

I just got an '09 Jake and like it very much. Installed 700x32 city tires on it and it goes faster than I anticipated. The only change that I made was to remove the existing brakes and put on some Avid 4 Shorty cantis. It stops much better now.

Ka_Jun

Isn't that a personal thing? What has a nicer ride for me, will likely be a different experience for you.

bbruce0

I have an 06 Jake, and upgraded most of the components about two months ago to Ultegra except for the BB and Crank, I have the parts, just haven't gotten around to chaning them yet, I have been riding too much. The shifters I feel made a world of difference, but before then I was still super happy with the 06 Jake. I also purchased some new Mavric rims with Ultegra hubs, and put some 700Cx32 commuter tires on, and its a little bit faster with the smoother tires, so I would recommend if doing some centuries, to buy some commuter tires or slicks, which ever you perfer. Enjoy the bike, I still am.