I had been lusting for a cyclocross bike for a while, and finally pulled the trigger. I considered many, checked Ebay, Craigslist, etc... but finally found a 2010 Kona Jake for a very good price, shipped from Portland Oregon to Columbus, Ohio. I couldn't find one locally in my size, and the 2011 Jake has a paint scheme that I do not like, as well as chainstays that are 1 cm shorter (425 vs 435 on mine).

It shipped out yesterday FedEx. I'm pretty excited. Should be here Thursday or so. I also ordered a pair of Vittoria Randonneur Pros yesterday in 35 from a different place. I need a light rack that is long enough to prevent heel strike. I'm considering this one. I can't find dimensions, but it looks kind of long. Also need to figure out which fenders work best.

I figure this will be my bike for fun rides and sometimes commuting. I'll keep the Felt as my workhorse. My 7.3 FX is now for sale.

I know how it is to be clamoring for a new bike. Sometimes I'm so excited about getting things I check the Fedex shipping details wondering If I should drive out and meet the package in whatever town it gets routed from .

Post pics when you get it.

That's a great bike, and the owner of that shop is a really good guy. I bought a 2008 Major Jake from them in January, and I'm going out today to look at a '99 Muni Mula.

I've never had problems with heel strike on my Jake, but I don't have especially big feet. Even so, the chain stays are long enough that you shouldn't have a problem, especially if your pannier has any adjustability in its hook points.

Exile: I will post pics.

Andy_K: Tell them hi from me. As far as the rack goes, my Felt has chainstays that are 0.5mm longer, and I had to get a different rack because of heel strike. I only wear size 10.5 shoes, so not huge. My panniers are some of the cheaper Axioms, I think maybe Seymours, and they have no adjustability. I need to find a rack that is long after the bottom mount point. I put an Axiom Journey on my Felt, but I'd like something lighter for the Jake. The Journey is pretty beefy.

And it's here!!!

Unpacking:


Ready to roll:


After her maiden voyage:


Drive side:


I really have to work on my photography, as I see these pictures are terrible. Goofy lighting, and I didn't notice or know how to fix.

As far as the bike goes. Well, wow. Definitely fits me great. Feels just wonderful. I'll have to rotate the bars down to find a comfortable spot. As they are now, it feels great on the hoods, but I don't like the drops. Hopefully rotating them down will fix that. If not, I'll get different bars. I think ergo drops feel weird anyway.

Thanks to Sellwood Cycle for a perfect packing job. Everything that should be lubed was lubed, and it took me less than 30 minutes to have it ready to ride.

I need to figure out which rack I want, preferably something light. Not sure about fenders, but none for now.

I REALLY like this bike

That is sweet! I haven't seen one in person yet, but love the pictures. It looks like the geometry would be comfy on a long haul.

I haven't ridden it far yet, but it feels great to me. I just have to dial it in. It really does look great in person too

Nice machine...

Thank you. Last night I ordered an Axiom Journey rack for it. According to the specs, and compared to other racks, I guess it isn't that heavy at all.

My rack arrived today. I'm waiting for my Planet Bike clip on fenders to arrive (tomorrow) before I mount it. Also got a Topeak Modula adjustable bottle cage, and a Kryptolok series 2 mini 7 inch lock. (Can't remember exactly what it's name is, but that is the lock's description)

I'll post pics when I get this stuff on the bike. Still trying to not make it too heavy, but I couldn't find a rack that was lighter and still seemed to work for me. Guess I'll see when/if I get it mounted

I have a 2008 Jake that I like a lot. However, if I were to change one thing it would be the bars. I don't know if they are the same as on yours but I haven't found a rotation position that makes both the hoods and drops comfortable for me. I set mine for the drops. Also, the oversize section of the bars at the stem tapers down in a way that makes it pain to mount accessories.

I don't know if they're the same either, but so far I agree with all of that. I'm not changing mine for a while, but I think I probably will eventually.

I saw an old Schwinn Super Sport the other day, and it had these awesome bars. They were round (of course, no ergos back then) and had a little flare at the bottom, but not a huge flare. They were very narrow though. If I could get a set like that, but wider, I think that is what I would want.

Nitto makes some bars like that:

Classic Road Bar


or for a little more flare, the Randonneur Bar:

Both of these use a 25.4mm bar clamp, so you'd need a new stem.

Personally, I really the Sals Bell Lap bars, but part of that is that I like the ergo bend. I was against the look of it at first, but I like the way it fits my hand. While I disliked the mounting bulge of the stock bars on my '08 Jake, I don't mind the bars themselves.

Thanks Andy. I'd looked at the Randonneur online somewhere recently. I just don't know how they would be on the drops with that much flare. They would probably be good though. Hadn't seen the Classic Road. Those do look really nice.