Repurposing an older Kona Jake the Snake

The spirit of Grav-lo-cross. No but seriously, cyclocross and gravel go here!

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Mr.Gib
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Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 4:12 pm
Location: eh?

by Mr.Gib

Yup, mini V's are the way to go. I second the TRP suggestion.

I have an old Trek XO cross bike with an Easton cross fork and love the handling. However the bike was completely unusable with cantilever brakes. I could choose between being bucked off due to extreme shudder or crashing into stuff due to silly brake pad toe-in and zero stopping power. Switched to mini V's and was blown away by the stopping power. Like it so much I prefer it as my gravel bike over my disc Boone. Modulation requires a talented hand but I'm sure you have the skillz.
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

mattr
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Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

Only issue with mini vs is the mud clearance.
But for gravel riding, probably not an issue.

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FilmAt11
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Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 2:35 am

by FilmAt11

Hi Pete. Thanks for the reminder. I built up the JTS, rode it in the local rocky canyon trails for a few months and quickly understood that riding a cyclocross bike like a mountain bike can only go on for so long. The V-Brakes were fine on the rollers, but the steep descents down into the canyons were harrowing. I used a standard clincher setup and 32mm tires, and it was very difficult to find a good tire pressure for the local riding conditions. Low tire pressure for traction and shock absorption resulted in pinch flats and at least one long hike. It was a lot of fun to ride and I do like the challenge of skinny tires off road, but it was ultimately impractical for the conditions I wanted to ride in. I didn't even get pictures of it before I tore it down again. It's a solid frame and the relaxed geometry is easy to handle. Maybe tubeless tires would have been a better choice, but I unfortunately have the clincher-only Zonda wheels. Subsequently I picked up a 2019 Santa Cruz Blur in January and haven't looked back.

mattr
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Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

FilmAt11 wrote:
Thu Mar 07, 2019 10:23 pm
I used a standard clincher setup and 32mm tires, and it was very difficult to find a good tire pressure for the local riding conditions. Low tire pressure for traction and shock absorption resulted in pinch flats and at least one long hike.
Should have tried bigger tyres first! UCI compliant tyres (<33mm) are really only any good for mud/clay/trails/forestry type stuff. Racing on a rocky course requires finesse and a spare bike/wheels. I'd not entertain "normal" type riding on tyres that small. Unless you weigh <50kgs!

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Powerful Pete
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Location: Lima, Peru and the Washington DC area - it's complicated.

by Powerful Pete

Thanks FilmAt11 - sounds like you made the right decision with a new Blur...
Road bike: Cervelo R3, Campagnolo Chorus/Record mix...
Supercommuter: Jamis Renegade...
Oldie but goodie: De Rosa Professional Slx, Campagnolo C-Record...
And you can call me Macktastik Honey Pete Kicks, thank you.

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Powerful Pete
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Location: Lima, Peru and the Washington DC area - it's complicated.

by Powerful Pete

This is the first edition of Jake The Italian Snake (JTIS) - thanks to all that contributed. As is always the case, this began as a "salvage the previous bike with TRPs and nothing else). Now is a hodgepodge Campagnolo build of everything I had in the garage, including a new set of Zondas, new Centaur cassette, new Bon Jon 35mm clinchers, and temporary SRAM chain of some sort (to be replaced by a Campa chain that is currently on order).

Again, it's a raid the garage build, including a Rolls saddle (weight is horrific, nether regions love it), Deda seatpost, Thomson stem, Chorus UT compact crankset, Chorus FD, Record RD, Record shifters.

More pictures and a bit of a review coming...
FEC789BB-52D2-4E4D-B3A8-F77BDEBB43FB.jpeg
Road bike: Cervelo R3, Campagnolo Chorus/Record mix...
Supercommuter: Jamis Renegade...
Oldie but goodie: De Rosa Professional Slx, Campagnolo C-Record...
And you can call me Macktastik Honey Pete Kicks, thank you.

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Powerful Pete
Moderator
Posts: 4132
Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:22 am
Location: Lima, Peru and the Washington DC area - it's complicated.

by Powerful Pete

A few more pictures with mandatory US white garage door shots... tried to get a picture or two of the TRP brakeset for those interested.

Thanks again to all those who provided advice and insight.
FE74353D-E252-4180-B7FD-1F0D90A5911B.jpeg
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92E8AD65-56ED-4ECA-BD97-E31576C76FE1.jpeg
1CAC3272-86E3-4F69-BD0A-F2FAF78D6C13.jpeg
Road bike: Cervelo R3, Campagnolo Chorus/Record mix...
Supercommuter: Jamis Renegade...
Oldie but goodie: De Rosa Professional Slx, Campagnolo C-Record...
And you can call me Macktastik Honey Pete Kicks, thank you.

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