The Heavens Declare The Glory Of God

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the end of the world.

Psalm 19:1-4 (NIV)

One Of A Kind - The Jones LWB for Bikepacking

One of a kind love affair is

The kind of love that read about in a fairy tale

Like the sun that shines on a rainy day, it's a cloud of love

One of a kind love affair is

While your down is up when your up is down

But love stays around

And when you know you're right, but you got to make a little sacrifice

You make it love

Whoa-oh, yeah

One Of A Kind (Love Affair), William Jefferson (1973). 

Jones 29+, fresh off my 2026 solo 24 Hours In The Old Pueblo, ready to outfit for bikepacking.

Yes, I love my Jones 29+, which Jeff Jones now calls the Jones LWB (for Long Wheel Base). Since 2018, I've grabbed this bike for all my mountain bike rides, practically all my around-town rides, and most all my bikepacking rides, at least on anything rougher than domesticated gravel. 

If I had but one bike, it would be the Jones 29+. And for me, it's the perfect bikepacking bike.

My first ride on the Jones 29+ in 2018.
(image by Chani Tretbar)

To call the Jones 29+ unconventional is an understatement. It is so long, so tall, so wide, and challenges a host of conventional dogmas on bicycle geometry. For a peek behind the curtain of the mad machinations of bicycle design deconstructed by Jeff Jones, go to his website, JonesBikes.com. The library of videos and articles of his musings is altogether fascinating, especially to this retired patent attorney who for years worked with inventors and other imaginative kooks. I love his child-like creativity, innovative experimentation, and unwavering conviction. And the result is a bike that is pure joy to ride.

Admittedly, it took a leap of faith to order a Jones bike, not knowing anyone who owned one, or ridden one, or even heard of anyone who had owed one or ridden one. Zero chance for a test ride, as he only sells direct from his small shop in Ashland, Oregon. But I studied his material and connected with his analytical process, counter-intuitive challenges to conventional thought, fearless experimentation, and passion to pursue his convictions. Eventually, in the Spring of 2018, I ordered a frameset and asked Jeff to build up my idea of a primo bikepacking bike. See, Jones 29+ - The Build; Jones 29+ - What It Is.

Not catalogue copy. Jeff Jones sent me this picture of my bike after he built it up in 2018.

Oh, my. On first impression, that was one big bike. No, not just big. Mammoth.

And mammothly different. For me, the biggest adjustment to riding the Jones 29+ was adapting to the radically upright, hands back body positioning, somewhat like riding a beach cruiser. It felt so odd after many years of aggressive, low handlebar, forward positioning on competitive road, cyclocross, and mountain bikes.

But somehow it all works together to produce a controlled, superbly comfortable ride. The Jones 29+ is so balanced and centered, on such a long wheelbase, on such wide tires, that I simply do not spin out a rear tire and do not wash out a front, even on those loose steeps that typically wreck havoc. I am also amazed that not once in 8 years and tens of thousands of miles have I felt that unnerving sensation that I was about to launch over the handlebars, which happened on virtually every ride on my racing hardtails. Maybe most telling is that I did not crash once in 7 weeks of riding practically every day on the crazy combination of conditions on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. Not once. Not even close.

More specifically, I feel much more control and far less fatigue than a conventional bike, particularly when negotiating obstacles and braking hard during long, difficult descents. I believe that the radically swept back Jones H-bar handlebar, with Ergon GP2 grips, contribute significantly to the effortless control and long distance comfort, most clearly felt when riding loaded over rough terrain.

A rare side shot of me riding my loaded Jones 29+ in 2021,
here standing to peruse the nasty descent of Fleecer Ridge on the Great Divide.
(image by Paul Brasby)

For good and bad, the aggressively upright body position dramatically changes relative pressure on the body contact points. With practically no weight on the hands, I feel much more in control of the bike, even when heavily loaded for multi-week touring. Perhaps just as important, I do not experience typical hand, wrist, forearm, shoulder, or neck fatigue. Not at all. The forward, downward pressure on everything is gone. On the other hand, that upright position puts significantly more weight on the saddle, so I recommend greater attention to saddle fit and bottom care.

I believe that the upright body position also changed my pedaling movement, as I clearly have reduced power on steep climbs and long climbs. Even on short power bursts, it feels more like I'm pushing the pedals forward and backwards, rather than up and down. Sliding forward to the nose of the saddle, or even standing, doesn't seem to make much of a difference. I just can't get on top of it in the same way as a conventional bike, perhaps also because the wheelbase is so long (about 47", compared to 43" for a medium Salsa CutThroat).

I felt the difference immediately on my first ride in 2018 and thought I had adapted to it with regular 3-5 hour rides throughout 2019 and 2020. Then in August 2020 I rode my first week long bikepacking ride, the Cloud Peak 500, and struggled on the long, steep climbs and felt bottom soreness. Also, for the first time ever, I experienced some real hip discomfort, which went away after the first two days and never has returned.  So, I think my body just had to adapt to a body position and pedaling motion significantly different from all those years on conventional bikes.

By the way, that upright body position brings along another side effect that is less easy to address. You get to enjoy every puff of wind! Fill the fork bags and a large handlebar bag for a veritable snowplow into the wind. It's a very real thing.

Jones 29+ loaded for bikepacking in 2019.

The truss fork is another unique aspect of the Jones 29+. Many people ask about it, assuming that it is some kind of springy suspension fork. Not hardly. It is rigid and it is stiff. As Jeff Jones explains, the truss design results in a lighter, stiffer fork that eliminates fore/aft movement of the fork under hard breaking pressures, resulting in greater control. No shimmies, ever. No need for an expanded diameter or tapered headset. Jeff Jones Talks Truss Fork. Even on long, technical descents when loaded, I have always been able to comfortably control the bike, and stop if necessary, with basic Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes. An engineering masterpiece.

As a bonus, the Jones truss fork provides a platform to strap two big bikepacking bags directly onto the fork legs. Recognizing this early on, Jeff Jones teamed with Revelate Designs to craft semi-custom bags, each holding about as much as a medium seat post bag. I love mine, but will have to baby them a bit, now that they no longer make them.

Part of the bike's BarcaLounger ride comes from the steel frame, which is relatively heavy in large part because it is so big. Despite the weight, I did not see a positive cost/benefit weight savings with a titanium frame/fork for a bikepacking bike that still would approach 70 pounds loaded. Instead, I slashed weight from the wheels and tires. 

In 2018, Jeff Jones built a wheel set for me with 45 mm rims to seat 3.0-3.25 inch tires. I liked that set up for one day single track rides and loaded bikepacking on really rough dirt roads. However, they were very sluggish on better roads, like many miles on the Great Divide and the Black Hills Grande.

So, after three years of experimenting, I built a second wheel set on much lighter 30 mm rims to seat 2.2-2.8 inch tires. Now with 2.4" Vittoria Mezcal XC Trail tires on that second wheel set, my Jones 29+ drops over 3.5 pounds (to just under 30 pounds) and rolls much, much better. 

On the left, Vee BullDozer 700 x 3.25 inch tire mounted on WTB Scraper i45 rims.
On the right, Bontrager XR2 700 x 2.35 inch tire mounted on RaceFace ARC Offset 30 rims.
Same diameter rims, but different rim widths and tire widths! (2020)

For drivetrain components, I specified Shimano XT everything, for durability and field service. Because I wanted both a wide range of gears and relative close spacing, I insisted on a 2X drivetrain. So, I landed on a 24/36 crankset coupled to an 11 speed 11-46 cassette. That results in a low gear of about 15-16 gear inches, depending on the size of the tires, which gives me a fighting chance of riding up that last pass at the end of a long day. Admittedly, with that grandpa gear, I'd probably be just as fast walking, but I like the option.

The Jones 29+ presents a versatile platform for a variety of bikepacking bags, with and without racks. I've tried many combinations, depending on the nature of the ride and the time of year. The bike is capable of comfortably carrying so much gear in so many combinations of bags that the biggest challenge is fighting the temptation to over-pack. On many rides, I start with most every bag about 3/4 full, which allows great flexibility to changing circumstances on the road. For a recent example, here's a link to a post of how I packed for the 2025 Black Hills Bounty ride. 2025 Bounty - Packing Redux.

Jones 29+ at the end of the Great Divide in 2021.

Overall, the Jones 29+ is one superbly comfortable bike, which is perfect for me for all day rides on rough roads repeated over many days or weeks, while carrying all my bikepacking gear. 

So, yes, I love my Jones 29+ and grab it for all single track rides, practically all rides around town, and most all of my bikepacking rides. I also have ridden it the past three years as a self-supported, solo racer at the 24 Hours In The Old Pueblo mountain bike race in Arizona. 

If I had just one bike, it would be the Jones 29+.

Jones 29+, loaded for the 2025 Black Hills Bounty.

Addendum. Notwithstanding my glowing endorsements of the Jones over the years, none of my bikepacking friends ride one. Instead, a high percentage of them ride a Salsa CutThroat, a nice, popular, conventional bike for bikepacking. I might prefer a CutThroat if I rode more domesticated roads, or maybe a full suspension mountain bike if I rode more technical single track. For my preferred rough road riding, I'm all in on the Jones.

One Of A Kind (Love Affair), Spinners (1972).

One Of A Kind (Love Affair), Spinners live (1976).

Single Speed On The Great Plains Gravel Route - Andy Phillips

Shout out to Andy Phillips, endurance cyclist extraordinaire and good cheer ambassador from Topeka, Kansas.

Andy is powering his single speed bikepacking bike across the country from the Texas/Mexico border to the North Dakota/Canada border on the new Great Plains Gravel Route ("GPGR"). That's about 3,500 miles with about 130,000 feet of elevation gain straight through the heart of the great plains, primarily on gravel roads. Self-supported, of course, re-supplying as he can along the way.

This route is new. Unlike the long established Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (1998) or the TransAmerica Trail (1976), the GPGR does not yet feature bike specific hostels or well-known campsites, recognized water/food re-supply spots, established alternative routes, or even locals familiar with scraggly bikepackers wandering along their backroads.

Andy is a pioneer blazing the trail for others to follow.

Andy Phillips rides into the sunset on Day 23 of his ride of the Great Plains Gravel Route.

I caught up with Andy earlier this week as he climbed out of the prairie and into the Black Hills on Pilger Mountain Road (USFS 317), a bit north of Edgemont, South Dakota. Although he had started riding that day at 5:00 am, he planned to keep pedaling for several more hours, even as the sun was setting and more storm clouds gathered.

That's how he's rolling over 125 miles/day for his first 23 days. Long days, often before sunrise and well after sunset. Short nights. Quick meals. Occasional showers. With thunderstorms and rain softening the gravel roads. And incessant winds, with little relief on the open prairie.

Always with a big smile. As in a "I-can't-believe-I get-to-do-this" smile. 

He's quite a sight to behold.

Andy Phillips climbing into the southern Black Hills on Pleasant Valley Road (USFS 715).

Just look at these images. 

By the time I caught up with him that evening, he'd already been on the road for about fifteen hours, weathering a series of fronts pounding the prairie with wind and rain. Some sections of gravel roads became too muddy to ride and even difficult to push, with clogging mud preventing the tires from rotating.  The rapidly moving fronts also brought stiff winds, sometimes tailwinds, but often not.

You'd never know any of that, from his beaming smile and infectious enthusiasm. The conditions do not detract from his joy. It's all just part of it, and he's just out doing what he loves to do.

Andy Phillips is all smiles topping off the climb up Pilger Mountain Road (USFS 317).

I hope to catch up with Andy sometime after he completes this journey and share more of his story. In the meantime, here's a link to follow his GPS tracker as he makes his way toward Canada. Andy Phillips - 2026 GPGR.