When it comes to bikes I am a self described "serial monogamist". I absolutely cherish them and care for them meticulously but I don't very often fall in love with them.  There always seems to be some thing else on the horizon that captures my attention and my affections.

Over the years there have been a few bikes that I have truly been smitten by and they are my point of reference when it comes to finding a bike that I consider magnificent.  Like first love there is definitely a bike that I remember falling for and thinking this is the best companion ever.  That would have been my 1988 Pinarello Montello. It was built using a mix of Columbus SLX  and SPX steel tubes and the ride was sublime.  Along the way there have been a few others and they remain firmly planted in my memory. Now along comes the KONA Major Jake and I have fallen again.  Never thought I would see the day I would say that about a 'cross bike.

Sometime around September of 2010 I built up a 2011 KONA Major Jake carbon cyclo-cross frameset.  This was a bike that I had been waiting to see for a long time.  KONA has been a solid fixture in the relatively brief history of American cyclo-cross.  With their early Jake cyclo-cross bike they were one of the first companies, along with others like Redline and Bianchi, to devote their energies to a true cyclo-cross bike.  Most other companies were late to the game and simply started by converting their touring bikes to look like a cyclo-cross bike.  Over the past ten (or more) years KONA have continued to refine their 'cross bikes with the input of top riders like Dale and Anne (Grande) Knapp, Barry Wicks, Ryan Trebon and a whole contingent of KONA riders that saddled themselves up on a Jake the Snake. Up until 2010 though all of their 'cross bikes had been built from either aluminum or scandium tube sets.  The bikes were fast, comfortable and were definitely some of the most capable racers but they did not carry the same mystique as some of the carbon cross offering that were beginning to appear in bike shops.  KONA has never (in my experience) been a company to jump into a new platform simply to keep up with emerging trends so it was no surprise that they waited so long to introduce a carbon model 'cross frame.  Holding true to their history of making top flight no gimmick cross racers KONA did their homework and built what I consider one of the finest cyclo-cross bikes on the market.  And I am not just holding this bike next to the domestic models. No, this bike I reckon would hold its own against any of the big euro-cross models that feature on the World Cup circuit.

So what is it about this bike that has me so captivated. Is it because it is carbon and so now it is suddenly world class? No, the carbon plays a significant role, but it is the entire package and the details none of which were missed when this bike was designed.  If you would indulge me for a while I will take you on a tour of this bike that I have had the great pleasure of riding for the past 13 months.

Obviously the biggest difference is the frame material. When the decision was made to switch to carbon KONA was given greater latitude to make adjustments to tube shapes and therefore affect changes in the ride characteristics of the bike. True to form KONA has maintained fairly classic tube profiles throughout the bike. The departures from the classic round shapes are not so radical as to appear overly shaped for an aesthetic rather than functional trait. The down tube is actually octagonal.  From a distance the shape is not obvious but up close the bottom and top surfaces of the down tube are flattened.  The down tube widens to nearly the entire width the BB30 bottom bracket but get taller as it approaches the tapered 1-1/8"- 1-1/2" head tube.  The top tube is flattened for shouldering at the seat tube cluster but it flares and has a deep-V profile where it meets up with the head tube.  

The seat tube is round but it tapers at the BB as well as at the seat tube cluster.  This gives the bike greater stiffness when driving hard on the pedals while seated. The seat stays are thin and round in profile and mate up with the seat tube in a wishbone style configuration.  The wishbone also works very nicely to support an integrated rear cable hanger.

The cable hanger is not simply there for aesthetics, it is very functional.  The integrated cable hanger is far stiffer than the riveted and bonded cable hangers I have seen on other major brands.

The chain stays as well are not quite round but have more of a square profile, and similar to the seat stays they mate up with the bottom bracket using a wishbone style junction.

KONA use plenty of surface area for the junction which contributes to the stiffness of the drive train but leaves plenty of clearance to shed mud and grime when conditions get nasty.

Speaking of riding in nasty conditions KONA have routed their cables in an exceptionally clean manner. It is simple, clean, and functional and changing the cable out is still very easy. The rear brake and derailleur cables are all internally routed. The problem I have seen with some other company's internal routing is that they are using seals to keep water and other muck out of the frame.  If you have ever ridden or raced in the pacific northwest you know that there is no seal good enough to keep their nasty conditions out of your bike.  KONA's solution is relatively simple yet brilliant.  The internal routing is completely enclosed and is never open to the inside of the frame's tubes.  The internal routing is just barely wide enough in diameter to accept cable systems with liners such as Gore and Nokon systems, yet there is no extra space to collect water or muck.  There are other companies that are using this same design element but so far I have not seen another bike that does it as cleanly as KONA.  The brake and derailleur cables enter the frame just behind the head tube. This feature keeps the cables shorter and closer to the frame for an uncluttered appearance.

The cables do need to exit the frame and KONA made sure their exit comes out just as smooth as where they went in.  Sealed cable systems have become commonplace on 'cross bike yet many companies still feel the need to route their cable on the top tube in order to keep the cables out of the mud.  KONA have always routed their derailleur cables on the downtube similar to road bikes.  Personally I have always been opposed to top tube routed cables and have never had any real problems with derailleur cable getting overly gunked up when they are routed on the down tube.  As effective as the sealed systems are there should be no reason why all companies should not be routing their cables down low... but I digress.

The internally routed derailleur cables on the Major Jake come out of the frame just in front of the bottom bracket. The front derailleur cable then is routed through a guide hole in the seat stay wish bone and up to the front derailleur.  No cable pulley is necessary with this configuration. The rear derailleur cable is routed to the rear derailleur below the drive side chain stay in the traditional manner. But here is my first complaint about this bike.  It is the stock bottom bracket mounted cable guide that KONA uses.  The problem is obvious in the photo below.  

Do you see the issue.  The rear derailleur cable routes just fine through the guide but there is no way to keep the front derailleur cable inside the guide.  Looks like KONA is going to have to find a different guide system. Luckily and despite the wonky routing my front shifting has not been compromised. **I was notified by the folks at KONA that the cable guide issue has now been resolved.**

The rear brake cable exits the frame just before the seat tube cluster. I am not sure if KONA planned this or purposely designed this but I have never seen a cable exit a tube and remain so close to the frame.  Yeah I geek out about these things but it is the small details that differentiate a good frame from a great one. My leg never rubs the cable when pedaling.

Now doesn't that look nice?

Appearances are all well and good but looks only mean something if they make the bike ride ride well.  In this regard the Major Jake is magnificent.  Geometry on the Major is a bit slacker than what I have seen on most other brands.  According to the KONA geo table my 61cm Major has a 72.7 degree seat angle and a 72.5 degree head angle.  The chain stays are 425mm which seems now to be where other companies are moving to. This bike accelerates incredibly well and I credit the shorter and stouter chain stays for that. I was always impressed with the scandium Major's ability to accelerate but the carbon frame goes one better.  In spite of the increased stiffness in the rear end the bike is incredibly comfortable.  If the frame was scandium I think the shortened chainstays would have meant a harsher ride. 

At the front end of the bike the oversize a shaped tube create a ride quality that instill tons of confidence, especially at high speeds.  Whether you are all out in a straight line or banking hard at high speed into a corner this bike follows a line without hesitation.  The burly front end and stiff fork allow the bike to track very well and still soak up the chunder. At low speeds when making slow hard turns that involve digging the front wheel into the dirt to make a tight turn the fork responds superbly. Instead of a slightly flexy gummy feeling going into those hard turns the front end digs and pulls the bike out of the turn.  The only turns that I seem to have some issues with are the moderate speed tight turns.  Maybe it is the slacker head angle but I find that I drift a bit more than I want it to.  

In Missoula we use our 'cross bikes part of the year as our road bikes when we are out for back road adventures.  We are surrounded in western Montana with hundreds of miles of fire roads, logging roads and other rarely used dirt roads that cris-cross from one valley to the next.  It is not uncommon to be out on dirt roads for 4-5 hours without being on pavement or seeing any cars.  There are also very rarely any convenience stores on these rides so we have to carry what we need.  This is one area where the Major comes up short.  It only has one bottle cage. Yes, it was designed to be a race bike and to that end it is one of the best.  The folks at KONA even considered not putting any bottle mounts on the frame similar to a couple of other top flite 'cross racers.  Their reasoning is that they want to minimize the number of potential points that mud or water can get into the frame. It definitely makes sense. My preference though would be for two bottle mounts because around here this is my bike of choice for half my rides.  The other half of my riding I split between my road or Mtn bike. **One more update - The folks at KONA told me that they would be adding a second bottle cage to their 2013 model year Majors.**

In terms of other areas to improve this bike I am coming up empty.  KONA is not usually known for their lighter than air bicycles, preferring to make a bike that will last for years rather than for only one season.  But this bike built up pretty light.  With aluminum tubulars on the bike my 61cm Major Jake weighs in at 16.7lbs.  Not to shabby.

The only other change I am eager to see is the addition of disc brakes to the frame and fork.  A few companies have added mechanical discs to their bikes but for a race rig I am content to wait until someone comes out with a functioning hydraulic system with 140mm rotors. I don't see my self sticking on a hydraulic brake adapter.  Both SRAM and Shimano are reported to be working on prototypes already. While many remain unconvinced of the benefits of discs on 'cross bikes I am confident that hydraulic discs will be as commonplace on 'cross bikes as they are on mountain bikes.  The braking quality will have to match that of mountain bike in order for them to be a viable option on 'cross bikes.  The other reason why I am so eager to see hydraulic discs goes back to the way that we ride our cyclo-cross bikes around here.  The improved braking performance in all weather conditions will be very welcome.  Until then though, maybe a cable hanger on the fork would help minimize chatter on the front end.

All in all this bike ranks up there as one of the nicest bikes I have ever ridden.  It is light, comfortable and handles all terrain very well.  Construction is no nonsense and function supersedes form, and yet this is one nice looking bike.