I have a regular 29 Jones spaceframe, and can't comment on the Plus other than to extrapolate (Jeff intended the two bikes - 24" Plus is equivalent to the 23" 29 - to encourage/accommodate the same fit and riding position). I'm 6'-2" with proportionally long torso / short legs.
Regarding Bill's questions about fit: As Eric said, the original production 29 bike was designed to fit Jeff himself, who is 6'-0" tall. An inch or so either way, accounting for unique body proportions, is a pretty easy fit process. For those beyond that - particularly at the extreme ends of the fit range, it is most often a fairly intensive process to get things dialed in. Though Jeff has a pretty good handle on it and recommends a good starting point, anecdotal evidence will tell you that people spend a lot of energy and a lot of time on this. Experimenting with layback or straight seatposts, different stem lengths, more or fewer stem spacers, different handlebars if the Loop doesn't jive and, as dstein said, a bottom bracket that gives you 1/2" of fore/aft or up/down fine tuning and effectively changes the frame size. And then you can dial in the steering to accommodate your final weighting balance, by playing with head tube shims. I have it set up now where I can, in a few minutes, swap in a different seatpost/saddle and stem to fit my 5'5" wife reasonably well. If she has her druthers, this is the bike she will choose when we go mountain biking, so I'm excited about the small Plus as a possibility for her. (it is a spaceframe design, by the way, which makes it even better.) However.... while the bike *does* work well for people of different sizes, what nobody ever really says is *that they each experience it in entirely different ways!* It's basically a completely different bike for each person. For people under about 5'-10" or so, you often hear them describe how they feel centered and ride "in the bike." For those over 6'-1" like me, nothing could be further from accurate. In my case, a big seatpost extension combined with a shallow angle means that I basically sit directly above the rear axle - not "in" the bike at all. And it really doesn't work to fight this, either, because of the relatively short top tube and close cockpit. Even with the slack angle, I had to use even more setback than I was accustomed to. For me and for how I use the bike - as a true mountain/trail bike - I really like the fact that my chainstays are effectively shorter. Wheelies, jumps, bunny hops, steep descents, tight turns are what it's about. So, while the comfort and riding position and low center of gravity are very akin to a Rivendell, the rest of its personality is extremely different. So, as to the OP's question of whether there is room for both a Jones and a Hunq: I say "heck, yeah!" The Hunqapillar is and has been since it was released, STILL my dream bike. Variety is the spice of life, so you just need to set them up differently. The issue for me though, and why I've never gotten a Hunq., is that for the way I want to set up and use *that* bike, I really expect it to fit perfect WITHOUT making accommodations. More of my all-day, everyday, touring, town, short road rides, light trail, shopping, picnic, camping, loaded touring, keep-it-for-the-rest-of-my-life bike. So I want it in MY size. I always tell people that if a Riv fits you well, buy it! Fit trumps everything and is not always as automatic as you'd hope. (I admittedly might have a problem though, because I want a 25" Plus, too) On Sunday, December 18, 2016 at 2:28:21 PM UTC-7, Bill Lindsay wrote: > > Eric reported: > > "I'm 6'3", 36" PBH, and fit quite well on a 25" Jones Plus (now "Jones > Large"). It's one of the most comfortable bikes I've owned, maybe THE most > comfortable." > > Thanks for responding. It's very good that you are comfortable on your > Jones Plus, but I was asking more about fit than comfort. Specifically, my > main question was not "who fits on a Jones". My question was "how does > fitting work?" Do you "get fit" by taking numerous measurements, like some > "bike fitters" do professionally? Do you just jump on a bike and ride it > and buy one if you like it? Do you talk on the phone to somebody at Jones > and they say "just buy size X?" The thing I'm gathering is that the Jones > is almost like a BMX bike for grown ups. It's so fun and killer and > comfortable that it transcends size and fit. Just go ride it and have > fun. Nobody "fit" a BMX bike. You just rode it and smiled. Is that a > reasonable assessment? Or is there something particular about the build > process where you dial in the fit with the steertube and seat post, and so > forth that allows you to get a precise "fit" even though there are only two > sizes? The vibe I'm getting is the bike kind of transcends fit. Just go > ride it, tweak things if you feel like it, and ride it some more. Is that > the way it works? > > Bill Lindsay > El Cerrito, CA > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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