12/21/2006 - Shopping for a cyclocross bike (pt 3)

OK, so now I'm looking at some pretty high end cyclocross bikes. These are all going for close to $2000, but have real high end components, carbon fiber forks, and carbon fiber seat stays. I probably shouldn't be spending this much money on a bike, but I'll probably be spending the majority of my riding time on this particular bike, so it might be worth it...alteast thats how I'm justifying it ;-)

Of all the bikes I've looked at so far, I think the one shown above, the Jamis Supernova, is my favorite. Retailing for around $1825, it features a Kinesium Triple butted main frame with carbon fiber seat stays, an Easton EC90X full carbon cross fork, Shimano Ultegra/105 drivetrain, and Easton/Velomax Vista wheelset. Wow, pretty sweet stuff. According to Jamis, the bike weighs a feathery 18.25 lbs. If I decide to spend this much money, I think this will be the bike I go with. Love that orange/white color scheme also!


Another contender is the Kona Major Jake (shown above). At about $1900, it features an Easton Ultralite aluminum frame with Carbon Seat Stays, an Easton EC90X Carbon cross fork, full Shimano 105 drivetrain, and a Ksyrium Equipe Wheelset. Its pretty comparable to the Jamis Supernova and probably weighs about the same. I like the fact that the Jamis has its cables routed along the top tube though, wheras the Kona's are routed on the downtube. I also like the orange/black color scheme on the Kona, but the Jamis is a bit sexier.

One other bike in this price range that I've been looking at is the Van Dessel Gin & Trombones.