I’m 6’4″ tall and when I see other extra large bikes I’m always curious just how tall the owner of that bike is. So when I scrolled past this Jake the Snake CR on Instagram the first thing that caught my eye was the size… Close inspection revealed one blinging Jake featuring SRAM Red Wireless eTap group-set. Luckily for us, its owner Steve was happy to head out and shoot a few more photos of this beautiful bike and share with us a bit of his and the bike’s story.

I’m a Bay Area native who has moved back home to San Francisco after nearly a decade in New York running non-profit youth cycling programs in NYC public high schools, all on my 2011 Kona Jake. I found it to be the most versatile machine to put in long hours on the saddle, whether on the streets of Brooklyn or the trails of Syracuse. I was madly in love with that bike. Shortly after moving back to San Francisco I was heartbroken to find my chainstay had cracked all the way through. I actually contacted ya’ll at Kona and you in-turn sent me a 2017 Jake the Snake CR frame and fork, no questions asked. I was floored. Kona is the best. Needless to say, this was a sign from the gods to create my dream bike.

I’m 6’7″/215lbs so the 63 cm Jake the Snake carbon frame is the ultimate base to build out an XL rig that’s fast, powerful, and practical. The drivetrain includes the 11-speed SRAM RED eTap groupset, SRAM RED 22 crankset (36/52) with 177.5 carbon cranks (to fit my long legs), and a SRAM Eagle 50t rear cassette/chain. The pedals are Shimano Dura Ace PD-R9100’s. The wheels are built for pavement carbon Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3 TLR Disc and Gatorskin tires. The handlebar is a 44cm-wide Zipp Service Course SL-80 with the FSA No.57B headset. I kept my 31.6mm 2011 Kona seat post with the old Kona logo as a nostalgic touch.