Helen Wyman’s Kona Super Jake CX. © Cyclocross Magazine
We got a good look at Helen Wyman’s new Kona cyclocross bike today at Gloucester, and we also had a few minutes to chat with her about the first use of the new Chicane tires from Challenge that she and her husband helped design.
Wyman’s bike, a Super Jake CX, is Kona’s carbon foray into disc brakes, and it’s not just disc mounts on the old carbon frame that Wyman and Barry Wicks raced last season. Wyman explained, “First of all, to make it disc brake compatible, they’ve taken the entire frame and redesigned the rear triangle and it’s incredibly stiff.” The European Champion gushed, “It’s incredibly light, it’s lighter than last year’s bike.” We last looked at an iteration of Wyman’s ride back in 2010 when she was on the Kona Major Jake.
Despite being a disc model, it’s lighter than Wyman’s bike from last year. © Cyclocross Magazine
For componentry, the most interesting part is the exclusive Easton wheels, using Easton’s new wider EC90 SLX rims mated to Easton’s M1 mountain bike disc brake hubs. “The wheels are Easton but they’re specially made for us and the Rapha team, with a road rim and mountain hub,” Wyman points out.
The Easton wheels are a road/MTB hybrid with EC90SLX rims and M1 hubs. © Cyclocross Magazine
She added, “It has the new tires from Challenge on it, the Chicane, which will be out soon.” It was interesting to observe that Wyman’s tires are not Challenge’s Team Edition cotton versions, at least not yet.
Helen Wyman helped design Challenge’s latest tire, the Chicane. © Cyclocross Magazine
Wyman remains on 10-speed components, and instead of SRAM’s new Red hydraulic disc brake, she’s using TRP’s mechanical Spyre system. Of her new mechanical disc brakes, Wyman had nothing but praise: “I really like disc [brakes]. It’s like you’re on cantis, but you stop. For the first time ever, you actually stop.”
Mechanical discs and SRAM Red on Wyman’s Kona. © Cyclocross Magazine
Stay tuned for more pro cyclocross bike profiles from Vegas, China and Gloucester!
Specs Highlights:
Wyman elects to use Crankbrothers Eggbeaters. © Cyclocross Magazine
- Frame: Kona Super Jake CX
- Components: SRAM Red 10-speed with YAW
- Tires: Challenge Chicane 33mm tubular
- Wheels: Easton (EC90SLX road rim, mountain hub)
- Brakes: TRP Spyre SLC Dual Piston Mechanical Disc Brake, with Carbon Swingarm
- Seapost: Zipp SLSPEED 20 carbon
- Stem and bar: Zipp Service Course
- Pedals: Cranbrothers Eggbeater 11
- Saddle: WTB Thinline
