… and this time, I’m going a leaning towards something a little cheaper, but still with everything I want. I got hold of Midwest Cyclery yesterday morning, and asked the nice fellow on the phone about the Jake the Snake, and the Dew Drop. He’s got several Snake’s in already, and in the sizes I’m interested in trying out. However, the Drop isn’t even in the country at this point, so it’s way too early to pull the trigger. I imagine the Drop to be cheaper as well, but again, not in the country… impossible to say.

While the Jake has the road geometry I’m a fan of, it doesn’t have the disc brakes or the triple crank that I’d like to keep around. The Snake also has Shimano STI shifters, which, while nice, would take some getting used to. The Drop comes with Shimano 2203 shifters, which have essentially the same action as the Campi Ergo shifters, if not quite as luxurious. I wouldn’t have to get used to anything drastically new. Both bikes have 700 tires, the Snake with 700x35c and the Dew with 700x37c, so they’re essentially equal on that front. The components on the Dew are slightly lower in the Shimano line than those on the Snake, but how much will that really matter? I can always upgrade piecemeal down the road.

Both are really pretty bikes, and I do like the idea of staying with Kona. After all, my Fire Mountain has really stood the test of time, and I have to admit to a little brand loyalty on this. I don’t have that with… well… come to think of it, any other company right now, so I’m going to allow it, even though I still hold to the idea that corporations are, as a whole, Of The Devil.

The only thing that would make either of these bikes absolutely 100% drop the cash right now perfect is if they had steel frames.