Pro bike: Ryan Trebon’s Kona Major Jake custom

<source media="(max-width: 320px)" srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=320%2C416 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=480%2C624 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=615%2C800 4x" type="image/jpeg"> <source media="(max-width: 375px)" srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=90&resize=190%2C247, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=380%2C494 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=570%2C741 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=615%2C800 4x" type="image/jpeg"> <source media="(max-width: 425px)" srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=90&resize=215%2C279, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=430%2C559 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=616%2C800 3x" type="image/jpeg"> <source media="(max-width: 768px)" srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=90&resize=295%2C383, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=590%2C767 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=616%2C800 3x" type="image/jpeg"> <source media="(max-width: 992px)" srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=90&resize=136%2C176, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=272%2C353 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=408%2C530 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=544%2C707 4x" type="image/jpeg"> <source media="(min-width: 993px)" srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=90&resize=155%2C201, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=310%2C403 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=465%2C604 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=45&resize=615%2C800 4x" type="image/jpeg"> <img class="wp-image-327710 size-portrait_thumbnail image-handler__image image-handler__image--aspect no-wrap js-gallery-grid-src-image" src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7.jpg?quality=90&resize=556%2C723" width="556" height="723" data-crop-width="" data-crop-height="" alt="Ryan Trebon (Kona) is hard to miss aboard this ultra-tall – and very orange – Kona Major Jake with custom geometry" title="1260785978038-1ki3vrqnlp7ky-8f749c7" style="width: auto; height: 100%;"> Ryan Trebon (Kona) is hard to miss aboard this ultra-tall – and very orange – Kona Major Jake with custom geometry James Huang

Unlike some riders who feel the need for radically upgraded gear year after year, Ryan Trebon (Kona) is on an identical frame to the one he used last year and he’s quite happy about it.

In fact, the 2008 US national cyclo-cross champion – he was pipped to the post by Tim Johnson in this year’s championships at the weekend – has been on Kona frames since 2005 and after years of tweaking and refinement, he feels his Major Jake is a perfect fit both in terms of sizing and riding style.

Trebon’s frame is custom built but, aside from an extra centimetre of length in the top and seat tubes, is a virtual clone of the 62cm production model, with the same butted and modestly shaped Kona Race Light Scandium tubing, an asymmetrically machined head tube and a machined driveside chainstay stub for extra chainring and tyre clearance.

However, Trebon’s frame omits bottle mounts on the seat tube and, of course, is covered in team-trademark bright orange paint. “They’re just a little taller in both the seat tube and top tube length but they’re pretty close to the stock 62cm,” he says. “It’s the same tubing and everything; it’s just a little bit bigger.”

The riding position has been similarly refined over the years and has been very consistent over the past few seasons. Trebon says he starts every season with the same baseline settings and then makes only very minor adjustments from there based on feel – but only a couple of millimetres at a time in any direction to avoid injury.

The list of carryover componentry includes a well-worn-in Selle San Marco Concor Lite saddle, wide-profile KORE Race+ cantilevers with SwissStop Yellow King pads, and a heap of parts from FSA, including an OS-99 forged aluminium stem, Energy T traditional-bend aluminium bar, SL-K Light carbon crankset with ceramic bottom bracket and RD-488 deep-section carbon tubular wheels.

<source media="(max-width: 320px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260786389890-1doenjj02je2h-658479d.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=300%2C225, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260786389890-1doenjj02je2h-658479d.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=600%2C450 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260786389890-1doenjj02je2h-658479d.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=900%2C675 3x" type="image/webp"><source media="(max-width: 320px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260786389890-1doenjj02je2h-658479d.jpg?quality=90&resize=300%2C225, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260786389890-1doenjj02je2h-658479d.jpg?quality=45&resize=600%2C450 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260786389890-1doenjj02je2h-658479d.jpg?quality=45&resize=900%2C675 3x" type="image/jpeg"><source media="(max-width: 375px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260786389890-1doenjj02je2h-658479d.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=355%2C266, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260786389890-1doenjj02je2h-658479d.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=710%2C532 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260786389890-1doenjj02je2h-658479d.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=1065%2C799 3x" type="image/webp"><source media="(max-width: 375px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260786389890-1doenjj02je2h-658479d.jpg?quality=90&resize=355%2C266, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260786389890-1doenjj02je2h-658479d.jpg?quality=45&resize=710%2C532 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260786389890-1doenjj02je2h-658479d.jpg?quality=45&resize=1065%2C799 3x" type="image/jpeg"> The kore race+ cantilevers feature a wide profile and road-style cartridge pads: James Huang Trebon has switched from an Alpha Q CX20 carbon fork to one from Edge Composites, though, and also updates to Shimano’s latest Dura-Ace 7900 group. Up front, there’s a new FSA ceramic-bearing headset and the seatpost has been beefed up to FSA’s even-burlier FR-230. Total weight is barely changed from last year at 8.39kg (18.5lb) – a reasonable figure considering the bike’s size.

In spite of the expansive lengths of tubing in between the TIG-welded joints, Trebon says the frame stiffness suits his explosive riding style well and he doesn’t feel disadvantaged relative to the featherweight rigs of some of his competitors. “Weight isn’t everything,” he says. “I tend to ride a lot more out of the saddle and do really hard accelerations. Stiffness and handling are the most important to me.”

That Selle San Marco Concor Lite saddle is clearly quite important to him, too, as the discontinued model is becoming increasingly difficult to find. However, Trebon is well stocked. “That’s the same one I used last year,” he says. “I think I’ve got six upstairs and about 10 in the garage. I don’t really like them when they’re brand new. I like them when they’re about a year old. When they get more broken in they feel better.”

Trebon needs to use a beefy fsa fr-230 seatpost since there is so much of it sticking out of the frame: James Huang We photographed Trebon’s bike ahead of the US national champs when it was fitted with aggressive Dugast Rhino tubulars, ideal for sloppy conditions. Yet even the grippiest tires are useless if they don’t stay on the rim.

Trebon says his gluing process “isn’t magic” but he’s deliberate, mindful of adequate curing time and swears by double-sided ‘Belgian tubular tape’ to create a rock-solid bond. Both the rim and tyre get two base coats – with overnight curing time allowed between coats – plus another tack coat per side with the tape applied in between.

“In ‘cross it’s not so much the lateral cornering force but it’s when the tyre gets unweighted and then suddenly weighted that it cracks the bond,” Trebon says. “I like the tape; it makes it really easy and is so secure that it’s hard to get the tyre off.”

<source media="(max-width: 320px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978059-81tmjvdtnt94-e624fe7.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=300%2C225, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978059-81tmjvdtnt94-e624fe7.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=600%2C450 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978059-81tmjvdtnt94-e624fe7.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=900%2C675 3x" type="image/webp"><source media="(max-width: 320px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978059-81tmjvdtnt94-e624fe7.jpg?quality=90&resize=300%2C225, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978059-81tmjvdtnt94-e624fe7.jpg?quality=45&resize=600%2C450 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978059-81tmjvdtnt94-e624fe7.jpg?quality=45&resize=900%2C675 3x" type="image/jpeg"><source media="(max-width: 375px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978059-81tmjvdtnt94-e624fe7.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=355%2C266, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978059-81tmjvdtnt94-e624fe7.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=710%2C532 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978059-81tmjvdtnt94-e624fe7.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=1065%2C799 3x" type="image/webp"><source media="(max-width: 375px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978059-81tmjvdtnt94-e624fe7.jpg?quality=90&resize=355%2C266, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978059-81tmjvdtnt94-e624fe7.jpg?quality=45&resize=710%2C532 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/1260785978059-81tmjvdtnt94-e624fe7.jpg?quality=45&resize=1065%2C799 3x" type="image/jpeg"> The chainstays start out tall at the bottom bracket and transition to round for the rest of the length: James Huang Complete bike specifications

Frame: Kona Major Jake custom Fork: Edge Composites Cross Headset: FSA Orbit Extreme Pro Ceramic Stem: FSA OS-99, 13cm x -6° Handlebars: FSA Energy T, 44cm (c-c) Tape: FSA cork Front brake: KORE Race+ w/ SwissStop Yellow King pads Rear brake: KORE Race+ w/ SwissStop Yellow King pads Brake levers: Shimano Dura-Ace STI Dual Control ST-7900 Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace FD-7900-B Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace RD-7900-SS Shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace STI Dual Control ST-7900 Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace CS-7900, 12-25T Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace CN-7900 Crankset: FSA SL-K Light, 177.5mm, 39/46T w/ Thorne Koksijde outer chainring Bottom bracket: FSA MegaExo Ceramic Pedals: Shimano XTR PD-M970 Wheelset: FSA RD-488 tubular Front tyre: Dugast Rhino tubular, 34mm Rear tyre: Dugast Rhino tubular, 34mm Saddle: Selle San Marco Concor Lite Seatpost: FSA FR-230 Critical measurements

Rider’s height: 1.96m (6ft 5in) Rider’s weight: 80.7kg (178lb) Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 935mm Saddle setback: 133mm Seat tube length, c-t: 632mm Seat tube length, c-c: 580mm Tip of saddle nose to C of bars: 679mm Saddle-to-bar drop (vertical): 178mm Head tube length: 195mm Top tube length: 620mm Total bicycle weight: 8.39kg (18.5lb) You can follow BikeRadar on Twitter at twitter.com/bikeradar .