I’ve already posted some of these photos to my Instagram account, but as I don’t find it an especially satisfying platform these days, I figured I’d pop them up here! (that said, I met Alex via IG, when, as fellow Jones owners and enthusiasts, we shared some messages. So it’s certainly good for some things)

Anyway, it’s not often you bump into another Jones rider, let alone one who’s aboard a ti LWB, and a mere 25-minute train ride away!

Atlanta-born @alexeygist started the rugged GB Divide on a traditional touring bike last year, before crashing badly and breaking his wrist. After returning to the US to recover, he’s now back with his investment, a Jones Titanium Plus LWB Spaceframe, and he’s ridden the gorgeous but often gruelling Lakeland 300 and the Highland 550 so far. Having set up a temporary base with a friend in Wales, who he met on that same fateful trip, Alex plans to continue bikepacking through Europe until October. It’s perhaps no surprise that he adores his new bike, and feels way more confident on it too.

Despite the inclement weather, we met up for a couple of night’s woodland camping in Bristol and Wales, to talk life, Jones’, tarps, hammocks, Japanese tea ceremonies, and more. Then, we stashed our bags in the undergrowth to ride trails in Bourton Combe; perfect singletrack fodder for the LWBs!

We have some plans to ride the just-released Traws Eryri together, a 130-mile bikepacking route in Snowdonia… if the sun ever comes out again for more than a few hours.

Anyway, onto some photos and some deep-dive details!

Choice cuts:

• Rogue Panda Framebag
• Jones Carbon H-Bars Loop and EVA grips
• Jones C-rims with Onyx rear hub, Jones front hub
• Sram GX Drivetrain with Ingrid 10-52 12 spd cassette
• Pedaling Innovations mega pedals (I’m a big fan of these too)
• Brooks B17

Also, we share the same, good-natured disdain for the amount of time ‘Jones’ is written on the bike (-;

How about that beautiful tweed stem bag though?!

“Essentially the story is that I was cycling up and over the pass, one morning, between Glen Lyon and Loch Rannoch. Just before the start of the Rannoch woodland, I come upon a walker who seems a little out of her depth. So I hop off the bike, walk with her, and we start chatting, as you do. Instantly I hear the American accent. For a moment there’s an odd comfort to hearing an American accent in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country – something somewhat familiar. She says that she’s originally from New Jersey but lived for a while in Appalachian Georgia, but has since expatriated to the Outer Hebrides. I mention I’m from Atlanta, one thinged to another, and I’ve got an invitation to a home on the Isle of Lewis. She was very intrigued by my bike luggage and wanted to try her hand at making some. After showing me her collection of tweeds and quilts and embroidery, I suggested that a tweed stem bag could be something quite special.

She works with tweed generally in the form of quilts, bed runners, table runners, pillowcases, that sort of thing. My ex had this cashmere scarf she got from Italy many moons ago, and it had this vibrant ocean turquoise contrasted with a fiery, sun-orange color. So she took me to a tweed shop on Harris to see if we could find something with a similar feel with a distinctly Outer Hebridean aesthetic.

I found one of those DIY stem bag guides, we had a few talks about the various materials, and then a few weeks later when I’m back in Wales the postman drops off a box with three variations of a stem bag (she said she was feeling creative), along with a massive bag of peanut brittle.”

Chill morning vibes.

But which is the chillest? Hammock or tarp? My tarp is made by New-England based Hyperlite, Alex’s Hammock is from Colorado-based Warbonnet Outdoors.

Personally, I love waking out amongst the wildflowers in a meadow, or on a soft forest floor. But I have to admit, Alex looked pretty chill amongst the trees.

From what I could see, the hammock is super quick to set up without the additional rainfly/tarp, but a bit more fiddly if you need full coverage. Alex reckons he sleeps way better in a hammock, though. His is the Ridgerunner model, which is designed to be used with a conventional air mattress and fitted with additional Ruta Locura poles, so the ends won’t bunch up. He bought it for his work as an Outdoor Educator in the Appalachians.

“In so far as Scotland was concerned, there were so many places that were inhospitable even to a tent either because too boggy or the heather was too tall, so finding trees wasn’t more of a headache than searching for a tent pitch would’ve been, generally speaking. The hammock is also nice for stealth camping. Easy to sleep in town/village parks. Had contemplated sleeping in an Edinburgh park but nah.

I suppose the tarp can be pitched on the ground and the hammock used as a bivy on the ground. It’s not something I’ve had any practice doing and haven’t had to set it up like that in the field, but it’s possible in a pinch. Other than that, if it were possible, I would never sleep on the ground again. Never sore in the morning and always super refreshed for the day!”

Nothing like waking up to this woodland canopy, especially if you’re swinging gently and serenely in a hammock, I expect.

We gushed over the way the LWB is such a stable, playful, and comfortable bicycle, wrapped up in an aesthetically pleasing package. Lots of bike staring ensued.

We didn’t just talk Jones and hammocks though. Here, Alex is discussing the minutiae of Japanese tea ceremonies, a previous job of his in New York.

My coffee ceremony…

And a hammock ceremony…

Bridleway gates and red telephone boxes. Quintessential England.

Steel Diamond and Truss. Ti Spaceframe and Truss. Same magic Jones geometry.

Heading back into the city, via Ashton Court.

As it happens, we’re both fans of Taifin Aeropacks and BXB bags.

Bonus bike nerdery. A few people have asked how the Jones and BXB combo works, so here it is, seen here with a Randi Jo Jeff ‘n Joan’s bag, on a trip in the Quantocks.

Also…

A Bosch-powered e-cargo bike, by Cube.

Seen outside Spike Island, where we had a delicious post-overnighter brunch.

Spike Island fare. Especially delicious after a campout dinner!

Related: I’m a big fan of the Propel Youtube channel.

And I keep mulling:

Is it Kyosho time?!

Thanks for reading. Any questions, fire away!