Jamis bikes

[mtbmichael]

After reading the Iron Horse thread I decided to make this. What is wrong with Jamis bikes? As a broke college student, they seem to be pretty good value for my money. I ride mine pretty hard and also crashed pretty hard with it and there doesn't seem to be any damage on it.

[guero]

i had a jamis dakar f/s bike i bought from performance back in 02 when i was a newbie. i didnt know squat about bikes and thought i was ballin' since i had a f/s bike. i didnt know that the components weren't the greatest, all i knew was that i thought $600 was a pretty hefty chunk of change to spend on a bike. (now my fork cost about that much). anyways, after about 6 months of riding or so i noticed i had cracked the chainstays on both sides. i didnt do any drops more than 3 feet i'd say (was a newbie), i took the bike back to performance and they covered it (rear sway arm) under warranty...it took about 3 weeks to get the piece from jamis.

that is my only experience with jamis. i know shinken and queenwillie both had/have them, as well as jasonmason. maybe they can chime in as well.

[mtbmichael]

that sucks, but now almost everyone here has nice bikes. I know that my components are not the greatest, but good enough I guess. My bike is not even full suspension so I'll see how this holds up.

[Pho'dUp]

Was that a first generation XLT Guero? 5" travel fully? Those things had a problem with the chainstays and tons of people were breaking them. Jamis took a long time to redesign the stays and people were pretty upset about it. A shame. At the time they were among the first of the big box brands to come out with a 5" trail bike at a reasonable weight. They just blew it with those under engineered stays.

I think they've figured their stuff out now though. They've always made a real nice steel 853 hardtail. I wanted a Jamis Dragon for years. But never got one.

[allison]

Originally Posted by mtbmichael

that sucks, but now almost everyone here has nice bikes. I know that my components are not the greatest, but good enough I guess. My bike is not even full suspension so I'll see how this holds up.

You don't need an expensive bike to have fun and ride with the group.

Whatever keeps you pedaling and brings a smile to you is good enough!

Many on here don't like Specialized bikes, but doesn't keep me from owning 3 currently and loving every minute with them

[guero]

Originally Posted by Pho'dUp

Was that a first generation XLT Guero? 5" travel fully? Those things had a problem with the chainstays and tons of people were breaking them. Jamis took a long time to redesign the stays and people were pretty upset about it....

carl, i think it only had 90mm of rear travel, so maybe in essence i pushed it too hard doing 3 footers, i dunno. but i do recall reading on mtbr lots of upset folks who also had the same prob.

michael, there is nothing wrong with starting off on a lower end 'big' brand bike. ride it like you stole it. learn what you like and dislike about that bike. and if you think you want to continue riding, then eventually upgrade to a new/used higher end hardtail or f/s bike. no point in dropping a lot of scrilla on a bike that you might not ride all that much.

[northshore]

Originally Posted by mtbmichael

that sucks, but now almost everyone here has nice bikes. I know that my components are not the greatest, but good enough I guess. My bike is not even full suspension so I'll see how this holds up.

Not everyone. I'm still riding a '02 Giant DS2 Warp. I think I've nearly replaced all the components except for the fork and the crappy rear Giant made rear coil over suspension. (The original components blow and brake too easily) I think I'm the only one who rides with V-brakes in STR. The frame just won't die. Maybe a possible SS bike if I buy another??

Like you, I'm looking around for another bike but am just as confused if not freaked out by the number of products out on the market now. In short, I'm no DH/rock hopping pro but I am looking for a decent bike for the dollar.

[mtbmichael]

thanks everyone. well, i have the komodo and the frame seems sturdy and it's kinda like a budget hardtail freeride/ urban, but it's strange having so much travel on a hardtail, i think. didnt really do anything too hardcore yet -going down 40+ step stairs, 3-4 ft drops onto flat ground that's about it.

[el_d00der1n0]

Originally Posted by northshore

... I think I'm the only one who rides with V-brakes in STR...

Nope. I'm the other one.

We ride what we can afford.

I've read a positive review on the Dakar recently. I think it was in DirtRag.

[tkblazer]

who cares what bike you have, as long as you ride it!

[queenwilhelmina]

My Jamis was a really decent bike for the price. Of course there is a noticeable difference between the Jammer and my Chumba, but it still holds up great. I'm only selling mine because I have the greatest bike on Earth now.

[DeeZee]

I would consider Jamis bikes a Category 3 bike and a good one. Let me explain...

Category 1= Boutique bikes and bike snobs. Custom builders like Ventana, Seven, Moots etc… or production builders like Turner, Intense, Ellsworth (just to name a few) fit into this category. These bikes are built from the ground up and only offered as a frame and or with “build kits”. Save your flames I am a Homer

Category 2= Production complete bikes. Can be just as good or even better than the Category 1 bikes. These bikes are in most cases the best value for your $$$ and have several models at different price points. Examples include, Specialized, Kona, Trek, Fisher (just to name a few).

Category 3 = Value based bikes. Can be just as good or even better than the Category 2 bikes. These bikes cut corners to keep the cost down. For example Ibex has no dealer network to keep the cost down but builds dam fine bikes for the $$$. Jamis has a rep for being good negotiators with suppliers to keep their costs down. The downside with this category is that they at times run out of certain models and can’t just do another “production run”. They outsource 100%. Also if they may have too many of a slow moving model….the result is to then blow them out at the end of the year for cheap. Gives consumers the impression that they are junk. I have two riding buddies that have a Ibex and a Jamis and they nice rigs.

Category 4= Walmart.

Bottom line is if you like your bike and ride the hell out of it who cares what name is on the down tube.

[jasonmason]

I've ridden my XLT all over, and for what it is it's been a versatile rig. I had the same problem with the chainstays, but with the redisigned rear chainstays it's been pretty solid - mine's got the chainstay off the '07 XCR, which is way better designed than the older (03-05) chainstays. Looking at it, it's not hard to see why they failed.
I've actually had 2 XLTs - one was my first fs bike, but i didn't know all that much and just kinda dove it without knowing about the chainstay issue. It was an '03, built pretty heavy, but held up well and got me into riding more. I actually did the traverse last year on that bike, all 34 lbs. of it! I then bought jose(shinken)'s 05 off him earlier this year, and after solving the chainstay issue with the newer one it's been great. Not the lightest bike out there, not much bells and whistles, but it's just been bomb-proof for the amount of miles i've been putting on it. Componentry ain't XTR, but it's xt/x7, and there are very few times it's handicapped me - i'm usually the weak link! I don't huck it much, but for a 5" trail bike it works pretty damn well...
I think jamis did get somewhat a bad name from the chainstay issue, plus that they just aren't that well known on the west coast...I'm told they're much more prevalent in other parts of the county, back east and what not. Anybody know more on that?

[northshore]

Originally Posted by el_d00der1n0

Nope. I'm the other one.

We ride what we can afford.

I've read a positive review on the Dakar recently. I think it was in DirtRag.

NIIICCEEEE!!!! At least I'm not alone bombing down a hill with V-brakes.

[theclayster]

i recently bought a Jamis Dakar Sport frame, full suspension(3-4in of travel in the rear), for the price of the frame i could not beat it. Took everything off of my HT and transfered it over. It is a good bike for me to start on, but looking to upgrade to a new bike here in the near future.

[ODB]

Jamis is most well-known for its budget/entry-level bikes, but that doesn't mean they can't put together a high-zoot ride as well. This is looking pretty damn tasty for '08:

http://content.mtbr.com/TRP_14_333_2crx.aspx

[Rockinthecasbah]

I have a komondo I use for a dj/Bmx track bike that seems to be hoding up ok

[RacinJason]

Don't forget Chumba.

Originally Posted by DeeZee

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I would consider Jamis bikes a Category 3 bike and a good one. Let me explain...[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Category 1= Boutique bikes and bike snobs. Custom builders like Ventana, Seven, Moots etc… or production builders like Chumba,Turner, Intense, Ellsworth (just to name a few) fit into this category. These bikes are built from the ground up and only offered as a frame and or with “build kits”. Save your flames I am a Homer[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Category 2= Production complete bikes. Can be just as good or even better than the Category 1 bikes. These bikes are in most cases the best value for your $$$ and have several models at different price points. Examples include, Specialized, Kona, Trek, Fisher (just to name a few)[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Category 3 = Value based bikes. Can be just as good or even better than the Category 2 bikes. These bikes cut corners to keep the cost down. For example Ibex has no dealer network to keep the cost down but builds dam fine bikes for the $$$. Jamis has a rep for being good negotiators with suppliers to keep their costs down. The downside with this category is that they at times run out of certain models and can’t just do another “production run”. They outsource 100%. Also if they may have too many of a slow moving model….the result is to then blow them out at the end of the year for cheap. Gives consumers the impression that they are junk. I have two riding buddies that have a Ibex and a Jamis and they nice rigs.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Category 4= Walmart.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Bottom line is if you like your bike and ride the hell out of it who cares what name is on the down tube. [/SIZE][/FONT]

The Jamis is a great bike for the money. Ride it and have a great time. That is all that matters. If it was not a decent bike I would have never let My wife ride one.
It was her first bike.

[mechmann]

what the hell is a Chuba?