Jamis overhauledThe XAM last year, and still found room for improvementTo make it even better!They beefed upThe chainstay and yoke dimensions and madeThe rear dropoutThru-axle compatible.The resulting increase in lateral stiffness keepsThe rear wheelTracking in line withThe front no matter how deep you are into suspensionTravel.The mp3 suspension makesThe XAM an incredibly plush, yet efficientTrail bike.The suspension is fully active, so go ahead and claw your way up-trail, free of pedal-bob, an
Submitted by
OCcali556mm
a Weekend Warrior
from Stanton, CA
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2011
Strengths: It is a great descender and freeride for a all mountain bike and still has enough all mountain experience to uphill. You can get it for as cheap as 1000 dollars stock.
Weaknesses: It does way 36lbs which is heavy for uphill; although, I can still productively uphill with it. It is just a tad heavy.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for an all mountain biker that leans toward descending. It has the durability and weight that can succeed in dh runs and the geometry to still accomplish your occasional uphill adventure.
Bike Setup: Jamis xam 1.0 08' Raceface dh stem, answer protaper dh handlebars, sram x.9 shifters and x.9 rear and front derailleur, shimano m582 2x crankset, highroller frnt and minion rear tires.
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Submitted by
MtBgUy87
a Weekend Warrior
from Valencia, Ca, usa
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2011
Strengths: Good geometry, strong, good finish, fox dhx air
Weaknesses: A bit on the heavyside
Bottom Line:
This bike is great for a weekend enthusiast like myself. The bike handles very well on tight turns and drops. The fox dhx air soaks up alot of big hits from rock gardens to jumps and drops. I bought the frame from jensonusa for $550....sweet deal!!! Very sturdy frame, chainstay welds look good, paint job looks really cool also, great bike for XC use or all mountain riding. I dont climb so well but im sure it wouldnt be so hard with the propedal in the shock. The descent is a blast!!
Bike Setup: Manitou nixon, fox dhx air 4.0, avid bb7 brakes, truvativ blaze crankset, shimano deore shifters f+r derailuers, easton ea30 bars, easton vice stem, sunrims single track wheels, wtb velociraptors.
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Submitted by
jjkrynock
a Weekend Warrior
from charlotte, nc
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2010
Strengths: plush ride; good balance; customer service from Jamis is excellent. stock shocks and suspension (marzocchi bomber and fox dhx air 4.0 propedal) handle very well. seems to be tough bike to damage. shifters work very well and consistently when adjusted properly
Weaknesses: my chainstay broke (fluke?) but was replaced very quickly without hassle under warranty. tires that came with it are un-impressive
Bottom Line:
This was a fantastic bike for me to pick up. I'm just getting into the sport so I don't know much and haven't ridden many other bikes, but it has been good to me. It fits me, rides smooth, and handles whatever I can throw at it. I've taken it on trails mostly and downhill once, and the bike performed up to my amateur expectations. The chain stay did break by the rear axle after only 3 months. Jamis had it replaced under warranty in about a week and a half with no questions. As long as it doesn't happen again, I'm going to assume that it was a fluke. I've got no problems pedaling uphill with it so the weight (35lbs) is ok.
Similar Products Used: none really, I'm just getting into sport
Bike Setup: Jamis Dakar XAM 1: marzocchi bomber 55 fork; fox dhx air 4.0 suspension; shimano deohr shifters and drive train; juicy 3 hydrolic brakes with avid g3cs discs; mavic 317 disc rims and kenda nevegal tires (which I plan on replacing soon); easton handle bars
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Submitted by
thomas20
a Weekend Warrior
from wyomining MN
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2010
Strengths: can do it all lite free ride in twincitys to rockin the trail logs are now not dreaded like they were on my hard tail and it jumps well and can up almost as well down but down is what this really likes to do
Weaknesses: avid turky gooble thru on my tektro pros much better some might think it is heavy at 35 lbs but then you should be trainin with this bike and than ragin your xc bike when it time to race
Bottom Line:
this bike is the stuff ride it hard it is tuffer than you are and way tuffer than i am did get back in to jumpin and just haven a blast
Bike Setup: stock sept the brakes runin 160 front and rear if you need new breakes try the tektro pros they bit well and don't fade and easy to bleed and biger grips
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Submitted by
trek430032
a Weekend Warrior
from greenwood sc
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2009
Strengths: frame geometry,components are nice for the price,suspension is very plush
Weaknesses: the only thing i can say is that the rims may be a little narrow fro this bike but they are very strong
Bottom Line:
i test rode several giants including the reighn and trance.i also test rode 2 stuntjumpers.this bike just felt rite from the moment i test rode it.it feels like an extension of my lower body.i am absolutely in love with this bike.
Bike Setup: avid juicys,shimano deore,race face cranks,55tst2 bomber front,fox dhx air 4.o rear,panracer tires,
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Submitted by
Ens.Mongo
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix
Date Reviewed: March 24, 2009
Strengths: I researched and rode a bunch of bike before I got the Jamis. You can not pass up this bike due to the components-Front fork etc... This bike is great for the trails in and around Phoenix. It handles the rocky trails pretty well. For the money you can not beat this bike. This bike is a "pig" on down hills, it plows down all the steep hills here. I mean a "pig" in a good way!
Weaknesses: The bike seems heavy at times. I took off the maxxis 2.35 and replaced them with lighter bontrager 2.10. The hayes hydrolic breaks are ok, I have had to replace the front brake twice. The heat and dry air is the cause of this.
Bottom Line:
This is a good bike for the money. I am going to keep it through the summer to move to a Santa Cruz Blur or a Pivot mach 5. You can not go wrong with this bike.
Favorite Trail: Desert Classic and National Trails
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$1700.00
Purchased At: Adventure Bikes
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz-test rode a Pivot-
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Submitted by
third idiot
a Weekend Warrior
from Brisbane Australia
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2009
Strengths: Excellent value for the spec. Suspension is great. The bike is tuff - I have been using it for about a year and a half and it has done a few thousand km in that time. It's a comfortable all day bike that soaks up the bumps.
Weaknesses: Not the lightest. stock hubs aren't that flash. Rear brake cable routing.
Bottom Line:
This bike felt right when I test rode it and it proved a great choice. It has handled anything I have thrown at it. It's been great in endurance races. If you want a fast XC bike don't buy this. A great fun bike to ride.
Bike Setup: Stock. Only some basic basic changes to cassette etc as they have required replacing.
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Submitted by
Iamwarthog
a Cross Country Rider
from SLO Ca. USA
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2008
Strengths: Great Value, great handling.
Weaknesses: Poor choice of wheel spec, cheap hubs, good rims for a lighter XC bike, but too narrow/light for this type of bike. Stock bars WAY too narrow.
Bottom Line:
I got this to replace my 2003 Heckler, and like it much better. Not that the Heckler has a bad bike, the XAM just suits me better. I prefer the slacker head angle and it is much less flexy at the rear dropouts, the only real complaints I had with the Heckler. The Float RL fork left me very unhappy at first, as it would not get anywhere close to full travel when set to proper sag. That was easy enough to fix though. Took it apart and shortened the air piston rod by 20mm (in increments of 8mm, 8mm, then finally 4mm) to increase the size of the air spring chamber, and now the fork works as it should. A small piece of round aluminum stock was used to make a bridge/brace to tie the swing link together, making a small but noticeable difference in rigidity at the back. Took some experimenting with the boost valve pressure on the rear shock to get rid of a mid-stroke wallow, but now that i've figured that out, i'm very happy with it's performance both climbing and descending. The bottom line for me is, a fantastic handling and performing bike at an awesome price.
Bike Setup: Major changes from stock are, Salsa Semi/Chris King wheelset, Avid Juicy 7's, XTR front derailleur, XT Shadow rear derailleur, and swapped the LX shifters for XT because I had some laying around. Saddle/post, bar/stem change for fit purposes. Also some suspension mods.
30.5 lbs with 2.35 Hansventure tires.
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Submitted by
vernalrider
a Weekend Warrior
from VERNAL, UT, USA
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2008
Strengths: SPECED OUT WITH SICK PARTS FOR THE $$$$
Great suspension, pivots and bearings, I love the new LX shifters,cranks, hayes brakes, components, bars, stem, post, seat, got all the small details right even the low end FOX DHX shock is a nice compliment to this ride.
Weaknesses: CHEAP Alivio Hubs on a dope set of rims and spokes. Cable routing. thats about it
Bottom Line:
Love the performance and the parts. The fox suspension is unbelievable with the design of the pivots and bushings. I was a mechanic for 5 years in college back when Jamis was a hiss and a by-word shunned by all mechanics for it's totally boring nature and overall low-endness. WOW, Jamis has really got FS figured out and it all really started with the DAKAR's back in 04' or so when they first came out. I really believe for the money you cannot get a bike like this. Raleigh likes to dope bikes out too... but all you get with raliegh is a bunch of nice parts, a crappy frame design, and alot of weight. My 2007 Jamis Dakar AM 1.0 does everything and so much better than my doped out full XT grouped, upgraded to the max Specialized Enduro ever could! It climbs well and desends with confidence. I took this to Moab and conquered the infamous AMASA BACK down hill section with only more confidence as I rolled off 2-3 ledges with ease and did what little hucking have ever done with no worries. You can't go wrong with this bike unless you just have to ride specialized, ellsworth, or yeti to be granolla-E enough for you riding group. that's all happy trails!!!!
Similar Products Used: 2003 specialized enduro, 2005 Haro X-3
Bike Setup: Stock- upgrading wheelset soon, just because of the hubs, that's it!
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Submitted by
WheelieWonka
a Cross Country Rider
from Northport, New York, USA
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2008
Strengths: This bike is plush, burly, confident and rides amazingly well overall.
Weaknesses: The weight I guess.... but that's okay. I didn't by it to race. I already have a XC race bike. This is a burly All-Mountain rig.
Bottom Line:
I've been riding this bike for quite a while now and I only grow to love it more and more. If you want a fast XC bike this is not it. But if you want to ride all kinds of trails all day this IS it. Too much fun - really. I keep up with XC racers, and can even do some light DH on it. It's everything I wanted and you cannot beat the price. The bike is perfect out of the box. I originally was drooling over the Heckler but couldn't afford it.
I so glad I made the choice to purchase this bike. NO REGRETS. NONE. Get one.
Similar Products Used: Kona Stinky, Cannondale Gemini, Specialized Stumpjumper, Santa Cruz Heckler.
Bike Setup: All original spec. parts.
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Submitted by
Jimmy Callaghan
a Weekend Warrior
from Saskatoon, SK
Date Reviewed: February 20, 2008
Strengths: Awesome bike for the money, Full Fox suspension, a awesome dealer who is always helpful and goes above and beyond all the time.
Weaknesses: I broke my chain after about 2 weeks
Bottom Line:
I traded my Specialized epic in for this bike and its the best thing I ever did(the epic had to be fixed constantly).I thought it would be a big difference in climbing but it wasn't all that bad and the ride quality of the XAM is worth it.I wil not be trading this bike for a while and if I do it would definitly be another Jamis.
Strengths: this thing is alot of fun accept when the brakes give out. the rims are great havent even gotten close to bending them yet
Weaknesses: the brakes
Bottom Line:
This bike is great for the price tag and performs well. The only problem is the back brake system goes out a lot, 2 times seems like once a month. Luckily not on the trail. The bike is great never ridden anything like it. The amount of travel is perfect for what I haven’t bottomed out the front and the rear bottoms out very seldom. When I first got it the full suspension was a little hard to get used to but that’s normal especially when you’ve been riding hard tales and BMX bikes all your life. If you want a bike that has a price that won’t put a whole in your pocket and will out perform other bikes with similar component line up this is the bike for you. I would put a different brake system on it I’m still looking into that.
Submitted by
Nathan Torres
a Cross Country Rider
from Golden, CO USA
Date Reviewed: April 16, 2007
Strengths: cost, drivetrain spec's, fork, shock, customer service
Weaknesses: weight, wheelset, cable routing seems a bit 'forced' around the seat post/top tube intersection. I would think if you build up any grime on your cables after a lot of use your cables may not run as smoothly due to the harsh curves that your cables take around the aforementioned area.
Bottom Line:
I'm coming from a hardtail and so riding the front range trails is day and night with this full suspension. I've had this bike for 3 weeks and have ridden at every possible chance, and have been tuning the suspension to my style (which has been painless and somewhat fun). Not to sound like a broken record, but for the price this bike is unbeatable, and again as mentioned before in previous reviews; the cost savings had to come somewhere and that was in the wheelset. I will be changing over to a Mavic tubeless wheelset in hopes of shedding 1 1/2 - 2lbs of rotational weight. Other than that, if I don't break it, I'm not going to waste money in upgrading. If you're hopes are to get this 5.25in travel AM bike to an XC weight range (<28lbs), spend the extra money and go with a boutiquet bike. If you're debating between the XAM 1.0 or 2.0...go with the 1.0, toss the wheels and put that cost difference into the wheel upgrade (stock, there is only 1.25lbs weight difference and 1000$ price difference). Most of the difference in price is wrapped up in the shock, fork, and that little 'R' at the end of your rear derailleur (xtr). If you want a 'do it all' AM bike, and don't have a bottomless pocket this bike is awesome, and with a little more investment you could be down into a weight range (29/30lbs) for some rec racing. If you want lots of travel and are obsessed with grams, go with something different.
You cannot beat this bike for the price, take the rear brake line out of the last cradle on the top tube, this will prevent it from creasing when into the suspension. When I first got the bike a rode it in the parking lot at the shop and brought it back in and replaced the bars, 26" was way to narrow, I prefer 28" for downhill but figured I would try 27" for trail riding, they are more stable but not too wide. The der. hanger had me worried from the time I saw it, Saturday it happened, snapped it and had about 6 miles back to the car, single speeded it out. My friend behind be said it snapped like plastic, I usually keep spares in my camelback but since the bike is new I forgot to order extras. Bike handles great, much better than my VT, I have pedaled a few other full suspension trail bikes around and this one is just as good as any of them, boutique or mass produced this bike holds its own at about 2/3 the price of it's competition. Glad I went with the 19 for trail riding.
Bike Setup: 19 inch, I am 5'8" with about a 31inch inseam. Changed over to SRAM X9, switched out to 27" carbon bars and switched the tires to Kenda Nevegals
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Submitted by
Andrew Somerville
a Weekend Warrior
from Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2007
Strengths: feel like I could ride over any thing. I have only owned hardtails befor and I love the feeling of the bike.
Weaknesses: The hubs seem to bind up often to the point of the front wheel not turning. The cable routing on the front derailer causes the cable to rub on the swing arm.
Bottom Line:
First duel suspenion bike and still getting use to it. Not a bad buy but mine still has a few bug to be worked out
Has anyone on here used on of these? Both versions seem pretty well built, to me(beginner) they seemed well spec'd. I have looked online at quite a few different bikes and am prett Read More »
I can pick up a 2007 Jamis Dakar XAM 1.0 for $1800 out the door at my LBS. Considering that this bike's MSRP is $1900 + tax, is that a good deal?
About the bike...
[INDENT]I Read More »
i'm looking for a "do everything" bike around $2000. a local shop has the sj at $2100, another shop told me the jamis would be $1900 (didn't have any in stock, would have to order) Read More »
