Submitted by
JJ Ski
a Cross Country Rider
from rochester, ny
Date Reviewed: May 18, 2010
Strengths: Strong . reliable. pedals and climbs fairly well. Strength of an AM bike, but handles tight woods , rocks, roots well ( da east coast). Very good value.
Weaknesses: heavy as stock. the XLT frame did not have a platform shock. Came with a float R, would be better with RP 23. I think the Swinger shocks of the 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 were not great in the 2005 period
Bottom Line:
My wife bought for me the whole bike as a present in 05 (paid too much) but these frames can be had for much less. I've ridden it for 5 years without a single problem. Went tubless, added stan's 355 rims, sent suspension to Push for valve/rebuild, and lightened up the drivetrain (all over the 5 yr period). Right now it weighs in at 28.5 lbs, moves out, and is tough.
Bike Setup: 05XLT .stans rims and tubeless with lighter crankset and drivetrain took almost 3+ lbs off the bike. Now it weighs 28.5 lbs
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Submitted by
CROSS COUNTRY BIKER
a Cross Country Rider
from Browntown,Ontario,canada
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2010
Strengths: very strong bike nice and stiff for jumps and the components are real nice but mostly custom and its about 30 lbs and is a good smoth ride all though if your looking for a jumper or downhill the parker is the way to go or the bam are both good bikes
Bottom Line:
this is a reall good bike to buy to bad they dont make it anymore but the xc and xct's are really close and the rear end of the xlt can be replaced by the parker's rear end if ever needed too.
It is a great bike, the best I ever had, just a small problem with it is the front suspension the manitou relic. It almost exploded and also is not stable, also this might be a result of my usage with the bike but still I suggest you buying a fox float 36 or 34, and also buy front bb7 185' and back 160'and with this the bike is perfect. I personally love the frame as it is impossible to break, and a fair price for it as well.
Anybody who loves to ride a solid, strong bike for AM or even DH is recommended to buy this bike. And because of this i will rate it 4 because of the minor problems with forks and brakes.
Similar Products Used: Bergamont evolve 7.5, merida mattas tfs 900-v
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Submitted by
dvmobley
a Weekend Warrior
from Chattanooga, TN
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2009
Strengths: Bought this frame (2003 XLT 2.0) new in early 2004 and did a self build. Still have yet to do anything major to it. I put lizard skins on both shocks and chain stay; highly recommend this as the shocks are still in near perfect condition. The chain stay protector has saved me from chain suck many times and keeps it looking pretty. The frame weighs like 4 lbs with the shock, yet when built it feels superbly balanced top to bottom. Of course great care was taken picking out the right parts...
Weaknesses: ...I got one...the paint wears off where the cables rub, but still hasn't rusted.
Bottom Line:
Awesome bike...if you were lucky enough to get this model you likely still have it. If you want a well designed bike that climbs, descends and jumps easily...this is one of the best. My favorite is not realizing you have rear suspension until locking it out and hitting a bump.
Similar Products Used: Ellsworth Truth, 2005 XLT, 1999 Dakar XC, Fazzari XC, various other AM/XC rides over the last 10 years
Bike Setup: XLT 2.0 frame (w/ Horst link rear), Manitou fork, Avid mech. disc, WTB titanium saddle, Mavic Crossride w/ Panaracer Fire XC, Crank Brothers Smarty to Truvativ to SRAM chain and cassette, Shimano rapid shift (low-normal), lizard skins, Cateye and Yeti grips...
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Submitted by
bruteman
a Weekend Warrior
from Seoul, South Korea
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2009
Strengths: Solid frame, great climber, no perceptible pedal bob.
Weaknesses: Severe chain slap (get a chain stay protector right away), chain alignment is tricky, and it could use a bigger diameter seatpost for us men of girth. I have torqued a couple already. Bigt guys, don't waste your money on anything else--get a Thompson seatpost!
Bottom Line:
Climbs like a goat, I have had to replace the pivot bearings but that may be from lots of technical downhills and my less than svelte 235lbs.
Bike Setup: Fox Float RLC, XT drivetrain, Mavic 321 rims, DT spokes laced to Hadley All MTN hubs.
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Submitted by
bigpedaler
a Cross Country Rider
from Ft Wayne, IN, USA
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2009
Strengths: Sturdy frame, parts pick (mine!)near-bulletproof, a sweet ride!
Weaknesses: OEM spec -- Swinger 3 sucks!
Bottom Line:
26 months, some new parts -- XTR brake cables **sweeeet!**, Manitou Metel coil rear, new spring kit in the Nixon, Super Fortress derailleur cables, ceramic pads in the brakes, Tektro carbon levers -- and this bike rides like it's new all over again! Maybe just a TOUCH firm in the initial bumpsorption, but it acts pretty much like a stable platform! I get NO bob, yet the suspension works. I don't know WHAT I'm gonna do when this frame finally DOES give it up, it's THAT good!
Bike Setup: X.9, BB7 7f/6r, RaceFace, Nixon/Metel R, 819's
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Submitted by
ecubyrd
a Weekend Warrior
from Seoul, S Korea
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2009
Strengths: Good travel and control.
Weaknesses: None so far.
Bottom Line:
I enjoy riding again. I have the confidence that I used to have 10 years. I love it so far. The value rating is reflective of prices in Korea. It is a closeout model basically.
Strengths: Great Geometry, great climber, lightweight 5 inch bike
Weaknesses: Stays are prone to break, maybe the horribleness of the manitou minute
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that i abuse this thing, taken it on 6ft + drops and it continues to ride, the geometry is great im really able to swing the bike around to where it needs to be, as well as being able to climb like a goat. That being said, the bike is not engineered to ridden the way that i do ride it, i assume it is for more of a laid back XC emphasis. So far to date i have replaced both the seat stay and the chain stay, the chain stay snapping in half. On the lighter side, both Jenson USA and Jamis have been more than accommodating when dealing with warranties, pretty much no questions asked, just send them a picture of what happened, and they'll send you the new part, pretty awesome if you ask me. For this i give the bike 5 chili's simply because it may ride like other bikes on the market, other bike companies IE ironhorse, mongoose, even trek occasionally, will give customers very difficult times when dealing with warranties. So just make you buy this bike new, or at least with a receipt, to get that customer service which is the deal maker.
Similar Products Used: Iron horse warrior, specialized stumpjumper
Bike Setup: stock 2005 dakar 2.0 xlt with xtr rear derailleur, xt cassette, and kenda nevegals <--horrible tire
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Submitted by
Mark B.
a Weekend Warrior
from NE IND.
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2008
Strengths: solid frame, durable, dependable
Weaknesses: Swinger-3 shock
Bottom Line:
After 18 months of hauling my heavy butt around on any/everything (trails, commutes, you name it), this bike is still solid! The X-type BB lasted a little over a year, and the Manitou shock was a POS w/ no vendor support, but the bike feels as good now as the day I threw a leg over it the first time!
Strengths: perfect geometry, great rear shock, solid!
Weaknesses: wheels have a little to much flex. bb bearing needs cleaning and lube on a regular basis(I ride all year long through rain and snow). front shock(fox vanilla r)is slowly wearing out, will need a rebuild this winter.
Bottom Line:
This bike really does do it all! I can ride xc or drop the seat, change pedals and ride stunts and jumps with my 21 year old son and his buddies.
Similar Products Used: This is my fourth mtn bike and by far the most fun. I also ride bmx.
Bike Setup: stock, but i have changed to bigger tires but i don't really think that they did that much except to give you more confidence on dh's.
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Submitted by
mjrose381
a Cross Country Rider
from Liberty Lake, WA
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2008
Strengths: Great value. Includes a solid component package. Stout and sturdy on the downhill, and an agile climber despite the weight. Awesome black color scheme - stealth!
Weaknesses: A little on the heavy side due to the low end and/or standard components. With some swapping and upgrading of the main components I was able to drop 3 pounds off the bike without spending much.
Bottom Line:
After several trips to Liberty Lake Cycle Sports I was able to make a decision. I chose the Dakar XLT - No, it wasn't the most expensive (end of season sale) and did not have the latest and greatest components. However, its a solid package on a relatively low cost bike. The XLT rides like a bike that would cost three times as much. I have owned and demo'ed more expensive bikes, and the XLT easily compares to those.
If you are looking for a lightweight racer, this isn't the bike. If you are looking for a solid performing, all-mountain adventure machine - this is it! I prefer to upgrade parts as they wear out -
My only critique to date is the Hayes So1e disc system...Way heavy (made of iron!?) and now neeeds to be bled. I'm looking at the Avid BB7 to avoid the hydraulic maintenance.
Also, the crew at Jamis (I met them at the Sea Otter Classic) are a great group that stand behind their product and enjoy the feedback regardless of which of their bikes you ride.
4 chili rating only becasue of the initial excess weight and the disc brake problem after a few months of use.
Bike Setup: 2006 Jamis XLT with Fox Float Rear and Front shocks. Hayes nine hydraulic brake system and Shimano XT Derailurs.
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Submitted by
ELM
a Cross Country Rider
from Guilford, VT, USA
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2008
Strengths: Cheap price. Tough as nails frame.
Weaknesses: Cheap bearings.
Rear bridge smacks and crushes my front derailleur cable ferrel.
Bottom Line:
My Jamis is a decent bike for the money. I built it up with quality components and ride it All Mountain, XC and sometimes on DH trails. The one problem I've had with both my Jamis bikes is the junky bearings and bushings. They fail sooo quickly. I had to fork out for Enduro ceramic bearings. The other problem with the 19 inch XLT is the rear bridge smacks and crushes my front derailleur cable ferrel. I have to keep my shock over pressurized to compensate and it still collides on moderate launches. I'm done with Jamis for a while. I just purchased an Ibis Mojo Carbon!
Submitted by
nuno machuqueiro
a Weekend Warrior
from setubal Portugal
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2007
Strengths: perfect geometry for me!!! medium at up hill great great down hill very stable, look ´s like more than its 5". suspensions work very well, confort , very stable descending. very good conponent´s for the price.
Weaknesses: hayes sole - very very poor at 15 kg. its a bit heavy
Bottom Line:
if you love to make 20 to 40 km of trail riding wtih lots of donwhill here is the bike for you. cheap realieble and whit such a frame that seems to last forever. "viva jamis xlt"
Bike Setup: blackjack white weels;juicy 7; specialized adrenalin rear tire; kenda nevegal 2.35 front. pro sealed bearings headset.
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Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Peru
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2007
Strengths: The high BB and long travel allows one to ride over everything!!! The wide tires offer good traction and can be ridden at lower air pressure w/o worries of pinching. Hayes Sole One brakes are very nice and consistant
Weaknesses: The stock derail. cables make for poor shifting and need to be changed out. Play develops where the rear shock is connected to the linkage thus creating a knock or "dead" spot when one is off the bike. No amount of tightening cures this issue. I have all ready blew out a bearing and the only way to remove the bearings is with heat...lots of it!
Bottom Line:
Maybe its just me, but this FS bike seems to be high maint. After every ride there seems to be something loose or in need of adjustment. Unlike the hardtail where one can simply wipe down a bike after the ride, lube the chain and put the bike away
