Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from British Coumbia
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2004
Strengths: Great ride, very solid, long lasting components
Weaknesses: Chain stay weak at horst link, however after 3 replacements I now have one that has been perfect for the last 2 1/5 years.
Bottom Line:
Excelent bike, very little maintenance, components last. I have riden this bike for 4 years and just replaced cassette & granny after 1000 hours, with 1 new chain per year. Hayes a little fussy, but after a few rides and slight adjustments, perfection. Susension is easy to dial in. Honestly I didn't think I'd have it this long, now I think I'll keep it, besides it knows the way to the trail head. Happy riding
Bike Setup: Stock, except King headset, better tires & shimano SPD's
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Submitted by
Jim Kyryluk
a Cross Country Rider
from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2002
Strengths: Everything!
Weaknesses: Rear skewers, no locktite on small swingarm pivot.
Bottom Line:
Wicked ride right from the start! Love everything about the bike except for my rear hub slipping out under stress. Fixed with some Shimano LX skewers. Also the bolt from the small pivot behind the shock wiggled out and ovalized the cheap aluminum round thingy it was screwed into. Went to a welder guy I know and he cut me a piece of round steel and cut some threads into it. Put it together with blue loctite, hasn't come loose in a year. Sweet ride. Buy it.
Weaknesses: Same as others had noted. Rear skewer and rear bolts were coming loose. Easy remedy. Threw away stock SDG saddle.
Bottom Line:
Superior design and handling for the $$$, and not too heavy for xc riding. Potential is there to get yourself in trouble because the bike will absorb what you aim it at so you find yourself trying to play superman at greater speeds. Good thing for the one finger disc brake stoppies to bring your ego down to earth safely.
Bike Setup: XT and XTR. Put XT chainrings on Hollowtech LX crank. Changed to a synthetic oils in fork and brakes. Mavic Cross-Link wheels
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Submitted by
Booch
a Downhiller
from Upstate New York
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2001
Strengths: The bike just flat out rips. For the price and the components you can't go wrong. I got a hell of a deal on the price but even if you didn't its still worth every penny.
Weaknesses: I had the same small problems that others have written in about.....the rear scewer came loose and i have had a few screws in the linkage back out on me. With any upgrade in scewer and some locktight, problem solved.
Bottom Line:
Once you go to disk brakes there is no going back. The few little problems i had were easily solved. I have ridden a schwinn 4-banger with almost identicle components which cost easily $500 more than the Jamis. This bike can handle anything you point it at. I just wish there was a Jamis dealer closer to my new residence.
Weaknesses: Weak Linkage. Bushings are badly designed. Welds are not Inspected Correctly. Horrible Tubing. Bad Paint (Yellow ended up to be a light orange and only 1 layer thick).
Bottom Line:
PIECE OF CRAP! Jamis did notinspect their Welds. Right Before a race, on a practice run, a endo'd into the back of a jump and Snapped the Headube off at the Welding. Inside the Tubing was nasty black dirty welds. This was the Smallest Jump and softest landing. My Old Tazer would have just gone OTB. The worst part? No Point for that round of the race... no frame for 4 weeks and Jamis will only send me the same frame back. Now i have to ride the new frame knowing it will brake AND.... here is the Kicker... i Broke my frame right infront of Joe Lansing of Team Profile and April Lawyer (GOD SHE IS HOT!) of Team Maxxis/Intense. Dont buy this frame unless you are doing Snail's pace XC Riding. Email me with any questions or to see pictures.
Similar Products Used: S-Works Slalom, Intense Tazer, Storm Team DS
Bike Setup: Psylo SL, Mr. Dirt 36T-40T Chain Guide, DeeMax Wheels, Gremica System 8's Azonic Bars/Stem. XTR Shifter/Cables/Housing/Rear Der., Easton Carbon Seat Post Titec Berzerker DH Seat, AC Holeshot Chainring. $
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Submitted by
Patrick Brady
a Cross Country Rider
from Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2001
Strengths: Plenty to Say Here: Excellent cockpit angle/ride angle (it's comfortable). The bike shifts through the XTR and LX derailleurs quickly and the rapidfire shifters make it similar to blasting a few rounds out of my .22 Marlin semiauto. With the Hayes hydraulics, I can come a 30-foot stop at 20mph with just my middle fingers squeezing the levers. The bike handles like a dream with the wide Titec Hell-Bent bars (I had mine narrowed for tree-riding). The whole Dakar Expert package in general is awesome: stunning team blue/team yellow frame, yellow Hutchinson Alligators, yellow-ringed WTB grips, and the oh-so-comfortable SDG Comp Bel-Air saddle in a very flattering team blue/team yellow color scheme; in other words, LOOK AT ME! This bike climbs, downhills, and stuns onlookers like no other bike for the money.
Weaknesses: None (really)
Bottom Line:
If you shop around like I did prior to buying this rig, you probably won't find anything even close to this mean-machine for under $2,000, and even then, it may or may not have Hayes disk brakes (which are a great feature, trust me). The only other bike out there that compares is the Giant XTC NRS with dual Hayes; I believe it retails for $1800. When I got my Dakar Expert out of the dealership and rode it the 1 point some-odd miles home, I thought to myself: "Dang! How'd I get a bike this !@#&^*$ sweet for fifteen hundred dollars?" If you're serious about riding and want to spend big money one a "freeride" (isn't all riding freeriding?) full suspension bicycle with the stopping power of a BMW motorcycle, you have to check out the Jamis Dakar Expert.
Bike Setup: Mix of XTR and LX components; Manitou Xvert fork; Fox Vanilla R shock; dual Hayes hydraulic disk brakes
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Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from British Columbia, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 6, 2001
Strengths: Amasing Ride, Fabulious good looks, no shortcut spec Warranty Service
Weaknesses: Nothing, absolutely Nothing
Bottom Line:
I have ridden my Dakar Expert at least twice a week, the usual 3-4 hour ride each,for almost 1 year and have loved every minute. You can imaging my surprise when I noticed a crack at the head/down tube joint. First you panic because of the stories I have read in this forum. I put a call into Jamis, they said no problem, they estimated approx. 1 month replacement. I figured I'd be lucky to recieve in 6 weeks. In exactly 6 weeks a new frame arrived at my door. Now living here in Canada I had to pay brokerage fees and taxes, I was glad to pay as the service from Jamis is prompt, friendly and first rate. These people obviously must be riders as they apreciated the fact I was missing riding my Jamis. If you want a great bike with no hassles you will be happy you chose a Jamis.
Bike Setup: stock except shimano SPD's and more agressive rubber
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Submitted by
Ken Ward
a Cross Country Rider
from Ashland OR
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2001
Strengths: Great trail bike. Tough and fun all mountain steed. Good disposition - very natural and forgiving handling. Inspires confidence when pushing the limit. Climbs well for a bike this plush.
Weaknesses: Rear suspension pivot bolts require special attention but are OK with proper technique. Jamis customer support unorganized but polite and willing to try.
Bottom Line:
Been hammering on this ride for a year. Holding up well. A little heavy but more than makes up for it in all around performance. Handles long mixed rides (gnarly single track climbing and descending with long fast fire roads)like a dream. Upper and lower bellcrank pivots are finicky but managable. Jamis recommended "Red Locktite", applied ONLY to thread surfaces (NO excess to seep out on bushing surfaces) and very cautios pivot bolt adjustment. To tight = rapid bushing deterioration. To loose = (slight)rear end slack and chatter. Takes a little practice but easy enough to dial in. DO NOT oil composite bushings. Blew out XVert part but Manitou was quick to deal with issue. Rear Shock started bleeding off air but FoxShox rebuilt and returned in a week. Ordered replacement suspension bushings from Jamis and recieved wrong ones, then order was "Delayed". Rode sloppy bushings for a while. Finally one guy swiped some off of a bike in warehouse and sent FedEx and said Jamis wouldn't charge me for the parts because of my inconvenience. OK, its how you handle mistakes that counts - right?
Overall - If I had to go get another bike I wouldn't hesitate to get the same bike. Might try the Shimano XT Disk but mounting would require adapter. Bike is a real hoot. Some of the lighter bikes I have ridden seem to climb on smooth stuff a little better. My buddies seem to feel at an overall disadvantage on long hard rides when tough single track and flying fire roads are involved.
Similar Products Used: Specalized FSR-XC, GT I-Drive XCR, K2?, Fisher?
Bike Setup: Full XT drivetrain, FoxShox Float RC
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Submitted by
crash maxwell
a Weekend Warrior
from orange co. ca.
Date Reviewed: December 22, 2000
Strengths: climbs well goes down even better
Weaknesses: i havent found one yet
Bottom Line:
this bike is the only one you will ever need for trail riding.so what if it weighs 30 lbs.if you want to race up hills get lighter parts.if you chug your way up the mountain,like i do,enjoy the sights and this bike will get you there.as for abuse,i fell onto a huge rock 3 weeks after building my bike.it put a nastey dent in the down tube.after nine months of hard riding,it finaly cracked.the guys at THE PATH are giving me a deal on a new frame.any questions on what it will be ? you got it.another jamis.
Bike Setup: xt brakes,shifters,rynolite wheels,azonic dbl risers,xvert fork,646 platforms spd,fox float r on frame
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Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from British Columbia
Date Reviewed: November 22, 2000
Strengths: Name brand parts, Brakes, Strong proven design, Ride and Handling. Finish decals clearcoated, welds excelent.
Weaknesses: WTB Skewers won't hold rear wheel straight as dropouts are horizontal, upgrade to Shimano Skewers, problem solved. Service from Distributor very SLOW.
Bottom Line:
What amazes me is how hard Jamis Owners rate their bikes, Almost everyone loves the bike, a few minor problems such as the Rear Skewer [ Shimano Fix ], a couple owners complained of frosen rear hub [ can happen to any brand ], Pivot Bolts loosening [ check before each ride, or lock tight, fixed ] and Slow Service [ unfortunately that's the Bike Industy, but if you keep calling the manufacturer yourself they eventually get the message and you will get service]. Out of all the reviewers only one broken frame part, and yet the average rating is lower than 4 other competitors in this class. Some reviewers of these Brands complain of a 25% frame breakage, complaints of thin tubing, constant chain suck, broken cranks, clearance so low the pedals hit on compression, suspension parts that aren't replaceable and brakes, even Hayes, that are so poorly mounted to the bikes that proper adjustment is impossible, if you don't believe me check in the same price range yourself. These owners overall still see fit to rate their bikes higher, what gives. I will take my Jamis with it's minor quirks any day over some of the real problems I read from the other brand owners in this forum. Why keep this bike a secret, if the company prospers, warranty and replacement parts will always be there when needed. Remember Riden Hard and Put Away Wet is a statement made of something not taken care of. A little TLC afer a hard ride lets you ride harder.
Submitted by
Jeff
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Gatos, CA
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2000
Strengths: Awesome ride, Hayes Brakes, Great looking
Weaknesses: Rear dropouts, pedals
Bottom Line:
Overall, has been a great bike for me! This is my first full suspension which I have really ridden, after riding for over ten years on hardtails (88, and 92 Raleigh Chill). I bought it after falling for it at the shop in Tahoe, and reading any reviews I could find. First impressions with the suspension were that it literally sticks to the trail, on fast downhills and singletrack! Goes over jumps like you are sitting on a pillow! Feels a little heavy on the uphills, but I have to get myself back in shape anyway. the rear shock locks out well though, if you increase the preload all the way. Brakes stop on a friggin dime! They allow you to stop later than you normally would when blasting singletrack. Front shock eats up bumps, logs, ruts (has saved me a few times already). Unfortunately, I have also seen the same problem with the rear wheel shift that others have reported. A Shimano QR seems to do a much better job than the WTB, although I may take the Dremel to it also. I am still debating with myself if I got the right size fram e (17", and I am 5'11", 175#). It may be the riser bar, or too short of a stem, but I get the front wheel lifting on steep ascents. I also had to sent the Hutchinson tires back due to cracking on the sidewall. For some reason, I got Ritchey pedals, instead of Time, and have had problems getting into them occasionally. May upgrade eventually.
I would definitely recommend this bike for any experienced riders looking for great value, and all-terrain rideability.
Similar Products Used: None - (my first full-suspension)
Bike Setup: Stock , except for Ritchey Logic pedals (from dealer), and Panaracer Fire XC Pro tires, shortened bars 2"
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Submitted by
Michael
a Weekend Warrior
from Boulder, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2000
Strengths: This bike,in stock form, is a good deal. The wheels are good and solid, and can cheaply and easily made lighter by substituting alloy nipples. The suspension design is solid, and for the spec is on the whole smart. The tires are fantastic, and so are the grips.
Weaknesses: Original stem was too long for the size, Manitou fork quickly blew up (as all manitous do because theyre crappily made), bike is billed as a "freeride" machine, but only has 90 mm of rear travel, and jamis will not support any increase, so if you do, you void the warranty. The original headset sucks, i broke two of the original seatposts before Titec sent me one of their beefier ones. Sub par cassette (LX), and the Real rear hub makes a loud sound under heavy load.
Bottom Line:
When you sum it all up; i think that jamis did ok in its attempt to make a bargain freerider. However, i really think that they should have made it more expensive and substituted some better parts. Having two seatposts fail on me was not good, and by the time I had walked out of the store with it it had already almost cost me 2000 dollars. This was not because I wanted a boutique bike; the only parts I replaced originally were the stem (because it was too long at 125mm), the handlebars (because the scandium bars have a wonderful characteristic that never gets mentioned; they dampen high speed vibration), the headset, and the cassette. But now ive spent much more, especially with the fork falling apart (its damping system just seemed to give up after several hundred miles even though i cleaned and lubed the fork; every manitou ive ever had was finicky and died quickly; stay away from them). At this point I wish that i had sunk my money into a schwinn four banger; at least id have a bona fide 4 inches of rear travel and bearings. The jamis is probably going to need new bushings soon and when i first got it the rear bushings came without locktite, so they almost completely backed out of the frame after a couple of rides; im lucky that i caught it. Furthermore, I think that what others have desribed as "being unable to tell that the suspension is working" is actually friction from the bushings dampening the movement. Yes, the suspension reacts readily to isolated bumps, but it doesnt handle repeated medium/small bumps like braking bumps so well. On a high speed downhill run a lot of "chatter" is transfered instead of absorbed. Finally; Ive found Jamis to be a poor company to buy from. ive contacted them on two occasions. The first time i told them what i was doing with the bike, and asked how long i could expect the bushings to last, and how long i could expect the frame to last. They replied by simply saying that my actions on the bike voided the warranty, and they would be able to tell if i ever sent it in for repair what i had done to it. No mention whatsoever of the questions i asked; they just covered their asses. The second time, i emailed them to ask if i could increase the travel. i provided examples like "could i buy a longer stroke shock, or is there a longer link" and told them not to write me back about stupid warranty issues. Their reply; "sorry, youre at max travel." Thats it. So ill probably replace the frame soon, and i dont think ill ever buy a jamis again. Thats the bottom line; this bike is an xc bike in freeride clothes, so dont expect it to stand up to real abuse, and dont expect any help from jamis on anything. The ideal person to buy this bike is someone who rides rough XC and doesnt have much money. If you are scraping to get the 1600 this bike is a steal; the brakes are amazing, if youre not too hard on the parts theyll last a long time, and so will the frame if you only do XC. If youre going to do more freeriding type stuff (bigger than 3 foot drops, jumps, or just very rough downhills) then save your money up and get something with cartridge bearings, disc brakes, and either a marzocchi or a psylo. Also, this bike tends to make you want to do more freeride type stuff, so keep in mind that you might buy this being an XC guy, and then want something beefier. In general i have to add that i think 2500 is a good price point for a real quality freeride bike. At that price you wont always be breaking or replacing things; itll come withe the better parts.
Similar Products Used: Lots of full suspension bikes, but few downhill.
Bike Setup: I swapped (or broke and replaced), easton scandium handlebars, profile stiffy stem, cane creek cartridge headset, Psylo SL, speedplay frogs, Titec 7005 seatpost (as opposed to the original 6061), serfas lola saddle, XT cassette, hutchinson Python (rear).
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Submitted by
heffalump
a Weekend Warrior
from Da Great White Nort'
Date Reviewed: October 6, 2000
Strengths: Great frame design, excellent suspension, killer on the downhills, even though I suck at DH runs
Weaknesses: Horizontal dropouts......while great for converting to a single speed if necessary, not very good for removing the rear wheel easily.
Bottom Line:
I'm in LOVE with this bike.
Actually, it's funny how I got what I did, 'cause as other posters have mentioned they're hard to come by. The GF of a friend of mine who owns the local shop wanted the Expert drivetrain on the Pro frame, thought the blue and yellow was tacky. So basically what I got was a mix of the two. She kept the Hayes brakes, which is fine........I really really think the Avids are much better at the slow, technical singletrack around here. Give me Hayes for fast, clean DH runs, but since I don't do those, I'll stick with the better modulation and control of the Avids. Sorry, I digress, but I really found that the Avids added to the capability of the bike.
First thing I noticed, really, is that it doesn't FEEL like an FS bike on the trail. You have to either look down at the shock (and nail the nearest tree) or ride your hardtail again to feel what it's doing back there. Even though it weighs on the portly side, I've been making climbs on it that I couldn't do on my old hardtail. Could be the extra leg muscle from hauling around 30 pounds, I guess. I give the credit to the suspension though.
The X-Vert is really hard to beat. I kinda judge it by this.....it's smooth, no stiction at all, and it's hard for me to bottom it out. Now, my friends who have long travel Bombers and RockShox.....THEIR forks I can hit bottom just by jumping hard off a curb. Granted, they're plusher on the trail, but here's my opinion. I like plush, but I also like to feel what's going on. The Manitou feels bottomless, without sacrificing the "touch" that short travel forks have. 'Nuff said.
Wow.
The only real downside I can see to the frame design is the horizontal dropouts. I've read the posts below, about the wheel cocking in the dropouts, and I've had it happen once.
I like the idea, it minimizes the possibility of the wheel leaving the bike unexpectedly due to skewer failure, and it DOES allow you to make a good singlespeed if you rip your derailleur off (I know this from experience, don't ask.)
However, the reinforcing crossbar at the top of the rear triangle DOES make it hard to remove the rear wheel if you run a tire bigger than a 1.9". With a bit of cussing I can get my 2.1" Velociraptors out, but I really think they should either (a) lengthen the rear triangle by a quarter inch.....it won't affect the handling that much, or (b) design a curved crossbar to allow for larger tires.
I wouldn't trade it for anything, though. Ride hard!
Bike Setup: Stock frame, Fox RC and Manitou X-Vert, but with a 9.0sl drivetrain, XT hollowtechs Avid mechanical disks, and XT disk hubs laced to Rhyno Lites
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Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from British Columbia
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2000
Strengths: Great Looks, Handling on long downhills,Climbs like a goat,Brakes much more controlable than LX V's on rain soaked West Coast Trails. Definitely a Good Value
Weaknesses: Derailleur hanger too hard { Ground slight recess under skewer nut with Dremmel tool, works perfect }
Bottom Line:
I ride a mountain full of steep single track, littered with rocks, fallen trees, very slick roots and lots of mud. This bike is nothing short of amazing. Decends with confidence and control. Ascends slick rooted terrain with the rear tire chewing all the way, the rear suspension actually drives the tire down and back, producing amazing traction. Pay carefull attention to sizing, if you go by Jamis' Spec's on the web site you will choose a bike one size too big. I'm 5'6",I choose a 15"er ,my Dealer suggested the 13". After a 3 week wait, I got a bike that fits like a glove. As with anything mechanical, always check your bolts, prior to first and after every ride. My suspension linkages I retightened slightly after 6 rides and now they remain tight. I continue to check all bolts after every ride, it only makes sense with how hard we ride these bikes. This bike is Great.
Similar Products Used: 1996 GT Pantera hard tail ridden hard 4 years
Bike Setup: Original, except swapped Time pedals for Shimano 545 { more predictable entry & exits }, Swapped ugly yellow Hutchisson tires for a pair of agressive Superheats. Added a quick release for the seat. Cut 2" off handlebars
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Submitted by
FoolishHuman
a Weekend Warrior
from NJ, USA
This is my third review and I'm glad to see so many people have bought this bike. Unfortunately i did encounter a few problems with my bike over the past months. As the other reviewers have stated, there is something terribly wrong with the rear skewer/hub/dropout. I still couldnt figure out which one of those is causing the problem. On steep climbs or when your just mashing on the pedal, the chain torque actually pulls the drive side of the hub out of the dropout. This causes the rear wheel to be misaligned, which is bad for the disc brake!!! very bad!!!
I brought it in to the shop and they called Jamis. Jamis told them they havent heard of anything like that happening (how can they lie like that?). So the shop guys thought maybe the WTB skewer might be the problem. I put on a shimano XT skewer and so far it's alright.(crossing fingers)
Anyways I still love this bike very much despite the rear skewer. It actually climbs better than my old hardtail, i can feel the suspension dig in on those steep rocky east coast trails. Its a great hard core XC bike, i actually do downhill runs with it at the ski resorts. Make no mistake this is not a downhill bike, but this bike can handle more than its share of terrain.
To sum it up, I would still recommend buying this bike. You wont find a better value anywhere. Just make sure the shop put in a new skewer. Oh, and dont blame Jamis because your bike shop screwed up. *cough* Canadian *cough*
