Submitted by
Lowell Walker
a Cross Country Rider
from Brunswick, Maine
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2007
Strengths: Great light efficient bike. JAMIS CUSTOMER SERVICE ROCKS.
Weaknesses: Seat stay broke.
Bottom Line:
Great bike if you can find a frame on ebay for cheap and build it up. It broke, but only cause I crashed it off a 4 foot drop (it's not designed for that). Jamis warranteed it despite that it's 10 years old! A replacement seat stay is in the mail! They have been fast on replacement bushings too as soon as I talked to them directly and more than helpful on the seat stay. JAMIS WARRANTEE SERVICE IS EXCELLENT. Just make sure your LBS isn't bullshi##ing you and being lazy. I'm having trouble with recurring leaks with the cane creek AD10 shock, but i'll take that up with Cane Creek.
Similar Products Used: GT LTS, Trek Fuel, various hardtails.
Bike Setup: Nothing stock. XT/LX drivetrain, Manitou Skareb 100mm fork, v brakes, crossmax/crossride wheels.
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Submitted by
RONNIE
a Cross Country Rider
from GRAPEVINE TEXAS
Date Reviewed: March 29, 2004
Strengths: This bike is a great bike. Some people that have this bike don't realize that its a cross country bike not a free ride or downhill. The frame is a thin aluminum frame, not a strong frame, but a light frame but built to be light. SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A GREAT CROSS COUNTRY BIKE YOU. YOU COULDN'T GO WRONG WITH THIS BIKE. If you are looking for a bike that will take a pounding get another one.
Weaknesses: I'm sure there are some, but i haven't found any.
Bike Setup: Raceface NEXT LP crankset, xt, xtr, monkeylit.....all the good stuff.
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Submitted by
Rick
a Cross Country Rider
from Lincoln, NE
Date Reviewed: December 24, 2003
Strengths: Inexpensive, great component specs.
Weaknesses: Poor engineering and design. Lack of quality control and customer service.
Bottom Line:
Rear fox shock lost pressure (very common on these shocks) and the suspension dented the seatube. Jamis did warranty the first frame. I suggested that there is a design issue being a mechanical engineer with emphasis on kinematics, but they did not want to listen. The second one did the same thing, but I figured it was not worth the hassle (it's under warranty after all). Shortly after the lower swing arm failed in the casting. They wanted to give me another bike, but I had given up on them by that time. I demanded my money back, and they gave up a good fight. The bike shop really went to bat for me and was able to get credit for the bike. Kudos to the IBD! This will be the last Jamis I buy.
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Asheville, NC
Date Reviewed: December 19, 2003
Strengths: My 1997 Jamis Dakar with Easton Elite Aluminum tubing is light, has good action in the pivots, and is a great XC full suspension frame.
Weaknesses: Jamis customer support has been bad. See below.
Bottom Line:
This is a great frame, and Jamis is known for building excellent frames, but their customer support is disorganized and unhelpful. I have been looking for a derailleur hanger for this bike. First, I contacted my bike shop and their Jamis rep. said Jamis has absolutely no 97 dakar derailleur hangers. I am now stuck without a spare derailleur hanger, and have had no luck finding one anywhere in the mountain biking world. I visited a machine shop, and they would charge me a fortune to duplicate it.
Keep in mind that if you buy a Jamis product, they may forget about you just a few years down the road, leaving you without any customer support or spare parts.
My bike shop did manage to get a full bushing set for my frame from the Jamis rep., which surprised me, although it did take Jamis 3 months to send it out.
Strengths: really cheap with good geometry. climbs like a spider monkey
Weaknesses: frame is fragil and cracks pretty easily. slight pedal induced bob. Jamis bikes has possibly the worst customer support ever
Bottom Line:
At first I really loved this frame. The first one I had treated me good for probably a year just on small tiny drops but then it decided to crack just above the bottom bracket. Fortunatly enough Jamis honored my warranty and sent me a new bike immediatly. The major drawback though was that they did not include a deralliure hanger. Whats a mountain bike good for with no deralliure hanger you may ask? only a summer of hassle trying to get the part that for some reason is out of stock. Ok well 3 months later and about 10 phone calls to the Jamis warranty department I was finially back on the trails on my shinny new Dakar Expert. She supplied me with a nice smooth ride for probably another 4 months untill a pivot bushing on the chainstay blew out causing the chainstay to also crack halfway through. OK so now again I find myself without a frame but Jamis will send me a new one for free right because this one is less then a year old? Nope, apparantly they dont keep shipping records and they say because I cant prove how old it is they will not replace it. Now its in the depths of winter, snowboarding has sucked all the money out of me but I need to ride. Unfortunatly all I could afford is a $115 Jamis Eureka hardtail. A very fun frame I might ad until you break the deralliure hanger and have to deal with Jamis warranty guys. It took them about 4 months and 9 different shipments to finially send me the right deralliure hanger for that bike. THanks Jamis! You guys are great
Bike Setup: craftworks rail, z1 forks, fsa x-drive steel cranks w/evil srs chainguide, planet-x stem and handle bars, xt hubs w/mag30 and rhyno lite rims
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Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Aurora, CO
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2003
Strengths: Lightweight, Climbs like a Mule, Marzochi Bombers with Vanilla R=Perfect match, geometry allows to track easily along the edge of a dime
Weaknesses: Spec'd 113 bottom bracket causes severe chain jams, front end slightly too light in hard climbs
Bottom Line:
I've been screaming for the last 6 months since I got this beauty due to about every 75th downshift, the chain would flip inside and jam severely between the small chainring and the swingarm. Only way to trailside repair was to beat the crankarm off, and there t'weren't nuthin' pretty about that!!! After reading about everyone else having the same problem, I finally went to my LBS Jamis guru and begged him to perform a miracle, which he did! The specs call for a 113 BB. He tried several different sizes and found that a Shimano UN52 107 BB fits perfectly (The chainline is now straight, so why the 113 spec??). Instead of the old 7 mm gap between said chainring and swingarm (the perfect size to permanently and fatally snag said flipped chain), there's now about 1.8mm clearance (let's just see that nasty old chain try and sneak into that!!!). Bottom line,,, no more jammed (or flipped) chains yet. Basically, this bike is light enough, strong enough, and well balanced enough to have made me look really good in a lot of places my old hardtail would've flat bucked me off. And the really cool thing is, she climbs even easier than my old hardtail with little to no bob, but plenty of good rear traction. All in all the best bike for the buck I could've gotten.
Strengths: Lightweight, good geometry, descent shock
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
I've only been using this particular bike for about three weeks, but this thing kicks butt!! Steping from a hardtail to a 4 inch travel full suspention is like night and day and this bike is quite exceptional for only paying 200 dollars for the frame. I took all the parts off of my Trek other than the disc brakes and wheelset and the front derailleur&bottom bracket are new so I figure I got a pretty good deal. I'm a pretty big guy at 6'2" 240lb and the rear shock is kicking ass for me. I love this bike. Without question, an excellent bike for any full suspention rider.
Bike Setup: Jamis Dakar Sport frame, XT derailleurs & bottom bracket, LX shifters/brake levers, Avid mechanical disc brakes, Sun DS-2 / Deore wheelset, Icon crankset & stem, Titec Hellbent 1.5" riser bars, Panaracer Fire xc pro 2.1 tires, RockShox Judy Race 80mm fork.
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Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Vienna
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2002
Strengths: Price. Good XC performance. Did I mention price... Light wieght
Weaknesses: Flex in the bottom half of the front triangle. Chain Suck. Rear Quick Release Slips. Rear Suspension bobs on climbs and tends to run through its travell to easily.
Bottom Line:
The frame has a few weaknesses: 1. Flex, You want light weight you get flex (BTW I am 210 and tend to hammer on the pedals) 2. Chain Suck, On long rides when you can't clean your chain it will get sucked up between the rings and the chainstay. 3. Rear QR slips, I tried ruffing up the surface on the dropouts but the only thing that seems to really work is tightening the QR as hard as you can. 4. Rear suspension, Basically it seems you either have to run more pressure in the shock and get a hard tail feel or less pressure and it will bottom out often. 5. Front derailiur, the Front D, when set to the right height would make contact with the main pivot. Using a dremel I took some material off the Front Derailiur's cage and the problem was solved.
Having said all this you might think that I don't like this frame. If so you would be wrong. All things considered it is a really good frame and a lot of fun to ride. It is light and responsive, climbs like a goat and has held up to some abuse (No big drops but an few jumps here and there). Corners well and feels good when it is leaned over in a turn. I do have to grease the bushings every 2 months or so to keep play out of the suspension but that is to be expected.
Similar Products Used: Marin, K2, Diamondback, Scott
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Submitted by
Bobo D. Clown
a Cross Country Rider
from Bartertown
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2002
Strengths: Price, Performance, Strength and Weight. Oh yeah, Looks, this bad boy gets more attention than a hooker in church!
Weaknesses: Breeds contempt and jealousy from riders who paid twice as much for a full suspension frame.
Bottom Line:
I was looking for a F/S frame when I came across the Dakar 2002. Shhhaaawwwiiinnng! It was exactly the design I was looking for and the changes for the 2002 make the Dakar a true high end f/s frame. These include an aluminum swing arm that has boxed seat and chainstays, cartridge bearing pivot and the frame uses 7005 triple gauge aluminum. The look of the bike is so sweet it sells itself. I tested other high end bikes with the similar design style and couldn't find any difference in ride quality. No chainsuck, no lateral flex, absolutely minimal bobbing. Honestly, other than an average paint job (which looks good at least) there is no difference, hence the weakness referred to above. In addition to the frame, I was able to use the seat, seatpost and clamp, the tires/tubes, the avid V brakes, and the grips. So Bobo happily dished out 650 beans for said Dakar and was able to adorn it w/ very cool componentry (see bike set up) from the 600 additional beans he saved by opting not buy a wildhare. The ride is incredible! A full 3.5 inches of rear travel, which w/ the AD-12 feels more like 4. It was a sweet match for the 100mm air zokies. Oh yeah, the 2002 15 inch Dakar has one the best geometries i've ever ridden, It just feels right brother! I could have gone w/ the 17inch but I'm so glad I didn't. The clearance and sloping top tube just add to the performance. Contrary to a few reviews, this is a xc race frame. It can be set up light for racing or for freeride and moderate DH also. 4 to 5 foot high speed drops are no match for Bobo and his custom dakar, anything much beyond that and i'm wetting my shorts. If cost is a facor buy this bike, heck even if cost isn't a factor buy this bike. 5 havelinos for yet another awarding winning Jamis Dakar.
Favorite Trail: Bobo is often spotted on most local trails
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$650.00
Similar Products Used: tested titus racer x, psycle werks wild hare, looked at the tomac full suspension (they wouldnt let me ride it! Needless to say I don't buy there anymore, Bobo don't play that!) All of these are excellent bikes.
Bike Setup: Bobo's Custom Dakar: 2002 Dakar w/ AD-12, Marzocchi MXC-ECC, Azonic bars, Aheadset (Steel/Cartridge), Race Face cranks, XT components
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Submitted by
George Websdale
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2002
Strengths: This is follow up to earlier review.
Bottom Line:
After a further 3 -4 months on this bike I am still absolutely happy with it. It has taken my riding to a new level by giving me the confidence to do things I would not have done previously.
Only problems I have had are minor. Nearly fixed the chain suck problem with tape on the chain stay and a diligent chain cleaning routine. Also recently experienced some slipping of my rear axle after changing skewers. Seemed to pull out of the drop out slightly on the drive side and made the trye rub in the letf hand chain stay. I had to do the new skewer up really tight and this stopped it dead. Have read some one else may have experienced this with a Jamis Dakar (maybe 2002 model) so just something to be aware of.
I have just returned from a long weekned of riding sweet pine forest single track with mates on high priced and high tech bikes I was able to blow them all away on the Jamis. Climb strongly and its descending and cornering abilities are up to and beyond the limits I have required.
Also must put in a plug for the Deore Hyro's I am running, a number of time they have saved me from major face plants with great modulation and huge stopping ability.
For an all around trail bike I think this is a standout at an awesome price point. If you set it up right, maintain it right and take a few pro-active steps to eliminate any chain suck problems it will reward you out on the trail and leave you with a grin from mud splatter ear to mud splattered ear.
Submitted by
Shawn
a Cross Country Rider
from Norcross GA
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2002
Strengths: Minimal bob, handles small and big bumps well, climbing and descending is very good.
Weaknesses: A little heavy but not an issue with ride quality. The paint job SUCKS! Paint chips off this thing like the crust off fried chicken. If you look at it it'll scratch. Do like your grandma does her couches and cover it with plastic!
Bottom Line:
Like one of the last guys, I was looking for a FS frame to build up that wasn't too expensive. I just happened to catch them on sale at Jenson and went for it after doing some research. I was skeptical about it's ability to climb, the rear tracking, and the weight of the bike after building(28lbs) But after riding, the weight wasn't an issue and the bike actually climbed better than my old HT. I was able to get through sections on the first try that I couldn't get through at all on my HT.
The handling was excellent as well. When in the turns you stay seated and lean on the outside pedal and let the suspension work for you. It cornered well and was quick handling in twisty stuff! It also felt very stable while descending sucking up bumps that would have given me a slipped disk on my HT.
Overall this is a great bike. I would have bought the whole bike if I were in the market for one with it's great spec. I would recommend this for anyone wanting to convert from HT to FS except for a light weight racer. I'm 230lbs and this bike works great for me. May be a little heavy for a 150lb lightweight guy But reguardless of how you ride - this bike is really FUN!
Bike Setup: Blue & red Expert frame w/Fox Vanilla R, 8spd XT drive train, blk Rynolyte XL's 14g spk & Sram 9.0 Hubs, blk Z3 Bam, Avid spd dial 7 set, red Mich Hot gripper S tires, Kore stem & post, Sun Inferno bars, Cane Creek S2, & a $26 Nashbar Legend seat which out performs some $100 seats I've tried!
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Submitted by
brian
a Cross Country Rider
from new jersey
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2002
Strengths: great bike for the cost. not much pogo-ing. rides good cross country and takes big hits with ease
Weaknesses: heavy. no disc brake mounts on my model. frame cracked in less then a year by the bottom bracket. customer service sucks
Bottom Line:
Dakar frame is great if you just want to ride little xc jumps like the frame is made for. Im 200pounds and been ridding this frame for almost a year, I had absolutly no problems with it untill I started doing bigger(8ft +) drop-offs with it and the frame started to crack.
Bike Setup: 98' jamis dakar sport frame; fsa extreme headset; xt rr deralure; ; xt shifters; lx wheels; marzocchi z.1's; odessy southgate platforms; specialized seat cranks and hadlebars
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Submitted by
George Websdale
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: March 19, 2002
Strengths: Price, feels like more than 4", minimal pedal bob, relatively unique.
Weaknesses: Experienced some chainsuck as per other reviews.
Bottom Line:
I was looking around for a FS frame only for some time as I had various part from an old hardtail and some new bits and peices needing a home. Most other frames available were significantly more expensive and as I was intending to set the bike up primarily for trails riding I did not want to drop to much $$ on a bike that would get used only on available weekends.
Settled on the Jamis and built it up as per above specs. Could not be happier except for aforementioned chainsuck whick is a bit of a pain halfway up a hill changing from middle ring to small ring. I will try the electrical tape fix mentioned below and see if that works.
Otherwise the bike feels very solid when cornering (one of my real concerns going to FS as I am 6' and 230 lbs) and t soakes up the bumps and smoothes everything out, actually feels like more than 4" of travel.
I can notice the extra weight when climbing longer hills but this is more than compensated for by the fun factor on the way back down. I do not know exact weight of the bike but I am sure a better and lighter wheels set would be about the only change I could make to affect weight.
With riser this bike feels a bit schetchy on steep climbs and I need to move way forward on the saddle to stop front wheel from lifting but again as I do not intend to race I can live with this.
Bottom line my trail riding is so much more fun than on my old hardtail and for a fraction of the cost I am able to keep up with all my mates on much more expensive FS rides and yet, in Australia at least Jamis is not a common brand so I get more questions than them. I win all round.
This bike either as a frame or complete must be looked at for anyone seriously considering a FS all round ride. Do not discount it because it is cheaper than comparable bikes, it rocks.
Similar Products Used: First FS owned but tested and riden a number of FS bikes including Specialised, Trek Fuel, Sugars, C'Dales, Heckler and Giant AC and NRS.
Bike Setup: Z1 X- Fly (100 mm), XTR rear der, LX front der., LX crankcset, Deore Hydro brakes, Easton riser bars with 110 mm stem, time pedals & cheap wheel set.
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Submitted by
Tom Killer
a Cross Country Rider
from NY. Usa
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2002
Bottom Line:
..looks like everybody has a same problem w/chainstucking.. I got this, if I switched to small ring.
Here is a tip to fix it!
Get electric tape, and put some to the chainstay to reduce gap beetwen rings and c.stay .Its helps for me .
But my question is if somebody knows where can I get dust O-ring for chainstay , please let me know. AOL IM me at f1tommmy or E-mail me at f1tommmy@aol.com Thanks..my friends
price was a big consideration in purchasing a dakar (as opposed to a Heckler, Isis etc). very happy with the way she performs. uphills are a lot easier than a hardtail (more grip and contact with terra firma). i haven't spent enough time on other FS bikes to properly compare. i will try and learn to ride this bike to its full capacity before finding a new love.
Jean-Paul above faced the same drama as me with the head tube being out of round. $11 (thats about $5US) at the local frame builder sorted that. Have the same issue with the chain coming off and getting stuck. had to take the chain apart and remove the middle ring - in the field at night 20 miles from home! not pleasant (especially with 6 sweaty mates standing around waiting) this is a regular occurence - anyone had success fixing this?
Bottom line is - great value for money and probably 90% of the performance of the big boys at half the cost
