Submitted by
rick Burnett
a Weekend Warrior
from cary, NC
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2009
Strengths: Agile, quick, trustworthy
Weaknesses: ahhaha
Bottom Line:
Ok. I am a bit old school But I can tell you that this frame is the ultimate frame ever made (production). I cannot speak for custom frames..I am sure they are beyond my expectations.
I have had this bike and: Have raced it, rode it, traveled wiith it. It has eaten up Moab, And the entire East coast with force. It is fast and nimble and forgiving on the bone jarring stuff.
I have had this for 7 years. Recently a friend loaned me his full suspension carbon mtb. I was so relieved when I realized I was not missing a thing. I missed my dragon.
Submitted by
aerohead
a Cross Country Rider
from Acworth, GA, USA
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2003
Strengths: Overall a great frame. Pretty light for steel, comfortable, with predictable handling. For the price I don't think you'll find a better hardtail frame.
Weaknesses: The paint job itself looks okay but chips very easily. I had several nicks occur while I was building the bike up. I'm going to get it powdercoated soon.
Bottom Line:
I love this frame. It handles really well, is quite light (but then I'm running rigid with only one gear), and is much more comfortable on long rides than my Klein Adroit (which I also love, though for other reasons). This bike has become my primary ride. I'm taking one chili away just because of the need to repaint...otherwise a truly awesome frame.
Strengths: The softest ride this side of full suspension. Strong. Nice dropouts and disc brake tab. Price is right because its welded in Tiwain.
Weaknesses: Weird cable routing. Heavy, 4.6 lbs. Paint job is hanis. I had it powdercoated to my liking.
Bottom Line:
This bike flies if you put a good engine on it. It inspires confidence when you're going over 20mph. The ride is softer than the softail Trek I had. Good for yer back. It is a little heavy though. Mine weighs 23.5 pounds now.
Similar Products Used: Jamis Dakota, Cannondale M500, Trek STP 200
Bike Setup: XT, Sid, Mavic, Easton, Ritchey
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Cincinnati, Ohio
Date Reviewed: December 7, 2001
Strengths: Nice Steel Frame, well made. Choice of Disc's or V-brakes. Great ride comfort without being flexy. 853 tubing at this price point is incredible.
Weaknesses: None yet.
Bottom Line:
This bike is great. I was set to buy an IF Deluxe frame. My LBS owner let me ride his Dragon and I was hooked. After 3 good trail rides I can honestly say this bike rides way nicer than aluminum, and yet isn't flexy. It climbs and handles great.
This bike is perfect for the person who doesn't need Full Suspension. It has a very smooth feel on trail, but is plenty stiff for hills and sprinting. I weigh over 200lbs and find this bike perfect for singletrack riding.
This frame is a great deal when compared to the custom builders.
Submitted by
Adam Boone
a Racer
from Indianola, Ia, Usa
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2001
Strengths: It is a Jamis Reynolds 853 Steel Fast Helluva Climber
Weaknesses: A bit more felxy then an aluminum hardtail
Bottom Line:
This bike is fast and a great race bike. i can feel it flex a little and i only way 135 pounds. It can just fly up the hills and has pretty good geometry.
Weaknesses: weaknesses? it dont have no stinking weaknesses!!!!!!!!
Bottom Line:
this frame is so balanced its crazy. quick without being twitchy, fast yet neutral, climbs and descends with smoothness. its the holy grail of single track machines no doubt.im 6ft 2in and 240lbs and its strong enought to handle the power that i put down without feeling like a noodle.
Bike Setup: 21"frame, hell bent bar,moto ace stem, avid brakes and levers, grip shift shifters,z2bam fork,lx crank, xt derailleurs, time pedals,221's w/ deore hubs conti explorer pro front cross country rear tires
Strengths: It's a JAMIS!!! Quality workmanship-beautiful welds It's 853 Reynolds steel Handles very nicely Forgiving ride Red
Weaknesses: Not very light No replaceable derailluer hanger Red finish isn't glossy It might rust someday :(
Bottom Line:
We have a winner!!! Man, this thing is sweet. If you're looking for a steel XC hardatil, this is it. I got it as new on the Marketplace w/ a XT front derailleur and Thompson seatpost for $250. WHAT A DEAL, THE BEST $250 I WILL EVER SPEND> It's a singletrack killer. It handle well, with no surprises, climbs well and is comfortable on long rides. It a FAST frame in very tight singletrack. I recommend any Jamis frame to anybody. A great company that has high quality, affordable products!!! I'm gonna buy a Jamis Exile frame for my wife, and build that for her. I'm a Jamis customer for life!!!
Similar Products Used: my old miyata hartail schwinn homegrown
Bike Setup: 19" Dragon frame w/ 8sp. SRAM 9.0 SL shifters and derailleur XT cassette & front derailleur LX Hollowtech cranks,ES70 BB SRAM PC 59 9sp. chain Bontrager Mustang rims laced to LX hubs Thompson seat post,selle italia nitrox saddle,kore cockpit Avid 20 V's w/ 1.9 levers IRC Mythos Kevlar semi-slicks WTB Momentum Grease Guard headset 2000 Rock Shock Judy SL/Englund Total Air
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Luke
a Cross Country Rider
from Tennessee
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2000
Strengths: Defined ride qualities. Very good feeling ride. Lifetime warranty.
Weaknesses: No featherweight bike. headtube geometry can be hard to get used to.
Bottom Line:
Ive finally ridden this frame on enough dirt, different conditions and such, to write a decent review. I had never purchased a high end steel bike before and I decided to risk it and take the plunge... Man, do I love this bike! I can say that this bike has defenitely made me a faster rider. The handling characteristics are perfect for me, and once I had the saddle height angle and stem position correct, it fit me like a glove. It is one fast bike, and handles singletrack like no other bike I have ever ridden. But no bike is perfect. The only real complaint I have is the angle of the headtube. It is a little more slack then I am used to, and has a lot more fork rake than the aluminum frame that I used to ride. This only took a few rides to compensate for, but those first few rides got sketchy as I was flying down a trail and turned the bars a little too quickly and WHAM, I fly over the bars. It is only really apparent going through technical stuff at speed. Stangely enough, technical stuff while going slower is a friggin breeze for the same reason. The bike handles so predictably and smoothly through corners and whoops, and has a snappy feel in the corners. The only real advantage an aluminum bike would have in ride is the lively acceleration out of a turn, but this frame has allowed me to find my rythm so easily, I don't miss it at all. A REAL trailbike that works exceptionally well on singletrack, I suggest this frame to any eastcoster. Those who don't do anything except fireroad races and shorter rides may want something else. This frame rocks my world.
Strengths: The frame is light and flexible with tube angles to give you confidence on tight single track.
Weaknesses: It will eventually rust -- and the powder coat just doesn't seem to sparkle like other finishes (who cares...?, but it will last.
Bottom Line:
My first real mountain bike was a Jamis (9 years and 3 bikes ago). When purchasing bikes 2 and 3, I shopped around and still purchased a Jamis (#3 is a '98 Dragon). Jamis must have an addictive frameset -- I just don't have the same comfort riding other geometries and other frame materials. The Reynolds 853 provides a flexible ride for this 190 pound master racer.
If you race tight single track and want a frame that won't rattle your teeth, you will be exceptionally pleased withthe Dragon 853 steel frame.
Similar Products Used: I am a Jamis fan .. This is my 3rd Jamis hardtail in 9 years.
Bike Setup: Manitou SX ti, XTR all around except hubs. Various WTB, Kenda, & Hutchinson tires. WTB seat with a sometimes installed Rock-Shoc seatpost.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chad
a Racer
from Westlake Village, CA
Date Reviewed: March 31, 1999
Strengths: The ride is SWEET! The tube angles make a great handling bike. Weight is low enough. Overall value can't be beat.
Weaknesses: The head tube on my first Dragon frame cracked after 12 months and about 3900 miles of trails.
Bottom Line:
This frame ROCKS!! I put my Jamis Dragon through about 3900 miles of XC racing, training, road riding and just plain fun trail bombing in the last 12 months. The frame geometry couldn't be better! It's a great climber, it's sure handling in the tight and technical stuff and it's a super smooth downhiller. The steel tubes take a great deal of the abuse off of your body. Even for racing I think the 853 tubes are far superior to any sort of aluminum. All of my racer freinds that still ride aluminum are jealous of my Dragon. I must say though, after 12 months of major abuse my beloved Dragon cracked at the head tube. I just received my replacement frame though and I still think you can't beat a Dragon without investing in a top quality Ti frame. My only real complaint is the color....a bit too bright for my taste...but let's not nit-pick a frame that rides SOOOOOO SWEET!!
Similar Products Used: I've ridden two different Diamond Back steel frames and though bothe were good they couldn't compete with the Dragon. I've also ridden a freinds VooDoo Bizango made from Tange Prestige tubing and it also rocks but I think the geometry is a little too radical for racing.
Bike Setup: My Dragon frame has the following parts: Manitou FSTi fork. Mavic 517s on XT hubs. XT crank set. SRAM 9.0sl shifters and rear derailleur. XT front derailleur. King headset. Easton Monkey Lite riser bar. XTR V-brakes. McMahon Ti post. UN 72 BB. XTR rear cassette. Sachs PC91 chain. Oury grips.
OK, this review is not specifically of the Jamis Dragaon frame, but of Jamis's chosen frame material and angles. I recently had a custom 853 hardtail built by a local central PA builder called Sniper Racing based on the Jamis Dragon. The local bike shop I race for sells Jamis, and several of the better riders around here have Dragons. I rode one and loved it, so when I had the chance to have a custom frame built for me at about the same price as a Dragon, I jumped at it. The angles are identical except for a slightly higher bottom bracket due to the exceedingly rocky terrain here. The only other difference from a Dragon frame is that mine uses Reynolds 853 for all the tubes; Jamis uses a different chromoly steel for the rear triangle. I also had Ken Early, the builder, weld a gusset at the head tube for more rigidity because of my ham-fisted technique. Built up with XTR, Manitou SX Ti, riser bars, and USE suspension post, this thing is a techinal rider's dream. I love this frame: stiff at the bottom bracket and rear triangle without the harshness of aluminum, and much less money than a comparable Ti frame. The tighter and rougher the terrain, the better this thing works. While the Dragon is racy red, my frame is Baracuda Green. After riding mine and switching to a stock Dragon, I can't tell a difference. Was it worth having a custom frame built, especially a knockoff of an existing design that sells for 50 bucks less? Yes and no. Ken Early builds a hell of a frame for much less than he should be charging, and I did get some custom goodies like slick cable routing designed by a local MTB hero and higher bottom bracket, etc., but I could easily be just as happy with a stock Dragon. For the money, this is one of the sweetest handling rigs available. Long live steel. 5 flaming things. By the way, if anyone out there is interested in having Ken build YOU a custom Sniper frame, his number is 717-838-3941, or web site: www.sniperracing.com
Submitted by
Mitch Graham
a racer
from Cincinnati, OH
Date Reviewed: December 26, 1998
Bottom Line:
From backcountry touring to 3 hr races, the Dragon frame forms the most bad-ass foundation for a dream bike. What a quick handling, tough climbing, smooth descending bike! Coupling the 853 frame w/ a USE XCR post, my former lower back pains are forgotten. Also forgotten are my old aluminum and carbon frames; they looked better than they rode. Jamis' manipulation of 853 has won me over to steel for now. Great Job guys!
I can get a 11 Dragon 29 Sport for around $900. Would appreciate any opinions and feedback whether its worth it and on the bike itself. Im also looking at the 12 Trek Superfly AL ( Read More »
Gathering my parts together for a build up with Dragon race frame. Everything is coming together, but I can't figure out what kind of BB I need. All it says on the site is GXP inte Read More »
