Weaknesses: A little heavy, CHEAP paint flakes off easily
Bottom Line:
Well for $1500 I probably could have got a little better bike, already built, but hey, it's cool not seeing the same bike I'm riding all over the mountain. Plus I had fun putting this one together. It performs just about flawlessly, other than the shock and fork not having any fine tuning controls, but that's okay. But in the long run, it's well worth the money. I'd recommend it time and time again.
Strengths: It is a great entry into duallies I love every part of this bike except the fork.
Weaknesses: FORK FORK FORK FORK FORK
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for a person who wants to have fun with the sport. It is a great frame to build on and the price is incredible. If you are on a budget, then this bike is for you my friend.
Bike Setup: Stock components, Downhill tires, Sid sl fork, fox vanilla rear shock
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Submitted by
Andy Seth
a Cross Country Rider
from Redondo Beach
Date Reviewed: October 1, 2003
Strengths: Great value, good set of components, disc brakes, full suspension.
Weaknesses: Suspension is ok but once you step up your level of riding, you'll beg for something that absorbs more.
Bottom Line:
I got this bike after riding a Giant Rincon which was my entry into mountain biking. This bike was the best value I could find... definitely a "Consumer Report" top 10. The components are good quality, you get disc brakes, full suspension and a relatively lightweight bike that is versatile. I used this bike to step up my riding from weekend warrior to cross county and have even been able to try some jumps with success. However, anything above 4 feet bottoms out the fork but I shouldn't be doing those types of jumps on this bike anyhow. I would recommend this bike to anyone looking for a great bike to step up their riding for under $1000. The added bonus is if you get it from Performance Bicycles, you get free tune ups for life. I don't work there but they have been extremely helpful to me in tuning my brakes and derailleurs anytime I want.
Bike Setup: LX front, XT rear, Panaracer XC Pro tires, Oury grips, Avid mechanical brakes.
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Submitted by
david hayes
a Cross Country Rider
from pompanobeach,florida
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2003
Strengths: suspension is great very smooth realy enjoyable to ride disc brakes are great decent components
Weaknesses: paint job is cheap or flakes easly
Bottom Line:
this bike is great nothing needs to be done to it but ride it i injoy every ride with this bike i got rid of a 2700 klien mantra carbon for this bike and have no regrets in my opinion jammis is a much better bike
Similar Products Used: klien mantra carbon 1999 this bike sucked big time and trek y3
Bike Setup: stock
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Ian Forrest
a Cross Country Rider
from Laguna Niguel, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2003
Strengths: Price. Cannot emphasize this enough. For the money there is ABSOLUTELY no other bike out there that compares. Trust me, I've looked. The performance is awesome too, I hang with guys riding much more expensive bikes.
Weaknesses: I didn't really like the stock seat or the stock pedals.
Bottom Line:
If you are looking for your first full suspension bike or are on a tight budget look no further because here is your answer! This bike will take you from the bottom to the top. Awesome bike, can't stress that enough.
Favorite Trail: Wood Canyon Wilderness park and surrounding areas
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At: The Path Bike Shop in Tustin, CA
Similar Products Used: Univega and Giant
Bike Setup: Everything stock except saddle and pedals.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Todd
a Weekend Warrior
from Conway, AR
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2003
Strengths: Good value - decent spec for the money.
Weaknesses: Paint chips easily. Rear brake disk rubs when leaning into turns, especially noticeable on the road (riding to and from the local trail.) Not exactly spec's as advertised. The crank/bb is supposed to be Shimano splined not tapered.
Bottom Line:
Good bike. Have enjoyed it on the trails, but several of the bike rag's have probably overrated it. I see several references to the brake squeal/rubbing issue due to frame flex in this forum, but nothing in the magazine reviews. Ditto with the cheap paint job.
Similar Products Used: Giant NRS3, Trek, Gary Fisher Sugar 4.
Bike Setup: Stock except for XT rear derailuer.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
John Catts
a Weekend Warrior
from Spring Branch
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2003
Strengths: Great Value..looks cool..solid frame..rear suspension is good.
Weaknesses: Disc Brakes squeal..was told frame flex it doesn't rub in the stand, only on the ride. Weak 500# spring for rear shock had to buy heavier spring if your over 170 you'll need a heavier spring. Wish the rear swing arm would handle a larger tire a 2.1 is as big as it will handle..
Bottom Line:
Great frame to build up..excellent price..this bike handles well..a little heavy on long climbs..but flies downhill..I use this bike for muddy narly rides as it is pretty indestructible..I love it..
Bike Setup: XT build kit, Hayes MX Disc Brakes, Manitou Xvert, Sun Ryno lite Deore Disc wheel set.
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Submitted by
Myron MacNeil
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2003
Strengths: Good Frame, I actually LIKE the stock wheelset it came with.
Weaknesses: Paint job seems kinda fragile. What's the deal with the disk brake squeak? The stock manitou Six needs a ride kit right off the bat.
Bottom Line:
I've had it just over a year now. Replaced my front shock seal, rear shock "secondary" seal, brake pads( how long SHOULD they last?) and the crankset. S'ok by me. I DID find out that the tech that put my bike together used shifter cable for my brakes. I didn't find out until my front cable shredded at the lever. When I took it to my now "new" LBS the tech there noticed it. Since they were affiliated with the old shop they replaced all my cables free of charge and tweaked the whole thing. The Kearney Mesa Performance shop rocked. Bottom Line, this is a GREAT bike for beginner and intermediate riders. It handles a bit light in the beginning, but after a few minutes it's a fun ride. It'll take a pounding, but I wouldn't jump off a cliff on it.
Bike Setup: fox vanila rear, manitou mars comp front
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Shaun
a Cross Country Rider
from San Luis Obispo, CA
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2002
Strengths: selection of components for price, good climber
Weaknesses: some minor adjustments were needed at first, can't really complain for the price
Bottom Line:
Couldn't get my pads to stop rubbing on the front after a reasonably loooog brake in period so I took it back to the shop and copelands gave me a new bike after I'd had mine for only a week. (It had come with some scratches, a large dent on the frame which didnt really bother me) But after it was determined that a bent rotor was the cause of my braking problems (which they assumed happened during shipping of the built bike from another store, and a big mixup on their part about me not have even received my bike yet) blah blah blah.....so they gave me another bike right then and there which was cool.
Anyways, I've had the second bike for just over a week now (150mi+) and I've been really happy with its performance so far. I ride it on mainly fire roads and single tracks in Poly Canyon, Montana de Oro, and other places in the San Luis Obispo vicinity (If you are familiar with CalPoly, SLO you know what I'm talking about). Only complaint is the OEM manitou six super is way to cheap for my riding style (hey they had to skimp somewhere) and the HMX-1's aren't as stong as I thought they would be. Aside from that the drivetrain is awesome and all the components pretty much work great together. Climbs well and has definitely helped me improve on my riding. I'm definitely going Jamis on my next bike untill I graduate and can afford a nice PHAT ellsworth ID, hehe:)
....5 chilis for value! ....and 4 chilis overal cuz there's always room for improvement
Similar Products Used: Similar F/S and hardtail bikes by Kona, Santa Cruz, GT, K2, Gary Fisher and Schwinn...none could beat the value of the Jamis ...since I'm on a college budget down here
Bike Setup: Just about stock...basic Lx and deore stuff, Hayes HMX-1 F/R Discs, OEM Manitou Six Super (gonna be the first to go) Sun Ringle Zu Zu pedals, Sigma Wireless Speedo, Fire XC Pro's in blue, Fox Digit Gloves (good gloves are a must to improve your skills)
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Myron MacNeil
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2002
Strengths: F/S is the deal
Weaknesses: Manitou front shox
Bottom Line:
I reviewed my NEW Jamis back in March. I loved it then and I still do. I weigh 200 pounds. I bought the 21 incher 'cause that's what my LBS reccomended. 2 months back I blew the rear shok secondary seal(??. I only found this out 'cause i brought it in to get a leak in the front shock looked at. FOX did a warranty replace on my rear shock, but it took JAMIS a MONTH to get the thing back to me. Front shock still leaked. My mechanic told me i needed a ride kit 'cause i was TOO HEAVY for the front and blew out the seal. got it and a heavier spring in the rear just in case. I'm not a whale, why'd it take 5 months for this junk to break? Still love my ride. I'm pushin harder and faster every ride 'cause i know it'll take the pounding.I'm working towards a new DAKAR Comp next!!!!
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from San Rafael, California
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2002
Strengths: Great all around bike. It replaced a Nishiki hardtail I bought about 10 years ago. I really like the full suspension.
Weaknesses: Be careful of the disks for the brakes. I was cross country riding at Lake Tahoe and fell into a hole in some lava rock that dented the disk. I had to do some emergency bending on the trail to be able to ride again! It was my own fault tho.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for $750. I originally paid $850, but performance has a 90 day price guarantee, and so they gave me $150 back when I called them on it. Of course I spent the money at performance....
Submitted by
Ed Endemano
a Weekend Warrior
from Riverton, UT
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2002
Strengths: Suspension, wheels and brakes.
Weaknesses: Pedals.
Bottom Line:
First of all lets get one thing straight, I love this bike, so all complaints will be nit-picking. As an overall package this bike works very well. The brakes are quite strong and smoothe but they squeal some upon braking-I can live with that. The only problem I had with them was that the rear brake was not set-up properly by the bike shop and was constantly rubbing and squealing even when not braking. It was driving me crazy. A trip back to the bike shop had it re-set-up and no more noise. The original pedals would not work for me as I wear a size 13EEEE shoe. As far as I can tell nobody makes a biking shoe that fits my foot so it was a quick trade to another pedal-the Bigfoot 3 pedals work great for me, it's like they have eagle talons on them holding my foot. The original seat was fine but at 43 years old and 210 pounds I care more about comfort than looks and light weight seats. As far as suspension goes, I am not the person to look to for a good evaluation, I have only owned unsuspended bikes in the past so almost anything seems great to me. I think this is a perfect bike for someone who is going through a mid-life crisis and wants to step up to a full suspension bike; it has quality components and is fairly easily upgradeable for when your skills improve (stiffer springs are in my future). Heck, if you get this bike you may even save yourself from doing something really stupid like buying a Dodge Viper. From 1980 through 1981 I rode a Vista 10-speed as my primary mode of transportation-I swore I would never ride a bike again-this bike has cured me of that. I know that there are better bikes out there but I do not think there are any better values available.
Bike Setup: Diamondback Bigfoot 3 pedals. Trek spring seat.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Travis
a Cross Country Rider
from Daleville, AL
Date Reviewed: September 1, 2002
Strengths: The mechanical Disks are great. Everything on it is good and upgradable to execellent.
Weaknesses: Little bit heavy, but so am I.
Bottom Line:
Great ride for the money. I perchased it as my first full suspension bike, not knowing if I would be able to get over my hardtail. I love this bike. As said before most components are mid range, but everything can be upgraded as needed. Great starter bike. Takes alot of abuse, with minimal maint. downtime. I would look higher on the food chain if you are really competative, but it will take quite a bit for me to walk away from Jamis.
[url]http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BI279B05-Jamis+Dakar+Xcr+Sport+Bike+08.aspx?sc=FRGL[/url]
[url]http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/18722-018_SETAC8-3-Parts-47-Bikes/Set Read More »
I got a free 2000 Jamis Dakar Sport(minus seat and seat-post) that I turned into a shop stool. I just need a seat-post to finish the project. Anyone know what size the seat-posts w Read More »
Hi-
I am looking for a rear shock upgrade for my GF's jamis dakar sport.
She is 130 lbs and has been riding off road for a couple of years. The bike has an X-Fusion Glyde R. We a Read More »
Hey guys,
I just bought my first Jamis Dakar XCR Sport 08 (something like $1090 shipped from Banana Bikes and excellent customer service to boot :thumbsup: )
I'm coming from Read More »
