Submitted by
garrett
a Cross Country Rider
from brooklyn, ny
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2003
Strengths: I bought the frame only (mine is a Reynolds 500-series steel - ball burnished) and built it up with spare parts. The usual steel suppleness, quick response, nice ride.
Weaknesses: none as of yet.
Bottom Line:
A sweet steel bike built from frame up. I originally put a cromoly rigid fork on it and used the bike as a commuter, going over Brooklyn bridge to work. Combo of steel frame and steel rigid fork was enough absorb most roughness on NYC concrete, and was a quicker, suppler ride than my tricked-out aluminum XC hardtail with Manitou Black Elite and Cane Creek thudbuster. Too good a bike to ride in the city only, so I will be taking it on the trail soon. Poor man's Dragon, but does the job.
Similar Products Used: Dakota AL, Komodo, Dakar, Trek 7000, Klein Adroit, Santa Cruz Heckler & Superlight, Ibis Mojo, you name it...
Bike Setup: Manitou SX-R, Titec Hellbent riser bar, Titec seapost, SRAM 9 shifters, Avid 5.0 brakes & levers, XTR front & SRAM 9 rear derailleurs, Caramba Sidewinder cranks w/ Ringle rings, Rolf Satellite wheelset, Michelin greenies, etc.
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Submitted by
Bridget D
a Cross Country Rider
from Cincinnati, OH, USA
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2003
Strengths: Frame, Wheels, XT Parts
Weaknesses: Cranks, Saddle, Paint Job (Holy PAINTCHIPS!) - on both my Jamis bikes
Bottom Line:
After a year I still love this bike. I am considering buying yet another Jamis (full-suspension). The 2003 Dakota XC has a very cool paint job...wish the 2002 was silver/black too...but I can deal. This hardtail has been able to handle everything I have ridden on/over...gotta love steel!
The folks at Jamis are very cool...they ride/race lots and you can see it in the quality/design of their bikes.
Bike Setup: Cranks, Casette - upgraded to XT Handlebar Titanium - flat Skewers - Ellsworth (very sweet impulse buy!)
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Submitted by
D-Donk
a Cross Country Rider
from somewhere
Date Reviewed: December 21, 2002
Strengths: Steel frame is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Xt parts work great.
Weaknesses: Heavy cassette, unsealed headset, seat sucks giant donkey!!
Bottom Line:
This bike rocks for anyone who wants an intermediate-professional level bike at an awesome cost. I swithced the bars to the Easton CT2's and the seat to a selle italia flite gel-tho. If the cassette and cranks were XT and the headset was sealed(Canecreek or something) this bike would be the perfect bike short of XTR. Switching to discs tho- Not enough power. Still performs outstandingly-Beats anything at its price point.
Strengths: Very light for a 21" bike. Steel frame holds up well with a 6'6" 230lbs biker. Solid specs with a few exceptions
Weaknesses: Why they decided to put a Deore Cassette on this bike boggles me! Upgraded the saddle/handlebars/cassette and dropped nearly a pound.
Bottom Line:
Did quite a bit of research for my first venture to MTB after having to upgrade after my first road bike. Dakota XC is a great bike for the $$. I couldn't touch a bike made by Trek/Klein/etc... with these specs for less than $1900.
Similar Products Used: Trek Y5, 9.8, Klein Attitude
Bike Setup: Stock/XT Cassette/Flight Ti Saddle/EX70 Bars
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Submitted by
Rocco
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney , Australia
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2002
Strengths: Tubless Tyres, Chro-moly frame
Weaknesses: Paint work easy to chip, seat to hard,
Bottom Line:
This bike is a dream to ride, you can ride for it hours and isn't too taxing on the body. This is a very responsive bike on hard packed surfaces and super fast, handels great I think the tubless Python tyres have alot to do with this. I was never really into those fancy looking over sized alloy frames, just as well because the ride quality on this bike is paramount!!
I had to cross the state line to buy this bike and I have to admit that I am slightly dissapointed with it. With 1500 bucks, I should have settled for a "better-built" Jamis Dakota XC or a Bianchi or Gunnar. I could've sworn that Jamis sold me a "repainted" last year's frame. From the chipped paint, I notice the last year's color on it. I know this bikes have been selling like hotcakes for them, but Jamis should have had the courtesy to let the customers know if they are gonna sell them repainted frame. I don't really mind minor paint chip because you know..it's a mountain bike, but for 1500 bucks, Jamis should have done a better job painting it. Stickers were merely glued and they peeled away after a few rides. Plus, it's a steel. Without paint treatment, it's gonna rust. Mine is a 15". I think the Manitou Mars Elite that comes with it is equipped with "soft" kit. I had to go to 150 psi(more than 100% of my body weight)to prevent it from bottoming out. I asked Jamis for a stiffer kit swap, but they refuse to do it. I would have to pay extra because it would be consider an upgrade, even though I barely used the fork when I called them. Now, the fork starts to sip oil thru the compression damping adjuster-knob. AND the steerer tube is cut too short; restricting stem swap or stem-height adjustment. Why don't they cut the steerer tube to accomodate 2 or 3 headset spacers??? Mine barely have enough space for one spacer. Finally, the handlebar grips just keep slipping around the handlebar.I had to use wires and hair gel to fix this problem. For crying out loud,I bought this bike to ride it, not to keep fixing it. Buying a bike without test-riding it is a SUPER-BIG mistake, guys. I had to rely on the reviews here because the bike shop doesn't carry this bike for daily display or demo. If only the bike was built well.... On the plus side, the bike does ride well. With the tubeless and steel frame, it feels like having an extra one-two inches of travel(especially on the rear). I was able to pedal through some sections that I was not able to with my previous bike. XT group performs well so far. I honestly think the bike could use a better headset and saddle. These are the only two things I would upgrade on this bike unless you want to go disc-brakes. Overall, like I said even though the bike is not a total failure, I'm still dissapointed. Perhaps mine is just the black sheep in the group. I thought Jamis have a reputable customer service. Anyway, I was planning to buy a Jamis roadbike as well, but after buying this bike, I just won't risk it again. Happy riding.
Similar Products Used: Comparable Marin, Specialized, Giant, etc.
Bike Setup: Stock with XT crankset.
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Submitted by
Bill Short
a Cross Country Rider
from Newark, DE
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2002
Strengths: Goes low and fast in the corners. Grippy tire set-up. Climbs,climbs,climbs. Aggressive on techy stuff. Comfy to the end on epic rides. DUR-A-BLE. Light fast single-track skate, great on rock gardens. Hops like the bunny it is. Perfect if you a fast hardtail without dropping mega-cash.
Weaknesses: Good front shock but not my first choice (I'll upgrade when the Manitou gives up). V-brakes good but I wanted disc so I got them. Inadequate junk-slot on saddle but only noticeable on epics over 25 miles. Chain stay protection non-existent. Must protect chainstay...chip paint...expose steel...get rust...not good..otherwise, not a problem thus far, not a single one.
Bottom Line:
Sweet, swoopy, fast, light (relatively speaking), good looks, good value, great frame material. I'm loving the tubeless and even if others don't cause I know they haven't tried it. Don't tell anyone it was a deal cause it looks and rides like a million. Bicycling Magazine nailed it when they called it the "Hard Tail of the Year". GO BUY ONE. I NEVER give fives or tens in ratings but this time I have to. THANKS JAMIS.
Similar Products Used: Tons. Been riding forever. I demo bikes whenever I travel and ride all over the good ole USA. Many bikes in basement on hooks ready to roll.
Bike Setup: Upgraded to Avid mechanical disc and wheels before accepting delivery from the shop. BEAUTIFUL, FLAWLESS, STRONG, low cost but high quality.
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Submitted by
Bridget
a Racer
from Cincinnati, OH, USA
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2002
Strengths: The steel frame is great - I am very glad that I made the which from aluminum to steel. The geometry is also great for a female rider. The components have all been working well for me so far...There are few minor, inexpensive things to that I will/have probably swaped.
Weaknesses: The saddle isn't so hot. I would have taken it off even if it was comfortable because I prefer all black saddles.
Bottom Line:
An excellent bike for women and an excellent bike on tight trails. It is also an excellent bike for the money! I am glad I had the chance to read other reviews on this site it further re-enforced my decision buy this bike and I am glad that I did...I can't stop riding it! It is too much fun!
Similar Products Used: Scott Elite (7005 hardtail frame)
Bike Setup: Stock...replaced the saddle with a women's saddle.
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Submitted by
Will Norris
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder
Date Reviewed: June 6, 2002
Strengths: Tubeless tires are great. Riding with lower pressure gives you more control and better grip on rocks, and no chance for pinch flats. Steel frame also gives it a very smooth feel, very little vibration on rocky downhills.
Weaknesses: Cranks are about the only thing that isn't high end on this bike. I upgraded mine to XT for $30, and now pretty much everything on this bike is XT and rides great. Haven't found any other weaknesses.
Bottom Line:
This is the smoothest ride you are going to find for its price range. I joined team performace and got 10% back in gift certs to make the price 10% lower. If you are looking for a great bike w/great components, this one beats the competition. The Manitou Mars Elite shock is a good improvement over last year's model. I like is quite a bit better than the shocks they are putting on similar bikes in this range (Black, Bomber, etc.). You aren't going to find a lighter steel bike, my 21" weighed in at 25 lbs, about the same as the 19" M4 comp I tried.
Similar Products Used: Tried Specialized M4 Comp, and Gary Fischer Big Sur.
Bike Setup: 21 inch frame (sounds big but it fits me), XT cranks added
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Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Falmouth, MA
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2002
Strengths: smoooth steel ride, light (25 lbs), climbs like a goat on crack, well spec'd: XT shifters, derailleurs and bb, Thomson post, Ritchey pro stem, Mars Elite fork, Mavic tubeless rims, Hutchinson tires, Time pedals, Avid levers and brakes
Weaknesses: low-end saddle and headset, heavy cassette
Bottom Line:
This bike is fantastic. A little more than I wanted to spend, but worth it. Faced with replacing my steel Bridgestone MB2, I was unimpressed with the aluminum hardtail offerings. Both the M4 and Big Sur have too many house brand or cheap components, and the ride blows. With this bike, after long, pounding rides, I feel fine - the only pain is in my quads, not my ass, back, or arms.
I was skeptical of the tubeless rims/tires, but they ride incredibly well. Run with low pressure and climb over anything without getting bounced off your line by rocks, roots, etc. The components all work well together - the Mars Elite fork absorbs anything I give it, and everything else runs perfectly. I put on a firmer saddle, and replaced the heavy HG50 cassette with an XT.
If you want a light hardtail with quality ride and components for under $1300, get this bike. You'll be hard pressed to find a comparably equipped bike in this price range, particularly one with a steel frame. If you want full-suspension, at least test this bike, you'll be surprised by the quality of the ride. (And there is no full-suspension bike with these components at anywhere near this price.)
Similar Products Used: Fisher Big Sur, Specialized M4
Bike Setup: stock, except for a new WTB Laser saddle and XT cassette
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Submitted by
Jeffrey Cedeno
a Cross Country Rider
from Meriden, NH
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2002
Strengths: amazing price (for the factory setup). the frame is insanely stiff laterally yet delivers 6 easy hours of riding on your body. SO much better than my old trek 8500!
Weaknesses: Not a fan of the stem, seatpost, or saddle. How can a 150 pound rider break all of these parts within 6 months?
Bottom Line:
So I ride my equipment hard. Very hard. I've busted through more bottom brackets and cranksets than I care to count on my old Trek 8500, plus an XT wheelset, XT brakes, seats, posts, stems, bars, but who's counting? I bought the Jamis based on one test ride (don't ask me where I found someone else who owns it cause they're impossible to find) that just blew me away.
Where this bike shines over the Trek is in ride quality. The lateral stiffness in the bottom bracket area is AMAZING. I get less than half an inch of flex compared with the two and a half I got on the old ride. We're talking a bike where you can lever with all your strength against the bar and peddals and spin up in less time than you could possibly imagine. This is only helped by the clever weight savings at the rims from having no tubes in the wheelset. I drool when I think of how the Dragon must ride.. All of this stiffness and simple spin up leads to a climbing machine. I don't know how Jamis did this one up, but when you're in the saddle you will have all of your desired traction on ANY uphill, no matter how steep. Get your legs in shape though, or work on your weight shifts, cause it's much tougher to find that sweet spot when you stand. I can't testify to how the Mars works on descents, since I never rode the fork on a trail, but the handling I get with the 80mm Marathon is amazing. Big hits, small hits, drop offs, razor sharp switchbacks, on the fly lockout, I love it all. Lesson one on why weight shaving isn't everything: oil is superior. As for the parts the bike does ship with, I can say it's a huge improvement over anything else out there. What fool at every major manufacturer thought it would be ok to switch out Shimano cranksets for house garbage? After blowing out four taperlock XT bottom brackets, the XT crank they went on, and destroying an ISIS interface to boot, I'm glad to see Jamis is using the LX, a very respectable part to be sure. The wheels are even better. I have never ridden anything that spins up this quick in the woods before. Sure, it's not my now retired road sprinter, but the handling and ride quality you get from the tubeless will make you shed tears of joy. The brakes are truly Avid all the way, no more XT freezeups after one season for me! The drivetrain parts are all solid performers, though the shifting on nine speed will never be as smooth as my old eight speed parts, no matter what people say. So my only gripes with the bike comes from little things here and there. The factory bolt holding my seat rails in place decided it would be more fun to automatically loosen for the first 15 rides or so that I went on, requiring a retighten every mile or so before it broke in half, resulting in a grueling hour long stand to get back to my car. This wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that my replacement bolt snapped with no warning last ride, this time resulting in a saddle that is broken in two places and a missing seat clamp. These both happened on FLATS, not on big hits. Not cool. Problem two comes with my beautiful, lovely, miracle Mavic tubeless wheels. Buy them. Pay the money for them. They just come out of true more than a good set of XTs with a 517 rim. I'm not talking anything serious here, but 20 rides after the initial spoke stretch was pulled back to true they are a hair off again. Not much to gripe about, but I rode my XTs for 4 years before blowing them up without ever truing them once. Last little snippet was the factory stem. It just wasn't stiff enough. Granted, after years of cranking out sprints in races and a bit too much rock climbing I use more arm than the average rider, but more factories should consider sticking stiff stems on their rides. They put on those lazy-boy riser bars these days to make handling 'easier', so why not go all the way and give us stems that can take the strain a wide bar puts on them?
So, the skivvy on this bike in the end is a solid reccommendation for the price. If you're looking for something to ride hard and fast, all day long, make the sacrifice and drive 3 hours to a shop that stocks it. You'll laugh at all those who switched over to full suspension for comfort when you dust them on that last uphill on the 6 hour rides, while the aluminum junkies are suffering from fatigue in the back. Just think, for the $2400 you'd pay for a full supsension bike that comes with this same parts spec as the Dakota you could get a Dragon with the full XTR package. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Similar Products Used: Trek 8500, Specialized FSR, Schwinn Homegrown, Giant team ride
Bike Setup: XTR crankset upgrade, Marzocchi Marathon fork upgrade (included in the 1640), Time ATAC carbon pedals, plus $100 for an azonic 100mm downhill stem and some carbon bar ends. looking to replace the broken saddle and post with an USE alien aluminum and a WTB laser
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Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: April 27, 2002
Strengths: Steel Hardtail at a great price. Phenomenal component group for the money. All XT, Mavic Tubeless Wheels. My dream bike, exactly what I was looking for.
Weaknesses: There is not a single shop within 200 miles of Boston that stocks this bike, so you can't really buy one in New England unless you want to order it and hope for the best. All the regional Jamis dealers stock only bikes under $500.
Bottom Line:
This bike was exactly what I was looking for when I decided to retire the old Mongoose and step up to a 'real' mountain bike. Everything on the bike was perfect...except that this bike does not exist.
The big hit here goes to the manufacturer. I called every single dealer within 200 miles, and not one had these in stock. Most of the shops consider this to be a 'high end' bike, as they specialize in bikes in the $300-500 range. The manufacturer(I spoke to the sales rep several times, and he didn't seem to think there was anything unusaul about this) told me that they had 3 bikes in the West Coast warehouse, that was their entire inventory for the Dakota XC, and that I could order one through a dealer.
So, sadly, I bought something else, after 2 months of searching and finally resigning myself to the reality that I would have to buy the bike sight unseen, then deal with a bike shop that sells cheap bikes for support.
Jamis really needs to work on their distribution system. I envy those of you who got your hands on one of these bikes.
Similar Products Used: Specialized FSR, FSR Comp, Giant NRS2
Bike Setup: Stock
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Submitted by
Giantschwinn
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2002
Strengths: Wow, how nice the steel rides. The ride quality is much better than my Giant XTC SE1. Almost like a full suspension bike because the tubeless wheels pick up the small bumps. Do every thing well from single track descent to fire road climbs.
Weaknesses: None. As with all steel frame you have to worry about rust. I clean my bike after every ride and definitely won't take this bike out when wet.
Bottom Line:
Wow, what a bike. My money well spent. The welding is careful and delicate. You wouldn't expect it but this is a very well made Taiwanese frame. A pretty light bike at 24.5 lbs. Dakota XC is no hype...it's real. Thinking about going full suspension? You have got to try this bike. If you live on the west coast you can order it thru Performance Bikes.
Favorite Trail: I tell you then I'll have to kill you
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$1200.00
Purchased At: Performance Bike
Similar Products Used: Giant XTC SE1, Giant XTC NRS1, Fuji Thrill, Gary Fisher Sugar 3.
Bike Setup: Stock...trust me there is nothing to upgrade, almost all XT drive train, Thomson saddle and Avid brakes.
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Submitted by
James Pollock
a Weekend Warrior
from Gold Coast, Australia
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2002
Strengths: All round good spec Supple steel Tubeless tyres are great
Weaknesses: Seat got ditched - too soft That lovely and extremely light Answer Taper bar got ditched in favour of some more freeride inspired Zoom riser. A bit of weight hidden in the frame. Buy the next one up if you can, save 500 grams.
Bottom Line:
Great bike. Very supple in the rough stuff. Nimble enough to make tight single track your favourite place in the world. Now with the risers it's showing it's style on my first few attempts at jumps and some downhill action on the weekends.
Climbing (before the risers - less so now) is one of this bike's shining strengths. While the front tyres of the riders around you are hunting their own lines you will be peddling an effortless straight line.
As mentioned before, it's very fast on single track. I can attack corners, brake in harder and later, much better than ever before.
Going downhill I float across rocks that previously pinch-flatted me nearly every time. Its the tubless tyres and the supple steel frame. The difference is magical.
It's hard to see where they cut corners on this bike, as all the spec is first rate. (That makes it kind of hard when replacing stuff, like getting risers. You can't go putting inferior quality stuff on!)
I'm too much in love with this bike to give it anything other than 5 flaming chilis. I'd take it to bed with me if my girlfriend didn't object.
Tried to order a 2005 Dakota XC from my LBS this week, but no go. They are sold out and can't get any more from Jamis. No 2006's available yet either, but I heard a rumor that th Read More »
I just picked up a 2004 Dakota XC frame and have been trying to figure out how to spec it out. I can get a good price on the older style XT crank that uses the ocatlink BB, I Read More »
I am looking to purchase a new bike and am having trouble deciding between a few different ones. I would like to stay hardtail, but just can't come to a decision. Also am thinking Read More »
Can someone point me in the right direction or tell me the weight of a Jamis Dakota XC frame that was built in 05 with 631 steel? I e-mail Jamis and they said roughly 5 pounds. T Read More »
I'm looking at buying a used (2005) Jamis Dakota XC. It is in good condition, has quite a few paint chips on the frame but thats about it. Is $400 a good price for this bike?
Th Read More »
