New for ’03, the Dakar XLT 2.0 was specifically designed for epic all-terrain/all-day riding. Built backcountry tough with forged swing links, stay bridges, and yokes, but spec’ed light to climb efficiently. With plenty of suspension (125mm) to muscle descents at speed.
Similar Products Used: santacruz blur xc,intense tracer vp
Bike Setup: fox float rp23, mavic crossride wheels
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Submitted by
worldwidechance
a Weekend Warrior
from highlands ranch, co, usa
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2008
Strengths: components, shocks
Weaknesses: only the brakes, and handle bar
Bottom Line:
great bike. with the rear lockout on and the travel down it climbs like a mountain goat. pretty good downhill. alot of pedal bob with out the lockout. i like it. the frame could be better but for 03 its pretty good.
Similar Products Used: trek y3, specialized hard rock
Bike Setup: stock
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Submitted by
Wade Sommerfeld
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2007
Strengths: Very light (30 lbs), very durable bike. Great setup. Gears are very good with no skipping.Awesome fork with lots of adjustments including infinite travel with a switch on the handlebar. Love the Juicy Sevens.
Weaknesses: Hutchinson Spider tires are soft and wear easily. Paint scratches very easily.
Bottom Line:
This is a awesome bike for the cost. This bike tops some $2000 and maybe even $3000 bikes. I love pretty much everything and I dont think it can get any better. Jenson USA is a great bike shop. They offer the best prices on Jamis includng a Jamis Diablo 1.0 for only $1500. They ship by air and my bike got here in two days from California to Edmonton. Jamis bikes rock. This bike is for anyone who wants a top of the line bike for a good price. Overall this bike rocks.
Similar Products Used: None so far this is my first good mountain bike.
Bike Setup: Everything stock except MTB platform pedals.
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Submitted by
Jacques
a Cross Country Rider
from DC, DC, US
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2006
Strengths: Components are awesome. You can't beat the price. Bike is bomber except the rear chain stay (but see comments below). If you are looking for that XC full suspension or even the ocassional downhiller this is a great bike.
Weaknesses: Rear chain stay, BUT I called my local shop, he took some pictures and within 2 days I had the upgraded beafier chain stay on its way. The local shop "The Bike Shop" put it all back togethor in one day so I could ride for the weekend. So yes the stock rear chain stays suck, but the upgraded 2005's are sweet. My bike is a 2004 demo and they still warrentied the part. SWEET CUSTOMER SERVICE!
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the money. Don't worry if you have a 2004 to 2002 older model, if you break the chain stay most likely Jamis will still warrenty the part.
Favorite Trail: Conway Robinson (Because its close and pretty good)
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$1200.00
Purchased At: The Alpine Shop
Similar Products Used: Gary fisher cake DX, GT I-DRIVE, Iron Horse (Suck for XC they are too heavy)
Bike Setup: Upgraded handle bars and seat post to race face light carbon fiber. Also upgraded saddle. Stock is not that good.
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Submitted by
Madison
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: February 15, 2006
Strengths: Very well rated
Weaknesses: Deceptively low price
Bottom Line:
So many single chili reviews drag down this excellent bike's overall score. This bike was groundbreaking for it's time, and it can't be helped that some people rode theirs too hard. It was stupid of me to ride my 1998 Giant at Todnau. So to counter Mike who dragged down the ratings with his sob stories, I'm posting this. This bike always, and forever deserves it's 5 flamin' chilis, and that's just what it's gonna get.
Submitted by
jimmy
a Cross Country Rider
from florida/mississippi/missouri/ca
Date Reviewed: December 8, 2005
Bottom Line:
As the years have past...i have had problems with the shock...blew it out..completely and had to send it to fox...all else has been minor things...derailur hangers...shocks leaking air...broken chain...but still overall my clydesdale ass keeps up on the pedals...moving right and left...Right now in Italy riding in the winter months...through slop and on rocks and river beds...so far so good....I need a new bike suggestion...have agood day..!!
Submitted by
chris kim
a Cross Country Rider
from santa cruz, ca
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2004
Strengths: rides well
Weaknesses: customer support, poor design
Bottom Line:
I tried to send this email to Jamis, but there is no contact link whatsoever on their site: no way to call or email at all. I STRONGLY encourage you to read this review before buying anything Jamis.
Hello,
I am a REAL mountain biker - I ride the epic mountains of Santa Cruz, Ca about 3 times a week. I do no freeriding (no drops more than 3 feet), just standard all-mountain stuff. I weigh only 150 lbs, and know how to maintain my bike, and properly set my fork and shock. I ride with many of the locals, 90% of whom ride Santa Cruz, and Specialized bikes. Last year, upgrading my short-travel Cannondale for an all-mountain breed, I was deeply influenced by Mountain Bike magazine's "Bike of the Year" reviews of the 2003 Jamis Dakar XLT 2.0, and decided to purchase one. Upon receipt, I was stoked - the bike rides like a dream: the four-bar linkage does not move when I crank hard uphill, yet soaks up bumps like a sponge on the downhill. And the fork is just awesome. I took this bike to Downieville, Ca, and Moab Utah, several times and it treated me well in terms of the ride. I bragged to my friends who spent $1000's more for their Santa Cruz Blurs, and Specialized Enduro's; that they wasted their money on name brands and hype. Now, a year later, I feel quite differently..
3 months after I purchased the bike, the bearings blew out in the rear linkage, requiring over $100 to replace. I was told that they were improperly installed, that the torque was incorrect, and that it was builder error. I believed it. About 4 months after the purchase, I broke the rear drop-out, and it took nearly two months to get a new one! A REAR DROPOUT!! I rode my old Cannondale in the interim, which was annoying to say the least. I wrote several emails similar to this one, which I believe actually expedited the shipment!! Now, a little more than a year after the purchase, I noticed substantial sway in the linkage, and spent almost $200 replacing every bearing in the rear linkage. The lateral give is still there. On top of this, I find that the chainstay was cracked through two "weight-saving" carve-outs, and required replacement. The answer: a 2004 chainstay which is grey and does not match, but doesn't have the carve-outs. I don't care about the color, but was insulted when told I would void the warranty if I painted it!! Now my bike is not only funny looking, but doesn't ride!!
So, now I've been waiting for the one bearing that I didn't replace for almost a month (the one closest to the seat) , because it is on "back-order". Heck, even the local shop was talking trash, saying that this is why they don't sell Jamis mountain bikes, just the family units...
Final beef: I've noticed over this past year that the frame bottoms out before the Float shock: an obvious poor choice in shock stroke: this is the only bike I've ever seen to suffer from this. It requires that I set the shock extra stiff so that I don't break my frame. I guess I know where my savings went...
At this point, I'm pretty fed up - I've been a Jamis advocate for a year, despite my woes. I've really tried to support you guys. Now I ride a bike which rides very well, but is perpetually broken, with mis-matched parts, which is only a year old!! It is apparent to me, that this bike was not designed for real riders, and probably does well when used twice a year. Unfortunately, i am not one of those guys. You should understand: this is really bad PR. I have been touting your products, despite my issues, for almost a year, and just can't find one reason to do so any more... the ride alone won't cut it. I'm pretty much ready to dump the Jamis on Ebay, and pick up a Santa Cruz, Specialized, or Rocky Mountain. The dozen or so riders and shop guys I ride with will definitely notice my transition, something I should hope you would be concerned about.
Strengths: This bike is amazing!!! I have taken it to hell and back, with very few problems. This bike can take alot of abuse for a cross country frame. I've done a few four foot drops with no remorse. I've been riding this bike very, very hard for two seasons.
Weaknesses: I've only had a problem with my TALAS fork, It was my fault not the fork. There's only so much that an air sprung cc fork can take, and I pushed it beyond its intended limits. The TALAS is a very tough fork though, it handled a lot of downhill abuse before it broke.
Bottom Line:
I've enjoyed this bike on a veriety of different terrain from singletrack to 4cross courses to dirt jumps to lift access double blacks. It doesn't hurt that I only weigh 145lbs. If you can land smooth you can go big. This bike is worth a lot more than the $2,000 I spent.
Strengths: Fox front and rear. Hayes. Climbs very well for a 30ish pound bike - descends even better. Perfect geometry for me.
Weaknesses: Reported chainstay problem (none for me to date). Shop brand seatpost clamp, Koski stem and handlebar, Hutchinson tyres.
Bottom Line:
A great bike that does just what it's supposed to do. It isn't as flash and high profile as some similar bikes. I have ridden it on epic 60km Alberta Rockies rides with XC racers on hardtails and managed to stay in touch on the climbs and completely lose them on the descents. Changing out a few heavy parts has taken mine down under 30 pounds. You simply cannot buy a similarly specced bike for even close to the money. The one thing I have noticed is that thieves aren't interested in it either. I have two friends whose bikes were stolen while being stored with mine and mine was gently set aside. One was a Rocky Slayer and the other was a SC Heckler.
Bike Setup: Panaracer Fire XC Pro tyres, Easton Monkey Lite CT2 handlebar, Race Face System stem, Easton EC-70 seatpost.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Redmond, WA
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2004
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up to my post below and the problems I had with parts and Jamis customer service. Things seem to be a lot better. When I personally got ahold of the right person in warranty, a part was on its way to my bike shop the next day. I then received a follow up from the new warranty manager at Jamis and it seems like they are making changes for the better. Also, I was able to find derailleur hangers so I bought 3! The bike has been working great the last few weeks.
Submitted by
Razor
a Weekend Warrior
from DirtyWater, CT
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2004
Strengths: This Bike is the bomb, don't let anyone tell you different. You ride cross country, no problem, it's light enough, you want to huck off a 5 footer, no prob, plenty of cush. This bike brings a smile every ride. component package is great for the $$. The fox talus soaks up everything you throw at it.
Weaknesses: Chainstay.. Cracked it at the weld last night. I was concerned after reading reviews about how difficult it would be to get my ride back up and running. Let me tell ya...... I called Jamis direct this morning and asked for customer service I left a message with a Rep fearing the worst. I got a call back within a couple hours. I explained my problem, and he said NO PROBLEM. He told me to bring my ride to my nearest dealer( Cutting Edge, Kensington) He said they'll ship the part and will have it by the weekend all under warranty. If that aint Customer Service, I don't know what is. thanks Kenny....thanks Adam..
Bottom Line:
I would recommend Jamis to everyone. Great Bike, great service, happy as hell.
With all the abuse you but on your bike, you have to expect something to give once and a while. What makes a bike company standout is thier ability to not only build a quality product, but be able to provide service for that product when it needs it..
If your not happy with this bike, buy a ten speed and give up the woods.
Submitted by
Paul Manfredini
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake City, Utah
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2004
Strengths: follow up to review posted last november to alert readers of chainstay problem
Weaknesses: Weak Chainstay (snapped in half at Weld on last ride) Frame pivot bearings
Bottom Line:
Just writing to say that my chainstay snapped in half over the weekend. Called my local shop yesterday to work on replacement. Will follow up with complete details of experience and Jamis' handling of situation.
Submitted by
Terry Clark
a Cross Country Rider
from Tallahassee
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2004
Strengths: I love the fit and ride. When I first got it I thought it was amazing and plush.
Weaknesses: The bike was delivered with a bad rear shock. Kissed the seat tube BAD. Hayes break line failed in month two. The mechanic said the fork mounts were bent. 8 months in I broke the right chain stay. Took three weeks to get a new one, I had to borrow a bike from a friend. 1 year in the black shock failed and had to be rebuilt off warranty. A week later I broke the rear triangle at the shock mount. Jamis replaced my frame after I raised hell with the rep. Joes has been cool through it all but they sort of infer it is rider error. I ride with two ex mechanics from Joes and they call the bike the "Shamis". I just got off a ride were my chain stay broke while I was descending a little hill I tweaked my knee and I am supposed to go out of the country to surf in two weeks. I have had enough and I will call my lawyer in the morning. Do not support this product you will be sorry.
Bottom Line:
I personally own two Jamis bikes. This one and crusier for my wife. I also got my father in law to buy three Jamis bikes for him his wife and son. I have puchased three bikes from Joes ( they used to have good service but the new wrench is not personable). Still love Joe though. I will shout from the roof tops for anyone I know, not to buy any of Jamis' bikes.
Bike Setup: Stock except for xt cassete, chain, and front hub. Mosquito 2.3
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Submitted by
Gary Wade
a Cross Country Rider
from Arlington, Oh
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2004
Strengths: Great components, climbs extremely well for a 5 inch travel, Talas Fork is the bomb.
Weaknesses: Chain stay, but has been redesigned.
Bottom Line:
For the prices this bike is great. I did have a problem with the chainstay, but Jamis got right on it for me. This is my 3rd Jamis bikes, and I have never had a problem with their customer service. Perhaps it is the your local bike shop and their relationship, mine always gets the part within a week usually, but always less than two. This bike sucks up everything (especially with the monkeylite), and can climb great as well. My bikes hold up just as well as my friends (after the OG chainstay was replaced), and their frames cost more than my entire bike. What else can I say. Also Fox, Fox, Fox, components are wicked.
Bike Setup: Stock w/ monkeylite DH, Crank Bros, and Easton Stem
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
James
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2004
Strengths: Ride, price, components, TALAS (great fork), geometry (feels great up and downhill), horst link (more active than the pseudo four bars out there), thomson seatpost
Weaknesses: FRAME, FRAME, FRAME (pivots and chainstays are underdesigned), Jamis customer service, heavy wheels, cheesy stem/handlebar
Bottom Line:
You have to give Jamis credit for putting out a 5" bike with name brand components for less than anyone else. You just have to understand that there are comprimises that come with paying less. Jamis customer service is *horrible*. Why is this a problem? You'll find out when your frame breaks, or your pivots develop slop, or you need a new derailleur hanger. Consider the reputation of the I've learned my lesson!
You have to understand what you're getting. Jamis is a bit deceptive with this bike. Just because it's 5" of travel doesn't mean this is inherently a burly bike. Remember, the XLT is the Dakar with the travel increased. The pivots, linkages, and frame are NOT burly (check the BB area and the bell crank) as you can see from the reviews of those that have had the bike for a while. The fact that you can swap out the wheelset and build this bike out at 27 lbs and change should indicate that this is not as solid as a Heckler or some other burly 5" trail bikes. The frame is really pretty light to get the weight near 30 lbs with the heavy wheels that come stock on this bike.
In terms of design, Jamis definitely underdesigned the bottom bracket/ chainstay portion of the frame. The pivot areas are skimpy too. They redesigned (I'm told) the chainstays midway through 2003. Of course for 2004 they totally redesigned the rear swingarm (no longer has the Horst link).
Overall, a great value for a light duty 5" XC machine. The frame would probably be sufficient for slower and/or lighter riders. If you're north of 180 lbs and like to ride fast look elswhere, or just buy the bike and enjoy the frame while it lasts. Remember - the components justify the cost of the bike. The frame is practically free.
All frames break, even the best & most expensive. It's what the manufacturer does when breaks happen that separates the high end bikes from the low end bikes. In this area Jamis's low end price starts to make sense.
2 stars for value because of the poor CS and frame design 3 stars overall, because it really is a good riding bike
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