Submitted by
Stephen Green
a Weekend Warrior
from Bend, OR Date Reviewed: April 22, 2002
Favorite Trail:
McKenzie River Trail
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
A Pawn shop
Strengths:
Not sure about strengths stock, but the bike I ride is excellent. Great very agile. Shift quickly and smoothly. Disc brakes are awsome and the fork couldn't be better.
Weaknesses:
Stock parts aren't great if your going to do any technical riding
Bike Setup:
Judy SL fork, XT front and rear derailuers, XT front and rear brakes, XT crankset and bottom bracket, XT shifter pods and break levers, Sun Rims ryno lyte, Headset stem,
Bottom Line:
I had a chance to demo the bike stock and for the money it was really decent. the rst fork is garbage and can be scraped. a couple of inexpensive part can make it a lot better. New derailuers $75 for front and rear brand new on ebay and new shifter pods and this bike will rock your world. I found mine with $500 worth of upgrades at a pawn shop without a scratch on it for $175 and only paid $150. Guess the guy didn't know what he had.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Peter
a Weekend Warrior
from St. Albans VT USA Date Reviewed: January 27, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Local Hardack hill trail
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
White's Bike shop
Strengths:
Very comfortable. Looks good and shifts very surely and smooth.
Weaknesses:
The quality of the shocks is poor for the money spent.
Similar Products Used:
Raliegh, Schwinn and Diamondback
Bike Setup:
As purchased
Bottom Line:
This is a wonderful bike for riding to a trail that is not overly tough. It seems like a good alround bike at a reasonable cost. I have a dual for harder rides, but everyone should have at least two bikes, and this is a great one to have for 'general' purpose. If you are just starting out, and are looking for a solid ride, this will do the job. My son rides a $1000.00 schwinn, and I prefer this! One hint...Shed the pedals..go clipless
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike Carpenter
a Weekend Warrior
from Boise, Idaho, USA Date Reviewed: October 4, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Blacktail
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$380.00
Purchased At:
Robinsons
Strengths:
Good looking. Solid frame. Pretty light. Excellent handleing. Good strong rims.
Weaknesses:
Not so good of a fork. Weak crank.
Similar Products Used:
Gary Fisher Aquila, Big Sir, K2 Evo 3.0, Specialized FSR, Rock Hopper.
Bike Setup:
I switched the rapid fire shifters to some Sachs Attack, changed bar to Hell Bent enduro, Titec Big Al stem, Bomber Z.3 flighlight fork on front. Came stock with some Avilo rapid-fire shifters, RST 381R front suspension, O.K. Riser bar, and a descent, but heavy stem.
Bottom Line:
Stock, the Jamis Durango SX handles great, and is a good buy for the price. I recomend getting a new fork that has a little more travel if you want to get into some serious riding. Overal pretty nice bike. The bike is a great choice for beginners or pro riders.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from syracuse, NY USA Date Reviewed: June 15, 2000
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
light weight
Weaknesses:
cheap componentry, poor brakes, terrible fork
Similar Products Used:
gt rebound, specialized rockhopper
Bottom Line:
this in intended to be an enrty level bike but, other bikes at this price come better equipped. The RST fork was a joke. The bike handles poorly and limits your riding capability. It shifts slowly and it descends even worse. Out of the box, I think it sucks. If you added a better fork, brakes, better componentry, and a plusher seat, you'd have a descent bike, but by the time you spend all that extra money you could have bought a Fisher Kaitai or another quality bike. At the $500 price range, I'd go with a GT rebound or a Rockhopper. I don't recommend this bike to anyone, not even a rec rider on a budget, luckily you've got other options.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Drum Taylor
a Weekend Warrior
from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Date Reviewed: October 29, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Pa. Canal Towpath network from Allentown to Easton.
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Inexpensive, strong and agile. Great all purpose tires. No problems.
Weaknesses:
Mid-range componetry. Color choices were sort of weak.
Similar Products Used:
Diamondback, Trek, Cannondale.
Bike Setup:
stx-rc/alivio drivetrain, tektro brakes, flipflop stem, kalloy rise bar, Shimano shifters, RST 381 R front shock.
Bottom Line:
This bike is a great deal for one who wants to sample the front suspension experience. Despite a semi-bad rep, the RST shocks hold up well under the pounding they endure under my 275lbs weight. I have not used it under combat conditions but this bike would likely be fine in any kind of terrain. This bike will help you get your feet wet without soaking you (hey thats pretty good!) Next year I may upgrade the components, or splurge and buy a '99 Jamis Dragon.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul Heller
a Cross-Country Rider
from Lancaster,PA Date Reviewed: May 26, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Death Sentence Trail,Chiqiues Rock Park
Duration Product Used:
tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:
Light,agile, and perfect for trial, good setup like the threadless stem
Weaknesses:
Long handlebars and low component line for 500
Similar Products Used:
GT Pantera,Raleigh M80,Giant Warp DS1 and Rincon SE 98 model.
Bike Setup:
Has RST 380's and STX rear derailure
Bottom Line:
Light and agile,the Durango puts out the great kind muneverablity you want,but a little bit to laid back for tuff stuff.Absolutly perfect for trials(did i mention that?)and good street rider.Havent seen it going any downhills yet but that will come as my friend gets used to his bike(he's a freestyler turned technical mountain biker).Handlebars are a little bit to wide for stock and the bike should be upgraded for best off road performance,but it is also good stock.Having a small frame is cool cause it make it lighter.It is worth about a 4.5 but Im gonna give it a 5 just for giggles.
Overall Rating:
What's New
»
BEST OF MTBR - Check out the highest rated bikes, parts, & gear!
»
LED BIKE LIGHT SHOOTOUT 3 - We test all the newest products and latest light and battery technology in this comprehensive guide»
$ 499.95
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
