Jamis Dragon '96

Jak0zilla said:

I like it too. Jamis has been consistently putting out nice bikes for a long time. Really nice looking steel frame on that one!

What is the fork you are using? Looks like the fork that came on some of the higher end Giants. I'm not familiar with Rond.

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Spot on! :thumbsup:
This is a Giant Cadex fork I had lying around, I really like the looks of this.



And about Jamis, it is a brand that never got populair as Trek or Specialized, but made a lot of bikes that won prices.
They just build good bikes with a lot of value for the money.
I have a '90 Diablo and this has a very nice fillet braced frame, what you only see with more expensive models.
My other Jamis is a '98 Diablo which has the first vacuum molded carbon monocoque frmae in the market.
I just have a weak spot for this brand and not many people have them as a retrobike.
Especially in Holland they are very rare, which I like a lot.

After months of collecting parts, it's finaly finished (except for the front mech, that is on it's way).
As this is going to be my main rider, I got some modern tires and pedals.
It ended up quit light, about 10 kg's, so can't wait to give it a testride.

Speclist:

Frame: Dragon (Tange Prestige)
Headset: Ritchey Logic
Fork: Giant Cadex (Chro-Mo)
Rims: Mavic 117 SUP
Hubs: XT M737
Quickreleases: XT M737
Tires: Conti Race King Supersonic 2.2
Cranks: XT M737
Pedals: Cranckbrothers C
Shifters: XT M739
Brakes: XT M737
Front mech: XT M737
Rear mech: XT M737
Post: Syncros
Sadle: Flite Ti
Stem: Syncros
Handlebars: Jamis
Grips: Onza

Now with Marzocchi XC700, XT M730/732 hubs, Araya RM-17 rims and Schwalbe Rangers

adlu said:

Would the Dakota be better? When you say that neither the Diablo nor the Dragon are good for touring, are you referring to the geometries of these bikes?

Thanks.

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Well, people normally tour on road bikes, lighter weight and more hand positions and a touring bike will have better geometry for carrying loads. You can tour on a mountain bike though. But you'll need lots of bosses for connecting racks, water bottles, etc. If you're in South America, maybe you'll be on a lot of unpaved roads and a mountain bike would be better?

I really don't know much about this subject to be honest, I've never toured. But I do own a '02 Dakota XC and a '06 Dragon. I believe the geo is exactly the same with the only difference being that the Dakota is 631 and the Dragon 853. I think the geo on these may not be the best for touring. I would look into the Surlys or a Kona Unit (which I also have) but it sounds like you want to use a vintage bike?

You'd be better off asking in here:

https://forums.mtbr.com/bikepacking-bike-expedition/

Here's a copy and paste on Reynold steel grades:

As a general rule for reynolds tubing, the higher the number the thinner and lighter the tubing and the higher the yeild stress of the steel.

531 is the original, and was on most of the race bikes of the 50's through 60's and into the 70s, as a result it's pretty coveted by vintage collectors.

520 is kind of the modern replacement for 531, now as an entry level tubing set.

631 is a modern chro-moly blend, pretty similar to what surly uses. It's reynolds mid level tubing set.

753 came out in the 70's as a much lighter tubing alternative to 531, it can only be silver brazed due to properties of the steel. Also a very coveted tubing set for vintage bikes.

853 is a modern quality tubing set used by custom and taiwanese builders alike. It's usually welded because it hardens around the welds.

953 is the newest and thinnest tubing, but reynolds has been having trouble getting the wall thickness to spec, so it's not that much better than 853 yet.