[SpeedoJosh]

So in the market to pick up another bike. A steel hardtail to be exact. Kind of stuck in a decision of what to do. I've looked at current lines of steel hardtails, and all seem to be in the $2k-ish+ range new, or one a couple years old for $1500+ range.

But, a friend has a 2013 or 2014 Jamis Dragon (steel) with quite a bit of upgrades for 1300. Upgrades are pretty expensive. So component wise it would be similar (if not better in some aspects) to a new bike.

The issue is with geometry. People are so adamant about geometry and the view point seems to change monthly on best angle here, best length here, etc.. The Jamis being older would have almost ten year old geometry. Is it even silly to consider, is the geometry of that time frame current enough, or is it not going to make much difference?

I mostly ride trails. No crazy jumps, no crazy climbs, or down hill courses. Just trails varying in difficulty.

My only musts is 27.5 and steel frame.

 

[Grinchy8]

There are ragley blue pig models in stock. It’s a steel frame. Remember you can change everything but the frame, so if you think you’ll stick in the sport a modern frame is worth an investment.

 

[sgltrak]

What is your other bike? If it doesn't have newer geometry then you won't be going backward with that Jamis. If you are used to a more current geometry you might not like going backward. You'll likely get a lot of advice suggesting a more modern bike, but it depends on your riding. Sounds like a bike with newer geometry may not be worth the investment for you.
I have been very happy with my 2008 Jamis Dragon 29er and have ridden it on everything from lift served DH to back country epics to multi-day bikepacking trips. I don't mind the older geometry because all of my mountain bikes are at least 10 years old and I am used to the geometry of that era.

 

[hkmeup]

I have a 2012 Jamis Dragon 650b that I use pretty much every day. The geo in 2012 was actually quite progressive in that it has a 68 degree head angle with the 120mm fork. I love the ride of the steel frame as some of the uber light carbon hardtails I've ridden were just too nervous and never felt planted in the rough stuff. The seat tube angle of the Dragon is 73 degrees. Personally, I like the slacker (by today's standards) seat angle as really steep seat angles force me to adopt a more forward position over the pedals which aggravate my somewhat sensitve knees. Like sgltrak mentions, if you have always used angles such as on the Dragon, there shouldn't be any issues. Hopefully, your buddy will allow you to test ride the bike.

Besides the ride quality and fit, I love the external cable routing and threaded bottom bracket which simplifies maintenance. There is so much hype in the bike industry designed to have you spend more money that I just try not to get caught up in the latest must haves in frame design, wheel standards, etc.