plume_mtb
03-09-2008, 10:46 PM
copy and pasted from the mtbr Jamis section. Glowing review.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e46/plume057/dupont/dupont_3-09-08/DSCN3993.jpg
FRAME
Reynolds 853 seamless air-hardened chromoly main tubes, reinforced head tube collars, double-butted cromo stays, Jamis lost wax dropouts
FORK
Fox 32F-100RL, air spring with lockout & rebound adjustor, 100mm travel
HEADSET
Chris King - Silver
WHEELSET
Mavic Crossmax STs
TIRES
Continental Explorer 2.1 - UST (rear)
Scott Stroke 2.3 UST (front)
DERAILLEURS
Sram X.7 rear (place holder)
Shimano Deore LX front
SHIFTERS
Sram X.0 grip shift
CHAIN
Shimano Dura Ace 9spd
FREEWHEEL
Shimano XT
CRANKSET
Shimano Deore XT M770, 44/32/22,
175mm
BOTTOM BRACKET
Shimano Deore XT integrated
PEDALS
Shimano M560
BRAKESET
Shimano XT ('07 version) levers
Shimano XT Caliper front
Shimano XTR Caliper rear
HANDLEBAR
Easton Monkey Lite XC, 9 degree sweep
STEM
Thomson Mountain 100mm 6 degree
GRIPS
Odi Lockon Shorties
SEATPOST
Thompson Elite setback 410mm
SADDLE
WTB Laser V
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e46/plume057/dupont/dupont_3-09-08/DSCN3996.jpg
As I said I've had just two rides on this bike. The first was the "break in" ride and those are always hit and miss. The bike seemed harsh on the rough sections but a lot smoother than aluminum in the high frequency bump sections. The fit was troublesome, I still felt like I may have picked a frame size too small. I still think I could ride a 19" just fine. The handle bars are funky. I picked up a nice Easton Monkey Lite XC set that was nice and wide with a 9 degree upward sweep. I almost took them off after the first ride, then a friend suggested that I simply angle them back a few degrees. What an absolute difference this makes with these bars. They almost feel like some alt bars but a LOT less extreme. Hands felt comfy the whole 30+ miles today and the bike was handling a lot nicer. I just had to add that.
I'll tell you the components that really really stand out for me. First the Fox fork is a dream. It's really plush (I'm coming off an 80mm fork) and forgiving on the descents, I was keeping up with folks who can usually drop me easily. Today I was mostly able to stay in front. Secondly these Mavic wheels are amazing, I can't say enough good things about them. Just as hardy as a lot of hand builts and a decent price point makes these a seller in my book. The wheels are very stiff and this is actually the third bike they've had the pleasure of seeing. This frame and wheel combo is great. XT cranks. Can't say enough about these things either. The BB lasts forever. They're light and stiff, I've been riding XT cranks for over 3 years now. Love them. X.O grip shift and X series dérailleurs. I've been a Shimano boy for years, sorry though Sram is still dominating in the crisp shifting / less maintenance department. That said, I don't enjoy Avid brakes so I opted for some Shimano XT/XTR blend for stopping power. I've run these for half a year now with 0 problems or bleeds. I wanted XTR in the rear because I prefer the IS mounts over post, sadly Fox is no longer producing forks with IS mounts so I'm rocking a post mount XT in the front. Saved me a little dough there.
The small things worth mentioning. I freaking LOVE UST tires, I'll gladly take the weight penalty for the extreme durability that these things offer. I've had great luck with Continental for years so it's no surprise that I love their explorer for a rear tire. I'm trying a Scott Stroke for the front, it's good but not as aggressive as I would like for flat out trail riding. For racing I'm thinking it will be fine. I've been using the Scott as a front tire for almost a year now. Harsh Pisgah terrain has yet to shred these. Thomson makes great stuff that I don't have to think about. I like stiff stems, Thomson makes the stiffest. The seat post may get replaced with a cushier carbon Easton post. I'm having trouble finding the exact size and off set that I need though, so for now I'm just keeping the Thomson. The frame delivers so much compliance that may not even ever go that route.
So... the verdict after my ride today... Fastest mountain bike I've ever ridden hands down. I've been on aluminum hardtails for years and I can't tell you how much better steel feels. I'll absolute never buy another aluminum HT ever. So, my goal was fast, yet comfy. Fast, yet compliant. Fast, and not so heavy. Did I mention fast? The smaller frame size certainly has a lot to do with how great this thing feels in the fast twisty sections. I will be keeping this bike for a long long time. I wanted a high zoot carbon f/s bike this year, I can't lie about that - however for someone with my budget it just wasn't going to happen. I had my eyes on the Dragon line for years so I really wanted to try it out. If you're a racer or even a trail rider who just wants a nice comfy hardtail that handles the descents as well as the climbs I highly recommend this bike.
Total weight is 26.5 lbs. I'm not breaking any light weight records with this thing but I'm happy with how it pedals. The quality wheels really help reduce the rotating weight. I could probably drop significant weight with a tire change but I'm not willing to give up the burly side walls of my UST tires. Still has to be my do everything bike. I will be trail riding a lot more than racing this year, but I wanted something durable and pedal able throughout my mountainous region.
I'm stoked about this bike! :thumbsup:
ps, that's not me in the photo for you sizing geeks.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e46/plume057/dupont/dupont_3-09-08/DSCN3993.jpg
FRAME
Reynolds 853 seamless air-hardened chromoly main tubes, reinforced head tube collars, double-butted cromo stays, Jamis lost wax dropouts
FORK
Fox 32F-100RL, air spring with lockout & rebound adjustor, 100mm travel
HEADSET
Chris King - Silver
WHEELSET
Mavic Crossmax STs
TIRES
Continental Explorer 2.1 - UST (rear)
Scott Stroke 2.3 UST (front)
DERAILLEURS
Sram X.7 rear (place holder)
Shimano Deore LX front
SHIFTERS
Sram X.0 grip shift
CHAIN
Shimano Dura Ace 9spd
FREEWHEEL
Shimano XT
CRANKSET
Shimano Deore XT M770, 44/32/22,
175mm
BOTTOM BRACKET
Shimano Deore XT integrated
PEDALS
Shimano M560
BRAKESET
Shimano XT ('07 version) levers
Shimano XT Caliper front
Shimano XTR Caliper rear
HANDLEBAR
Easton Monkey Lite XC, 9 degree sweep
STEM
Thomson Mountain 100mm 6 degree
GRIPS
Odi Lockon Shorties
SEATPOST
Thompson Elite setback 410mm
SADDLE
WTB Laser V
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e46/plume057/dupont/dupont_3-09-08/DSCN3996.jpg
As I said I've had just two rides on this bike. The first was the "break in" ride and those are always hit and miss. The bike seemed harsh on the rough sections but a lot smoother than aluminum in the high frequency bump sections. The fit was troublesome, I still felt like I may have picked a frame size too small. I still think I could ride a 19" just fine. The handle bars are funky. I picked up a nice Easton Monkey Lite XC set that was nice and wide with a 9 degree upward sweep. I almost took them off after the first ride, then a friend suggested that I simply angle them back a few degrees. What an absolute difference this makes with these bars. They almost feel like some alt bars but a LOT less extreme. Hands felt comfy the whole 30+ miles today and the bike was handling a lot nicer. I just had to add that.
I'll tell you the components that really really stand out for me. First the Fox fork is a dream. It's really plush (I'm coming off an 80mm fork) and forgiving on the descents, I was keeping up with folks who can usually drop me easily. Today I was mostly able to stay in front. Secondly these Mavic wheels are amazing, I can't say enough good things about them. Just as hardy as a lot of hand builts and a decent price point makes these a seller in my book. The wheels are very stiff and this is actually the third bike they've had the pleasure of seeing. This frame and wheel combo is great. XT cranks. Can't say enough about these things either. The BB lasts forever. They're light and stiff, I've been riding XT cranks for over 3 years now. Love them. X.O grip shift and X series dérailleurs. I've been a Shimano boy for years, sorry though Sram is still dominating in the crisp shifting / less maintenance department. That said, I don't enjoy Avid brakes so I opted for some Shimano XT/XTR blend for stopping power. I've run these for half a year now with 0 problems or bleeds. I wanted XTR in the rear because I prefer the IS mounts over post, sadly Fox is no longer producing forks with IS mounts so I'm rocking a post mount XT in the front. Saved me a little dough there.
The small things worth mentioning. I freaking LOVE UST tires, I'll gladly take the weight penalty for the extreme durability that these things offer. I've had great luck with Continental for years so it's no surprise that I love their explorer for a rear tire. I'm trying a Scott Stroke for the front, it's good but not as aggressive as I would like for flat out trail riding. For racing I'm thinking it will be fine. I've been using the Scott as a front tire for almost a year now. Harsh Pisgah terrain has yet to shred these. Thomson makes great stuff that I don't have to think about. I like stiff stems, Thomson makes the stiffest. The seat post may get replaced with a cushier carbon Easton post. I'm having trouble finding the exact size and off set that I need though, so for now I'm just keeping the Thomson. The frame delivers so much compliance that may not even ever go that route.
So... the verdict after my ride today... Fastest mountain bike I've ever ridden hands down. I've been on aluminum hardtails for years and I can't tell you how much better steel feels. I'll absolute never buy another aluminum HT ever. So, my goal was fast, yet comfy. Fast, yet compliant. Fast, and not so heavy. Did I mention fast? The smaller frame size certainly has a lot to do with how great this thing feels in the fast twisty sections. I will be keeping this bike for a long long time. I wanted a high zoot carbon f/s bike this year, I can't lie about that - however for someone with my budget it just wasn't going to happen. I had my eyes on the Dragon line for years so I really wanted to try it out. If you're a racer or even a trail rider who just wants a nice comfy hardtail that handles the descents as well as the climbs I highly recommend this bike.
Total weight is 26.5 lbs. I'm not breaking any light weight records with this thing but I'm happy with how it pedals. The quality wheels really help reduce the rotating weight. I could probably drop significant weight with a tire change but I'm not willing to give up the burly side walls of my UST tires. Still has to be my do everything bike. I will be trail riding a lot more than racing this year, but I wanted something durable and pedal able throughout my mountainous region.
I'm stoked about this bike! :thumbsup:
ps, that's not me in the photo for you sizing geeks.