Recreational & Family - Jamis Bikes?

I'm curious to see very little traffic about this brand on this forum and the internet in general. Their bikes seem well reviewed (although it seems like they are more likely mentioned in mainstream mags like Consumer Reports at least in my experience) and their entry level bikes seem to have decent features compared to bikes in the same price range by Giant etc (And I actually prefer their look to some of the Giant bikes). What gives? Just curious...

You don't buy your bike from the manufacturer, but at a local dealership (LBS). Gaint makes a huge line of bikes, most of them very nice. Same with Trek, Fuji, Cannondale. Jamis is a smaller company with less retailers, but they are good bikes. So if you have a Jamis dealer you like, it's good bet you'll buy a nice bike.

The most important thing is our LBS, not the bike brand.

I have a 2001 Jamis Citizen and I think it's great. I used it to commute to work for about 2 years when I worked close to home, and now I use it for errands. I also have a Giant Rincon, so I can give a direct comparison. In general, the Giant has better components, but not enough so to justify buying it over the Jamis if it's going to be your only bike. My only complaint was that the headset needed to be replaced (under warantee) after about 100 miles because the finish was flaking off inside the races, causing the headset to grind.

I use the Giant for things like towing my kid on a trailerbike, and the Jamis for riding alone, although I've pulled a Burley trailer with kids in it or a cargo trailer with groceries on occasion.

Mark Stoughton


I'm curious to see very little traffic about this brand on this forum and the internet in general. Their bikes seem well reviewed (although it seems like they are more likely mentioned in mainstream mags like Consumer Reports at least in my experience) and their entry level bikes seem to have decent features compared to bikes in the same price range by Giant etc (And I actually prefer their look to some of the Giant bikes). What gives? Just curious...

If you have a Jamis dealer nearby, go try one out. There are thousands of Jamis Taxi beach crusiers around here that are damn near indestrutable.

I seriously consider buying a Jamis in 1999 when I got back into cycling.
I looked really hard at the Jamis (can't remember the model) and the Raleigh R600.
I bought the Raleigh based on the LBS recommendation of most bang for the buck.
There have been times in the past 5 years I've wished I had bought the Jamis and upgraded some of the components.

I have a Jamis Quest, I love it.

If you have a Jamis dealer nearby, go try one out. There are thousands of Jamis Taxi beach crusiers around here that are damn near indestrutable.

I've noticed this at many beaches in New Jersey. LOADS of Jamis cruisers all around. I prefer the Jamis Coda and would never get a cruiser.

Jamis seems to be a small company. I hunted high and low for a jamis satellite to test ride after a friend recommended it when I was looking for a new entry-level road bike a couple of months ago but I just couldn't find one. In typical fashion, the local performance shop started stocking them after I'd bought my bike. It's hard to find Jamis around here and the shops that do sell the brand tend to keep a very small selection in stock.

I have a Jamis Dakar Expert FS mountain bike. My roommate has a Jamis hardtail mtn bike and a Jamis Quest road bike. They are great bikes for the money. If you have a dealer around you, I'd go for it.

I have a Jamis Eclipse and I think it is a very nice ride.

I had a chance to ride the Jamis Satellite and the Giant OCR3. I have to say, I prefer the Jamis' ride a lot better than the OCR3. It wasn't as stiff and I would imagine less prone to rattles in future over an aluminum frame. Is that a good assessment? Just curious.

I do wonder why Jamis decided to move away from the steel frame in the '04 versions of the Quest series?

Any one else compare the following bikes?

OCR3
Jamis Satellite
Trek 1000 (or 1000C)
Jamis Quest

I have a dealer that is willing to sell an '03 (steel) Quest for less than $900 with Shimano 105 groupset. Think it's a bigger frame size than I need however (bummer).

Anyone found the Satellite for less than $600? I have a local dealer that doesn't want to go lower than MSRP while the one farther away does. Wonder if he'll match, will try tomorrow.

Sunny

i really like jamis and their offering. lots of steel... well spec'ed... got my friends to buy 2 jamis'es.. in fact

Ok, just did it. Put a deposit on a 2004 Jamis Satellite. Let's see, someone in China is digging up steel as we speak, by Monday a mold will be complete, by Wednesday, it will be shipped to another factory, by Friday, they'll start putting wheels on it, brakes...

Hope to receive it in two weeks. Can't wait.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Sunny