JohnBrooking

Hi, all,

I'm considering purchasing a used Jamis Quest for my commute. Not sure what year it is. At least one of the shifters is non-original, and it seems in need of a tuneup, although the LBS says the cog and rings look in decent shape. I thought at first the frame might be a little small for me, but with the seat raised pretty high, it feels okay. I was practicing some cornering and slow riding in the parking lot last night and it feels really good! It's a strange pink/peach color, not that a can of spray paint can't fix that.

If you ask me any of the technical specifications, I probably won't know, because I'm not much of a mechanic!

I'm leaning towards buying it, but I have two questions.

(1) Just want to make sure no one here has had any real negative experiences with it. Most reviews I read online were very positive, but one person remarked that he felt he got kind of a lemon and experienced terrible customer support trying to address that.

(2) How much should I offer? The LBS felt around $100, knowing that I'm still a relative beginning commuter (4 years) and my expected price range to buy new is still measured in hundreds, not thousands of dollars. The seller, who is a co-worker and a nice guy, also said he didn't figure it was worth too much. However, it looks like the selling price new is ~$1000, and I don't know what the depriciation is like, but I don't want to rip the guy off. I guess I should see what people are selling it for on eBay, but maybe some of you have a feel for this, too.

Thanks for any advice!

- John

max-a-mill

if it is in good shape and has relatively decent components 200 wouldn't be too much and a hundred would certainly be a bargain.

i dunno much about that particular bike but i do know jamis seems to generally have some pretty nice bikes!

chennai

I agree. Hard to know for sure without seeing it, but if it's the 105-equipped version, $100 is a great, great deal. If you want larger tires on it, my guess is that there won't be much room - make sure you check. I like a "quick" bike, but some people call them twitchy. (I'd buy it, sell it, and buy something else that I wouldn't mind banging around a bit.)

We have a couple Jamis bikes - two different models and neither is a Quest. The steel frames are great and ride wonderfully. The component choice is impeccable. I am not crazy about the cosmetics - decals peeling on one and the other has what I can only describe as tender paint. The base coat is yellow with black over it and any little ding is obvious. I love these bikes.

DC Wheels

$100 is dirt cheap for a commuter bike, yet even still, I would only buy a bargain bike if it fit me well. My commute is too long to be on a bike that does not fit well. Peace

JohnBrooking

Update: Things might be starting to get stranger. The paint job is almost certainly not original, yet Jamis Quest decals had been applied after the paint job, and that got me more curious. On closer inspection, there is another sticker down by the bottom bracket that says "Cr-Mo Tange MTB Tubing", which doesn't sound like a Quest, which is listed on the Jamis website as a road bike. Further, it is shown there with road handlebars, yet this one has a straight handlebar, more like those shown for their street/comfort bikes. So now I'm wondering if this is a Quest frame at all, or if it just has Quest decals applied, and for what reason? Attempt to mislead, or maybe they just couldn't/didn't get the right decals for whatever it is. Maybe it's not even a Jamis?

jyossarian

Well, sounds like it's a steel frame, but if Jamis used mtb tubing, it'd be heavier than the average steel roadie. Does it have a sloping top tube? Are the wheels 700c (road) or 26" (mtb)? What's the bb drop? I think Jamis mtb's have a less of a drop than their road bikes. Try weighing it. If it's a road bike it should be around 20-22 lbs. If it's a mtb, it'll be closer to 28-30 lbs.

JohnBrooking

The frame looks like a Quest frame, but with straight handlebars, more along the lines of their performance street line. The top tube is straight, and the wheels are 700c. It has center pull cantilever brakes. How do you measure the bb drop, just take a ruler to it, or is it not that simple? If it is, from center of bb axle to center of pedal axle is about 6.5 - 7 ".

What's the best way to weigh a bike? If all I have is a bathroom scale, can I stand it up straight with the back wheel on the scale, being careful to hold it only to steady it but not to take any weight?

I suppose it doesn't really matter too much exactly what it is. One of the chainstays still has an inlaid portion that says Jamis, so that tells me the frame really is some sort of Jamis, whether or not it was actully a Quest, or what's been done to it since. And I know Jamis is a good brand overall. So I think my only remaining concern is whether it really fits me well, which I'm not convinced of yet.

Side question about fit: If I can't completely straighten my arms, does that mean the top tube is too short? It feels short, but I don't know if that's just a matter of what I'm used to.

jyossarian

From Sheldon Brown's site, For road bicycles, using conventional sized wheels, BB drop (BB spindle centerline below wheel axle centerlines)... It's the difference in height between the rear axle and the bottom bracket. Couldn't answer the fit question though. Did your friend swap the drops for a flat bar?

JohnBrooking

My friend bought it used from someone else and hasn't done any modifications himself, so at this point its history is pretty much unknown. So I think it's going to come down to "Does it fit?" and "Do I like it?". I think the latter answer is "yes". For the former, I'm going to visit my LBS again on Thursday evening and have them do a fitting session with me. Thanks for all the help!