Audiophile121

2007 Durango 2


or
2006 Komodo 2 (better than the 07 Komodo 2, and older so also cheaper)


Which one which one which one??? I was wondering if anybody had anything to say about the different geometries and what they like/dislike between the two. I've never been on a bike with geometry like the Komodo but it looks pretty cool! Anybody got some insight?

born2bahick

They are designed for different applications, what kind o riding do you plan to do with your bike?

ed 

Hmm...

If I were me (last time I checked, I still was) I'd get the Komodo. I already have a bike that goes everywhere. I would get a bike that I could huck off'a somebig stuff.

The Komodo is basically the hardtail version of the Diablo freeride rig. It's heavy and tough. If you're using it for general trail riding...look at the Durango.

The Durango is a good trail bike for all-around use.
The Komodo would be okay for trails...but could wear you out much quicker due to the added heft from the huge Komodo Schwartz.

I'm glad to see you are looking into Jamis bikes...your Schwarts WILL be as big as mine.

ed 

The Komodo is 33.25 lbs. That's quite a bit for a hardtail that you expect to ride all day.
The Durango is 30.5 which is still pretty heavy, but more doable.

The Komodo has heavier wheels and tires as well as a longer travel fork which will make pedaling more of a chore, yet the rough terrain will be Oh So Fun.

taylor p

for xc i would go with the durango

euroford

i love my komodo! its does everything, dirt jumps, urban, xc trails, north shore, commuting, and has even gotten a day of lift serviced downhill. i'm at just a hair under 32lbs for a medium freeride build. the ETA on my 150mm Z1 fork is mandatory for taking the slack out for climbing.

its proven to a burly, fun and very versatile rig.

Curtis_Elwood

Since when?

mcoine

Yeah, I was just about to say the same thing. I can't imagine a 2 hour xc ride standing up the whole way.

mtnbiker66

Jamis sucks.

ed 

Here we go again...

euroford

the seatpost height is adjustable! cool eh?

i ride craploads of xc on my komodo. the diffrence between that and an xc specific rig for the recreational rider will be negligable as long as the fork has am ETA/poploc for climbing. well, i guess the major diffrence will be for any downhills on those xc trails, then you'll spank the snot out of the xc bikes.

overall, if you want to be an 'XC Rider' and thats it, by all means buy an XC specific bike. if you want a versatile hardtail rig that you can pretty much ride anywhere, IMO, a komodo is a pretty solid choice and a pretty good value. i don't know what it comes for re: components, but its a great frame.


poeple who think jamis sucks, suck.

oh yeah, and XC just isn't that cool anymore. so early 90's ya know?

Audiophile121

lol, i was just thinking the same thing......

ill probably be doing more general trail riding. im pretty new at the mtb scene and the ramps and drops are still kinda intimidating. i still like the durango, but the komodo is just perking my eyebrow big-time. it looks like it would be a lot of fun for a lot of stuff, but i know its heavier and that means i wouldnt be doing any epic rides on it. which i want to do.
so yeah, to answer the question, i would be doing more general XC stuff instead of the freeride-ish type riding. is the durango seriously the hands-down better choice or would a komodo probably do the trick? the reason its attractive to me is because i think it might suffice on the trails, and it might also leave me more options for other styles of rides...but like i said ive never been on a bike with that geometry......

also, the difference between the cranks is a concern. a crank like the komodo's looks like it would be a total pain in the butt for long rides, especially because i'd likely be out of the saddle. what do you guys have to say about the crank differences?

ALSO (one more thing) .. ive read some of you that own komodos. what kinds of things do you like to do most often when you go riding?

euroford

as for the cranks, its hard to tell in the small photo, but it looks like that komodo has a two ring setup, so the large ring is replaced with a bashguard. so probobly 32 and 22 tooth gears. me personally, i run a single 32 tooth in the front and i'm perfectly happy with it. i don't miss the big ring one bit, but sometimes i have to stand up and really giv'r on steep climbs becouse i don't have the small gear. even riding flat out on the street, the 32tooth gives me enough for me. lotsa poeple running without the big ring these days, and its nice to have the bashguard so you don't trash anything.

most of my riding is urban, simply because i live in downtown chicago, commute to work every day and then use it during my work day to get around (i'm a consulting architect, so always going from jobsite to jobsite). but my favorite, weekend bashing on tight technical trails, i love the rolling ups and down of the oswego trail network. bombing down the tight rooted trails is a riot, finding everything i can to catch a bit of air on, railing the turns, and just hauling arse.

so what qualifies as an epic trail ride? i'm happy to pedal my rig for a 6 hour stretch.

dude, your really going to just need to get out there and ride these two bikes. they are going to feel a good bit diffrent, and you can't get that on the interweb. go hitup the lbs, tell them folks you gotta take em for a spin.

ed 

Durango then.

mcoine

What do you consider "craploads"?


Why don't you come out here where we actually have downhills and spank the snot out of my xc bike.



Sorry, I've been mountain biking for almost 20 years. I had my "dj" phase back in the early 80's on bmx bikes. I guess I'm not "cool" anymore.

Thanks for making me laugh though.

never

Like it was said before...ride both and you'll experience a very distinct difference. And your choice will depend on what you ride. You mentioned XC based so the Durango would likely be your best bet.

If you are seriously interested in the Komodo, you can also check out Norco's FR HT line...they have fairly similar geometry.

ViperZ

For mainly XC use I would chose the Durango.

euroford

thats what i was going for.



looks like that durango has hayes mechanical brakes which = horrable.

ed 

Probably better than the Shimano m405 V brakes I've been running XC for 1 1/2 yrs now.

They'll stop ya eventually.

Audiophile121

Mostly, I'm just looking for a bike with a good frame and a good fork. Things like brakes can be upgraded, but aren't as expensive as frames and forks ... so if a bike has a good frame and fork but has mechanical brakes, it can be overlooked (for now).

euroford

if your looking at it that way, why not go out and buy just a frame and fork and build it? why pay for components twice?

i took a quick browse through on the jamis site, and some of the lower model forks look like junk, some of the higher models are manitous that might be fine. but me personally, i wouldn't want one of those forks either.

i just mention the brakes, becouse though nothing is intrinsicly wrong with mechanical disks (lotsa poeple really love the bb7's), the word on the street is that the hayes are uber junky. the komodo on the other hand looks to have hayes hydro's, while not top of the line they are very servicable brakes that many poeple never feel the need to upgrade from.


really man, go ride the bikes. we are a bunch of opinionated jerks that can only tell you what our opinions are, and those opinions have absolutly nothing to do with what you need. jamis makes great bikes, i don't think you can go wrong with a single frame in their linup, you just need to feel out what suites your wants/needs.

if you were asking about say the komodo frame vs. the transition vagrant frame we'd be kind of compairing apples to apples and their would be some valid points on two solutions going for a simular end. your asking for kind of an apples to oranges compairson so you need to really figure out what it is you want.

Audiophile121

lol, i know. its still fun to talk about though. dont you like to daydream about a bike you want to have one day? and talk about it?

the durango is definitely better suited for what im going for .. im not into dirt jumping or any of that stuff. i just like to get out on the trails, into the scenery (AWAY FROM TRAFFIC!!!) and the peace of the woods. sounds sappy maybe, but its so much more fun than riding my road bike...... maybe ill sell that and have more money for a sweet mtb. hmmm, why havent i considered that before...?

euroford

don't sell your rode bike. you'll certainly ride it less, but some days i really dig riding my road bike.

Audiophile121

i havent decided to sell it, yet, but it is being considered.

i probably am simply too attached to it, but we'll see.