Originally Posted by
nickthebic
Thanks for your help, everyone. I've taken everything into consideration and will probably be going with the Jamis mainly because the bike shop will provide me a decent fitting. As far as commuting goes, I'll be able to chuck everything I need into a small backpack, so that should do for now.
I'll likely be spending increasingly more time on here in the future--thanks for the warm welcome.
I have a 2007 Jamis Ventura Sport, and if I had the choice whether to buy it again or not, I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. I have well over 2000 miles on mine and here are a few weaknesses I have observed. Keep in mind that all bikes in this price range are going to have some compromises to keep the cost low.
Tires-cheap, heavy wire beaded. Front tire junk after 1000 miles with cut in sidewall
brakes-cheap pads that do not stop very well
Fork-non carbon which results in a somewhat "buzzy" ride
Wheels-cheap Alex brand, broke 2 spokes (1 at 1500 and 1 at 2000 miles) and I weigh 170 pounds.
Even with those compromises, it is a more than capable bike that I used in a Duathlon.