Originally Posted by
Bill Gem
...Same is true for the Jamis Coda, which is the bike that Paul was likely talking about. It’s been Jamis’ best seller for 35 years. If the ride quality was as poor as Paul says, then it wouldn’t be selling so well or for so long. It just didn’t work for him. Nothing new there. In biking individual fit matters as much as anything. Besides, he was comparing apples to oranges - a steel bike to an aluminum bike with an unknown number of other factors such as tire and wheel size, etc.
Jamis Coda sounds familiar.
Aluminum frame ride quality has improved a lot in the last decade in bikes from the big manufacturers. It's gone from "annoyingly buzzy ride" for me to "pretty good ride".
If Jamis as not changed it's frame design I wouldn't be surprised. They're still a bit buzzy. Jamis hasn't necessarily gotten worse, aluminum frame design has gotten better while Jamis's design has stayed the same.
Originally Posted by
Bill Gem
But bottom line is that he should pick a version of each bike, test ride it, and see which one is more comfortable. After all, he’s talking about using it to ride around the neighborhood park and bike trails for fun and exercise. Who knows, but it may be the bike that has the more comfortable seat that wins out for this purpose.
And I agree with you completely here. If you can test something out in person, that should always trump the opinion of anyone on the internet.