Jamis Commuter - short distances only?
 

Hello,

I'm new to the forum, and new to the biking world. I've recently decided to start commuting to work, and have recently found a good deal for a Jamis Commuter 2.0 for around $350. I've tried it at the LBS and completely fell in love. My question is, if I wanted to take it out for longer rides on the weekend (about 40 miles) would it be okay/comfortable? I've been reading other people's opinions on the bike, and most of the them have second bikes for touring/longer rides. I don't have the budget for a second bike, so I'm kind of hoping this does it all for me in the meantime. Thank you for your advice and opinions!

A bunch of people will tell you that you can't- meaning that they wouldn't. You'll just have to prove to yourself if it or you are capable of longer rides. But I'd suggest adding some bar ends to allow you to change hand positions from time to time.

That would be a PERFECT bike for long distances. It's just that it will take longer to cover that distance, because: a) it is so upright, (more susceptible to wind) b) since you're not leaning into the pedals, it seems like you have less pedal force available

My TriCross is what lots of folks here would consider good for longer distances. It's fast and has a sprung Brooks saddle. But after 40 miles, my wrists are starting to hurt. If I want to take in the scenery as I go, then my neck is starting to hurt too. These are the penalties for faster bikes.

For me, going to a bike like that from my TriCross would mean lowering my average pace from 15 mph to 13 mph or so.

I had a similar city bike before, and it got stolen last year. I miss it so much, I'm replacing it with the Schwinn in my siggy below. (another city bike)

I say go for it.

^^Sounds like you should consider raising your bars a bit...

You can probably do that distance on a Jamis Commuter. It wouldn't be my first choice, but it's possible. I would disagree with what Jeremy said in as much as I think the upright position is a distinct negative factor for longer rides. It puts too much weight on your butt. That's not necessarily a deal breaker though. If you remember to move around a bit (any position is bad if you hold it too long) and lift yourself off the saddle periodically it will work OK. I agree with the suggestion to get bar ends.

I'm not sure it can be raised. I did swivel it back a bit, and that helped a lot.

There isn't anything fundamentally wrong with the upright position, provided the bike is set up properly. (People toured all over the place on English 3-speeds.) You just won't be able to go as fast as on a road bike, which might not be a concern anyway.

That Jamis Commuter can very well transport you on longer distances. However, like Andy_K said, it will be a butt challenge. The longer the ride, the more your butt will feel the pain. Just from being a touring cyclist, all I can say, is that, the feeling of discomfort soon becomes translated into pain. Eventually, you'll begin to feel practically all the bones in your body. You'll begin to crave more stops, more frequently. At least bar ends would help to alleviate pain in your hands, due to varied hand positions.

I've done 120 miles in a day on my Trek 7000, on the stock seat. I was a little sore the next day. I've tried plenty of other seats (I'm using the word seat because on an upright bike it seems more correct, since I'm sitting on it instead of straddling it.. sort of).

There might be another bike that's better for me, but I did 3 100+ miles rides last year with not problems.

That being said, I'm strongly considering a recumbent (probably a trike) to do long distance touring type riding. I'm not sure I could do 100+ mile days back to back with my current bike.

Post a picture of your bike, not all of us are familiar with the model. However, generally speaking you can ride long distance on just about any bike, you just might not go as fast or be as comfortable. I ride on supported bike tours just about every summer where people ride 60+ miles a day on all sorts of contraptions.

I think this mostly has to do with saddle choice. For instance, and upright ride would be perfectly comfortable with a Brooks B33:
http://www.brooksengland.com/en/Resa...bkColor=FFFFFF

With an upright bike, one needs to focus on distributing weight around our bottoms, and gloves, grips, and wraps are not so important. With a crouched-over bike, we need to consider weight distribution on the hands and wrists. Oh, and the neck kinking too.

What really is happening here is that lots of us have tried bikes with the drop bars, and we get addicted to the easier speed, they try to justify it with comfort. That's just my opinion, of course. :D

That's a good point for the current discussion. A lot of what you read about road bikes being the choice for long distances is said in comparison with hybrids and such, which have (relatively) similar weight distribution to the road bike. A lot of the discussion doesn't apply to a bike with a very upright position, which it looks like the commuter has.

It should also be said that 40 miles isn't really a terribly long ride on a bike. I see a lot of people riding flat bar bikes on the organized metric centuries I do (62.2 miles). For the 100 mile rides, flat bars become much, much less common (though some people still use them). Forty miles is a good distance for an enjoyable, relaxed ride.

Have you tried riding other bikes? You might also love the way another bike feels too. I enjoy riding all my bikes, although they all have different ride qualities.

I've had a Jamis Commuter and my son still does. They are a great value, but the upright position will get a bit tiresome on longer rides.

Marc

I don't think you'd have a problem doing 40 miles on that bike; I've done that distance semi-regularly on a Schwinn Suburban, without any meaningful complaints. But then my other bike is also an upright (a '72 Campania Sport) so it might just be something I'm more used to.

To be honest, I'd probably ditch the straight MTB handlebar altogether and replace it with a curved North Road one, though. A lot more comfortable for this kind of bike, IMO.