GaryDT

HI I been riding my Jamis comfort bike for two years and would like a bike that would be more on the road type. I was wondering if anyone knew what model have some of the comfort and yet have thinner tires. I usually ride 30-40 miles four to five times a week and I am 58 years old. I have only ridden a little over the past two years. I was looking at the Jamis cuda for an upgrade towards a road bike. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Allegheny Jet

Specialized has the Roubaix line of road bikes that have relaxed geometry that allows for performance while putting the rider in a less aggressive position on the bike. Other brands have simular models. You can get those models in any material from aluminum, aluminum/carbon to all carbon. You are putting in a lot of miles and it seems that a road bike is your next step. If you get a relaxed fit road bike the LBS can set your fit to be "more relaxed" and after a time, if you want to be more aero or aggressive, adjustments to the stem, seat and bars can be made in small to large increments.

stapfam

Couple of people on the forum have upgraded to better road bikes in the last couple of years and the models that stick out are the Specialised Roubaix and the Giant OCR-C and the TCR-C. But to be honest- The only way to check out a bike is to test ride them. So hunt out the Specialised and Giant dealers in your area and start testing-- Along with Trek- Cannondale-Bianchi and any other name you can think of.

Tom Bombadil

What is your budget?

And are you looking to get a comfort road bike, or a flat bar-type bike that has more road speed? You mentioned the Jamis Coda, which is a flat-bar road-oriented hybrid. The Coda-series is a good option for that type of bike.

Terrierman

I have a Coda Elite that I've ridden for something like 3500 miles now. I really like it a lot. I am on my second chain and second set of tires. That is just normal maintenance. No other difficulties whatsoever. The steel frame and carbon fork are a nice comfortable combination, love the disc brakes and there is plenty of room in the frame for whatever size tires you want to mount. I have a rack and lights on mine, so I can do what I want when I want. I don't feel the need for much more in the way of a bike for the way I ride. If I really wanted to go fast for some reason, there are better options, but I'm in it for the fun and exercise, and this is still a real fun bike to ride. Which I think is the real test of whether a bike is a good bike or no. You can certainly do worse.

oilman_15106

What type of riding? Road or bike path? If you are putting in 200 miles a week, I would go with a true road bike. I am also a fan of the Jamis line of bikes. Great value.

Fern53

I have been researching essentially the same type of bicycle, for purchase next spring. At the moment I'm undecided whether to go with flat bars or drop handlebars, so I am considering a variety of models.

You might want to check out the Specialized Sequoia and Specialized Allez...but there are various makes that might fit the purpose you want. (For example, I believe Fuji has a road bike with flat bars, but I have not visited their site yet.) I've been counting on the manufacturer's description of the bikes to give me a clue in these early stages, as I do not understand geometry specs as they relate to bike design just yet.

Would be interested to hear which models you test drive, and what you thought of them. Have fun looking.

jwh

I can recommend a Felt Z series.
I bought a Z35 a few weeks ago and it's a great bike.(fast and comfortable)

GaryDT

Sorry for being so late on this but I was on vacation. I have had a lot of trouble lately with my Jamison Citizen. I have had to replace brakes new chain, and now several spokes have broke on my rear tire. The dealer said he may have to replace all spokes or buy a new wheel. He will let me know in a couple of days since this is Labor Day weekend. He said also that I put too many miles on this particular model which is 6200 miles the last two years. Friend of mine told me thats hogwash and said to buy a Trek next time. No matter what I will be buying a new bike next spring but now I am disguested with the Jamison brand.

cyclinfool

The bike may be somewhat at fault - can't say as I don't know about Jamison. The wheel is definately at fault and that most likely is the wheel makers fault. You might only expect 3 to 4K miles on a chain, and brake pads wear (although I have not had to replace my campy pads in over 10 years). What I would say is that your bike dealer sounds like a jerk if he was putting the blame back on you for riding the bike which is what it was ment to do. 6.2K miles in 2 years is a lot of miles and everything you listed except the bad wheel I would say is reasonable maintenance.

As far as a road bike - there are so many good choices and it seems you are riding enough where you should know what you like and what will work for you. I have had great luck with a lugged steel frame that I had built up with a good group - it is a very comfortable ride yet fast and responsive. I also bought a CF Specialized Tarmac which is fast and fun but not quite as comfortable on long rides.

BluesDawg

That's what you get for riding a mattress. I think you mean your bike is a Jamis.

While it is possible that the bike was substandard, your problems sound more like what happens to a bike that is ridden too long without proper maintenance. I would probably have replaced 2 chains on my bike in 6200 miles. Did you ever bring your bike in to be adjusted or maintained? The wheels probably needed some tweaking within a few hundred miles of riding. Bikes are very durable, but they do need some attention to keep them running well, especially when new.

GaryDT

thanks for the quick answers. I probably should have expected to do more maintenance and appreciate the advice. Now my sister called me who is a four hour drive away told me that her next door neighbor builds bikes to your custom needs. She told me I probably could get a bike that I really want for a mere fraction of the cost. He has build my brother in law a couple of bikes and my nephew. They both are avid riders so I trust their judgement. Another issue with the Jamis bike is that I called my dealer and he promised to see whether I would need to replace the spokes or just get a new rim. He said he didn't bother to look at it and told me to check with him tomorrow. I gave him my old rim to look at last Friday and they promised to let me know what to do by today after the Labor Day holiday. Anyway I will take everyones suggestions and decide what to do next spring. Thanks again

Spinz

Just my two cents but the custom build-up by your sister's neighbor is the way I would go. Lp

speedlever

One thing to consider is warranty coverage should you have a problem. The custom builder 4 hours away could make dealing with warranty issues somewhat problematical. Just something to consider since you have time to meditate before you buy.

One other thing about the chain.. it should last a long time with proper maintenance. Have the wear checked before replacing it.

I had the chain checked for wear on my (now wrecked) bike just so I'd know how my chain maintenance procedure was doing and with 3200+ miles on it, it still checked as new.