ed 

Okay friends...thanks for all the input and comments about my recent issues regarding my brakes.

I'm 95% sure that I have found the root of the problem and it was never the fault of my Juicy 5's.

When I called SRAM today to try to get some tiny inkling of an idea as to why my Avids are so jacked up...it always came back to "it sounds like an alignment issue". I asked the guy "How hard could it be?" He said I should take it to a dealer and have them look at it. I wasn't buying that a dealer was going to align them better than me. They were perfect. However...the symptom did make all the sense in the world when thinking about alignment issues.

So...I re-installed my rear CODE and grabbed the lever firmly. With it in a low gear, I put some pressure on the crankset and rocked the bike forward firmly. I looked back at the rear caliper and saw the issue.

The left seat stay is bending and twisting torsionally causing the caliper to be out of alignment under moderate to hard braking. I can actually see the caliper rocking forward and twisting inward very slightly but enough to throw stuff off at least a millimeter or so. Now I can sleep at night.

I just don't know what the crap to do now. I called Jensonusa and they told me to talk to the warranty guy in the morning. If I'm lucky, they'll junk it out and send me a new Komodo with the beefier rear triangle. If I were luckier, Transition Bikes would read this thread and take pity on me...send me a leftover Vagrant, haha.

Now I feel bad about having Avid send me new Codes. That doesn't explain away the feeling that I got with the Juicy5's on the front that is now gone since putting these on though, so maybe it was a combination of issues.

I kinda wonder if there's a hairline on there somewhere and it just showed up all the sudden one day when I was riding with B2B at Clinton. That's when I first noticed it and it's never been right since that day.

Dannihilator

Oh man you got my luck from this past summer. Really sorry to hear.

So this makes Jamis Komodo #2 this year. I think it's time to move on to a different make, the new Komodo isn't much better, in fact the problem with the new ones is at the headtube/toptube juction..

ed 

I'm seriously bumming lately. I was looking at Bullit's on ebay today...but then I'd have to buy a bigger fork and I just can't swing it right now. If a warranty doesn't work out...I'll ride the crapper until I can afford something that will hold up.

ALL I WANT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL HANDLE SOME XC WITH SOME STANK!!

Is that too much to ask? I remember back when I first had this "warble issue" in 2005. It was on a lightweight hardtail. I'll bet that it was doing the same thing. 2005 Fisher HKEK. I broke that one. I broke my stays on my XLT. Now I guess I cracked this one.

I was even looking at Banshee Morphines today, hahaha.

ed 

Yeah...I'm tired of lying to myself. Okay, I'm married with 2 kids, medical bills, and a single income. Jamis just sounded good to me. Cheap prices/good quality. More like cheap prices, cheap material, good warranty, big headaches.

Dannihilator

Cove Stiffee FR?

ed 

Yah...I like the looks. I've emailed several people about their Vagrants for sale. Some of them are $250 and they look like they're in great condition. The Vagrant has massive looking rear tri compared to mine. There is a Haro Escape that I was looking at, but it didn't impress me too much out back. I really like the Scirocco, but $549 is a bit steep for me right now. If I wait and save...there are many options out there for me. I'm kinda wondering about this new Transition Chromo gig.

I was also considering moving down to a Medium or 17"...somewhere 'round there. We'll see.

Dannihilator

Somewhere I saw there were Santa Cruz Chameleon frames for sale for a good price. I'll try to remember the site, then will pm you the link.

Quick_Torch C5

Happy you solved your issue, but sorry about the outcome

ed 

Yeah man...another stout one.

I like the Kona Five-O too.

never

My Norco Manik is a beefy trail HT. I got it cheap through my LBS as a crash replacement from the previous year (I think I got it for $175). Could see what your LBS can do for you...assuming they can get Norco.

Terrapin Ben

go for the chameleon!

ed 

Where can you buy a Norco frame only?

ed 

Wow, Norco's '09 are sporting the Hammerschmidt!!

never

My LBS is huge and does a ton of volume with Norco, Specialized, Kona, etc... so they seem to be able to do whatever they want. I just asked them to see if they could get an '06 Manik crash replacement frame through Norco (this was in 2007). Not sure if other shops can do this but it's worth a try if the frame interests you.

It's not a light frame but the geo is great with a Pike length fork (it was sluggish when I had the long fork on it)...it's good for trail riding, I've used it for shuttling when everyone else is on their DH rigs, and it is a lot of fun for urban, on BMX tracks and at the skateparks.

ed 

I don't care about weight. That XC thread was a vast hoax that got out of control. I came off a 32lb 5x5 that felt light to me. This thing weighs in at 26-10--...adding 2-3lbs of frame is fine. I'm just sick of having crap fail. Hence the random thought about the Morphine.

lanfarm

Make the ultimate frame.

M_S

On.One 456.

theextremist04

Cove Stiffee FR- unbreakable and sweet looking.

junkyard

I'd still go ahead with seeing if Jamis would warranty the frame you are having trouble with. Then, sell the new frame to make a few bucks. Finally, look into a new make/model.

ed 

Yeah...good thought. I'll talk to them today. I wish I just had the patience to wait and get what I really want. Scirocco / 36 Van.

junkyard

It may take some time, but be worth it in the long run. Do you have a beater or anything that you can ride in the mean time?

dminor 

Kona Five-0 is a very impressive machine for a hardtail. Not quite as slack as a Vagrant; but for a straight-out-of-the-crate do-it-all, I would not hesitate to jump at one. I actually test rode one around when the Butler got one in and have decided it's the one for me if I ever spend real money on a new, fully-assembled hardtail.

Never's Norco Manik is a worthy consideration too. Those first caught my eye when the shop my son worked for started carrying Norcos.

born2bahick

IIRC, You stacked it up, on some rocky step ups, layed it down to the left side. Then had a few Drop to flats at the skills loop. One of which might have been close to 3 feet. Did a few hops over logs on the way back.................. Nope nothing could gone wrong that day

junkyard

You have a butler?

santiago

Don't you? Hmmm, I think your inclusion in the TGMBG may fall into question.