Time to replace the wife's 29er. Suggestions?
 

My wife likes to ride with me but she's not the most aggressive rider on the mountain.
She's tall 5'10" and lean. Spends time in the saddle and would certainly prefer a light bike.
Any recommendations in the $1,000 range?

Her previous bike was a Jamis full suspension that handled like a wheelbarrow.

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...s+Bike+08.aspx

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...r+Bike+07.aspx

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...lete+Bike.aspx

http://www.redlinebicycles.com/adult...ight-29er.html

hth
-=rob

i just ordered a origin8 scout for next to nothing. last years closeout model, something like 3 left in the country after i ordered mine. there aren't many left, but talk to your LBS and see if there can hook it up. full retail was less than $700, so i paid significantly less.

of the bikes listed, my favorite would be the bianchi sok. the fork alone on that bike is worth over $300. bb7's in that price range are probably the best that can be had, most come with bb5s. I looked at a jamis SS with a tora for $900 on sale, with a tora fork- not as good as the reba. I will probably be upgrading to a reba or a fox when i move back to hill country.

Reading your title...and first post...the wife's full suspension Jamis was a 29'er?

the Jamis Full Squish is a 26" Dakar model. It was a jenson '05 closeout deal. got it for $425. The frame seems good but the front fork is bad. handles with zero confidence. Perhaps I could upgrade? Any help appreciated much. Here are the specs from that bike:
http://www.jamisbikes.com/catalog_archive/index.html

Jamis Dakar '05
Frame Dakar 4-bar linkage design, 7005 aluminum,
Fox Vanilla shock, 90mm travel.
Fork Manitou Splice Comp, 100mm travel.
Wheels Weinmann ZAC 2000 double wall rims,
Formula Hi-Lo disc-ready hubs,
stainless steel spokes.
Tires Hutchinson Scorpion, 2.00”.
Drivetrain Shimano Deore rear derailleur,
Alivio Rapidfire-SL shifters,
TruVativ IsoFlow crankset,
Brakeset Tektro forged alloy direct pull brakes
& Avid FR-5 levers.
Cockpit Alloy riser bar, alloy threadless stem,
alloy micro-adjust seatpost,
WTB Speed V Comp saddle.

mmm bianchi. she already has a sweet san jose for street rides.! That Sok looks good. how is the front fork?

The manitou fork on that dakar is, um, well...it's at least as bad as you'd described. The reba on the sok is supposed to be pretty good, but i'm seeing that jenson is currently sold out. The jamis dakota 29er has the down-market rockshox tora, which isn't supposed to be so nice as the reba, but ANYthing is a step up from the splice.

It would be much cheaper to simply replace the fork on the dakar with something else in a 100mm travel. You could get a 26" reba, or any number of other forks. Just do some research on any fork before you buy it...

-rob

ps- i love my rigid 29er