transplant

so i have the beater/daily, and i have the bling bike, but i'm looking for something to fill the middle gap of "better than beater daily" rider. seriously been considering getting a sputnik after the favorable words of another forum member in a previous post, the quality of the frame and the aesthetics. i know it wouldn't do much for the street cred as an off the peg bike, but whatever... i'm just wondering if anyone here has one yet? impressions? the only thing holding me back at this point is the geometry, which is more roadish than trackish.

also, just because i know this will be said, the LBS only has a a 54cm in stock and i'd need a 59cm or 62cm and i don't think they'd order one just so i could take it for a spin, even though i'd probably buy it. (=

spud

yeah i love my fuji, but i'd still like to testride a sputnik.

Olebiker

Our club did a 50 mile ride yesterday and one of the members showed up on a Sputnik. It's a gorgeous bike and Neil is just crazy about it. This is a guy who has several bikes and knows quality.

Ira in Chi

Have you asked them directly if they would order one for you to ride? Maybe they will order one if you put a deposit down, which should be refundable if you don't want it for some reason. I'd be very candid with them about the posibility of a sale, talk to the owner or a manager if possible, see what they feel comfortable with. If you're in Chicago, stop by my shop!

legalize_it

jamis is all out of the sputnik for now, except for 62cm's.

Technohippy

My cousin just bought one, here in Chicago, this weekend. He ended up getting a size bigger than he had expected because of the geometry but so far he loves it. As stated the paint/graphics are low key. The welds are pretty decent. And the parts (except for maybe the wheelset) are pretty reliable and usable. Plus it's fricken light and it's steel.

He was surprised by just how smooth it rode. Give it a try.

RedDeMartini

We have been waiting for the legendary jamis track bike for years.
It is a nice bike but you are paying a lot, and it is weirdly heavy.

I was hoping that jamis would stick with their roots and make a good bike, keeping it cheap through large scale production. But instead they have priced it as high as the market would bear.
Nice enough bike, but it shouldn't be that expensive.
With track bikes, always look at the chainring, it tells you the whole story.

I like it, but not nearly as much as the redline ninjabike. I mean it comes stock with fenders, moustache bars and chainguards. Oh, and it is $500 dollars.

transplant

actually, it's pretty damn light... 16.50 lbs
and $825 doesn't seem ridiculous for a complete bike with 631 frame, easton carbon fork, formula wheelset

Pipebomb

Who gives a ***** about street cred. I think they ride well and sans the p.o.s. alex wheels and the free wheel, it comes with a pretty good parts spec. I liked the seat well enough I bought one for my other bike.

endform

I would like to say to RedDeMartini, umm no, do your research.

Last time I checked 16.5 pounds for a 631 frame was not weirdly heavy.

Ok, so let's compare with other options, a soma rush w/ frame and fork (steel fork too) is almost 500 dollars retail. Now, let's add in a wheelset, let's be generous and say 200 bucks for the set, let's add 50 for the tires, 100 for the crank/bb, a few more for the cog/lockring, headset, bars, etc. WHOOPS that's OVER 825 dollars!

Ira in Chi

Do you really think these two bikes are close to being in the same quality range? For one, the Redline's frame is listed as "double butted chromoly" which most likely means 4130. There is no way it could be lighter than the Sputnik(Reynolds 631), even if you filled it with helium. Jamis spec'd their bike with an easton carbon fork that retails for over $200, and everything else on the bike is brand-name. The Redline hasd mostly no-name equiptment, including the cranks, which you mentioned specificly. Jamis bikes are made in by Maxway, one of the best fabricators in Taiwan, can you tell me where the Redline bikes come from? I would bet on China. I think Jamis has done a good job sticking with their roots. As I've mentioned before, I'm not happy with every aspect of this bike(not a fan of Alex rims, which both bikes have) but as a complete, it is definitly in a class above most entry level track bikes.

$0.00/Gal

This reddemartini person really likes to talk out of their ass. How about you learn a few things before opening your mouth and contradicting yourself.

A chainring tells you the whole story on a track bike and you recommend the Redline which comes with a no name, re-branded crankset?

skinjob

I love my Sputnik. Nothing but praise for it.

treechunk

The reason the Sputnik costs more is that it's not really an entry level bike. The frame is several steps above entry level, as are the fork, seatpost, stem and bars. A nicer crank would have put the price a whole lot higher, as would the wheels.

If I was putting together a production bike, I would skip the carbon fork and go with a nicer crankset or better quality rims. The hubs are better than the stock hubs on most other bikes, although they also could be better.


The deal is, they did the best they could to hit a mid-range pricepoint with decent parts, and they did a good job. It fills a niche that nobody else is anywhere near. It's a MID-RANGE trackbike. It's NOT a Pista, so it doesn't have a Pista price tag. It's also not a Pista Concept, and it doesn't have that pricetag either.

ChicagoxBoston

[QUOTE=RedDeMartini]With track bikes, always look at the chainring, it tells you the whole story.
QUOTE]

HUH? Chainring? LEGENDARY Jamis?? Get a clue. . . .

Aeroplane

In defense of the 9-2-5, it does have the same wheelset (formula hubs on alex rims). Not much else is too comparable though, unless you LOVE moustache bars.

transplant

can you get more specific?

jet sanchEz

Is it just me or is the geometry a little slack for the Sputnik? It looks just like a regular ol' road bike frame. Or at least, it looks that way from this photo (the only one I can find). Does anyone have any more photos? Also, for the OP, there is a Sputnik listed in the CL/eBay thread that is a great price, $690.

transplant

the geometry is definitely more roadish .. and i would pick that one up off of CL but it's not my size. i think it's a 56? and i need a 59 or 62

jonsam

I test rode one of these today. I'll have to say that it is very, very light. It surprised me how much lighter it was to pick up compared to the bike I ride now. A couple of issues that it had were that the chain is unacceptably short. The shop literally had to take out the master link to get the rear wheel off the bike. The shop I went to was going to call Jamis to tell them about this so hopefully they will get their game together. Also, if you test ride one make sure that the shop has checked the cog and lockring because they slipped on me. It is a pretty attractive bike in a stealthy way. I'm pretty tempted by it.

transplant

well, here's another picture to fan the flames of my indecision

onetwentyeight 

No, but I own 2 cosmonauts and laika the dog.

marcelinyc

i recall that russians send some of them to space.

transplant

bump just in case anyone missed their chance to give input or make a russian satellite joke