# Am I going to regret buying a Jamis?



## Lukem (Oct 17, 2008)

A couple weeks ago I got a good deal on an 08 Jamis Dakota sport, my first "real" mtb. The guy at the lbs said that Jamis bikes are made in Asia, but so are most of the other big name brands, so build quality is the same. For whatever reason, Jamis bikes seemed to be spec'd out better than other brands (I looked at Specialized, Trek, Gary Fisher) for the price.
On my third ride out, I spilled hard, going over the handle bars, etc. I checked the bike out, and it looks ok, but the rear brake lever is bent. Rear Derailleur looked ok from what I could tell. I haven't gone to my lbs yet to see if they can bend the brake lever back (I might have to buy a new one). I still have a free 30-day tune on the bike, so I might wait until then to get it fixed. 
I told a guy in one of my classes who is an avid road biker about my bike, and he said that Jamis bikes aren't built as well as other big name companies, and that I am going to be replacing one part after another. Is this true about Jamis bikes? Any help is appreciated.

Luke


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## Slimpee (Oct 3, 2007)

Lukem said:


> A couple weeks ago I got a good deal on an 08 Jamis Dakota sport, my first "real" mtb. The guy at the lbs said that Jamis bikes are made in Asia, but so are most of the other big name brands, so build quality is the same. For whatever reason, Jamis bikes seemed to be spec'd out better than other brands (I looked at Specialized, Trek, Gary Fisher) for the price.
> On my third ride out, I spilled hard, going over the handle bars, etc. I checked the bike out, and it looks ok, but the rear brake lever is bent. Rear Derailleur looked ok from what I could tell. I haven't gone to my lbs yet to see if they can bend the brake lever back (I might have to buy a new one). I still have a free 30-day tune on the bike, so I might wait until then to get it fixed.
> I told a guy in one of my classes who is an avid road biker about my bike, and he said that Jamis bikes aren't built as well as other big name companies, and that I am going to be replacing one part after another. Is this true about Jamis bikes? Any help is appreciated.
> 
> Luke


 A couple of things:

-I wouldn't bend anything back. If it's bent bending it will only weaken it further. Just replace it.

-Parts breaking doesn't really have much to do w/ the construction of the bike as long as it was assembled by a good mechanic. Cheap parts are cheap parts. That said, i don't know much about their frames.


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## Cary (Dec 29, 2003)

Lukem said:


> I told a guy in one of my classes who is an avid road biker about my bike, and he said that Jamis bikes aren't built as well as other big name companies, and that I am going to be replacing one part after another. Is this true about Jamis bikes? Any help is appreciated.
> 
> Luke


The damage to your bike was a result of your accident. Jamis bikes are every bit as good of quality as any of the other major manufactures and represent a good value.


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## oldskoolbiker (Jun 2, 2005)

Jamis bikes are a fine brand. All the bikes have components from the same companies, Shimano, SRAM etc. You said it yourself that Jamis was speced better than Specialized, Trek for the same price. Therefore the Jamis would have better parts than an equivalently priced Specialized. 

A lot of it comes down to assembly and tuning the bike. Your brake lever damage likely wouldn't have happened if whoever assembled the bike didn't torque the brake lever so tight. Ideally the brake lever should be torqued just tight enough so that it won't move under normal use, but will move on a crash, thus simply rotating the lever around the bar instead of bending it.

Perhaps if you mention this at the shop they may replace it free, but I doubt it.


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## g-bus (Aug 13, 2007)

I've got an '05 Dakar Sport and its a tank. I ride some pretty rocky stuff that really takes it's toll on bikes and its held up great. I also compared this bike with some GF's, Giants, Specializeds, and Treks, and like you discovered, the Jamis was priced and spec'd better. I've had no regrets, so don't sweat it, you've got a good ride. And its a great frame if you ever want to build the bike up with better components. Only thing is the anodized finish chips fairly easy, but that just adds to the character.


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## Call_me_Al (May 31, 2008)

If you wanted to blame a company for your bent brake lever, then blame Shimano (but that would be dumb, too... you crashed the bike, not Shimano). Not a single component on that bike is made by Jamis. Therefore, it has nothing to do with Jamis if anything other than the frame needs to be replaced.


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## peitro (Dec 8, 2006)

You crashed your bike and something broke?
welcome to the world of mountain biking.
Congratulations you are doing it right! try not to go over the bars too much but breaking stuff is part of the game. reading this forum you will find out that as people get more into this sport they go with better components that are less likely to break. You get what you pay for and you pay when you crash. Have fun out there!


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## spec4life (May 14, 2008)

Yeah like everyone said breaking parts is just a part of biking. Last time out i ran over a stick and somehow it flew up and snaped my rear derailler hanger into. That had nothing to do with the quality of my specialized just the fact that i got very unlucky. 

Besides when parts break it gives you an excuse to upgrade...


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## rmccully (Jul 18, 2008)

Replacing parts continuously? What, like your Shimano derailleur, SRAM brakes, Race Face bars, WTB wheels, etc? The only part of your bike that's not the same as a million others is the frame, which is probably as good as most. Why would having a particular frame affect how much you'll have to replace the parts on it?


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## ljsmith (Oct 26, 2007)

I wouldn't base my opinion of a bike based on what some "aivd road rider" says. What exactly does he mean by you will be replacing parts? Jamis doesn't make any parts, Shimano or SRAM do. So is he trying to say that the Shimano or SRAM parts made for Jamis are made with inferior quality?


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## wmodavis (Jun 21, 2007)

I've been riding a Dakar XC Pro for about a year now on some pretty rough trails. I find no fault with my Jamis! There's always the Chevy/Ford preference guys who have die-hard brand loyalties. That's OK, just got to understand where they're coming from. You're allowed to be biased too. Aren't we all. Frequently they bash non-approved brands but if you have a decent bike, which you do, enjoy it, ride it, take care of it, fix it, and you will be the winner.


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## rjrodney (Apr 17, 2008)

Just tell him steel is real. Jamis is a good value but that doesn't mean they are built cheap. That's gonna be a sweet ride for a long time - enjoy!

Oops I just noticed it's aluminum - still a nice bike.


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## mtnbiker72 (Jan 22, 2007)

Nothing wrong with Jamis mountain or road bikes, they represent a solid product at a nice price. The reason they offer better components for the same price as Specialized, Trek, Giant, etc. is because they aren't spending millions of dollars sponsoring big mountain and road professional cycling teams and on commercials on Versus during the TDF.


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## Sideknob (Jul 14, 2005)

Jamis are fine.

And - don't listen to a roadie's MTB advice.....


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## Lukem (Oct 17, 2008)

ljsmith said:


> I wouldn't base my opinion of a bike based on what some "aivd road rider" says. What exactly does he mean by you will be replacing parts? Jamis doesn't make any parts, Shimano or SRAM do. So is he trying to say that the Shimano or SRAM parts made for Jamis are made with inferior quality?


Ha, that's exactly what I thought. I definitely don't believe that a Rockshox fork or Shimano derailleur built for one bike manufacturer is going to be any different than one made for another bike manufacturer. I'm assuming he was taking a stab at the frame quality, but my lbs said Jamis has a lifetime warranty on their bike frames; not to mention I have been extremely happy with the bike so far.


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## Berkley (May 21, 2007)

You can't take anything a roadie says seriously...


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## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

Pretty much all said already - Jamis is fine, When you crash, stuff might break (upgrade time!!!!) and roadies cant be taken seriously.


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## cyrix (Jan 29, 2008)

Parts break. That's the bottom line.

I've had parts break during an easy ride on a paved trail on a hardtail. I've had parts break on a commute bike just going a half a mile to class. 

Jamis is a good company. You just might need to replace some parts. When you really get into mountain biking it certainly isn't a cheap sport unless you just ride kiddie slopes at the local memorial park. You will wreck, you will hit parts on rocks, you will strain/push parts beyond their limits. To be a member of the church of dirt it is indeed costly and it will test your finances.


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## Bends But Doesn't Break (Jun 23, 2008)

You will probably find that in spite of all the wear and tear and damage that your bike suffers, your FRAME will be the one factor that remains intact (notwithstanding scratches and mars).


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