# Jamis Dragon One 29er single speed - anyone ?



## as is (Jul 4, 2009)

Hi ,
Looking at this (frame & fork only option) to build up a single speed for trail riding. 
Can't find much info over the web on it. 
Anyone have some experience with this bike ?
Does it have that magic steel feel ?
Also , any pic's of the butterscotch color ?


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## chairguy5 (Apr 25, 2010)

actually had my first ride this morning on my new d-OnE.. The 33x19 hurt me a little. i haven't been rigid since 91ish (bontrager-OR) so it was an interesting morning. Its a keeper & I dig the color. It comes with a 20t cog and spacers, derailleur hanger and has cable stops. So it can be an all-arounder.


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## djembe975 (Apr 12, 2008)

What year is that Dragon? It's not on their website


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## chairguy5 (Apr 25, 2010)

2011 Its sold as a frame & fork in the frame section. 
http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/frames/index.html#



djembe975 said:


> What year is that Dragon? It's not on their website


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## djembe975 (Apr 12, 2008)

It looks like the frame set differs from the complete geared in the head tube area as there is no box gusset and there doesn't seem to be a geometry chart for the the Dragon One. Do you know if the changed the geo for the 2011 single speed frame?


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## chairguy5 (Apr 25, 2010)

The only diff in the 19" GEO is chainstay/450, wheelbase/1081, forkrate/43. Those diff are mainly drop out & rigid fork I do believe. The boxed gusset is on the geared Dragon Race (853 rey) The dragon OnE is 520 (rey) along with the Dragon Sport. 

I have the 853 dragon now & love it. I can't make a call on the 520 D-one till a ride it a bunch more. Plus it being rigid makes it a brave new world.


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## as is (Jul 4, 2009)

*Nice bike, thanks for the pic's*

Anyone else ride this or last years model ? I understand other than the color no changes made compared to the blue 2010 model.


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## roscoe1971 (Jun 6, 2009)

diggen the carmel orange! just got off the phone with the local bike shop he said he would get it orderd for 400.00. for a frame/fork and 521 renyolds frame man its hard to pass it up. im not strong enough to REALLY ride a single speed but damn it im gonna try!! LOL. i ordered it!:thumbsup:


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## as is (Jul 4, 2009)

chairguy5 said:


> The only diff in the 19" GEO is chainstay/450, wheelbase/1081, forkrate/43. Those diff are mainly drop out & rigid fork I do believe. The boxed gusset is on the geared Dragon Race (853 rey) The dragon OnE is 520 (rey) along with the Dragon Sport.
> 
> I have the 853 dragon now & love it. I can't make a call on the 520 D-one till a ride it a bunch more. Plus it being rigid makes it a brave new world.


I would ditch the ignitor up front if running rigid (that is an ignitor there, right ? ) . I run it on my single speed with a 100 fork and it does not do a good job soaking up stuff. 
Will probably run an Ardent or Kenda Nevegal on the rigid Jamis D. up front .


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## balance_fit (Jul 5, 2010)

*Dragon 1*



as is said:


> Anyone else ride this or last years model ? I understand other than the color no changes made compared to the blue 2010 model.


Hello !

I´ve been riding the Dragon 1, 09 model, for the last few months. Bought it stock at Jenson.

I come from a fully suspended 26er, (no going back) and believe me and all the fellow riders who´ve tested it, there is a magic feel to that steel frame. I haven´t missed the suspended ride since i switched. This bike has the Reynolds 520 tubing on the main triangle, and i´ve read the 853 is even better.

I´m seriously considering switching to a rigid fork soon. This bike´s ride is so smooth, I´ve been riding the fork the bike comes with (Tora Air 80mm) locked out with the stock 2.1 Ignitors and for my trails, it´s fine. I ride mostly loose over hardpack and sometimes rooty over sandy terrain. Still undecided as to carbon or steel, although 75% more inclined to steel.

Regarding colors, the stock gray and black matte is perfect with some red accents.

Feel free to ask anything else you may want to know about this bike. For the price, being my first SS, i´m converted.

Be well, 
jd


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## yourdaguy (Dec 20, 2008)

First I don't own a Jamis, but I do own a Sir and the head badge of the Jamis and the brown color (mine is "solid Gold" and the 853 all looks so similar as does the tubing sizes and shapes. I am riding my Sir full rigid SS with the Niner carbon fork. The Jamis looks like almost the same bike for less money so I don't see how you can go wrong especially with the 853 variant. 853 is real ( in my opinion 853 or at least the bikes that I have ridden that were designed with it ride like butter).

balance fit; I recommend the Niner fork for sure. It is way stiffer under braking than a steel fork yet sucks up the bumps and chatter better. Also, it is way more precise in steering than any suspension fork (and even a steel fork due to less flex) since your rake and trail are constant. Also, it climbs better than any suspension fork since it is lighter (even lighter than a steel fork) and fully locked out at all times. And as all us SSers know, climbing can be our biggest challenge. I have Ignitor rear, but with the rigid fork I find a WeirWolf 2.55 a better choice. More cush and better flotation too (amazingly, it only weighs less than 200 grams more than an Ignitor for all that extra volume-it is really a 2.35) . I weigh 170 and you look to weigh close to that so I run 20 in my front WW on Flow rim tubeless and I recommend you try this (I have tried lots of combo's and this is the best I have found for the front of a full rigid SS) Also, I have mentioned this in other threads, but the Cannondale Flash 29er seatpost transformed my full rigid to an almost suspended bike. I was already a full rigid SS convert when I found these posts, but now the only tired I get when I ride is my legs and arms. My butt never gets tired.


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## TheGenTwo (Oct 23, 2009)

The MSRP of the orange Dragon One frameset is really appealing at $450


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## balance_fit (Jul 5, 2010)

*Valuable information*

balance fit; I recommend the Niner fork for sure. It is way stiffer under braking than a steel fork yet sucks up the bumps and chatter better. Also, it is way more precise in steering than any suspension fork (and even a steel fork due to less flex) since your rake and trail are constant. Also, it climbs better than any suspension fork since it is lighter (even lighter than a steel fork) and fully locked out at all times. And as all us SSers know, climbing can be our biggest challenge. I have Ignitor rear, but with the rigid fork I find a WeirWolf 2.55 a better choice. More cush and better flotation too (amazingly, it only weighs less than 200 grams more than an Ignitor for all that extra volume-it is really a 2.35) . I weigh 170 and you look to weigh close to that so I run 20 in my front WW on Flow rim tubeless and I recommend you try this (I have tried lots of combo's and this is the best I have found for the front of a full rigid SS) Also, I have mentioned this in other threads, but the Cannondale Flash 29er seatpost transformed my full rigid to an almost suspended bike. I was already a full rigid SS convert when I found these posts, but now the only tired I get when I ride is my legs and arms. My butt never gets tired.[/QUOTE]
yourdaguy

Thanks for your valuable info on the rigid setup. As i see it, in a couple of months i should be upgrading to the rigid fork. I've been considering The WeirWolf or the Maxxis Ardent for the front tire once rigid. Just allowing myself some extra time to learn the rigid ways better, since i'm mostly riding my Jamis with the locked out fork. 
I ride tubeless because of the myriad types of thorns here. Even so, i don't risk lower than 35 psi on the Ignitors, because of fear of a tire/rim blowout. I figure that once rigid with a fatter tire, 30 psi or lower will feel like a dream and will not miss the suspension fork. 
Definitely the climbing will be improved, right now, the extra 2+ lbs of the susp fork make it hard to loft the front wheel to clear roots or embedded rocks. Looking forward to that lighter front end too !
Thanks for the imput on the Flash 29er seatpost. I saw that post and will bet back to it again when time to upgrade comes. 
Again, many thanks, be well
jd


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## yourdaguy (Dec 20, 2008)

I run 25 psi in my rear Ignitor and have never had a problem and where I ride is extremely rocky rooty (old coal strip pit till piles) left to grow woody for 30 years. This is with Flow rims. I have run the Ignitor rear with Arch rims and used 27 psi with Arch's.

I have an Ardent 2.4 and have tried all combinations of Flow/Arch rim and WW/Ardent on the front of my full rigid. The WW rides better and the traction is similar so the Ardent went on the front of the Jet. The Ardent seems to have a stiffer sidewall when inflated and also weighs 70 grams more. While the Ardent has a more aggressive tread the lower compliance tends to negate that. So when I say traction is similar I am talking overall traction and for some courses/conditions the Ardent would have better traction and for some courses/conditions the WW would be better. But the WW clearly rides better.


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## balance_fit (Jul 5, 2010)

*Tires !*



yourdaguy said:


> I run 25 psi in my rear Ignitor and have never had a problem and where I ride is extremely rocky rooty (old coal strip pit till piles) left to grow woody for 30 years. This is with Flow rims. I have run the Ignitor rear with Arch rims and used 27 psi with Arch's.
> 
> I have an Ardent 2.4 and have tried all combinations of Flow/Arch rim and WW/Ardent on the front of my full rigid. The WW rides better and the traction is similar so the Ardent went on the front of the Jet. The Ardent seems to have a stiffer sidewall when inflated and also weighs 70 grams more. While the Ardent has a more aggressive tread the lower compliance tends to negate that. So when I say traction is similar I am talking overall traction and for some courses/conditions the Ardent would have better traction and for some courses/conditions the WW would be better. But the WW clearly rides better.


Hi again and thanks for the information !

My preferred trails here have the loose, rocky over hardpack surfaces possibly similar to yours. I have a posting of one of the trails i ride with pictures at: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=667062 ... tell me how they compare to yours.

Ripping sidewalls has never been an issue to me, even on sharper rocks because i watch my line and i´m not the aggressive type. I do appreciate the decreased rolling resistance of the Ignitors and whichever of the two (WW or Ardents) that rolls better gets to match my rims. I´m currently riding on WTB Laser Disc rims. Also, traction on the Ignitors has been excellent so far so my choice will definitely gravitate towards the faster fat tire.

mmm...will try this weekend the Ignitors with a little less air. Thanks for those tips !


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## yourdaguy (Dec 20, 2008)

The consistency of the materials at your riding site is very similar to ours. The main difference is we have in addition lots of large roots and some bigger rocks too. Also, your trail looks much flatter. We have lots of very steep (but short) hills (like 20 percent for 25-40 feet).

If rolling resistance between the WW/Ardent is the deal maker the WW is your tire. Better compliance and smaller closer knobs make the WW roll slightly better, but the Ardent rolls really well for the knobs it has. By the way, in the Summer when it is dry as a bone, I put an Aspen on the rear in place of the Ignitor. The Aspen is way more cushy and rolls really fast. As soon as it starts to rain again in the fall it has to come off though because it really suffers for traction on those previously mentioned steep hills.

One other note: the WW is currently being redesigned and they have temporarily quite making it. I am certain there will be some available for a while, but you might want to wait for the new version, because as good as the current one is, the new one will probably be better. I read somewhere the new version was due in late January.


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## yourdaguy (Dec 20, 2008)

In a follow-up to the previous note; I don't know about shopping for bike parts in PR (maybe you postage is the same to PR) but some places on the mainland are blowing out the old stock of WW's.

example: http://www.treefortbikes.com/#navbar=pro___333222337413___544


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## balance_fit (Jul 5, 2010)

*Riding surfaces*



yourdaguy said:


> The consistency of the materials at your riding site is very similar to ours. The main difference is we have in addition lots of large roots and some bigger rocks too. Also, your trail looks much flatter. We have lots of very steep (but short) hills (like 20 percent for 25-40 feet).
> T_his trail is particularly new and the pictures i posted don´t cover all the riding situations. There´s at least 5 stream crossings, some larger and looser rocks (baseball sized) and a couple of interesting uphills with loose rocks to test climbing technique. I don´t think neither of these hills here approach 20% ..that´s tough, SS tough !_ :thumbsup:
> 
> If rolling resistance between the WW/Ardent is the deal maker the WW is your tire. Better compliance and smaller closer knobs make the WW roll slightly better, but the Ardent rolls really well for the knobs it has. By the way, in the Summer when it is dry as a bone, I put an Aspen on the rear in place of the Ignitor. The Aspen is way more cushy and rolls really fast. As soon as it starts to rain again in the fall it has to come off though because it really suffers for traction on those previously mentioned steep hills.
> ...


mmmm, i should keep tuned to the review section to see what the equipment gurus think about it when it comes out.

Be well, jd


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## balance_fit (Jul 5, 2010)

yourdaguy said:


> In a follow-up to the previous note; I don't know about shopping for bike parts in PR (maybe you postage is the same to PR) but some places on the mainland are blowing out the old stock of WW's.
> 
> example: http://www.treefortbikes.com/#navbar=pro___333222337413___544


Thanks for the link ! Gotta shop around for some other parts, will see what they offer.

Be well, jd


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## haager (Oct 9, 2009)

Albeit in a different thread, thanks for answering my questions.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=655334

That butterscotch sure is purdy:thumbsup:

Can any one comment on the ride quanity of 520 vs 4130? I'm considering the Dragon or Karate Monkey for a build.


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## deuxdiesel (Jan 14, 2007)

I had an '09 for a few months- bought from Jenson as well. It was OK for the price, but it came with a Tora fork which was awful. I replaced it with the cheap eBay eXotic carbon fork and it was a much better bike (with the addition of a fat front tire). The paint was weak, and the welds weren't pretty, but it still rode well. I did not like the drop outs at all, and the rear clearance didn't allow for much more than the Ignitors. I sold it and went to an 2011 El Mariachi, which offers better of everything the Dragon had for not a whole lot more (extra $150 or so). If you can get a complete Dragon One for $700-800, it's a good deal, but building up one from scratch- other options are out there.


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## criticalmass (Feb 20, 2009)

I've liked mine, but i ended up with another frame on the way and now am not sure whether to keep the Jamis Dragon One for a back up frame on letting it go. I've enjoyed the ride.


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## as is (Jul 4, 2009)

criticalmass said:


> I've liked mine, but i ended up with another frame on the way and now am not sure whether to keep the Jamis Dragon One for a back up frame on letting it go. I've enjoyed the ride.


Just curios what made you get another frame. I mean, upgraitis is a good answer, but was there anything else ?


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## criticalmass (Feb 20, 2009)

A really good deal came along. So upgradeitis and the inability to pass up a good deal.


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## as is (Jul 4, 2009)

haager said:


> Albeit in a different thread, thanks for answering my questions.
> 
> http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=655334
> 
> ...


I think 520 is simply Reynolds name to 4130.


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## bus_142 (Oct 10, 2010)

roscoe1971 said:


> diggen the carmel orange! just got off the phone with the local bike shop he said he would get it orderd for 400.00. for a frame/fork and 521 renyolds frame man its hard to pass it up. im not strong enough to REALLY ride a single speed but damn it im gonna try!! LOL. i ordered it!:thumbsup:


My lbs quoted me $355 for the frame/fork/headset. Great deal for sure but I went with a Jabber yesterday during the black friday sale. The slacker HA was more appealing to me.


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## balance_fit (Jul 5, 2010)

*Happily ever rigid*



yourdaguy said:


> First I don't own a Jamis, but I do own a Sir and the head badge of the Jamis and the brown color (mine is "solid Gold" and the 853 all looks so similar as does the tubing sizes and shapes. I am riding my Sir full rigid SS with the Niner carbon fork. The Jamis looks like almost the same bike for less money so I don't see how you can go wrong especially with the 853 variant. 853 is real ( in my opinion 853 or at least the bikes that I have ridden that were designed with it ride like butter).
> 
> balance fit; I recommend the Niner fork for sure. It is way stiffer under braking than a steel fork yet sucks up the bumps and chatter better. Also, it is way more precise in steering than any suspension fork (and even a steel fork due to less flex) since your rake and trail are constant. Also, it climbs better than any suspension fork since it is lighter (even lighter than a steel fork) and fully locked out at all times. And as all us SSers know, climbing can be our biggest challenge. I have Ignitor rear, but with the rigid fork I find a WeirWolf 2.55 a better choice. More cush and better flotation too (amazingly, it only weighs less than 200 grams more than an Ignitor for all that extra volume-it is really a 2.35) . I weigh 170 and you look to weigh close to that so I run 20 in my front WW on Flow rim tubeless and I recommend you try this (I have tried lots of combo's and this is the best I have found for the front of a full rigid SS) Also, I have mentioned this in other threads, but the Cannondale Flash 29er seatpost transformed my full rigid to an almost suspended bike. I was already a full rigid SS convert when I found these posts, but now the only tired I get when I ride is my legs and arms. My butt never gets tired.


I went the rigid way, finally ! And, should´ve done it earlier. How fun, how nice climbing, steering, even downhill feels better (unless chattery):madman: Please read my review on the rigid experience and thanks again for your help. jd

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=673986


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## prphoto (Mar 17, 2006)

fyi you can buy the Jamis frameset in 853


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## t135 (Jul 11, 2011)

Cool bike


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