Jamis Quest Femme or Specialized Dolce Elite?

I've been riding a 1988 Trek 1000 that I got at a charity auction for the past five years. It has tube shifters, so any bike I get is going to seem amazing to me I'm sure. But I do want something a good bit nicer. Doesn't have to be fancy. I originally wanted to try the Specialized Dolce Comp but it's not available at all from Specialized for several months, so it will have to be the Dolce Elite. My other option is the Jamis Quest Femme and is it just me or does that steel frame feel really nice on the road?

I'll also add that I loved the LBS I went to when I test rode the Jamis- amazing service and attention. I wasn't so hot on the shop that has the Specialized.

I'm a 5'3'' recreational rider...30 mile rides on the weekends, hoping to do some metrics and eventually a century. Whichever bike it is, I'll likely keep it for 10 years.

More experienced riders and bike buyers out there, what do you think?

Based on what you've written, I'd go with the Jamis. I just checked it out on the Jamis website, and it looks great.

i agree with red. and i do believe steel soaks up a lot of the road noise. not that it matters, the jamis is a cuter bike. haha! :o

I'm a Jamis junkie, so I say Jamis... also a steel junkie, so yeah, Jamis.... ;)

2+ on Jamis. You can't go wrong with their bikes.

I'm glad to hear such good things about Jamis...I am leaning towards one of their bikes, and the Giant dealer in my area knows that. Yesterday, he told me a bunch of stuff about how Jamis owns some bike company that makes junk and they are a low-end bike and if I'm going to waste my money on an inferior carbon frame I might as well just find some no name bike on ebay. It was actually really inflammatory and offensive, and even if I buy a Giant I will travel out of state before purchasing from this guy. Anyway - I hadn't really ever heard of Jamis, but I liked the bike and reviews seem to be really good. So, there's no truth to any of that, right? It seems like everyone on this thread has good things to say.

Fit! Fit! Fit! If the Jamis fits, and you like how it rides, then go for it. If it doesn't fit, then no matter how nice it rides, you will not be a happy camper on it.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I did get the Jamis Quest Femme and I REALLY love it! Rode it on the maiden voyage this morning!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ginaleah

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I did get the Jamis Quest Femme and I REALLY love it! Rode it on the maiden voyage this morning!

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Pictures!

...there goes another satisfied Jamis customer. :D