Jamis or Trek

[KabyMom]

Hello!
I am so happy to have found this forum which looks like it has a wealth of info.

I am looking at purchasing a road bike. I want to use it for daily fitness riding and possibly training.... I am looking at a mini-triathalon in May and a little bit longer one later in the summer. Also think I may at some point I would like to do some assisted rides such as an AIDS ride or similiar.

I have a 1990 Trek 820 hybrid that I have really enjoyed riding (most recently with the family; husband, three kids and dog goes along too!) BUT I am ready for to move up and on!

I live in a small town with two LBS, so my choices locally are Jamis or Trek. Neither shop carries much of an inventory of road bikes so I don't have much to look at. One has a Trek 1000, 54cm I can ride and the other has a Jamis Satellite 53cm to try. I am 5'6" and stand over both bikes is OK, havent' taken them out for a ride yet (weather!) Neither bike is what I think I want but then again I'm not sure what I want??!!

I am interested in the 2006 Jamis Quest WSD. Possibly the Trek 1500WSD or 2200WSD(I refuse to ride a pink bike though!).

Any recommendations/input????

[Trek420]

while there may be only two LBS in your town....there's the BUILDER of these right there you lucky gal you

http://www.sevencycles.com/

welcome to TE, and when you get a chance surf on over to the getting to know you thread

[SadieKate]

Uh, Trek? Right town, wrong state.

[maillotpois]

SK I thought for sure your comment would be about the pink bike issue....

[SadieKate]

I'm showing restraint. I try to practice it once a year whether I need to or not.

[Bike Goddess]

Back to the topic on hand......

I bought a Jamis Quest in 2003. I have ridden it over 10,000 miles. It's been a great bike for me. I did the SF/LA AIDS ride last year on this bike and it was very comfortable. Shortly after I purchased the bike, I switched out the rear cassette (and also bought a longer chain) to a XTR mtn type gearing. I wanted to be able to do steep hills and this arrangement allowed me that option.

I'm not sure where you live, but since the Jamis Quest is a steel bike, you'll need to take care of it. I wash it down when I get home, and often put paste wax (as in car wax) on the frame. This gives it a little extra protection from rust.

Steel is very comfortable for long distance rides. What I like about the Jamis is my front forks are carbon fiber which helps give it a smoother ride. Although it's not the fastest bike you can find, it is a reliable one. In the 2+ years I have had it, I've only had to replace the headset. I did change out the wheels (an upgrade that does make the biggest difference in bike weight and handling) because I was in an accident (car hit bike on MY car)where a wheel was totaled. If that hadn't happened, I'd still be riding the original wheels.

Jamis is not as big a company as Trek and doesn't spend as much advertising. IMHO that means you get more bang for your buck!

I suggest you ride as many bikes as you can to find the one that feels the best. Only YOU will know! I would recommend that you stay away from aluminum as it is a bit harder on your body if you are doing long distances.

As TREK420 says " Steel is real" !

[Trek420]

SadieKate "Right town, wrong state"

oops other than that, what BG sed

[SadieKate]

Trek, I only caught it because I've been on weekly calls with them the last month.

KabyMom, you need to ride as many bikes as you can to help you determine what type of of geometry and handling you like. Standover is not the only thing you're looking for. Reach and drop are critical. Reach or cockpit length is the length of the top tube + the bar + stem + hoods = the distance from the saddle to where you grip the bar hoods. Women frequently (but not always) take a shorter reach than men because many of us have short torsos compared to our legs.

Drop is the distance from the top of the saddle to the top of the bars. The higher your bars are the less aggressive the position. If you look at the Pro Peloton you will see that their bars are very low. If you look at ultra distance riders, they'll usually have the bars higher. It is a factor of comfort and aerodynamics.

You can search the forum for all kinds of discussion on road bike fit. It is a frequent topic.

[CorsairMac]

I'm showing restraint. I try to practice it once a year whether I need to or not.

for Lent?

[SadieKate]

I may have to add "Heathen" to my tag line.

I have to ride downtown today to get the Bike Bus from the service guys. The weather is blowing and cold and rainy . . . and I'm such a fairweather rider. Do the calories count in a Peppermint Mocha if you're doing your errands by bike in crappy weather?

I know all you bike commuters are just rolling your eyes at me.

[CorsairMac]

I may have to add "Heathen" to my tag line.

I have to ride downtown today to get the Bike Bus from the service guys. The weather is blowing and cold and rainy . . . and I'm such a fairweather rider. Do the calories count in a Peppermint Mocha if you're doing your errands by bike in crappy weather?

I know all you bike commuters are just rolling your eyes at me.

I would NEVER roll my eyes at you where you can see me! but seriously - I think ANY errand done on a bike offsets any and all calories from a Peppermint Mocha! Enjoy it for me my friend!

[DirtDiva]

I think just looking at a peppermint mocha burns enough calories to earn one.

[Nanci]

I have the Trek 2100 2005 WSD. I think the 2006 2200 has upgraded components. I love this bike. I have put 3800 miles on her since September, and can't really find one thing to critisize, except I wish she had the dealies to attach racks to.

The only maintenance I have had to do is adjust the ders a couple weeks ago, and true the rear wheel this week. Original Bontrager Race Lite tires lasted till now, and the front still has plenty of miles on it, but I have changed them out just in case.

I put a Fizik Vitesse (that I had for several years on other bikes) saddle on her without riding the stock saddle.

I put different Shimano SPD pedals on her, and put her pedals on the bike those came off of.

Very, very happy with this bike which I bought on eBay sight unseen, and unridden, and which has been put to a use which she was not really intended for (long distance riding).

Nanci

[tulip]

I much prefer steel bikes to aluminium ones. My Jamis Coda is so comfy on our potholes and such. I have an aluminum MTB that I ride occassionally (I am selling it this summer), and I just don't like the ride of it, even with it's shock.

I've put thousands of miles on my Jamis, all commuting (28 miles round trip) in all sorts of weather. I've never had any problems with it. Jamis is a small company, and makes very high-quality bikes.

Best of luck in your search.

[KabyMom]

Thank you all for your reponses.
I went down to our LBS that sells Jamis today and rode a 53cm Satellite (which I don't want, fit not bad but not very reponsive) and then he only has one other road bike to try; a 55cm Quest. It is too big for me, but after riding it I know that I'm really interested in the Quest model. Just can't ride the size I want... So I don't know for sure if a 53 or 53WSD or a 50 could be the one?
Going to drive 100 miles tomorrow to another town to try out some other bikes. A few friends/road bikers have highly recommended one shop there that carries Bianchi so I'll go see what that's about.
Thanks again, I'll let you know how it goes.