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" !

[CorsairMac]

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

for Lent?

[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.

[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.

[Bike Goddess]

Kaby- if you can get a Quest that fits you, you'll love it! Can the LBS get one your size? They should be able to measure you and figure out which bike will work the best for you.

[KabyMom]

I am the proud new owner of a 2005 Bianchi Vigorelli!!! I love it!

Went to Sioux Falls yesterday and Harlan's bike shop there is awesome. Rode several bikes there and fell in love with this one and with the shop itself, the people there are great. And since the bike is a 2005 that they had brought in last fall, it was $500 less than the list price. So for the price of the 2006 Quest (which I would have never ridden my size and had to order and WAIT for....) this was the bike! And I get even better components. The shop did an excellent job fitting the bike and spent alot of time answering all my questions and explaining the bike and road biking in general to me. It really is true that when you shop for a bike you should also shop for a shop because these guys are awesome.

I put on a Terry Butterfly right away; after test riding bikes for the past couple of days my butt is sore from the crappy saddles on them and that one feels good from the start. Added a computer, bottle cages and an underseat pack with tube, CO2 and tools and I'm ready to hit the road!!!! Now I only need it to quit raining and the 35 mph winds to go down a bit .

[ladyfish]

Glad you found "your" bike. Sounds like a beauty. Enjoy--I hope the weather cooperates this weekend!