I'm in love...lust...no, definitely love (Jamis Quest)

[badgercat]

So, I found out last week that I'm going to have a sweet research gig this summer, complete with a generous (by my standards, anyway) stipend. Time for a road bike, no doubt. I like to go fast, but I don't race--I want something zippy enough to have fun but comfortable enough for long charity rides and potentially a little light touring someday (so rear-rack eyelets would be a plus).

I'm drawn to steel, so I've been doing my homework on Jamis the last couple days. I called the only Jamis dealer in town and inquired about the Satellite Femme and Quest Femme. They had neither in stock, but did have the non-Femme Quest, in an appropriate size to boot (51cm) on the floor. I went down there with DBF today and (very briefly) test rode it (6'1" boyfriend took it for a spin, too, which was quite the sight). It was a smooth, lovely ride (brifters are so cool!)--it sailed over the lousy side-streets near the shop. However, I was just a teeny tiny bit too stretched out, and it was a bit of a stretch for my fingers to reach the brake levers in the drops--though both might be improved by the Femme model. I'm not ready to commit yet without riding some other stuff--I know I need to ride some other bikes first to make sure that it's not just "good enough" but "right"--so far, I've got the Trek store calling me as soon as they get some 52cms on the floor. But I just love the idea of steel, the simplicity of the Jamis styling, and the Quest seems like a lot of bang for the buck ($1600).

I had originally been thinking about the Satellite (~$600-700 less than the Quest), but regardless of what brand I settle on I'm thinking I should just spring for a lighter frame and nicer components and figure that this will be a bike to last me for years and years.

The guy who was working with me at the LBS today said that he thought they should have one or two of the Femme models in stock anyway, so if I asked them to order one they would, no commitment required. That idea really appeals to me, since I could take it for a more involved test-ride before I buy.

I shouldn't spend such a big chunk of my summer stipend before I have it (though I do have plenty in the bank to cover a bike at the moment), but I do have two charity rides coming up next month that would be even more fun with a new bike...

oh boy.

Pictures and specs at these links...
Quest Femme
Satellite Femme

[Zen]

I think Jamis is a fabulous bike, but I'm biased
(I like the white one)

[roadie gal]

2+ on Jamis. My SO has both road and mountain bikes and I have a mountain bike by Jamis. They're great bikes for the money.

[Biciclista]

sounds like the Jamis Femme will be just the thing. you do what you like with your stipend, you're going to EARN it!

[badgercat]

Thanks for the input, ladies. I knew there were a few Jamis fans here and I'm glad to hear the support for the brand.

I'm definitely smitten, but after taking into consideration that my parents are in a bit of a financial bind right now with a house that's been sitting on the market for a year, my mom was out of work for several months, etc... they don't support me financially anymore, but I still feel like it might be a bit... insensitive if I, the "poor grad student," dropped that much of my money on a new bike *before* the summer stipend rolls in.

I can happily ride my Trek FX for a couple more charity rides, and treat myself to the road bike in the fall for all my hard work (that's when the weather starts to get more reasonable in AZ anyway, and maybe I'll catch an end-of-season sale!). Besides--I'm going to be living in another city/state (Omaha) in a shared house for the summer... I'm probably only going to bring one bike, the hybrid would be the most practical choice, and then I wouldn't have to a. worry about keeping track of my new investment in a house where my renter's insurance probably won't apply or b. being sad about leaving my sweet new ride back at home for 3 months.

All things considered, it just seems like I should wait through the summer. But, it doesn't hurt that I'm doing my homework now, right? I'll have to avoid setting my computer wallpaper to a picture of the Quest Femme and sighing a lot for the next 6 months.

[Zen]

Well...you could sell the Trek to offset the price a bit.
I'm just sayin'

[badgercat]

Well...you could sell the Trek to offset the price a bit.
I'm just sayin'

Hey now!

Nah, I'm planning to keep the Trek. I have a late-'70s Raleigh mixte that I ride for day-to-day business, but outfitted with my rack and baskets it's pushing 40 pounds. I love it, but its heft makes it a pain to maneuver out of the house in the mornings when loaded up with books/laptop/lunch/etc, and it's not that comfortable to ride for more than short jaunts. The Trek fits me better and weighs less, so I think it'd be a lovely daily commuter (though I probably wouldn't feel as cool riding it ). So, I'm not ready to completely give up any of my current bikes yet--I only have 2, after all!

[uforgot]

I've been looking at that very same bike! 51 also. I can't seem to find anyone in Mo who stocks them. The geometry looks perfect, but I want to test ride. I decided to take all summer and find one somewhere. I had a Quest a few years ago, but it wasn't femme. Great ride, just too long in the top tube. If anyone knows someone who stocks them, I'm willing to travel!

[moderncyclista]

I've owned my Jamis Aurora awhile and while I like the fit - I hate the Brifters. The component group Shimano Tiagra with a Deore rear deraileur has never worked right. I've adjusted it myself (within my limited and dangerous knowledge base) and taken it to my LBS and had it adjusted multiple times. Cable-slack removed, etc. It never shifts well. I much prefer the simplicity of my 520's uncomplicated bar-ends (which knock on wood runs like clockwork) and LX component group. I've considered (seriously) either converting the Aurora to bar-ends or trading it in (gasp) at the end of this year-ish for a Surly Long Haul Trucker. Off-Topic: would converting it to bar-end shifters be expensive? also, if I upgraded to LX components I bet that it would make it almost the same price all-together as the SurlyLHT.

Anyhow, those are my personal random musings. At one of the LBS, their guy told me that Surly is one of the few manufacturers that doesn't cheap out on components. He said the rest of them were very guilty of this. (they carried Trek, Felt, Giant, Surly, Redline, and others) Please, don't get upset - these are merely opinions and shared information for others benefit. I do like my Aurora alright.

[irrealised]

I've been looking at that very same bike! 51 also. I can't seem to find anyone in Mo who stocks them. The geometry looks perfect, but I want to test ride. I decided to take all summer and find one somewhere. I had a Quest a few years ago, but it wasn't femme. Great ride, just too long in the top tube. If anyone knows someone who stocks them, I'm willing to travel!

If you find one, let me know. I'm in St Louis and was also thinking about the Quest and the Satellite, but haven't found any decent Jamis dealers around here. My mountain bike is a Jamis and I love it, but if I can't find a dealer I may have to branch out!

[uforgot]

Interesting that your lbs should say that, as Jamis has always been known for more bang for your buck as far as components. The Quest, which this thread is about, has Shimano 105 and Ultegra. Hardly a "cheap out on components. And I'm not knocking Surly, I have a Cross check, which I had built with Shimano 105. Sounds like you just really love your friction shifters and should go with that! They should work on the Aurora as it is a touring/commuting bike.

[uforgot]

If you find one, let me know. I'm in St Louis and was also thinking about the Quest and the Satellite, but haven't found any decent Jamis dealers around here. My mountain bike is a Jamis and I love it, but if I can't find a dealer I may have to branch out!

I did find one in Kansas City. (I'm just outside St. Louis myself). Everyone who "says" they have Jamis always tries to steer me to Specialized aluminum. I emailed Volker Bikes in KC and he said he thought he had a 51 on the floor to drop in and see it, or call to make sure. Well, I may do that one of these days when I can get up there. If you want to head up there first, be my guest. Whoever gets one first has to let the other try it out.

edit: Did you notice that St. Louis bicycle company went out of business?

[moderncyclista]

Interesting that your lbs should say that, as Jamis has always been known for more bang for your buck as far as components. The Quest, which this thread is about, has Shimano 105 and Ultegra. Hardly a "cheap out on components. And I'm not knocking Surly, I have a Cross check, which I had built with Shimano 105. Sounds like you just really love your friction shifters and should go with that! They should work on the Aurora as it is a touring/commuting bike.

:::::::::First off sorry for the thread hijack::::::::::
Yup. The LBS shops shoot it pretty straight. They've been in the bike business for 34 years so I'm inclined to believe what they tell me. It doesn't mean I don't do my own research. What I don't understand about Jamis is why break-up the component groups. Why not all 105 or all Ultegra? Now, for as much as the Jamis Aurora retails for (in the pricing group with Trek520, Surly's Stock LHT, Cannondale's Touring bike, etc - I expected better components. The Aurora Retails for around $1000 - luckily I got mine for under $600. It's not the brifters vs. bar-ends that I'm worried about "working" per se. It's more should I spend the money to convert it (to LX grouping as well) or just trade it in and buy something that comes stock with the component group and shifters I want?

Also, the Aurora is a "sport touring" bike. It is a cross between a cyclo-cross and touring bike. The geometry is more like a cross bike to me. Gearing is waaaaay wrong for touring IMO.

From wikipedia: Sport Touring
The sport/touring bicycle is a very lightweight touring bike fitted with lighter wheels and narrower 25–28 mm (1 - 1.125-inch) tires. It may also be described as a road racing bike fitted with heavier tires and slightly more relaxed frame geometry (though still quicker than the average road touring bike). It is designed as a fast-handling, responsive and quick day touring machine. As such, it is intended to carry only the rider and very light loads, such as encountered in credit card touring, where riders typically carry little more than a pocketbook and credit cards to book overnight lodging at any handy motel, pension, or bed-and-breakfast while on a journey. Gearing is often a mix of closely-spaced ratios for speed, combined with a few low gears for long climbs. Sport/touring bikes may sometimes have provisions for mounting slim fenders and a rear carrier or pannier rack, though in the interests of weight savings and quicker handling, most do not.[1]