JG- I have a Jame Quest ( steel frame) with Shimano 105 gearing . I've had this bike since '03 and have gotten many a mile on it (not sure how much since I also have a Scott carbon that I ride most of the time). The Jamis I have is quite comfortable. I use it as my climbing bike as I put a Mtn bike cassette on the back to get lower gearing. It is a triple which is fine with me. We have a lot of long tough hills (Mt Diablo, for example) around here so when I want to do long climbs the Jamis is my preferred bike.