2013 Jamis Dakar XC Comp

[Catrin]

Yes, it is sad. My Jamis rocks, she is a great bike! Sadly, too much for me however, hopefully I can find her a home that she deserves!

[indysteel]

Jamis has always seemed like good value for the money. Maybe they've "wisened up" and are now pricing/specing their bikes more consistently with other manufacturers. That's a shame.

The year or two after I bought my first adult bike--a Trek FX, Trek started "dumbing down" the components and charging even more money. I was really disappointed in that, but I've since realized that most manufacturers do that over time. Granted, I have no idea what their profit margin is, but the inflation in prices for a decently speced bike really amazes me.

[Owlie]

Indeed. A bike shop owner I talked to last year said that he felt that the best bang-for-buck used to be Giant, Trek (for certain models) and Felt. When I bought my Giant, they had downgraded it from previous model years (from full Sora to 2300 + a Sora rear derailleur). Jamis used to be good too, and many people seem to feel the same about Fuji. They're all getting more expensive for lesser componentry.

I dread to think what I'll end up paying for the Ultegra road bike when I've scraped together the cash.

[emily_in_nc]

I dread to think what I'll end up paying for the Ultegra road bike when I've scraped together the cash.

If you are buying new, yes. But consider used. I got a Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD full carbon bike with Ultegra for just $700 on ebay. Yes, it's a 2006 model, but lightly ridden. If I had been limited to new, I'd have ended up with an aluminum frame and Sora. Just a thought...there are a lot of lightly used bikes out there. DH buys for DW and she doesn't get into it, that kind of thing. Lots of "good intention" bikes.