I’m looking at road bikes and this guy at a bike shop was trying to convince me that they’re a better deal than Giants. Obviously I’m reluctant to invest in a bike whose brand I’ve never heard of…does anyone know anything about Jamis bikes?
Jamis bikes definitely have a very good reputation as midlevel, medium sized brand. In past years, their full suspension mountain bikes such as the Dakar have won awards in bike magazines like “Bike of of the Year” and Best Bang for your Buck type awards. In my mind I have an image of Jamis as at least as good a bike as a Giant, although I think Giants might tend to be a little cheaper.
I don’t know anything about Jamis road bikes, but I definitely have a good impression of their mountain bikes.
I agree with Ben, I know a lot more about their mountain side, but i would assume the road could be pretty much as good, therefore i would tend to evaluate price versus components on the bikes that are available (between a giant and a jamis).
I agree with ben and seb
in terms of mountain id take a jamis dakar over a giant personally
but in road im not sure, both are good.
My experiences with Jamis are mixxed at best. Having worked in the industry for some 6 years, they have been up and down despite the Dakar’s agreeable success. This is to say that they havent necessarily been a consistent company, but nor has Cannondale, and they still produce good products.
As for mountain bikes, I would take Giant over Jamis any day (and not just because I ride a Giant). Jamis has not innovated their technologies much, if at all. And this is evident in the fact that I think the last time a Dakar got any really noticeable recognition was in 2005 or so (in terms of winning awards). This was before VPP/Meastro style bikes had really made their way onto the market, and 4-bar style designs still had a large market share. Needless to say, VPP/Meastro style stuff has revolutionized the full-suspension bike, and this is why you dont see non-VPP/Meastro style bikes really taking any awards anymore.
This is not to say that Jamis is a bad company, and arguably, they are sticking with a design thats proven to work, but there’s something to be said for innovation, and Jamis just isnt there.
In any event, Jamis does produce decent bikes, but Giant is in a different league (yes, alot of that probably has to do with its much higher budget, but nevertheless).
It all depends on the budget Nadine wants to invest in, for sure if she wants to spend something like 5K $ i would go on a giant for the innovation and stuff, but on cheaper bikes, there isnt that much innovation to be seen, or it is a lot less important. I think at that level, if you take “known” brand, you are better to look at the component rather than at the amount of variation in thickness of the tubing, except for the “angle of attack” and distance between wheels (if there is a major difference between each frames) of the fork in order to make sure your bike is as agressive as you want it.
Well a well-spec’d Trance at $1500 or a full carbon 105 bike at well under $2K, thats hardly unaffordable for a good quality product, both bikes utilizing the latest in Giant’s technologies.
Giant has some of the best price-points on the market for its products, and its quality rivals and exceeds many hand-built products. Giant is the only bicycle manufacturer that uses robotics in its manufacturing process which ensures almost zero-degree of error, the same cannot be said for hand-built products, mass produced or not.
A recent third-party review of Giant’s manufacturing process showed that almost all of defects found in Giant’s bikes were because of defects in the materials (beyond Giant’s control), and not because of the manufacturing process. Giant is one of the only manufacturers on the market who can claim this.
And for those who dont know, Giant is contracted out to build bikes from the Specialized, Trek, Colnago and many others’ lines.
Mike + Giant = True Love Forever
:oops: mike has other true loves too…
I know that Giant’s entry level road bike line (i.e. the OCRs) and specifically the OCR 3 has won the award of best entry level bike for the dollar. You won’t get any 105 components with that though, so it depends how much you’re looking to invest…
I have the OCR 1, and I love it! I don’t know any of the fancy terms that the boys use, but I pre-rode at least 6 different bikes (including a >$2500 Giant TCR 
) and honestly I felt best on the OCR.
Make sure that you take a lot of bikes for a test drive, and if you can for at least 30 minutes at a time. Some bikes felt good for the first 10 minutes, but by the end I couldn’t wait to get off.
Happy shopping!
All in all, I think you should ditch the road scene and become a mountain biker… 
you know you want to…
I agree with anton. save up and get something competitive, then the twins won’t be able to touch you!
I’ve got a special place in my heart for Jamis. My first road bike was a Ventura Sport, a rather run-of-the-mill aluminum number, which was nevertheless a very solid little bicycle. They started making cruisers in the 70s, so they’ve been making bikes for a long time.
Like Mike A. sez, though, they haven’t done too much with their dual-suspension line, or at least not as much as some other companies have. But they’d make a really good choice for road bikes or hardtail MTBs, even though Giant would, too. They made one bike that I thought was really cool, which had steel lugs and seatstays with carbon main tubes. It looks like they don’t produce that one anymore, but the new Venturas look really nice if you’re looking for something that’s not ridiculously racy.
Try 'em out! If you’re looking at both Giant and Jamis, which are both pretty huge manufacturers, I’m sure you’ll find something to work for you at the right price.
whoa ben. whose side are we on here?
just making sure you’re keeping up with the pace christina :P. but indeed you [nadine] would be a lot faster with a more competitive mountain bike, it is your choice to go for the road and the road trophies and medals.
subliminal context here
get a mountain bike
its more fun
Haha, well, until you feel the rush of a 50 rider pack rolling at 50 km/h, cornering tight at 40 km/h, where if you stuck your hand out to your side you would be touching other riders. Or, when you corner at 80-90km/h and feel the g’s push you into your bike. Or, when you’re in the middle of a 20 km climb and all around you are tall, snow covered mountain peaks, maybe even a grizzly on the side of the road, and snow at the summit…
while it may not be your ‘fun’, there’s something unique in those moments that mountain biking can never give you…
But to each their own, and I have ridden some pretty sweet MTB venues, so im talking from both perspectives heh heh.
In short, a road bike is worth it heh heh
-Mike
ps: Mountain biking still blows my mind! haha
lol ah i agree, i respect the sport mike, haha im just toying around, but it sucks that its getting such a bad rep because of all the doping.
However, I dont like the fact you find touching other riders and being that close to one another with shaved legs fun lol, i think you need to see student services haha
either way, life is fun on two wheels and an open mountain (or road) when your controlling where, when and how fast your going…
so all in all she should buy a road and a mountain bike.
hahahaha problem solved
maybe I am reaching out and feeling how smooth the other riders’ legs are…
There are some things you need not share…