I tried to send this email complaining about my purchase of Jamis' top of the line breed, but alas: there is no contact link anywhere on their site: no phone number or email to speak of.. no way to contact anyone, actually! I STRONGLY encourage you to read it prior to spending any money with Jamis.
Hello,
I am a REAL mountain biker - I ride the epic mountains of Santa Cruz, Ca about 3 times a week. I do no freeriding (no drops more than 3 feet), just standard all-mountain stuff. I weigh only 150 lbs, and know how to maintain my bike, and how to properly set my fork and shock. I ride with many of the locals, 90% of whom ride Santa Cruz, and Specialized bikes. Last year, upgrading my short-travel Cannondale for an all-mountain breed, I was deeply influenced by Mountain Bike magazine's "Bike of the Year" reviews of the 2003 Jamis Dakar XLT 2.0, and decided to purchase one. Upon receipt, I was stoked - the bike rides like a dream: the four-bar linkage does not move when I crank hard uphill, yet soaks up bumps like a sponge on the downhill. And the fork is just awesome. I took this bike to Downieville, Ca, and Moab Utah, several times and it treated me well in terms of the ride. I bragged to my friends who spent $1000's more for their Santa Cruz Blurs, and Specialized Enduro's; that they wasted their money on name brands and hype. Now, a year later, I feel quite differently..
3 months after I purchased the bike, the bearings blew out in the rear linkage, requiring over $100 to replace. I was told that they were improperly installed, that the torque was incorrect, and that it was builder error. I believed it. About 4 months after the purchase, I broke the rear drop-out, and it took nearly two months to get a new one! A REAR DROPOUT!! I rode my old Cannondale in the interim, which was annoying to say the least. I wrote several emails similar to this one, which I believe actually expedited the shipment!! Now, a little more than a year after the purchase, I noticed substantial sway in the linkage, and spent almost $200 replacing every bearing in the rear linkage. The lateral give is still there. On top of this, I find that the chainstay was cracked through two "weight-saving" carve-outs, and required replacement. The answer: a 2004 chainstay which is grey and does not match, but doesn't have the carve-outs. I don't care about the color, but was insulted when told I would void the warranty if I painted it!! Now my bike is not only funny looking, but doesn't ride!!
So, now I've been waiting for the one bearing that I didn't replace for almost a month (the one closest to the seat) , because it is on "back-order". Heck, even the local shop was talking trash, saying that this is why they don't sell Jamis mountain bikes, just the family units...
Final beef: I've noticed over this past year that the frame bottoms out before the Float shock: an obvious poor choice in shock stroke: this is the only bike I've ever seen to suffer from this. It requires that I set the shock extra stiff so that I don't break my frame. I guess I know where my savings went...
At this point, I'm pretty fed up - I've been a Jamis advocate for a year, despite my woes. I've really tried to support you guys. Now I ride a bike which rides very well, but is perpetually broken, with mis-matched parts, which is only a year old!! It is apparent to me, that this bike was not designed for real riders, and probably does well when used twice a year. Unfortunately, I am not one of those guys. You should understand: this is really bad PR. I have been touting your products, despite my issues, for almost a year, and just can't find one reason to do so any more... the ride alone won't cut it. I'm pretty much ready to dump the Jamis on Ebay, and pick up a Santa Cruz, Specialized, or Rocky Mountain. The dozen or so riders and shop guys I ride with will definitely notice my transition, something I should hope you would be concerned about.