Jamis 1999 Tangier

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Melbourne Bicycle Ce

Favorite Ride:
Danube River (Austria)

Bike Setup:
Standard (until replacing parts)

Summary:
Bought the bike as my first hybrid and love it! Good for cycling to work, weekend rides - both sealed paths and dirt ones. Light enough to carry - it's been overseas twice - fast enough without the effort required of MTBs.
The Reynolds frame seems to compensate for the lack of front forks (although I've never had them yet) i.e. I find it pretty comfortable to ride both around the city and on weekends in the country.

Its taken me 2 years to change saddles, so unlike most other comments , it hasn't worried me.

Bit dissapointed with the durability of some of the components however (see below).

Overall however, I'd thoroughly recommend it. A great bike.

Strengths:
Comfortable ride - maybe it just suits my frame better than others.
Light -easy for carryiong when required
Good value for money (at first !)
Mine's done around 20000 Km and I still look forward to riding it daily.

Weaknesses:
I've had to replace
rear hub
rear cassette
chain
I should replace front sprockets

Found that the replaced components were not 'brand' ones, so had to replace with brand ones - probably why they didn't last, and will hopefully result in these lasting a bit better.

Similar Products Used:
(Hybrid-wise) - Giant (briefly)

Favorite Ride:
Hockhocking-Adena Bikeway

Bike Setup:
STX/SRAM 5.0 derailleurs, Nexave crank, 700x38C tires, toe-clips.

Summary:
If you're into names, decals, and image, this won't be your bike. Recently completed the 3000 rider Great Ohio Bike Adventure (06/00), and only saw one other Jamis of any type. They seem to be kind of a secret ... I had to call Jamis to get the name of an area dealer after info. gathering on the web.

I haven't done any major upgrades. You'll want to replace the saddle, and after doing 300 mi on the GOBA, I plan to install a straight handlebar and mount more road-specific tires before the next longish road ride. As with most hybrids, adding bar ends was a big help.

The bike has performed well on packed logging roads and dirt canal paths too (the 38C tires are good here). It seems to be a perfect solution vacation and camping trips, where the riding conditions can be mixed.

I can recommend this bike for the recreational rider who wants to do a bit of this and a bit of that. We've handled dirt canal paths, paved bike trails, and 60 mi group rides without any problems from either Tangier in three years.

Strengths:
Purchased two (his/hers). The Tangier had the best price-to-component combination that I could find at the time. Very smooth riding and shifting.No mechanical problems in three years.

Weaknesses:
Saddle - Replaced my saddle with Brooks leather, wife is using a Terry Liberator.

Similar Products Used:
Schwinn, Giant

Favorite Ride:
Capital Crescent

Summary:
What a great bike.! After about a year of riding it with the manufacturer's specs, I changed the following:
Crank - I put a Shimano 105 (three ring) for added power,
Saddle - I love my new Flite gel on it (my "behind" thanks me)
Tires - Changed them to thinner Specialized
Handlebar - put on a flat handlebar for more aggresive riding.
Pedals - changed to shimano SPD

I put over two thousand miles on the bike in 1999 (including the Washington DC AIDS Ride) and had no mechanical problems whatsoever, and not even one flat tire all year thanks to my flat-resistant Specialized's.

I highly recommend this bike for the all around city biker who also wants to do more speed work on the weekends. With minor changes it can be converted to more of a racing/ Cyclo-cross bike.

Strengths:
Great frame, shifting, and overall comfort. Very reliable and easily upgradeable. The best price/quality deal for hybrids that I have seen.

Weaknesses:
I liked the whole bike besides the tires and the saddle.

Similar Products Used:
tested Bianchi, Specialized, Mongoose, Marin