They don’t come any simpler than this stripped-to-the-gills fixed gear unit. The Sputnik hangs proper rear-facing track dropouts on a Reynolds 631 steel frame, with a flip-flop rear hub that lets you mount an additional sprocket so you can change gearing mid-ride. Use it as a track racer, or mount up a brake, quit your day job and join the bike messenger ranks. This isn’t a bike for the faint of heart, but for absolute purity of purpose there’s nothing more exquisitely beautiful, or special-bred, than this elemental speedster.
I've been riding my Sputnik for about a year and a half and I love it. This is a fun ride, great for commuting and all around city riding. My sputnik is mostly stock except for the wheels and the front brake. This bike tracks like it is on rails and is a blast to ride.
Weaknesses: OEM build spec, esp. wheels
pricing as a frameset
Bottom Line:
i bought this as a complete bike, except for wheels, off ebay about a year ago. it was built from a frameset by a shop employee out of his parts box, so it looked nothing like the OEM spec. i sold off pretty much everything (including the EC70 fork) and rebuilt it as called out below.
i chose the sputnik exclusively for the frame. i'm a steel fan, and 631 is great stuff...light, strong, lively, weld area actually stronger than unwelded. investment cast track ends are a nice touch, as are dual bottle bosses. i also wanted road-oriented geometry, as this is a trainer / club rider that i use interchangeably with my geared roadies. IMHO this is the sweet(est) spot between cost and quality...i don't think there is a better value out there.
that said, i understand that there is not much of a discount on a frameset (if you can even find one) vs a complete bike. my suggestion would be to get the complete bike, replace the wheels immediately (the weakest link in the OEM spec), then other stuff as you see fit.
it absolutely rocks! built as shown, it's right at 16lbs. comfortable and stable enough to be an all day cruiser...i've done back-to-back centuries on it (at a dead-flat MS150 ride) and did not regret it for a moment. efficient and nimble enough to use on fast group training rides (*with* a brake please!)...i've done 60mi 21+ mph group rides in rolling hills with 20 geared bikes (where i get dropped going downhill!).
to be clear, this is not a wicked steep, nervous, not drilled for brakes, wannabe NJS/keirin, tarck bike. if that's what you're looking for, look elsewhere.
Submitted by
Jordan Brown
a Recreational Rider
from
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2007
Strengths: light. fast. solid components.
Weaknesses: 48:15 gears, i just purchased a 39 tooth drive gear, that should help quite a bit.
I am also not a fan of the handlebars, but that's just my personal preference.
Bottom Line:
My favorite fixed gear yet!!! I used to ride schwinn's that i had converted to fixed gear, but they felt loose and weak. Of course, i didn't find out how unstable they were until i hopped on my jamis sputnik. This bike is awesome, it is the smoothest, most accurate bike i have owned, including non-fixies.
Strengths: Great frame and fork...Good hubs, seatpost, stem, and bars..."classic" road geometry...All black "stealth" look at night...Smooth ride...
Weaknesses: There is a special place in Hell reserved for whomever designed the San Marco Ponza saddle...the paint chips fairly easily..."boat anchor" cranks and BB...Undertensioned wheels from factory...
Bottom Line:
I bought the Sputnik almost two weeks ago and I have about 500km or so on it at this point...If you're looking for a track bike, this is not it...The BB is too low and the angles are more "classic" road than track...If you're running it fixed, you should be aware of the fact that the cranks are 175mm for sizes 55 and up which, when combined with a sub-11" bottom bracket, could mean a bunch of pain in the corners if you're not careful...If you're a gram counter, you should also be aware that the bike is about two pounds heavier than Jamis claims on their website (with stock plastic pedals and without brakes)...
That being said, the bike has a ride very similar to the converted Lemond Poprad it was replacing...The Easton fork is stiff yet it dampens road vibrations exceptionally well...The frame is pretty cleanly built and the matte black finish looks quite nice (though it does seem to chip fairly easily)...The lost wax dropouts complete with adjusters are an especially nice touch...
The wheels came from the factory severely undertensioned...John at Cycle Therapy had to essentially rebuild them almost from scratch...Despite some hard riding and a few "rider errors" on my part, they are still true and round (though the rear is already showing signs of wear on the braking surface)...The Formula hubs have cartridge bearings (a nice surprise, given the price point) and should last a long time...They are real track hubs though, so the freewheel is only sitting on two or three rows of threads...Kind of scary...The 15 tooth fixed cog is stamped and comes with what looks like an alloy lockring...
The RPM cranks and FSA bottom bracket are boat anchors and sort of ugly but they get the job done and they seem to be plenty stiff enough...
All in all, I'm quite happy with the Sputnik...I was looking for a singlespeed road bike that I could ride fixed in the city and with a freewheel for rides of 100km or more in the countryside and the Jamis does both of those things well...As an added bonus, because the bike is all black, I can lock it in the bushes at night and it is virtually invisible...
It should be noted that my CDN$900 purchase price included the Tektro levers, the no name brakes and the ACS freewheel...
Favorite Ride: Kitchener to Toronto on the backroads
Price Paid:
$900.00
Purchased At: Cycle Therapy on Que
Similar Products Used: 2005 Lemond Poprad converted to SS (RIP Whitey)...1994 Rocky Mountain Metro converted to SS for winter messengering back in the day and present-day commuting ...Bianchi Pista (test ride)...Bianchi Fremont (test ride)...Cannondale Capo (test ride)...
Bike Setup: Stock with Tektro levers, 44cm Bontrager flat top h-bar, no name brakes, Shimano 520 pedals, 16t ACS freewheel for long distance riding, and a San Marco Regal Titanio saddle...
friend of mine wants to go singlespeed (not fixie though). She is trying to decide between an IRO Mark V and the Jamis Sputnik.
She wants road rather than an agressive track geome Read More »
Hello -
This is my first post, so go easy!
I'm going to pick up a Jamis Sputnik this week and I am soliciting suggestions for pedals.
I will be using this bike for too Read More »
picking mine up on 8/15, my first fixed.
really hoping the chain guard removal isn't too involved, if it even comes on the US version. doesn't show on the US website.
opinion Read More »
