Did I buy the wrong bike?

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Buddhachild

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Hey guys! New to the forum. Have a quick question. I recently bought a Jamis Dakir XCT Comp 2012 model 39 % off original price. I've only owned hard tails in the past. I thought it was a good deal and would be a good entry lvl dual suspension bike. The thing is I just picked up a couple mtb mags and they both agree 26ers are dead. While I'm not here to argue that point I would like to know will this bike serve me well until I decide to upgrade to 27.5 or 29?

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I don't know? Did you? I just checked on my DD-SB-26er mistress and she is alive and flicken! ;)

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First off, I would take the mag articles that the 26'ers are dead with a grain of salt. It is true that most major bike manufacturer's seem to be phasing out the 26'ers, but my personal take is that they are doing that not because 26'ers are bad bike designs or because there's a flaw with the 26 inch bikes but more as a marketing move.

Are there different benefits to 27.5 and 29'ers most definitely. I recently migrated from a 26'er to a 29'er and love it. But before that I loved my 26'er also.

Since you asked for honest opinions, here it is.

Looking at the bike, it looks like you got it at Jenson, and the specs are OK, even at 39% off, I'm not sure if I would have pulled the trigger on it.
The parts spec is just OK at best and for a MSRP of 2300 and even at 1400 sale. The brakes are low end as are the X5 groupset. You're not going to like the way the X5 front shifts. My son had the X5 groupset on his old bike and hated it, I thought he was just complaining and trying to tune it I hated it also.
The RST Titan-15 Air Fork I've never had any experience with, so I can't really comment, but the RS Monarch shock is a good entry level, but you may miss having a lock-out for extended climbs.

I think Jenson has a pretty good return policy, if it was me, I would take advantage of that...
 
hill^billy said:
I don't know? Did you? I just checked on my DD-SB-26er mistress and she is alive and flicken! ;)
Click to expand...

Nice bike! With a bike like that, there is no other wheel size envy!
 
Buddhachild said:
Hey guys! New to the forum. Have a quick question. I recently bought a Jamis Dakir XCT Comp 2012 model 39 % off original price. I've only owned hard tails in the past. I thought it was a good deal and would be a good entry lvl dual suspension bike. The thing is I just picked up a couple mtb mags and they both agree 26ers are dead. While I'm not here to argue that point I would like to know will this bike serve me well until I decide to upgrade to 27.5 or 29?

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Click to expand...

Actually . . . . First off, Welcome to our family Buddhachild!
I believe you came to the right place. Easy to say? Yes! I have good reasons for saying this. imtbtrails is no nonsense Mountain Biking where, like above, someone with some good experience is going to give you the straight low down, and good advice.

A strong grain of salt to the mags for suggesting 26'ers are dead. Marketing new things will always be the direction of the day. If I were to go out and buy a brand new bike, because it was "New Bike Day". I would consider a 27.5'er. But ONLY because I was in the market for a new bike.

I own a 2012 Yeti ASR 5c (a 26" wheeled composit bike) and I am extremely happy with it. No intentions of changing out until bike lifespan is complete! :)



Templar nails it when he goes directly to components...

...however, if you are on a budget, components can slowly get changed out over time to upgraded stuff! If you maxed out your current budget, AND, you really like the feel of the new bike/frame you purchased, you can go on a component changeout plan over time.

But like templar has stated, knowing what you are looking for and waiting for the perfect deal is a wise move as well.

...and since the 26'er is dead, you can always watch craigs list for the mass exodus to the upgrade to 27.5" and 29'ers... :lol: <--Just Kidding!

Keep coming back!

~Mikie

yeti_asr5c.jpg
 
Thanks for the quick replys. Yes I was on a budget set by my significant other at @ around 1500. I shopped around a bit and it seemed compared to other bikes in that price range I was getting a better bang for my bucks going with an older model. I do plan on upgrading the components in the future. Maybe a 2x10 drive train and better shifters. Going for a shorter stem and wider bars probably in the next week or so if I can find some good deals.

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I say ride what you like, if it be a 26er, then enjoy it. As most people said it is all marketing. There still is a place for 26 inch bikes. I would still be riding a 26 inch bike but it was stolen because someone loved it more than I did. As of now I ride a 27.5 hardtail and it is soooo much faster than any hardtail I have ever ridden and I have had several. Just go what works for you, not some editor from a magazine or what some guy who you don't know want's you to ride.
 
Faster is not always more fun. On a bigger wheeled bike, you may be going faster, but you may not feel like you are. Often, you have to confirm it by racing/chasing others or using a GPS/computer. The longer wheelbase tends to make the wheels stick to the ground, and I personally find fun in occasionally having them leave the ground. I get more thrills and rollercoaster feeling from my 26" FS, going about the same speed, and there's a challenge to it that makes the trail still feel fun, while my 29er makes everything too easy for my liking. I also love how fast I can accelerate on the smaller wheels. It's like a small sports car vs a SUV.

Also, beware that media guys tend to get only excited by bikes that offer an unique ride, or are really better at doing something others aren't that quite good at. They tend to go "meh" to traditional bikes that do the same old, which works, but is just old news to them. If they did longer term tests on things, the new unique bikes would probably not be the first choice as their versatile "everyday ride". They'd likely shoot for something more balanced then.

I get the impression that bike marketing is more about differentiation more than anything else, at the moment. Considering that most products are all made by the same handful of fabs, they can only compete so much on price and manufacturing quality. They got be able to market something that will stand out, in order to get the sales they need to justify their production runs.

26" parts seem to be getting cheaper. High end wheels have plummeted in price (ex. $400 for an Easton carbon wheel). One of the best time to be riding 26", IMO. Feel free to switch if you get seriously competitive, but enjoy the bang for the buck you get, while supplies last. Your budget will appreciate it. That all said, my 29er HT is my 2nd most ridden bike now, next to my 26" FS bike. 29ers need a ton of money invested in them to make them feel sporty, most importantly the wheels.
 
Danmtchl said:
Where did you find Easton carbon wheels for $400?
Click to expand...

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.jensonusa.com/Easton-Haven-Carbon-UST-26-Wheel-2012" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.jensonusa.com/Easton-Haven-C ... Wheel-2012</a>
 
Hey, Budda.
Welcome. It seems like the general consensus is that it just doesn't matter, and you're bike is fine. I concur, and I'd be very skeptical of anyone who argues strongly for the overall superiority of one over another.

I've had people tell me that the 29ers are the greatest thing since sliced bread, while the whole time I'm thinking, "If that's the case, then why do you ride like a weenie?" And then there's guys on 29's who fly by me with no possibility of me keeping up. If we switched bikes, with them on the 26 and me on the 29, they'd still blow me away.

My next bike will be 650b or 29, not because of the innate superiority, but because the manufactures are moving in that direction. Who knows, by the time that my current bike needs replacement, all the cool kids might be riding 28.25" wheels.
 
I have been running X.5 9 speed shifters on my Stache for the past year, and had them for a couple years on another hardtail before that. I don't really have any complaints about them in performance or durability. They have been 'set & forget' for me.

We tested a 29" 120mm RST air fork a year or so ago, and it wasn't that bad. Not perfect, but for the price, it was definitely serviceable. There was an 'air compensator' in the air spring that made it a bit too progressive for my taste, so we removed it and IMHO, it performed much better. My other issue was that we had to run the rebound at the full 'fast' setting, and I wished it could have been a touch faster. That said, it wasn't terrible by any stretch, and I thought it had potential if they could get it tuned a little better.

For what you paid for a brand new bike, I think you did just fine.
 
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