XAM 2.0 $5000
Tested by: Paul Bryant The anchors are provided by Hayes with a set of ElCaminos, which are as attractive as the American car by the same name, only less popular. The pads took an extraordinarily long time to wear in, then were still not very effective by modern brake standards, especially for a top of the range brake (Avid really do seem to have the market by the balls in the braking department, full stop). The wheels are a mix of generic Shimano hubs, sealed thankfully, and Mavic X317 disc rims laced with WTB spokes, wrapped in Maxxis Highroller 2.35 tyres. This brings me to another question. The market is being flooded with ‘all-mountain’ bikes, but few tyre manufacturers are making tyres for them. A search through the catalogues shows the void in the market is yet to be filled. The Highroller is a downhill tyre suited to loose rocky terrain, and is thus of fairly limited utility unless you are going to be pushing the bike’s DH envelope, which in deed you may. The bar and stem combo is, not surprisingly, from Easton, with an EA 70 bar and a vice stem. Seatpost is an Easton Havoc holding a WTB pure V saddle. All good in those respective departments.
The Ride Well, though I was not overly impressed with some of the components, I was fairly impressed with the ride. I have always been a fan of Jamis duallies. They accelerate like a cruise missile and corner like the corkscrew at Seaworld. This one was no exception. Climbing hills while in the saddle, the bike offers little to no movement in the rear end and tracks beautifully over rough terrain. In tight singletrack it was ducking and weaving like a race hardtail, and outperformed most bikes I have ridden over the same trails. On fast transitions between descending and climbing you begin to experience the side effects of the cable routing with the shifting beginning to feel like someone is throwing the derailleur across the cassette - not what you need as you’re tackling a short, steep climb. Descending is what 5.25 inches of suspension is all about, and besides the braking power (or the lack thereof), the
Dakar railed every corner, launched every hump, and tracked every dip better than most bikes and at a fraction of the cost.
Overall I think the Jamis is a great bike for someone who is new to the sport, interested mostly in trailriding
with mates, and doesn’t want to spend big bucks on a new bike. It offers great handling at a reasonable price. The little glitches can either be ironed out or, if you are a fussy bastard, sorted out by an upgrade. Either way, you will be surprised by the new Jamis Dakar XAM.
The Spec (standard) Frame:
Fork: Wheels:
Brakes: Crankset: Drivetrain: Handlebars: Stem: Seat: Seatpost:
Kinesium alloy main triangle and 7005 rear stays, cartridge bearing pivots, fully-active XAM linkage design, 130mm travel Fox DHX Air 5.0 shock Fox Float 32 Talas 100-140mm adj Mavic XM317 Rims& Shimano Deore Disc hubs. Maxxis High Roller 2.35” folding tyres Hayes El Camino Hydraulic Disc f: 7” rotor, r: 6” rotor Shimano Deore XT w/ext BB, 22/32/44 Mech f: Shimano XTR r: Shimano XT Shifters XT Rapidfire Plus-SL shifters Easton EA70 MonkeyBar, 31.8mm Easton Vice All Mountain, 31.8mm WTB Pure V Race FR, Kevlar shoulders Easton Havoc micro-adjust www.freewheel.com.au
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