My New Bike!

My new bike is the 2017 Jamis Roughneck. I have put a lot into this decision and I am very happy with the outcome. So what went into making my decision?

I’m interested in long distance touring. While I will be doing most of my touring on dirt roads and singletrack, the everyday use of my groupset will have had to have proven itself. I wanted a robust frame with plenty of brazons and a fork capable of handling cages. I wanted tires that could handle locations that most mountain bikes would have to be pushed. I wanted to buy a bike from a known touring bike name brand, while also getting it at a lower cost.

I searched through all of the biggest brands and found a lot of overlooked things that I felt should be on a Fat Bike. In field serviceability is important on long distance tours. I found that BB 30’s had cracking problems. With these things in mind my choices diminished by half. I took the carbon frames and overpriced bikes and scratched those off of contention and that reduced my choices by another half. I then reduced the field to a select few after getting rid of the bikes with hydraulic brakes. I then narrowed the field by only looking for bikes with a disc brake that actuated on both sides getting rid of the disc warping issues most manual disc brakes have.

In my final mix of choices, I found a bike I hadn’t seen before, the 2017 Jamis Roughneck. On the surface, this bike looks like any other Fat Bike in its class, but a closer look reveals much more.

2017 Jamis Roughneck Specs:

Frame: Triple-butted 6061 air-formed aluminum, 1.5 – 1 1/8” tapered head tube, 12x197mm rear hub spacing, post mount disc brakes, 100mm bottom bracket shell, rack mounts, internal cable routing, dropper seat post routing, replaceable derailleur hanger
Fork: Triple-butted 6061 air-formed aluminum, suspension corrected, tapered steerer, 15x150mm hub spacing, post-mount disc, rack/bottle mounts
Headset: FSA Orbit, Alloy cups
Wheels: Sun Ringle MuleFut 80 Comp, STR Tubeless Ready, 15×150 Front hub, 12×197 Rear hub, Wheelsmith spokes, Brass nipples
Tires: Kenda Juggernaut Sport, 26 x 4.5″, 60 tpi, folding
Derailleurs: Shimano Deore Shadow
Shift levers: Shimano Deore
Chain: KMC
Cassette: Shimano
Crankset: FSA
Brakeset: TRP Spyke 2-piston Mechanical
Handlebar: Ritchey
Stem: Ritchey
Seat Post: Ritchey

So after looking at the specs on the Jamis, I was definitely impressed. The $1600 price tag was more than fair, but a bit out of my budget. I looked at some Advocate Cycles Watchmen Steel framed Fat Bikes that were being sold at a discount on Ebay because they were off demo, a small, medium, and large. $1295 + $100 in shipping would have gotten me a $2400 bike at a severe discount, but the frame wasn’t set up for a rear rack. I would have to find a way for one to fit.

During my research to find a way to get a rear rack mounted, I found three Jamis Roughneck Fat Bike demos at a discount, $1300 base price plus $110 shipping. O.K., while not a steep discount, it was a discount never the less. I looked at the listing and felt encouraged to make an offer of $1000. I submitted the offer and waited. Later that day I received notice that my offer was excepted. I now have a $1600 bike for $1110!

I will do some light frame modifications, including removing some cable guides and applying custom paint. There will be a few other changes and additions to this set-up, but I am pleased with this bike and the outcome.