Jamis, long a leader in racing bicycle manufacture, has released its newest iteration of the Ventura Comp street bicycle, and gorgeous doesn’t even begin to describe this bike. Although Jamis designers added .25lbs to the 2008 version, it upgrades from last year’s Ventura Comp by adding size specific tubing, a full carbon composite fork, Shimano 105 shifters, front derailleur, and cassette, and sports a 20 speed cycling drivetrain. Also this year is an SRAM 10-speed chain with PowerLock technology to provide reliable shifting through the gears.
Size specific tubing means that smaller cycles are built with smaller tubes, and larger bikes built with larger tubes to more adequately support larger riders. A Kinesis 7005 double-butted main frame with integrated head tube and carbon fiber monostay reduce road vibration and increase aerodynamic efficiency. Carbon fiber is also used for the fork, and features aero-shaped blades. In the cycling world, this is an unusual feature for a road bike in this price category. A 15% lower gear ratio than 39T double ringed road cranks means that you’ll have the road climbing ability you want of a triple with less weight than a traditional double.
Essentially, this bicycle is perfect for riders who don’t want to sacrifice the advantages of a race-bred bicycle, but don’t necessarily want to drop four grand on a fully prepped racing bicycle. Jamis cycling promotes this bicycle as the “perfect machine for people who aren’t in the racing lifestyle.”
The fun part was the test ride. I talked with the salesman for a while about the various specs of this new bicycle, and after donning my helmet, I was off. First off, this bicycle picks up speed like a rocket! Standing on the pedals and pulling hard on the handlebars left me amazed not only at the acceleration, but also the ride quality. A few minutes later found me on my local rail trail, and enjoying the sprint ability of this new bicycle. The salesman told me about the cornering ability of this bicycle, and not necessarily being new to cycling, I dug in and took the corner at full tilt. Deep in the curve, I startled an unwary squirrel that dashed out of my way, but the Jamis stuck to the tarmac as though there were glue on the tires. Suffice it to say that when I returned to the bike shop, I did not want to return the bike. Not only did the Jamis Ventura Comp exceed my expectations with regards to its performance, but its price tag made me think twice about walking out empty handed. With an MSRP of approximately $1100, the Jamis Ventura Comp could well be the cycling world’s best value of 2008.
