FRAME & FORK

There are three XLT models, all achieving 125mm of travel using the Dakar swing-link design. The frame is made from Kinesium triple-butted aluminum and has sealed bearings at all of the pivots. The head tube uses a zero-stack headset design and is externally butted. The downtube is bi-oval to stiffen up the bottom bracket and head tube areas. The main frame has a gusset under the down tube and where the top tube and seat tube meet. The rear travel on the XLT 2.0 is controlled by a Manitou Swinger Air 4-way, offering adjustable rebound, compression, SPV platform pressure, SPV volume, and air spring.

To match the SPV rear shock, Jamis spec'd Manitou's Minute 2:00 to handle duties up front. The Minute uses 30mm stanchions, a reverse arch one-piece magnesium lower assembly and a hollow forged crown. The fork has adjustable rebound, SPV platform pressure, SPV volume and air spring, and gets 130mm of travel.

ON THE TRAIL

The geometry on the XLT, with it's 68.5-degree head angle and upright body position, is geared towards the aggressive end of the all-mountain spectrum, matching perfectly with Manitou's SPV suspension. The overall capabilities of the Jamis along with the spec level make it a great deal for the money. It is littered with brand-named components, climbs extremely well for a five inch travel bike and can rail the downhills. Jamis is also one of the companies that adjusts the geometry of the bike according to the frame size, appropriately putting a steeper seat angle on the smaller bikes and vice versa. Although we would have preferred a slightly shorter stem setup, the XLT fits well and can adapt to almost any riding style.

Pedaling
Witht the Swinger Air rear shock, you can adjust the level of impact that will activate the suspension in the front and the rear of the bike. On our small frame, we ran our shock at the minimum 50 psi setting that proved to pedal with little bob but still picks up anything significant on the trail. The XLT suspension feels exactly how the "platform" damping system is described; it completely resists movement until you encounter and impact strong enough to activate the valving, and with the Swinger 4-Way, you can set the threshold of the platform. What is nice about the SP system is that once the valving pops open to absorb the bump, it becomes very plush, allowing the rear suspension of the Jamis to settle in on gravel climbs but smooth out bigger ruts and rocks.

Climbing
With the aid of the SPV suspension, the Jamis motors up climbs, whether you are on a smooth fire road or rocky singletrack. We did notice a tiny bit of pedal feedback when climbing in the smaller gears over technical terrain, but it is rather minimal. The Swinger Air rear shock not only stabilizes seated climbing perfectly, it also resists squatting into the travel and causing an excessively slack head angle. That is probably why the XLT is proficient on technical climbs and is responsive to hard pedaling better than many similar designs.

Descending
Like we pointed out earlier, once the SPV dampingopens up, it becomes very active. The suspension on the Jamis is dialed and it can handle the abuse from rugged trails with control. The agile geometry lets you steer precisely and works well at high speeds, offering great cornering stability and confidence in technical sections. We appreciated the full-length seat post that lets you drop your post as much as you want and get it out of the way but we didn't really like the 100mm stem and super-riser bar and swapped them out after a few rides for a shorter and lower setup. Although we would have preferred that frame has a Horst Link (putting the rear pivot below the rear axle) to gain a little performance, the rear end tracks the ground through the rough with almost no detectable pedal feedback in the middle and large rings. For an all-mountain bike, the travel almost feels endless and has a nice progression through the stroke that is difficult to bottom out even with the SPV volume adjust wide-open. The sophisticated damping makes the bike feel like it has more than five inches of travel as it sucks up drops and hard hits with ease.

OVERVIEW

Taking full advantage of Manitou's SPV technology, Jamis slackened the geometry of the XLT and built a dialed all-mountain machine at a great price. With brand-named parts everywhere, great suspension and an XT drivetrain, this bike comes ready to rip up and down the mountain.

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