Jamis Dakar Expert
Putting Katrina's rig to the test
By Andrew Vontz

If you pay attention to the dual-slalom scene at all, you know that Katrina Miller is and has been a dominant force for quite some time. She's racked up quite a race resume that includes World Cup dual-slalom championship titles in '98 and '99.

And the Dakar Expert is the bike the Jamis-sponsored rider has pedaled to victory over and over.

At 29 pounds with full-hydraulic Hayes disc brakes and about four inches of travel front and rear, the Dakar Expert is a bike aimed squarely at the all-mountain progressive riding dude or dudette (or the aspiring slalom ace hell-bent on world domination, ti would seem). At $1599, the Dakar Expert is also an incredible value. But does a good value a great bike make?

THE FRAME
The chassis of the Dakar Expert is a 7005 aluminum full-suspension frame with a four bar linkage. A Fox Vanilla R shock yields 90mm of travel via a swing link and a pivot located about level with the middle chainring.

Typically, on a bike this price with these components (don't worry, we're getting to those in a second), we'd expect a run-of-the-mill, plain-Jane frame. Not so with the Dakar. In addition to the dialed-in 4-bar-linkage design (Jamis has been using since 1995), the Dakar Expert features a butted downtube, butted seatstays and a butted seat tube. And the downtube is triangular for greater front-end rigidity.

With shock, the Dakar Expert frameset weighs a very respectable six-and-a-half pounds.

THE SPECS
The parts pick on the Dakar Expert ranges from top drawer to midrange, but there's not a part on it that isn't a proven performer.

Highlights include a 100mm Manitou X-Vert fork, Titec rise bar, stem,and seatpost, an SDG saddle, Kevlar-beaded Hutchinson tires, Time alium clipless pedals, Real disc-brake hubs, Mavic rims, an XT rear derailleur, an LX front derailleur and crank and Deore shift pods. Oh, and Hayes full-hydraulic disc brakes. Which isn't to mention the small details like the LX hollow-tech crank arms.

We were impressed that Jamis didn't have to rely on any no-name parts to keep costs down (a pretty typical move, even at this price-point). In fact, the only spec we found to be suspect was the Deore Rapidfire levers (we'd hoped for LX), but a few rides rid us of any doubts.

THE RIDE
The fact that the Dakar Expert is hung with a number of our favorite parts (Titec Hell-bent rise bar, Hayes disk brakes, and Time pedals, to name a few) had us fired up to hit the trail. And when we did, we found the Dakar Expert to be a solid performer.

We've gotten used to the idea of climbing mountains on 30-pound bikes. But every now and then we'll come across a heavy bike that really shines as climber because of its efficient suspension design.

The Dakar Expert is such a bike. We found the rear suspension improved our traction and ate up the little stuff that litters ascents without being a detriment to pedaling efficiency. Indeed, it was a smooth pedaler all around, downhill, uphill or on the flats.

In the handling department, with a 69.5-degree head angle, the Dakar Expert is on the slower side of the continuum. This is an asset on downhill strafing maneuvers, because you definitely never have to worry about the front end twitching out. But if you prefer razor-sharp BMX-style geometry, the Dakar Expert might take a bit of getting used to.

Suspension performance was excellent. The Manitou X-Vert and Fox Vanilla R seemed a well matched pair. Both shocks are easily tuned to match rider weight and trail conditions. Without excess bobbing on either end, the suspension components helped us to dominate the trail, both uphill and down.

As for the parts pick, we have nothing but good things to say. Time pedals are the best. Hayes disk brakes are the industry standard. We love the bend of the Titec bars. The Deore shift pods surprised by providing most of the performance of their higher priced Shimano counterparts; they should work well until you choose to upgrade tham. The Hutchinson tires worked well on a variety of terrain.

FINAL THOUGHTS
The Dakar Expert is a good example of what Jamis does best: Provide a super parts pick and a quality frame at a low price. And with its killer yellow and blue paint job, the Dakar Expert isn't lacking in the looks department, either. It's a quality freeride (did we use that word?) machine, and has a frame that's worth upgrading. But there isn't a whole lot you'll want to upgrade.

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