Jamis Diablo Pro
Worth the Wait

The Jamis Diablo Pro is one of those bikes that pops up every once in a while in the bike industry. It's cool looking, innovative, and it seems like forever before we can get our hands on one to test. Well, forever finally arrived recently when a shiny new 2000 Jamis Diablo Pro showed up at the front doors of Mountain Biking magazine. By far the most exotic dual suspension Jamis to ever emerge from the company's east coast offices. The Diablo is a bold manufacturing step in a new direction for JAMIS.

Let's dig in, shall we?
VRTM Innovation Stealth-like in appearance, the carbon fiber monocoque frame is definitely the main feature on the Diablo Pro. The frame is manufactured with a technique called VRTM - a resin transfer mold process that relies on a vacuum to remove air and pull resin through the carbon fiber. Sounds almost space age. The advantages of this process are highly consistent fiber placement and resin flow characteristics which result in a void free frame. That's a good thing when you're after strength. Also, an extremely high quality surface finish. VRTM is an involved process, the performance benefits are increased lateral stiffness and less weight.

For suspension design, the Diablo Pro incorporates a single pivot rear triangle centered on the crank axis. The unique pivot placement is supposed to eliminate all suspension-induced pedal feedback by allowing the chain length to remain constant as the wheel moves through the travel. Also, the single pivot design is far stiffer and less prone to maintenance than a multi link rear triangle. Wait, there's more. Less pivots means less pivot friction, and smoother suspension stroke. Floating on two large sealed bearings, the beefy box alloy rear triangle adds to the overall stiff Diablo frame package. A Fox Air Vanilla R rear shock is tucked away inside the Diablo carbon cavity to handle absorption duties. Up front, a RockShox SID 100 is a perfect match to the Diablo's 4-inch rear travel. At three pounds, it's the lightest 100mm suspension fork on the market, and probably the best long-travel air ride as well.

Diablo Components
Bragging rights throughout. For drivetrain, Shimano XT Hollow Tech cranks, XT/XTR front and rear derailleurs, XT RapidFire shifters, and Time ATAC pedals are a slick package. For brakes, Hayes Discs front and rear can't be beat for performance and reliability. For wheels, Real Products hubs are laced with double-butted spokes to Sun DSI-XC welded disc specific rims. Tioga Factory XC tires round out the wheel package. Other noteworthy components include SDG saddle, Thompson seatpost, Titec Hellbent riser bars, Syncros stem, and Cane Creek headset. Good quality and value.

Diablo Ride
We hauled our Diablo test bike all the way to Moab to a RockShox product presentation recently, which gave us plenty of opportunity to put the carbon Jamis through the pace up and down the challenging blue grooves of Slickrock. Throw a leg over the Diablo, start pedaling down the path, and several things become immediately obvious about this dual suspension Jamis. First off, it's got a very comfy chassis. Lots of toptube distance, nice bar position, and lots of leg room. Whip in and around some single track and enjoy the virtues of the Diablo's stiff and light frame. In fact, one of the most laterally stiff dual suspension bikes we've ever tested. Very predictable steering and tracking. In fact, dare we say the Diablo feels very similar to the Cannondale Raven in many ways, which is hardly a coincidence. Carbon frame, single pivot, proven concept. Hit a couple of bumps and pleasant encounter number three greets you. The rear suspension is super plush! Smooth over little bumps, and blast over big hits. On downhill runs, throw your weight back and enjoy the four inches of effective travel. Up front, the RockShox SID 100 complements the Diablo's rear-end with 100mm of very plush suspension performance. The SID 100 is a little flexy, but it's got good damping and a nice progressive air spring. Pedaling efficiency was quite good while planted in the saddle of the Diablo. Standing up was another story. Under hard pedaling, we felt quite a bit of "dive" in the rear end where the wheel would suck up into the chassis. We pumped more air into the Fox rear shock, which helped some, but a lock-out shock ,might be worthy addition to cure the effect.

Wrap Party
The Jamis Diablo has been worth the wait to test. At $3299.95, It's expensive, but the frame exhibits high quality manufacturing from top to bottom. It's light enough to hammer on a long cross-country ride, and plush enough to handle the extremes of freeride terrain. Best of all, the VRTM frame lives up to its promise for lateral stiffness. We had a great time riding the Diablo in Moab. You probably would too.