First Look – 2017 Jamis Roughneck – By Ward Whitmire

Coincidentally, a week or so before being asked if I wanted to test & review the Jamis Roughneck, I had suggested that very bike (and a couple “plus bikes from the Jamis line as well) to an old friend who’s getting back into riding after a long hiatus. His #1 criteria was value/performance per dollar… automatically, the Jamis neuron in my brain fired and I sent him straight to their website. I also checked in and was quickly enamored by the Roughneck and had thoughts of “if I was buying a bike right now…” so I’m pretty excited to have it temporarily in my quiver.

In a nut shell- stable, up to date geometry shaped into a very aesthetic “air formed” (I had to look this up- similar to hydro forming except using hot air- supposed to allow more “shapey” shaping) aluminum frame and fork- strong, light and very easy on the eye’s. Clearance for 5” tires up front and the spec sheet say’s 4.5” in the back but it looks bigger to me. Plenty of room for a suspension fork if desired and a full array of bosses- including triples not only on the fork blades but on the down tube as well- cool! And, my favorite, nicely thought out rear rack mounts built into the drop outs at the bottom and spaced nice and wide on the seat stays up top- makes for a very sturdy mount. Also, the rear brake is mounted inside the rear triangle further simplifying rack mounting- bravo! (I am a rack nerd!). In fact, I had some other neurological activity upon my first sight of the Roughneck centered around it all packed up for a bike-packing trip.

It comes set up with Shimano Deore 2×10 drivetrain, which I like for mountain rides here in the Pacific Northwest, and TRP Spyke 2 piston mechanical brakes which actuate both pads… interesting! Rounding things out are tubeless ready 4.5” Kenda Juggernauts mounted on tubeless ready Sun Ringle MuleFuts built on Sun Ringle 197/150 hubs… yup, it’s tubeless from the factory!

With an MSRP of $1599, my first impression is that the Roughneck lives up to the high “bang for buck” reputation that has long been part of the Jamis tradition. Very much looking forward to putting some more miles on it!

Here’s some of the spec’s for the Lg. (19”) that I’m riding:

Head Angle……. 69 degrees

Seat Angle…….. 73 degrees

Chain Stays…… 17.9”/457mm

Wheelbase……. 45.7”/1160mm

BB Drop……….. 2.4”/60mm

TT Efective……. 24.4”/620mm

Weight…………. 34 lbs.

I’ll have a full review of the Jamis somewhere down the trail. If you’d like more information about Jamis visit – www.jamisbikes.com