With the popularity of the Jamis Dragonslayer in 2016, the company decided to expand the offerings this year, resulting in four new 26+ models and two 27.5+ models for 2017. We recently got our grubby mitts on the flagship “Dragonslayer Pro 27.5+” with a cordial invitation to put it through the wringer, which we most definitely plan to do in the coming weeks.
The Pro model reflects a number of significant upgrades from last year’s singular offering, starting with a change from 4130 steel to Reynolds 520, providing weight savings and strength improvements. The Fox Rhythm Pro 34 fork (currently only available as OEM) provides a 120mm of front squish. Drivetrain and brakes are Shimano SLX across the board, which in my experience, provide darn reliable performance. Gone is last year’s 2×10 drivetrain, updated to a wide-range 1x with 32t ring up front and an 11-46 cassette under the hood. Another notable upgrade from last year’s rigid post is the KS eTen Integra 100mm dropper, with clean internal routing. Ritchey’s ‘Trail’ bar and stem round out the cockpit. Sliding dropouts allow for 15mm of adjustment to fine tune your wheelbase for a sportier or more stable ride, increase tire clearance and/or the ditch dinner plates and clicky bits and turn it into a single speed steed.
Thankfully, the Dragonslayer Pro has not walked away from its versatile roots – a big part of the appeal of the ‘Slayer is its ability to do double-duty as a multi-day, ‘pack up and head out into the hinterlands’ rig, and for this reason multiple mounting options continue to be a key selling point. Two sets of cage mounts inside the triangle, another set on the downtube and bonus rear rack eyelets complement the sporty trail capabilities of this bike.
But enough with the deets – can we talk about this hella sexy new paint job that Jamis calls, “Ano Twilight?” A deeper-than-deep purple, complemented with blazing red highlights and a touch of classy silver at the ends of the chain/seatstays, it’s a color scheme that, if I stare at it too long, makes me feel all funny like when I used to climb the rope in gym class. The ‘Slayer Pro is a really a funky/hot looking bike in the flesh.
The bike arrived already set up tubeless, utilizing WTB’s excellent TCS system with i40 Scrapers laced to Formula boost hubs, shod with the aptly-named Trail Boss 3.0 tires. Weight out of the box for the complete bike, medium frame (with Race Face Chester pedals) was 32.7 lbs. However, as with many bikes of this ilk, I find that once you get it moving, it cruises and responds like a lighter bike than the scale might imply. More to come on that….
Geo Highlights:
Head Angle: 68º
Seat Tube Angle: 73º
Chainstay Length: 435mm
BB Drop: 47mm
Wheelbase (17” frame): 1130mm
Standover (“ “): 806mm
Stack (“ “): 626
Reach (“ “): 408
All in all, first impressions on the new flagship Dragonslayer Pro is that this is a solid and versatile build for a good price ($2499.00 list). Stay tuned as the Dragonslayer Pro gets treated to the smörgåsbord of dirty hijinks that the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has to offer this niche of go-anywhere adventure bike…
For more information about Jamis Bikes visit – www.jamisbikes.com
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