Jamis teased the bike (perhaps with a few too many details) before the show, but the new Xenith road bike mixes race weights with aero features for a well rounded performance bike that looks quite sharp.
On paper, it hits all the right notes: Vertically compliant, torsionally stiff, relatively light and slightly aerodynamic. This was achieved with a tri-ovalized top and downtubes designed to resist lateral and torsional loads without sending too much shock upwards to the rider. In the back, the “ride tuned” seatstays share the same responsibility of keeping road shock from moving to the seatpost without being a noodle under pedaling. They could maximize that benefit by moving the rear brakes under the chainstay, which also cleaned up the profile visually and aerodynamically.
The comfort and performance recipe is finished off with size specific tubing, helping match the ride characteristics to the likely rider size and weight. Check the rest of the details and actual weights for this and their top three mountain bikes after the break…
If you’re gonna go pressfit, BB386 offers plenty to like: wide, stiff and light, and plenty of crankset compatibility.
A hidden wiring/cable port keeps things clean. The frame is electronic/mechanical compatible out of the box with cable stops included for both types of drivetrains.
Jamis didn’t set out to create an “aero road bike” per se, but there are enough little touches to show it leans that way. The hidden cable routing and Windshield II fork (the design was borrowed from their triathlon/TT bike) at least smooth things over a bit.
A shaped rubber seal closes the gap between the seatpost collar and frame. It did seem to move out of place easily when rubbed, but it looks good. We’ll see how well it holds up when we get our review bike in soon.
