By Adam Olson

On our recent trip to Mountain Bike Oregon, I had a chance to demo and ride a Jamis Defcon-1. If you don’t have the time to read the whole article, here is the too long, didn’t read version.  Great bike!

Background on Me

I have been riding SoCal trails for over 15 years.  That said, I would consider myself a pure intermediate rider and I never made the full transition to “clipping in” when riding downhill.  I usually ride a older hardtail (Trek 4500 for those that are interested) but do get to ride a full suspension bike from time to time.  Typically, I don’t shy away from long rides (completed the 50 Mile Ride for Rwanda in 2015), but am a huge fan of going downhill!  Weighing in at 210lbs and standing 6ft tall, I guess you could call me a clydesdale.

As a quick disclaimer, Jamis didn’t pay me, coerce me, or otherwise in writing this article.  I am just a regular rider who had the chance to sample a bike being offered as a demo experience.

Background on Jamis

“It’s that passion for cycling and everything cycling can do that fuels and sustains our efforts to build the best possible bikes. It’s why we build category-defining superbikes that put professionals atop podiums at road races and mountain bike events. It’s why our computers are humming day and night crunching FEA data and carbon fiber lay-up simulations. It’s why we devote precious R & D resources to making even our kids bikes and cruisers as light and easy to ride as possible. And why our 2016 lineup is clearly the best we’ve ever produced.” – jamis.com

Before I rode the Defcon, I had very little exposure to Jamis directly other than I had seen them at a few events demoing bikes and had never taken the time to check out their wares.  Then I met Max at Mountain Bike Oregon.  Max is the local rep for Jamis and all around good dude.  After a quick bike fitting and adjustment, he had me on the trail.

The Bike

Here is what Jamis has to say about the Defcon-1 on their site: ”

I have to agree with everything that Jamis says about the Defcon.  The bike was extremely stable  over technical terrain and was a ridiculously fun time bombing down some buff single track.  The bike cornered well and had zero issues maintaining rear wheel traction over roots and ruts. I was really digging the wide handlebars!

The Trails

I showed up in Oregon with an older bike and luckily for me, you are able to demo bikes (Just like you will be able to at Revolution Bike Fest).  This is good since I am not sure how my bike would have held up on a ride this long with that much downhill.

Day 1 of Riding the Defcon

We set out on a Oregon Epic that Starva’d at just under 30 miles with 3600ft of climbing and 6950ft of glorious, moderately technical downhill through lush Oregon forests.  I opted to ride on flats since I feel more comfortable going downhill not attached to my bike.  The Defcon handled beautifully over the varied terrain.  Climbing with the Defcon was great as the “granny” gear was much larger and made it easy for a 210lb guy to get into a groove on the long climbing sections near the end of the ride.

Day 2 of Riding the Defcon

After the 5ish hour ride the day before, we set out to hit a river trail which was shorter, with much less climbing and a bit higher technical rating.  This meant more and bigger rocks, steeps, roots, etc.  I quickly set the rear shock to the “trail” setting and riding was smooth.  Again, the Defcon felt like it was in its element.

Would I buy it?

Without hesitation!  I have a hard time really “loving” specific bikes.  That being said, I love this bike!  I am hard on equipment and the Defcon held up well to my constant abuse.  It fits my frame (which is a rarity for me) well and is a dream to ride, especially going waaaaay to fast down some single track.  This is one of the best “all around” bikes that I have ridden in a while and Jamis has converted a new fan.