PartyPack

I'm looking to replace my aging MTB commuter with a new Jamis Coda; probably the Elite but maybe comp or Sport. I searched these forums and confirmed that all three Coda's have eyelets front and rear, but I'm unsure if there are two sets of eyelets on the rear, one for rack and one for fenders. Also have any owners of the Elite out there had any problems fitting a rack due to the disc brakes? Any heal strike issues?

Thanks for your help

duppie

I am not familiar with the Jamis Coda, but I do know that you don't need two eyelets in the rear. You can simply fasten both rack and fenders on one eyelet, by buying a longer screw. You may want to keep the rack arm closest to the eyelet and put the fender arm on the outside
That is how I have been commuting all year, and it works great! Total cost of this solution? $0.50

If you like the Jamis Coda, this should not be an issue that keeps you from buying it
Duppie

sukram

+1

This is how I have it rigged up on both my slow-poke Volpe and my commuting beast.

I think the Coda is a good choice... I've ridden the Sport a few times, I like the feel of it and all the braze ons for rack/fenders/etc.

My next commuting beast will most likely be a Coda, although I'd stick with the regular one since it's NYC and my commuter takes a regular beating. Then again, I have no idea when, or even if, my current beater will perish, so it might be a while until I buy one.

period3

My 2006 Coda has one set of eyelets on the rear, and one set on the fork...

Good choice. Only complaints I have are the brakes, but if you're getting a sport or elite they probably have different brakes...

gulfcoast

I purchased a 2006 Jamis Coda Sport this past March. I am quite pleased with every aspect of the bike, especially the speed and comfort of its design. There are front and rear braze-ons for racks and good quality components. The steel frame aborbs road shock and provides a plush ride. If you are looking for a no-nonsense, good quality bike, then this is an excellent choice.

Cyclist0383

Using better pads such as Kool Stop will most likely solve your braking issues. Stock pads and no-name replacement pads are often rubbish.

period3

Actually the brakes work fine, it's just that they're very difficult to adjust properly. There are no spring tension adjustment screws. My cycling partner fell over into my bike and knocked my front brake out of alignment. I thought I'd just readjust the spring tension to center the two braking arms - but there's no screw. After fiddling with it, I got it to work, by playing with the bolts that anchor the arms to the fork.
Still, I think when I change the pads I'm going to change the brakes to something easy to adjust.

I'm not much of a mechanic, but every other bike I've had - including my $100 department store special - has tension adjustments...

nowheels

My wife once asked me if there was a bike that I wish I never got rid of or gave to a friend.......it was an 04 Jamis Coda..... Gave it to a friend who needed it more than me.

They are great bikes....even with the stock components. I eventually changed out the V brakes for Cantilevers and changed the wheels...... everything else was stock. I put alot of comutting miles on that bike before I gave it away

DevLaVaca

The Comp and up only have one front eyelet. FYI, if I remember correctly, the 2007 Elite does not have any in the rear (why they did that, I have no idea).

The Coda Sport is probably the best flat-bar commuter out there, and is the most popular by far of the Coda series. At $600, it's also the best use of your money, though I personally would take the Sport over the others even if they were the same price (although the LX and XT derailleurs are tempting, aren't they?).

zoltani

Yeah! I love my coda sport, but i definitely had to make some upgrades. It has braze-ons both front and rear, and i have gone on short tours loaded down in the back, and it seems to be able to handle the loads just fine. With the pannier that you can see attached in the photo i had some heal strike issues if it slid forward too much, but some adjustment of the cams and that went away, but i have since purchased some ortlieb back roller classic, and there are zero heel strike issues.
Recently i got a new wheel set because the alexrims are kind of junk, and the roads i ride on are in horrible condition, so i picked up a touring wheelset. I was pissed when i realized that the spacing was wider on the new wheelset, but sine this bike is steel i was able to pull it apart enough to make it work. I think you can't go wrong on the coda, and the fact that it is steel was the deciding factor for me. They say that there is no bike that can do it all, but i find that the coda sport can nearly do it all!

dynaryder

I have an Elite. It's not my commuter,but I'd have no probs putting racks and fenders on it. Several companies(Axiom,Topeak,etc) make disc-specific racks that will mount without issues. For fenders,I would go with Planet Bike Hardcores. The individual struts make it easy to bend them around the discs in the rear,and up front you can get longer screws and spacers to clear the front brake.

nopinkbikes

I used to have a 2003 or 2004 Jamis Coda Comp, real nice. Comfortable,
and a great commuter. I put a lot of commuting miles on it. The frame
is really nice. I am still using the wheels on my 2000 Kona JtS for commuting
in winter. I replaced the Jamis with my 2001 Surly Crosscheck as I really like
commuting on a drop bar bike a lot better, and eventually got rid of the Jamis.
But I did like the bike very much, just got replaced by others in the stable.
It had eyelets front and rear. It could easily handle a rack and fenders, although
I only had fenders on mine.

PartyPack

Thanks for all the great replies, sounds like it may be the bike for me if I can find a local supplier.

PartyPack

Agreed the Sport is the best value. In fact my only real reason for looking at the Elite was the disc brakes. I have no real need or want for a carbon fork but we get a lot of very heavy rain storms over here that make rim brakes useless regardless of the pads used. The rain get so heavy that the rim is just as wet when it gets back to the pad as it was the last time around. This makes for some very scary moments. I have also looked at the Trek Soho 3.0 which has almost exactly the mix of components I want, decent disc brakes, long chain stay, full set of eyelets and braze-ons 700c wheels with wider tyres and a decent mix of MTB drive train *but* it has a Aluminium frame. I'm really not a fan of Aluminium frames. Maybe I could build up a Surly Karate Monkey which would cost me half as much again as the Trek but it would be Steel. My current commuter bike (possibly the worlds ugliest bike) is steel with a good mix of high quality components (XT, XTR, Raceface and Blackspire) and if it wasn't worn out to the point of needing almost everything replaced this time around I would probably consider changing the forks and sticking a set of front disk brakes on it.

zoltani

These rim brake pads seem like they would be good, but i have not tried them personally. I too live in a hilly and wet area, so i was going to give these a try. https://www.koolstop.com/brakes/index.php

DevLaVaca

Have you priced out a disc upgrade to the sport? You can get the same Avid brakeset for <$100, and that would leave you $500 to play with. You'd also need disc-compatible hubs--probably easier to just buy a new wheelset--and you can get a much nicer one for <$300. You'll still have plenty of room for derailer upgrades or frosty beverages.

PartyPack

Any idea what fork I could use for such an upgrade?

ks1g

Web is your friend: https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/dealers/index.html

Looks like Jamis is carried by City Bikes, Wheel Nuts, Proteus, and a few shops further afield in Frederick, Severna Park, and Annapolis.

Oh, and add my vote to the Coda Sport chorus. Bought my son one off craigslist and it's a great bike for general riding, fast commuting, C&O tours. I may keep it when he heads to college (help him get a campus beater instead that's less of a theft target).

LittleBigMan

My advice is to test ride, and test ride a lot. As for whether steel, aluminum, titanium or carbon fiber are best for your frame...

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials.html

DevLaVaca

There are several good forks you could use; I'd rather not give a specific recommendation beyond "see what's available where you buy the bike". Of course, if you're replacing the fork, the Sport's dual eyelets are no longer an advantage over the Comp.

If wet rims are the reason you want to go with the disc, I'd strongly recommend Kool-stop's MTB rim brake pads instead of the disc upgrade. These are the best pads available, bar none, and much, much cheaper than disc brakes (I buy them on sale for $10). I have ridden with these in two hurricanes and countless nor'easters and never had any trouble locking the wheels. If they can't handle the worst you can throw at it, I'll eat my helmet.

Get the salmon or dual-compound pads, and test them on your old bike in the nastiest stuff you can find. The salmon compound is produced only by Kool-stop, and is the best pad material, especially for wet conditions. The aggressive shape helps as well, but it's the salmon that really does the heavy lifting.

I don't think a disc brake gives you any better stopping power in the rain than these pads do. If it does, the difference is so small compared to the difference between these pads and other pads that I haven't noticed it.

PartyPack

Good advice, I think I will find a local Trek dealer and go for a ride; and hopefully not get taken for one

First though I think I'll give the Kool Stop Salmon pads a go. I've been using the black Kool Stop pads in the XT V-Brakes on my beater for about 7 years now and they are a great improvement over the Shimano pads; a lot gentler on the rims too. In the dry I've found the stopping power and modulation to be excellent and apart form a little squeal every now and again they are great. In the rain however I've had so many scary moments I'm severely temped to buy a new bike with disc brakes, hence this thread. My ride is very hilly and when riding in heavy rain I ride very defensively knowing how bad the brakes are. Regardless of that I have rolled onto main roads at walking pace and had to stop myself by putting my feet down on occasions so I hope a simple change of brake compound can help as I'd like to wear out the current drive train and tyres before upgrading.

Thanks again for all your posts; I'll let you know how I go with a change of pads.

I’ve attached a photo of my current Frankenbike for your visual displeasure

dynaryder

Disc brakes totally pwn rim brakes. Discs don't wear on your rims,they don't care how true your rims are,the pads last way longer,they are easier to change/adjust(we don' need no stinkin' toe-in),they don't dirty up your wheels as much,and you don't have to disconnect/connect them(or forget to) when you remove the wheel. And there's no comparison in the snow.

DevLaVaca

PartyPack: What an awesome bike! A very "don't steal me" vibe. And the panniers are beautiful! Are they converted, or were they originally meant for a bike? When you do get your new bike, I suggest full fenders (mudguards): riding in the wet and rain will be astoundingly less uncomfortable.

Dynaryder: Despite the "advantages" you list (only two of which are correct and relevant: trueness and durability), I still use and recommend rim brakes in almost all applications, for two main reasons. First, rim brakes are far easier and cheaper to maintain for the average cyclist (and, very importantly, it is far easier to tell when they need maintenance).

Second, rim brakes are a mature technology, and the pads are generally cross-compatible. On the other hand, Kool-Stop alone makes over 40 different disc brake pads, none of which can replace any of the others. If you discard bicycles after only a few years, this is not an issue: I, though, like my bikes to last.

PartyPack

Thanks, you are very kind. Yes unsurprisingly no one has tried to steal it yet. The panniers and that terrible rack where discards from my sister in-law. The panniers are small, not water proof and don't come off the bike but I do think they are an actual bike accessory. So apart from the plus of being a nice shade of "butch biker" pink and purple they don't actually work all that well. But hey when it's over 30 degrees Celsius and 100% humidity at 7:00am in summer I sure do appreciate not having to lug all that weight on my back.

Oh I hear you , I dream of full fenders, a proper rack and some nice panniers. My particular favourite in the rain (apart from not being able to stop) is the rooster's tail of water that comes off the leading edge of the front wheel and shoots up at almost exactly face height. But alas I'm not sure even full fenders will stop that

I took your advice and hunted around for some Kool Stop Salmon's. Unfortunately it would seem that they do not bring them into the country, I did however manage to find a set of Kool Stop 'All Weather' pads that are about 2/3rds the salmon compound. I've installed them front and rear just in time for the rain to stop. I'll post back the first heavy rain storm we get.

Do you have an opinion on Canti's versus linear pull's for performance, especially in the wet?

dynaryder

Discs become cheaper because the pads last so much longer and cost about the same as rim pads. On my daily commuter/polo/bad weather bike I get 8-9 months out of the front pads and a year out of the rear. Easier to maintain? You don't have to toe-in disc pads and many calipers don't require tools to adjust the pads. The pads on my Hayes MX-2's don't even really needs tools to change,just a needlenose to grab the tabs. And it's true you have to disconnect V and canti brakes to remove the wheel. With discs you just pull the wheel off and make sure the rotor lines up between the pads when you put it back on(which is very easy). This is a good thing for folks who remove their front wheels to lock up;it removes a step and you don't have to worry about forgetting to hook the brake back up when you ride off(which I've heard many stories of). And I transitioned to discs after my first winter commuting and my V brakes packed up with snow,causing me to glance off a car's fender.

Discs have been available on street motorcycles since 1969. And they've been on bikes since the mid-90's. I'd say they're pretty mature. In fact,when did V's first come out? Discs may have been around longer. Pads do come in different styles for different calipers,but given the amount of time they last,and how infrequently they need changing,I don't see how this is a big deal. Also,many different cailpers use the same pads(most of Shimanos disc systems use the same pads). And the reason Kool-Stop makes so many is because they also make different compounds. I also don't understand what you mean about discarding bikes. If you have an old bike with canti's,you can upgrade to V's because they uas the same mounts. Same with discs. The mounting tabs and rotor sizes/mountings are standard. And with rim brakes you need to replace worn rims which requires rebuilding the wheel. Steel rotors last much longer than aluminum rims,and are simply bolted/unbolted from the hub in a matter of minutes.