adlu

Hi, I'm having trouble finding much information about Jamis Diablos from the mid-late 90s.

There are a few threads about it on retrobike.co.uk, with some conflicting information. I'm curious what the differences are between this and the Dakota and Dragon? How does the steel compare?

What do you think it's worth, assuming the fork is shot and the other components are a mix? All I know is that the rear derailer is a wood-look SRAM 9.0SL.

Thanks!

bargainguy

26ers don't get much love these days since the start of the 29er craze. Resale value is as low as it's ever been. Only exception I can think of is classic Stumpjumpers, those seem to be getting decent money.

If the suspension fork is shot, resale value drops precipitously. Getting a rigid fork or a different suspension fork as a replacement is an option to resell or use. Some suspension forks can be rebuilt if the parts are available.

In my area, tuned up and ready to go with a working suspension fork, $150-200. Without a working suspension fork, whatever the frame & parts are worth.

wrk101

For your announced plans, I would avoid any older used MTB with a suspension front fork. Chances are its either shot or will be soon. Meanwhile, rigid forks just keep on going and going.

Geometry also changed from the mid 1980s. Watch out for super long top tubes.

T-Mar

The last year that Jamis used down tube cable routing for the derailleurs was 1996 and that year's Diablo was available in a metallic finish. Typically, the Diablo was below the Dakota, which was below the Dragon. Jamis didn't always provide tubing specs but in the mid 1990s the Dragon was typically Tange Prestige. The Diablo and Dakota were typically listed as generic double butted CrMo. They may have been the same material as the Diablo typically had a lower grade component mix and a rigid fork. The subject bicycle appears to be been largely rebuilt, including the suspension fork, The latter appears to be relative modern as it exhibits both disc and V-brake/cantilever mounts. FYI, the 1996 Diablo with its generic CrMo DB frame, rigid fork and Deore LX/STX component mix had an MSRP of $700 US. The value of the subject bicycle could vary substantially, depending on the condition of the suspension fork and the grade of the components.

adlu

Thanks for the info! A user on forums.mtbr.com also confirmed 1996 Diablo, based on the cabling and integrated seat clamp.

Do you have access to old Jamis catalogs? retrobike has a lot of useful ones, but I couldn't find Jamis.

I ended up buying this bike a couple days after I posted the thread. The seller had bought the frame and built it up himself, and was familiar with its history. He wanted to thin his herd and let this old bike come back to life, so he let me have it for $60. Over the next few weeks I'm going to clean it, tune it up and evaluate all the components.

The suspension fork needs to be overhauled, which works well because I want a rigid one for my bikepacking plans anyway (thanks wrk101 for the advice). Other than the fork, I'm hoping the other components still have some life in them.

I'll follow up with more pictures and updates on the project!

P.S. I just realized I didn't write about my plans for this bike in the original post. I'm planning to start bikepacking locally (SF bay area) and work up to a long-term trip through Latin America. I chose an old 26" steel frame to keep costs low and maximize ease of repair in countries with less access to modern parts.

wrk101

On forks, find a co-op. In my area, the co op I volunteer at sells forks cheap, and we have a pile of them. When I part out a bike for them, I'll keep the original HS with the fork, making it an even better deal!

adlu

Hi T-Mar, do you have a catalog? If so could you let me know if it has the head tube /steerer/ headset size on there? I'm trying to confirm something that surprised me today - it looks like the headtube takes only 1" threadless steerers. I had assumed it was 1 1/8"!!! Thanks for your help!

AeroGut

I'd say that $60 was a good deal on that bike, even considering the low resale value of 90's suspension fork MTBs. Jamis frames are good quality and make a great base to build on, and if the components are in good shape as well, that's great.
And yes, at least according to bikepedia, it's got a 1" threadless fork/headset: https://bikepedia.com/quickbike/Bike...spx?item=53896
That does make finding a stem a bit more of a hassle, but there are still plenty of options.

andreasseiler84

Hi adlu ,

or anyone who has this bike. I am about to build a cargo bike from this frame. And I struggle with measuring the angle of the seat post, as I don't have the fork and only the frame. Could you help me out and measure the angle between the "seat holding pole" (I don't know the correct word in english ...) and the ground level. Unfortunately I can't upload an image here as I am a new member Maybe you can write me a PM and I can send you the picture there?

Usually the angle is something between 70 and 80 degrees.

This would be highly appreciated!!!

Thanks so much in advance,
Andi

andreasseiler84

Or if you can't measure it a picture from straight in front of the bike would also help me kind of ... this way I could try to measure the angle from the picture.

Thanks so much!

Andi