blueingreen

Hello All,First time poster here! I recently purchased a 2012 Jamis Sputnik and would like to ask some beginner questions.

I have been commuting to work for the last year on a kilo WT, size 56, single speed. The Kilo WT feels great. I am 5-10 with a 32 inseam. I use size 35 schwalbe marathon plus for tires, everything else on the bike is stock from bikedirect.

When riding the Sputnik, I feel very cramped in the cockpit, and have a lot of tension in the back of the neck and shoulders after riding. Even though the Sputnik is a size 57 and the Kilo WT is a 56, the Sputnik feels smaller than the Kilo WT. I'm not sure if it's b/c the Sputnik has a more aggressive (track?) drop bar than the Kilo WT?

Also, when looking at the geometry, seems like the Sputnik is bigger?

Any suggestions for the Sputnik to feel like the Kilo WT would be appreciated!

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Questions:

1) I think changing the handlebars would alleviate the cramped feeling. I typically only ride on the hoods of the Kilo WT drop bar so do you think bullhorns would be best? I believe my Kilo WT handlebars are around 40 cm.

2) The Jamis Catalog says “Jamis Vintage 26.0mm drop alloy handlebar”, so I am assuming that bullhorns like the Nitto RB018 would fit?

3) Since I primarily ride on the hoods of the dropbar, would there be any issues using my current top mounted brakes on the bullhorns?

4) The Sputnik tires are currently a Vittoria Zaffiro, 700 x 25c. After contacting Jamis, they said that 28c tires are the maximum size I can fit on the Sputnik. I currently have around 10-11 mm (using a ruler to measure) clearance at chain stays, the tightest area of the Sputnik.

Would size 25c marathon plus tires cause any rubbing issues since they seem to run wide?

Thanks so much in advance!

TejanoTrackie 

When determining fit, I measure the distance from the middle of the saddle to the position on the bars where my hands are placed. So, if you are happy with the fit of your Kilo WT, then you should try to get the same measurement on your Jamis Sputnik. You can accomplish this by changing the length of the stem, reach of bars, saddle to bar drop (stem height), and bar width among other things. If you switch to bullhorns, the cross levers ("top mounted brakes") should work fine, in fact that's what I use on all my bullhorn setups. Certainly, if you are currently riding on the drops on your Sputnik, then that will place more weight on your hands, and force you to bend your back more and force you head and neck back so that you can see ahead. As to wider tires, this is generally not a problem in the rear, since you can move the wheel back in the dropouts, but you need to check clearance in the front between the tire and the front brake caliper.

cyclic_eric

Welcome to Bike Forums!
You need a good tape measure with a metric scale. Also some inexpensive calipers are useful. Even the plastic ones suffice. Metric again.
Then take measurements comparing your setup on each bike. It can be a lot of work, but the payoff of a good fit is worth it.

I'm the same size as you, and I preferred the handling of my Mercier Kilo TT over the Jamis Sputnik I had. But it sounds like you need to play around with saddle setback, stem length and height, handlebar reach, etc.

What I want to know is, did you manage to score one of those rare copper colored Sputnik's, or is yours flat black? I've never had the Kilo WT. Maybe you need to sell that one to me.

Rolla

Yep.

Using a top brake lever on the bullhorn section might result in some odd cable routing and taping.

I doubt they exceed 28m, but measure just in case.

blueingreen

Thanks everyone for the advice; it was very helpful. Is there a guide or website that you recommend for fit?

I ended up purchasing a Nitto RB018, hopefully it's comfortable!

The Sputnik is a grey/blue kind of color, nothing fancy.