sd5782 

First, I am a vintage road bike type of guy, although my newest bike is a 91 Bianchi Boardwalk hybrid. I am trying to set my retired brother up with a bike he can ride in his Tennessee retirement community to augment his power hiking in the hills. He wanted gears and brakes so I was looking out for vintage touring or hybrid with triples and cantilevers. Up pops this Chrome Coda that I know nothing about that seemed to fit the bill, although I know nothing wrenching wise on this one. Jamis catalogs online seem to only go back to 2004. Lots of digging points to 2003 on this, but I may be all wrong. Aluminum fork that I mistakenly thought was steel at time of purchase.



As purchased with extras



Quick wipe down

I think it is perhaps all stock including the tires which need replaced. I’m thinking 35s on it for a softer ride for my brother. It looks like they will fit fine. Mechanically everything works. Front indexed derailleur needs adjusted which I will need to learn about. Brakes seemed grabby like a wheel off true, but wheels seem fine ??? so will need to figure that out. I don’t think there are many miles on it at all. More pics;



3x9 with Deore



Reynolds 520



Trigger shifters and brakes that I know little about



27.2 quick release suspension post




Aluminum fork

Any info would be appreciated. This bike was cheap and needs tires. My brother is six feet tall, so size should be good. My research shows these were recommended as reliable and decent quality. Being a vintage guy, I liked the steel frame, but the newer components are new to me. Aren’t the headset, BB, and wheel bearings sealed? Those all spin nice and the adjustment is fine, so I maybe won’t mess with. Fun project for me either way.

csport

I do not think the headset is sealed, probably it has caged bearings, but it is threadless ("Aheadset", it even has inscription on the top cup), while the vintage bikes had a threaded headset: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/headsets.html

Does the BB have a splined axle? It looks like a sealed one.

You can always replace the consumables.

Great bike, great components, congrats to you and your brother!

StarBiker

Nice looking. Something like that would be on my wish list. I would sell the Ritchey Stem because it wouldn't work for me, but otherwise.......

Really like chromo silver frames.

I am assuming the rider is tall.

Knowing my luck I would find the exact same bike and being a tall I would have to flip it.

sd5782 

Hard to tell about the bb. Researching says it is splined. I am a square taper guy, so since it spins nice I won’t mess with it. Research says cartridge bearings in headset, so I won’t touch that either. I am about 5’10” and could straddle and ride this bike fine. My brother is perhaps an inch or two taller so should fit.

The bars may be a bit low, but some replacement bars with a slight rise and a little bend might be in order. Bars are 25.4 clamp area. A shorter 45 degree stem might raise things up a bit. Looks like options there, so will have to see what he likes after he has it a bit. Hopefully, I won’t have to learn too much mechanically on this. Any Jamis experts here to pinpoint year?

StarBiker

2006?

sd5782 

Catalogs only seem to go back to 2004, and those ones had a carbon fork on the comp. 2006 also. Most everything else matched on the 2004 except the aluminum fork on this one, so I’m guessing 2003 or older. I just sent an inquiry to Jamis with the serial number.

hokiefyd 

The Coda is Jamis' "fitness hybrid" bike, like a Trek FX or Giant Escape. The Coda is unique in that it uses Reynolds 520 chrome-molybdenum steel rather than an aluminum alloy as the frame material. I think it uses a carbon fork today, but I guess it was aluminum at the time. And the Comp is the top-line Coda. The components are very nice for the time. Deore drivetrain stuff, SRAM Avid linear pull brakes (including brake levers adjustable for cable pull length).

If I bought this bike, I'd give it a thorough clean, a tune-up with new cables and housings, and a set of Kool-Stop linear pull brake pads. I agree with replacement of tires. I think Codas typically come with 32mm tires and it looks like you can probably fit at least 35s...perhaps even 38s.

Great buy! Enjoy it!

hokiefyd 

I do question whether that fork is original, given the different finish than the rest of the bike. The brand graphic on the fork blade looks the same as the one on the head tube, but it's possible those were applied to a generic fork. In any case, as long as the fork is straight and the bike handles well, it should be good to go!

sd5782 

On my searches, I did come up with one that mentioned the aluminum fork. I was thinking at the time it was steel until I got out a magnet and confirmed it is aluminum. It seems that the post was from someone here on BF with a 2003. I did lots of searching, so perhaps it wasn’t here, but the aluminum fork with that graphic did match.
Thanks for the info and advice. Perhaps pads would get rid of the brake shudder. You mentioned the levers having pull length adjusters. Is that the red screws, and would that adjust the force applied? They seem quite powerful, maybe even too much so. I will fiddle with things. As I said, this is modern by my ancient standards.

DorkDisk

Al fork looks like a Kinesis model; these were popular on certain level bikes for weight reasons before crabon came down in price.

XT M750/60 had a production run from 1999 to 2008. Good stuff, but one of the least desirable XTs made (bulky, painted finish)

Speedway2

I tested out a Coda Comp a few years back when I was looking for a steel frame hybrid. It had a carbon fork and the bike was smooth and looked great imo.
When I finally decided to buy it a couple days later the LBS had sold it. One that got away.
Enjoy the bike. It looks like a nice find......

sd5782 

Found one that sold recently on eBay in same size and same fork. Unfortunately not many details; no year of manufacture.

From an eBay sale

Looks nearly identical, including the aluminum fork.

hokiefyd 

It's definitely aluminum. In addition to the magnet test, a visual look at the welds is also a good clue. Notice how the welds have a very large bead, especially compared with the welds on the frame. Steel welds have a much smaller/tighter bead area. Those large beads and pronounced overlapping bead pools (the ripple effect in the bead) is a good marker for aluminum material.

The small red screw at the front adjusts the length of pull. This is a good article that describes (and illustrates) that: https://bike.bikegremlin.com/1419/bi...anical-brakes/

In short, mechanical brakes are a trade-off of mechanical advantage and lever and arm travel. One is necessarily sacrificed to increase the other. An adjustable lever like the Avid Speed Dial lever allows you to tailor the lever pull to the type of brake you have. If you feel like the brakes are too powerful, you could thread that screw out to lengthen the cable pull radius on that lever. That would increase cable pull and decrease mechanical advantage. Of course, the brakes could feel extra grabby or powerful for a variety of reasons, but the levers on that bike to allow for this customization.

sd5782 

Thanks Hokie. I was pleased to find another pic of the same exact bike with the same fork. I am waiting for a reply from Jamis on the year of manufacture. As to the brakes, I looked it over as to what the red screw does, and it is a nice feature. Brake feel altered, but still has the shudder. Next step is new pads. The shudder is on the order of 10 times per revolution, so not related to wheel true. Perhaps that is what happens with good brakes and hard 20 year old pads. I am used to weak vintage brakes on my older bikes. Of course brake angles and setup will be looked at. The brakes also have adjustments to balance the right and left shoes. Pulsing brakes are very unpleasant, and don't feel very safe.

hokiefyd 

For the shudder, it might be good to dismount the tires completely (it sounds like you want to replace them anyway) and cup a sheet of relatively fine (220 or 320 grit) abrasive paper over the rim and spin it, so you're sanding both sides of the rim as it spins. This may help smooth and polish any rough spots or areas of rubber build-up on the brake tracks that may not be visible. New pads would likely help as well, but they may grip and grab the same spots along the rim (if there are any). After you sand the brake tracks, or even if you don't, I'd thoroughly clean them with alcohol or other solvent to get any chemical residue off them that may be there. You never know what the bike was exposed to with a previous owner (and this is often the fun of buying and refurbing used bikes, at least for me).

Moisture

This bike has very good components on it. Those single digit 5 brakes are awesome.

DorkDisk

Appears to be a 2003.

These are pretty nice frame, I fixed up a '14 for a friend recently. My brief ride on it gave me a very favorable impression.

sd5782 

I get a warning error going to that site. I do believe one of my many searches pointed to 2003 also. I wrote Jamis but haven’t heard back. 2004 looks identical but with carbon fork.

Smokinapankake

You could always check date codes on the components to narrow down year range....

sd5782 

I thought I would report back in with an update of this bike before I deliver it to my brother In Tennessee. First, it rides wonderfully and is quite lively. Others stated it to be a fitness hybrid, and indeed with the stock 28mm tires it was quite sporting in feel. My brother and I are a bit older, so he wanted a secure ride and we thought wider tires would be the ticket. I bought Michelin Proteks in 35mm which mounted up at about 37.5mm. I knew they were going to be heavy and probably wide. I put these on a mtn bike I worked on for a coworker that never sees dirt. These tires should be perfect for him. They feel secure, stable, and indestructible, and eat up the road. They seem to roll really nice, and slowed the handling down to comfort level but still lively. My choice would’ve been 35 Paselas like on my Miyata 1000, but they are twice the cost and probably more fragile.

I had to learn some things working on a 2003 bike vs my usual pre 90s bikes. I can’t say I care for indexed front derailleur shifting, but I got it dialed in. The trigger shifting along with the 9 speed rear is quite addicting. An observation is that this bike gives a very safe feel, as hands are on the flat bar for steering and shifting, so one is always in the optimal position. No reaching down for the downtube shifter from numerous hand positions on the drop bars. The brake levers are right at hand and the brakes are powerful too.

The fine brakes brought up a problem with the wheels; brake shudder, especially with the front wheel. I posted this in the mechanics forum, but eventually put a different front wheel on and solved the problem. It seems that the rim width is not consistent and causes wide spots that causes the brakes to grab. It was totally unsafe in front. Any recommendations for an inexpensive wheel set in 700c suitable for this with 130old rear.would be appreciated. I see the Wheelmaster with weinmanns, but ideally I would like something a bit wider for the 37mm tires. Something with that Sun CR 18 would be great, but I only see freewheel, 135, and/or 27” rims.

The bike is rideable for now, so time for a visit to Tennessee. I will keep an eye out for wheel sets, and hope my brother is happy. He seemed quite excited about it all as he does power hikes in the hilly retirement community he recently moved into.

sd5782 

This bike was delivered to my brother. I did replace the front wheel with an Araya PX35 I had and it solved the front braking pulsation. I added a mirrycle mirror and all is well. The hills in his “Active retirement community” are often steeper than code for public roads. He is in good shape from hiking so the Jamis gets it done. He was very pleased with this bike.

Being a flat bar hybrid with good brakes and trigger shifters, I feel that it is quite safe for this type of riding. There are some paved walking /biking paths adjacent to the roads that require maneuverability also. I can see why someone would be very happy with this fitness hybrid as an all around bicycle for the one bike type of owner.

Trav1s

Glad to hear this is working out for your bother. I have read good things about the Jamis Coda line and your experience mirror's my reading.

As for the section I snipped from your post, that has also been my experience on multiple hybrid bikes that I have tried out. I landed on a Cannondale (by chance and good friend looking to upgrade) that I love and find the one bike fits all approach of the hybrid to make much sense... but that's off topic from the original post.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Coda.

StarBiker

This. What I hate is reaching around drop bars for brakes, and leaning. I don't want to lean, and didn't want to lean when I was 20 either.