First look | Jamis Dakar A2 £1100 full-suspension looks like a budget Santa Cruz 5010

U.S brand Jamis wants a piece of the Calibre Bossnut market share so has launched the Jamis Dakar A2, an £1100 full-suspension bike that looks like a 5010.

UPDATE: since originally writing this article Evans has reduced the price of the Jamis Dakar A2 to just £880!

Budget mountain bikes aren’t what they once were. They used to be heavy, basic and tended to be out of date, but today’s affordable mountain bikes are so good they actually raise the question “Why would you spend any more?”.

The current king of the budget full-suspension bike market is undoubtedly the Calibre Bossnut, but U.S bike maker Jamis hopes to knock the Calibre off top spot with the Dakar range of bikes.

We’ve been sent the Jamis Dakar A2, an alloy full suspension bike that costs £1100 as a complete bike, but looks a lot like a Santa Cruz 5010, a premium trail bike that would cost more than double for the frame alone. The 6061 tubeset on the Dakar A2 is triple butted, and the MP2 linkage system offers 120mm of travel via a RockShox Monarch R air shock, impressive details on such an affordable model.

SR Suntour’s Raidon fork gives the A2 front end bounce using an air spring and offering the rider lockout and rebound controls. The Raidon also used Suntour’s own thru axle design but is spaced for a non-Boost 27.5in wheel.

Shimano’s Deore Shadow Plus rear mech with a clutch is a nice touch as is the 1×10 drivetrain, SR Suntour chainset with external bottom bracket, and Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc brakes.

Despite the low-price, Jamis has found room in the budget to build up the Dakar A2 with an oversized 35mm RaceFace handlebar, Raceface stem, and seat post. There are even WTB rims, Formula hubs, a WTB Volt saddle, and Vittoria tyres. Not bad at all for £1100.

The Jamis has already been swiped from the office by Antony de Heveningham who has had a lot of experience with budget full-sussers so watch out for his review coming into a screen near you soon.

Jamis Dakar A2 Specification

• Frame // Triple-butted 6061 alloy, 120mm travel MP2 Suspension system.
• Rear Shock // RockShox Monarch R air shock.
• Fork //SR Suntour Raidon LOR 27.5in
• Rear Mech //Shimano Deore Shadow Plus, 10 speed.
• Shifter // Shimano Deore, 10 speed.
• Chainset // SR Suntour Zeron, 32T
• Bottom Bracket // SR Suntour External.
• Cassette // Shimano HG500, 10 speed.
• Chain // KMC X10, 10 speed.
• Brakes // Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc 180mm front, 160mm rear.
• Handlebars // RaceFace Ride 35 x 760mm.
• Stem // RaceFace Ride. 50mm.
• Headset // FSA Orbit 1.5 Zero-stack.
• Grips // Jamis Lock-on
• Rims // WTB STX i25 TCS 27.5in.
• Hubs // Formula 15×100 front, 12x142mm rear.
• Tyres // Vittoria Barzo, 27.5 x 2.35in, tubeless ready.
• Saddle // WTB Volt
• Seatpost // RaceFace Ride 31.6 x 400mm.
• Confirmed weight // 31.46lbs
• Price // £1100