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Dragon 29 Race vs MCR niner

4K views 23 replies 15 participants last post by  mudge 
#1 ·
I have narrowed it down to the Jamis Dragon 29 Race or the niner MCR. Love that steel!! Any thoughts here? It seems to me that the Jamis offers a lot of bang for the buck, where the MCR has a great reputation and everyone loves their niners. I have not read as much on the Jamis frames and can't say that I have seen that many on trails out here in Idaho. The MCR, I believe has 853 throughout where the Dragon is not 853 in the chain stays and seat stays. Both look great. I'm not sure how their individual geometries will effect the ride. I tend to be hard on bikes, weight 180lbs, 6 ft with longer legs. I might be able to do a parking lot demo on the MCR or niner air 9 ( what ever thats worth ), doubt I would have the same opportunity with the Dragon Race or similar frame.

Thanks
 
#5 ·
Being a steel guy myself I was looking at those 2 frames as well.

Picked up a 2010 Jamis Dragon off Ebay. Absolutely love it!

--edit--

I'm with Tribug. I think the rear of the MCR is probaby something other than 853.

If you look at the detailed pic of the 853 sticker on their site it says 'main tubes'.
 
#9 ·
I'm riding a 19" frame. I'm right at 6' and typically built. Legs and arms are proportional. Never measured my inseam....wear jeans with 32" inseam though.

Bike came with a 100mm stem and the reach is fine. Doesn't feel cramped at all. Could probably also run a 110mm stem and still be comfortable.

I did get to take a spin on a Niner EMD. Size was Large and it had a 100mm stem on it. Felt real good on it too. If I remember correctly the Niner has a slightly longer TT length.

No idea about frame weight. I figured they're both 853 steel and had to be within .5 pound of each other so I wasn't worried about weight.

The Niner does have S bend stays which I think look nicer though.
 
#10 ·
I agree with your comments. Looking at the websites for Jamis and Niner it looks like the Jamis measures about an inch shorter from CBB to TT. I know fit is about ETTL but I still hate how much seatpost exposure I show. My legs are way too long.


Thanks for the imput. I'm really leaning towards the Dragon.....great bang for the buck!!!
 
#11 ·
badsmells said:
Looking at the websites for Jamis and Niner it looks like the Jamis measures about an inch shorter from CBB to TT.
You may want to do a little bit more digging if you're worried about the ST length.

Jamis measures to TT but the diagram on Niner's site shows top of the ST. The charts show less than 1" difference and if one measures to the TT and the other to the top of the ST that could easily be where the difference is.

Niner has less standover than the Jamis. Hard to have a lower standover with a higher TT. Something to think about.

So if you're worried about seatpost extension I'd dig into the numbers a little further.
 
#14 ·
I road an MCR for a year and my GF has a Dragon now for 2 years. Its a bit small for me but I have ridden it on many occasions. Hill repeat days and long casual rides with friends.

I was really impressed with the dragon, not more so than the MCR, but just that because the frame was a size smaller than I normally ride and how well it performed.

You cant go wrong with either, If I went back to steel I would consider either of these and would leave it up to price/build/weight
 
#19 ·
#20 ·
Earlier this year I was deciding between building up an MCR or buying the 2010 Dragon. I ended up going with the Dragon because of a good deal from the shop. I've been very happy with the Dragon; well spec'd, and great performance. As others have said, you can't go wrong with either one.
 
#24 ·
I've never ridden the Jamis, in fact I've never even seen one. The only thing remotely negative I've heard about them is that they're a bit 'snug' in tire clearance. Could be just nonsense, but it's worth looking at.

Niners are known for huge tire clearance, but if you're not planning to run a 2.4 or larger rear tire, who cares, right?
 
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