Friday, August 21, 2009

Jamis Women’s Satellite Road Bike (Satellite Femme) Product Review - Initial Thoughts

This year I finally took the big jump into road biking having been primarily a mountain biker for over ten years. I ended up choosing as the Jamis Women’s Satellite Road Bike, or more officially, the Satellite Femme. I was looking for a road bike that would be quick and fast for group rides, but also as comfortable as possible for touring since I had a big bicycle tour planned for this summer.

I’ll be sharing what drew me to the Jamis Women’s Satellite Bike, how it works for road rides, touring, and more. Subscribe to my feed so you don’t miss a beat.

Jamis Women’s Satellite Road Bike

Why I choose the Jamis Women’s Satellite Bike

When choosing a road bike at the beginning of this summer, I was looking for two things- speed and comfort. Coming from mountain biking almost any road bike would be lighter and faster. I wasn’t going to be fooled though by a little lighter- I wanted as light as I could afford. I’ve spent enough years riding mountain bikes that were too heavy or just didn’t fit right and I wasn’t willing to compromise on the road either.

I went with a Jamis bike because I’ve owned two mountain bikes from them before (Durango and Dakota Sport). They offer decent components at a pretty fair price. The Jamis Satellite had several components that I was looking for: carbon fork (I wanted this for touring), Reynolds 520 double-butted chromoly frame (also for comfort), and solid wheels. All coming in at around 21 lbs. Right off the bat the only thing I wasn’t super excited about was the color- white? Really?

So how does it ride on quick group jaunts? What about bicycle touring? More details to come.

Jamis Women’s Satellite Road Bike

Jamis Women’s Satellite Bike Specs from Jamis

Frame: Reynolds 520 double-butted chromoly main tubes featuring SST tubing diameters, sloping top tube frame design, double-tapered cromo stays, forged dropouts with single eyelets
Fork: Full carbon composite road fork with forged alloy dropouts
Headset: Ritchey LB Aheadset, 1 1/8”
Wheels: Alex AKX R1.0 wheelset, 28H radial front/ 32H 3X rear, sealed alloy hubs 14g stainless steel spokes
Derailleurs: Shimano Tiagra GS rear & Sora front, 28.6mm clamp
Shiftlevers: Shimano Sora Dual Control STI, 27-speed
Cassette: SRAM PG-950, 9-speed, 12-26
Crankset: FSA Vero Triple, 52/42/30, 165mm (48), 170mm (51/54)
BB Set: Sealed Cartridge, 68 x 116mm
Brakeset: Tektro dual pivot calipers with Shimano Sora STI levers
Stem: Ritchey Road Forged, 31.8mm x 6˚, 90mm (48/51), 100mm (54)

Disclaimer: Product Reviews are based on opinion only and are not intended to condone, encourage, or promote a product. Some products are sent to me by the manufacturer or affiliates and are mine to keep. I mention this specifically on products sent to me. Compensation and/or product and/or services never interfere with the review of the product. Otherwise, products and services are purchased by me for personal use. Bike was purchased by me.

4 comments:

Red Bike said...

Ooo, new bike.

Very nice.

Anonymous said...

I'm actually looking at this exact bike and stumbled upon your blog that way. I hope you're enjoying your purchase. I'm a bike commuter (short distance) and have started longer distance rides this summer. I'm interested in your opinion of the satellite.

PS-I really like the color of this year's model. I wonder what 2010 will bring.

Betty Mountain Girl said...

Thanks Red Bike and Anonymous!

Anonymous- Thanks for your nice feedback! I'll be doing an updated review of the bike this next week. I've got my fingers crossed for a better color in 2010 too :)

Anonymous said...

I just recently bought this bike, or more accurately, my fiance who already has a bike and loves riding bought me this bike. I LOVE it. Hope you do too.