Jamis Supernova Elite
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Originally a beach cruiser brand from Tallahassee, Florida, Jamis Bicycles has come a long way since 1979.
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From cruisers to mountain bikes and hybrids to full road racing machines, Jamis has nearly every rider covered. The company sponsors the continental road Team Jamis, so the road platform is well tested at a high level. With the Supernova Elite (also available in Team and Nova Pro editions), the off-season roadie is introduced to a mid-level build for aggressive cyclocross racing this fall.
The Supernova Team’s geometry is fine tuned for attacking technical CX race courses, not your everyday trail cruise. With somewhat shorter chain stays (425mm), Jamis increases handling around technical features. Also featuring a 42 x 12mm maxle thru axle, the rear of the bike remains stiff to help increase agility, while wheel tracking stays in line with the frame for increased power transfer when the bumps come. Self-centering, 142mm hub dropouts make for quicker rear wheel changes as well.
Using size specific tubing, ride quality is tuned and optimized for each of the five sizes across the line. For example, the smallest size (51cm) available utilizes top and down tubes 10% smaller than the larger, 54cm frameset, while the 58cm is even 10% bigger than that. This creates performance and ride feel that is consistent across all the options for many types of riders.
Jamis implements a dual-molding manufacturing process called near net which utilizes silicone and polystyrene internal cores as frame support to help eliminate air bubbles in the carbon piles. These detailed carbon molding techniques achieve excellent compaction, helping create a lightweight frame with exceptional stiffness and increased strength.
Our build came with SRAM Force 1x for clean shifting in the roughest terrain, American Classic Argent (22mm wide, 30mm deep) Tubeless wheels for speed and puncture protection, a Ritchey WCS level cockpit for complete control in the drops and a matching matching teal/yellow Fizik Aliante R7 saddle to bring the entire build package together.
Check back with the #PelotonServiceCourse for a complete review of the Jamis Supernova Elite in the near future. Stay up to date with everything tech related by following us online @pelotonmagazine and on Instagram/Twitter where we’ll continue to bring you the latest is new gear and stories from the cycling world as well as race coverage.
$2,799; 17.3 pounds as tested (no pedals or cages, 54cm); jamisbikes.com