JAMIS FAULTLINE A2
£1,600 (with £5 GO Outdoors card) A ride for mellower trails
Intended to be a true all-rounder – either as a first MTB or for hardtail riders looking to upgrade to a full-sus – the Faultline A2 is a capable cruiser rather than a singletrack slayer.
THE FRAME
The Jamis has nearly all the details you’d wish for on a modern MTB. Boost rear hub spacing (12x148mm) helps with frame and wheel stiffness, and will make it easier to replace or upgrade the rear wheel down the line. The triple-butted 6061 alloy tubeset balances strength with weight, and pumps out 120mm of travel via a linkage-driven single-pivot system. It boasts a tapered head tube, threaded bottom bracket (BB) shell and an ISCG-05 chain guide mount, and the front triangle will fit a water bottle.
Cables run internally through the down tube then externally along the stays. The only thing missing is a chainstay protector, but that’s easy to add.
It’s with its frame geometry that the Jamis shows its conservative side. The large size we tested has a 460mm reach (the horizontal distance from the centre of the BB to the centre-top of the head tube, which dictates how stretched-out you feel when stood on the pedals) – the same as on the medium sizes of the other bikes here. This is paired with a steep 67.5-degree head angle and a dated 74.5-degree effective seat tube angle, giving the roomiest effective top tube length on test, at 635mm. A tall 480mm seat tube limits how low you can drop the saddle/post. The chainstays are a stable 445mm, though, and Jamis get it right with the 35mm BB drop.
THE KIT
The Faultline A2 uses the same RockShox Recon Silver RL fork as the Boardman and Polygon, with 130mm of travel. Jamis spec a RockShox Deluxe Select R shock, missing the external compression adjustment of the pricier RL version. You get a wide-range 1x11 Shimano Deore drivetrain with 11-51t cassette, plus Shimano MT200 two-piston brakes with a 180mm front rotor and smaller 160mm rear disc. The bike rolls on WTB wheels with a narrow 25mm internal rim width, shod with a 2.35in Vigilante front tyre and 2.25in Trail Boss rear rubber. It’s finished off with a KS dropper post and WTB saddle.
THE RIDE
It’s possible to get a swift pace up on smooth trail centre climbs, thanks to the Jamis’s fairly fast-rolling tyres. However, when the incline got steeper, we found we had to shuffle forwards to keep our weight more central than the slack seat tube angle allowed, and
ended up sliding the saddle rails all the way through the clamp to improve the seated pedalling position. The geometry stretched us out more than we’d have liked on the ascents, too. Climbs are manageable on the Faultline, but it doesn’t feel as refined and comfortable as the others here.
The rear suspension works well when pedalling, not bobbing into its travel significantly, and soaking up trail chatter. Helped by the supple tyres, it smooths out the ride and maintains decent traction. Shimano’s 11-speed Deore drivetrain is a proven performer and delivers slick gear changes even under load. The wideratio cassette lets you grind up almost any trail you find.
On more flowing tracks and twisting singletrack, the Jamis rides better than its more traditional proportions and light tyres might have you believe. It’s a nimble bike that weaves through moderate terrain quite happily, although you can find its limitations quickly if you push hard. It comes unstuck when you take it somewhere with a serious gradient, the steeper head angle and tall seat tube making it awkward to tackle technical downhills.
It’s a shame the bike’s geometry holds it back, because the 120mm of rear travel on offer is surprisingly capable. The suspension kinematics balance small-bump suppleness with decent support, giving a predictable feel and making the bike feel like it has more travel than it does. Up front, the fork does a decent job of delivering control, too. However, the Shimano brakes could do with more power.
If you’re not looking to get too wild on the trails, the Faultline A2 is a capable performer on flowing terrain. However, push it on steep trails up or down, and it feels like the bike leaves its comfort zone.
More at home on blues than reds, the Jamis’s geometry holds it back more than its suspension pushes it forward