Weight Weenies

I ride and race 2009 Jamis Xenith SL and this bike works for me really well. It's a BB30 tapered head tube frame weighting around 970 grams (without fork). My SRAM RED setup with DV46C-UL is approx 14.6 lbs. The bike handles really well, is solid, stiff, and reliable - great on tarmac as well as in the Kermesse type races. 54cm fits me really well. But then it's all based on no experience with other higher end bikes.
I will most likely be getting another bike some time this year. The question is: should I continue with Xenith SL frame (would most likely try to get an almost new 2012 model priced between $1K and $1.5K) or will I be better off with something else? My team gets great discounts from Specialized - a new S-Works SL4 frame would run only 2X as the above mentioned Xenith SL. And then there are other brands I like as Kuota, LOOK, ... But I have not ridden/raced on any of them.
I am a decent (now Cat3) racer in most styles but tend to prefer hilly road courses; weight is a factor. UCI specs are not my concern at this moment . Where I race we tend to have many sprint finishes too.
The bike will definitely be getting SRAM Red gruppo and 3T cockpit.
If anyone has some opinions on Jamis Xenith SL versus .... I'd love to hear them.
Cheers

Ride the other bikes you are interested in.

But if you do a lot of sprint finishes, and the Jamis works for you, why even replace the frame you have now?

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Riding the other frames and especially for few hundred miles would be optimal but it's not always possible. Jamis works great but maybe the other ones will work even better I'd still keep both bikes rather than replace; having a second bike is always convent.

I am 175lbs and normally ride a 48 sloping. I had a 2009 51 cm Jamis Xenith SL built up with Campy SR11 and Enve wheels. It was a very stiff, rigid frame and fork with very quick handling. The finish and construction was very good. I felt the Jamis be a little less stable at high speed when compared to my Colnago C59 and C50. I sold the Jamis frame set and transfered all the parts to my Colnago C50 (48 sloping). Again, the Colnago is much more supple and comfortable ride. The C50 is a little heavier and seems to be more of a grand touring frame. I could ride the C50 all day long with less physical fatigue. The C59 is somewhere in between but still more comfortable ride than my Jamis Xenith SL.

This was supposed to be a reply to the other post asking about experiences with the Jamis

Moderators please move this post

OK I see your point now. There will be plenty of frames which will ride a bit more comfortably than the Jamis. I'm sure there are plenty of people at your club with the same size frame that would let you roll around a block to see if you like the handling and road feel. Concentrate on fit though, if you can't make a specialize fit you without doing strange things with stems and seat posts then it doesn't matter how good the frame is.
Keep the Jamis as a crit/race bike, and get something a bit more forgiving and stable for longer rides.

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