The Jamis Ventura All Road is a sub-$1,600 aluminum all-road bike with Shimano CUES 2×10 and a Ritchey cockpit. It came in for a gravel tire swap — a customer wanted Challenge Getaway 40s on it. They fit. With room to spare.
The Bike
Frame & Build
The Ventura All Road is Jamis’s entry into the all-road category — aluminum frame, carbon fork, Shimano CUES 2×10, and a full Ritchey cockpit. Steve was pretty excited about it when Jamis released it, and liked that you can still get a bike in this $1,600 range. The CUES drivetrain shifts well — his take is that the front derailleur feels better than Tiagra-level stuff. The one thing he’d note is the rear shifting is a little slow; it hits all the shifts, but it almost feels like it takes a full revolution to drop fully through the cogs. If you’re out hammering or racing you might notice it; otherwise it gets there.
The frame has rear rack mounts and a UDH derailleur hanger — which means future drivetrain compatibility is covered. The cables and housing route through the head tube, which keeps it clean; since it’s not integrated into the stem, the routing isn’t overly tight to work on.
The Cockpit
Ritchey throughout — bar, stem, and seatpost. The saddle is a generic OEM seat that’s actually not bad out of the box — Steve figures it’ll suit more riders than a lot of what comes stock at this price range. If it were his, he’d probably swap it.
The Tire Clearance Question
This is what makes the Ventura All Road interesting. Jamis specs it with 36c tires and lists clearance up to 38c. In practice there’s more room than that — the stock WTB Exposures were measuring over 37mm on these rims, already close to the rated max. A customer asked about putting gravel tires on it for some mild gravel riding, which Steve was curious about himself, so they tried it.
Challenge Getaway 40c test: Mounted on these rims, the labeled-40 Getaways measure 38mm actual — and there’s still a fair amount of clearance front and rear. Steve’s call: a fully measured 40 would fit, since it’d only add about a millimeter per side.
The Challenge Getaways are popular in the shop — low-end in price for a gravel tire, versatile, and they run a little narrow for their labeled size, which is part of why they work here. They also still fit a lot of older gravel frames with under-40mm clearance. For someone who’s mostly on pavement and just wants the option for some mild gravel, this is a solid setup.
Who This Bike Is For
This isn’t a gravel race bike. It’s not trying to be. It’s for the rider who wants one bike that handles a morning road ride and doesn’t panic when the road turns to gravel. Sub-$1,600 with a carbon fork, a Ritchey cockpit, and the ability to run 38-40c tires is a legitimate value proposition.
If you’re mostly pavement with some mild gravel mixed in and don’t want to spend a lot more, the Ventura All Road deserves a look. CUES is Shimano’s newer entry-level platform, and the UDH hanger means you’re not locked out of future drivetrain options.
More bike than the price suggests
An aluminum all-road bike that fits real gravel tires, has a UDH hanger, and comes in under $1,600. The CUES drivetrain is a little slow in the rear but functional. The tire clearance exceeds what the spec sheet implies. For a pavement-primary rider who wants gravel capability without paying gravel bike prices, this makes sense.
Questions About the Ventura All Road?
We carry Jamis at Maklin Bike Shop in Scandia, MN. Reach out with any questions.