Originally Posted by
DanPLC
I currently ride a Trek FX 7.4 as my daily commuter and for my weekend recreational rides. I've decided I want to upgrade to a gravel/adventure road bike for several reasons:
1) Drop bars
2) Disc brakes
3) Something more equipped to go off-road
After a lot of research, the bikes at the top of my wish list (with a $1500 - $2000-ish budget) are:
1) Jamis Renegade Exploit 2017
2) Trek Crossrip 2 or 3 2017
3) Specialized Diverge E5 Comp 2018
One LBS in town is a Specialized retailer. The other one, which is my favorite, is a Trek and Jamis retailer. After talking to them, I think I'm leaning more towards the Renegade Exploit (assuming I like it when testing riding it). I'd like some opinions on a few questions I have:
1) How do you think the Renegade Exploit will compare to the Trek FX 7.4 in regards to speed on paved roads? Obviously test riding it will give me some idea; however my FX is loaded up with gear (rack, fenders, etc.) and thus a "naked" Renegade may seem quicker when it really isn't after being loaded up. I'd prefer if my new bike was about the same speed or even faster than the FX since I do most of my riding on paved roads. Obviously there are quicker road bikes out there in my price range, but the main reason I'm limiting myself to gravel/adventure bikes is because I want fender and rack mounts. There are very few non-gravel road bikes out there with rack mounts and disc brakes.
2) I saw in another thread someone talking about negotiating the price of the Renegade Exploit 2017 down to $1600 or $1700. I talked to my LBS about it and they're firm on the $2100 price since it's a current year model. They claim that Jamis dictates the price to them and they can't budge. Assuming I choose the Renegade Exploit, should I continue pressing the pricing issue? They don't have my size in stock, so they'd have to order it. It doesn't seem like I really have much footing to negotiate with.
3) Any idea if the Renegade series could be updated in 2018? It seems most manufacturers have already released their 2018 lineups.
I sound a bit like you. I wasn't very happy with my Giant Fastroads SL1, so after looking around a bit I purchased a Jamis Expert.
1). In my experience the Jamis is faster than the Giant, but a tad slower than my Jamis road bike (this is compensated by having disk brakes and a cushier ride).
2). Your best bet might be to wait until the 2018 models come out and see if dealers have leftover 2017 stock at a discount. Mine is a 2016 and I got it from Jenson USA, so I had to have it shipped and did some partial assembly.
3). DK