5teve

My Renegade sportin' 650bX48 GravelKing SK's. Fenders pending...

sloar 

hnasir

jfoobar

I am *trying* to join the Renegade owners club, but we'll have to see. I was originally interested in the Kona Rove but they don't go bigger than a 58cm frame so that was out (I am 6'4" with long arms even for my height, or so I am told by LBS folks). The 61cm Renegade is a solid fit. Alas, I want the Expat for the steel but just cannot justify the extra $1000 for the Exploit. The 61cm Expat is backordered to hell and back and I might get one by late June/early July. I could get a 61cm Exploit now or I could get a 61cm Explore (the new for 2018 aluminum model, $1000, Sora, carbon fork).

I just started riding again and all I had was a fairly ancient Giant hybrid which I find very uncomfortable on rides longer than a few miles. I tried to buy a cheap used bike for a "rental" to tide me over and just missed out on a lightly used Bianchi Lupo in my size so I settled for a pretty much brand new Raleigh Merit 1 that is a little too small for me. It's dirt cheap, all aluminum with Claris but it is still a marked improvement over the ~2007 Giant FCR I had.

Apparently the Expats being made now are the last run for this model year so if I don't get one, I am out of luck. I should know in a couple of weeks what a more firm arrival date is. My LBS is pinging his Jamis sales rep every few days on my behalf. If I cannot get one or it is going to take forever, I'll have a touch decision on what to get instead. I'd probably just get a Tamland 1 *if* I could get one in my size. At the moment, I still can.

ph0rk

Is that a WTB resolute? Because it looks like a resolute. I assume the stock i23 rims? I ask because I am about to build up an Escapade and I want to use this exact tire, but I worry that a 23mm internal rim will cause clearance issues.

Any shots of fitment in the rear where clearances are tight would be greatly appreciated.

shoota 

Welcome to the forums!

Having ridden both a steel Renegade and a Tamland I can say they are both really fun bikes. Neither are going to blow you away with speed but they are solid, fun bikes. I really like both, with a slight nod to my Tamland for reasons that don't really matter (color).

jfoobar

Are you able to elaborate more on the ride characteristics differences between the two? Honestly, I want a bike that is gravel capable, but I suspect that the vast majority of my riding will either be on pavement or on fairly gentle towpath type trails. For example, if you had to ride a paved or mostly-paved century, which of the two would make the better choice, all other factors being equal (tires, ignoring the 105/Tiagra factor, etc.)?

I do wish Jamis plugged the $1000 Expat/Exploit gap in their line-up and offered a $1600-ish model with 105 and Spyres like the Tamland 1.

shoota 

On that type of ride there would be no noticeable difference, they are just too similar.

edit: The Jamis will likely have better wheels. (as in lighter)

jfoobar

OK, thanks much! Now I just have to decide how long I am willing to wait before I just say "eff this!" and order the Tamland. This will partially be determined on how much I hate continuing to ride the Merit 1 I have now. I did have an adjustable stem put on last night so that should help.

Cosmetically, I strongly prefer the Renegade. In fact, I desperately wish I could get an Expat that had the Explore green paint job. The Expat blue is nice but the Explore is downright pretty.

Sakriv

Well, it's certainly important to get one you love the looks of. If you don't feel like it's a slam dunk in what you want aesthetically and functionally (with the caveat that certain parts can be changed later), I'd suggest waiting for that perfect purchase opportunity instead of settling, and doing what you can to make your current bike bearable in the meantime, like that stem change. It was love at first sight when I saw the look and specs of the 2018 Renegade Escapade and I'm really glad I didn't settle for the Specialized Diverge I came close to buying last fall when I was getting impatient looking for my ideal bike.

D.zo

Yes, those are the tires and rims on there now. Clearance is super tight... had to sand the rear tire down a little so it would stop rubbing. Probably going with a 40 mm tire next time. Sorry for the late response. I think I have a pic somewhere.

D.zo

ph0rk

Whoa, that's pretty close. All good along the chainstays, though?

D.zo

plenty of space along the chainstays

lennskii

Wow - that is close!

Thinking of putting 42mm Resolutes on my Escapade's stock wheels- how much did you have to sand off? Looking to fit as much rubber in as possible for burlier conditions (singletrack etc) and have a 2nd set of wheels built up to ride my regular rubber (Panaracer 38mm Slicks).

In hindsight, would you go Nano 40's rear and Resolute 42 front? Or worth the effort for the Resolutes on the back?

D.zo

Not much sanding. It was really just the excess rubber that had to come off... it was rubbing on the frame. I tried trimming it but gave up and got some sand paper. I'll probably go with the 40's next. I really don't need the 42's.

lennskii

Thought I'd share in the Renegade love.

L to R: 2018 Expat, 2017 Exploit, 2018 Escapade.

All tubelessed.

Have 1x11 converted the Exploit and Escapade for simplicity and lower range of gearing over stock (ride a fair bit of singletrack on them and 1x was better suited for big gear dumps).

Also used some Wolf Tooth B-Rad bases to re-position the bottle cages quickly (two quick bolts to crack + tighten) should I need to run a half-frame bag & to fit the Fabric cageless keg as there was some clearance issues on the underside down-tube bottle bosses.

Loving how nippy they ride. Perfect for 5-15kg weighted touring and still agile, responsive and nippy for regular training rides. Used to have a Kona Sutra and Surly Cross-Check, both of which were comparatively lethargic unloaded (they were great with 25kg load, but that happens once every couple of years. The Renegade still rides well with heavy 25kg loads though). Normally a mountain biker - so a road bike I can do some intervals/tempo training rides and still hoon off on bits of singletrack in the corner of my eye is perfect.

lennskii

What are your impressions of the Renegade with 650 plus tyres? Feel / changes to geometry?

I'm tempted to build up a 650b+ wheelset and go with the WTB Byways. There are a couple options for local 1hr training loops, buff roads through to more chundery singletrack. Will do either as my local training loop depending on mood. Will also do a few overnighters, some of them pretty buff paved/unpaved. Others through some decent chundery stuff. The stock wheels on my Escapade I've set up tubeless with Panaracer 38m slicks (ai to dabble in underbiking, and it's not really muddy-wet here in Melbourne, Australia). So was after something more for beefy terrain/underbiming on singletrack and terrible roads which would be a snooze on the Enduro MTB.

5teve

Full disclosure: I've been running 650b wheels for a number of years so it's safe to say I'm a fan of the bigger tire/smaller rim combo. Also, I've since changed from the GravelKing SK tires to a set of Compass Switchback Hills. My routes are usually a mix of pavement and dirt and I felt that the SK's were a bit dirt biased to feel great on the pavement. The Switchbacks are a better match for my usual routes, though I'm going to keep the SK's around for more dirt-oriented jaunts.

As far as this particular conversion goes, between the very slightly lowered bottom bracket and the slightly wider tire footprint my Jamis feels a touch more stable and planted. If you own a Renegade you know it's more of a steady cruiser than a jumpy sprinters bike - this wheels swap enhances that sensation of all day comfort. The feel is planted and cushy on pavement, and the bigger rubber adds a touch of compliance and grip to dirt. Laying it into corners with such fat tires is a very secure sensation. I recommend it!

5teve

With Switchback Hills and fenders!

Sakriv

What fenders are those? I'd like to put fenders on my Renegade Escapade as well and I'm hoping I can fit some over the 700x38 Schwalbe G-One Speed tubeless tires I put on the stock WTB Frequency Team i23 rims. I mostly want them to shield my niece and dog from debris and water when I have my Burley Kazoo trailer bike or Burley Tail Wagon trailer attached.

5teve

My fenders are these: https://ridepdw.com/collections/road...2994455707661#
They're a little narrower than I'd like for good coverage over 50mm tires but they are about as wide a fender as would fit the Renegade without surgery.

Might be tough to fit fenders over 700x38 tires. Clearance would be tight. My buddy has 700c X 38mm Compass tires on his Renegade and there's no room for fenders. If your Schwalbes are a little under-sized you might be ok. If you really want fenders you might need to move to a 35-36mm tire.

lennskii

Thanks for the info and feedback - and I agree with your choice in going with a complete supple slick unless you actually ride in the mud or loam.

The idea with the Byways for the quick wheel swap over the Panaracer Gravelking Slicks (almost identical to the Barlow Pass) was to ride singletrack (that isn't too far from my front door) that wouldn't be all that fun on a long-travel MTB. Felt like the Byways with the bald centre tread would make pavement riding enjoyable whilst still having some side knob for laying the bike into corners/where there's something to actually bite into. That feeling of additional 'calmness' sounds useful in tweaking a twitchy (relative to a MTB) bike to something more composed on singletrack. The other option was to go with 700 x 42 Resolutes for this same purpose - but am curious about the max grip from a 650b setup.

5teve

Sounds like the Byways are a legitimate choice for your application. I was also thinking about a Gravelking slick in back and SK version in front for better cornering bite. A Byway in back with a GK in front might be a great option if you go black sidewalls, or don't care if your brown sidewalls match exactly...

ATPAH

I use the 40mm Nano for this application. They are not fast on the road, but they aren't' as bad as some skinnier CX knobbies that I've used either because the center ridge does a decent job of keeping rolling resistance reasonable if you have enough pressure in the tires. They're nothing like a road slick, but I doubt the Resolutes would be that much faster on the road or more capable on trail. I ride a good amount of singletrack on the Renegade, and while I'm fairly cautious on the downhills, I'm not limiting myself to buffed trails or dodging every root or rock.I can definitely lead the bike over and not be surprised when the tires break loose.