scale

I dont know why but i started looking at gravel bikes recently.

I am looking to go ride a Fuji Jari 1.3 (105) and the Jamis Renegade Expat.

Anyone have any experience with either one?

The Fuji has internal cable routing and is an aluminum frame/carbon fork.
The Jamis is steel.

Both have mid fork bosses and 3 bottle cage mounts with front through axles.

The jamis is a few lbs heavier. Both bikes are around $1500
Im sure it will come down to which fits me best.

I have had great experiences with my old fujis from the 70s as singles speeds. I have ridden them 1000s of miles. I dont know what they are like today. I dont believe i have had a bike newer than the very early 1990s. In my experience, newer isnt always better. I have had buyers remorse plenty of times in other purchases unbike related.

Derekve

I just recently bought an Expat and love it so far. I do not have any experience with Fuji so I cannot compare, but I think the most important thing is to make sure you get a good fitting no matter what bike you get. The stock stem on my expat was too long, but once i had it replaced, the fit feels great.

I prefer a steel frame over aluminum, but i'm not against it (have aluminum sirrus that i love). Steel has a smoother ride on gravel and rough roads imo and i don't think the weight difference will matter much.

Hope this helps!

scale

Yeah....i am going to look at the Expat this weekend. Salsa also released its Journeyman model yesterday. That one also looks promising.

Derekve

Yes, the Journeyman does look like a great option. I sort of wish it was released before I got the expat. Only because I like testing out as many options as possible lol. Let us know what you think when you check out the bikes!

scale

I stopped at 2 different shops....one to look at the expat and one to look at the journeyman. Neither shop had any built up and ready. Kind of a waste of half my day but thats what i get for not calling first i guess. Either way that didnt stop me from spending about $100 between the 2 shops

Derekve

lol yea I've learned the hard way not calling ahead. But it sounds like you got a few things you "needed" right??

scale

Yup A few things i didnt need actually but they were great deals and it gives me a reason to build another bike eventually or perhaps change things up on the bike i have. You cant beat the self-induced bait and switch tactics i put myself through today. I still really want to see both bikes eventually though.

How are you liking your Expat so far? It looks fantastic.

Derekve

I understand what you mean lol. It's difficult going into a bike shop and not buy something... or two. Like you, I'm always looking to either improve or try something different on my bikes.

With that said, I am very happy so far with my Expat. Other than switching my saddle and stem with a shorter one, I like everything about it. Don't feel any need to change anything else. I've ridden it a few times on pavement, but tomorrow I plan on going on a 15 mile mixed ride of gravel and pavement.

As much as I like my Expat, I still think you should check it out, along with the Journeyman or fuji, to be sure you are happy with your choice. Reason I say this is because I was dead set on a Spec Diverge and days before I had planned to commit to it, i test rode an expat (after test riding four other brands). Glad I did lol.

scale

Good points. I dont imagine i will be able to ride the Fuji Jari 1.3. Not much in the way of Fuji dealers around here.

How is the weight in the Expat? I know that is subjective. I like the fact that it as through axles and it seems like the better bike over the Salsa Journeyman but at the end of the day i need to ride them both to see which i like better. The Jamis is steel which is great and likely weighs more. The alloy frames have gotten much better over the years and likely dont ride has harsh as they used to.

one thing i can figure out his why salsa puts 3 eyelets on their forks? Perhaps front rack + anything cages?

Both bikes look great. I need to give it some time to allow for some better reviews of the Salsa Journeyman to come out which inturn will give me more time to ride both. I am half tempted to wait until late in teh season to get a better deal. Honestly though....at this price point you cant really complain. Both seems like great deals.

Derekve

Yea, if I can't test ride a bike, I wouldn't buy it. Others have and were fine, but I couldn't do that.

Alloy frames have come a long way, but I think steel has too! The Expat is actually lighter than my alloy sirrus (both without racks, bags, etc). It feels lighter than I thought it would feel. Easy to carry up and down my basement.

I still have more tweaking to do with ride positioning. After my first longer ride, I had some discomfort I've never had before. I'm not use to drop bar (never owned one before) and the Expat has a moderately aggressive ride position stock (from what I was told). I need to get a slightly higher degree stem than the replacement one already on there. As we know, ride positioning is subjective so I don't blame the bike, it's me lol. I'm use to hybrids and mountain bikes.

If you are in no hurry to get the bike, I think it's a good idea to wait and test ride the Salsa J. All those eyelets you mentioned midst be for different cages for bikepacking/touring bags. Also, Waiting for a deal is a great idea too!