Donsell

I'd take you up on that Tim. I may have a friend who's done it before and has the tools. I'll discuss it with him.

Donsell

I spent the day looking at other options. I found a shop an hour away that has a Jamis Renegade Exploit in stock in my size. It hits all that I want: steel, 105 groupset, relaxed geometry. And I'll get to ride it before I buy it.

I'm going to head there Monday but right now, if it fits me I'll probably go that route.

shoota 

You won’t be sorry.

Zurichman2

I bought the 2016 Raleigh Tamland 1 over Easter weekend for $799 + $49 tax and it was shipped direct from Raleigh to my house. I saw the Corporate discount listed on here and my timing was just lucky/great. I put the bike completely together except for the front brake caliper which I didn't know how to do. Took the bike to a Raleigh dealer and he charger me $75 to assemble the rest. He had to put a shim in on the front disc as it was clicking.

changes or troubles

I was have some trouble with the TRP brakes some suggested seating them in. What I found to be the problem was the shop didn't adjust the rear brake. I turned it in until it locked the wheel and then back it out a hair. The brakes have been fine ever since.

I put a 11 x 36 Sram cassette on the back along with the Road link. I was able to get the front tire to go tubeless but not the rear. I am putting a set of Kenda Flintridge pro tubeless 40 mm tires on it in the next couple of days to get it ready for the Pony Express 120 race. I feel I got a sweetheart of a deal on the bike and couldn't go wrong with it. I really like the bike so far and probably will be getting a lighter set of wheels for it over the winter.

I know that price isn't available right now and my Raleigh dealer wanted to sell it to me for $1300. He also didn't have or know much about the Tamland as gravel riding isn't big here in South Central Pa. He did have another Raleigh bike with the same geometry that I could try out for sizing. I am 6 ft and bought the 56 cm.

Good luck in whatever you buy.
Zman

Gewes

Danny01

Old thread, but I just wanted to point out that in the first post the part about 853 being stiffer than 631 is incorrect. Stiffness depends on wall thickness. An 853 tube with identical cross section as a 631 tube will be equally stiff.

In reality it is quite the opposite. 853 frames usually flex more, hence is known for providing theagic carpet ride. This is due to 853 being stronger. It can therefore be drawn thinner. Then you can end up with less weight, more flex, less impact resistance while maintaining strength equal to that of a 631 counterpart. Given the same diameters, you can't make a frame both stiffer and lighter just by using 853.

shoota 

What if you make it with larger diameter tubes?

Metieval

I've never ridden the Tamland. I really also know nothing about 853 vs 631 vs 725.

What I do know is the Niner RLT 853 is silk smooth and stiff enough, surprisingly stiffer than to be expected for being steel!

I know the Jamis Renegade Exploit gets bragged up, yet at the same time reading between the lines people want more tire, or less weight, or it leaves more than a handful of people looking for another bike.

far less have complained about the Niner 853. I only know of one person that gave up a 853 RLT for carbon RDO RLT, and that is some one who races and spends time on race paced group rides.

If the frame wasn't the only variable, we can compare forks, the Niner fork hands down is the winner.

Bottom line you get what you pay for. between Jamis Renegade Exploit, Tamland, and the Niner 853 RLT, Niner is the clear winner and best bike. However it really comes down to is good enough, good enough for you the buyer/rider?

My argument for buying a Niner 853, buy once be done with it.

which is better than buying a Jamis/Raleigh this year and a Niner next year.

shoota 

Those were my top three choices. Wound up with a Tamland for me and a Renegade for the wife. Paid less than half for both total than an RLT. Price is a huge deciding factor. And threaded BBs.

Metieval

understandable, and heard.

Maybe I'd have a different opinion of $1,100 bikes had I spent it on a Tamland or Renegade vs spending it on the Trek Crossrip. I just don't seem to see entry level bikes in a good light. I also deal with chronic Fatigue and I am recovering from late stage neurological Lyme disease. I'll feel the performance differences between bikes by 10x and this number goes up exponentially with miles ridden.

the easiest way to understand where I am, would be for you to put in 200 miles in 10 hours, and then test ride 2 different bikes immediately after. 1 bike will be a very clear winner on your fatigued and aching body.

shoota 

I can only imagine, sorry you're dealing with that. Have you ever test ridden either bike? I've not ridden a Crossrip (read bad reviews though) or an RLT (heard nothing but good) but I can attest to the freakishly smooth ride both the Tamland and Renegade give. Now, they aren't rocket ships but they sure are smooth. All that being said I still want an RLT Steel so bad, they're so pretty lol.

Metieval

I'd not ridden the Tamland but I did ride the Willard after buying the Crossrip. the Willard is much smoother. so I can only guess the Tamland is more so.

I briefly rode a renegade and it seemed really heavy, for guys used to heavier steel that's probably fine. for me it was a turn off. but I had also already owned the Crossrip at the time too. At the Time of buying the Crossrip a selling point on it was that it rode closer to a road bike in handling. However it is brutal, mostly fork brutal. frost cracks will wreck your neck.
I absolutely love the Niner RLT steel. yet for my general purpose I rub the top tube. yuk, that is annoying. and sizing down was just too small for anything but hammer fest style riding. Not my purpose on a gravel bike.

yet while on the heavier side (lighter than most steel framed bikes), It has some nice performance also. and is also the smoothest bike I've ever ridden.

there is the previous model the silver/blue RLT on ebay (54) for $2,600... tempting!
however I've always love the Giant Revolt, minus the weigh of it. Well, now the all new Carbon revolt seems to check all my boxes. So the debate comes down to do I really want Carbon? the RLT steel rides so nice!!!!

shoota 

Yep, the silver and blue is up there for best looking RLT. I had forgotten about the sizing. That was another reason I didn't go with an RLT, the ETT is long and the standover is pretty high. I didn't have any to test ride so I just couldn't make myself buy one sight unseen. It probably would have been ok but I went with the $799 Tamland at the time. Safer bet.

Metieval

My bad I forgot Niner calls it a 53 (not 54).

still a bit far off from the $800 but......

and $2,500 now..... :O I've watched it go from $2,800 to 2,600 to 2,500

the sizing was fine riding it, but for commuting I prefer a lower top tube for a stop and go riding style. (I hate my short inseam, which is also why I generally like higher BB's)


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Niner-RLT-9...o/113237197858

shoota 

Dang that's a nice ride. It's got that new Ultegra too

Chi_Z

prob too late for OP, but whoever needs a size 56 RLT this is a steal, 8020 hydro, Mavic allroad elite

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Niner-RLT9-...QAAOSwjyBckTO~

softreset

Heh, that was my auction. Ended up with a local cash sale for $2200 just so we could get it out of the store. Second hand market on the RLT 9 steels has been miserable.

Metieval

I totally would have bought it at any of the prices, I've just had a series of events taking my $ elsewhere. $2,200 is a steal!

bummed to as I like the blue better than the yellow /green

yet it's a debate between the RLT9 steel vs Giant Revolt advanced. both have wins, but $ so it all took a back seat for now.

shoota 

You mean selling Steel RLTs is difficult? There's one locally that has been up for a while. I think the price of them is just too high for most people.

mstateglfr 

Any thoughts as to why?
- brand name, unknowns about quality, missing something that local riders want, etc?

softreset

You know, hard to say. Web retailers like BikeBling certainly don't help. The three shops within 100 miles from where I live who all sold Niner no longer sell the brand (and this was all post their Chapter 11 filing), including the one I worked at.

When I had originally listed it, for a while, I only ever got sub $2000 offers. FWIW, I was $1970 into it but I didn't intend to sell it just for I paid for it. Most shop bikes I sell are usually about a year old anyway and most of them have a few demo rides on them. At the time I initially listed it the new colorway hadn't been released yet and with a ~ $3400 sticker, I figured asking $2800 and taking $2400-2500 was a score for someone.

In my area the big three dominate (Trek, Specialized, Cannondale). I think I've seen a Niner on the roads/trails maybe once in the 10+ years I've been riding out here. So I suspect a lot of it is recognition. Because a sub $2500 full Ultegra R8000 hydro on just about any decent frame is worth it (IMO).

gus6464

It's not just the gravel Niners that have issues selling used. MTBs are not doing too hot either. You can sell a used Yeti or Santa Cruz in two seconds here but Niners will sit. On the trails here you will see an army of Yeti, Santa Cruz, and Specialized. Starting to see a lot of Marins too but Niners are super rare.

Local shop that sells Niners and Santa Cruz told me that on the year end deals they can put out bikes with identical builds and put both on sale with the SC being 200-300 more and it will be gone in 24-48 hours. The Niner on the other hand will just sit.

softreset

Yeah, that's pretty much the impression that I've gotten. Zero issues with my RLT 9 Steel, I love the hell out of it. But people gravitate to specific name brands, regardless of price.

SC is definitely one of them. I've seen pay more for less just because it says Santa Cruz.

gus6464

Didn't Niner have QC issues along with atrocious customer service before they got bought out? Maybe people still think of it as the same old Niner.

tdilf

This is how i picked up my Niner RLT RDO. Competitive Cyclist were selling on ebay last summer and having a hard time selling. The timing was right for me and I grabbed one for well under 2K (complete build).