My Jamis Renegade Elite has arrived...a short review

My 2015 demo model Renegade Elite arrived the other day. Picked it up and it was a little more beat up than I was expecting but it was a demo bike so I'm sure it wasn't treated with the utmost care. But it's functional and carries the same warranty as if it was a new bike...so...all good I guess. And I don't have to worry about banging it up some since that's already been done for me.

Got it home and hopped on for a test ride up the street. Holy crap...I'm 6'2" and got a size 58 as recommended by my Jamis dealer. I'm pretty sure whoever specced the bike over at Jamis did so with someone 6'8" in mind. Freaking HUGE!!!! 15mm setback setpost and 120mm stem? Terrible fit and I couldn't get the seat forward enough and the nose adjusted down enough...very uncomfortable, painful actually, ride. By the way...that Ritchey seatpost is a horrible design. Do yourself a favor...if you buy this bike and it comes with the seat post that has the Vector Evo clamp system...either order the standard clamp replacement or have another seat post ready and waiting...especially if you already have a saddle you like and want to use.

Luckily, a buddy had a spare post that fit with no setback until the one I ordered arrives, and I had a spare 100mm stem. Swapped things out and off I went. SO MUCH BETTER. Still needs some adjustments but at least it's rideable now. Did a quick 20 miler with about half on dirt/gravel. The bike rides nice and handles well. A little slower than the SuperX it's replacing but that was to be expected. Climbed well with the 34/36 drivetrain (I had the 36t cassette swapped in). Felt good at average cruising speeds of 18-20 mph and stable rolling downhill at 35 mph. I didn't push it hard downhill until I get a little more used to it.

So all in all...I think this bike is going to be a keeper. Once I get more miles in I'll be able to better dial it in and figure out if there's any issues...I really like the 15mm thru axle front...much better than the QR front that was on the SuperX. The rear 135QR wasn't an issue but I am building another wheelset for this bike and I plan to go 10x135 just for the slightly beefier axle and better clamping. Not that I foresee any issues with the standard QR but for the same price other than buying the 10mm thru bolt...why not. I do miss my SRAM double tap shifting but I really like the Ultegra hydro brakes. If there was a way to combine...that would be a dream come true. So it will do until such time I can afford e-shifting, maybe next year.

Thanks for the update and glad that your adjustments made a difference.   "New" bikes are very frustrating when the fit is wrong and buyer's remorse starts setting in.   Glad you got past that quickly.  Keep us posted as you settle in on the bike.  Lots of questions about this bike on the forum so be prepared. 

More than happy to answer any questions...best that I can at least. 

Howdy,
I read that you had a cassette with a 36 tooth granny gear put on the bike.  Did you have to modify the rear derailleur?  I have the expert (not the elite) and I'm pretty sure I want a 36 tooth as well.

Well...it works as is but not great as is. I did order the Wolftooth RoadLink and that should take care of things. The only issue I have is that the b-screw is cranked all the way in and the space between the upper pulley and the 36t cog is too close. It works but makes quite the noise. So I don't use that gear at the moment. But I also believe that my r/d is the short cage...not the medium. My bike came stock with a 52/36 up front and 11-28 in the back. I had my dealer as part of the purchase, swap the cassette for the 11-36 and chainrings to a 50/34. I think the 2016's, at least the Elite has the medium cage. My buddy has the 2016 Elite and he had a 36t installed and it's perfect with just minor adjustment to the b-screw, not even turned all the way in like mine. I will say though...34/36 climbs like a freakin' goat, so if you have some hills in your area and would like a little help climbing...I'd highly recommend going with the 36t cassette.

Here's a little continuation of my Renegade experience. I was incorrect thinking that my r/d was a medium cage. It was in fact a short cage. I ordered the RoadLink from Wolftooth. It worked in some regards but others it did not. I believe that's due to the short cage, not the design of the RoadLink. I did order and received today, a medium cage Ultegra 6800 GS r/d. Installed without the RoadLink and it looks to be good to go. The cage is a little more stretched out when in the 50/36 than I'd like but I don't plan to run it in that cross chain configuration. At least not often. There might be times I do but I'm trying to break my cross chaining habit. But at least it works unlike when I had the short cage and RoadLink installed. And on the flip side when on the 34 up front I can use all gears in the back. Again, don't plan to...but I can if I want. The short cage wouldn't allow that to happen at all.

Also, while I was at it...I went ahead and ordered some Shimano RT86 Ice-Tech 160mm brake rotors and got them installed. They are nice and beefy and should be a great braking upgrade for the bike. So far I'm really liking the Shimano braking. I love my XT brakes that I have on one of my mountain bikes. While I do prefer my SRAM shifting...Shimano definitely does brakes better. These rotors should really enhance the already good braking I'm getting currently.

So...need to clean up and I'm off for a short 10-15 shake down ride with the new parts.

Thank you for your review and the updates. I have ordered a 2016 Renegade Expert and should get it next week. Interesting to know that the GS derailleur works with a 11-36 casette, that looks like a good option. \n \nDoes anyone know which fenders work well on the renegade? Installation of the rear fender should be straightforward, but the front fender seems to be tricky due to the position of the mounting hole in front of the axle and the brake caliper. The fenders on the Jamis website seem to be a nice fit, anyone know which model this is? http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/images/16_renegadeelite_commute.jpg \n \n

Nub, totally agree on the road bike shifting.

SRAM drivetrain + Shimano brakes = perfection

Maybe we can solicit someone to come up with an adapter that will allow Shimano calipers to work with SRAM brifters.

I received my Renegade today
Unfortunately, due to bad packaging, there is a big chip on the right seat stay. The chip goes through several layers (the clear coating and at least the layer below). Do you think it would be safe to ride this bike? Should I expect failure in the future, for example because the carbon is not protected from UV light any more?

Mine has worse. And my other carbon bikes do as well. Without seeing it in person...I'd say it's safe. Just paint damage. Just look around really close to make sure there's not other cracking in the paint that might mean that the frame took a nasty hit during shipping and flexed the stay enough to cause the damage.

But...I know it sucks waiting and the possibility of maybe not even having anymore in stock...but I'd not except that...not on a new bike. I'd want to new frame or at least a discount for taking a damaged one with assurance that it will be covered under warranty if/when something happens.

Thank you Nubster for your informative and incredibly fast reply.

It is my first carbon bike, that's why I was a bit worried, but I am relieved that according to your experience everything should be fine. I know where the chip comes from: the bike came packaged together with some tools, and somebody thought it would be a good idea to put the tools in a plastic bag between seat stay and chain stay. So the tools were free to move and bang against the seat stay during transport.
With your assurance that everything should be fine, I plan on taking the bike for a short ride on tarmac this week-end, and if everything seems good, maybe some light gravel.

I prefer my new stuff in pristine condition, but I also try to keep my ecological foot print low. That's why I won't exchange the bike if the dealer thinks that I can ride it safely and also guarantees that any future damage in that area will be covered by warranty, even in 10 years. I'll let you know about the results of my negotiations.

Pretty careless on the part of Jamis. Hope you get something out of it. But yeah...if that's what caused the chip you're fine. Paint doesn't seem to adhere that great to carbon and tends to chip fairly easily. At least the first one is done and over...lol...it's always the most painful one.

It is not carelessness on the part of Jamis, but rather the dealer, evanscycles.com. They add a simple multitool and a pedal spanner to the bikes they sell. The idea is nice, but the packaging was horrible.

I have not yet heard back from evanscycles, and have not yet dared to take the bike out for a ride (not for fear of it braking, but to avoid any potential problems regarding the return of the bike)

Ah...ok. Mine was a demo so I thought maybe Jamis included the tools with new bikes in the box and figured I didn't get them because my bike wasn't new in the box. Still sucks though. That really sucks too that you can't or don't want to ride it until you hear back. I don't blame you...that way they can't dispute that the damage was from you. I took pictures of all the damage on my bike soon as I got home that way if I have issues stemming from any of those spots I can have proof that it previous damage already on the bike. It's all paint chips and scuffs...but you never know 100% for sure.

Added a splash of color. Bottle cage off the SuperX I had and added some new bar tape today. Wrapped over the black that was already on the bike. I prefer double wrapped bars for the added thickness and extra padding. I have a bad issue with numb hands while riding and this has always helped.