Steve, great looking renegade! I am actually looking to order the exact bike. Size and all! I am 5'8 with 31ish cycle inseam so hopefully size 54 for me. How do you enjoy the reynolds steel ride quality? Jamis says that bike weighs 22lbs. Think that's accurate? Thx
Steve, what stem length did u go with for your fit also?
Thanks, I'm pretty pleased with it-hope to get a 650bX48 wheel/tire set up in there soon! You are an inch taller than I, closer to the height of my buddy that also rides a 54cm steel Jamis, actually. He flipped the stock stem to get the bars a little higher and it works fine for him. I've only put 60 or so miles on it so I haven't formed much of an impression for frame ride quality. It is a smooth riding bike, though some of that surely comes down to the plump tires. It lacks the snappy acceleration of a race bike, but if you are more into laying down miles than sprinting, I think it is a great option. A lighter wheelset and narrower tires may improve snap but would impact the versatility that made me want it in the first place. It's not really a slow feeling bike, especially once you're rolling. The weight, well, Jamis is far from the only brand that fudges those numbers. Maybe they weighed the smallest frame? I have a cheap old scale-it's not precise, but this bike as it rolled off the showroom floor is at best 24 pounds. Not a concern to me, honestly, especially at this price point. Re fit, I put a zero setback post on it to get the saddle where I need it to be in relation to the bottom bracket, and an 8cm stem to shorten the reach a hair and it feels pretty spot on.
Here's a test fit pic of the 650bX48 GravelKing SK in back-waiting on a 12mm axle conversion for the front. Looks pretty capable!