Felt vs Jamis - Gravel

shuna

Hi all,

Early this year, I was planning to buy a GT Grade but wasn't able to find a shop that had some Grades I could try for sizing.
I eventually gave up my search and decided on waiting until the end of the year, where some local bike shops have year end sales. Seeing as it is difficult to find any Grades in Tokyo, I will probably not go with GT.

Now that the time has come, I am looking for a gravel bike, mainly will be used for leisure/fitness/going along with my friend's road bike. I plan to use it 75% on road, 25% gravel-ish road.

So, I am currently between a Jamis Renegade Expat and Felt VR40 (both around the same price).
I was able to try out an Expat 54 and Felt Broam 54 today and they both felt nice size-wise.

The Broam seemed a bit too off-road (40c) and I read that the VR (28c) is between a road bike and a gravel bike, so I feel it fits my needs more than the Broam line.

I will be able to try out a VR size 54 later next week, but would like to hear the communities opinion on these two bikes, particularly the Felt VR, since I can't find that many reviews on that line.


tl;dr
・Looking for bike 75% on-road, 25% paved road
・Currently between Jamis Renegade Expat and Felt VR40 (around same price)
・Would like to hear community opinion on both, especially VR40
・Height: 176cm, Inseam: 81.8cm

Thank you in advance!

photonic69

I have a Felt VR 30. Same frame etc just 105 Groupset. It's my best and favourite bike ever. Love it. It's my do it all bike. Commuting, leisure and club runs. Running Conti 4 Seasons in 28mm and full mudguards. You could run bigger say 32 or even small 40s without as fine knobbly tyres no problem.

It's comfortable. Handles well. Not a weight weanie bike but not too heavy.

I'd recommend it.

shuna

PhotoNic69 wrote:

I have a Felt VR 30. Same frame etc just 105 Groupset. It's my best and favourite bike ever. Love it. It's my do it all bike. Commuting, leisure and club runs. Running Conti 4 Seasons in 28mm and full mudguards. You could run bigger say 32 or even small 40s without as fine knobbly tyres no problem.

It's comfortable. Handles well. Not a weight weanie bike but not too heavy.

I'd recommend it.

Thanks for the quick reply.

The store that I called for a VR test ride actually has a VR30 instead of 40.
The 30 is a bit out of my budget, but frame geometry should be the same as 40 so the test right should give me an accurate idea.

I did read that they could fit 32s and 35s depending on tire choice, didn't know about 40s though!

Do you run the 28s on dirt roads or not-so-great paved roads?
Curious as to how 28s run on non-paved.

Also, if you don't mind me asking, what size do you ride and what is your height and inseam?

photonic69

You are probably right about the tyres. 32/35 would fit. Any type of Cyclo-X tyres would be great for tracks etc or maybe Schwalbe Marathon Original GreenGuard for more general use?

I run 28s on roads usually but some of our roads around here are getting bad and very muddy but I've not experienced any issues so far.

The geometry is very relaxed so it is not a 'sporty' bike but it handles well and is comfortable for long rides and sportives etc. I'm 6' with a 33" inside leg and the bike is a 56 which fits me perfectly. The only issue I found was that it came with very wide bars at 460mm. I found these far too wide for me so the shop changed them for 430's they had going spare and it made a huge difference for me.

The Felt also has a 'super compact' chainset so has 48/32T chainrings. It's great for climbing and I've not found I've spun out in the top gears yet apart from one hill that has an exceptional road surface but it hasn't made much difference to my times descending.

The wheel rims are UST ready. This can make fitting some tyres a little harder but most bikes seem to come with this type of rim now. The saddle is a little on the soft side on the VR40 but the VR30 get a much better Prologo Kappa Space which is very comfortable (for me).

shuna

Seeing as you have no issue with the 28s on somewhat bad roads, I'll stick with the stock tires if I get the VR.
If needed, will just swap them out for 32s or maybe even 35s as you mentioned.

Good to hear your thoughts on the geometry, was one of the points I was really curious about.
Considering the fact that the VR line is Felt's answer to decommissioning the endurance Z line and gravel V line, I assumed it wouldn't be as aggressive as a road but relaxed as a gravel (spec wise, it does seem more aggressive than the Broam though).

This will be my first good bike so don't really have anything to compare the chainset.
Don't really plan to do any racing on it though, so hopefully the super compact works well for leisure.

Noted on saddle, guess it comes down to preference.
Even though this is my first bike, I'm sure I can handle a saddle swap if needed lol

When you purchased your VR30, were there any other bikes you were considering?
Possibly road any Jamis Renegades by chance?

photonic69

shuna wrote:

When you purchased your VR30, were there any other bikes you were considering?
Possibly road any Jamis Renegades by chance?

No - my criteria were - That is has at least Tiagra if not 105. Has Hydraulic Disk brakes. Has clearance for 28mm tyres with full mudguards. Was comfortable with relaxed geometry like a Giant Defy.

I looked at the VR40 but was offered such a good deal on the VR30 I could not refuse.

shuna

PhotoNic69 wrote:

shuna wrote:

When you purchased your VR30, were there any other bikes you were considering?
Possibly road any Jamis Renegades by chance?

No - my criteria were - That is has at least Tiagra if not 105. Has Hydraulic Disk brakes. Has clearance for 28mm tyres with full mudguards. Was comfortable with relaxed geometry like a Giant Defy.

I looked at the VR40 but was offered such a good deal on the VR30 I could not refuse.

I see, does seem like the VR30 fits your criteria perfectly then.

I can get the VR40 for around 1200 USD (includes shipping), dunno if thats considered a good deal but the cheapest I could find in Japan.
The VR30s I've found online are out of budget, so if I feel Tiagra and/or the mechanical disc brakes need an upgrade, I will act accordingly. Might need to swap out the entire wheel rim too though =/

photonic69

The VR40's here were Tiagra AND hydraulic disk brakes. Are they different in Japan?

mugensi

PhotoNic69 wrote:

The Felt also has a 'super compact' chainset so has 48/32T chainrings. It's great for climbing and I've not found I've spun out in the top gears yet apart from one hill that has an exceptional road surface but it hasn't made much difference to my times descending.

I have a VR30 also, its not my best bike but it is my favourite as its so comfortable. I find myself using it nearly all the time and my poor old Felt F5 (which has been heavily upgraded) sits in the garage gathering dust.

The chain set on the VR30 is actually 46/30 with an 11/32 cassette and so its ideal for hilly rides. I upgraded the Felt wheels to Fulcrum DB5's and changed the tyres to Michelin Lithion 2's in 25mm and shaved a whopping 502gr of the weight as the stock VR21 wheels are very heavy as are the 28mm durano tyres. The bike is now considerably livelier with the Fulcrum wheels and the difference can especially be felt on climbs.

I love the 46cm bars, I find the wider spread much more comfortable especially when out of the saddle.

The VR30 is a fantastic all-round bike and I'm sure the VR40 is equally as good. As far as I know the VR40 also has hydraulic disc brakes (which incidentally are very very good) and so the only real difference is its 10spd as opposed to 11spd.

Edit: Just had a look at the 2018 Felt VR40 and it seems that they have downgraded the brakes from hydraulic to mechanical as they were Shimano RS505 hydraulic on the 2017 model as I seriously considered getting the VR40 as I liked the silver colour but figured the VR30 was more future proof being 11spd and so went for it instead. They have also reverted to a compact 50/34 chainset from the sub-compact FSA Vero 46/30T chainset on the 2017 bike but fitted an 11/34T cassette which offsets slightly the change to a 50/34.

shuna

PhotoNic69 wrote:

The VR40's here were Tiagra AND hydraulic disk brakes. Are they different in Japan?

As MugenSi mentioned, I believe its a difference between 2018 VR40 and 2019 VR40.
The 2019 VR40 come with Tektro MD-C550 Dual Piston Flat Mount Discs, so a downgrade from the RS505 hydraulic.

MugenSi wrote:

I have a VR30 also, its not my best bike but it is my favourite as its so comfortable. I find myself using it nearly all the time and my poor old Felt F5 (which has been heavily upgraded) sits in the garage gathering dust.

The chain set on the VR30 is actually 46/30 with an 11/32 cassette and so its ideal for hilly rides. I upgraded the Felt wheels to Fulcrum DB5's and changed the tyres to Michelin Lithion 2's in 25mm and shaved a whopping 502gr of the weight as the stock VR21 wheels are very heavy as are the 28mm durano tyres. The bike is now considerably livelier with the Fulcrum wheels and the difference can especially be felt on climbs.

I love the 46cm bars, I find the wider spread much more comfortable especially when out of the saddle.

The VR30 is a fantastic all-round bike and I'm sure the VR40 is equally as good. As far as I know the VR40 also has hydraulic disc brakes (which incidentally are very very good) and so the only real difference is its 10spd as opposed to 11spd.

Edit: Just had a look at the 2018 Felt VR40 and it seems that they have downgraded the brakes from hydraulic to mechanical as they were Shimano RS505 hydraulic on the 2017 model as I seriously considered getting the VR40 as I liked the silver colour but figured the VR30 was more future proof being 11spd and so went for it instead. They have also reverted to a compact 50/34 chainset from the sub-compact FSA Vero 46/30T chainset on the 2017 bike but fitted an 11/34T cassette which offsets slightly the change to a 50/34.

Good to hear all the praise on the VR series!
I'm having a hard time finding a good deal on any Jamis, so the 1200 USD Felt VR40 is looking like it meets my needs more.

Edit: Hm, seems like Japan's 2017 and 2018 VR40 both use Rever Flat Mount mechanical discs. Can't seem to find the silver colored VR40 on Japan's website (although I found it on Tredz).

I was able to go to a bike shop today and check the size of a VR30 size 54, seems like the 54 fits me perfectly.

However, the store clerk mentioned the Cannondale Synapse might also meet my needs.
I checked the lineup and it does seem similar to the Felt VR series, except they don't take tyres wider than 28c.
Also, the 2019 lineup seems to not have many aluminum options, bumping up the price...

Have any of you considered the Cannondale Synapse line, or is there a key difference I am missing?

shuna

Just an update.

I eventually pulled the trigger on the Felt VR40 and couldn't be happier.
The ride is smooth with the 28mm tyres (have them at 75/85 PSI) and I can easily keep up with my friends on more racier bikes.

Its a bit heavier than I imagined after I put all of my accessories on, but I assume my lock (ABUS Bordo 6500) is a big chunk of the added weight, but I still do recommend to anyone that wants a racy bike but does not want to sacrifice comfort.