Have yet to see an adventure bike at this price: the JAMIS RENEGADE EXILE. On sale at Jenson for $600, you get a pretty decent bike for the price, with room to grow. True, you're kitted with Claris shifters and so forth, but who's to stop you from upgrading a bit here and there? There's a lot to love--and keep--here, even as you evolve this bike. The Alex rims are a great deal here: they're tubeless-compatible, for gosh' sake. Not sure of their width. They are sold on *much* higher end bikes, like Jamis' Nova Pro and even their $2900 SuperNova Elite. The Clement Xplr USH 700 x 35 tires are a really nice touch. Those are going to be $75/pair anyway. So for the wheels and tires alone, you're getting a deal. The cheap? An aluminum fork and heavy parts all over. That aluminum fork's not going to do you any favors on rugged roads, and it's perhaps the weakest spec on the bike. Then again, you can buy a carbon fork upgrade, new or used...
That weak point suggests that the Motobecane Omni Strada Sport is an even better deal. It comes with a carbon fork at the price of $600 from BikesDirect. It too has tubeless compatible wheels, extra wide no less: WTB STP i23 TCS 29". And it too runs on a Claris drivetrain. One argument for or against the Motobecane is it's heavy crankset, with a mountain climbing 50x39x30 triple. For me, that's a deal-maker, given the off-road climbs I like to do. The tires are wire bead, but otherwise good: WTB Nanos at 700 x 40. A great deal, except for one failure: it's nearly sold out in all but the smallest sizes. The bike has all sorts of builds, such as the Ultegra-level Omni Strada Pro for $1200. Then again, it's nearly identical sister (albeit with a standard, not a compact frame) is in stock in all sizes for the same price. The Motobecane Fantom Cross Trail more or less the same as the Omni Strada except that you get the narrower i19 rim and narrower 35c tires: it's angled a bit more towards cyclocross. In yellow or black.
Save a hundred dollars at get a Motobecane Turino Comp, again with the carbon fork, but you lose everywhere else, from rims to tires to shifters. $500US may seem quite the deal here, but you're saddled with such cheap parts all over, that it's not a real cost-saving move. One can easily enough go up the food chain with the Turino, though, with various budget options, and then too at the 105 level ($1000) or Ultegra level ($1300). On the other hand, the $500 US Gravity Liberty CXD comes with carbon fork Claris/Sora drivetrain and Alex wheels. 3 x 8 triple crankset, with clearance for 43mm tires. In orange, dark silver, or white.
Last but not least is the ugliest of the bunch, the overtly monster-cross Gravity Zila for $600. CrMo fork, WTB Speedisc 29er wheels and clearance for huge tires. Ugly, but the frame is meant for some singletrack for sure. The best features of this bike are its Sora shifters and Deore rear der. Boasts clearance for 29 x 1.75 tires. Ugly thing, isn't it?
A rather stunning late entry here was just spied on eBay: alloy version of the Dimaondback Haanjo Comp. HED wheelset, 105 specs, and more. Seen on sale for $700 US ($925 CAD) on eBay! Free pick-up in Cleveland, or $80 US to ship in US. For a hundred bux more, that's a hell of a lot more bike that the Claris kitted options above. BOUGHT IT!! Final price: $625 US (discounted due to different wheels, etc.). I liked it fine, but it was no great bike. Resold the bike in Toronto.
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