Jamis Aurora!?!?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

It's MINE!

I got them to throw in the fenders...and I ended up adding a rear rack too because I'm not sure there's enough room for a saddlebag without a rack for it to rest on...I also got an antique brown B68 for the old price So I did well!!

You did FABULOUSLY!
I forgot that yours is a smallish frame so yes a rear rack will keep your saddle bag off your wheel (not usually an issue with a big men's bike).
Good deal on the fenders and the B68, girl!! You did a great job researching and test riding and keeping your mind open to many things in searching for your bike. And in the end, it was YOU who actually went back and asked to try the Jamis in another size that they hadn't even recommended. Most excellent job. Goes to show we can look at all the geometry charts we want but we never really know for sure until we test ride.

Don't forget a heavy duty lock for that new beauty of yours. Others will covet it. (and watch out for Sandra lurking about your neighborhood behind the bushes in her black ninja outfit...she may try to claim that bolt cutter in her hands is just a "hedge trimmer")

I want to see some pictures of the happy YOU WITH your new Aurora!

[sandra]

Don't forget a heavy duty lock for that new beauty of yours. Others will covet it. (and watch out for Sandra lurking about your neighborhood behind the bushes in her black ninja outfit...she may try to claim that bolt cutter in her hands is just a "hedge trimmer")

Yes, I'll be the one with the sawed off legs. (Oh, and the funny accent talking on my cell phone)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Yes, I'll be the one with the sawed off legs. (Oh, and the funny accent talking on my cell phone)

Ah yes....stumpin' around the neighborhood, rackin' up those 7000 cell phone minutes trying to talk people into buying poor homeless Ebay mixtes! ....Hey it's a hard job but somebody's gotta do it!

[sandra]

NOT 7 THOUSAND. only 700!

[Xrayted]

That is a gorgeous bike, Elk. I like the Jamis bikes too. I think you've made a great choice when it comes to getting the most out of a bike for this area and for the type of riding you are doing. It'll be geared nicely for our hills and flats and will work well for touring or just riding to work. Good job on having the patience to wait until you found the one that spoke to you.
I'm currently trying to decide if I want to keep my current mtb or go with a bike like the one you just bought. (I'm also considering Kona among others.) I use it on the trails and to just run around town for groceries and such. I'm looking for a bike that will do all that but also be good for when we start doing some short, self-supported tours next year. The mtb won't quite cut it then and I don't feel the need to have 3 bikes. (I have a road bike that is not good for touring.) I'd love to know where you got yours. A test ride wouldn't hurt. Maybe you can PM me on the LBS details.

Good luck with your new wheels. And by all means, go get that bike now before rush hour. I'm not sure which bridge you have to cross, but looking down on (most of) them right now, I wouldn't wait.

[uforgot]

I just want to offer my sincere apologies to all TEers. Yes, I'M the one who first mentioned "mixte" to Sandra. But on the bright side, many homeless mixtes have now made their way to Mississippi and are happily a part of Blossom's family. (Even though they have to share the guest room)

[elk]

You did FABULOUSLY!
I forgot that yours is a smallish frame so yes a rear rack will keep your saddle bag off your wheel (not usually an issue with a big men's bike).
Good deal on the fenders and the B68, girl!! You did a great job researching and test riding and keeping your mind open to many things in searching for your bike. And in the end, it was YOU who actually went back and asked to try the Jamis in another size that they hadn't even recommended. Most excellent job. Goes to show we can look at all the geometry charts we want but we never really know for sure until we test ride.

Don't forget a heavy duty lock for that new beauty of yours. Others will covet it. (and watch out for Sandra lurking about your neighborhood behind the bushes in her black ninja outfit...she may try to claim that bolt cutter in her hands is just a "hedge trimmer")

I want to see some pictures of the happy YOU WITH your new Aurora!

kryptonite lock: check
motion detector lights: check
VERY alert dogs: check
yankee intuition: check

The ONLY bike I didn;t get to check out was the LHT...but I got myself a Brooks saddle, a light and a rack for the price difference!!

still waiting for a call...and rush hour officially begins...

OH! I forgot to tell you this story! Yesterday after I tested the Aurora, I saw this burly dude fly by on a Surly and I yelled out, "Hey izzat a Long Haul Trucker...???" He looked back at me, and rode away faster...I only wanted to LOOK at it!!!

[KnottedYet]

congrats on the new bike! Yay!

(pictures, we want pictures!)

[xeney]

Okay, enablers. I was looking at cyclocross bikes for hauling a kid trailer, because I want something that can do gravel and pavement, but the guys at the bike shop just about talked me into an Aurora instead (with a few modifications for my purposes). I have to order it, though, because they don't have it in stock.

They'll talk to me about fit but I wanted to see what you all think. I think the 50cm is right for me -- specs are here. The effective top tube length is listed as 535, which seems pretty long, though. I seem to remember that there is something about the seat tube angle changing how that reach is going to work but I can't get my head around it.

For comparison, my road bike is a 53cm, and I believe it had the same effective top tube length, and we had to put a 5cm stem on it to make it fit me. I'm 5'6 with longish legs and a shortish torso.

[elk]

Okay, enablers. I was looking at cyclocross bikes for hauling a kid trailer, because I want something that can do gravel and pavement, but the guys at the bike shop just about talked me into an Aurora instead (with a few modifications for my purposes). I have to order it, though, because they don't have it in stock.

They'll talk to me about fit but I wanted to see what you all think. I think the 50cm is right for me -- specs are here. The effective top tube length is listed as 535, which seems pretty long, though. I seem to remember that there is something about the seat tube angle changing how that reach is going to work but I can't get my head around it.

For comparison, my road bike is a 53cm, and I believe it had the same effective top tube length, and we had to put a 5cm stem on it to make it fit me. I'm 5'6 with longish legs and a shortish torso.

same birthday...same bike?!?!?

Can you try a Coda for size? My Aurora is a 47...so I'm not sure I can help. It is a VERY comfortable bike though.
The other bike I really liked was a Bianchi Volpe and it had a very similiar fit...the top tube maybe was a LITTLE shorter...but not much.

[tulip]

Great bike, elk. I love my Jamis. They are really high-quality steel bikes at a reasonable price. I'd pick a Jamis over a Trek any day (although a Trek 520 touring bike might be a very close second).

I read somewhere that the CEO of Jamis is a woman.

[elk]

Great bike, elk. I love my Jamis. They are really high-quality steel bikes at a reasonable price. I'd pick a Jamis over a Trek any day (although a Trek 520 touring bike might be a very close second).

I read somewhere that the CEO of Jamis is a woman.

I tried the 520 and liked it a lot...but the top tube was too Looooong!!! I don't have good luck fitting on Treks...

[xeney]

As I said on the thread I started, that is what is drawing me to the Jamis, the relatively short top tubes. All the other touring-style bikes have insanely long top tubes and I don't think any of them will fit me.

[Blueberry]

Just goes to show how different we all are. DH and I had a fit kit done when we purchased our Fridays. My Trek 520 fit exactly to those measurements (I think we were 1mm off on bar reach) right out of the box. We didn't even have to change out the stem.

I usually ride a 52cm bike - I had to go down to a 50 in the Surly for standover and length (and it's still ever so slightly too long, but not enough to bother me - especially with noodle bars).

CA

[Eden]

I usually ride a 52cm bike - I had to go down to a 50 in the Surly for standover and length (and it's still ever so slightly too long, but not enough to bother me - especially with noodle bars).

CA

Is that a LHT or a Crosscheck? If its the Crosscheck, they measure a bit smaller because the bottom bracket is higher (as it is with all cross bikes), so pretty much everyone has to go down a "size". I'm not sure about the LHT though.