Quote Originally Posted by KnottedYet
The chickie at the shop said I might like a Surly Long Haul Trucker even more, but didn't have one in my size. And in my size the Surly is gonna have 650c wheels rather than 700c. She thought I wouldn't like the 650c's.
The geometry of the Jamis was lovely. Just lovely. Dunno if a Surly LHT would be lovelier.

I ride all steel also.
I just love my Surly Pacer. The Pacer is the road bike. It's an old style road bike, I think of mine more as a sport touring bike. The Pacer takes 700c wheels in all sizes. The LHT takes 26"/650c wheels in sizes 54cm and smaller.

I also have an LHT.
The LHT is a dedicated touring frame, and it's a heavy bike. Mine (42cm) weighs about 30lbs! The Pacer weighs less, but it's not as light as the "racing bikes."

You might check out the Novara Randonee if there is an REI near you. It's a steel frame bike. Sometimes they have really good deals on them.