Steel Road Bikes

[KnottedYet]

Jamis Aurora.

Ohh, baby! <Knot wipes away drool>

I test rode one 3 times. I loved it. The shop monkeyed with it to make it fit me. I rode it more. Oh, it was a great bike. The bronze/brown color is just lovely in person. They offered to put my clipless (Frogs) on it and my Brooks on it so I could take it for a longer ride than the 4 or 5 miles I'd gone before.

It rode like butter, and fit like a glove!

It was love, it was romance, it was passion!

Then Limewave's Waterford (aka Flossie) came into my life. It was simpatico. I got the Waterford, but still have lustful thoughts about the Aurora.

If you can, go to the shop. Have them fit an Aurora to you. Take it for a good long ride. If something doesn't seem right, go straight back to the shop and re-fit it. (including the saddle, I found the stock saddle to be very uncomfortable) The Ritchey adjustable stems are a dream. The one I test rode had smooth road tires on it, but another one at another shop had knobbies on it. The road tires are nice. The Aurora has cyclocross geometry, which I find to be very kind to my womanly proportions. (my Kona and my Waterford have cyclocross geometry.)

And remember.... "steel is real". (so full steel is realer!)

[madscot13]

I have a cromoly trek 520 and I love it. It is my only bike since an old Huffy, so that may be adding to my bias though. I have a touring bike and it does ride differently than a pure road bike- not as agile but very comfortable all around.

If this is the bike that makes you ooze with tingles and makes those little neckhairs stand on end- I think it will translate to pedal power. My bike does.

Check out the Jamis and let us know what you think. A jamis retailer is close to my house and I need another reason to ogle bikes.

[pooks]

Wow, Knotted. That's great info. That's the way I want to feel about my next bike; we'll see if the Aurora is the one!

I can't find where it gives the weight. Is there another term besides "weight?"

Oh -- found it. 26.5 pounds. That's heavier than I was hoping for, this time around.... Typical for steel?

[KnottedYet]

It's on the heavy side for steel. Don't forget the Aurora has very sturdy tubes for cyclocross and loaded touring, and the triple and big cassette and interruptor levers etc add weight, too.

Don't worry too much about the weight, just concentrate on the fit and feel.

When I rode it, I certainly didn't feel it was a heavy bike. I'm surprised by the 26.5 lbs you found.

(I test rode a full carbon bike that was probably 10 lbs less than that, and I was miserable. Go by how you and the bike get along, don't worry about weight until you ride it.)

[pooks]

Thanks!

[xeney]

I would agree that you shouldn't get sold on one type of material until you ride. I have three steel bikes and one aluminum bike that I ride regularly; the aluminum is the heaviest by far (because it's my mountain bike), and two of the steel bikes have a beautiful smooth ride and the other completely sucks on anything other than perfectly smooth pavement ... but was fine when my husband lent me a set of wheels that had big fat tires. (I gave them back because I decided I'd rather go fast and they made the bike feel kind of sluggish.) I think tires have a whole lot more to do with how much you feel the road than frame material does. You are going to feel the road a lot more on any road bike than you feel it now on your hybrid.

(I guess I should note that the two steel bikes that ride so smoothly are lugged, and the other one isn't, but I also have slightly fatter tires on the lugged steel bikes.)

Steel is pretty. I think even TIG-welded steel bikes tend to have a more elegant look than carbon or aluminum, but that is totally an aesthetic preference (I like the skinny tubes). But I test rode an aluminum road bike a while back, a pretty low-end one, and it had a smoother ride than my steel Bianchi. It didn't fit me, but it made me decide that if I decide to shop for a new road bike at some point, I will not rule out aluminum frames.

[mimitabby]

My Bianchi weighs 25 pounds (with saddle, small bag in rear) and it is a very fast bike.

[roguedog]

Jamis Aurora have a very good rep as a value conscious touring bike. On the touring forums when folks say they can't afford a Bruce Gordon or a Co-motion often Jamis and REI come up as suggestions.

Since it is a touring bike it will be a bit heavier than a bike with more racing geometry. Gotta be able to tote that load

I agree with Xeney. Go have fun and try as many bikes as your sanity wil take. You'll learn tons about what you like and what you don't like. When I was shopping, I rode not only all types of bikes but also all types of materials. I originally only zero'd in on steel and was suspicious of carbon and kinda eh on aluminum. But someone convinced me to try carbon and it was.. ok. KInda boring to me. I understood what people meant when they said carbon has a dead wooden feel. I tried some more bikes and then someone again said to try the carbon one. Told them my story.. but tried anyway. Wow, what a big diff.

So long story... just keep trying. Every make is a bit different. Try them.. get to know how your body responds to the various options out there so you get a better understanding of what it is that fits your body.

[pooks]

Thanks. It's reassuring in a way to know that there aren't any absolutes. Sure it would be nice if it were easier, but I did it the "easy" way before. Thanks for all the info and feedback!

[pooks]

Oh, but this raises another question -- should I take my Brooks saddle with me when I go test ride?

[7rider]

I have a friend who test rode a number of bikes and never heard of Jamis before the LBS showed him one. He took it for a spin and instantly fell in love with it. For him, everything about it was just right.
There are a number of nice bikes in that line. Note that some have a carbon fork (the Aurora does not) which can be nice for absorbing road shock.
Since you intend to keep your current bike for utilitarian rides, keep in mind the intended use for the new bike. Are fender and rack mounts a necessity? Do you intend to keep things light and take it out for "fitness" rides vs. commuting rides? Is a zippy bike what you're after? Something solid? Do you prefer stiff or compliant? If you don't know the answer to those questions - the answers may become more clear as you ride a few.
You might want to bring a notebook with you so you can record you impressions of each (before you forget them), noting the specs of each. You may like the ride a steel fork on a steel frame. Or, you may prefer a carbon fork. Only you can make that call.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

My Rivendell road bike- the Rambouillet- is about the same weight as the Jamis.
My bike is lighter than lots of hybrids are, heavier than carbon and aluminum bikes. It feels great to ME. (Note: often on websites, they will quote the FRAME weight...WITHOUT the wheels, saddle, pedals, etc. This Jamis quote is for the whole bike. Don't confuse frame weight with whole bike weight when comparing).

[mimitabby]

yes, take your saddle. And you can measure their relative intelligence by their reaction to it.
and give us the full report later

[HillSlugger]

Oh, but this raises another question -- should I take my Brooks saddle with me when I go test ride?

If you've got clipless pedals you're used to, take them too.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

yes, take your saddle. And you can measure their relative intelligence by their reaction to it.
and give us the full report later

But if they sniff it, get out of there FAST!