Ok, ready to pull the trigger!

[KnottedYet]

I've ridden and loved both. I was all ready to buy a Jamis Aurora, and then I rode a Surly Cross Check.

The Cross Check stole my heart.

I felt like I was flying, that I could ride forever, that the bike was meant for me. Yeah, the saddle was a horrible pain, and the bars were too low and too wide... but the bike meshed with me like magic.

Here's the deal: I have ridiculously long arms and broad shoulders. Stretching out over the longish cockpit of the Cross Check was heavenly. It meshed with the way I tend to work my body. Even with the bars and saddle wrong, it still felt so very very right. (I changed them after I bought her.)

If you have any inkling that your arms or torso might be longer than average, I'd try the CC. Otherwise, the Aurora. Either way, I really don't think you will go wrong.

Are you ordering through a bike shop? What is their policy on special orders? If you ride the bike and hate it, can you return it?

Edit To Add: several folks on here have Auroras, and several have CCs. They are both great bikes!