Jamis Aurora vs Surly Long Haul Trucker

[Zen]

I will admit that the bar end shifters have me a little nervous, I still can't take my hands off of the bars to, say, get a drink.

I know.
You can still hold on to the handlebars a little bit with the barcon shifters.
Or someone could weigh in on whether these will work.

[lunacycles]

Jamis does indeed have a unique geometry. Mine fits like no other bike I own. Too bad you can't ride these bikes.

What is unique about it? Curious? Geometry listed somewhere?

I like the idea of having 700 cc wheels personally that the Jamis has. They will be a little lighter and quicker overall.

Sorry for curmudgeony post, but this is a big old myth. What makes a larger wheel be lighter? What makes it "quicker?"

[SLash]

Both Surly LHT and Jamis Aurora are good bikes. I just recently bought the Aurora Elite 2010. In 2010 Jamis changed the gearing making it more of a true touring bike. Rear cassette is Deore 11-34, with 50,39, 30 in the front. It also has disc brakes (good for loaded touring), Mavic rims, as you noted STI shifters, which was a plus for me. Yeah, I know they are more complicated and can't be repaired on the fly like bar-ends if you're in the middle of nowhere but that's not going to be me. I could have adjusted to bar-ends but prefer to use STI. My personal preference.

The frame on the Aurora Elite is Reynolds 631 tubing, the Aurora is 520, both very nice frames. The LHT is definitely a nice frame too. As someone pointed out the Aurora has 700c wheels.

Either way you can't go wrong, but I understand your concern. It is so hard to buy a bike, to decide on which bike to buy, especially when you can't ride them! I wasn't able to ride the Jamis before ordering it nor the Crosscheck or LHT. It makes an already difficult (but fun ) decision that much more difficult.

I also gave a lot of thought (can you say neurotic/ocd when it comes to bikes) about what to get so I feel for you.

Take your time, weigh the pros and cons and then take comfort in whether you buy the Aurora/A Elite or the LHT you are getting a very good bike.

Good luck!

Susan

[Catrin]

I know.
You can still hold on to the handlebars a little bit with the barcon shifters.
Or someone could weigh in on whether these will work.

I know that the bars for the small LHT are supposed to be compact, smaller than on the larger sizes so I am hoping that I can just move my hand down the bar to get to the shifters without having to actually let go

I have also heard about Pauls Thumbies? Something like that, someone posted a picture a while back in another thread on this forum. It looked like another solution - similar to your link at velo-orange.

Slash, thanks for your kind words - and you nailed it in one I can go LOOK at much larger versions of all three bikes (and I have) but that isn't the same as being able to test ride something. Then again, I know a lot of people are in this position and it is just my, ummm, detailed approach to it all that has turned this into my Touring Bike Epic

[Zen]

Thumbies are kinda spendy.

[Bike Chick]

Catrin,

I can certainly understand your dilemma. I've been looking for an errand/trail/commuter bike for almost a year now and I think we both have the same issues regarding size. I've considered both of these and researched many others on the list at have never had an opportunity to ride anything because of the size.

The upside to this is that I have ended up ordering a Luna Eclipse for the road and have learned a lot about bicycles in the whole process.

The downside is that I still don't have my errand/trail/commuter bike because I can't make a decision and commit to it. It seems the more I research, the deeper I get in choices and don't make a choice at all.

Shopping for your new bike is half the fun, Catrin. I don't think you will go wrong with either one. Have you tried the ole line down the paper with pros vs. cons method?

[Catrin]

...

Shopping for your new bike is half the fun, Catrin. I don't think you will go wrong with either one. Have you tried the ole line down the paper with pros vs. cons method?

Yep - and the Surly wins every time I do that So perhaps I've already answered my own question? I can always talk to the bike store about how expensive it would be to move those bar-end shifters...I sure don't have the skills/tools/bravery to do it..

[withm]

I know you are really wanting to buy the touring bike next week, but since you are so new to the sport, I really think you'll be happier with a bike that you bought after you got a few hundred miles in on the bike you have.

Once you start riding more frequently, meeting other riders, and seeing what others like and dislike about their bikes will really help you to decide what you need. As soon as your are more confident and skillful on your own bike, your new friends will be more likely to let you try their bikes so you can learn the subtle differences between one bike and another. After all, they went through the same agony of trying to find bikes in their sizes. That way you will have a much better idea of the features you will want, or not.

I would really fear that if you bought your touring bike now, you will be selling it in a year to get the bike you really want. I sort of look at as though you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you meet the handsome prince. The only problem is that the bike specs on paper just can't translate into how the bike actually fits and rides.

And finally if the local shops don't have a bike in your size to try, make them bring one in for you. I know they may try to tell you that you have to buy it but get real. I know this economy has been hard on bike shops, and it's hard on the customers too. But in most cases it's just crazy to spend $$$ on a bike if you haven't ridden it first. And if the shop absolutely refuses, then I'd take my business to another shop.

My two cents. And I hope you meet the handsome prince.

[KnottedYet]

Withm makes some very good points.

[Bike Chick]

Withm makes some very good points.

Yes, they are good points. Been there.

BTW I checked into changing out the bar end shifters and it would've cost $200 at my LBS.

[Catrin]

Yes, they are good points. Been there.

BTW I checked into changing out the bar end shifters and it would've cost $200 at my LBS.

I was planning on checking into that today...thanks! It will be interesting to see what they would charge for this. Indeed, good points. I need a bike that I can take home this spring, and my Trek can't handle the mountains. I've certainly already considered the points that have been raised...thankfully my LBS guarantees the fit which is quite a comfort. We will see what happens in the next week

[Cataboo]

Well, your trek could handle the mountains - you can't necessarily handle the mountains on your trek.

You can look into putting a mountain bike rear cassette on your trek as a cheaper solution.

[Catrin]

Well, your trek could handle the mountains - you can't necessarily handle the mountains on your trek.

You can look into putting a mountain bike rear cassette on your trek as a cheaper solution.

That is true, which means I need to start practicing on hills I have looked into a different cassette. Certainly food for thought, though likely won't change my timing. Even with a different cassette, I can't take the Trek on certain non-technical trails that I can with the Surly - and it doesn't have clearance for cyclo-cross tires. However I will certainly take another look around and consider all of my options. That is the reason for enforced waiting periods - to make sure that I am comfortable with whatever decision I make.

I know that I can test-ride a Trek 520 in a matter of days - a local dealer will order it without obligation. Perhaps my LBS might be willing to do this with the LHT.