Jamis 2001 Aurora

Price Paid:  $620.00 at Intown Bicycles, Atl

Favorite Ride:
Seattle to Bellingham

Bike Setup:
59cm stock Jamis Aurora (Reynolds 520 frame, Ritchey Comp 700x30 wheels, Shimano Sora Groupos w/ cen

Summary:
This is a good all around touring/commuting bike. Wider tires than a road bike work well on the poorly maintained municipal streets while not slowing you down too much. Front and rear braze-ons allow a variety of racks.

Strengths:
--Price/Value
--Pretty color
--Low-end Sora Shifters....are actually different from the better Shimano components and suit my tastes. The Soras have the integrated shift/brake for one direction of shifting and a thumb button for the other direction....much more like the Campagnolo design.
--Stock seat is comfy and color-coordinated.

Weaknesses:
--Stock pedals are caged....but on a bad pedal that is more difficult to enter than a standard pedal and cage. Plus they are streamlined on the under-side so it is pretty ineffective to use the pedal even briefly on the off-side. Kind of undermines the stop-start commuter function of this bike.
--Cheap Sora components. Yes, I like the actual shifter controls better, but the chainrings and cogs have a limited life. I've put about 6000 miles on this bike in 13 months (replaced the chain after 2000 miles) and the chain/gears are getting to the point where the no longer accept adjustments...but are simply too worn to just replace the chain.
--Aluminum braze-on bolts. These easily deform with too much torque and, in one case, where enough dirt had collected around the bolt head. The head popped off as soon as I put the allen key to it...and I had to drill out the rest of the bolt.
--I wish people would, albeit incorrectly, say "Yah-miss" and not "Jay-miss"

Price Paid:  $450.00 at The Path Bike Shop,

Favorite Ride:
Santiago Canyon Road

Bike Setup:
I changed a lot of parts just because I like to tinker! The best change was switching from the stock

Summary:
The Aurora is my 1st "nice" bike. Has I improved as a rider I was looking to replace an old Trek Hybrid with a bike that would be a good commuter and good for long rides on the weekend. The Aurora is a good beginner road bike.

The Aurora fits the bill nicely. The steel frame and 700 x 30 tires ride smoothly, and the bike is light enough to be quick. Full rack and fender eyelets as well as cantilever brakes for fender clearance make the bike an ideal commuter. I've put 1000 miles on mine, a lot of that was riding to work, and I love this bike.

Strengths:
Steel Frame, wide tires, cantilever brakes, a good road bike for the real world. It's a good value for the money. It's a pretty blue color as well.

Weaknesses:
Since I commute a lot my biggest gripe was gearing; too tall for the hills around here. I also replaced pedals with SPD type and I didn't like the stock seat much.

Similar Products Used:
1993 Trek 700 hybrid