Sorry to ask, but need some help choosing my next bike

pintoo

I am looking to upgrade from my Revolution Courier Race to something a little more rugged and forgiving. I have narrowed my choice down to 2 - one is a tourer, the other a cyclocross. Both are steel framed and in the same ballpark pricewise. I'm going to the absolute top-end of my budget, so please don't suggest bikes costing more.

My choices are:
1. Jamis Aurora Elite http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/08_ ... elite.html
2. Surly Crosscheck http://www.surlybikes.com/crosscheck_comp.html

I basically only have room for one bike, so it will be used for commuting (30 miles through London), weekend riding (mostly road, but also some towpaths and would be nice to know it can go off-road without either fallling apart or throwing me off).

Does either stand out as better/worse than the other? Am I missing a better option?

I had considered the Specialized Tricross Sport but I'm pretty sure I don't want to go Alu.

Thanks in advance for your help.

biondino

It's not much use saying both look great, is it! I know people who love the Surly, but the Jamis looks better specced (and prettier?).

Could you remove the brackets round the urls in your post? I think then the links will become automatically active - at the moment you have to cut and paste them into the browser.

don_don

I think either will do admirably for the sort of riding you are interested in. You can always put fatter tyres on a tourer for the odd tow-path jaunt.

The question seems to be - are you more likely to gravitate to touring or faster road rides, or are you more likely to go off road and onto green lanes or tracks etc?

Both bikes will manage each fine, but they'll each be better at what they are 'aimed' at, as it were.

Incidentally, I used to own a Tricross and it was a great bike, especially at trailer towing. I would urge you to at least try one out. I only sold mine to make way for a faster road bike and I miss it now.

pintoo

biondino - Thanks for the tip - brackets removed. They are both nice looking, aren't they? Have to admit I'm leaning towards the Jamis on spec, but they're only available from Bolton (I live in London), so not much hope in terms of local after-sales support.


don_don
Thanks for the steer. I do like the Spesh on paper, but living with an alu bike right now, I'm really tired of the tennis elbow I'm getting from the road buzz. Plus, I think if I don't go with steel, I'm going to regret it.

I bought the Rev as a "cheap" option to see if I could really stick with commuting. I've been solid for a year now, so I a) know the limitations of the bike (surprisingly few, actually) and b) feel like I can now justify a larger budget for a better bike.

don_don

I would certainly not criticise steel, having owned a couple of lovely steel frames. However, I never had any problems with road buzz from the Tricross, in fact it was super-smooth, probably due to the carbon forks and seatpost I think.

I think your handlebars can also have an effect, so I wouldn't right off the Spec on the grounds of road buzz.

Either way, happy shopping for your new bike

pintoo

don_don
Thanks again. Nothing else for it but a test ride on the Spesh, then . Cheers.