The Jamis Aurora is a solid value for a touring bike. I probably would own one if they would sell frames/forks separately, but they only sell complete bikes. The Aurora is a great alternative for those of us who don't fit the geometry of the Surley Long Haul Trucker. The LHT has a relatively long top tube and short head tube, which is great for some cyclists but terrible for others. I'm one of the others, and for me the Aurora's geometry is just about right.

Regarding components, I don't think it's unusual to change components on a complete bike, and most local shops will swap parts or make upgreades/changes for reasonable prices. Many cyclists who actually do loaded touring find that the gear is too high on stock bikes and end up changing the cassette and/or chainrings. However, many of the people who buy touring bikes actually never do any loaded touring, so the stock gearing might be just fine for them.