Well, I took a 51cm Aurora Elite for a brief demo today at the LBS, Roscoe Village Bikes here in Chicago. It's owned by a seemingly nice couple (Leslie and Alex), and tis a small shop, so not much inventory. But heck, they carry Jamis (and KHS?), and that's all that counts, right? Their inventory of both the 2008 Aurora and Elites sucks at this moment in time, but maybe it's too early in the season, so I cut 'em some slack. Then again, they're a new Jamis dealer, and maybe that's why Rapid Transit has a boatload of Auroras and they don't.

So, after adjusting the seat, I took the Elite for a quick spin. It acutally road pretty nice...almost like a race. Seemed lighter than the Aurora, but the booklet says only a 26.25 vs 27lb weight difference between the two. Weird, since there was like a 3-4 lb difference LAST year's Aurora and Nova. Perhaps the bigger crank and heavier wheels made the difference. Both bikes feel fairly light, and that's a good thing.

Anyway, the Elite has some nice parts on it...105 STI shifters and front derailleur, FSA triple crank, and Ultegra rear derailleur. Better rims than the Aurora too.

So how did it ride? Well, much more racer-like than the Aurora. Definitely harsher. I don't know if it's because the tires were pumped up to over 80lbs or because the 631 steel frame is stiffer, but the ride wasn't as cadillac-like as the regular Aurora. Shifting was VERY smooth and precise, but that seat felt hard as a rock. I was also reaching for the hoods and bent over just a little too much for my own comfort. I know these things can be adjusted, but I'm not sure how much. I'm gonna have to bring in my Brook B17 to try it on both the 53 Aurora and 51 Aurora Elite.

And also...I had some toe overlap with the front wheel on slow, small radius turns, and my street shoes rubbed several times. My shoes size is 8.5M.

Well, that' just test number 1. Gonna have to bring in my B17, and place it on both the 53 Aurora and 51 Elite, and perhaps make some more adjustments. And btw, the standover on the 51 Elite was exactly in between the 50 and 53 Auroras...perfect! But as I've said before, reach is much more important.

Randy

ps-still leaning towards the 53 Aurora, but I'll have the 51 Elite adjusted a bit more before the final decision. And as for price, the shop was willing to give me 10% off (-$135) on the Elite because of a supposed manufacturer shipping error. That would pay for tax here in Chicago.