TOUR AURORA. GO THE DISTANCE. If you want to experience the cyclist’s version of backpacking you’ll want an Aurora, arguably the last of the true loaded touring bikes. Our Auroras use legendary Reynolds chromoly steel, with air-hardened 631 in the Aurora Elite and double-butted 520 in the Aurora, both with our SST frame design so every size rides like it was custom-built. Aluminum might be lighter, but that half-pound you’d save is nothing on a big tour, and steel’s smoothness won’t leave you fatigued the way you’d be after 100 miles of aluminum road buzz. Strong wheels with big, load-friendly tires, wide-range gearing -- thanks to the smartly spec’ed long cage ATB rear derailleur and cassette -- and powerful cantilever brakes help get the job done when the task at hand is carrying everything you need and rolling through a lot of daily mileage. Our Aurora series touring bikes offer a full complement of carrier and fender eyelets to simplify accessory mounting. On the Elite, our eyeleted dropouts are investment cast instead of forged. Investment casting (aka “lost wax”) produces high quality dropouts precisely and consistently with extremely high structural integrity. It is an expensive process but worth it. These beautiful dropouts significantly stiffen the rear triangle of the Elite frame while the contoured socket shape holds the rear wheel securely.
Load an Aurora up and you’re ready to hit the road for weeks on end. Or ride one as is: it’s perfect for long-distance commutes or casual weekend group rides.
AURORA ELITE FRAME: Reynolds 631 air-hardened chromoly main tubes with heat treated-taper gauge cromo stays. Extended head tube, SST frame design and full complement of braze-ons FORK: Lugged semi-sloping chromoly with canti bosses, low-rider braze-ons, dropout eyelet WHEELS: Mavic CXP-22 rims, Shimano Tiagra hubs, 32h, WTB stainless spokes TIRES: Vittoria Randonneur with Double-Shield puncture protection, 700 x 32c DRIVETRAIN: Shimano Ultegra/105 derailleurs, 105 STI levers, FSA Gossamer triple crankset & Mega Exo BB. 30/39/53, Shimano 12/27 10-speed cassette BRAKESET: New Avid Shorty cantilevers with Shimano 105 levers
AURORA FRAME: Reynolds 520 double-butted chromoly main tubes, double tapered cromo stays FORK: Lugged semi-sloping chromoly with canti bosses, low-rider braze-ons, dropout eyelet WHEELS: Alex ACE19 rims w/eyelet, Shimano Tiagra hubs, stainless steel spokes TIRES: Vittoria Randonneur with Double-Shield puncture protection, 700 x 32C DRIVETRAIN: Shimano Deore rear derailleur, Tiagra STI levers, FSA Vero Road triple crankset with PowerSpline BB, 50/39/30T BRAKESET: Tektro Oryx forged alloy cantilevers with Shimano Tiagra STI levers and Tektro safety levers
One of the reasons our Aurora series bikes are so popular, besides the smooth ride quality of Reynolds steel and the stable geometry of our frame design, is the wide range gearing we offer. On Aurora, we borrow a long cage Deore rear derailleur and 11-32 cassette from our mountain bikes and marry it to a 50/39/30 triple ringed road crankset. The resulting gear range offers a low of approximately 25 gear inches and a high of nearly 123 gear inches. A 385% spread! A range of gearing you’ll definitely appreciate on that loaded tour in the mountains.
COCKPIT: Ritchey 31.8mm BioMax Road bar, NVO TM-3 stem, Ritchey 2 bolt seat post, Jamis Touring Sport saddle with distressed synthetic leather cover
COCKPIT: Ritchey Comp BioMax Road handlebar, Ritchey Comp stem and seatpost, Jamis Touring Sport Womens saddle with hollow cro-mo rails
Color: Gloss Black Sizes: 47, 50, 53, 55, 57, 59, 62cm Weight: 23.50 lbs
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Color: Bone Sizes: 47, 50, 53, 55, 57, 59, 62cm Weight: 27.40 lbs
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