Originally Posted by
joejohnstun
Taking all your advice to heart, thank you so much.
I live in Mexico, so it's not as easy to find bikes down here. I found another one available in my city that I wanted to run by you guys.
It's a Jamis Aurora, for about $300. Cromolio frame, Shimano Tiagra, rear derailleur Shimano Deore 9x3, Alex rims, Bontrager seatpost.
This is probably a much better option than the other two... no?
The Jamis Aurora is marketed as a touring bike, this would be a better option than the other two, especially since you were going to add drops to the Apex anyway.